A Bluestem Prairie

Saturday digest: eat your veggies under the sun edition

News of the new White House vegetable garden got us thinking about our own plot. We're pleased to be able to find seeds for some of our favorite veggies, including the White Princess eggplant, a slender Asian variety.

Reader Becky Byrn-Schmid writes to the editors of the Mankato Free Press that Unions are not the problem:

I was taken aback by the Laurie Valentin My View regarding unions and their supposed negative impact on the economy and state budget. I am not sure how she has escaped all the headline news about school and social service budget cuts. There are many factors hurting our economy, and it isn’t public service unions.

I am offended by the thought that “government workers” are arrogant and that we believe we deserve better benefits than others. I feel fortunate to have good health insurance and a retirement plan (for now, anyway). These costs are figured into our “employment package” and are considered part of our salary. We take these benefits in trade for cash. Some businesses have better benefits than I do, and some do not. It all depends on ownership and organizational goals.

Government workers have not created this economic crisis. School, human service staff and public administrators are some of the most frugal people I know. It seems that when there is an economic downturn, blame is tossed at workers, or consumers, or both. Either workers get too much or consumers want too much. I believe those with power are highly skilled at shifting blame to hard-working Americans, diverting attention to where the real problems lie (corporate greed).

In these times, I believe it is better to shed old prejudices and grievances and positively pull together as people to figure out how to make this country stronger. Our politicians and government administrators have some serious thinking to do about the founding philosophies of our country. There is much to correct, and hopefully, the pendulum of economics will swing towards honesty, loyalty, integrity and sensibility.

The Winona Daily News says in Stimulus plan boosts efforts, spirits for area high-speed rail:

The inclusion of money for commuter rail development in the federal stimulus package has boosted the spirits of train advocates and increased the likelihood of high-speed rail service between Chicago and the Twin Cities.

But it likely will be years before any additional trains roll through La Crosse, Wis., or Winona.
Included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law last month was $8 billion to develop high-speed passenger train systems. Obama’s budget proposal includes $1 billion a year in grants to states for high-speed rail over the next five years.

“That was an important acceleration of this whole years-long quest,” said Jim Hill, executive director of the La Crosse Area Development Corp.

The rail funding comes at a time when ridership — driven largely by Amtrak’s popular Chicago-Milwaukee service — is surging. Wisconsin rail use rose more than 23 percent in 2008. The number of passengers getting on and off the Empire Builder in La Crosse was up 13 percent. . . .

WDN reporter Mark Sommerhauser blogs about the tug-of-war between Winona and Rochester for the service in High-speed rail debate picks up steam:

Fast trains are creating a furious debate in southeast Minnesota, as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune observed yesterday.

High-speed rail boosters across the country are vying for a slice of the $8 billion for high-speed rail that was included in the federal stimulus package. Leaders in St. Paul, Winona and other Minnesota cities want to tap those funds to create a St. Paul-to-Chicago high-speed route along the Mississippi River, with a stop in Winona. That route has been studied for years, though Rochester leaders recently have pushed for a route that connects to their city.

In Monday’s edition, I wrote about a bonding bill in the Minnesota Senate - which may be voted on this week - that would fund a study of routing high-speed trains along the Mississippi River. Another proposal to study routing the trains through Rochester has been sidelined, at least temporarily, in the Senate, said Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona.

But in yesterday’s Star-Tribune, Rochester advocates made it clear they haven’t given up:

http://tinyurl.com/c52swr

Go visit and comment at the WDN blog. And, since it's such a lovely day, how about a song about summer transportation from Flipsyde:

Doug Nopar letter in WDN: Chamber favors profits over people

On Sunday, we noted the Winona Daily News and LaCrosse Tribune's coverage of Congressman Walz continued support for the EFCA in our post Sunday digest: news, link farming and Muse Tube as well.

Today the WDN has printed a letter supporting Walz's position by local DFLer and progressive activist Doug Nopar,

The criticism in Sunday’s paper of Rep. Tim Walz and the Employee Free Choice Act by Della Schmidt and the Chamber of Commerce is certainly predictable. It is part of an ongoing national campaign by corporate business interests to maximize profits at the expense of working people.

What is deceitful about the chamber’s opposition is the suggestion that this legislation somehow “robs workers of a fundamental, democratic, American right.” Now, wait a minute. Are we supposed to believe that Big Business opposes this legislation because it would hurt workers? Maybe we should believe that Big Business had spent the past 30 years defending workers’ rights as well. Instead, both nationally and internationally, the corporate business community has used every tool available, legal and illegal, to prevent workers from organizing. The result has been the greatest slide in working people’s real wages the nation has ever seen, while those at the top have amassed more and more wealth.

Do we as a nation really want to keep widening the income gap between the haves and the have-nots? I don’t believe this kind of income disparity helps anyone, be they rich or poor. Thank you, Tim Walz, for looking out for what is best for all of us.

New Gallup Survey shows public support for EFCA

Southeastern Minnesota labor leader Russell Hess tweeted a link to Employee Free Choice Poll Gives Labor Backers Big Boost at Huffington Post. Sam Stein reports:

Proponents of the Employee Free Choice Act received a big boost Tuesday morning with the publication of an independent poll showing majority support both for the legislation and the greater concept of increased unionization.

Gallup Surveys released a study on Tuesday finding that 53 percent of respondents favored a new law that would "make it easier for labor unions to organize workers." Only 39 percent of respondents opposed such a law.

When asked how important it was that Congress pass such a law, 26 percent of respondents said "very," 29 percent said "somewhat," 23 percent said "not too important," and 20 percent said "not important at all."

Meanwhile, an anti-EFCA letter in the Mankato Free Press repeats a debunked claim about the legislation. Media Matters has collected and dispatched a number of similar instances on its "American Workforce and Labor" page.

Thursday digest: just another biotech day in the park edition

Minnesota Public Radio reports in Officials announce $1 billion Elk Run project:

Rochester, Minn. — A real estate developer and a venture capitalist said today they are joining together to launch a biobusiness park near Rochester, reportedly costing nearly $1 billion.

The developer, Tower Investments, and the venture capitalist, Burrill & Co., hope to move forward with the Elk Run master planned development, which would feature what they call a BioBusiness Park to launch medical startup companies.. . .

. . .U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, who represents the area, says the project could revitalize the southern Minnesota corridor.

"They've chosen this because Minnesota had the vision to invest in things like the University of Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic, and the Rochester education system, and all the things that have brought growth to the area before," said Walz.

The development would also include office and warehouse space, retail and residential components.

Walz says to make the project work, more investment in infrastructure is needed. He says he hopes to find a way to help fund a new highway interchange at Elk Run.

The Post Bulletin also wrote up the announcement in It's a go for Pine Island and biotechnology. IN othe news, the paper reports in Appropriations bill funds projects in region:

First District Rep. Tim Walz requested the funding for the projects, including money for an extension of 55th Street and a new 60-bus garage facility in Rochester. Also receiving funding is the Hormel Institute in Austin and the National Child Protection Training Center in Winona.

Officials with Austin's Hormel Institute said they were thrilled with the $323,000 they received.

Previously, Dr. Zigang Dong, Hormel Institute executive director, has noted the importance of the funding.

"The growth we have achieved -- and the future growth we will continue to strive for -- depends on the important partnerships we share with our community and the support we receive from our leaders," he said. "Progress to improve the health of the world is not possible without research."

The story ran in the Austin version of the Post Bulletin under the heading, Federal bill sends funds to Hormel Institute.  Last night, KEYC-TV broadcast 16 Local Laws And Projects Included In Funding Bill,  The Gaylord Hub says Prairie Line won’t receive economic stimulus funds because MN DOT chose to use the money only for bridges and roads.  Other funding sources are being sought:

One Minnesota Department of Transportation report had called for the rail project to receive $10 million from the stimulus package. Proponents of the project state that it is “shovel ready” and a economic contributor to the entire region. The project of upgrading the track is estimated to cost $40 million. This would include allowing 255,000 pound rail cars that could travel 25 mph on the track.

Last month, Minnesota House File 660, authored by Morrow, appropriated $10 million in bond proceeds for a grant to the Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority to rehabilitate the track. The track is owned by Carver, Sibley, Renville, Redwood and Yellow Medicine Counties and operated by the Minnesota Prairie Line, a subsidiary of Twin Cities and Western Railroad.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Tim Walz helped appropriate $950,000 in federal railroad improvement funding.

American Veteran Online: Live from Capitol Hill notes:

Rep. Buyer discussed a new bipartisan bill he plans to introduce with Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota that would provide equity in DIC compensatio for surviving military widows. The landmark bill would finally provide equity for military widows, who currently receive 12 percent less in compensation compared to civilian federal employees.

FarmPolicy.com notes the call by the House Rural Caucus's call for a White House Office of Rural Ploicy. Walz is a leader in the caucus. 

Recovering Republican blogger Ron Amundson looks at both sides in Employee Free Choice Act egads, talk about spin and ends up supporting the legislation.

How about a tune from a Band of Horses?:

Employee Free Choice Act to be introduced tomorrow in both houses of Congress

Politico has the story:

Tomorrow, Democrats in both houses of Congress plan to introduce a union-organizing bill that is labor’s top priority for the year, Democratic officials said.

The result could be a high-decibel, high-stakes brawl between business and labor, which strongly supported President Obama. Unions have been getting impatient for attention to the issue, and the push to introduce legislation is a way to ratchet up pressure on Congress.

We look forward to seeing who the bill's sponsors and co-sponsors will be.

Saturday afternoon digest: recovery, Hmong, and housing edition

The Albert Lea Tribune reports in Tax credits will impact workers and businesses:

Money for workers in the $787 billion federal economic stimulus package isn’t set up the same way it was in last year’s $700 billion measure.

Many people used their stimulus checks last year for big-ticket items or for battling debts, rather than everyday spending.

This time, the dollars are coming in the form of a tax break. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act calls for fewer tax dollars being taken out of paychecks of 95 percent of Americans.

“The total cumulative effect of the measure makes it the largest tax cut for the middle class ever,” said 1st District Congressman Tim Walz.

The Making Work Pay credit starts April 1. The math works out to be on average of $13 a week more in your wallet if you have FICA taxes taken out of your paycheck. It lasts two years, so in January, the average amount will be $9.

Read the rest at the Tribune. The paper also reports School leaders hoping act will save teacher jobs and City awaits word on airport assistance. From the latter:

Albert Lea city staff will find out this week whether the economic stimulus funds they applied for through the Federal Aviation Administration have been approved.

If obtained, the money would be used for the runway project at the Albert Lea Airport.

City Engineer Steven Jahnke said the city already has $2.1 million of federal funds for the project and has applied for $5.15 million more through economic stimulus funds.

In the Winona Daily News, we read the article Walz, Kind, other lawmakers call for protecting Hmong in Thailand.  The LaCrosse-Winona area is home to many Hmong people. The gist:

U.S. Reps. Tim Walz, Ron Kind and 17 other members of Congress have written to the State Department on behalf of 5,700 Hmong refugees in Thailand who fear they will be forced to return to Laos.

Many of the refugees have been in Thailand since the 1970s, after unsuccessfully fighting against the communist movement that became the government of Laos. 

“Many Hmong people fought alongside us in Vietnam and sacrificed a lot for our country,” Kind, D-La Crosse, Wis., said in a statement. “Reports coming from a number of my constituents who have friends and family in Laos indicate there is still discrimination and persecution towards Laos’ Hmong population.”

Kind discussed the issue Wednesday with Damrong Kraikruan, Thailand’s acting ambassador to the U.S.

Walz, D-Mankato, and the other 18 members of Congress want the United Nations High Commission on Refugees to be allowed to screen the detainees to determine their refugee status.

The Austin Herald reports HRA to get stimulus funding and the Jackson County Pilot reports in Public housing gets $124K in stimulus:

The first economic stimulus funds allocated from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will put $124,617 into the hands of the Jackson Housing and Redevelopment Authority's board of directors, according to an announcement Friday by U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn.

"We're very excited about the AARA," said DeeAnna Bakken, executive director of the Jackson HRA. "... We were hoping so and talking to our legislators about this because they keep cutting our capital fund. We're very relieved to see it in there and that it didn't get cut out."

Bakken said the local HRA board will meet next Friday, March 6, to approve a plan for how that money will be spent.

Stricter regulations for the one-time allocation require projects to be completed within a year, she said, so spending is likely to go toward projects already on the agency's five-year plan.

The Jackson HRA will still get its annual appropriation of approximately $85,000 in October, as well.

"We appreciate our legislators at the federal level who have been going to bat for us and encouraging others to approve the inclusion," Bakken said.

HRAs across southern Minnesota were the recipients of $4.5 million to modernize and develop public housing.

“I am thrilled that just two weeks after I voted for the economic recovery package we are beginning to see funds flow directly to local communities,” Walz said. “This funding will create and save jobs by investing in improvements and expansions to public housing across Minnesota.”

Back to the geekfest.

CBN gets it very wrong about Walz and Lilly Ledbetter Act

Update #2: The article has been corrected in a timely fashion. The statement incorrectly attributed to Congressman Walz actually slithered out from between the lips of Second District Congressman John Kline, who indeed voted against the bill.

We preserved the original copy in the screen shot to the right, so our readers understand what the original flaw was in the article..[end update #2].

Mr. Google's handy news alert just sent us this item, Equal Pay May Be One Vote Away.  In the article, CBN's Jennifer Mishon gets it very wrong about Congressman Walz's position on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Update: Congressman Walz's district director confirms the inaccuracy of the CBN report.  [end update]

Mishon writes:

The House passed The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act last week despite warnings from critics that the bill has unintended consequences.

Rep. Tim Walz , who opposes the bill argued, "Especially in this economic climate we cannot afford to enable endless litigation of potentially staggering record keeping requirements on employers."

As we noted last week in Walz votes to give workers more power in the workplace, Walz voted for the bill, and thus we're puzzled exactly which Representative said that. We've contacted the CBN informing the network of its error.  Somewhere out there, a Republican is missing his inglorious 15 seconds for that statement.

Photo: Screenshot of the CBN blooper from its website.

Walz votes to give workers more power in the workplace

 The Mankato Free Press reports in House passes worker/wage lawsuit bills:

Local members of Congress voted with their parties on two bills this week that would give workers more power to sue their employers in wage discrimination cases.

In one other vote on disclosure of donations to presidential libraries, local members of Congress agreed.

Voting 247 for and 151 against, the House on Friday sent the Senate a bill (HR 11) giving plaintiffs greater standing to file suits alleging pay discrimination. The bill would permit claims to be filed within 180 days of the latest infraction. This would nullify a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., which requires pay-bias suits to be filed within 180 days of the first infraction.

Representatives Tim Walz, D-1st District, and Collin Peterson, D-7th District, voted in favor of the bill. Rep. John Kline, R-2nd District, voted against the bill.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said: “Fathers of daughters know their daughters are capable of doing anything they set out to do, and the value placed on them in the workplace should be the same value that is placed on” male co-workers. . . .

. . .In another vote, the House passed a bill 256-163 (HR 12) to strengthen the federal law that bans pay discrimination based on gender. The bill empowers women alleging pay bias to sue for recovery of back pay and receive punitive and compensatory damages, bans employer retaliation against those who share salary data with co-workers, and establishes a grant program to teach negotiating skills to girls and women. . . .

. . . .John Kline, R-2nd District, called the bill “yet another attempt to harm our nation’s businesses by limiting their ability to make decisions based on the merits of their individual employees.”

Democrats Walz and Peterson voted in favor of the bill. Republican Kline voted against the bill.

Did John Kline get his talking points from Stephen Colbert's writers?  A discussion of the Lilly Ledbbetter legislation begins around 1:20 in. It's worth sitting through the ad:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Statute of Liberty

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Friday digest: remembering the 38

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." . . .

Walz to MinnPost: "I've spent my life on the issue of human rights and equality''

At MinnPost, Doug Grow looks at Congressman Walz's support for human rights:

But there seems to be growing comfort among Democratic candidates that it's OK to openly support gay issues, which would indicate that most Dems believe that Republicans no longer will be able to turn gay issues into wedge issues. . . .

Second example:

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, the DFLer who represents the traditionally conservative 1st District in Minnesota, spoke at a LGBT function during the week.

"He knocked it out of the park,'' said Reitan of the speech Walz delivered. "He comes to a gay caucus. He  boldly stepped out for us. Tim Walz should be our governor. He has a fundamental understanding of what's right. He gets it.''

Wasn't he taking a political risk by speaking at a LGBT function?

Walz shrugged off the question.

"I've spent my life on the issue of human rights and equality,'' he said. "It's a slippery slope when we say who it's OK to discriminate against.''

He thinks most people in the 1st District get it, too.

"In the past, these issues have been brought up only in election years to hammer a wedge between people,'' he said. "I don't think that's going to work again.''

The GOP tried bringing up Walz's support for human rights as an issue in 2006, and voters shrugged it off. We think the RPM bring it up again, and once again, it won't work.

Grow's article leads off with an item about Jacob Reitan's current gig working nationally to mobilize the GLBT community for Obama. Reitan, a Mankato West grad, was prominently featured in the acclaimed documentary, For the Bible Tells Me So.

Friday morning news digest: Obama speech edition

Congressman Walz, a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, endorsed Barack Obama after the Illinois senator was the favorite of First District DFL caucus goers. Several sources are reporting on Walz's reaction to Obama's acceptance speech. 

The National Journal writes in Obama Makes His Case For Change:

The warm-up speakers who most energized the crowd were a series of "average Americans" who described exactly how they feel they've been failed by the Bush administration. America needs a president who puts "Barney Smith before SmithBarney," said Marion, Ind., plant worker Barney Smith to a roar of appreciative laughter. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said including work-a-day Americans was "brilliant."

In Minn. delegates welcome Obama nomination, MPR reports:

Minnesota Democratic Congressmen Tim Walz and Keith Ellison were just as effusive [as delegate Hussein Samatar], if somewhat more succinct.

First Ellison:

"I think he knocked it out of the park."

Then, Walz:

"Fantastic. Exactly what we needed."

Added bonus for Rochester readers: a picture of 18-year-old delegate Sam Hagedorn.  and he blogged about the convention for his college paper. The DC Examiner talked to the American University freshman:

Sam Hagedorn's new classmates are experiencing their very first week of their freshman year at American University. But Hagedorn is missing out on the initiation. At age 18, the Rochester, MN native is a Democratic convention delegate -- and having the time of his life mingling with Democratic Party stars who have long been his heroes. Hagedorn had to navigate four levels of elections -- precinct, county, congressional district, and state -- to earn his delegate spot.

"It's a progressive slate," he told the Examiner. "They believe that all voices should be heard."

Hagedorn first got involved in politics by volunteering at age 16 for the U.S. House campaign of Tim Walz, who won the race and now serves in Congress. He said his political work is well worth missing the first week of school. "The opportunities to learn here at the convention are unmatched anywhere else in the world," he said.

In Obama inspires Minnesota delegation, the Duluth News Tribune reports:

Super-delegate and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz said Obama’s message of shifting the county’s economic policies to favor middle-income Americans will appeal to his southern Minnesota constituents.

“It’s an exciting time and feels like being a part of history in terms of government responding to the people,” Walz said from Invesco Field.

From PB editor Jay Furst's blog post about forthcoming news stories:

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama shook the Mile High City last night, ripping the verbal gloves off in his presidential battle against presumed Republican nominee John McCain and bolstering the message of hope that has fueled his unexpected rise and historic bid to be the nation’s first black president.

“I think he tackled the critics,” said U.S. Rep Tim Walz. “It was a rare event.”

As we write this post, John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Thus, this Paul Demko Walz tidbit from the convention has a dated feel. Pam's House Blend posted one of Congressman Walz's quotes from the GLBT caucus meeting. The MinnPost's Doug Grow caught this quip after former Rep. Tim Penny showed up in Denver to tout McCain's presidential bid:

Rep. Tim Walz directed a nifty zinger at Penny when speaking to Minnesota's delegation to the convention Thursday morning.

"I used to say I was one of only two DFLers ever elected to Congress in the 1st District,'' Walz said. "What I saw earlier this week makes me think I'm the only Democrat to represent the ticket.''

The Huffington Post twittered about:

Powerful testimonials and message drills at Boot Camp with DNC Vets & Military Families Council bookended by Tim Walz & Wes Clark.

The Worthington Globe had earlier picked up Walz's work with the convention's rural caucus:

Rural on agenda

Democrats gathered for their national convention continue to hear a message their leaders say too often is overlooked: Rural America -- and its votes -- matter.

Delegate Andrew Falk of western Minnesota said Wednesday he was to attend a forum on rural issues with Minnesota's Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz. Falk said the topic is being discussed all week, not just on Monday when national Democratic Chairman Howard Dean talked of the importance of rural America.

"There is definitely a focus on rural issues," Falk said. "I think in many places around the country they may have felt left behind. That’s one of the focuses – to re-engage rural voters."

We'd missed the KEYC-TV report, Walz Raises $250,000, from May 27, which was confirmed by the committee's pre-primary report. We look at the Day filing here and the Davis filing here.

The filing for Greg Mikkelson, who is on the ballot for the Independence Party but did not seek the IP endorsement, has yet to appear online. In largely self-funded campaigns, Mikkelson has run as a Green (2002), Independence Party (2004) and Republican (2006) candidate. Representative Gil Gutknecht defeated Mikkelson in the 2006 Republican primary, only to be ousted from office by Walz.

Saturday afternoon news digest: horse apple moonshine edition

Horse apple fans can head over to the PB and check out the new batch cooked up by the Brian Davis campaign, then wrap up their total meadow muffin experience with an interview at the Fillmore County Journal.

The Political Party blog has posted a press release containing Brian Davis's ag policy statement. We have commented there. With the exception of "Columbia" and "Columbian", the paper graciously left out the parts riddled with typos (how ironic is it to misspell "Heartland" in a press release about ag policy?).  Davis himself left out any direct discussion of the Farm Bill, though he does mention returning land that is "not environmentally sensitive"  to production as CRP contracts expire.

He may have a fight on his hands from local papers unless he clarifies that position.  The Mankato Free Press editorial board says Don't gut, improve CRP.  The Red Wing Eagle Republican editorial board says If anything, add CRP acreage, concluding:

. . .More than 9 million acres of CRP contracts expire in the next two years. The 2008 farm bill has a CRP cap, and acreage could drop from the current 39.2 million acres previously authorized to 32 million authorized in the new bill.

The program is also at risk because cropland rental rates have spiked because of rising farm commodity prices, thus making CRP less attractive to farmers. One way to preserve as many CRP acres as possible would be to raise payments to landowners.

CRP is arguably the most successful, most popular farm/conservation program in the nation's history. It has accomplished what it was designed to do: protect marginal land, reduce soil erosion, restore grasses and other native plants, increase wildlife populations and provide farmers with a fair price for using their lands for conservation.

Long-term contracts have been crucial to its remarkable success. It would be a monumental mistake to diminish CRP by making it less financially viable for landowners. The program works. If anything, it should be expanded.

In other ag-related news, Congressman Walz will be a panelist at the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's Annual Meeting and 20th Anniversary Celebration in Farmington on Wednesday, August 13. The topic will be Farm Bill politics & perspectives.

Walz and the two GOP primary contenders will meet for the first time at the congressional forum at Farmfest, August 5, 1:30 p.m.

The Rochester Democrat notes that Tim Walz is out doorknocking today; the Post Bulletin says he'll also be helping to open the Obama office in Rochester.

The Minnesota Hospital Association reports Coleman, Klobuchar, Ellison, McCollum, Walz reject proposal to cut indirect medical education.

Here's a worthy cause: Lake City family builds a legacy for son killed in Iraq. The Hebert family has created scholarships for student athletes and a fund for Lake City area children who need medical care. There's a golf tournament tomorrow.

Hill Heat, a science policy legislation  action blog, says National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act introduced in US House: oil drilling, coal-to-liquid, Renewable Energy Reserve Fund planned.

The Cottonwood County Citizen tells another scary dangerous road tale in Comfrey Fire Chief experiences 'near miss' on Highway 60.  The paper's editorial says MnDOT Commissioner Sorel should have no doubts about the road's lack of safety after hearing citizen testimony at a recent meeting.

Congressman Walz and other representatives have asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to

act to help stop the forced repatriation of Hmong political refugee from Thailand back to the authoritarian regime in Laos where they face torture, persecution and imprisonment in reeducation camps.

The Oshkosh (WI) Northwestern has more:

Twenty-one House members, including Wisconsin Republican Tom Petri and Democrats Tammy Baldwin, Steve Kagen, Ron Kind and Gwen Moore, sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice outlining their concerns about 6,000 Hmong refugees in a Petchabun, Thailand, camp. In June, the Thai government sent 800 Hmong refugees who fled persecution in Laos back to their home country.

The lawmakers said it is "imperative" that the forced removals be stopped and that the Thai government give the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees access to the Hmong.

They argued that the United States has an obligation to aid the Hmong who were U.S. allies during the Vietnam conflict. That assistance earned the minority ethnic group the enmity of the Communist government now in Laos.

Thousands of Hmong fled Southeast Asia for the United States after the war. Wisconsin has the nation's largest Hmong population.

House members were not the only ones calling for action Friday. Several human rights organizations and Laotian and Hmong groups met in Washington and condemned the Laotian government for its treatment of Laotian dissidents and Hmong.

The Rothenberg Political Report looks at spending in some House races. After building a field operation, Walz had $1.2 million cash on hand at the end of the Q2 reporting period.

At the Fillmore County Journal, John Torgrimson interviews the endorsed GOP candidate in Brian Davis campaigns for Congress on conservative values.  Davis cites the source for his climate change denying, noting that he met with MIT prof Richard Lindzen (a typo in the article spells his name "Lidzen"). Lindzen--whom Davis notes is an member of the National Academy of Sciences--has been criticized for his funding sources, his self- promotion as an underdog, his science and his views that:

the risks of smoking, including passive smoking, are overstated. In 2001,^[24] Newsweek journalist Fred Guterl reported, after an interview with Lindzen

He'll even expound on how weakly lung cancer is linked to cigarette smoking. He speaks in full, impeccably logical paragraphs, and he punctuates his measured cadences with thoughtful drags on a cigarette.^[24]

We find it fascinating that an oncologist (albeit one who works most with those afflicted by prostate rather than lung cancer) should have sought out Lindzen's company.

But our fav moment in the interview is this exchange:

Journal: When I say George Bush, what does that mean to you? Positive, negative? Good legacy?

Davis: I think we'll leave that to the historians to determine. I think some of the analogies with Harry Truman being resolute, and sometimes people even say "inflexible," but there may come a time down the road when people will look back and he [Bush] will have a stronger public perception than he does now. . . .

We were curious where Davis got that idea, since he doesn't seem to be to good at having original political thoughts.  The principle advocate for the notion--when we traced it back--appears to be George W. Bush himself. 

In a separate commentary, editor Torgrimson weighs in on the Truman-Bush analogy:

And finally, for all those revisionists out there who think George Bush has Truman-esque virtues for playing tough in Iraq in the face of adversity - to quote the man, himself, "you're drunk."

In honor of Harry Truman and Torgrimson, we proffer up this 1992 YouTube of Uncle Tupelo covering Bob Dylan's Moonshiner.

 

NPR: Walz and student on predicting Rwanda massacre

Congressman Walz and a former student talk to Weekend Edition about their experience:

In 1993, Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota, then a high school geography teacher in Nebraska, had his class do an exercise in which they ended up predicting the Rwandan genocide the following year. Tim Walz and one of his former students, Travis Hoffman, talk with John Ydstie about the prediction.

Audio is available.

Marking Martyrs' Day

Yesterday's New York Times article about Walz's teaching in Nebraska mentioned that April is the month for marking a number of genocides: Armenia, Rwanda, Cambodia, and quite often, the Holocaust (May 1 this year).  Today is Martyrs' Day, a day of remembrance for many Armenians.

Over at SCSU Scholars, conservative blogger King Banaian, whose grandparents fled Armenia, shares a deeply personal memory of the songs his grandmother sang and his own efforts at learning what those songs meant. A bittersweet and worthy post: 93 and remembering .

NYTimes: "lessons of a classroom in Alliance 15 years ago still matter"

Last March at the Darfur town hall in Minneapolis's Plymouth Congregational Church, we heard Congressman Walz touch on this project.  Now Columbia University J-school prof Samuel G. Freedman write up the full story in High School Project on Genocide Was a Portent of Real-Life Events.  It's a moving story about small town kids learning about the way the world can sometimes sadly work:

In 1993, when Travis Hofmann was a freshman of 15, he had traveled little beyond the sand hills that surrounded his hometown, Alliance, Neb. He was the son of a railroad engineer, a trumpeter in the high school band, with a part-time job changing the marquee and running the projector at the local movie theater.

In Travis’s class in global geography at Alliance High School, however, the teacher introduced the outside world with the word and concept of genocide. The teacher, Tim Walz, was determined that even in this isolated place, perhaps especially in this isolated place, this county seat of 9,000 that was hours away from any city in any direction, the students should learn how and why a society can descend into mass murder.

Mr. Walz had already taught for a year in China, and he brought the world into his classroom in the form of African thumb pianos and Tibetan singing bowls. For the global geography class, he devised something far more ambitious than what the curriculum easily could have been — the identification and memorization of capitals, mountain ranges and major rivers. It was more ambitious, too, than a unit solely on the Holocaust of the sort many states have required.

“The Holocaust is taught too often purely as a historical event, an anomaly, a moment in time,” Mr. Walz said in a recent interview, recalling his approach. “Students understood what had happened and that it was terrible and that the people who did this were monsters.

“The problem is,” he continued, “that relieves us of responsibility. Obviously, the mastermind was sociopathic, but on the scale for it to happen, there had to be a lot of people in the country who chose to go down that path. You have to make the intellectual leap to figure out the reasons why.”

So Mr. Walz took his students — Brandon Bell, the wrestler; Beth Taylor, the cheerleader; Lanae Merwin, the quiet girl always reading some book about Queen Elizabeth; and all the other children of mechanics, secretaries and a town dentist — and assigned them to study the conditions associated with mass murder. What factors, he asked them to determine, had been present when Germans slaughtered Jews, Turks murdered Armenians, the Khmer Rouge ravaged their Cambodian countrymen?

“It was different and unusual, certainly not a project you’d be expecting,” Mr. Hofmann, now 31, of Phoenix, remembered recently of the class. “The biggest part was just the freedom to explore things. No matter how abnormal or far-fetched an idea might sound, you can form an opinion. Instead of just going in and having a teacher say, ‘Here’s information, learn it, know it, you’ll be tested on it,’ it was, ‘Here’s an idea, run with it.’ ”

For nine weeks through the winter and early spring that school year, through the howling blizzards and the planting of the first alfalfa on the plains, the class pored over data about economics, natural resources and ethnic composition. They read about civil war, colonialism and totalitarian ideology. They worked with reference books and scholarly reports, long before conducting research took place instantly online.

Most, like Mr. Hofmann, had spent their entire lives in and near Alliance. A few had traveled to Washington, D.C., with the school marching band. A few had driven four hours to Denver to buy the new Nirvana CD. Mostly, though, the outside world was a place they built, under Mr. Walz’s tutelage, in their own brains.

When the students finished with the past, Mr. Walz gave a final exam of sorts. He listed about a dozen current nations — Yugoslavia, Congo, some former Soviet republics among them — and asked the class as a whole to decide which was at the greatest risk of sliding into genocide.

Their answer was: Rwanda. The evidence was the ethnic divide between Hutus and Tutsis, the favoritism toward Tutsis shown by the Belgian colonial regime, and the previous outbreaks of tribal violence. Mr. Walz awarded high marks.

Then summer arrived and school let out. The students did what teenagers did in Alliance over the summer. They water-skied at the reservoir, swam in the Bridgeport sand pits and mostly “cruised the Butte,” endlessly driving up and down Box Butte Avenue.

THE next April, in 1994, Mr. Walz heard news reports of a plane carrying the Rwandan president, Juvenal Habyarimana, being shot down. He told himself at the time, “This is not going to end up good.”

It did not. Over the next three months, militant Hutus killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The reports reached even The Alliance Times-Herald, the local daily newspaper. Mr. Walz’s students, now juniors, saw their prophecy made into flesh and blood.

“It was terribly chilling,” Lanae Merwin, now 31, of Hastings, Neb., recalled in a recent interview. “But, to us, it wasn’t totally surprising. We’d discussed it in class and it was happening. Though you don’t want a prediction like that to come true.”

Mr. Hofmann remembered having a similar reaction. “It was just strange to know that something was discussed not too long before that could actually happen,” he said. “Just a surreal feeling. To everyone else, it’s 8,000 miles away — no one cares. How can you grasp it? But to us, it was, we talked about it. For us, it was something that reached us directly.”

Years have passed. Mr. Walz left Alliance and moved to his wife’s home state, Minnesota; he is the only active teacher now serving in the United States Congress. His former geography students have moved as adults to Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and New York. Ms. Taylor lived in Poland for a while.

Now, in 2008, April has come again. It is, among other things, the month for genocide remembrance — the month when Rwanda was convulsed, when the Khmer Rouge conquered Cambodia, when Armenians commemorate what they call the Great Catastrophe, when Yom HaShoah, Holocaust memorial day, almost always falls. (Though this year, because of the Jewish lunar calendar, it will be observed on May 1.) The lessons of a classroom in Alliance 15 years ago still matter.

“You have to understand what caused genocide to happen,” Mr. Walz said, with those grim anniversaries in mind. “Or it will happen again.”

Making a movie of themselves: Minnesota Majority and MinnSIR unite

Loyal readers know that we frequently hold our nose and dive into a Yahoo group where Ruthie Hendrycks posts in her role as President of Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform (MinnSIR), an unincorporated association that's a subchapter of the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction (also small and unincorporated).

We've learned that MinnSIR is teaming up with Minnesota Majority to make a video and it's top secret, according to this post by Ms. Hendrycks:

MINNESOTA MEMBERS

As you know, a video is being planned and scheduled concerning the negative impacts of

illegal immigration on Minnesotans. MINNSIR in coordination with Minnesota Majority

will be filming all those and their stories who choose to participate.

 

So many times - we hear the other side of this issue in video's and the media.

It is time that our fellow citizens and those elected to serve the residents of Minnesota -

HEAR OUR THOUGHTS!!!!!!

 

We do have several individuals already - who have agreed to participate and this email

will be going out to them again separately to arrange a time for filming.

ONLY THOSE WHO CONTACT RUTHIE - will be advised of location and filming date.

This is to ensure those moles subscribed to MINNSIR do not deter our mission.

Filming will take place shortly and should be completed by early April.

 

I am sending this request out to see if there are more that would like to be involved.

Your identity can be shadowed, but we prefer that not all opt for this option.

 

Issues of how illegal immigration has impacted you can range from but not limited to:

Economics

Job and Employment Issues

Crime

Health Issues

Language Barriers

School and Education Issues

Etc.

 

Exactly what we are looking for is YOUR STORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you know of others that may consider being involved - please contact them

and have them contact Ruthie. Ask only those you trust.

Material used will be at the desegregation of MnMajority and MINNSIR

Ruthie will be the primary interviewer - please contact [email address redacted by editor] to discuss your participation or with questions.

 

Again

Happy Easter

Ruthie

So MinnSIR and Majority will be making a video about the negative effects of immigration. Let's take a look at the production' sponsors.

First, MinnSIR.  Beginning with the email itself, we the self-pity in the message puzzling. For instance, the media frequently give Ms. Hendrycks a platform for her views, as she is trotted out to represent the "anti" position in the debate on comprehensive immigration review. indeed, the group and a rally (which drew fewer than 100 people) was deemed newsworthy by the Strib barely a month after Hendrycks founded it in 2006.

Not once have we seen evidence that the mainstream media has asked the group to provide membership numbers or a balance sheet.  Since the group has no paid staff and revenues under $25,000, it's not required to provide any public transparency.   

A headline on the front page of the group's website now touts Ruthie's bid for Congress (though the fine print reveals she's in a bid for the open seat in Minnesota House District 21B). Since the group isn't large enough to report to anyone and hasn't voluntarily opened it's books, it's impossible to tell if this in-kind contribution to a candidate is worth over $100, at which point the group would have to register  with the state Campaign Finance and Disclosure board.

While the group claims to be only against illegal immigration and to support "sensible" immigration reform, Ruthie approvingly distributes emails decrying the presence of Liberian refugees in Minnesota, opposing a state bill to allow a private service club to honor Mexican-American veterans (it passed this month in the Minnesota House by a 121-5 vote) and other such matters.

Minnesota Majority is another kettle of fish entirely. Launched last summer by social conservative Jeff Davis and friends, the group promotes "traditional values" and more. The group is a non-profit 501(c) 4, an organization that can engage in lobbying or political campaigning. Donations are not tax deductible.

And cultural flashpoints over "traditional values" are indeed a war for these folks: 

Our country is in the midst of a fierce civil war between those who cherish our nation’s traditional values and those who want to radically remake America into a secular progressive country.

Minnesota Majority's web page about immigration (or illegal aliens, MM's preferred descriptor) is here. Some fascinating links from the Minn Majority page to interesting people and organizations.

The group generated a fair amount of controversy when a statement attributing longer lifespans to "racial purity" in the populations of Japan and Sweden was on the group's page about health care. As a firestorm of criticism hit, the statement was first defended, then scrubbed from the site. (See several posts at Lloydletta ,  Democracy at Work, Minnesota 2020 [Mn 2020 fellow John Hecke's column here] and MnPublius for a review of the fracas).

For a glimpse of past Minnesota Majority video projects, check out the group's YouTube page. We eagerly await the release of the organization's joint production with the brain trust at MinnSIR.

Colombian labor organizers to speak in Rochester

One solution for addressing poverty at home and abroad is organizing. On Thursday, two labor organizers from Colombia will speak in Rochester. We received the following notice for the Union Worker Struggles in Colombia event from Russell Hess, President, SE MN Central Labor Council:

WHEN: Thursday, March 20th

Program starts at  6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Christ United Methodist Church

400 5^th St. SW Rochester, MN

Gerardo Cajamarca works with the United Steelworkers through their Associate Member Program. He dedicates his time to education on Global Justice, worker and human rights, Plan Colombia, Free Trade, and immigration. He has assisted in organizing workers at Tyson Meatpacking in Garden City, Kansas and the boycott against Western Union. He is part of the International Mission of SINALTRAINAL. In Colombia Gerardo investigated human rights violations for SINALTRAINAL, the union at the forefront of the struggle of Coca-Cola and NESTLE workers. In 2004, he sought asylum in the US after receiving death threats.

Edgar Paez is part of the international mission of SINALTRAINAL (National Food Industry Workers Union) in Colombia. Paez has dedicated his entire life to organizing workers and has worked actively in connecting social struggles both in Colombia and the world over. Paez is a member of the Operating Committee for the Social Observatory of transnational businesses, megaprojects, human rights and the Permanent Tribunal of the Pueblos Sesión, Colombia.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Alicia Ranney (612) 578 – 8266

Russell Hess, (507) 261-6546

In January, Gerardo Cajamarca wrote about the Colombia he knows at the Huffington Post. More here in the Miami Herald about his work to educate people about Colombia and free trade agreements.

People in Rochester seem interested in the fate of Colombia. In an earlier (and separate) event, two Colombian Army officers drew a diverse crowd to an event at the city's public library, noted Andrea Villarraga,  a sophomore at Lourdes High School, in a column published today.

More on the Rochester event from Workday Minnesota: Colombian unionist to speak in Minneapolis, Rochester.   For additional background, see the March 12 press release, Change to Win Urges Congress to Reject Colombia Free Trade Agreement:

Change to Win released a print ad today demanding the United States Congress reject the Colombia Free Trade Agreement deal that the Bush administration is threatening to send to Congress in the coming weeks despite strong opposition.

"American workers are sick of job-destroying trade deals that benefit multinational corporations," said Bruce Raynor, General President of UNITE HERE. "A trade deal with Colombia is particularly outrageous because workers seeking to form unions there face brutal oppression and even murder. We are proud to stand with human rights activists, religious groups, unions and workers in Colombia in opposing the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement."

Colombia remains the most dangerous country in the world for union members. More than 2,200 workers have been murdered by Colombian death squads for trying to form unions since the 1980s, and there have been more than 400 murders since President Uribe took office five years ago. Yet the Colombian government has done nothing to effectively stop death squads from murdering workers for trying to form unions.

Trade agreements like NAFTA, CAFTA, and others have primarily benefited multinational corporations and the world's elite, at the expense of jobs and decent wages for working families, not only in America, but throughout the world. The proposed "free" trade deals perpetuate a discredited trade model that hurts U.S. workers, destroys jobs, and lowers living standards for workers here and in many trade partner countries where independent labor unions are restricted or outlawed. . . .

 

Congressional-Executive Commission on China: 2008 Olympics and Human Rights

From the department of we missed it: the Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a hearing on February 27 on The Impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China. Statements are online and a transcript will soon be available. The Washington Post reported China's Offer To Resume Rights Talks Is Discounted and USA Today, US lawmakers urge China to fulfill Olympic commitments to protect human right.

Congressman Walz, who taught high school in China, is a member of the Commission.

DailyKos: McJoan on the FISA Fear Factor

Over at DailyKos, McJoan provides an overview of the story so far in FISA Fight: The Fear Express rolls on. She quotes the Walz response after pointing out pertinent information from an LATimes report:

It's the same false charges, claiming that the lapse of the Protect America Act has meant that "new surveillance against terrorists is crippled." What it doesn't say is that the PAA lapsed because Republicans refused to extend, and even if they had voted to extend it, Bush would have vetoed it anyway. Then there's the whole part about the fact that it's just a lie, that the administration has been forced to admit that no intelligence has been lost and we are thus no less safe than we were before the law expired.

Update: The Liberal Media Elite weighs in.

Tuesday afternoon news digest: Kosovo, economy and a new kid in the District

Congratulations to Jennifer and David on the birth of Sage Elizabeth, 6 lbs, 10.5 oz. May she grow to be as good-looking, bright, strong, and courageous as both her parents, as kind as her grandmother Darlene, and as dedicated to community and country as her late grandfather Steve.

Iraq and Afghanistan aren't the only place where Americans serve. About 400 Minnesota National Guard members are helping to keep the peace in the newly-independent nation of Kosovo. The Albert Lea Tribune tells the story from the perspective of guard members stationed in Vitina. A very interesting read; the soldiers are highly regarded by local people:

NATO soldiers met with local officials prior to the declaration on the importance of keeping Kosovo peaceful when in the world spotlight.

Overall, he said, the presence of the troops have been well-received in Kosovo. He said the soldiers are “well-respected” by the Serbians and “much more well-respected, even revered” by the ethnic Albanians.

He said when the independence was declared the soldiers made sure Serbs were protected while Albanians celebrated.

The Mankato Free Press reports Local troops calm Kosovo tensions.

Congressman Walz worked hard last March to make sure the Guard in Kosovo kept receiving imminent danger pay.

In Fighting to improve US economy, a column published in today's Winona Daily News, Walz concludes:

In the past seven years, Bush has added an incredible $4 trillion to our national debt. I’m pleased that Congress, under its new leadership, has started to get a handle on spending by passing pay-as-you-go budget rules that require new government spending to be paid for. This is a good start, but more needs to be done.

With the passage of this stimulus package, it seems that Congress and Bush have begun to realize that we’re all in this together. The stimulus package is one example of the good things that can happen when Congress and the president work together, but we can’t stop there.

Next, we need to build on that accomplishment, set aside our differences and take some hard steps to balance the budget and reduce our national debt. It won’t be easy, but the work we do now will have a lasting impact on the economy and the types of economic opportunities our children have available to them.

The Owatonna People's Press looks at the economic and politics of ethanol in two stories: Corn prices tied to the crude oil rollercoaster and Ethanol's environmental impact under debate.

Walz, Betty McCollum, and Colin Peterson are among 52 Members of Congress [who] Press Secretary of State To Challenge Azerbaijan's Threats of Renewed Aggression:

More than 50 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives called upon Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Friday to challenge Azerbaijan's threats of renewed war against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, and to take concrete action to hold leaders in Baku accountable for actions that directly undermine the Administration's policy of fostering peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The letter, initiated by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), cited specific recent threats by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and stressed that, "these fear tactics and threats of war go directly against the United States' goal of peace and stability in the South Caucasus region. Azerbaijan has been threatening war with Armenia for years. However, these recent public comments made by high-ranking government officials prove that their rhetoric has turned into a very real and dangerous threat."

The Winona Human Rights Commission extends A diversity training invitation for Drazkowski, as well as offering a civics lesson:

Drazkowski expressed his concerns in an opinion column Feb. 6 about the budget difficulties in our courts. As our representative in the Legislature, he should have that concern.

He is also concerned about the high cost of administrative services within the court system. This is a legitimate concern. Among these costs is the cost of interpreters for those who don’t speak English or do not speak English well.

Drazkowski seems to be proposing that non-English speakers no longer receive the assistance of an interpreter within the state court system unless they bear the cost of interpretation themselves.

The Winona Human Rights Commission is concerned about such a proposal because it stands in direct contravention of existing law, specifically the United States Civil Rights Act, a law that requires an interpreter be provided in this setting.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act is the “Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons.” For guidance, see www.hhs.gov/ocr/lep/revised lep.html.

The Waseca Historical Society presented a program about Waseca's Black History remembered. Interesting snapshots from history; we find the story of the three African-American baseball players on the town's 1900 state championship town to be especially ironic in light of the knuckleheaded racist remarks former Twins owner Calvin Griffith made to the Waseca Lions Club in 1978..

The Owatonna People's Press reports that his late grandfather's need for blood transfusions has inspired  Joe Gibson to work to for change in  Blooming Prairie teen behind bill to lower state's blood donor age to 16.

He had contacted state Rep. Patty Fritz with a petition and just expected to have his idea turned down. Instead, Fritz met with him to work on the bill's language. Both Fritz and Gibson expect it to pass.  More in the Rochester Post Bulletin story, Teen on quest to lower blood-donor age to 16. Kids these days!