Bluestem Prairie: news about Tim Walz (MN-1)

Tuesday morning netroots digest: new G.I. Bill edition

Overcome by yesterday's blog traffic, we headed out to do some birding and catch Ironman at the local theater. Enormous fun, though we all shuddered during the attack on the Humvee convoy in Afghanistan: one of the young men in the theater is in the reserves, who (like the rest of us) has been listening to vets returned from the real thing.

The real stories and the need to revisit veterans' programs is driving legislation aimed at paying back their sacrifice and commitment to our country.  In the First, the netroots have engaged that conversation. In yesterday's Corner House Comments,  we read that 21st Century GI Bill Will Come To A Vote Soon!.

The southwestern Minnesota blogger, father of an Iraq war vet, promotes a comment from Minnesota Central about the roadblocks Blue Dog Democrats are putting up.  CHC follows with an appeal from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) for support for the legislation:

Last week, despite enormous momentum, a vote on the GI Bill was delayed by a small group of Democrats in the House. Believe it or not, they’re concerned about the cost of the bill, which amounts to less than 0.5% of war funding for the year. This is Washington ineffectiveness at its worst.

We’ve been pounding the pavement here in DC every day, meeting with all the key players in the fight for a new GI Bill, and today we need your support.

Please take a minute now to call your Representative, and urge them to show their support for a new GI Bill by voting to fund it this week. We’ve included some talking points at the bottom of this email that you can use during your call.

Despite deep bi-partisan support, the endorsement of every major veterans’ organization, and studies showing that a new GI Bill is a fiscally sound investment in our nation’s future, a few members of the House are standing in its way at this late, critical stage.

If you haven’t already, please take a minute now to call your Representative and tell them that you support education benefits for the men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new GI Bill (HR 5740) has broad bi-partisan support, and leading Democrats and Republicans have been fighting for it since day one. But thanks to this small group that is mounting an ill-advised opposition, the vote is going to be close, and we need your help to make sure Congress does the right thing.

In our view, the GI Bill is a cost of war, and a smart investment in one of the most motivated, deserving groups of people our country has to offer.

So please take a minute now to tell your Representative to show real support for our troops and veterans by supporting the new GI Bill.

After your call, please take a minute to tell us about it here.

Over at Minnesota Campaign Report, First District diarist Jacob Grippen looks at the GI Bill, beginning with  a discussion of the Senate version of the bill, which John McCain objects to as too generous. Grippen concludes:

Too generous?  We are denying our Veterans the truth about their comrades' suicides, we're treating them to horrible conditions at VA hospitals, yes, I suppose passing Senator Webb's new GI Bill would be a change in policy.   I'm just glad that many Republicans are co-sponsoring this bill.  The total number of co-sponsors (bi-partisan) so far is up to 57.

Our soldiers deserve every benefit our government and its citizens can give them.

Tim Walz had this to say back in April about revamping the GI Bill:

"To enhance the ability of not only of the soldier but of their family members to get an education and get them back in training for a new profession"

What say you Minnesota?

We say that our young friends in the Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force deserve the best for what they're willing to put on the line for the rest of us.  Go over to CHC and MNCR to share your thoughts.

In other netroots news, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room » Daily Kos looks at Mcjoan's post about the Frontiers of Freedom robocalls campaign.

Photo: Airmen in a Humvee rollover training exercise at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

Sunday afternoon news digest: bread and circuses edition

A chilly but lovely morning took us away from home. Yesterday's quickly-melting snow prompted the counter-intuitive reaction of making the grass greener. Right now the sun is shining while snow is falling. A very odd and very beautiful sight.

Jacob Grippen, diarist at MnCR, and Dale at Cornerhouse Comments were  both delegates to the First Congressional  DFL convention  yesterday. In the CHC post, Congressman Walz-Representing The People Of The 1st CD, Dale wrote:

The best part of the day of course was the nomination of Tim Walz to represent the people of the 1st Congressional District. The congressman has done an outstanding job in his first term and has worked very hard to restore trust in the people we send to Washington D.C. I have been cynical and often disillusioned with our elected officials. Not so with Tim Walz. I am proud to claim him as my representative. His work ethic, openness, intelligence, values, and manner of speaking are just some of his attributes. He understands the challenges that I face. He understands my wants and my needs. He understands my dreams.

After several nominating speeches from delegates, Gwen Walz, the Congressman’s wife, gave a rousing introduction for her husband which really got the crowd pumped up. Prior to taking the stage, I was lucky enough to capture this moment with the Congressman getting last minute advice on his acceptance speech from his son, Gus.

Go over to the blog to see an amazing picture of a father and son.

KAAL-TV reported in DFL Convention:

Delegates from across southern Minnesota gathered to "officially" endorse Representative Tim Walz for a second term.

"This time it's very gratifying to come back and say this is what the difference is," said Walz. . . .

. . ."I'm pleased with it, obviously it's humbling," said Walz. . . .

The Albert Lea Tribune's Sarah Kirchner notes:

. . .More than 250 people were at the convention Saturday, most of which were southern Minnesota county delegates vying to attend the national convention, said Lori Sellner, chair of the 1st Congressional District DFL.

But the day seemed to be focused on Walz, with nearly half the crowd wearing yellow and blue Walz T-shirts, his campaign signs hung across the room, in the hallway and outside the school building.

“I’m just thrilled with the whole thing,” said Blue Earth delegate Colleen Jackson. “I’m just very excited, especially this year.” . . .

The Star Tribune mentions the endorsement in Second attempt pays off for DFLer Tinklenberg:

. . .Also Saturday, DFLers in the First Congressional District endorsed Rep. Tim Walz's reelection bid. The former high school teacher and longtime National Guard member "is a breath of fresh air in Minnesota politics," district chairwoman Lori Sellner said in a news release. Much of southern Minnesota makes up the district.

Walz has amassed a formidable campaign arsenal, raising far more money than his two Republican challengers -- GOP-endorsed Brian Davis of Rochester and Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna -- and harnessing up to 2,000 volunteers. . . .

On Friday, we linked to the Rochester Post Bulletin story about Sam Hagedorn,  the Mayo High School student campaigning to become a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. According to a comment after the article, he achieved his goal. Congratulations!

Finally, a shout-out to Waseca's Jon Lucca of indie-alt trio The Schmoejoes who stopped to check out the Prairie. Jon and his wife were a first-time delegate-alternate combo in Albert Lea; they're excited about the state convention in Rochester.

In other news, the Mankato Free Press editorial board believes Medicaid shouldn’t be shifted to counties. It wrote:

The U.S. House of Representatives served local taxpayers well last week when it voted overwhelmingly to block a Bush Administration plan to shift federal spending on Medicaid to counties and the state.

hat so many Republicans — almost two-thirds — voted to block implementation of the plan shows how unfair the plan is. A Free Press in-depth report a few weeks ago showed how counties and the state would have to take over costs on a number of child protection cases, shifting hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal spending onto local taxpayers. The shift came about through rules the administration can implement without the consent of Congress.

The plan the House passed may stave off that shifting.

The Bush plan was touted as a way to save $13 billion in what the administration considers wasteful Medicaid spending. But the policy reality was that, for example, child protection workers in counties in Minnesota would no longer be paid through Medicaid, a healthcare program for the poor. Instead, counties and the state would have to take over paying for what has always been a federal responsibility.

All 50 governors have tried to stop the implementation of the rule, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty, head of the National Governors Association. . . .

. . .Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar have written the administration opposing implementation of the new rule. Congressman Tim Walz was co-author of the legislation that passed the House. The entire Minnesota congressional delegation voted in favor of the bill.

Bush has threatened to veto the measure, but the House and likely the Senate have enough votes to override a veto. The two-thirds of Republicans in the House joined every voting Democrat to pass, by a vote of 349-62, a one-year moratorium on implementing the rules. . . .

Read the whole thing at the MFP.  Much of the Free Press's news coverage today was about rising food prices. The Star Tribune's board opined about the spiking costs in Local meets global on world food crisis. Walz is mentioned:

Minnesota politicians from both parties can play a crucial role. U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar, as well as Reps. Tim Walz and Colin Peterson, serve on the agriculture committees in Congress. Tim Pawlenty is not only governor of a major farm state, but also has the ear (and maybe a spot on the ticket) of Sen. John McCain, who may inherit the food crisis. Each of them should closely consider the role agriculture and energy policy play in the crisis and be willing to reconsider the fundamental food/feed/fuel debate regarding crop use. They should also help lead the shift to the next generation of biofuels that depend less on food crops.

The food crisis indicates just how interconnected Minnesota is with the world. As a well-worn slogan suggests, it's time to think globally and act locally.

Walz is indeed trying to steer fund toward research into new, non-food, cellulostic fuelstocks for use as biofuels. 

Southern Minnesota's food growers are increasingly offering the chance to buy locally grown produce, fruit,  dairy, eggs and meat.  Today's Owatonna People's Press reports how area residents can buy a share of this year's vegetable production from Clinton Falls Farm, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture ) operation started up by John Ostgarden and Lowell Gordon, according to A family farm: Organic farm sells shares of produce locally.

A companion article notes that the two men, who were raised on farms in Minnesota and South Dakota, are getting assistance in getting back to farming from the Land Stewardship Project's Farm Beginnings program.

The Land Stewardship Project and other farm organizations advised Congressman Walz about the importance of making sure younger people become involved in farming. Along with South Dakota's Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Walz, was instrumental in getting new farmer programs written in the Farm Bill that passed in the House. We're hoping that it has remained in the version the conference committee has tentatively agreed on.

Oh, and nice chickens. Who doesn't appreciate a Buff Orpington?

Friday evening netroots and news digest

The Cornerhouse Comments notes that QPP In Austin Will Pay Compensation Claims of Sickened Workers.  Congressman Walz had taken an interest on behalf of the workers, and researchers at the Mayo Clinic were closing in on the link between the ailment and working conditions in the pock processing facility.  Sadly, denial of workers compensation is too often nearly routine by insurance companies.

In the Sixth, Andy at Residual Forces notes that ultra-conservative Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has joined ultra-conservative Congressman John Kline in supporting their party's endorsed candidate. Dump Bachmann implicitly reminds everybody that Dick Day is running as a challenger in the Republican primary in Well Michele Bachmann Would Never Endorse Dick Day.

Also in the Sixth, the Political Muse from Liberal in the Land of Conservative is working on videos of Tim Walz's passionate speech on energy and the economy for his MnMuseTube Channel. We will post them as they become available.

The Marshall Independent notes that Transportation committee discusses local road issues in Washington
with congressional staffers and Rep. Peterson.  The Redwood Falls Gazette earlier reported that  Congressmen Walz and Peterson, along with Senators Klobuchar and Coleman, were seeking federal funding for the Minnesota Prairie line, a short-line railroad operated by the Minnesota Valley Regional Railroad Authority.

The NUWire Investor looks at the Wind Energy Promotion Act.

The Albert Lea Tribune reports DFL Party to hold 1st District convention Saturday in Albert Lea.

MFP editorial: support the Political Bloggers Protection Act

In Our View: Do not regulate political bloggers, the Mankato Free Press stands up for political free speech in the blogosphere:

Congress, regulators and the courts still aren’t sure how to treat the Internet and those who use it. From protecting kids from pornography to deciding if Internet sales should be taxed, the complexities, rapid changes and sheer size of the Web create complexities for government.

Such is the case before Congress relating to whether government can oversee some of what political bloggers can do.

The Federal Elections Commission — which ensures political campaigns are run within the law — has so far ruled that Internet users are protected from the strictures of campaign laws, the same way newspapers, broadcasters and other more traditional media outlets are exempted.

But many worry that future FEC boards, or judges, will remove that protection.

The problem grows from campaign laws that authorize the FEC to regulate “anything of value used to influence an election,” including “public communications.”

That language has led some judges to ponder whether a blogger who links to a politician’s Web site or writes things in support or in opposition to a candidate, should fall under FEC regulation.

The Blogger Protection Act now before Congress would ensure that political speech from bloggers has the same First Amendment protection as the writer of this newspaper editorial.

The Act should be passed.

When political bloggers — or any other Internet users — want to write about candidates’ issues, make fun of them, support them or deride them, they deserve protection from federal campaign laws. (Those compensated by a political party or candidate would — and should — still fall under campaign law oversight under the Act.)

While the Internet provides a different vehicle for public discourse, it should not bring new restrictions on people’s ability to voice their opinions. Whether someone starts a newspaper, a blog, or speaks in the town square, they have the right to espouse their political ideals without interference from the government.

This editorial hits the central issue right on the head: independent political bloggers should enjoy the same rights as the rest of the free press.  We bloggers can be as demure or as insolent as we wish, but so long as we're not compensated for our writing by candidates or political parties, the FEC and state-level regulators should just butt out.   

Things get a bit murkier when a blogger gets paid by a campaign or political party to do work other than posting on one's personal blog, but self-disclosure, combined with exposure by other bloggers when disclosure isn't forthcoming, prompts most bloggers to be open about compensation, whether for blogging or for other work. 

The author (and despite our annoying use of the editorial first person plural, there's only one of us) at Bluestem Prairie doesn't get compensated by a candidate or party for anything, much less the opinions on this blog. Should that change, we'll let you know.

Early evening digest: no news item left behind edition

Education Week reporter David Hoff notes Walz's letter in NCLB: Act II: Lawmakers on Left and Right Criticize Pilot Project:

The response to the "differentiated accountability" project shows one truth about NCLB: It's hard to please everybody. Looking at reaction from the left and the right on Capitol Hill, you see tepid endorsements for the plan, followed by criticism of the law itself. . . .

. . .From the left, Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., calls the plan a "long overdue step" in a letter to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who announced the plan last week. But Walz indicates that the announcement won't change his stance on the law: "NCLB is a deeply flawed mandate that is badly in need of significant reform and overhaul," he writes. . . .

These reactions will mean little in the implementation of the latest pilot project. But they show how difficult it will be to gather the votes for NCLB reauthorization—whether it happens this year or next.

P.S. A letter to the editor of The New York Times gave a headline writer the chance to create the latest word play on the NCLB name: No Cynic Left Behind

WIZM Radio reports Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz Discusses Future US Role In Iraq.

In the netroots, Minnesota Central looks at franking privileges in How much is that Prebate Check Worth ? and contrasts between two Minnesota freshman representatives in NBL Walz –vs- OOS Bachmann on Freedom.  Bachmann's in favor of the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, while Walz is meeting with veterans and other constituents.

Down in Southwestern Minnesota, the Corner House Comments tells an ICE tale:

In a recent conversation with a friend and coworker of mine I found out that “targeting specific individuals” must mean that if you don’t look like you just came off the farm and are not saying ” you betcha” a lot, it must mean that you are undocumented. He had went to pick up some items from a local retail store and was leaving the store when two men approached him and asked for his identification. Being a good union brother that respects but likes to challenge authority, he asked them who the hell they were and did not produce any ID. They replied that they were with Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and again asked for his identification. He asked for identification from them and they finally produced it. After verifying their id’s my friend offered them his driver’s license. The ICE agents apparently were not satisfied with that and asked to see his Green Card. Well, after telling them that he did not have a Green Card because he is a citizen, they took his drivers license to a van where they have all their secret Homeland Security electronic gizmo’s and checked it out. Returning a few minutes later they told him he was free to go. Before leaving he asked why he was stopped and was told ” he didn’t need to know”.

I often hear people say that if you are here legally that you do not have anything to fear from the government. Fortunately for my coworker, the verification process worked this time. If their data was inaccurate or incomplete what would have happened? What is disturbing is that he was chosen at random because he did not fit the profile of a SW Minnesota native. ICE officials say they do not randomly pick up people. Apparently the agents in the field did not get the memo.

In the Albert Lea Tribune, editor Tim Engstrom writes about how Economic policies only making things worse. Definitely worth a click and a read.

 

Monday early evening news digest: snowy Monday edition

The Navy Times says Vets still struggle with medical systems.  Here's a taste of one of the stories:

At the start of a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing Thursday, the witnesses were asked to stand and raise their right hands to be sworn in.

But former Marine Cpl. Casey Owens lost both legs when he ran over two anti-tank mines in a Humvee on Sept. 20, 2004.

He didn’t stand. . .

. . .Owens has yet to be fitted with a prosthesis for his right leg after enduring three surgeries to re-attach his femur muscle to the bone because it kept tearing.

The fourth time it tore — after having an additional three inches of thigh bone, nerve and muscle amputated in the third surgery — his VA doctor suggested the same surgery again.

When another doctor suggested a different surgery might work better for him, it took six months to get VA approval in Houston, compared with 72-hour approval for his previous surgery.

“It was very painful,” Owens said of the wait. “But I don’t have any more leg to give.”

He lost six months’ worth of rehabilitation, as well as time at school or work. He had to go back on pain medication, from which he had weaned himself. As he waited, his Tricare insurance was canceled as a result of a clerical error.

He was finally approved, Owens said, and the fourth surgery seems to have been successful. When he was ready to go off his medication again, he asked for a doctor’s supervision to help him through the withdrawal.

But the VA doctor was too busy, Owens said, and sent him to the substance abuse clinic — which sent him to a methadone clinic.

“I said I wanted to get off the drugs,” not go on methadone, Owens said. So he went to a different doctor with the help of a nonprofit agency and was off his meds within a week.

“Most of my care is from outside doctors,” he said. “I rarely see the VA.”

In fact, he’ll head to Oklahoma with the Wounded Warrior Program to be fitted with a prosthesis because VA scheduled him for only an hour of rehab per week and, when he complained, sent him to a civilian prosthetics specialist who said he didn’t have time to fit Owens with a device because he was swamped.

It took 18 months to finalize his VA claims, and he still doesn’t have copies of his military medical records.

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said Owens’ story made him ashamed.

“I’m not even sure what to say,” he said. “Would it surprise you that VA officials have sat before us and said they don’t need any more resources?”

We're betting that Walz listens very carefully to the vets who talk at his district forums in Waseca and New Ulm today and Wednesday. Walz sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Walz is also on the Transportation Committee.  We read in the Faribault County Registers that $2.8M airport runway extension planned in Blue Earth. Only  five percent of the cost will come from Blue Earth city coffers; the rest will be paid via state and federal grants set aside for airport improvement.

Bob Skillings throws hat in ring as a DFL candidate for the open seat in MN House 21B, according to the New Ulm Journal. He received 45.7 percent of the vote in 2006 when he ran against retiring incumbent Brad Finstad.

The Post Bulletin's Politics Notebook reports Panel discussion will focus on workforce. From the GOP side there's also news in the column that Fairmont state representative Bob Gunther has endorsed Randy Demmer, joining state reps Tony Cornish and Rod Hamilton, and retired reps Elaine Harder and Fran Bradley in supporting Demmer.

The Worthington Daily Globe reports St. Patty’s Day revelry abounds in Adrian.  Being one of those respectable Irish towns settled by Archbishop Ireland in the 19th century, Adrian behaved itself and held its parade on Saturday so as to respect Holy Week.

The paper also reports Minnesota 60 expansion a go. The project, anticipated to take four years to complete, has been green lighted because of the transportation bill veto override.

More lists about competitive races are out; the Swing State Project reports DCCC Releases Targeted Races List. CQ Politics reports that Republicans Face Limited Opportunities To Win Open Seats.

Minnesota Central notes that FISA Vote Proves Republicans Protecting the President -- NOT Us from Terrorists. He cites Michele Bachmann's column in the Strib.

From Newsweek to CubeZoo: Scare Tactics

Just like the annoying "Defense of Democracies" fear-mongering ad that had played in heavy rotation on the First's television stations, the story of its sponsor and its motives keep going and going.  About an hour ago, Newsweek's weekly Terror Watch column wrote up the story in Scare Tactics? Are White House allies playing election-year hardball on eavesdropping?  A piece of the column:

. . .The group, run by Clifford May, a former communications director of the Republican National Committee, has not disclosed the names of its donors. May told NEWSWEEK that he launched the campaign for the express purpose of ratcheting up pressure on House Democrats. (The ads call on voters to contact specific Democratic members and demand that they vote "to keep us all safe.") "I think it's important for Democrats to hear from their constituents on this issue," May said. "This is a national security issue."

Democrats complain that the administration is trying to politicize the electronic surveillance issue and use it for partisan advantage this fall. "If you look at these ads, they are not too different from the ads they ran against Max Cleland in 2002," said Meredith Salsbery, press secretary to Minnesota Democratic Rep. Tim Walz, whose district has been targeted in the advertising campaign. (Those notorious ads impugned the patriotism and national security credentials of the Democratic senator from Georgia, a Vietnam veteran and triple amputee who wound up losing his re-election bid.) "To a lot of our constituents, these ads look like fear-mongering and scare tactics designed to persuade the public that the Democrats are soft on national security."

While we don't quite see so close a comparison with the old ad, the new one does utilize an unjustified appeal to emotion, with fear being the sole emotion played upon.  We hearing that our reaction of disgust is pretty widespread.

Take GeistX's response in Rochester at CubeZoo:

. . .In politics, last night KTTC ran a commercial, and I really wish I could remember the name of the organization that paid for this, it had one of those innocent sounding names, yet the organization is pure evil type things like Americans for a Democratic Society.

UPDATE:  Found it, the group is 'Defense of Democracies'. Here is the FUD ad. WARNING, this ad contains Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt as well as unhealthy amounts of Jingoism with no facts. . . .

. . .The commercial is a FUD piece saying the Senate had shown true leadership and concern for the safety of this country by voting FOR the new FISA bill (which is the bill the Bush Administration wants that include Telecom immunity), while the House ducked its responsibility and went on vacation. It showed a whole bunch of scary images and pro-American jingoism, terrorist bad bullshit common in these times thanks to the Bush Adminisration. The end put up Tim Walz's picture and contact information (which isn't on the YouTube version, and must have been added regionally for each member of Congress targeted) and urged people to call him and tell him to vote YES for security! Vote FOR the FISA bill (now with new and improved Telecom Immunity!). I won't go into why this ad is wrong on so many levels, as it makes me so enraged I get even more incoherent. But sufficed to say, the new FISA bill will not make us safer, the old FISA legislation (which had been updated) protects us and our civil liberties by requiring judicial oversight and review (even after the fact if time of the essence) and the new bill weakens civil liberties and expands the power of the Administrative Branch by weakening the checks and balances. The fact this ad could give no facts and only provide push-button emotional rhetoric should illustrate why everyone when they see something like this should, in the words of Buffalo Springfield, 'there's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear...stop children, what's the sound? Everybody look whats goin down...'

Go over to CubeZoo, watch the ad, and let GeistX know your response while the Buffalo Springfield classic plays. Then, if you're one of Walz's constituents, call his office and tell him what you think about the ad, too.

We did catch an error of fact in the Newsweek column. It noted that Democratic board member "resignations were first reported by Spencer Ackerman in the Washington Independent."  That article--which is very fine--was posted today.

Not quite first place. On Monday, Bluestem reported a tip from the ACLU about Eliot Engle's resignation, and moments later, Matt Stoller at Open Left was first to report Charles Shumer's departure from the board and to post Donna Brazile's statement condemning the ad and removing herself from the board.

 

Brian Davis: is there a rat in the GOP's kitchen?

Update: Demmer tells his side of the story in today's Rochester Post Bulletin. He's not pointing any fingers, but we are speculating.  Demmer does suggest a general direction for the source of the attacks:

"Demmer said he suspects the effort originates in Republican circles, because he's not even the endorsed candidate to oppose Democrat Walz yet. He said he received a call from a Republican in Washington, an apparent ally, who had received a package...."[end update]

One of our favorite songs by the 1980s UK reggae band UB40 is "Rat in Mi Kitchen." For a few weeks, we've been thinking of GOP candidate Brian Davis whenever we hear these lyrics shuffled up by our iPod:

There`s a rat in me kitchen what am I gonna do?
There`s a rat in me kitchen what am I gonna go?
I`m gonna fix that rat thats what i`m gonna do,
I`m gonna fix that rat.

When you open your mouth you don`t talk, you shout
And you give every body the blame,
But when they catch you up,
They will shut you up
And you got no one to blame

We had noticed that Davis tended to send us disparaging things about his rivals for the GOP endorsement--most recently calling our attention to Day's coming absence at the candidate debate at Rochester Mayo High. As it turned out, Senator Day was with his family welcoming an adopted grandchild to this country.

Now, like several of Minnesota's lefty bloggers, most noticeably the Wege, we were raised in Republican households. And one vestige of that upbringing in Southern Minnesota is to look askance at those Republicans who run to the other side with reports of ill doing on behalf of members of their own party. It's rather the way we feel about Democrats who pass information on to MDE.

Thus was that we were not surprised to read the post today at MnPublius, Exclusive: Randy Demmer Sued.  We had known about the lawsuits--a federal case filed in 1995 but dismissed before it was re-refiled in the Dodge County Courts in 1996.  It's old stuff and not material that makes Demmer look like a monster. He isn't.

And in our educated judgement, it's likely  being spread now by none other than Brian Davis or his allies in his attempt to gain the nomination to run against Tim Walz. [Update:] perhaps Day could be doing this, but it doesn't strike us as his M.O. As one commenter posts at MNPublius:

This is the type of crap you get when a candidate hires a guy like Brad Biers to be his campaign manager. To me, this type of politics says more about the judgement of one of Demmer’s opponents than it does about Demmer. [end update]

It strikes us as the latest effort to twist a situation to Davis' advantage--a twisting that repeatedly happens with a certain recklessness toward the facts.  Thus we have seen Davis exploit an important milestone in the Day family and--perhaps--a decade old lawsuit against Demmer.

Against Walz?  Davis continues to claim that Walz was silent about the MoveOn ad attacking General Petraeus, despite the fact that Walz was one of the first members of Congress to criticize MoveOn's actions--on Fox Radio on September 10, no less.

Why these sleaze tactics would make anyone inclined to support Dr. Davis--especially his fellow Republicans--is somewhat beyond our understanding. Why their use would impress any voter of any party to cast a ballot for Davis is equally baffling.

We don't know if Demmer or Davis tipped off a lefty blogger about the lawsuits. But the story isn't the lawsuits: it's the  strong possibility of Davis' dirty campaigning--while publicly claiming victimization at the county convention last weekend.

PDf of the federal docket here: FederalDocket-95-0092.pdf 

Update: another Post Bulletin article about the lawsuit: Demmer: Dredged up lawsuit is simply dirty politics.

Washington Independent: your tax dollars at work at FDD?

The Minnesota Monitor's Beltway affiliate, The Washington Independent, picks up on the unfolding story behind the Defense of Democracies ad in 'Bipartisan' Think Tank Attacks Democrats. Spencer Ackerman writes:

A neo-conservative but ostensibly bipartisan counterterrorism think tank has lost all its Democratic board members by running an attack ad in Democratic congressional districts through an affiliated enterprise.

The think tank, called the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, is a 501(c )3 -- meaning it was incorporated as a non-profit and non-partisan organization, barred from political activity. Last week, it established Defense of Democracies, a 501(c )4 "non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization," that ran an advertisement urging the House of Representatives to pass the Senate's version of a bill providing retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies that collaborated with the Bush administration's constellation of warrantless surveillance programs. The arrangement is probably legal, experts say, but the parent think tank receives several grants from the State Department -- at least one is worth $487,000 -- for democracy-promotion programs, making its political activities questionable.

On Friday, Defense of Democracies ran an ad in 15 congressional districts that erroneously stated, "the law that lets intelligence agencies intercept Al Qaeda communications expire[d]." In fact, the intelligence community has the authority to intercept Al Qaeda communications under other laws; the expired Protect America Act allowed the National Security Agency to intercept communications between any two persons of interest to a foreign intelligence investigation, even including U.S. citizens, without a warrant. Featuring ominous music, it showed a picture of Osama bin Laden before saying -- again erroneously, according to members of the intelligence community -- "new surveillance is crippled." In the 15 districts, Defense of Democracies got specific about what it wanted. In one of them, for instance: "Tell Tim Walz that Congress must do its job and pass the Senate's terrorist surveillance bill."

The citizens of Minnesota's First Congressional district already have a means to promote democracy. It is called an election.  We hope that the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies--and the taxpayer-funded grants it receives--butts out.  Go read the details at MinMon.

We at BSP have had to watch the attack ad on Walz air repeatedly on KEYC-TV 12. To the station's credit, it ran Congressman Walz Strikes Back, a news story about Walz's pushback.  Our more ambitious readers might consider contacting Defense of Democracies to share a piece of the District's views about the ad.

Tuesday morning news digest: Exile from GOPville edition

The Rochester Post Bulletin editorial board opines Republican disunity can only help Walz. Not true: bloggers are rejoicing over the promise of great material from the GOP wannabe candidates. We have a lot to look forward to. The board writes:

"The end result is that, instead of a GOP candidate setting his sights on Walz on March 30, the 1st District will get to watch two Republicans spend the next five months vying against each other until the Sept. 9 primary."

And speaking for ourselves at BSP, we're grateful for the month remaining until the First Congressional District convention.  We'll miss either Demmer or Davis.

The Owatonna People's Press reports Day exiled from GOP for skipping endorsement.  The article repeats in its sister paper, the Waseca County News. Rumors elsewhere that state GOP chair Ron Carey has called the tip line at ICE to see if Day can be deported are entirely false.

The Spring Grove Herald reports Minnesota Guard troops working to keep peace in Kosovo. Around 400 Minnesota Guard members are deployed to Kosovo.

From the looks of this stub of an article in the Hanska Herald, Ruthie Hendrycks has stopped mentioning her degree from diploma mill LaCrosse University. We also understand that she never did send her "thesis" to the Wege, as promised in the comments here, either.

Pity. We wanted to read Hendrycks' “Domestic Violence and The Mediation Process - Pros and Cons."  We had thought that domestic violence was a crime, not a private matter, since the 1970s at the very least. Looks like we'll never be enlightened now. She has, however, found time to post an article from the John Birch Society's magazine to an online group.

We have discovered that Ruthie might be as confused about Bluestem Prairie as she was about the accreditation of colleges.  She believes that we are Tim Walz's website:

Please note: Mark Meyer has dropped out of Cong District 1 race - this leaves four candidates. MINNSIR supports Brian Davis or Dick Day for this seat. A clarification of one candidate is forthcoming early next year following an upcoming survey to find out exactly where they stand and to allow you to make your choice.  However, note Tim Walz has this trash posted on his website.

(see links directly below)

Please

http://www.bluestemprairie.com/a_bluestem_prairie/2007/12/morillo-alicea.html 

http://www.bluestemprairie.com/a_bluestem_prairie/2007/12/pb-editorial-do.html 

Bluestem Prairie is an independent blog that is not part of Congressman Walz's campaign or congressional office. She can find Tim Walz's congressional site here and his campaign site here.  We hope she will share the facts of her confusion with her membership.

Her confusion is only matched by California Minuteman Ron Branstner's belief that more that one person writes our posts, given our annoying use of the editorial first person "we."  Our readers can sleep soundly at night knowing that all posts over the blog de plume "Ollie Ox" are written by one person.

Hendrycks might also share this news with the Brown County GOP Convention on Saturday, where she will be promoting her candidacy for the State House. GOP Congressional contenders Davis, Day, and Demmer will be there, as well as State Senator Dennis Frederickson, who had the decency to vote for the transportation bill. Should be a lively gathering.

Those scolding Denny won't get any help from the New Ulm Journal editorial board which believes Legislature did the right thing for state roads.

Meanwhile, down in Worthington, the Globe reports Farmers await new Farm Bill.  And many of the very small towns with straight pipe sewer problems are in Southern Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports in Archaic sewage lines tainting lakes, rivers.

Discussion of the Defense of Democracy ad was all over the netroots. Phoenix Woman took a look in Pounding The Table. Open Left looks at Democratic board members' resignations in The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The Muckraker at TPM examined the FDD's press release in   Group Launches Ads Pressuring Dems on Surveillance Bill.

The Blue Mass Group looked at the New England version of the ad in Tag Team: Right Wing & Telecomms Take on Congress?

Sure enough, we found that the National Association of Manufacturers had blogged about Today's Surveillance Developments... and over at the conservative National Review Corner, the FDD's ace debater mocked Tim Walz for serving 24 years in the Coast Guard in More Palaver from House Obstructionists on Intelligence Reform. Perhaps First District national security maven Tom Maertens will take on this tool.

 Our friend McPherson Hall at Minnesota Central asks  A Question for John Kline :Are Comic Books Pork Barrel Spending ? He finds a Bush earmark for comic books about Iraqi security forces. 

If only Captain America were still alive! The private sector could underwrite the expense, and NRO shills for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies could go back to scolding Marvel Comics for endangering America's national security.