A Bluestem Prairie

Redwood Falls Gazette publisher proudly prints bogus Andy Rooney column

Since newspapers that are published in towns near the First's borders sometimes carry news relevant to our mission, we read venues like the Faribault Daily News, the Marshall Independent (a favorite) and the Redwood Falls Gazette. We spotted an approving publication of an urban legend in the latter this week.

Pat Schmidt, the publisher of the Redwood Falls Gazette is so proud of holding "politically incorrect" views that he's letting Andy Rooney do the talking in this week's column, Andy, I wish I'd said that first.

Schmidt couldn't be bothered to check up on the authenticity of the piece, even though he goes ahead and attaches Rooney's name to it:

In my younger days I used to hate listening to Andy Rooney's commentary at the conclusion of the TV show "60 Minutes."

As the years have gone by, I've come to realize some of the things he has to say make sense.

For instance, I was handed a piece he supposedly wrote or spoke. Whether or not he did, what it says does make sense. Here is what he had to say.

Many of our readers probably know what's coming:

"I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Maga-zine, Black Entertainment Tele-vision, and Miss Black America.

"Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertain-ment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happensŠ Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door. ....

We'd first wondered if this was an April Fools joke. The notion that Andy Rooney wrote this piece is so discredited that it's one of three examples given in How To Spot An Urban Legend... and avoid embarassment.

And what has Andy Rooney said about the column attributed to him? Snopes has the score:

Origins:    Curmudgeonly 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney may have delivered a vituperative essay on French politics in 2003, but this piece elaborating on his own politics is not his creation.  The text quoted above is too reactionary even for the acerbic Rooney, and the language used doesn't sound like him. ("Shoot your sorry ass" just isn't the kind of phrase Andy Rooney employs on television.)  Just to be thorough, we checked the transcripts of all of Andy Rooney's 60 Minutes pieces from the last ten years, and nothing like this item turned up.

Moreover, Andy Rooney himself denied it in 2003, saying:

About a year ago, I became aware of a more serious theft of my name and it is so hurtful to my reputation that it calls for legal action against the thief. Hundreds of people have written asking if I really wrote the 20 detestable remarks made under my name that have had such wide circulation on the Internet.

Some of the remarks, which I will not repeat here, are viciously racist and the spirit of the whole thing is nasty, mean and totally inconsistent with my philosophy of life. It is apparent that the list of comments has been read by hundreds of thousands of Americans, many of whom must believe that it accurately represents opinions of mine that I don't dare express in my column or on television. It is seriously damaging to my reputation.

Mr. Rooney disclaimed the above-quoted piece again in his 60 Minutes segment of 23 October 2005, saying of it:

There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption ‘ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.’ If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him.

And he denied it yet again to the Associated Press in December 2006:

Rooney said that a racist commentary falsely attributed to him is circulating over the Internet and through e-mails. The "60 Minutes" essayist wants anyone who might have seen it to know he had nothing to do with it.

"I suppose it's not important, but I hate the fact that people think I've been writing these things," he told The Associated Press. "That's hurtful to me."

The missive, which Rooney said had been passed along to him via e-mail several times, is a list of several anti-minority statements. One of the printable ones: "I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird or tick me off."

The final two items on the list are probably a good tipoff that either this collection was written (by an as-yet unidentified author) as a parody of the "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" spots on 60 Minutes or that someone appended Andy Rooney's name to an unattributed piece because it "seemed like something he would say."  Either way, whoever created this version appears to have lifted some parts from an earlier piece known as "Yes, I Guess I am A BAD American" and falsely credited to comedian George Carlin.

We called the Redwood Gazette to see if this was an April Fools joke. The person who answered the phone put us through to  Pat Schmidt, who was defensive, denying that he was a racist, even though we didn't bring that term up in the conversation.

Schmidt said that he believed that regardless of authorship, everything in the piece was "true" (his word). He said that he hadn't researched its authenticity as a Rooney piece since the content rang "true" to him. He'll be writing about the reaction in his next column.

We didn't call the sentiments in the piece racist while on the phone with Schimdt. However, Andy Rooney did while trying to establish the facts of the case. After all, it's his reputation getting put on the line when his name gets attached to beliefs he finds repugnant.  We, as a mere blogger, checked that out. 

Schmidt, on the other hand, simply couldn't be bothered with fact checking  details when he knows that something's "true." We're not sure why he thinks this approach to establishing "truth" strengthens his credibility.  Apparently, he thinks ignorance of an article's provenance trumps knowledge.

He certainly has the right to publish it, though we'll let lawyers versed in defamation law consider how responsible it was to bring Rooney's name into this without checking to see if his suggested authorship was a matter of fact or desired by the 60 Minutes pundit.

Schmidt's critics, too, have the right to weigh in on his lack of due diligence as a publisher.  Moreover, any discussion about whether Rooney is right when he labeled the text racist is also protected by the First Amendment. 

Not that Schmidt shares that wide open interpretation of the First Amendment.  After all, since he believes everything in the column is "true," he believes that it's okay to tell people to shut up. Quoting from the piece:

"Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having "In God We Trust" on our money and having "God" in the Pledge of Alle-giance. Why don't we just tell the 14 percent to be quiet."

We anticipate that Schmidt will declare himself a victim, since people wouldn't "be quiet."

Since Schmidt had his defenses up in the phone call, we didn't think to ask who passed the column on to him. Had we asked, he would have been under no obligation to share that information with us.  However, the miracle of Google search is helpful to learn the circles in which a forwarded email message is circulating.  Here's a search for the last month.

 

An Onion moment at the Byron Review and the Mankato Free Press: April Fools. . .no, really

Reading the district newspapers this morning, we come across this lead from publisher Larry Dobson's column in the Byron Review:

I kicked around the idea of doing a special April Fools edition of the newspapers this week, since the Byron Review actually comes out on April 1 and the Dodge Center Star Record and Hayfield Herald are distributed the next day. I played around with a few ideas like, "Escaped bear moonstruck by statue at Byron High School forces school closing," "Homesick Dutchman says Dodge Center windmills remind him of home," and "Oslo runestone leads archeologists to Norse treasure buried in Hayfield." I had collected photos and drawings for Heather, our graphic design genius, to doctor up in Photoshop as illustrations of my absurd and ludicrous ideas. Everything was progressing nicely until I started reading last week's national and international news and discovered nothing I could make up, dream up or imagine could top the absurd and ludicrous stories coming from the Bush Administration!

Dobson cites stories like Supplier Under Scrutiny on Arms for Afghans:

Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.

With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces.

Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials. Much of the ammunition comes from the aging stockpiles of the old Communist bloc, including stockpiles that the State Department and NATO have determined to be unreliable and obsolete, and have spent millions of dollars to have destroyed.

In purchasing munitions, the contractor has also worked with middlemen and a shell company on a federal list of entities suspected of illegal arms trafficking. . . .

. . .This week, after repeated inquiries about AEY’s performance by The Times, the Army suspended the company from any future federal contracting, citing shipments of Chinese ammunition and claiming that Mr. Diveroli misled the Army by saying the munitions were Hungarian.

Mr. Diveroli, reached by telephone, said he was unaware of the action. The Army planned to notify his company by certified mail on Thursday, according to internal correspondence provided by a military official.

But problems with the ammunition were evident last fall in places like Nawa, Afghanistan, an outpost near the Pakistani border, where an Afghan lieutenant colonel surveyed the rifle cartridges on his police station’s dirty floor. Soon after arriving there, the cardboard boxes had split open and their contents spilled out, revealing ammunition manufactured in China in 1966.

“This is what they give us for the fighting,” said the colonel, Amanuddin, who like many Afghans has only one name. “It makes us worried, because too much of it is junk.” Ammunition as it ages over decades often becomes less powerful, reliable and accurate.

AEY is one of many previously unknown defense companies to have thrived since 2003, when the Pentagon began dispensing billions of dollars to train and equip indigenous forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its rise from obscurity once seemed to make it a successful example of the Bush administration’s promotion of private contractors as integral elements of war-fighting strategy. . . .

Dobson points out:

No one knows how many of our Afghan allies died as a result of depending on this dangerous and unreliable ammunition. American soldiers may also have died as a result of failure of this ammunition in combat situations, whether they were using it themselves or it was being used by Afghan troops with them.

We know American soldiers who have been deployed to Afghanistan. That fact makes this personal, unlike the abstract conservative ideology which fuels the "the Bush administration’s promotion of private contractors as integral elements of war-fighting strategy."

This isn't the first time we've learned about the notion of not getting the very best to soldiers in the combat zone.  Friends deployed to Iraq have shown us pictures of Hummers outfitted with "Hillbilly" up armor improvised in attempts to protect the vehicles from IEDs.

While the marketplace may dictate nickle-and-diming in order to secure profit, securing a war zone probably should be driven by precepts from military science, not ideological constructs about the purity of the marketplace.

Fortunately, the Onion Presidency is drawing to a close. Let's hope that the headlines written by the humor magazine's editors to satirize the next administration never resemble--or surpass--the tragic classic from January 17, 2001: Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'.

We read another echo of that sadly enduring story in the Mankato Free Press's editorial pages today. The Onion contained this nugget:

The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders. "Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. . . .

And today's MFP on funding one of those programs under Hastert's watch:

The 2005 Deficit Reduction Act has finally been interpreted to mean Medicaid funding will no longer be used in some cases of child protection. A recent ruling by the federal Department of Human Services determined that child welfare case workers salaries will no longer be paid through the Medicaid program. The figures are significant. Blue Earth County spent $450,575 on case managers in 2007.

Fortunately for children in dangerous family situations, the funding will be made up by counties and to some extent the state of Minnesota. That’s because even though the federal government no longer provides the money for the services, it mandates that they be provided.

The federal, state and county governments work together on funding a number of social services, but the latest shift in cost seems to be particularly onerous. Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar are urging the federal government to retract the rule that put counties in the bind of paying for these crucial services. Congressman Tim Walz has authored a bill that would delay the rule a year, hoping a more sympathetic president will do away with the rule altogether.

But for now, the situation is one that may begin to play itself out over and over again. As Congress and the president continue to enable a federal spending system that, according to the Comptroller of the Currency, is not sustainable, these kinds of cost shifting will become more prevalent.

At some point, elected federal leaders will have to decide which spending is essential, and which is there simply to appease an interest group. They will have to decide if financial incentives to create jobs which may or may not come about are more important than helping protect children in abusive situations. They will have to decide whether such federal mandates should be funded by a local source, or whether they should eliminate the mandate.

There will be in the near future thousands of such little decisions that must be made, especially if we want tax rates to remain stable. That in itself will be a difficult task, given the growth in spending for the programs like Medicare that we have already said we will fund.

Cutting taxes also doesn’t seem to have “grown” us out of the spending dilemma we face.

Now why would that be? The MFP editors seem unwilling to consider that perhaps some of the tax cuts themselves were enacted to appease special interests.  Looking only at spending, without reviewing revenue options, sets up a false dilemma.  Not that all tax cuts should be rescinded,f ees increased, no any unnecessary spending maintained, but a wider mix can be kept on the table in budget discussions.

Those who champion an ideological silver bullet over ammunition that can actually be fired might need to think again.

Note to readers: The opinion developed above, like any on this site, is solely that of  Bluestem Prairie and should not be construed to represent policies advocated by Congressman Walz (we know you want to, Brian Davis). Walz is more fiscally conservative than we are.

Update: We add an item from CQPolitics to the mix: Transportation   Issues on Campaign Back Burner. Apparently, talk about rebuilding the infrastructure doesn't play well on the presidential campaign trail, since we have to figure out a way to pay for it. And who wants to hear about that?:

The 12-member National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released a report on Jan. 15 that said the federal government needed to spend $225 billion a year in infrastructure for a half-century to build the kind of transportation system the nation needs to stay competitive, but it’s often considered political suicide to champion spending money.

The article ends:

Transportation experts feel fairly certain they can count on Obama and Clinton even if they don’t discuss transportation on the stump. They are worried about McCain, one of a handful of senators who voted against final passage of a highway bill in 2005. He maintains a hard line against Amtrak and resists federal spending, they said.

      

McCain’s campaign did not return calls for comment.

      

“Both Obama and Clinton have at least talked about the need to reinvest in America. I don’t think they go nearly far enough, but they have clearly showed some commitment to the issue,” Wytkind said. “If McCain is elected it will be George W. Bush  all over again, maybe even worse. I defy you to find anyone with a worse record.”

The article mentions that Dwight Eisenhower campaigned on building the Interstate system. Now the politic landscape seems littered with people who consider I35 to either be God's holy way or the demon road of NAFTA. Some mornings we're convinced that America's Finest News Source has simply taken over politcal discourse in this country.

 

Breaking skin: Republican spokesters embrace recycling

While the first district Republicans' endorsed candidate rejects government programs to help incubate Southern Minnesota's nascent renewable energy industry, we can report this evening that Bluestem Prairie has discovered that the pachyderm party at least supports recycling.

However, Scripture reminds us that re-use isn't always the best option. We recall that memorable analogy from the Gospels that tells us to pour new wine into new skins, lest the old wineskin burst and leave one heckova mess to clean up.

And hence a quip in the "breaking news" of Brian Davis's endorsement may indeed indicate that something's broke with Republican congressional campaigns.

In Mayo doctor Brian Davis gets GOP nod in First District, the state GOP chair speaks:

Prior to the vote, state Republican Chairman Ron Carey urged delegates to unite to defeat Walz, whom he said "masqueraded" as a conservative when he ousted Gil Gutknecht in 2006.

"The only conservative thing about Tim Walz was his haircut," Carey said. . . .

Now, where and when did we hear that before?  Oh yeah,  Minn. Roundup: Walz a Legit Barrier to Gutknecht in 1st District, a New York Times article published on October 17, 2006:

Republicans are trying to emphasize what they portray as Walz’s liberal outlook, which they said will not play well with voters who voted in favor of Bush both in 2000 and 2004.

“The only thing conservative about Tim Walz is his haircut,” state party spokesman Mark Drake told CQPolitics.com.

The NYTimes and CQPolitics teamed up to share coverage in the 2006 elections.

Minnesota wasn't the only place nor Walz the only Democratic candidate against whom the elephants rallied this punchline. Witness a 2006 ad against Montana's Jon Tester:

Earlier this week, the NRSC released both a television and radio ad centered on Tester's trademark buzz cut. Both are set in a fictional barbershop and feature the punch line: "Conservative haircut. Liberal values.

Like Walz, Tester unseated an incumbent. 

We knew that the National Republican Congressional Committee was short on cash, but we're surprised to see a new candidate's chances poured so recklessly into the old skin of an unsuccessful slogan.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are awfully quiet about Walz's ranking as a centrist by the nonpartisan National Journal. We think they are so far to the extreme right that the center looks far, far way to the left. It's quite likely that Southern Minnesota's common sense voters are closer to that center as well.

Mediawatch: KTTC stumbles on basic reporting in Demmer

We paused at this reportage from KTTC in the case of the anti-Demmer smear:

"Could it mean that Demmer is a serious threat to Congressman Walz's campaign?
 
Demmer responds, "When your opponents work very very hard to try to find a way to get you out, I suppose you cold take that as a sign that they don't want you in. And maybe the reason they don't want me in is because maybe they feel threatened. That's probably a fair characterization."
 
Demmer says he hopes to avoid issues that were settled 13 years ago, and move toward issues that need to be settled today."

Either KTTC has completely stumbled in reporting the basic facts, or Demmer has been on the receiving end of a severe "come-to-Jesus" lecture about the GOP's Eleventh Commandment. It's amazing what two days will do.

KTTC-TV's take--or Demmer's spin--is considerably different than the way the three-term Representative talked about the threats to the Post Bulletin on Tuesday.  The story that appeared on Wednesday morning:

Demmer said he suspects the effort originates in Republican circles, because he's not even the endorsed candidate to oppose Democrat Walz yet. He said he received a call from a Republican in Washington, an apparent ally, who had received a package with the information and called to warn him.

And the station also reports: 

Whoever did it sent a copy of the lawsuit to the Rochester Post-Bulletin which printed an article about it this week.

Well, no, that's not what happened, so far as we can tell from reading the Post Bulletin.  The paper reported:

. .On Monday, the Post-Bulletin received an anonymous telephone tip with information about the sexual harassment suit filed in U.S. District Court against Demmer, the three NAPA Auto Parts stores he then owned and a store manager in 1995. The paper also received an anonymous e-mail on the subject. . . .

Indeed, when readers open the Post Bulletin's pdf of the lawsuit that's posted on the paper's web site, the document's heading indicates that it was obtained--probably faxed--from the Dodge County Court on Feb.27. It appears that the paper was tipped, but obtained the copy of the lawsuit own its own after the slimester contacted it. We are contacting Matt Stolle to verify this sequence of events. It corresponds to what we were told by the Dodge County Court administrator.

Today's editorial in the Post Bulletin repeats Demmer's suspicion of the intra-party smear:

It's an ugly story of harassment, complete with threatening phone calls, hints of blackmail and shattered trust. People who read the description of what happened can't help but recoil at the overall sliminess of the whole incident.

No, we're not talking about the allegations of sexual harassment that were filed against Rep. Randy Demmer more than 11 years ago. Rather, we're disgusted by the way someone or a group of people -- fellow Republicans, according to Demmer -- tried to use that long-settled lawsuit to force him from the race for the GOP's 1st District nomination.

The Post Bulletin editorial gets it right in the editorial 1st District GOP race takes nasty turn.

Update: We have contacted KTTC-TV reporter Chris Hrapsky to see if Demmer has indeed changed his story since being interviewed by the Post Bulletin. If so, that change is a major shift on Demmer's part and we'd be curious to learn why.[end first update]

Second update: KTTC's Reporter Chris Hrapsky responses and with his permission, we're posting it below.

The questions that I wrote in the article are the questions I asked in the report, and if you click on the video link you can actually see me ask those questions and get his quoted response.

Demmer said what he said, but he really didn’t want to speculate, to me, who was behind the attack.  That quote came out of his mouth.  By opponent, I’m not sure who he was talking about.  He never suggested that it was from Congressman Walz . . . he just said the threat was being passed through an intermediary Republican buffer in  Washington . I’m sure in any race of this magnitude you can have opponents from both sides of the aisle. 

It was not my intention to edit in any sort of subjective way, for that would be unethical.  But Rep. Demmer simply stressed the fact that he wanted to meet these threats head on and wanted to move toward real issues affecting people in this district.

Thanks for the email!
Chris Hrapsky

[end update]

Rochester Post Bulletin: GOP state chair shouldn't wear two hats

The current plight of the Republican Party of Minnesota is enough to make us channel the ghost of Magnus Johnson. The Star Tribune reports today that Mirroring larger party, state GOP is deeply split.

Earlier, the Rochester Post Bulletin editorial board wrote in Minnesota GOP chairman  becomes agent of disunity:

. . .Given Minnesota's swing-state status, the state GOP should be doing everything it can to avoid not just wars but even the slightest unnecessary interparty skirmishes, which is precisely what Carey is creating. . . .

. . . We'll be even more blunt. If Carey truly believes Mike Huckabee is "the best of the best," then he should resign as party chief. That would allow him to work full time for the former Arkansas governor. Huckabee's fledging organization in Minnesota could use the help, and the state GOP doesn't need a leader who tries to wear two hats.

Meanwhile, the Post Bulletin reports that Pawlenty budget plan doesn't include Mayo Civic Center. The state Republican Convention will be held in Rochester this year, as will the DFL state convention.  The state Republicans have taken down their website, Republicans Love Rochester.  We're sure they do, but not too much.

"We had no idea": Coleman campaign snubs farm group in favor of dentists

Early yesterday morning, we were searching for the meeting room where an MFU committee would gather. On the Four Points by Sheraton schedule, we didn't see a room listed for that committee, but we were surprised to see "Coleman for Senate" listed. This seemed like good news; the MFU had sought to schedule the senator to talk to members at the convention, having phoned, emailed and faxed requests.

We mentioned the hotel schedule to Thom Petersen, who was genuinely surprised, since he had heard nothing back from Coleman's people. As the day went on, the fact of the "Coleman for Senate" room reservation became a punch line as Ciresi and Franken were introduced to the convention.

Curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought her back. We were curious about the details of the "Coleman for Senate" event.  We left the MNFARMPAC reception on the other side of the Four Points by Sheraton's meeting room and ballroom complex to check out the Coleman party.

We peeked into the room, where a lovely and archetypal hotel food service spread of fruit and other goodies waited. A sweet-looking and upbeat young woman staffed the table.

"What's happening here?" we asked, feeling a little sneaky in asking the pleasant and professional campaign staffer/volunteer our question.

"It's a fundraiser for Coleman for Senate," she said. "The senator will be here any minute."

"Oh, we're with the Minnesota Farmers Union," we said," We're having our convention here."

"We had no idea," she said.   She was so cheerful that we could no longer play semi-secret agent and so  strolled back to our own event.

A friend there told us who Coleman was meeting with in that room.

Dentists.

Suddenly, it all made sense.  What Minnesota politician owes more to dentistry than Norm Coleman?  The information brought back a flood of old reading.

In January of 2005, the Washington Post's Reliable Source posted When Dental Floss Is Not Enough, following the Star Tribune's lead:

How does a politician get a perfect smile? Now we know -- at least in the case of Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). Photos of his cosmetic dental work were gleefully forwarded around Washington offices by e-mail yesterday.

Coleman's pearly whites became the topic of political chatter when the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported that a dentist was using before-and-after pictures on his Web site to promote his business. The dentist extracted the pictures of Coleman at the senator's request, evidently to avoid any grief from the Senate Ethics Committee.

Longtime Coleman watchers will remember that Taegan Goddard's Political Wire asked in February 2005 Will Coleman's Teeth Be a Campaign Issue?:

"If comedian and liberal talk-show host Al Franken decides to run against U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, his campaign might feature the Minnesota Republican's teeth," the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

"He said he envisions television ads featuring before and after photos of Coleman's teeth that St. Paul dentist Frank J. Milnar had posted on a promotional Web site to show how he fixed a gap in the senator's front teeth in 1999. The photos were widely circulated on political Web sites."

The next year,  the City Pages Blotter wrote in Oh, the irony: Smilin' Norm thanks dentists for giving away smiles:

The senator best known for his dental and Wikipedia work has cosponsored a resolution congratulating the American Dental Association. Last year, when a cosmetic dentist displayed photos on his website of Coleman's before-and-after work in an effort to drum up new business, questions arose as to whether Coleman ever paid the dentist for his mouth makeover and if taking the free or discounted smile was a violation of Senate ethics rules.

Coleman's dentist, Dr. Frank J. Milnar, told the press the then-St. Paul Mayor received a 20 percent discount for his seemingly permanent and disingenuous grin. Coleman's Wikipedia-rewriting staff attempted to squash the teeth chatter, but it didn't help matters much when Coleman's spokesperson told the press, "The closest Senator Coleman has come to drilling [in ANWR] was in the dentist's chair."

Now Norm Coleman is giving back to dentists by cosponsoring a resolution that congratulates the American Dental Association for sponsoring the fourth annual 'Give Kids a Smile' program and thanks dentists for volunteering their time to help provide needed dental care. The resolution passed in Senate on February 7. Coleman's before-teeth could not be reached for comment.

Wonkette weighed in Norm Coleman, Big Smile!:

Senator Norm Coleman's plastic surgeon is really proud of his work, and has featured the Minnesota congressional newbie on his website, "StPaulSmiles.com." You can judge results for yourself, but we have to admit, the guy on the right looks much less like a ghoulish, grave-dancing opportunist.

Further inquiry brought us the information that the hotel fundraiser was arranged by a dental association and the suggested contribution was $300.00.  About 40 people attended and Coleman talked about how members of the Senate from both parties were spending wildly in Washington. We will read Coleman's next FEC report with an eye for spotting the take from his dental fundraiser.

A knowledgeable source also has it that Coleman was invited on the spot to speak to the MFU banquet, but he said that he had to go meet his wife and left.

As we noted in an earlier post, Coleman didn't snub all farm groups this weekend, as he spoke at a lunch at the Minnesota Farm Bureau's annual convention in Bloomington.  His pick-and-chose contrasts with other members of the Senate and House ag committees. Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Walz, who serve on the Senate and House ag committees respectively, spoke to both conventions. Rep. Peterson, chair of the House Ag committee, was not on the agenda of either group.  According to Thom Petersen, Congressman Peterson is in Washington this weekend, working on the Farm Bill.

Had Coleman, who also serves on the Senate Agriculture Commitee--confirmed to speak to the MFU convention, it's likely delegates--like Senator Klobuchar--would have applauded his break with his party to vote to move the Farm Bill forward. As it is, we've heard some hard feelings instead.

Update: via the Wege,           The farm bill isn’t so sweet for Coleman, an article in The Hill about why this matters, especially when Coleman is trying to repair the damage his CAFTA vote did among sugar beet farmers.

Mn House Minority Leader Seifert: Soft on Security?

This news comes from outside of the First, but unfortunately, his Republican leadership position gives state rep. Marty Seifert influence across Minnesota.

We had been puzzled the other day when we read this article in the Redwood Fall Gazette: Seifert to 'look into' court order in which he thought a metal detector in a courthouse was all about him:

When Rep. Marty Seifert walked into the Redwood County commissioner's room Tuesday the first question out of his mouth had to do with the new security system on the third floor.

"Is there a murder trial going on?" Seifert queried.

Seifert was then informed of the court order from Fifth District Court Chief Judge George Harrelson, which placed a metal detector on the third floor and required the Redwood County Sheriff's Department to man it Monday through Friday during regular business hours.

"I appreciate the security you put up for me," said Seifert to the county board.

Yeah, it's all about him on Planet Seifert. An article in Seifert's hometown paper looks into the matter in Judge’s concerns lead to tightened security:

An order to secure the third floor, including the courtroom of the Redwood County courthouse, wasn’t done for Rep. Marty Seifert’s benefit, but for the protection of those in the courthouse.

The security in Redwood County could be found in other county courthouses in the Fifth District in the future, said Fifth District Court Chief Judge George Harrelson, who serves as a judge in the Lyon County District Court.

Harrelson said he issued an order for a metal detector and security person to be on the third floor at courthouse at the request of court officials.

“They confiscated four knives in a few days,” Harrelson said of the security system recently installed.

Harrelson issued the order because of a specific threat and ongoing security concerns:

The security order in Redwood County came because of a recent threat, Harrelson said, but discussions of inadequate security at the courthouse have taken place over the years.

Similar discussions have happened in regard to courtrooms in other Fifth District counties such as Lyon and Lincoln, Harrelson said.

“Right now, we have a security committee looking into this,” Harrelson said. “There is not a decision yet if all of southwest Minnesota will have a similar (order).”

Yet, “at some time in the not too distance future I believe there will be a blanket order for all of southwest Minnesota,” Harrelson said.

The security system in the Redwood County courthouse could be viewed as pilot project for southwest Minnesota, Harrelson said.

Safety concerns aren’t just prompted by criminal cases, Harrelson said.

Some of the most contentious issues are divorce cases and even probate cases, Harrelson said.

“You never know, there is a lot of high anxiety when they come into a courtroom,” Harrelson said of people involved in a court case. “At least three or four times a year I have people so upset I have to contact the court administrator to get a sheriff’s deputy into the court room.”

The security issue has been raised in brief discussions at Lyon County Board meetings in the past few years as commissioners have noted security increasing in other counties.

Harrelson said the Eighth Judicial District, which includes Yellow Medicine County, has a blanket order requiring security in the court room areas. In Lyon County, a deputy or police officer will accompany a defendant in custody to court and inside a courtroom.

Marty needs to get out more, say to the Eighth Judicial District, if he's never heard of security orders. Judge Harrelson offered to give Seifert a free lesson:

Harrelson also said in the letter to the editor that “I am sorry that Rep. Seifert found my order ‘odd.’ I would be glad to discuss with him the jurisdiction of the Judicial Branch of state government.”

Harrelson said he understands that county officials don’t like what could be called unfunded mandates from the state. Counties, however, are responsible for providing security for the courts, Harrelson said.

The security system in Redwood County is working, Harrelson said.

Harrelson said a public defender told him Wednesday that two more knives were confiscated in Redwood County that day.

The judge is too kind to Marty. We're not sure whether he needs to be sentenced to 90 days of watching "Law and Order" reruns or a distance learning course in law enforcement. Perhaps the Danielson School of Adult Education could consider adding yet another program to its burgeoning catalogue of remedial education for Minnesota's Republican leaders.

Roll Call: "Flattered but not interested"

From Monday's Roll Call, the non-story:

While the Democratic field looks to be set, a Twin Cities-based political consultant is trying to drag freshman Rep. Tim Walz (D) into the [Senate] race.

Jim Goff recently started a “Draft Walz for Senate” campaign. Petitions are circulating among Democratic activists.

Richard Carlbom, Walz’s political director, said last week that the 1st district Congressman is “flattered” but not interested.

The Star Tribune scores again in MN-01 accurate coverage

We read Patricia Lopez's Big Question blog post with amusement, especially this paragraph, as she continues the Minneapolis paper's tradition of excellence in covering Tim Walz:

"Goff, who did not return reporters’ phone calls or emails, has been circulating a draft petition that would pit the first-term Rochester congressman against his former benefactors, humorist Al Franken and attorney Mike Ciresi."

Perhaps a generous Bluestem Prairie reader in the metro area might send Ms. Lopez a map and the URL of Tim Walz's biography.

Yes, Patricia, there are cities other than Rochester in the First Congressional District, and yes, Rep. Walz and his family live in one of them.

It's known as Mankato.

Oh, and nice spelling of Richard Carlbom's name.

Perhaps this geographic miscue explains why the Strib's coverage of the Congressman is so blank. A team of crack journalists must have driven to Rochester, and failing to find Tim Walz, thought there was nothing to report.

Perhaps the Strib will actual send a reporter into the district. There are always Mapquest and Google if political editor D.J. Tice feels the needs to actually discover more towns in Minnesota's First Congressional district.

B.J. Sprenger: wounded warrior honored in home town

Yesterday's Rochester Post-Bulletin ran a David Broder column that opens with this astonishing lead:

The two wounded warriors stood side by side in the sunshine of the White House Rose Garden. Tony Blair and George Bush, partners in a trans-Atlantic alliance that has come a cropper in Iraq, tried to shield each other from the slings and arrows of two nations' reporters.

David Broder needs to get out more. Really, he does. And he should spare us the drama: the Washington press corps isn't an insurgent force or terrorist army wounding the president.

This is what a wounded warrior looks like: B.J. Sprenger, a 22-year-old Minnesota National Guardsman from Sleepy Eye,  who was badly burned on March 19 when a bomb exploded and destroyed his vehicle. Sprenger turned 22 the next day; his aunt grandmother told the Journal earlier this year that he would have been home in March had President Bush not extended the Minnesota National Guard's deployment.

He came home yesterday to a hero's welcome in the small Brown County town. He's the guy throwing out the pitch.

The New Ulm Journal reports:

A Minnesota National Guard soldier badly burned when a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) detonated on March 19, in Iraq was honored with a motorcade through town Tuesday afternoon.

B.J. Sprenger, 22, the son of Vicky Sprenger and Robert Sprenger of Sleepy Eye rode atop a fire truck on his way to the Prairieview Park softball diamond where another ceremony for him was held.

. . .He suffered severe burns to his arms, legs, face and lungs in the blast that took place while he was riding in a Humvee while on patrol two months ago.

Sprenger was flown to a U.S. Army hospital in Germany before he was transported to an Army hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Fort Sam Houston, near San Antonio, Texas.

After ICU, Sprenger underwent several skin graft surgeries in Texas. He later began physical therapy.

Now he’s home for 30 days before returning to San Antonio for more rehabilitation.

KEYC-TV has more in Sleepy Eye Soldier Gets Hero's Homecoming.

Any questions?

We do have a suggestion: If the dean of the Washington press corps wants to see wounded warriors, we suggest that he quit hanging around the Rose Garden and haul tail over to Walter Reed. He could try listening to the House Veterans Committee Roundtable discussion today about eliminating the VA system's backlog on disability claims.

Audio link here (pick the 334 Cannon audio feed) for those who want to listen in.  The roundtable discussion begins at 9 a.m. Central time.

Meanwhile, Representative Tim Walz is speaking out for pay hikes for our military.  From the Democratice Daily: Kerry, Clinton, Emanuel, Murphy and Walz Fight for Full Troop Pay Increase

“Instead of calling for shared sacrifice after September 11th, President Bush asked Americans to go shopping,” Congressman Walz said. “By opposing the military pay increase proposed by Democrats, President Bush sends a clear signal to the troops that the only sacrifice he’s willing to ask for is one shared by our military men and women and their families. As a retired senior noncommissioned officer I am astonished at the President’s disregard for our soldiers and their families.”

Randy Demmer in WaPo: What it means to be a Republican these days

Earlier in the week, we had wondered whether Randy Demmer (R-Backbench) was one of the GOP congressional hopefuls who went out to Washington DC for the NRCC's candidate school described in the profile of Tom Cole. After all, Demmer missed two days in the Minnesota House last week--days in which the people's business was growing ever more crucial.

And yes, indeed, it does seem that Demmer was indeed in Washington DC, sitting down with DC press corps members Chris Cillizza and Shailagh Murray for their article, In This Race, There's No Starting Gun:

The Fix had the rare opportunity recently to sit down with six Republicans ready to run for the House in 2008. In a wide-ranging discussion, the aspiring candidates talked about making a bid for Congress in spite of the difficult national environment for the GOP, their positions on the Iraq war and what it means to be a Republican in 2007.

The group consisted of five announced or soon-to-be-announced candidates -- Erwin Roberts (Kentucky's 3rd District), Tom Rooney (Florida's 16th), Marc Flagg (Florida's 22nd), Randy Demmer (Minnesota's 1st) and Dave Cappiello (Connecticut's 5th) -- as well as one, Steve Greenberg (Illinois's 8th), who is still mulling a bid.

This "rare opportunity" was no doubt provided by the press wranglers at the NRCC, who must see Demmer as one among the pick of litter of 30 wannabes shipped in for obedience school. Demmer's presence supports rumors that Demmer is the GOP beltway insiders' choice. Senator Dick Day, after all, was doing the people's business in St. Paul last week.

Sometimes, given a plane crash or other accident, the Washington power brokers' choice for Republican candidates in Minnesota works. Other times--witness Mark Kennedy's witless run last year--not so much.

How did Demmer define himself to the gathered members of the DC press corps? He compares a House race to a speculative purchase:

"Sometimes when things look absolutely the worst, that's the time to buy," Demmer said.

Being a Republican:

What does being a Republican mean? For Demmer, who has served in the Minnesota state House since 2002, that can be summed up in less than a sentence: "Government that is a framework and not an end-all."

Perhaps that open frame allows him to head to DC while there's business pending in St. Paul. Or why he can be both for and against a five cent hike in the gas tax. 

In addition to wondering where Demmer was last week, we were also scratching our head over his statements to the press about the proposed five cent gas tax hike and Demmer's vote.  Demmer told KTTC on May 10:

But Republicans say they'll back Governor Pawlenty who says any new tax is a bad tax.

Republican Representative Randy Demmer says, "A nickel or a dime tax increase is still a nickel or a dime whether it's two dollars or three dollars and that's what we're concerned with because it's more tax dollars."

That statement confused us, since when we were examining the list of legislation Demmer co-authored this year, we found HF 2219.  While this bill was referred to committee on March 19 and never seen again, the short description is instructive:

Gasoline and special fuel tax rates increased, and phase-in of motor vehicle sales tax revenues to transportation provided

And what would that gasoline tax rate increase be? We went one level deeper:

1.7    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 296A.07, subdivision 3, is amended to
1.8read:
1.9    Subd. 3. Rate of tax. The gasoline excise tax is imposed at the following rates:
1.10(1) E85 is taxed at the rate of 14.2 17.8 cents per gallon;
1.11(2) M85 is taxed at the rate of 11.4 14.3 cents per gallon; and
1.12(3) all other gasoline is taxed at the rate of 20 25 cents per gallon.

Unless we're suddenly reading impaired, that text looks like a gas tax rate hike of five cents per gallon. It's looking like Randy Demmer was for the gas tax hike (HF 2219) before he was against it (HF 946).  That should make campaiging convenient in the First, as Demmer will be able to be all things to all people.

Perhaps Demmer is relying on the pressure of a threatened veto for cover and to explain his change of heart. He did tell KTTC:

Demmer says, "Anything that has any kind of tax increase that is under the state control he will veto, that's what he's told us."

This recalls a bit from MPR's summary coverage of HF 946's passage:

Supporters said the money is needed to fund transit and transportation systems that are widely recognized to be in need of more than $2 billion in improvement. "We need to look at what happens if we don’t do anything," Lieder said.

Some Republican members said the debate was an effort in futility because Gov. Tim Pawlenty has indicated he will veto it.

"This is not a solution in part because of the gas tax increase. Let’s not send the governor a bill he’s going to veto," Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria).

"If we’re operating by a veto threat we don’t even need to be here," Lieder countered.

Bold Sir Randy's statement to the television station was pure GOP talking points. But it's his turn to run.

Meanwhile, Representative Walz is not only showing up for work and serving on three important committees as a freshman, he's working pretty hard in the district, too, listening to ordinary citizens in meetings that are open to everyone. ABC affiliate KAAL reports in Rep. Tim Walz Swings Through Area:

"I’m a firm believer that 1 thing I can do at this job is re-connect people with government, especially at the federal level, make myself as accessible as possible," says Walz.

MOTHERS DAY UPDATE: The Austin Daily Herald has published Boy scout recreates Gold Star Mothers flower bed, a moving Mothers' Day tribute to all Gold Star Mothers--and to Grace Darling Seibold in particular.  Don't know who she was? Go read the article.

The Rochester Post Bulletin has a story about the Eagle Scout project, too.

Another sign of the times: property management issues in Rochester

Some weeks ago, we reported that the web page for the First Congressional District Republicans had not been updated since Spring 2004. 

Fortunately, our GOP brethren have since made necessary repairs, although they do seem a bit confused, since the page randomly lists a GOP U.S. Representative from Minnesota:  either Jim Ramstad, Michele Bachmann, or John Kline, depending upon the luck of the draw.  None of the three represent MN-01, and none of the other GOP congressional district pages uses this confusing design. 

Who is congressman in MN-01? Perhaps the state GOP can be forgiven for not knowing if they've visited the Omsted County Republican offices recently.

A friend sent us photos from Rochester this morning, documenting a bit of a property management issue in Rochester: the exterior of 1530 Greenview Dr. SW still sports lettering that indicates the presence of Congressman Gil Gutknecht's official office, which was in Suite 108. Now, this outdated signage is clearly a responsibility of the building's property manager, rather than the former Congressman. 

However, given that the Olmsted County Republicans are located in Suite 114 at 1530 Greenwood, we think they might take a bit of leadership in asking the building's management to remove the signage.

Perhaps after they update their web site, which still asks people to vote on November 7, 2006. Some fascinating audio files there of local radio ads as well.  Oh, and there's this fascinating page for Olmsted County from 2004 on the State Republican web site.  The entry for January 19 is our fav:

Olmsted County Republicans get ready for an exciting election year! Plan to get involved and help re-elect President George Bush, First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht and MN State Representatives Bill Kuisle, Fran Bradley, Randy Demmer and Carla Nelson. Lets keep them in office!

Heckova job.

Another Democrat exposed: Tim Walz, draft dodger?

A recent google blog alert notified us about a post that included the name "Tim Walz" at Right in a Left World, a blog kept in Washington state. Lew Waters seeks the truth in  Who Served Exposed.

One point Waters tried to make was that since some lefties call joining the National Guard or Reserves during the Vietnam War era "draft dodging,"  he'd get back by making a list of Democratic House and Congress members who had joined the Guard or Reserves at that time--perhaps to avoid the draft.

Fair enough, we suppose.

What captured our attention in reading the post, though, was the span of Representative Walz's service: 1971-1996. 

Given that Walz was born in 1964, we were surprised to learn that he had joined up at age 7. 

We cannot say whether this youthful action meant that the young Timothy was hyperpatriotic and not willing to take his grade school student deferment, or just really, really, really ahead of the curve in not wanting to be called up. But not too smart, since the draft ended in 1973, when Timmy Walz was 9 years old. 

Fortunately, Lew notes:

Having served in either the Reserves or National Guard is not considered  “draft dodging,” or "avoiding the draft" by me

so Representative Walz's prepubescent enlistment shouldn't become an issue in 2008.

We are so relieved.

OLLIE OX UPDATE: Lew has now corrected his error and claims in his comments section that "1971-1996" was a typo.  Yeah, it's easy to type "1971-1996" when you really mean 1981 and 2005, and the point you're trying to make is that Democrats enlisted in the Guard to avoid the draft. Happens all the  time.  We're happy we saved the screenshot in the thumbnail above.