We're taking a moment from watching the fun in Washington to wish a happy birthday to our friend Chris Schmitter, Walz's 2008
campaign manager while on leave from Walz's staff. We know how much
you love the Bodeans, and here's a clip of their hit song with some of the boss's new
friends in it.
Also, we got you a new president for your birthday. Hope you like the gift.
In news from the district, it looks that while Walz was an early superdelegate endorser of Obama, he's not going to be a rubber stamp. Mark Sommerhauser's article, Walz reluctant to release second round of bailout money, is getting play beyond the pages of the Winona Daily News. The AP version of the article is online at WCCO, KARE, and KTTC.
Sommerhauser writes:
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz criticized what he called the bailout “boondoggle”
last week, putting him again at odds with President-elect Barack Obama,
who has championed the $700 billion rescue of America’s struggling
financial sector.
Walz, DFL-Minn., didn’t agree with Democratic
leaders and then-Sen. Obama’s support for the bailout bill last fall,
and Walz isn’t buying Obama’s new request to access the remainder of
the funds when he becomes president.
Obama pressed Congress last week to quickly confirm his
authority to spend the remaining $350 billion from the Troubled Assets
Relief Program. But Walz, who was elected to a second term in November,
said the public first must know more about who’s receiving the funds
and how they are spent.
“I’m very skeptical of them getting more money,” Walz said.
Last
week, Walz proposed requiring institutions that receive bailout money
to report it online; the proposal, if adopted, would be part of a TARP
reform bill discussed in the House last week. The House is expected to
continue debating the measure later this week, though it’s unknown how
it would fare in the Senate, which already voted to release the
remaining TARP funds.
If the House votes on whether to release
the TARP dollars, Walz will “almost certainly vote against it,”
spokeswoman Amanda Frie said.
. . .Considering his background, you might imagine that
Thompson was desperate to get tickets to Obama's inauguration.
Actually, one of his two sons had to beg him to go.
"He said, 'Dad,
we got to be there. We got to be part of this monumental activity.' And
I said, ' George, there's going to be all sorts of people. It's going
to be congested, it's going to be cold,'" said Thompson.
Thompson made a
few phone calls and got two tickets from U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat
who represents the Rochester area.
"I called my
son, and I could tell his feet were off the floor two to three feet,
and I was, too. And I started to think of the magnitude of this," said
Thompson.
He says even
last year, he did not think it was possible for the United States to
elect an African-American president. He says this victory is a unifying
one. . .
One of our more delightful young friends just turned 21 a few hours ago, though work and school schedules for Tristan and his girlfriend allow little celebration today. Guess they'll just have to wait until the weekend.
We got him a new President for his birthday. Hope he likes the gift. Getting him a president is a good fit because he's a very patriotic young man who will serve our country at sea once he graduates from college. This being the case, we've found a very patriotic video of a very patriotic song that we dedicate to him on his special birthday. Anchors aweigh, my friend:
Just like the New Ulm Journal before it, the Mankato Free Press tells the story of First District DFL chair Lori Sellner and her journey to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama. Mark Fischenich writes in Early Obama fan eager for inauguration:
Lori Sellner had great seats at the Democratic
National Convention in Boston in 2004, and she remembers what went
through her mind during the keynote address. It was a thought she
mostly kept to herself because it seemed pretty far-fetched to anyone
who wasn’t there to experience the way people reacted to the young
state senator from Illinois.
“It was pretty much when I felt I’d heard a future president speaking,” Sellner recalled last summer.
A Sleepy Eye resident and one of southern
Minnesota’s most dedicated Democratic volunteers, Sellner said she knew
that night in Boston she would be one of Barack Obama’s volunteers if
he decided to run for president some day.
But Sellner was careful not to publicize her prediction back then.
“I didn’t share that with a lot of people,”
she said. “But it’s something I’ve had in my heart in terms of the hope
of it happening someday.” . . .
. . . When Obama announced he was running for
president, Sellner — the chairwoman of the 1st District DFL Party —
worked hard to get him elected.
“I did put a lot of time and passion into it.”
On Tuesday, she will be at the inauguration, listening to Obama speak again — as president of the United States. . . .
Tim and Gwen Walz will be there, but not their young children:
Walz reserved some [tickets] for his family, with the bulk being distributed by lottery.
Walz’s wife, Gwen, will attend, but their
young children — Hope and Gus — are not because of the logistical
issues, long waits and sub-freezing temperatures predicted for Tuesday
morning, [District Director Meredith] Salsbery said.
For those same reasons, Salsbery said she decided not to claim one of the seats. . . .
The Congressman understands the interest in the tickets:
Walz wasn’t concerned
about the cold and figured a lot of Minnesotans, after the
bone-chilling weather of the last week, would consider sunny and 30
degrees to be an afternoon at the beach.
“That may have as much to do with (ticket demand) as President-elect Obama,” Walz joked.
But the second-term congressman, who was
one of the first in the Minnesota delegation to endorse Obama, was glad
to see the intense demand for tickets and the excitement about the
beginning of a new era in American politics.
“This is a celebration of America,” he said. “This is a celebration of democracy.”
It’s also a monumental logistical challenge
for Washington, D.C. That was in evidence as Walz looked out over the
Capitol Mall last week.
“I have never seen so many porta-toilets in my life,” Walz said.
There's more in the article; go read the whole thing.
In the netroots, The Political Mews thinks we're obsessed with felines in his Weekly Romp through the Blogosphere. We asked Mr. Boo and Oscar; they disagreed with him, but found this passage witty:
Also this week, it appears as though Walz wants to remain poor and even force every other member of Congress to live in poverty! I understand, Representative Walz, that YOU
are used to living like a pauper given your background as a teacher but
what about these other members will be unable to survive on less than
$174,000?
That is the slogan the Highway 14 Partnership hopes
to hammer into the legislature’s collective conscience this year, to
push through refurbishing what is known to many Minnesotans as the
deadliest highway in the state.
“It is with the idea when the
legislature hears ‘fix it now,’ they will know we are talking about
Highway 14,” said J.D. Burton, an attorney with the law firm Flaherty
& Hood P.A. which represents the Highway 14 Partnership.
The
U.S. Highway 14 Partnership held its annual meeting in Owatonna on
Friday. The partnership is made up of counties and cities throughout
southern Minnesota, including Owatonna and Steele County. It was formed
to monitor and lobby state legislatures in an effort to expand what
used to be a two-lane highway across the southern portion of the state
into a safer, four-lane roadway.
Read the whole article at the OPP. It's sister paper in Waseca, the County News, asks In the market for an ethanol plant? If so, now bankrupt Vera Sun is having an auction.
It's important to thank those who give all. Today, President-elect Obama placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Raw AP footage:
Photo: There's no secret weapon for DFL victories in Southern Minnesota, just a whole lot of grassroots organizing led by dedicated volunteers like First District chair Lori Sellner. Photo by Laura Askelin (who's usually pretty busy herself).
District papers are running stories of those heading to Washington for Tuesday's inauguration festivities. We are envious of those going, but didn't ask for or seek a ticket ourselves.
When it came time to decide whether to make the trip to the nation's
capital for the inauguration, Sellner waited until the last minute. She
said a friend of hers convinced her to go.
"This is something
that will be historical and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I
decided I wasn't going to pass up the chance," she said.
Sellner
received her ticket through the national Democratic Party office. The
opportunity to attend the inauguration is one extended to all national
party delegates.
Sellner was a Minnesota delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this past summer.
Sellner will fly to Philadelphia on Monday and take a train into Washington for the ceremony.
She
has no idea yet as to where she will be sitting for the event. Because
she does not expect to be able to see the inaugural parade, her VCR at
home is programmed to record broadcasts of the entire day.
Sellner
is also going to a Minnesota DFL function at the American Legion at the
U.S. capitol. She expects the Minnesota Congressional delegation may
attend the event, along with party activists.
Did our usual last-minute packing job last night. Got up early to shovel snow because it got above zero finally! Ellen's holding one of many Obama pins. We got this one in 2006 when we saw him in Rochester campaigning for tim walz and amy klobuchar. If you can't see, it says "Barack Obama for president. Coming Soon!". Who would have thought?
Go over to 2009BOIE to see the button and read David's entertaining posts.
When Barack Obama is sworn in as the nation's first black president
on Tuesday, George Thompson of Rochester plans to be there, one person
amid a jostling mass of humanity.
But not everyone will have Thompson's vantage. His personal
perspective on the presidential inauguration will be as someone who has
seen within his own lifetime just how far America has come.
Many people have read that history; Thompson has lived it.
Thompson was raised in a world of segregated drinking fountains,
bathrooms and public accommodations. As an 11-year-old boy living in
St. Louis, his father told him how to avoid getting maimed or killed
before taking a trip to Mississippi. If you're walking down a sidewalk
and you see a white person coming, step off the sidewalk. Don't look
them in the eye. . . .
Thompson's son talked him into attending the event in person:
Truth be told, Thompson didn't intend to attend the inauguration at
first. Thompson, a board member of the St. Paul Foundation and former
chairman of the Blandin Foundation board of trustees, planned to watch
it at home, relaxing. But his son, George Jr., a minister and highly
persuasive individual, began a long-distance campaign from his Los
Angeles home to convince his dad that they had to attend the
inauguration together.
"He's kind of like, 'We've got to be part of this monumental
change.' He said, 'Barack is not going to be able to fix things all by
himself,'" Thompson recalled, chuckling at this son's insistence.
The biggest obstacle was getting inaugural tickets. It was a sign of
his son's persuasiveness that he soon had Thompson beating the bushes
for them. Thompson sent out some notes. Soon afterward, Congressman Tim
Walz's office called back with news that it had two tickets for the
father and son.
Despite the anticipated hassles, Thompson said, he is looking
forward to the "phenomenal" event. It will signify, from the
perspective of one man's life, just how far America has traveled.
"I've seen it. I've witnessed it. I've been a part of it," Thompson said.
We met George Thompson at one of Congressman Walz's economic summits, when the outgoing Rochester leader introducing himself to us when we were standing next to him in a lunch line. An interesting person indeed.
. . .The two are taking a 1,000-mile, day-long journey by car so they can
be present at the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama.
Bland, who is African-American, says watching the inauguration on TV is
not enough. He wants his daughter, who is biracial, to witness in
person how the country has changed, that she can be anybody she wants
to be.
It helps that Bland's own biography is rooted in the Washington,
D.C., area. He was born and raised there until he moved to Rochester in
the late 1980s to play football and attend college. The move was a
culture shock for Bland, who went from never having played against a
white player on the gridiron to being the only black person on the
field.. . .
Thompson and Bland's stories suggest an old Sam Cooke song:
When Sunset Terrace Elementary students watch Barack Obama's
inauguration on Tuesday, becoming the nation's first black president,
principal Jody Goldstein won't be anywhere near them.
Maybe they'll spot her on TV.
Goldstein will be in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Raymond,
who serves as president of the International United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism. Raymond Goldstein was sent an invitation for the
pair.
"We kind of sat back and said, 'Is this real?'" Jody Goldstein said. "It's a once in a lifetime deal."
John Bulcock and Nadeem Noor Mohammed, both employed at MSU, are planning to go to Washington D.C. for the Obama inauguration. . . .
. . .Bulcock — the assistant
director for student activities at Minnesota State University who
advises the university’s fraternities and sororities — is among the
more than 200,000 people with tickets to the inauguration. Another
million (or 2 million or 3 million) are just planning on showing up to
be there when history is made.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I think,” he said.
Nadeem Noor Mohammed also is going. He
plans to road trip it with a couple of buddies, which will be his first
time in confined quarters with the same people for 12 or 13 hours.
Unlike Bulcock (who requested tickets from
Walz’s office days after the election), Mohammed is going without
tickets. He’ll be among the huddled masses — or perhaps cheering or
roaring masses — descending upon D.C. to be part of it all.
Mohammed, born in India, is the building
coordinator for MSU’s Centennial Student Union. He’s also a
self-described news junkie — “I’ve always been interested in current
events”— and follows especially closely any news story dealing with
foreign policy.
Both men will be calling campus on Tuesday, where a major inauguration watching event is being planned. Interest is reported to be high.
Oh, and there's a party at Congressman Tim's office, the PiPress's Political Animal blog reports in Walz invites MN inaugurals in:
A few days after Sen. Amy Klobuchar invited Minnesotans to her office for Spam puffs and potica, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz and his wife announced he'd open his office to folks visiting DC for the inauguration.
Walz promises "light
refreshments and hot beverages will be served." No word on whether
those refreshments would include spiced pork products.
Spam with mayo would be in order given the importance of both in the First.
Photo: Workers build inauguration viewing stands in front of the White House(top); Senator Obama campaigning in Rochester for Klobuchar and Walz (bottom).
Those Southern Minnesotans traveling to Washington during Inauguration Week can stop in at their representative's office Tuesday afternoon for hot beverages and light refreshments:
Walz to Host Open House for Minnesotans During Inauguration Week
(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Tim Walz will host an open house on Tuesday at his office in Washington for southern Minnesotans traveling to see the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. Congressman Walz and Gwen Walz will be on hand to greet Minnesotans and welcome them to our nation’s capital for this historic event. Light refreshments and hot beverages will be served.
For a more complete list of Minnesota receptions, please visit http://walz.house.gov/.
WHEN:
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
WHERE:
Office of Congressman Tim Walz
1722 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
**For more information or to RSVP, please contact Congressman Walz’s office at 202-225-2472**
We're not the only ones noting the power of grassroots organizing. In a post about Team Franken out-hustling the Coleman Crew legally, MinnPost's David Bauer concludes:
One reason Minnesota DFLers have made big gains in recent years is that
they've gotten very, very good at organizing. Those grassroots skills,
honed for campaigns, may have proven critical when the recount rolled
around. It's an aspect of this endless story that bears more reporting.
Conservatives have been paying attention to the consequences of good organizing on ground that they once held. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed some viral promotion in newspaper comments sections, for an activist training day on Saturday in Austin.
Are
you tired of local and state governments spending like crazy and taxing
us to death? If you are concerned and want to learn how to hold these
people accountable CAGWH and American Majority are holding a free
activist training class next weekend(saturday) at the Austin Library.
This class will be at 1pm and lasts about 2 1/2 hours. Please email
Joel at [email protected] if you are interested in attending.
The workshop is duly noted at web sites for CAGWH and American Majority, though the latter organization's post about the event doesn't note its co-sponsor. There's not a lot of transparency at the CAGWH web site (a whois search reveals that the domain name is registered via a proxy) so we don't know what this group is, though American Majority isn't particularly secretive, spelling out basic organizational information in its "Who We Are" section. More on this in a bit.
Here's the pitch for the activist training:
Please join American Majority Minnesota on Saturday, January 10 for
an opportunity to make a difference in your community by learning about
new tools and resources and by networking with other like-minded
individuals and organizations.
The training will be hosted at Austin Public Library located at 323
4th Ave NE in Austin, MN from 1:00 PM until approximately 3:00 PM. The
event is FREE and is open to the public and all attendees will receive
a complimentary take-home booklet.
Presentations that will be offered include:
Building Coalitions, Reaching Your Community, and Organizing Meaningful Events
Holding Your Elected Officials Accountable
Getting Involved in State and Local Political Campaigns
New Media: Op-Eds, Blogs, Wikipedia Projects and more
Much, much more.
Come enjoy a full day of great new information and become a part of Minnesota's rich history of individuals making a difference!
To RSVP or for more information, please contact Lonny Leitner at [email link at AM post] at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 651-260-1351 by Friday, January 9.
A friend sends us notice of a meeting in Winona tomorrow:
Here’s an excellent opportunity to get your voice heard on healthcare reform —
Minnesota State Senator Sharon Ropes is holding a meeting for the public to give their views about healthcare problems and solutions. Your ideas will be submitted to the Obama Transition Team and will serve as a direction for future discussions on a regional level.
Community Healthcare Forum Tuesday Dec. 30 at 6:30 pm
3rd floor auditorium Community Memorial Hospital Winona
Senator Ropes is a registered nurse and Naval veteran,
"This is going to cost billions of dollars, and in my mind we need to
have a cost-benefit analysis," House Minority Leader Marty Seifert,
R-Marshall, said recently at the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce's
legislative preview. "I don't mean to throw cold water on the parade,
but who is going to pay the bill for this?"
And:
The high-speed rail proposal enjoys support from Republicans and Democrats who represent Rochester
"We need to do it. We certainly need a statewide plan," House Minority
Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, said at the chamber's legislative
preview.
Looks like the copy editor at the PB miss this one: the genial, Rochester-based Senjem is the Minnesota Senate Minority leader. Or perhaps the remaining Republicans in the Minnesota legislature have concocted a new way to enlarge their numbers via a daring new cross-chamber pollination system.
Photo: In a dramatic new move to bring Minnesotans back to the Republican Party, Governor Pawlenty (center) announces the grudge match between Marty "The Comb" Seifert (left) and Dave "Dimples" Senjem (right) for the title of Minnesota House Minority Leader at the Moose Lodge in Imogene, MN, on Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
On this day in 1862, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato, the largest single public execution in American history. For an exploration of the rushed proceedings that lead to their being found guilty, click here. A general account of the 1862 war can be found here. KEYC-TV looked at one remembrance in Riders Honor Decades Old Tragedy, while the Mankato Free Press covered the ride and today's ceremonies in the Key City in Dakota ride finishes four-year cycle,
The Star Tribune looks at an art exhibit, States, Dates, and Place, which recalls the bitter incident:
Inspired by the 150th anniversary of Minnesota statehood, "States"
asserts the primacy of Indians in Minnesota, recalls broken treaties
and the bitter hanging of 38 Indians at Mankato in 1862. A valuable
counterpoint to official sesquicentennial celebrations, the show is
more educational than confrontational, with flashes of ironic humor and
quiet dignity.
In the Albert Lea Tribune article, Freeborn County DFL Party leaders have busy year, we read about the service of Art Anderson who served a national convention delegate and an presidential elector.
And as if all of those experiences weren’t enough, in January, thanks
to being an elector, the couple will get the chance to go to Obama’s
inauguration.
“It’s something we won’t do in our lifetime again,” Art said
Art, who is in his mid-70s, considers himself lucky that he’s been able
to take such an active role in the political process locally and
nationally.
One person who was invited to Washington, but couldn't afford the trip to the Bush White House is Owatonna's Christine Robbins, according to Owatonna teen invited to White House for ornament design". The Owatonna People's Press reports:
Christine Robbins does not consider herself an artist.
The
sophomore at Owatonna High School is not enrolled in any art classes
and she’s unsure whether she’ll sign up for any in the near future.
But
on a whim, and after some convincing from her former teacher Todd
Andrix, 15-year-old Christine entered a contest in November to design a
Christmas ornament to hang on the Christmas tree at the White House.
Little
did she know that she would be one of hundreds of other designers
around the country ranging in ages from 9 to 92 who would have their
ornament actually hanging on the tree. ...
. . .The ornament she had to design was a bulb provided by the White House
and the theme had to be red, white and blue. Andrix came up with the
idea to highlight the Minnesota sesquicentennial and include its logo.
Mary
Jo Robbins, Christine’s mother, said she had about a week to work on
the contest. Christine hadn’t heard of the contest until Andrix
approached her and asked her to participate.
“I wouldn’t have personally chosen to do it but it was Mr. Andrix who contacted me to do it first,” Christine said.
The family sent it to the White House. Mary Jo said they hadn’t
received any notice that it would be featured until the Friday after
Thanksgiving when someone from the White House contacted them and
invited them to the unveiling of the tree.
“It was very exciting for her,” she said.
The
only catch, however, was that the family was not able to make it to the
unveiling. And afterward, Christine had forgotten about it. Andrix
asked during the first week in December if she had any more information.
Andrix,
she said, especially didn’t want her to give up and got her more
interested in making a quick trip even if it was just for two days to
see her ornament on the tree.
“It was just too short of notice to plan a trip that quickly and then come home so quickly,” Christine said.
Andrix
then spent some time after school on Dec. 8 looking for any donations
to purchase two plane tickets. The cost was about $1,500.
Andrix
said Monday they weren’t able to find someone to pay for the trip
itself. The closest they got was from someone who offered frequent
flyer miles, enough for one free trip. . . .
Earlier, BSP had errored in reporting, based on information at the White House Christmas website crediting Andrix with the ornament. We'll fix the original post.
Another young woman in Southern Minnesota was more fortunate. The Fairmont Sentinel reports in White (House) Christmas wows:
A Red, White and Blue Christmas" - celebrating the patriotic spirit
that unites Americans - is the theme for 2008's White House holiday
decorations.
It's fitting that Neal Breitbarth and his daughter,
Becky, were among the 60,000 guests touring the White House this
season, considering the devotion the family has shown throughout the
years to the nation and the Republican Party.
"Everything is just
beautiful," Neal said, recalling the difficulty he had leaving the
White House last Thursday. "... Having been there with my daughter, it
was really moving - one of those memories that will last forever."
Becky,
21, was invited to attend the Holiday Open House for her role in the
Republican National Committee during the convention in St. Paul,
campaigning this fall and the Minnesota Senate recount. . .
. . ."It was a trip of a lifetime," said Neal.
His reaction is
precisely the reason Becky chose her father - an active member of the
Republican Party as a First District delegate and former First District
chairman - to accompany her since she could only bring one person.
"I
wanted to choose someone who I knew it would mean something to," Becky
said. "... My dad's been bringing me to events my whole life,
especially political events, so it was time I returned the favor." . . .
In response to the Dec. 1 column by Phil Araoz in opposition to Gov.
Tim Pawlenty's green jobs initiative proposal, there has never been a
more important time to invest in our future.
As we face a
severe economic crisis, solutions that will stimulate the economy and
create jobs will also bring long-term sustainability to our environment
and economy.
Leaders such as Congressman Tim Walz, who realize
that Minnesota is blessed with renewable resources and are pushing for
development, deserve our praise and support. . . .
Read the entire, well-documented rebuttal in the PB's op-ed section. We're betting that a significant sub-set of the 62.5% of voters who voted for Walz in the First agree with the 2006 Gustavus grad, since energy policy was a major discussion during the congressional campaign.
The PB's own Greg Sellnow reports that a representative of Congressman Walz's office was onhand when the CP Christmas choochoo rolled into town in Holiday Train is good sign for Rochester:
The townsfolk, all bundled up in scarves, blankets and down coats on a
dark night when the temperature was about 15 degrees, were there to see
a 13-car train, facing west. It was lit with the outlines of flashing,
brightly colored Christmas trees, ornaments and snowflakes. There in
the middle was an open freight car where a band played. Santa stopped
by to say hello. Our mayor was there to welcome the train. So was
someone from Rep. Tim Walz's office. And a representative from the
Channel One Food bank accepted a giant check from the Canadian Pacific
Railroad for $2,500.
There were literally thousands of people braving the elements, all
waiting to see what the CP Holiday Train was about and support the
cause, when we pulled in! Mayor Ardell Brede, Cynthia Schaffer from
the Channel One Food Shelf and Rick Howden, representative for
Congressman Tim Walz, were on hand to kick things off on a high note.. . .
We applaud all efforts to make sure no one goes hungry, but also hope that Congress will quickly pass President-elect Obama's plan for putting Americans to work rebuilding infrastructure, updating schools, and other public investments that will--we hope--reduce the need for food shelves.
And so all those waiting for the tide to turn, here's a song from Nova Scotia's own Melanie Doane, who was on the train that came to Rochester:
A section of the program about Rochester: Rochester
has a longstanding and politically engaged community of peace
activists, a vibrant, powerful labor movement, progressive leadership
in the Somali community, a solid history of environmental wins,
successful sustainable development advocates and growing organizing in
low-income communities.Many individuals and
organizations deserve credit for these achievements, including the
AFL-CIO SE Area Labor Council, AFSCME Council 5, Coalition for Economic
Opportunity, ECCO: Earth Community Coalition of Olmsted
County, Livable Rochester, Olmsted County DFL, SEIU Healthcare MN, SE
MN Alliance of Peacemakers and UNITE HERE Local 21. Together they are transforming a city that progressives had all but deserted just a few years ago. . . .
The footprint's an interesting site; check it out. Transit for Living's website posted the entire TAM press release here. Some excerpts:
In the last six years, politics in Rochester has been undergoing a sea
change. After more than 30 years of Republican dominance, in 2004
Rochester elected State Representatives Tina Liebling and Andy Welti.
They expanded the Democratic delegation in 2006 with the election of
State Representative Kim Norton, State Senator Ann Lynch and, in a
surprise win, Congressman Tim Walz. Expanded margins of victory in
2008 races proved these elections were not a fluke. . . .
. . .“Our recent wins come after years of work” said Abdifatah Abdinur, an
organizer and leader Rochester’s Somali Community. “People knocked on
a lot of doors and organized a lot of meetings to get us where we are
today. That people kept pushing, even when the outcome was uncertain,
says something about people’s commitment to each other.” . . .
While some observers attribute recent DFL successes in Southern Minnesota to the winsome personalities of the successful candidates, our own interviews of progressive leadership in the district suggests that Abdinur is spot on. There's no "secret weapon" or cult of personality driving the wins; mainly, hard work and smart planning are fueling Southern Miknnesota's leftward turn, along with some underlying demographic and economic shifts in the region. The service ethic embodied by leaders such as Welti, Liebling and Walz doesn't hurt either.
Rochester area labor leader Laura Askelin has assembled a flickr set of the Progressive Movement in Rochester peeps in action. Photos from set: Members of Rochester's progressive community at the Take Action Minnesota Progressive Leadership Awards Dinner (above); Union volunteers help contribute supplies as part of flood rebuilding efforts in 2007.
Grass and bighead carp have turned up before in this area, [La Crosse fisheries supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Ron] Benjamin
said, but the appearance of the silver is cause for concern. It
previously had been found no farther upstream than Clinton, Iowa.
Silver
carp, which grow up to 60 pounds and are excited by the vibrations of
propellers, are a hazard when they leap into the paths of boaters.
And
as an invasive species, they are a threat to the river’s ecosystem. How
big a threat is unclear, Benjamin said. “Just to say, it’s a bad thing.”
A CBS News clip from 2006 explores the invasion of the energetic exotics:
This should play hell with the flathead cat fishing; the Minnesota River is one of North America's great flathead catfish waters. We hope that measures will be taken to keep these fiends out of the tributary of the Mississippi River.
Southern Minnesotans might be justified in feeling a bit paranoid about flying critters these days: the Winona Daily News writes in Authorities: Beware around bats:
Authorities are warning Minnesotans to be careful around bats after
three of them tested positive for rabies in Olmsted County this year.
The Health Department’s Dr. Joni Scheftel said only one bat from the area tested positive last year and one bat in 2006.
She says the 2008 results don’t necessarily mean there are more rabid
bats out there; it’s probably the result of a spike in the number of
bats being tested for the viral disease.
She
credits the rise in bat submissions for testing to the story of a
Monticello, Minn., man who died of rabies after a bat bite.
Two
bats in Winona County tested positive for rabies in August, when health
officials reported treating an unusually large number of people who had
come in contact with bats.
Still, Rochester veterinarian Dr.
Tobin Emrich says he’s concerned because he’s already treated two
family pets for rabies because they had ben bitten by infected bats.
Scheftel
said the most important thing people can do if they touch a bat, or
think they were touched by a bat, is to capture it and have it tested.
We add that pet owners should make sure to have their companion animals vaccinated for rabies; kittehs find bats especially enticing, as some friends recently woke to discover.
Workers affected by a neurological disorder contracted while extracting
pig brains at Quality Pork Processors demonstrated outside the facility
Saturday. . . .
. . .Demonstrators from the immigrant rights group Centro Campesino as well
as affected workers and their families held picket signs outside the
gates of QPP Saturday demanding answers to why the hog processor has
allegedly denied workers’ medical restrictions and laid affected
workers off. They are also demanding QPP process workers’ compensation
claims. . . .
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., was hesitant to support anything yet.
“Until
we see details about an assistance package for the auto industry, we’re
just speculating about what might be included," Walz said. "But I would
be very hesitant about any package that does not include strong
protections for the taxpayers who are being asked to foot the bill.”
The Globe also reports on the first wind-to-battery test project in the United States. In Capturing wind:
Roughly the size of two semi trailers and weighing nearly 80 tons,
groundbreaking wind-to-battery technology was unveiled in the middle of
farm fields northwest of Beaver Creek Monday morning.
The battery,
the first of its kind to be tested in the United States, will help
partners Xcel Energy and Luverne-based Minwind Energy capture and store
power produced by the 11.5-megawatt Minwind Energy wind farm. . . .
. . . Minwind Energy is comprised of 360 local investors who raised the
capital to construct the wind farm. They each have a stake in the
ownership of the turbines. Willers said the group is “very interested”
in what’s going on in regard to energy production.
Minwind
recently completed a two-year test project with Xcel Energy on a
biodiesel peaking plant, in which a 99 percent blend of biofuels was
used to power the wind turbines when Mother Nature didn’t provide
enough wind for them to operate.
“We’re locally owned and we
understand what energy is,” said Willers. “As Minnesotans, we want to
have an understanding of where our energy dollars are going and coming
from. Being an agricultural community, we’re always on the forefront of
environmental issues.” . . .
The 2008 Southern Minnesota Federal Grants Workshop connects local
government and non profit leaders to federal grant opportunities with
the goal of enhancing opportunity and prosperity. Come hear from
experts from federal agencies and local foundations about how to
research grant opportunities, review best practices in grant writing,
and discover current trends in funding priority projects in southern
Minnesota.
The Lakefield Standard reports dire need in Lakefield, Jackson and Heron Lake in Food shelf shortage: ‘Not nearly enough’. Demoand is up and giving is down. How far down? The Jackson County Pilot reports contributions are off by 50 percent.
The Rochester Democrat has posted Tim Walz's letter asking Democrats to volunteer to help with the recount in the U.S. Senate race.
Salon analyzes the pathos of lolcats, while it's International Laugh at Lieberman Day. Personally, we're fluffing up our Droopy Dog routine in Joe's honor. For now, here's the first Tex Avery cartoon in the Droopy series, since the Democratic leadership doesn't want to shake this guy:
We read an article at the CAF yesterday that argued Why Progressives Should Celebrate Veterans' Day; some of what she said puzzled us, but then, we don't hang with progressives (or conservatives, for that matter) who don't push for respecting vets--and for honoring this nation's promises to them with solid policy.
In the column, Robinson contrasts Canada's observance of Remembrance Day with the tendency of too many Americans to celebrate Mall Day on November 11. She concludes that Americans need to adopt similar attitudes and observances:
. . . it's a lot
harder to ignore the needs of our veterans when you see their proud
faces out there, every November 11, accepting the nation's thanks.
You're forced to realize that once a year isn't enough; that they are
part of your community, and their day-to-day care is a community
responsibility. The "thanks" rings hollow if you're not backing up the
words with real and constant support.
Fortunately, much of Southern Minnesota either never quit honoring Veterans Day or has come back to understanding why the day is important. It's not surprising that First District newspapers list quite a few Veterans Day events, given the tradition of service in the area and the respect most residents accord those who serve the nation. We find the understanding of "backing up the words with real and constant support" to underscore the First's events. From Congressmen Walz and Penny to Chaplain Morris, the message is that vets--and their issues--are woven into the backbone of Southern Minnesota. The story of the Silver Star earned by an active Marine from Mankato shows both heart and spine.
Vine Faith in Action and the Summit Center hosted a free luncheon to
honor the military service of local veterans today. Around ninety people
attended the event where Congressman Tim Walz and Senator Kathy Sheran
addressed the group and thanked them for their service to our
country.Senator Kathy Sheran says, "This is important for us to do
because these are the people who go and actually carry out a defensive
action to protect the rest of us."Sergeant Lyle Lafavor, a Pearl Harbor
survivor attended the luncheon as a chance to meet up with old
friends.Lyle Lafavor says, "Every so often people come up and thank us
for what we did and I guess it shows that they appreciate what we did.I
consider it, service in the military, something I owe my country.I was
proud to have served."There will be many activities across Mankato
tomorrow including free breakfast for Veterans at both Mankato Hy Vee
stores.
Vietnam Veterans of Southern Minnesota is celebrating
its 25th year as a charter nonprofit group and the 20th anniversary of
the Blue Earth Nicollet County Memorial.
Former Congressman Tim Penny is the guest speaker for
the group’s program at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday at the memorial near
Stoltzman Road. Penny, who was the speaker at the memorial’s
dedication, is a former U.S. Naval Reserve lieutenant commander.
The Waseca County News reports Waseca schools to host Veterans Day ceremonies. The first ceremonies began just a few minutes ago at the high school and an elementary school. There'll be an event for the general public at the county courthouse at 11 a.m., followed by:
Lunch will be served at the American Legion following the Courthouse
ceremony.
However, everyone is encouraged to attend the school events:
Veterans and community members are encouraged to attend the
programs, which feature a video, choir and band performances, and
speeches by students.
Many schools have closed in Southwestern Minnesota, so those considering going to ceremonies in that part of the state should use their judgment and their best winter driving skills. The Worthington Globe reported in Chaplain to keynote Veterans Day address:
John Morris, chaplain for the Minnesota National Guard, knows first hand what veterans have done for this country.
Morris,
who has served in Iraq, is the featured speaker for the Minnesota West
Community and Technical College Veterans Day celebration. The program
is 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Fine Arts Theater.
“The first thing I
will focus on is the significant contribution southwest Minnesota
soldiers have made to the nation,” said Morris. “All of the armories in
southwest Minnesota have deployed units. Southwest Minnesota has made a
big, big contribution.”
As the chaplain for the state’s National Guard, Morris helped develop a
program called Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. The program helps veterans
reintegrate into their communities after returning from active duty.
The name is a reminder that support for soldiers cannot end when they
return from deployment.
“I also will talk about how we can honor and
support veterans once they come home from war,” he said. “Because I’m
speaking at Minnesota West I will talk about the vital role that higher
education plays in the life of returning combat veterans.”
The public is invited to attend the annual Veterans’ Day event at Minnesota West.
Iraq War vets we know who served in the Guard are universal in their praise of Morris. It should be a good program. The articles also lists programs in smaller towns in the area, from Adrian to Windom.
The eighth annual Veterans Day Program will be held at 10:30 a.m. on
Tuesday, Nov. 11 at the New Life Worship Center, 6301 34th Ave. N.W. in
Rochester.
Breakfast, catered by the Canadian Honker, will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The
program will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the featured speaker will be
Brigadier General Gerald Lang, deputy commander of the 34th infantry.
There will also be area color and honor guards, entertainment and
musical videos, all emceed by Tom Overlie of KTTC-TV.
In
addition there will be an eagle from the National Eagle Center in
Wabasha, along with the debut of the new CD "Tribute to Veterans." The
CD will be distributed free to all veterans in attendance, and will be
available to others for purchase.
People sometimes say we are losing our rights. They point to smoking bans as one example.
The fact is, we have more than ever. The election of an
African-American as U.S. president serves as a prime example. More
people today are guaranteed the promise of equality and liberty than at
any time in American history.
That is wonderful. That is the America people love.
And if you know history, you know it started with President Andrew
Jackson. Awful as some of his other deeds were, he nonetheless is the
president who ensured this country wasn’t just going to belong to the
land-owning gentry. His election opened the hopes of the common man,
even if at the time it was the common white man.
That promise of equality was out of the bottle. Once begun, it
continued to grow. It was an idea that could be slowed but could not be
stopped. It expanded with abolishing of slavery, extending voting
rights to blacks and women, making citizens of the Native Americans,
changing society and laws during the civil rights movement, and passing
several key amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It is a story that
repeats itself over and over in American history and will continue.
This is all possible because of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
Today, we thank our veterans for securing liberty. We thank them for fighting for defending this idea of equality.
And for the U.S. soldiers presently fighting wars, we pray for their safe return.
Have a solemn and thoughtful Veterans Day.
The Mankato Free Press reports that a Mankato Marine [is] to be honored with a Silver Star. Here's what he did to earn the medal:
On Nov. 16, 2005, 21 insurgents engaged Homer’s platoon with grenades and automatic fire from several well-fortified positions.
Homer repeatedly exposed himself to danger as he “saved three wounded Marines’ lives” by pulling them from the fight.
Then, “without regard for his own safety,”
he rescued another Marine, fired his own weapon and directed the
platoon’s weapons on their enemy.
Finally, Homer went back into the heart of
the battle and provided first aid to a Marine who “lay severely wounded
in the kill zone.”
After pulling that Marine back to safety,
Homer refused medical treatment for his own wounds and continued
evacuating others until he was himself ordered to board a plane
collecting the wounded.
Photo: Congressman Walz brought Speaker Pelosi to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center on April 21 to listen to the needs and suggestions of First District veterans and veteran service officers.
The Walz campaign has sent out a media advisory of its schedule:
Congressman Tim Walz Holds Get-Out-The-Vote Rallies Across Southern Minnesota Monday Events in New Ulm, Mankato, Rochester, Albert Lea, St. Peter
(Mankato , MN ) – On Monday, November 3, Congressman Tim Walz will be barnstorming southern Minnesota with a series of Get-Out-The-Vote rallies and Main Street Stops with local residents all across southern Minnesota.
Throughout the day, Walz will be traveling to New Ulm, Mankato , Rochester , Albert Lea , St. Peter, and back to Mankato, where he will visit with campaign volunteers and stop at stores to meet with local residents.
A complete schedule for Monday is below.
New Ulm
Congressman Tim Walz will kick-off Get-Out-The-Vote doorknocking effort with campaign volunteers
When: Kick off with volunteers— 9:00 AM
Where: DFL Office
213 N Minnesota St
New Ulm
Mankato
Congressman Tim Walz holds Main Street Stop to meet with local residents
When: 10:30 AM
Where: Centennial Student Union
Minnesota State University - Mankato
Rochester
Congressman Tim Walz kicks-off Get-Out-The-Vote doorknocking effort with campaign volunteers
When: Meet with campaign volunteers— 1:00 PM
Where: Masonic Temple
2002 2nd St SW
Rochester
Albert Lea
Congressman Tim Walz kicks-off Get-Out-The-Vote doorknocking effort with campaign volunteers
When: Meet with campaign volunteers-- 4:30 PM
Doorknocking begins at 5:00 PM
Where: Holiday Inn Express
821 Plaza St
Albert Lea
St. Peter
Congressman Tim Walz holds a Get-Out-The-Vote rally with students at Gustavus Adolphus College
When: 7:00 PM
Where: Courtyard Café
Gustavus Adolphus College
St Peter
Mankato
Congressman Tim Walz holds a Get-Out-The-Vote rally with students at Minnesota State University-Mankato. ‘ Midnight Madness’ volunteers will be preparing for literature drops around the area.
When: 8:00 PM
Where: Centennial Student Union
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Instead of a speech, Mondale and Congressman Tim Walz spent Saturday
just speaking individually to voters and eating hamburger steaks at The
Kitchen. It was part of a tour around southern Minnesota to energize
voters about getting out the vote.
“The case is pretty well
made,” he said. “We think we’ve made a strong case to them and now
we’re just into executing the get-out-the-vote effort.” . . .
. . .As a newcomer to the world of politics, Walz earned 46 percent of the
Steele County vote compared to the 53 percent garnered by his
Republican opponent Gil Gutknecht, the incumbent who Walz managed to
unseat.
But in his first term, Walz described Owatonna as
pragmatic, with voters wanting to see effectiveness. He considers the
city as a “solid, middle-of-America middle-class town” and believes he
can have a better showing here.
“We want to give them a good look and let them know where we stand,” Walz said.
Walz was also campaigning in Republican Dodge County yesterday, as well as Mankato and Rochester. His campaign stops contrast with those Davis has chosen, which seem to be aimed at shoring up the GOP base. Walz's schedule for today, which includes another stop in Owatonna, is here.
Brian Davis was hitting his base in Pipestone, Martin and Brown Counties, with a stab at Nobles County, the New Ulm Journal reports in Davis on the road. He does his usual denial about the down side of privatizating Social Security, while backing away from his earlier, extended flirtation with the national sales tax. Davis would still like voters to believe that the issue only came up once, but BSP readers learned better in our post Brian Davis and Minnesota's flat tax organizers.
He also said he’s opposed on principle to the
numerous tax credits available to individuals and businesses, something
he considers government micro-managing of the economy
was out touting a few tax credits in Brown County, according to the Journal article:
Asked about the record third quarter profits ($14.8 billion) that Exxon
reported this week, Davis said he thinks the investment tax credits oil
companies received for drilling should end. But there should be
incentives to encourage oil companies to go after the large amounts of
U.S. oil that exists in oil shale.
He also favors a John McCain style of tax credit that can be used to
purchase health insurance that goes from job to job, rather than
expecting employers to provide health coverage.
In an email, the Franken campaign tells us that Al will be in Rochester for a little GOTV on Monday:
MONDAY
WHO: Al Franken, Sen. Ann Lynch and former Congressman Rick Nolan WHAT: Franken Joins Rochester GOTV Phonebank WHEN: 9:45 am, Monday, November 3 WHERE: Rochester DFL Office
401 16th Ave NW
Rochester
Wags in the Waseca County News comment section suggest that anybody who mows corn has to be plowed, though at least he wasn't stalking anyone. One wiseacre thinks the perp must have been drinking Grain Belt.
The property damage to the corn was greater than that of the signs--on the other hand, stealing a person's right to political expression dampens democracy. All puns aside, we hope the farmer recovers the lost income and Rice County throws the book at the sign stealer.
Photo: If our selfish feline friend can do his bit, you can help get out the vote, too. Volunteer via the DFL or your local candidate. Sign up to help Walz here.
And now a little White Stripes; if this tune doesn't make you want to get up and at 'em, we don't know what will:
The Walz campaign has released today's campaign stops around the district:
Congressman Tim Walz Holds Get-Out-The-Vote Rallies Across Southern Minnesota on Sunday
Sunday Events in Winona, La Crescent, Wabasha, Owatonna
( Mankato , MN ) – On Sunday, November 2, Congressman Tim Walz will be barnstorming southern Minnesota with a series of Get-Out-The-Vote rallies and Main Street Stops with local residents all across southern Minnesota.
Throughout the day, Walz will be traveling to Winona , La Crescent , Wabasha and Owatonna , where he will visit with campaign volunteers and stop at stores to meet with local residents.
A complete schedule for Sunday is below.
Winona
Congressman Tim Walz will kick-off Get-Out-The-Vote doorknocking effort with campaign volunteers
When: Kick off with volunteers— 12:00 noon
Where: DFL Office
685 W 5th St
Winona
La Crescent
Congressman Tim Walz holds Main Street Stop to meet with local residents
When: 1:30 PM
Where: Heth’s Hardware Hank
32 S Walnut
La Crescent
Wabasha
Congressman Tim Walz kicks-off Get-Out-The-Vote doorknocking effort with campaign volunteers
When: Meet with campaign volunteers— 3:30 PM
Doorknocking begins— 4:00 PM
Where: DFL Office
137 Pembroke Ave S
Wabasha
Owatonna
Congressman Tim Walz drops by Get-Out-The-Vote Action Center to meet with volunteers
When: 6:30 PM
Where:Home of Jim Otteson
213 S Lincoln Ave
Owatonna
Al Franken is coming to Rochester on his "For the Middle Class, For A
Change" Tour with a few of his friends, Congressman Tim Walz and
Senator Taryl Clark– And we want you to be there.
Join Al & Tim on Thursday the 30th from 9:00-10:15 am at the
Masonic Lodge in Rochester for a free Get-Out-The-Vote pancake
breakfast. They will be talking about the change that Al will bring to
Washington and how he will be a partner with Congressman Walz. And,
we'll be letting you know about opportunities to help elect Barack
Obama, and the entire DFL ticket.
So join us on Thursday the 30th and don't forget to bring an
undecided friend. The Masonic Lodge is located at 2002 2nd St. SW in
Rochester.
If you can make it or if you have any questions, please let Chelsie know by emailing [email protected] or calling 507.382.9879.
And what better tune to drift off into sweet dreams of butter and syrup than this 1970s classic:
Here's the pitch for the activist training:
Please join American Majority Minnesota on Saturday, January 10 for an opportunity to make a difference in your community by learning about new tools and resources and by networking with other like-minded individuals and organizations.
The training will be hosted at Austin Public Library located at 323 4th Ave NE in Austin, MN from 1:00 PM until approximately 3:00 PM. The event is FREE and is open to the public and all attendees will receive a complimentary take-home booklet.
Presentations that will be offered include:
To RSVP or for more information, please contact Lonny Leitner at [email link at AM post] at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 651-260-1351 by Friday, January 9.Since American Majority is a "a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit" headquartered in Purcellville, Virginia, the training doesn't specify what "like-minded" means. To learn that, read below the fold.