A Bluestem Prairie

Tuesday morning news digest: Pea Pod Republicans edition

The Owatonna People's Press and Faribault Daily News report that GOP candidates share similar positions on issues. Clare Kennedy writes:

At the Steele County Republican Convention on Saturday, Sen. Dick Day, Rep. Randy Demmer and Brian Davis took pains to stand out.

The three men are vying for the Republican nomination for the First District's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, currently held by Democrat Tim Walz.

On conservative issues, the three are almost identical.

That pea-pod uniformity looks to be the theme for Republican politics this election year. From what we're reading on the right blogosphere, "Platform Republican" seems to be the rallying cry of the day at the recent wave of Republican BPOU conventions.

But the lefty bloggers at MnPublius report that the rightward choreography may be out of step with some First District Republicans.

State GOP deputy chair  "Deputy Dot" traveled to Cottonwood County to enforce a piece of the new fatwa against the "Override Six" who voted with the DFL majority to overcome the Governor's veto of the transportation bill. Zack writes:

Deputy Chair Fleming went all the way out to Cottonwood County to express her deep opposition to the endorsement of Rod Hamilton for another term. But according to my source, the activists in the room didn’t take too kindly to the State Party sticking their nose into this particular issue. Apparently, Fleming was booed and heckled during her speech. In fact, she was “all but booed from the stage.”

One Republican who was in the room said “If there is any Republican who should be worried about his job, its Ron Carey, not Rod Hamilton,” a reference to the MN GOP Chair’s decision to endorse Mike Huckabee before precinct caucuses.

One more example of the Republican Leadership being out of step with the average Republican, let alone the average Minnesotan.

We must admit to being puzzled by Zack's stressing the fact of Deputy Dot's travel. Appearances by the state chairs and deputy chairs at  county/senate district conventions and fundraisers isn't unusual.

In fact, both DFL chair Brian Melendez and associate chair Donna Cassutt were at the Winona County DFL Banquet on Sunday.  They did have the good sense, however, to praise the local elected leaders and the enthusiastic volunteers who sent them to St. Paul and Washington.   

Sounds a lot more pleasant than Pea Pod Republicans.

At Minnesota Monitor, Andy Birkey takes a look at the Knowlegis annual Congressional Power Rankings  in How powerful is Minnesota in Congress? Not very. The lack of seniority looks to be the key, though Keith Ellison is relatively high on the list, while Kline is near the bottom because of his new-found gospel of not seeking earmarks for his district.

In Forbidden fruits (and vegetables), Grist's blog, the Gristmill, picks up on Saturday's column in the New York Times by Rushford-area organic farmer Jack Hedin.  The article mentions Walz's Flex Farm legislation, which is aggressively opposed by West Coast vegetable growers.

"Integrity counts": Mary Kiffmeyer's SOS campaign contact page

Bluestem Prairie rarely grazes beyond Minnesota's First for material. However, a web page from this morning's reading strikes us.  We offer the contact page from Mary Kiffmeyer's  2006 Secretary of State campaign website, in which she lists her official state email address and fax number as contact information. Thank heaven she showed some restraint and informed the public that campaign mail would not be accepted on the listed state office address.

Kiffmeyer has announced that she will challenge incumbent Mark Olson for the Republican endorsement in House District 16B. Olson was thrown out of the Republican House caucus when he was convicted of a domestic abuse related charge.

Will Kiffmeyer be using this domain address for her House campaign?

Monday morning news digest: party animals edition

A friend sent us the YouTube above that purportedly documents Marty Seifert's leadership style in dealing with the Transportation Six who voted with the DFL majority. We are reviewing it for authenticity. Hal Kimball looks yet another element in the complicated web of elephant-rhino ecology in Brian Davis Hires Liberal Blogger As Consultant.

We had a chance to investigate the donkey party's cordially last night, and enjoyed ourselves immensely at the Winona County DFL Banquet. We didn't get a chance to meet blogger Ron Amundson, who posted about the event in the post Winona County DFL Banquet:

. . .One fellow I ran into was Victor Vieth of the National Child Protection training center. They are rolling out some new programs in the near future, and their work looks to be pretty amazing and they most definitely fill a critical need. It was also cool to learn of Mike Ciresi’s involvement in getting them funded.

I also talked engineering with a couple guys, and met a number of interesting folks from a variety of walks of life. Everything from biodiesel conversions to pathology to folks involved in foster care. A most diverse crowd indeed. . . .

. . .Tim Walz sent a representative, and they talked a bit about the FISA bill which I blogged about previously. His staff seem to really be on top of things. . . .

That's pretty much our experience as well, down to the chat with Victor Vieth. A good time and a long drive home as "the weather went south fast."

We weren't much impressed by the Strib article Big spenders go  after causes, not candidates. The story came a week after the FISA fear-mongering ads.  Diaz focuses most of his attention on a rally and ads to pressure Sixth District Republican Michele Bachmann to vote for SCHIP funding than the Defense of Democracy ad directed toward Walz.

The watchdogs at Firedoglake have been keeping an eye on developments in the House's coming action on the spying bill.  Jane Hamsher bird-dogs the apparent deal over FISA that Democratic House Leadership is cooking up in Operant Conditioning:  Live It, Love It, Learn It. On CNN:

It was disconcerting, to say the least, to hear Sylvestre Reyes on CNN this morning talking about retroactive telecom immunity:

Reyes, D-Texas, said he was open to that possibility after receiving documents from the Bush administration and speaking to the companies about the industry's role in the government spy program.

"We are talking to the representatives from the communications companies because if we're going to give them blanket immunity, we want to know and we want to understand what it is that we're giving immunity for," he said. "I have an open mind about that."

Regarding a compromise deal, Reyes said: "We think we're very close, probably within the next week we'll be able to hopefully bring it to a vote."

She spells out the situation that may be facing Tim Walz.  Having grown a spine over the attack ads, he may not got the back-up he needs from House leadership:

I hope before the Democrats decide to cave on this they think very carefully about the message they're sending in the wake of huge ad buys against their freshmen by a GOP attack outfit. Jim Klobuchar writes about the ads taken out in Minnesota against Tim Walz (and Walz's admirable response):

His supporters are responding with their dollars. But the question he raises hangs, ominous and taunting, over the 2008 elections.

How much have the voters actually learned from the corruptions of decency and truth that emasculated John Kerry’s campaign in 2004?

One thing we probably haven’t learned is how easily it was done. The architects of it were shadowy surrogates of the real political hatchetmen and corporate pirates who brought the Bush government to power. In the middle of it some credulous Democrats actually asked George Bush to disavow the Swift Boat fraud.

Were they serious?

If House Democrats back down now, it worked.   And it will keep happening, again and again and again.

This is one of those issues that House Leadership doesn't get. In the First, Tim Walz talked back to the ads almost immediately and his constituents, sick of the administration's lies and fear-mongering, cheered.

At last night's banquet, word was that Walz planned to stick to his guns about retroactive immunity and insist on a new surveillance bill that retains protections for civil rights. Constituents should call their congressman this week to let him know they want him stand his ground.

Update: McJoan at DailyKos offers the FISA Fight: Capitulation watch.

Safe in his bunker after being alerted to the threat by the FDD ad, Minnesota Central wonders in IF FOX doesn’t Report,How can I Decide ?:

I tuned in and listened intently to hear FOX defend our liberties and attack these liberal Democrats … but alas, it was just mindless babble about next November’s election … not only from Durbin and Feinstein … but also from Karl Rove.
IF Karl Rove doesn’t feel the threat, what is an ordinary citizen to conclude ?

Was this just an exploitive commercial to attack First District Congressman Tim Walz ? [end update]

The Albert Lea Tribune reports that Congressman Walz will be speaking to the local Kiwanis club today (in keeping with the animal motif, he'll be at the Elks Club):

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, will speak Monday to the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club. Walz was to speak Feb. 4, but a snowstorm dashed those plans. The visit is not a political speech. He will give an update on the second session of the 110th Congress and take questions from the audience.

The public is invited to attend.

The club meets at noon Monday at the Elks Lodge in Albert Lea.

Faribault Daily News: Exiles on Main Street?

Found among the short "Saturday Starters" at the Faribault Daily News:

The gruesome twosome of GOP outcasts

So who is less popular in his own party: presidential candidate John McCain, who has been accused consistently of not be "conservative" enough on the national level, or state Sen. Dick Day with the Minnesota GOP, which has taken its all-important donor and volunteer lists and gone home because Day skipped the party endorsement meetings? Ahhh, democracy in action.

Evening news digest: counting small-boned bodies edition

The Pioneer Press reports that Robert Bly is state's first poet laureate. We take our title tonight from one of his most famous poems, from the Vietnam War era.

It's the Festival of Owls this weekend in Houston, according to the Winona Daily News.

The Albert Lea Tribune's acting publisher writes that Knocking down snowmen is no funny matter. We agree.

The New Ulm Journal praises The Transportation 6, while the Owatonna People's Press gives Senator Day Kudos to his decision to skip the endorsement and go straight to the primary. The editorial board scolds the GOP:

. . . But what southern Minnesota's Republicans are doing and what they ought to do are two very different things. They ought to recruit and support candidates who have the best chance of representing their views in office. Instead, they are throwing a political tantrum because one candidate had the audacity to suggest that voters, not just a few party insiders, should have a say in an election. . . .

The Rochester Post Bulletin reported on a meeting where Flood victims try to get answers. Walz staff members were there.

In a letter to the Cottonwood County Citizen, Richard Peterson writes that Hamilton's transportation vote took courage. A DFLer, Peterson opposed Hamilton in the race for House 22B in 2004 and 2006.

Transportation of another mode is an issue on the Mississippi River, according to the Winona Daily News in Delta Queen future still in balance; Walz puts support behind exemption.

The Worthington Daily Globe reports ICE pays Worthington another visit.  This time it's a search for specific individuals, rather than a sweep through the Swift hog plant..

Finally, a YouTube of  Tim Walz and George Miller discussing textbook prices on the House floor earlier this month. The amendnment under debate was part of the College Opportunity & Affordability Act.

Minnesota State Senate fires MNDot commissioner Molnau

One of today's distractions has been the debate over the confirmation of Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau in her role as the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The body just failed to confirm her in a straight party-line vote of 22-44. Jeff Fecke has the live blog at the Moderate Left and Zack at MNPublius.

Senator Day made a rather remarkable floor speech about not seeing any crumbling infrastructure as he drove around the state. Then he spoke again about transportation being underfunded. We'll have more on this when we can review the video.

Over at Flash's place, the moderate made the case to Save Molnau.

And then it was on with business in the button-down State Senate.

Corner House Comments: the posts we hoped to write

What with the breaking elephant fight today,  we didn't get around to writing about the local response to the veto down in the Southwestern corner of Minnesota. Fortunately, Corner House Comments is on it, writing a couple of posts. In Fixing roads, putting people to work, CHC concludes:

The Daily Globe also opines about the tactics the Minnesota GOP is using on the members of their party who voted in favor of addressing our infrastructure needs. In Party Presure Pressures, the dilemma facing Rep. Rod Hamilton(R) is discussed. Here is the last paragraph from the Daily Globe editorial:

It should trouble all of us when parties attempt to hold elected officials hostage, thereby making it increasingly difficult for them to do the job they’re supposed to be doing — serving the people who elected them. Why do we elect representatives in the first place, then?

Rod Hamilton voted to override the Governor's veto. The reward for people in his district? Work on Highway 60, which is crumbling. The reward for Hamilton? Andy Birkey at the Minnesota Monitor has the story in Six moderates out, six conservatives in: GOP changes leadership in wake of override vote.

Yesterday, CHC wrote Independent in Marshall has different view than Seifert.

Photo credit: MnDOT.

Delta Queen update: Will Walz's support put columnist at risk?

Last year, conservative Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten turned the parlor drapes at Tara into a splendid new frock and rushed into print to save the historic legacy of the Delta Queen.

That was then, this is now.

Elephant fights are going on in the Republican Party of Minnesota. Moreover, given the danger for any Minnesota Republican who says an encouraging word for DFLers and their policy (like "yes" votes for overriding Governor Pawlenty's veto), we fear for Katherine Kersten's standing in her community.

Nay, we fear for her security--if she reads this press release and reacts cordially to it--considering the last paragraph:

At a press conference today, Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) called on House leaders to act on legislation to save the Delta Queen. The historic steamboat faces an uncertain future due to the pending expiration of a congressional exemption which currently allows the Delta Queen to operate as an overnight passenger vessel. 

"The Delta Queen is an experience you can't get in a museum or from the history books - you have to live it and it's worth preserving," said Congressman Chabot. "I know that the American people do not want this national treasure to be forced ashore and Congress needs to act before an important chapter in our nation's history is closed."

Joining Congressman Chabot at the press conference today were Congressman William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-OH), Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Mr. Jay Webster, the former Director of Engineering for the Delta Queen, also spoke at the press conference about the numerous safety features that have been added to the Delta Queen to ensure the safety of the passengers while maintaining the boat's traditional look and feel.

"The Delta Queen is more than an irreplaceable historic vessel, it is also a symbol of the bold American spirit that had the courage to tame the continent and make us one nation, from sea to shining sea," said Congressman William Lacy Clay. "This is the right thing to do for the Delta Queen. And it's the right thing to do for future generations of Americans and international visitors who deserve the chance to travel on this magnificent vessel."

The Delta Queen began operating as a sternwheel river steamboat in 1926 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.  For the last 40 years, the Delta Queen has operated within the rivers of the U.S. under a congressional exemption because the paddle wheeler maintains a wooden superstructure and does not meet certain regulations specified under the 1966 Safety at Sea Act.  Recognizing the difference between boats operating within rivers and those operating at sea, Congress established the exemption in 1968 and has renewed it on nine separate occasions to allow the Delta Queen to continue overnight passenger cruises.

"It would be a terrible loss if the Delta Queen was unable to continue operating," stated Congressman Tim Walz (D-MN) in a prepared statement."The Delta Queen is a National Historic Landmark and the last operational overnight steam-powered sternwheeler in the United States."

More after the intermission.

Tuesday morning news digest: Exile from GOPville edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see links directly below)

Please

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minnesota House overrides Governor's veto of transportation bill

Yesterday, we drove on some notoriously crappy state roads in rural Minnesota. We've had to pay for some repairs that our mechanic says were from driving crappy roads. Thus, we're not against paying more gas tax to fix these crappy roads. We thank the members of the Minnesota House who voted to override the Governor's veto of the transportation bill.

We received a statement about the override from DFL chair Brian Melendez:

“With today’s override of Governor Pawlenty’s veto, Minnesotans can finally regain some confidence that our state is back on the road to rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, reducing gridlock, and improving public transit.

“Minnesotans can thank the united leadership of DFL majority for ensuring that our state moves forward on transportation, not leaving the bills and the consequences to future generations.

“The DFL Legislature’s bold leadership stands in stark contrast to Governor Pawlenty who, time after time, squandered the opportunity for real leadership on the transportation challenges we face as a state. Today, the Legislature stepped up and filled the void left by Pawlenty’s all-talk, do-nothing record — and showed that Pawlenty’s pursuit of his national ambitions has made him irrelevant to getting things done for Minnesota and for Minnesotans.”

A terrible bigotry is born: A bit more about Hendrycks and Day's pal Ron Branstner

In the nearly two months since we posted a photo of California Minuteman and Dick Day pal Ron Branstner,  we've heard from people who thought they recognized him as one of three Minutemen who had been disruptive of a community forum moderated by Fifth District Representative Keith Ellison last summer at Washburn High. Branstner's behavior included shouting down a tearful mother who was speaking at a microphone, according to two of our sources.

Here's a basic description of the meeting from the Twin Cities Daily Planet:

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison is holding a community forum on immigration reform this Saturday, June 23, at 2 p.m.

The Congressman will be joined at Washburn High School, 201 W. 49th St., by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), author of the STRIVE Act (the Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy Act of 2007) a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform.

The forum will include a panel of people from the labor movement, the faith community and the Hispanic, Somali and Hmong communities.

Gutierrez and Ellison will moderate the panel and take questions from the audience.

Our sources recalled Branstner interrupting people who had the floor.

In reading through the threads posted at Protect Our Border, we discovered that their identification was indeed correct. Ruthie Hendrycks posted an email from Branstner to the yahoo group (yellow highlighting and spelling as per the original):

This is a update on the Ellison Immigration reform debate this past weekend

This is straight from Calif member Ron - who was in attendance and we thank

him and all that were able to attend

Of course it will be no surprise to anyone that the pro amnesty slant was

loud and clear - Ellison - must no be re elected EVER!

Ruthie,

Yesterdays open forum at the washburn HS Minneapolis was, to say the least interesting.
Out numbered and out voiced the proponent cheered asthe propaganda machine spoke.
Ellison and Gutierrez said repeatedly that immigrationis flawed and sending people home is not the answer.The gym was filled with a third world eliment and little respect for law.

Gutierrez was speaking in spanish and I stood up and shouted to speak in english and the mob was ready toput a rope around my neck.

The reality is Minnesotans better awaken soon and with some fight.  Ellison has plans to legalize as many 3rdworld people through this amnesty bill. Ellison is fighting to reinstate thousands of Liberians whos visas are about to expire next month, and with chain migration the families are awaiting there ticket to America.  This should be headline news.

Yup, it's funny how annoyed people get at meetings when someone starts heckling.  We've been to a lot of meetings--some where people have been really, really pissed at Congressman Walz for his war funding votes--and yet the custom is to be civil.

And the Liberians Branstner fears are political refugees. And as far as this issue being headline news, the story of their fight to stay in Minnesota wasn't particularly neglected by the media.

To its credit, the Star Tribune ran a series about the group beginning in February that has been regularly updated: A People Torn: Liberians in Minnesota.  Doesn't seem as if Branstner or Hendrycks are aware of it--but facts are stubborn things.

And those visas?  The Strib reported in September that the White House had extended them for 18 months, with the support of Minnesota's federal legislators:

Minnesota's entire Washington delegation supported the Liberians' bid to stay. A bill granting them one more year passed the House in July, but it was blocked in the Senate. In August, 54 House members sent a letter to Bush, urging him to extend the Liberians' legal stay. Signatures on the letter included Minnesota Republicans Jim Ramstad and John Kline and Democrats Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and Collin Peterson.

On Wednesday, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said in a statement reacting to the decision: "With Liberia still struggling to rebuild and stabilize following years of civil strife, the country is simply not ready to absorb these people yet." The extension, Coleman said, "will also buy time for policymakers to find a more permanent solution for these important members of our community."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the 18-month window "allows us to put some distance between this issue and the heated immigration debate."

What distinguishes the Liberians' case from many other immigration issues is the fact that they have been living legally in the country and checking in regularly with government officials. "This isn't someone running into our country," Klobuchar said. "These are people who came over as refugees and have been here in some cases for 15 years. ... Their stories are heartbreaking as to what would happen to them if they return to Liberia."

Hendrycks likes to claim that her group only opposes illegal immigrants, and yet she distributes an email objecting to a "third world eliment [sic]" that is in the United States quite legally.

That's one of the reasons BSP has used the phrase "immigration reduction group" to describe unincorporated groups like Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform, which is a subchapter of the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction (MCFIR).  MCFIR seeks to reduce legal immigration by eighty percent, not simply to end illegal immigration. MinnSIR wants "sensible" immigration reform, but never spells out whether  its definition of "sensible" concurs with its parent chapter's agenda item:

We feel that the number of legal immigrants should be cut back from the nearly 1-million we currently let in per year to 200,000.  From 1924 – 1965, we let in an average of 178,000 immigrants per year.

MCFIR may foster a subchapter that circulates an email objecting to the Liberians, but the Strib notes that many Minnesotans are quite happy to have the West Africans living here:

Meanwhile, Minnesota employers and communities where the Liberians live had joined their lobbying effort in Washington. Many of the Liberians work in health care jobs, and their employers feared a serious shortage of hospital and nursing home workers come October.

Officials in Brooklyn Park, where many of the Liberians live, also worried that a glut of homes and apartments might depress the city's real estate markets. . . .

So the Liberians have followed the law and worked hard. What were Hendrycks and Branstner objecting to again?

We gave this post a title riffing off William Butler Yeats' great poem, Easter 1916. Reading Ruthie's posts suggests a truncated paraphrase about the candidate for the state legislature:

That woman's days were spent
In ignorant ill-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill. . . .

. . .Transformed utterly:
A terrible bigotry is born.

We are left wondering exactly what MN-01 GOP congressional candidate wannabes Dick Day and Brian Davis find so attractive with MinnSIR leader Hendrycks and the Independent Minnesota Minutemen.

Monday morning news digest: optimism and energy edition

The Cottonwood County Citizen /Butterfield Advocate reports that Optimism & energy were on the agenda at last week's Energy Summit in Windom:

Although the proper name of the event was "Energy Summit," a more apt backdrop might have been: "Congressman Tim Walz: Optimistic about Energy."

More than 70 guests traveled to Windom's Business, Arts and Recreation Center to learn about energy in these fast-changing times. A strong panel of experts gave them answers, but folks also came away with a sense that Walz is upbeat about the future of renewable energy, particularly its impact on this region.

"If they guarantee a level playing field for renewable energy, I guarantee that you will compete," Walz told the audience.

The Nobles County Review notes that footings have built for two wind turbines near Brewster and Welcome. The projects will generate electricity for local power co-operatives.

A change in the board of directors at the Corn Plus ethanol co-operative in Winnebago, the Faribault County Register reports.

A letter writer in the Winona Daily News notes that English-only bill just won’t work. Instead,  Winona's Brian Pederson suggests more effort directed toward integrative programs that will speed the assimilative process. He also notes Winona's immigrant past, including the Polish language school that was established in the river city:

First-generation immigrants have historically been slow to assimilate. At our nation’s founding, it was common to hear many languages spoken in a given day. In fact, the Articles of Confederation were printed both in English and German. German immigrants living in newly founded Winona had their own churches and newspapers, and, as someone of Polish descent who was born in Winona, Rep. Drazkowski may already know that Polish settlers created a Polish language school here in 1873.

Today, these populations have integrated nicely, and there is no reason to think the same will not occur with our immigrants now. According to a recent study by Pew Hispanic Center, 88 percent of U.S.-born children of Latino immigrants are fluent in English as adults, with 94 percent fluency in subsequent generations. The study also found that Hispanics are generally eager to learn English, believing it to be “necessary for success in the United States.”

We hope Pederson's optimism catches on.

Photos: We cribbed the photos from the MHS. The first is a windmill from 1910; the second, a photo of a WPA English language class for Mexican women in 1936. The collection also includes photos of English language classes for other ethnic groups who came to Minnesota.

What a party: Olmsted County DFL grand opening this afternoon

From the Post Bulletin:

  Grand Opening DFL Office
                                       

Date:	Feb 16, 2008
Time:	2:00         -4:00          p.m.
Location:	Democratic Party Office 401 16th Ave NW  #105 Rochester, MN
Telephone:	(507) 259-5162
Website:	www.olmsteddfl.org

The office is located just south of Perkins and north of Miracle Mile shopping center. Please join us to celebrate the Grand Opening! Refreshments will be served. Guests include: Congressman Tim Walz, Senator Ann Lynch, Rep. Tina Liebling, Rep. Andy Welti, Rep. Kim Norton

       

Sunday mid-day quick news digest: tundra edition

Our county convention is this afternoon, so the news digest will be quick. We'll be back later today with more detailed posts.

While our convention is early, we're were beat by a day by Democrats in the New Ulm area. The Journal reports Brown County DFL supports Franken:

Seven of the ten delegates and four of the ten alternate delegates had expressed their support for Franken to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in November.

Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor of Justice and Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas, had one supporter among the delegates and two among the alternates. Ciresi, the attorney whose law firm led the state’s suit against the big tobacco companies in the 1990s, had two supporters among the alternates.

The paper reports that the Watonwan County DFL convention was postponed due to unsafe driving conditions.  Lots of pictures from the convention here, including a cute one of Tim and little Gus Walz.

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) notes that Walz  sponsored  a briefing for the Democratic Freshman class on how NIH works:

On Wednesday, January 23, 2008, FASEB, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer’s Association partnered with Representative Tim Walz’s (D-MN) office to sponsor a briefing for the Democratic Freshman class on how NIH impacts our nation’s health.  Congressman Walz is President of the Democratic Freshman class and represents the greater Rochester area, which includes the Mayo Clinic.

Our post about Ruthie Hendrycks' degree from diploma mill Lacrosse University (chased out of Louisiana and Mississippi by people who value academic standards) has been picked up by The Wege and Mercury Rising. 

Interesting defense by a Hendrycks partisan in the comments section of the latter. Looks as if an activist the SD 62 Republican Party wants to lower Minnesota's standards for legitimate post-secondary education to a level that brought shame to both Louisiana and Mississippi.

Will Ruthie Hendrycks be seeking higher ed reform, too?

Yesterday, the New Ulm Journal reported that the head of Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform Ruthie Hendrycks throws her hat in Republican 21B ring. The article took due stock of her credentials:

a licensed dental hygienist, a mother of three children who are now adults, and she is president and founder of Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform, a group that supports Gov. Pawlenty’s stance on the immigration issue. . . .

. . .A past volunteer of the Bernadotte 4-H Club, religious instructor for the Church of St. Mary in New Ulm, and Daisy Girl Scout leader as well as member of the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Dental Hygiene Association, the Gun Owners of America and the Republican Party, Hendrycks has also volunteered with the American Red Cross.

She lived in California for six years and Utah for one year before she and her family returned to Minnesota.

Aside from her training as a dental hygienist, which she received at Minnesota State University Mankato, she also has a bachelor’s degree in family mediation dispute resolution from LaCrosse University. She is a graduate of Nicollet High School.

We were curious about LaCrosse University, which we assumed from its name might be a nice liberal arts college in Wisconsin, a bastion of the private sector educating young people in the shadow of the University of Wisconsin behemoth at LaCrosse.

Not so, we learned.  It's an online learning institution. Online learning programs are great--we have friends who are enrolled in health care programs at Walden University and Rasmussen College.  One is able to work as a nurse while getting his masters, and another is training to be a pharmacy tech while she raises her first child, due in a couple of weeks.

But those programs and institutions are accredited by groups recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and licensed and registered to grant degrees in our state by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.   

LaCrosse University's situation is--or was--drastically different. The school, which grants degrees for flat fees and gives credit for "life experience," was based first in Louisiana. Then, according to a October 15, 2002 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Louisiana Board of Regents Shuts Down 4 Distance-Learning Institutions:

The board voted in September not to renew the operating licenses of Bienville, Columbus, Glenford, and Lacrosse Universities. Their licenses expired in Louisiana on October 1, but students who were already enrolled in the institutions have until March to finish their work, said Lawrence J. Tremblay, associate commissioner of the Board of Regents, the state agency that oversees higher education.

"Louisiana has become quite serious about protecting its citizens," he said. "Any institution that would call Louisiana home has to exhibit some standards of quality, and the board decided early on that that standard would be accreditation."

LaCrosse University then moved on to a strip mall in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  Frustrated with their state's growing reputation as a harbor for non-accredited online learning programs, Mississippi's lawmakers took action in 2006, according to a short article in the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Mississippi officials now have a new weapon with which to crack down on the state’s large population of diploma mills. According to the Associated Press, Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, last month signed into law a bill that gives the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation the power to go to court to shut down issuers of unapproved postsecondary degrees.

The legislation stemmed from complaints by higher-education officials who said that “not only were the diploma mills harmful to higher education, but they also perpetuated negative perceptions of Mississippi,” according to a 2005 report by the state’s College Board cited by the AP.

A number of diploma mills have apparently moved to Mississippi since states like Hawaii, Louisiana, and Wyoming—previously known for their own diploma-mill industries—passed legislation similar to Mississippi’s. A special report in The Chronicle in 2004, Degrees of Suspicion, outlined the scale of the industry.

Empowered by the new law, the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation refused to renew its approval of LaCrosse University.  Since then, the non-approved entity was dissolved in Mississippi, as it could not legally do business any longer in that state.

We haven't been able to determine if it is still in operation--or where. When we called the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation today, we were most emphatically informed that LaCrosse University was no longer authorized to operate in the state of Mississippi. The LU website says that the school has "reached its limit on accepting new students."

In short, LaCrosse University is--or was--a diploma mill.  Indeed, it was one of the more notorious diploma mills named in a 2004 GAO investigation  (prompted by Congress) about federal employees with bogus degrees.

It's quite possible that Ms. Hendrycks is simply a victim here who didn't understand what she wasn't getting when she purchased a degree from LaCrosse University. However,  the resume item does call her judgment into question. 

Given that Republicans have other choices in this race-- Sleepy Eye veterinarian Greg Bartz (University of Minnesota) and farmer Paul Torkelson--we'd hope they'll use a little common sense when selecting a candidate who might get anywhere near setting policy for Minnesota's public post-secondary institutions.

Note: A couple of readers have asked whether the New Ulm Journal might have mistaken UWisc-LaCrosse for LaCrosse University ; apparently not, as the same credential appears in the newsletter of the Twin Cities Republican Association (see page 1).

Afternoon news digest: lost mittens edition

The Mankato Free Press reports Romney suspends campaign.

The Albert Lea Tribune reports McCain wasn’t conservative enough so the Republicans in Freeborn County voted for Romney:

"Locally, many people in the party questioned McCain’s conservatism, and this concern was represented in the outcome, Rofshus said.

Ebenezer Howe of Alden serves as the party chairman of Senate District 27. He said he was not surprised Romney was the leader locally because many people, including himself, have trouble with some of McCain’s past.

Howe said in the caucus group that he convened over — where there were seven townships and villages represented — 20 people voted for Romney, 11 voted for Huckabee, three voted for McCain and two voted for Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Out of the total 258 people who cast ballots, 102 voted for Romney in Freeborn County."

Oops.  The Jackson County Pilot reports Local voters choose Romney, Obama.  A conservative letter writer asks "What's a Republican to do?"  One paragraph:

I guess the one thing that people in the McCain camp need to be aware of is the fact that there are a lot of conservatives who would rather see a Democrat in the White House than have a liberal Republican there.

Guess it's not just videobloggers those folks would leave cold.

The editor of the Mountain Lake Observer/Butterfield Advocate, Kris Langland, debunks a few urban legends about Barack Obama in Giving untruth a head start. 

The New Ulm Journal reports that MnSIR founder Ruthie Hendrycks throws her hat in Republican 21B ring. We'll have more later on the anti-immigration leader and member of the Minnesota Minutemen. Fortunately for 21B's Republicans, two rational candidates are also seeking their party's endorsement: Sleepy Eye veterinarian Greg Bartz and St. James farmer Paul Torkelson.

Current Rep. Brad Finstad is leaving office to spend more time with his family. The St. James Plaindealer reports Watonwan County farmer looks to replace Finstad in House.

The Owatonna People's press says Parties boast in record-breaking caucus. Some gems:

The big winners out of the caucus were Obama and Romney.

But one of the biggest losers was Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is the national co-chairman of McCain's campaign.

Hmmm.  In the Waseca County News we learn Minnesota's Super Tuesday caucus has super turnout. Romney and Obama took Waseca County as well. The editors say Super Tuesday turnout was amazing.
We're not ones to argue with that. The paper ran Walz's column about his trip to Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

The Houston County News reports Caucus results are in.

KAAL-TV reports that Iowa's Governor Culver To Endorse Obama at a rally in Nebraska tonight. Guess he's followng Walz's example.

Civility and its discontents: the nazification of Senator Murphy

Update:  Our friend from Corner House Comments stopped by to comment and to leave the URL where the cartoon is available for viewing.[end update]

We didn't see the cartoon, but apparently the Red Wing Republican Eagle's cartoonist depicted State Senator Steve Murphy, who proudly served in the U.S. Marines, in a Nazi uniform. The cartoonist was  objecting to Murphy's calls for  Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau to resign  as MnDOT commissioner.

Murphy writes a letter saying The line of decency was crossed.  Earlier, a reader agreed, complaining that Cartoon insults Murphy, all vets.  One reader didn't take offense: Veteran likes cartoon, gets point. We think it's lazy cartooning and bad taste for a newspaper to run the cartoon. 

The incident recalls another graceless moment in Minnesota politics: in 2006, a Coleen Rowley intern posted a Photoshopped image of Congressman Kline as Col. Klink from Hogan's Heroes on a blog. Like Murphy, Kline served in the Marines.

Given that Red Wing is in the Second--though part of Murphy's district in in the First--we would think the town paper would use some common sense--and common civility.

Earmarks: Day flops out another good one on earmarks

Perhaps we should simply give up on making sense of Dick Day's pretzel factory growing body of conflicting statements about the attention Highway 14 gets or doesn't get from his colleagues in St. Paul.

In today's Rochester Post Bulletin, Day once more comes out against federal earmarks, saying that money should just be sent to St. Paul for the state to decide:

Day said he would support directing the money now used for earmarks to the states and letting them decide where to spend it.

For instance, he believes that while Walz was able to win $500,000 for reconstruction of U.S. 14 between Waseca and Owatonna, the number could have been higher if the state had been given more overall money to spend at its discretion. "We would have ended up with more money in the 1st District," he said.

(Walz also won $350,000 for planning and environmental review for the highway between North Mankato and New Ulm.)

And yet when Day spoke before the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce with GOP state representative Connie Ruth in early December, the Owatonna People's Press reported that Day said:

Day and Ruth, both members of legislative committees concerning transportation, told the audience that transportation has been a low priority in Minnesota. The pair said they hoped to bring more funding and attention to transportation issues in Southern Minnesota.

"[Highway] 14 isn't ever on the radar, yet," Day said.. . .

So the state legislature didn't pay attention to Highway 14 in the 2007 session (Day's version, Dec. 2007), but now he claims that had a different system of distributing federal appropriations, the dangerous road would have received more money.

Okay then.

Day must have sworn a New Year's Day anti-earmark resolution, for as we pointed out at the time of the candidate forum, Day had been yelling at Walz since the I35 bridge fell to bring home more federal bacon.

Fancy that.  We begin to have some sympathy with Republicans who worry about Day shooting his mouth off.

Should First district voters keep Day's infrastructure funding flip-flops in mind? The Owatonna People's Press article quoted above suggests a good reason for them to be very concerned about Day's meandering views.   A top item on Day's agenda for the 2008 session:

One of the top priorities on the legislators' list was Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' possible acquisition of Owatonna College and University Center. MnSCU asked the state legislature for $3.5 million to acquire the site in its 2008 capital budget request. The university system asked for a total of $271 million to fund a list of 37 projects, and the OCUC acquisition was placed 30th on that list.

Both legislators promised to work hard to push the acquisition through and expand educational opportunities in Owatonna, an area they said has been under served for decades.

"We got left out of the shuffle many years ago when it comes to vocational and community colleges," Day told Chamber members. "This is really crucial, this is something we have to get done."   

One would think that since Day has been in the state senate since 1991, that he might have just a little  bit of accountability for Owatonna's continual losses in that game of musical chairs.

And what happened to Day's "something we have to get done" when Governor Pawlenty released his bonding bill proposal last week?  The OPP reported OCUC left out of Gov. Pawlenty's bonding bill .  Day's reaction hasn't been cited in any newspaper account of the omission that we've seen.

We are curious how hard Day will work against his own party's governor to "get 'er done," or, if he is the endorsed candidate, how hard his party will work for this item.

Back to the Felker article. He writes:

For his part, Walz sought earmarks in the House after voting for Democratic reforms he maintains have made the system more transparent and accountable. . . .

. . .While Walz has not responded directly to Day, the state DFL criticized Day immediately after his statement and linked him to Kline. In a statement, DFL Chairman Brian Melendez compared Kline's stance to "a dereliction of duty," which itself was a swing at Kline's military service.

Melendez last week said Day should be rejected by voters for his pledge. "Day's announcement that he would make himself irrelevant in Congress is reason enough," Melendez said. . . .

And is there a solid proposal--and solid support for it--among congressional Republicans to end earmarks?  Judge for yourself, based on the numbers:

House conservatives have been the most vocal against earmarks and a group of them known as the Republican Study Committee have been trying to round up more allies beyond the 15 who have taken the pledge. . . .

Marshall Independent: A tale of two rulings

A "Short take" editorial contrasting two recent reports from the Legislative Auditor's office was published in today's Marshall Independent. We'll quote the entire piece:

Ritchie, Pitt rulings

SIDEWAYS THUMB: If you're keeping score of stuff like this, and some of you at home likely are, there was another key ruling this week by the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor.

This one cleared DFL Secretary of State Mark Ritchie of any wrongdoing in his handling of names and contact information that ended up on his campaign fund-raising list. The OLA said the information was public information, accessible to anyone who sought it. The OLA did criticize Ritchie for not being personally forthcoming about the information in the early stages of the investigation, which we also find troubling, but said the incident itself was fine.

That follows an earlier legislative auditor ruling that hammered former Minnesota Department of Transportation official Sonia Morphew Pitt and other MnDOT leaders for Pitt's improper use of state funds and behavior after the Minneapolis bridge collapse — some of the blame, at least, falling on Republican MnDOT commissioner Carol Molnau.

Two cases, two parties, two different rulings. As the investigations unfolded, leaders in both parties said they respected the nonpartisan judgment of the OLA and would respect the office's rulings. Here's a challenge to lawmakers and party leaders: Let's see if that remains so, even though one ruling favored the DFL and the other didn't favor the GOP.

We're curious to see how an online GOP operative cherry-picks that one.

Let's also point out the obvious. One tax-dollar consuming investigation was triggered by GOP activists whining about an email list. The other? An investigation was prompted by reports of the MnDOT official in charge of emergency preparedness wasting the taxpayers' coin on necessary travel during the I35 bridge collapse. She didn't return to Minnesota to aid in the massive response. Thirteen people died. Nor was this travel the first time that she squandered MnDot funds.

A sense of proportionality--and the auditor's findings themselves--suggests where public outrage might best be directed.

Update: Via the Wege, Brian Lambert's post about the Strib's coverage of the Affair d' Ether contains this classic exchange with the paper's political editor, D. J. Tice:

On the Ritchie story, he conceded, "No, it isn't a grave scandal. And it may very well have gone away sooner had Ritchie's explanations not started to contradict themselves. But when they did, it required us to pursue it further.

We write stories routinely about election complaints. Mike Hatch. Tim Pawlenty. There is nothing unusual about it. We do it all the time. Most of the time these stories amount to nothing."

So you're saying you publish a lot of stories about nothing?

Tice who, thank God, has a sense of humor, replied, "Yes, I guess I'd have to admit that."

What once was a newspaper is now simply another Seinfeld episode.

Update #2: The Big E explains the vitriol.

Afternoon news digest: cabbage rolls edition

We've been working on a project and thus are late to post. Our apologies.

A Worthington Globe reader writes in Letter: A sacred place, indeed:

When I enjoy a multicultural gathering such as the Visit of the Three Kings, I do feel that Worthington is a sacred place. As Christians we are called to practice hospitality.

I also know that for hospitality to be sustained, the Christian values of justice and compassion are essential.

God’s desire for justice confronts us with issues of cheap labor driving down wages, of identity fraud, of border security, and of taxation for the additional cost of social welfare, medical care, and education. God’s desire for compassion requires our response to people in desperate situations, to the limited and length process to obtain legal visas, to the exploitation of vulnerable people, and to a means of earned citizenship that promotes civic participation and community stability.

The paper had reported on an Epiphany celebration in Community gathers to celebrate Three Kings Day:

The three kings at Sunday’s celebration were representative of Worthington’s diverse community. Aliet Rong, a refugee from Sudan and a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Gustavo Martinez of St. Mary’s Church and Jeff Ling of First Covenant Church carried gifts to the wooden manger at the front of the room. . . .

. . .Many local churches, businesses and individuals contributed to Sunday’s large event.

“The community responded in providing gifts for this celebration,” Kolander said. “This is a great way to get people together. People from different cultures can learn about other countries’ traditions.”

The story of the Epiphany has been one of our favorites, ever since we heard a sermon by Rodger Broadley pointing out that the Wise Men are the only people in the birth narrative outside of family members who understand the meaning of the star. Their insights came after years of study; as fans of due diligence and research, we were delighted to learn that there's more to an epiphany than a mere hunch or inspiration.

We're doing some reading about immigrant integration and English Language Learner programs right now, and the praise for Worthington made us remember something* we'd once read about Deep Valley, Minnesota, Maud Hart Lovelace's thinly fictionalized version of our birthplace, Mankato:

Lovelace has understood what it is to be an American broadly enough that the boundaries of Deep Valley can expand to include both its German American members and the Syrian Americans who live "over the big hill" from the rest of Deep Valley, but become at least partly integrated within it. Lovelace understands Americanization, at least overtly, as involving commitment to American ideals and political principles rather than conformity to Anglo American cultural norms, so that, at least in theory, Deep Valley's "foreigners" can be welcomed and celebrated as true Americans. 

My Danish grandfather went to Americanization classes with some of the real "Syrians" (actually Lebanese) on whom Lovelace based her community. However, since he knew English pretty well already, he satisfied his zest for knowledge by learning Arabic from his new friends. I grew up eating kibbeh and yabra (cabbage rolls), as well as open face sandwiches.

Amy Klobuchar is enjoying rural hospitality on her swing through rural Minnesota. Marshall Independent editor Dana Yost says Klobuchar flashes humor in Marshall speech. The Worthington Globe reports Klobuchar lists goals during Worthington visit.

The New Ulm Journal reports Board to offer its thoughts on Hwy. 14. 

To the east, the Winona Daily News notes that Pfeilsticker pleads guilty to DWI. As we had written at the time her arrest became public:

. . .this might not be the time for Pfeilsticker to try for office again. 

We hope Pfeilsticker rethinks her decision to stay in the race for the House 28B seat. Trust can be regained (we know many friends and public officials who've done it), but it takes a bit longer than a handful of months to demonstrate a renewed commitment to responsibility.

It's not up to us to take others' inventory--only Pfielsticker can do that for herself--but sometimes character means putting aside ambition for a while. Those who will point to what they perceive to be bad behavior on Steve Drazkowski's part in defense of Pfeilsticker are arguing that two wrongs make a right.  They do not.

Meanwhile, gentle readers: designate a responsible driver, call a taxi or a sober friend, or stay put when you've been enjoying liquid celebrations.

We're going to go hunt up some lamb, rice, and cabbage for a pot of yabra tonight.

 

*Mills, Claudia.
Diversity in Deep Valley: Encountering the "Other" in the Betsy-Tacy Series
Children's Literature - Volume 32, pp. 84-111