KEYC:
22-Month MN National Guard Tour Could Become Longest in Iraq War
Mankato's CBS affiliate reports that the the first brigade combat team, 34th infantry division may stay in Iraq until August 1. This would make the National Guard unit's tour the longest of any Guards in the war:
[Colonel David]Elicerio says he doesn't anticipate his troops will stay past August first. That's because federal law prohibits National Guard units from being on active duty for more than two years.
Austin Daily Herald: Don't sacrifice conservation for ethanol
The editorial board of the Austin Daily Herald notes the potential damage of going overboard with the ethanol boom in Don’t take CRP land back:
Recently, a coalition of grain and feed organizations asked the federal government to allow farmers to withdraw land enrolled in the CRP without a penalty, even though much of the land may be in erosion-prone areas or even untillable.
There is little doubt that a limited supply of corn will at some point affect ethanol production and availability in the country, but that is where technology will kick in. The industry will improve on existing technologies and utilize corn stalks, switch grass, and the waste from other products for the same purpose, eliminating the need to take land out of conservation.
We can do irreparable damage to CRP land, or we can be patient and hope that technology will quickly catch up to our demand for ethanol.
We've been hearing similar sentiments from farmers and rural landowners we know. More posts about this subject later in May.
Netroots: VA bonuses
Joe Bodell at MnCR looks at Walz on VA Bonuses, with links to IDHA and Blue Man in a Red District. The Wege notes the issue.
Sauk Centre Herald: A new state veteans facility?
"Gopher Prairie's" newspaper reports Minnesota House Republican Bud
Heidgerken pushing for veterans facility. He's in contact with MN-07 Congressman Collin Peterson and Walz about the project.
The Hill: GOP recruits 9/11victims family members to run in MA and FL
As one of four veterans elected as freshman congressmen last fall, Walz gets a mention in
9/11 victims families carry GOP banner in Mass., Fla.
New York Times: Evangelical Christian Coalition pushes for comprehensive immigration reform
One of the frequent claims of "immigration reform" advocates in Sourthen Minnesota is that undocumented workers have no claims to human rights from either a civil or religious basis. In today's New York Times article, New Coalition of Christians Seeks Changes at Borders suggests that this viewpoint will get a lot less support from a number of evangelical groups:
A new coalition of more than 100 largely evangelical Christian leaders and organizations asked Congress on Monday to pass bills to strengthen border controls but also give illegal immigrants ways to gain legal residency.
The announcement spotlights evangelical leaders’ increasingly visible efforts to push for what they say is a more humane policy in keeping with biblical injunctions to show compassion for their neighbors, the weak and the alien.
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