Last week, City Pages posted Bradlee Dean's ministry is no more, source says, a single-sourced blog entry speculating on the demise of the toxic metal rocker's ministry. According to the anonymous source that had contacted the paper:
. . . Dean's "You Can Run But
You Cannot Hide International" staffers have all walked out on him. Yes,
that includes his notorious street teams and Dean's "Sons of Liberty" radio cohost Jake McMillan,
who our source says put in his two weeks notice and moved out of
Minnesota. (McMillian, for some reason, sometimes went by the name Jake
MacAulay.)
Our source said the beginning of the end came when two former Dean
staffers -- a husband-and-wife team including his former director of
donor relations -- had a falling out with Bradlee. The couple stayed
friends with some "You Can Run" employees and began trying to persuade
their friends to leave the ministry. They had incremental success,
culminating with the resignation of McMillan, and as a result Dean no
longer has anybody working for him. . . .
Update: A City Pages staffer replies:
Re: Bradlee Dean report in @bspinmn -- my source tells me Jake indeed put in notice, and trip out east is his last working for Bradlee.
Bluestem hopes that the City Pages text: " as a result Dean no longer has anybody working for him" is clarified. The tweet does not explain the presence of "Chase Mathews," whose Facebook page lists earlier employment with Dean's "School of Hard Knocks" Ministry beginning in 2010, and with The Sons of Liberty starting in September 2013. Perhaps the source will come forward publicly and help end the confusion. [end update]
A veteran Dean watcher confirmed to Bluestem that the men staffing the table are Chase Schomberg and Jake "McMillian" MacAulay. The features of the room in the photo--ceiling tiles and lighting fixtures match earlier photos of the event in the album.
Curious about the blog post at the time it was published, Bluestem had listened to podcasts of the Sons of Liberty radio show and had noticed that MacAulay's last appearance with Dean was Monday, September 23, and on subsequent broadcasts, no mention had been made on air of the sidekick's separate events included on a "Liberty Week" calendar posted to the SOL Radio Facebook page.
Moreover, staff twitter accounts all seemed to go silent on September 18. Circumstantial evidence suggested that the alt weekly's source was accurate--and multiple national online outlets gleefully spread the news.
Some of the source's story may have gained credence from the social media silence, and from a little-reported merger of Dean's various ministries in August.
YCRBYCH merged with Sons of Liberty in August
It's true that You Can Run But You Cannot Hide international is no more. On August 3, the YCR Facebook page announced:
You Can Run But You Cannot Hide Intl. is now
merging with Sons of Liberty Radio. This facebook page will be inactive
beginning Monday, August 5th. Please like our page https://www.facebook.com/SonsOfLibertyRadio for daily updates on the ministry. Please call our offices with any questions: 1-866-233-0747
However, the Dean and MacAulay picture was posted five hours ago.
All of this is quite curious. Dean has been posting of late about relentless media liars. Is this episode a punking of his former employees ? An elaborate scheme by Dean and the source to discredit a venue that's been a frequent critic? An object lesson in the need to confirm a tip from a single source? Dean being dodgy about an ongoing investigation at the MN AG's office as the anonymous source said? Signs of the Rapture?
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Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time that Martin Luther College (MLC) students' self-expression ran into disapproval by the WELS faithful.
Party in the MLC
Rummaging through MLC closets, Bluestem has stumbled over an old social media tale that involves student self-censorship after a popular dorm homecoming video hit YouTube. The September 18, 2009 MLC Update High School edition reported in Dorm Videos:
For Homecoming festivities, the four dorms put together a video to entertain the student body. (Well, not Augustana— they must have forgotten.) Concord, the frosh and sophomore men, starred NateWordell(West) in a series of misadventures to arrive at chapel on time. Centennial, the frosh and sophomore women, featured Claire Czaplewski (KML) and a team of students on a missionto conquer the Swine Flu Sprite. By far the crowd favorite was the Summit men’s video rendition(pictured) of “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
That sounds innocent enough in the pre-twerking days of 2009.
The Martin Luther College (MLC) parody of a Fire Island Pines (FIP) parody
The "Party in the MLC video was based on the Fire Island Pines (FIP) parody tribune video of the Miley Cyrus music video for "Party in the USA." Fire Island Pines:
. . .has been a jewel in the gay community for over 60
years, and continues to be the premier vacation destination for
residents and vacationers. Located just 50 miles east of New York City,
The Pines is home to the most expensive real estate in Fire Island.
Here's the FIP version:
While both videos are silly rather than sexy, the fact that the MLC version was based on a gay-friendly video didn't escape notice long from either the LGBT community online nor from the WELS faithful.
To what cultural aspersions do we owe the phenomenon of remaking the remakes of music videos? The Fire Island Pines boys, who created the Miley Cyrus send-up “Party In The F.I.P,” receive their own homage with “Party In The MLC” from a bunch of dormmates at a “homecoming summit.” At, uh, Midland Lutheran College [sic]?
Keep watching, ’cause there’s a blooper reel.
Those commenting are divided about whether the video is homage to the FIP video, insulting to gay men because of the fem stereotypes that the schoolboys prance around, or totally inappropriate because the young Lutherans just aren't cute enough to be in front of a video camera.
A WELS member sent me the link to this video, which makes the previous
one (the statue fight) look positively confessional in comparison.
Familiar names like Huebner and Krause star in this travesty, which
includes prissy lip-synching and crotch grabbing. I thought Michael
Jackson was sick when he felt compelled to do the same, but this is
worse and comes from the WELS "College of Ministry."
Read the comments on the video and notice the great impression made on the audience.
The Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS when raising funds) student newspaper, "The Sword," ran a Front Page! editorial / story on the MLC video, quoted in part (blue type in original):
But once the video left the context of the MLC
campus, it came under unforeseen criticism from some who failed to see
the humor in the video.
The most pronounced critic of the video
was independent Lutheran pastor and blogger Gregory Jackson. Posts from
Jackson, as well as comments left by the blog's readers, labeled the
actions of the MLC students featured in the video unbecoming to future
WELS pastors and teachers.
These claims were based on the video
from which the creators of "Party in the MLC" took their inspiration--a
previous YouTube video known as "Party in the FIP." Set to the tune of
"Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Party in the FIP" shows a group of
men performing choreographed routines on a beach while lip-synching the
lyrics of the song."
"Party in the MLC" is a parody of the video, using the same soundtrack and many of the same routines.
The controversy over MLC students parodying "Party in the FIP" is derived from the lifestyle associated with "the FIP."
But makers of the "Party in the MLC"
agree with other viewers that none of the actions in the "Party in the
FIP" video would be considered blatant homosexuality. They also admit
no previous knowledge of the reputation of Fire Island Pines. Ben
Reichel, MLC student and video contributor, revealed, "We didn't find
out until two or three days after we posted it that that's what it stood
for. After we learned that we were kind of taken aback."
After learning of the offense caused by
the video, the students decided to remove the video "out of Christian
love" for those who found the video inappropriate. The decision to
remove the video was a personal decision made by the creators of the
video.
Reichel stated, "We all got together as a
group --the guys who were in the video--and we realized that this
caused way too much commotion and way too much negativity, and we all
decided together that we were going to take it down."
After meeting amongst (sic)
themselves, the students sought the advice of college administration.
Reichel continued, "We went and talked to the administration here at
MLC--the president and vice-president--and we got their thoughts on it
too. But we knew before we even talked to them that we were going to
take it down."
Matt Rothe, classmate of Reichel and
video contributor, along with the rest of the students involved with the
video, are ready to put "Party in the MLC" and the attention it has
received in the past; "The group of guys who made this video only wished
for good to come out of this video, and I must express firmly we wish
for no more negative attention from it."
GJ - The WLC student newspaper has a lot of facts wrong. They did not
make any effort to seek clarification. They are now drawing even more
attention to the video and revealing that the students were not at all
repentant, just resentful they got caught.
First of all, a WELS layman was furious over the video, which was posted
on You Tube for all the world to see. Many people provide information
to this blog so the rest of Lutherdom can see it. This layman was unable
to watch more than a minute of it. I posted the video so people could
see for themselves, as he wished.
The MLC students jumped in to defend the video right away, and now WLC
has joined them. Their defense is to attack me, but the video stands on
its own as a dubious production, whether I like it or not.
The defense of the video was so ridiculous that I did a little more
research and found the original, "Party in the FIP." They knew what they
were copying, and they acknowledged it rather quietly in the notes.
Apparently the original went viral right away, thanks to various
homosexual websites.
College students know how to use Google. Where else would they copy
their homework from? Kelm, Parlow, and Limmer have shown that slavish
copying is a good career move in WELS. To plead ignorance about Fire
Island Pines is a bit absurd. All of the sudden these guys just fell off
the haywagon when they landed in Metropolitan New Ulm.
And they thought the FIP video was straight? They should be on SNL, in a skit about their lack of gaydar. . . .
Bluestem is left to ponder what it means that "Party in the MLC" was the overwhelming favorite of Homecoming Dorm Videos at Martin Luther College. We couldn't possibly comment on that.
Screenshot: The article in the September 18, 2009 MLC Update High School edition.
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Has Tom Emmer scored the ultimate product placement for his congressional campaign by appearing in a testimonial ad for a Twin Cities general contractor? Or does the ad skirt campaign funding regulations?
Emmer is the apparent frontrunner for the Republican endorsement in the open seat created in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District with the retirement of Representative Michele Bachmann.
A quick check with the Federal Election Commission and the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board individual contributor databases reveals that Dahlberg does not appear to have made any federal or state campaign contributions large enough to require disclosure by either agency.
The ad may raise eyebrows--if not legal questions--because Emmer introduces the testimonial ad as a candidate running for congress, while standing before a yard sign. Here's the text of the 31-second ad:
When the storm settles, there's only one clear choice. Integrity Exteriors and Remodelers.
"Hi. My name is Tom Emmer and I'm running for congress in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District.
"If you're looking for someone to do remodeling, siding, or general construction, residential or commercial, I can tell you without qualification, you need to call the folks at Integrity Exteriors and Remodelers. They're the best.
The innovative product placement commercial raises several questions that are hard to answer on a Sunday. Who is paying for the ad? The producer creates ads for Channel 45, as we will explain below; and the Youtube description notes "As seen on the CW Twin Cities channel 23."
Can a candidate appear in a commercial for a private business? If so, does the ad count as a per diem expense? Does the opportunity for paid air time count as an ad for Emmer? Should he have uttered the magic words, "I'm Tom Emmer and I approve this message"?
Here's the ad (update 10/2/2013: the original has been pulled, so here's the version from Crooks and Liars; Bluestem did download the original file on Youtube):
The Producers: Psycho Originals
The Youtube of the commercial is uploaded to the Psychooriginalz channel. Psychooriginalz bills itself on the channel as "A full scale production company based in Osceola, Wisconsin. Taking pride in producing, real, original, and lasting media."
Psycho
Originals has humble beginnings, in the small Midwestern town of Osceola, WI. But to find the true origin
of Psycho Originals, you must first go to a time before the company even
existed.
Total
Non-stop Wrestling, or TNW, was a backyard wrestling federation in Osceola,
Wisconsin founded by then fourteen years old Travis Johnson and fifteen years
old Alan Stober in July of 2004. This in all respects was the first incarnation
of what would then become Psycho Originals. . . .
Psycho Originals LLC officially came into existence in April
of 2010. In June of 2010, Travis Johnson rented a 900 square foot space in
downtown Osceola, Wisconsin intended to become the headquarters for the
business. With almost no real-life
business experience, Travis contacted suppliers and soon turned the empty space
into “Psycho Originals Audio and Visual
Design.” With such a little area, Travis turned 700 square feet of it into
a record store selling CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, etc. video games, and vinyl records. 100
square feet into office space/recording studio, and 100 square feet into
storage. . . .
Twice in a
matter of three years, Psycho Originals is brought to the brink of extinction. Then
a chance encounter happened with Travis and the owner of the American Wrestling
Federation in late 2011.
Psycho
Originals was put in charge of filming their TV show on channel 45 in the Twin
Cities metro. A very strange event considering wrestling is what founded Psycho
Originals way back in 2004, and ended it in 2009! After filming a few shows,
Psycho Originals was contacted about making local commercials for Channel 45 in
the Twin Cities.
Photo: Screenshot of the Emmer testimonial ad for Integrity Exteriors and Remodelers.
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Law enforcement officials in Minnesota claim that nearly all of the victims they discover are sold online via backpage.com. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is one of the attorneys general to sign a letter to change wording of a 1996 law supporting internet commerce.
The role state Rep. Blair Thoreson, a Fargo Republican, serves with a
national conservative group has him leading an effort to block a change
in federal law to allow state prosecutors to go after websites that
host ads for child sex trafficking.
Thoreson said Friday he’s
concerned the proposal backed by numerous state attorneys general,
including North Dakota’s, could have a “chilling effect” on Internet
commerce.
The Fargo lawmaker is chairman of the Communications and
Technology Task Force of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a
nonprofit alliance of conservative state legislators, businesses and
foundations.
The task force recently approved a draft resolution
asking Congress not to grant the request of attorneys general from
across the country who want to be able to prosecute websites for hosting
child sex ads under the Communications Decency Act of 1996.
Thoreson has a unique defense of the resolution: he's in it for the bloggers:
Thoreson, who was quoted in a national story about the issue this
week, said while much of the focus has been on online classified ad
sites such as Backpage.com, he’s also spoken to bloggers concerned that
if the law changes, they could be held responsible for something illegal
someone else posts to their site.
“My concern is that if we were
to change that, it could have quite a chilling effect on new companies
starting up online which are doing sales or commerce or whatever, or
just the expression of free speech,” he said.
Bluestem assures Thoreson that no one has ever posted anything "illegal" on the site, but the moment criminals start posting offers of juveniles for sale in our comment section, he'll be the first to know after we contact the sheriff's department.
Before retiring to seek the Republican endorsement for congress in MNCD1, Senator Mike Parry served as a member of ALEC's Communications and
Technology Task Force; in the House, (MN R-33B), was a member. Doepke was defeated by David Ozmek (R-Mound) in a Republican primary bid for the open state senate seat for SD33. Ozmek won the seat last November.
Photo: In this Oct. 2012 photo provided by Shared Hope International is one of
the organizations billboards near Kalispell, Mt., that started going up
across the country to raise awareness about the problem of child sex
trafficking. A number of states attorneys general are pressing Congress
for more authority to go after websites that host ads for child sex
traffickers. (AP Photo/Shared Hope International)
Photo: Associated Press.
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The New Ulm Actors Community Theatre's production of "Inherent the
Wind"?was canceled last week due to cast dropouts stemming from
objections by Martin Luther College professors and local WELS members
over the play's depiction of the evolution/creationism debate.
NUACT
originally slated the play as its fall production with MLC student Zach
Stowe as director. The play deals with a fictionalized version of the
evolution/creationism debate in the 1925 Scopes "Monkey Trial." The play
is also a metaphor for criticizing the suppression of free expression
under the McCarthyism of the 1950s.
The play was not slated to be
performed at MLC, but a final audition was scheduled on campus on
Friday, Aug. 30. NUACT previously used MLC for auditions, rehearsals and
performances.
After seeing the poster for the audition, several MLC professors
raised objections about the play's subject to the administration. . . .
Althought the director, who is a student at Martin Luther College, believes in creationism, he believes his creative freedom has been limited by the college. Moniz reports:
[MLC's VP of Student Life Jeffrey] Schone informed Stowe on the morning of the audition that it could
not be held on campus. The audition was then rescheduled to a new
location.
On the following Tuesday (Sept. 3), Stowe resigned from
the play. He cited a flood of e-mails and letters objecting to his
association with the play from MLC professors and local WELS members for
his decision. He was also concerned that MLC administration would
maybe take their concerns further if the outcry kept growing, so he
decided to focus on the more important issue of his schooling.
However,
he said he felt his creative freedom had been stifled and that he was
very disappointed that some of the criticism seemed to come from MLC. He
said he shares WELS' belief in creationism. He said he believes open
discussion about the topic is essential to proving its validity.
. . . When writing Inherit the Wind, the playwrights were not
concerned with the controversy between evolution and creation, the focus
of the Scopes trial. Instead, they were concerned with the censoring or
limiting of an individual's freedom to think. The authors used the
issue of evolution as a metaphor for control over an individual's
thoughts or beliefs. . .
Who knew? Indeed, one wonders if the MLC professors had ever read the script to which they so object as to shut down an audition on campus, triggering the withdrawal of actors and eventual abandonment of the production.
The American Library Association's Banned Books Week resources website recommends the 1960 Stanley Kramer movie version of the play for First Amendment film festivals:
Film and video productions can vividly depict the impact of censorship
on individuals and society. Consider screening a film or sponsoring a
First Amendment film festival for Banned Books Week. Public performance of these videos and DVDs may require a license. Vendors provide information at Motion Picture Licensing Corporation and Movie Licensing USA. Note, though, that many documentaries come with public performance licenses. . . .
" Inherit the Wind," director Stanley Kramer's stellar
work based on the fictionalized Broadway play depicting the Scopes
Monkey Trial and William Jennings Bryan's and Clarence Darrow's debate
on teaching evolution in the public schools. (1960, 128m, United
Artists/MGM)
The Lutheran denomination that GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele
Bachmann quit in June sought to explain its belief that the papacy is the anti-Christ after reports questioned whether Bachmann is anti-Catholic.
Six
days before Bachmann officially launched her presidential campaign last
month, the Minnesota Republican and her family verbally requested to
leave Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minn., which is part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
When Michele Bachmann quits you, that might be a sign your doctrine is a tad narrow.
Image: Poster for 1960 film version of "Inherit the Wind."
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Bluestem's editor generally believes that whatever consenting adults do in the privacy of their boudoirs is fine so long as they don't hurt children, frighten livestock, or tap public treasuries.
Child sex trafficking is a definite no-no.
An interesting Associated Press item comes our way out of Missouri, via the Aiken Standard, that pits the first concern in that short list against the need for open internet commerce. In Effort to target sex ads hits surprising obstacle, the AP reports:
Top law enforcement officers across the country are
pushing Congress for greater authority to go after a booming online
industry that hosts ads for child sex traffickers. But they are
encountering opposition from an unexpected source – conservative state
lawmakers who fear a government clamp down on Internet businesses.
The conflict highlights the difficulty of policing an
online marketplace that has rapidly evolved under a generally hands-off
approach by government.
A coalition of conservative lawmakers and businesses has
drafted a model resolution that could be considered next year in state
capitols from coast to coast. The document, obtained by The Associated
Press, urges Congress to deny state prosecutors the enforcement power
they seek over the ads – warning that it could discourage investment in
new Internet services. . . .
Carl Szabo, the policy counsel at NetChoice, a trade association,
outlined his concerns last month during a closed-door task force meeting
of the American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of
conservative lawmakers and businesses that crafts model legislation for
states. The organization carries particular sway with Republicans, who
now control more than half the state legislatures. . . .
Read the rest at the Aiken Standard. The article notes that the ALEC resolution is a response to a letter to Congress by states attorneys general, requesting a two-word tweak to 1996 law protecting internet commerce.
The Associated Press's exposure of the ALEC resolution may resonate in Minnesota, where law enforcement spokesters frequently cite backpage.com in news reports about sex trafficking. Attorney General Lori Swanson signed the AG's letter.
In making the case for an amendment to the CDA, the authors cited
three sex-trafficking operations linked to advertising on Backpage.com
-- including one in Minnesota.
1. On March 28, Miami police arrested a
man for advertising the sex services of a 13-year-old girl, and he had
tattooed his name on the girl's eyelids to mark her as his property.
2. In January, two men were arrested in
Virginia for prostituting four minors in Fairfax County after
advertising the girls online.
3. On April 10, four family members and a
woman were arrested for running a prostitution ring of eight girls and
women between the ages of 15 and 40.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson signed on to the request, but
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen did not. Attorney generals
from the Connecticut and Virginia also did not sign the letter.
The officials want to help local
prosecutors go after websites that advertise trafficked minors.
Minnesota's Lori Swanson is one of 49 attorneys general who signed a letter this week to lawmakers.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi
told MPR's The Daily Circuit that he and other prosecutors can go after
johns and sex traffickers. But, he says, a federal law prevents state
and local authorities from pursuing criminal charges against websites
that allow users to post ads for escort services.
"I really believe that companies
like backpage.com, they're very complicit in what's happening. And they
know exactly what is happening. Their website is a platform for children for being bought and sold for sex."
Choi says all of the
child-trafficking cases prosecuted by his office over the past two years
involved backpage.com.
In another case of online ads being used for sex trafficking, a
Duluth ex-convict has been found guilty of selling a girl for sex for
many months last year in Minnesota and elsewhere through Backpage.com.
Markeace A. Canty, 33, was convicted by jurors in federal
court in Minneapolis on two counts involving sex trafficking of a
minor. He was acquitted of receiving child pornography.
According to prosecutors, Canty bought “escort” ads on
Backpage.com from July 2012 until January and offered the girl for
erotic encounters. The ads sometimes included photos of a girl who was
no older than 17. . . .
Walsh stumbles a bit at the end of the story, reporting:
The nation’s largest advertising forum for sex services, Backpage is
owned by Village Voice Media. The company’s urban weeklies have become a
persistent target of public protests for their relationship to
Backpage.com.
Since Village Voice Media spun off the urban weeklies in 2012, that's no longer entirely accurate. In September 2012, AZ Central reported in Phoenix New Times founders selling company:
The Valley men who founded the weekly alternative newspaper Phoenix New Times and parlayed it into a national media chain are selling all 13 of their publications and leaving journalism.
Village Voice Media owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin announced
Sunday night that they have agreed to sell their company, which owns
alternative weeklies from Los Angeles to New York City, to a newly
created company owned by a group of the papers' editors and publishers.
Lacey and Larkin will retain ownership of Backpage.com,
an international, multimillion-dollar online advertising site that has
been the target of legal action and protests in several states because
users have illicitly posted ads to market prostitution.
Backpage.com's new friends in the Minnesota Legislature also took significant staff reductions as voters fired enough Republicans last November to return both chambers to DFL control. Bluestem is curious if any Minnesota legislators remain on the unnamed task force that drafted this resolution.
We're even more curious to see if ALEC state public co-chairs Senator Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake), whose husband Ralph famously introduced a bill during his single term in the to ban dildos and other sex toys, and Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) will allow SEO wizard Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) or other lingering ALEC members to introduce the resolution into the legislature.
Photo: Having lost her war on voters last year with the defeat of the Photo ID Amendment last year, will Minnesota's ALEC co-chair charge her battery (pictured above) to defend the lost honor of Backpage.com?
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The Minnesota Senate has settled a lawsuit with Michael Brodkorb for
$30,000, far less than the former GOP spokesman was seeking.
“I am glad to have this over with,” Brodkorb said Thursday. "This is
about putting this matter behind me and allowing me to get my life back
and wake up tomorrow with this not on my shoulders."
The Senate Rules Committee committee will need to approve the payment before it is final.
The Senate did not immediately provide comment.
A statement has since been issued by the Senate:
Subject to the approval of the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration, the Minnesota Senate and Michael Brodkorb have entered
into an agreement that will dismiss all claims Mr. Brodkorb has made
against the Senate that have not already been dismissed by the court.
The terms of the agreement include:
Having
conducted discovery, Mr. Brodkorb acknowledges that the facts of the
case will not support a sex discrimination claim or any of his other
claims.
Mr. Brodkorb releases all claims to date, and the current case is dismissed with prejudice.
The
Senate will withdraw the pending motion for sanctions and agrees not to
seek the recovery of its attorneys fees incurred in the case.
Subject
to approval by the Committee on Rules and Administration, the Senate
will pay Mr. Brodkorb the severance pay it previously offered him before
the suit, in the gross amount of $30,000, which is approximately the
amount of money he would have earned had he remained employed with the
Senate through the 2012 legislative session.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk released the following statement:
“We
are pleased to have successfully resolved this matter in the best
interests of taxpayers and the institution of the Minnesota Senate. This
agreement permanently dismisses Mr. Brodkorb’s claims in their entirety
while providing the limited severance pay that was offered to him
before he commenced litigation against the Senate.”
Senate Minority Leader David Hann released the following statement:
“We
have said all along that the Senate acted appropriately in this matter.
I am pleased that this agreement acknowledges that the facts of the
case do not support any of the claims against the Senate and that the
case has been dismissed.”
We had been hoping that Brodkorb would have had to pay for legal fees for this nonsense, but perhaps this is for the best.
Koch and her husband divorced and she did not run for re-election.
After leaving office, she bought a bowling alley in Maple Lake. Brodkorb
still lives with his family in Eagan and maintains a political blog.
"This has very hard on my family and I greatly appreciate their support throughout this," Brodkorb said.
A dear friend noted, "Should have been $.02 and no more. Rather hard to agree.
Images: A tweet of the moment from Fox 9 Tom Lyden (top); Ken Avidor's take(bottom).
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A video worth sharing from Congressman Walz. Here's the release and the transcript:
Today, Representative Tim Walz took to the House floor to press GOP leadership to stop the games and do the work. Both producers and consumers are unfairly caught up in the political brinkmanship that seems to constantly engulf Washington. Representative Walz simply wants House leadership to do their job, name a Farm Bill conference committee so that a bipartisan agreement can be reached and a much delayed Farm Bill can be signed into law. . . .
“Thank you, Mister Speaker. The one thing I hear from my constituents when I talk to them out in southern Minnesota is, ‘Is it so much to ask you folks just to do your job?’ As the drama swirls and the brinkmanship goes, and it’s déjà vu all over again, certain things shouldn’t be that difficult.
“As we’re doing this, my farmers and ranchers and millions of them across the country are going about their work every day – getting up before dawn, doing their work – feeding us, clothing us, and powering this country. They’ve asked us to pass a Farm Bill. Four months ago, the Senate did it. Four months ago, the House Ag Committee did it. That wasn’t good enough. We came to this floor, we created drama, we tried to make being hungry a sin – and now you’ve got a monstrosity.
“Well you know what? The constitution makes it very clear: bring the two together, conference the bill, and pass something that’s good for America.
“I get it. You don’t like the Senate bill. I get it. Senate doesn’t like this bill. But you know what? Let’s get together and get something we both equally dislike but at least it serves the people and moves something forward.
“The time is now. The Farm Bill is waiting. People are hungry and producers are growing food. Pass the Farm Bill.”
Photo: Congressman Walz talking to constituents about Syria.
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Bluestem has to hand it to Scott Honour for chutzpah.
After telling public school children in Glencoe that “Our state discourages (businesses),” he visited MiroMatrix, a bio-technology firm in Glencoe’s industrial park, a local newspaper reports.
Honour is part-owner of the firm, according to the McLeod County Chronicle, so he must feel pretty discouraged. Editor Rich Glennie reports:
“I’m not running for a career here,” Honour said last week during a visit to the high school and Tom Schoper’s political science class, a tour of Seneca Foods and a stop at The Chronicle office. He also happens to be a part owner in MiroMatrix, a bio-technology firm in Glencoe’s industrial park. . . .
As a businessman, Honour said he always looks for the root cause of problems first as well as what is working well.
As to jobs and the business climate in Minnesota, he said what is now being done is failing to grow either jobs or business.
He called Minnesota the worst regulatory and tax environment in the country. “Our state discourages (businesses),” Honour said.
Miromatrix has already raised $1.4 million in a seed round that included
two $250,000 loans from the state of Minnesota. Impressed by Taylor’s
success and attracted by the hope that Miromatrix might one day spawn a
regenerative medicine industry in Minnesota, state officials provided
those loans in 2010. However, the loans don’t place any limits on where
the company needs to be based, Cohen said. The company needs to begin
repaying those loans in 2015.
That $923,400 in loans and tax credits should send discouraged management racing for the office Zoloft stash before curling into a fetal position and rolling all the way to Bismarck, North Dakota.
The Strib has more about the firm--which was spun off from the University of Minnesota (another state institution)--in The Star Tribune reported in an April 11, 2011 article, Lavish praise, then a quick ouster for star U scientist.
But if Honour finds the fostering of a business based on state university research, the DEED loans and the 2012 Angel Tax Credits too discouraging, at least he'll have good Republican company in his depression as Miromatrix advances.
Another Republican putting in a cameo appearance with Pawlenty and Honour on Miromatrix's crony capitalist level? Miromatrix board of directors member Ron Eibensteiner, President of Wyncrest Capital, Inc., who served as state chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota from 1999 to 2005.
Photo: Minnesota just discourages business, crony capitalist Scott Honour (pictured above) says. He's part owner of biotech startup Miromatrix, which received the benefit of close to $1 million in state loans and Angel Investor tax credits. Former Governor Tim Pawlenty and state MNGOP chair Ron Eibensteiner are on the company's board of directors.
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A Houston County News story by Lee Newpapers staffer Mary Juhl, State looks to regulate sand, discloses some of the reasons why:
The recommendations also appear to conflict with other new regulations the state has pursued.
One example in particular is trout stream setbacks. The state
Legislature this spring passed a measure requiring that any mine
proposed within a mile of a trout stream will need a new permit. A mile,
at 5,280 feet, is more than five times longer than the 900-foot setback
the EQB has proposed.
Apparently, Minnesota's outdoor writers, who usually weigh in on the decisions of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, must have been tied up with previews on the state's waterfowl opener last weekend to report on the council's decisions last week.
The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council last week wrapped up a
hard-fought round of hearings on Legacy funding by making $102 million
in recommendations for the 2014 Legislature.
Three items in particular hung on to receive funding despite staunch
opposition from some of the 12 members on the citizen/legislator panel.
They are funding for habitat projects in metro-area parks, a proposal to
acquire land from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and
funding for aquatic invasive species (AIS). . . .
The Lessard-Sams’ allocations will be presented in bill form to
lawmakers, who will get the final say on the appropriations. Although
the recommendations are advisory, events in this year’s legislative
session established the Lessard-Sams council as the main deciding agent
as it pertains to the Outdoor Heritage Fund.
Although the three controversial projects didn’t get everything they
asked for in the current set of recommendations, the list of
allocations, which last Friday passed the Lessard-Sams council
unanimously, is a victory, said Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, who serves on the council.
“To walk out of there with some AIS, some metro and the Fond du Lac fully funded, I think, is a big deal,” Hansen said.
To put this reversal on the Fond du Lac funding in perspective, it's worth revisiting St. Paul Pioneer Press outdoors writer Dave Orrick's November 13, 2012 article, Fond du Lac Band again denied Legacy tax funding.
The denial appears to have been centered on tribal refusal to allow wolf hunts:
For the second time this
fall, an Indian band has been denied its request for $1.7 million in
Minnesota sales tax dollars to buy a lake and surrounding wetlands in
northeastern Minnesota.
On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council
voted to not recommend funding for the proposal by the Fond du Lac Band
of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The proposal -- the first request to use Minnesota Legacy
Amendment tax dollars to protect natural habitat on sovereign land --
tapped into a litany of touchy issues surrounding tribal relations, from
wolf hunting to how tribal members pay taxes. . . .
Council member Ron Schara said the Indian sovereignty of the land was a concern.
"The issue for me was never hunting and fishing rights," Schara
said. "The issue was buying land (to be placed in Indian trust). To
illustrate my point, the Fond du Lac closed tribal lands to the wolf
hunt. I don't think people who pay sales tax in Minnesota would want us
to buy land that could be closed to hunting."
Diver said the decision to close tribe-owned land to wolf hunting
-- because wolves are regarded as "our brothers" -- was unique.
"I know of no other species where this would be so disagreeable to us," she said. "Other species are meant to be taken."
When asked whether wolf hunting and trapping would be allowed on band-owned lands next year, Diver said she didn't know.
The Fond du Lac Band understands and respects the diversity of perspectives on wolf hunting. The Fond du Lac Band also understands and respects the constitutional requirement that land acquired with Outdoor Heritage Fund monies be open to public fishing and hunting unless other provided by law. Traditional Ojibwe culture teaches that the wolf was created to be man’s companion and the fate of one is linked with the fate of the other. We believe that a balanced approach to this issue requires respecting traditional Ojibwe culture. We request that there be no wolf hunting on Band property within the boundaries of the Reservation.
Left unstated, at least not
fully articulated Tuesday, was the question: Do Indian tribal members
pay Legacy Amendment sales taxes?
The short answer: yes.
Through an agreement with a number of Indian groups, including
the Fond du Lac, tribal members "pay all applicable taxes (sales,
liquor, gas, cigarette) at the state tax rate, regardless of whether the
sale is on or off the reservation," said Mark Pederson, an attorney
with the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
"So the members pay just like anybody else," he said. . . .
Bluestem is ambivalent about wolf hunting, but not tribal sovereignity. Punishing an indigenous band for respecting a deeply held belief was bad decision-making and we're happy to learn of this vote.
Photo: A sign on the border of the Fond du Lac band's border.
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Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Kurt Zellers and Dave Thompson want more coal and natural gas burnt, and they were not at all shy in speaking up about the issue at last night's Central Minnesota Tea Party meeting.
Both said . . . limiting government
support for renewable energy should be priorities for the state’s next
governor. . . .
Energy issues also were part of the event. Both candidates said
greater use of carbon-emitting fuels such as coal and natural gas should
be encouraged, in lieu of state support for renewable sources such as
wind or solar power.
“It might make us feel good to pass windmill legislation, even though it’s killing bald eagles,” Zellers said.
Thompson said he doesn’t believe that global warming is occurring.
the small group of scientists who opposed the consensus
on warming proceeded in the manner of lawyers, considering nothing that
would not bolster their case, and publishing mostly in pamphlets, books,
and newspapers supported by conservative interests. At some point they
were no longer skeptics — people who would try to see every side of a
case — but deniers, that is, people whose only interest was in casting
doubt upon what other scientists agreed was true.
He adds: “Deniers of the scientific consensus avoided normal scientific discourse and resorted to ad hominem attacks that cast doubt on the entire scientific community — while disrupting the lives of some researchers.”
The emergence of a self-sustaining climate change denial movement
requires a deeper explanation, though. Deep pockets and corporate
backing alone cannot create a social movement. Nor can financial motive
alone explain how vicious the attacks on climate scientists have become.
Rather, like creationism, climate change denial has spread and
established itself in the political discourse by creating a perception
of conflict. Instead of the religious conflict alleged by creationists,
however, climate change deniers allege a conflict of economic and
political ideologies. Historians and public opinion researchers like Aaron McCright and Riley Dunlap
have found this conflict is perceived to exist between free market
capitalism and a science supposedly subverted by a communist, and even
fascist, ideology disguised as environmentalism. This framing is
entwined deeply in the rhetoric and psychology of movement conservatism.
. . .Through the 2000s, leading conservatives like Governors Romney and
Pawlenty and former Speaker Gingrich recognized the threat posed by
climate change, proposing or enacting policies to limit that danger. In
the early years of the Obama administration, conservative Senators
McCain, Graham, and Lieberman joined liberal Senators Kerry and Boxer in crafting cap-and-trade legislation that would fight climate change.
But by the summer of 2010, a shift in elite conservative opinion was
apparent. In October 2009, Senator Graham had co-authored a New York Times
op-ed with Senator Kerry, declaring, “we agree that climate change is
real and threatens our economy and national security … many scientists
warn that failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will lead to global
instability and poverty that could put our nation at risk.” By June
2010, however, he abandoned the cap-and-trade plan,
explaining to reporters: “The science about global warming has changed.
… I think they’ve oversold this stuff, quite frankly. I think they’ve
been alarmist and the science is in question. … The whole movement has
taken a giant step backward.”
The 2012 Republican nomination battle saw Romney, Gingrich, and
Pawlenty all disavow their past support for climate science and climate
protection. In one debate, Pawlenty was challenged on his climate change
efforts as head of the National Governors Association and governor of
Minnesota, and replied:
“It was a mistake, and I’m sorry … You’re going to have a few clunkers
on your record, and we all do, and that’s one of mine. … I made a
mistake.” . . .
Zellers' political shift on clean energy
Zellers appears to be in this category of unwavering principled politicians. His coal love is relatively new. In a January 11, 2008 op-ed column archived on his official Minnesota House legislator's page, OP/ED COLUMN LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: ENERGY, Zellers wrote:
Renewable Energy Standards
Minnesota has been a national leader for many years in the area of
renewable energy, and this year the legislature passed, and the Governor
signed into law, the highest renewable energy standards in the nation.
These New renewable energy objectives set standards for electric
utilities to supply a certain percentage of their energy from renewable
sources such as wind, biomass, landfill gas, anaerobic digesters, solar
and others. All electric utilities will be required to achieve a
standard of 25% by 2025. Xcel Energy must achieve 30% by 2020 with 25%
wind energy and 5% coming from other renewable sources. . . .
Another source of renewable energy the state is putting money into is
wind energy. The legislature did this by establishing then Rural Wind
Development Revolving Loan fund to enhance wind energy development in
Minnesota. You can already see some of the progress of this in southern
and western Minnesota. If you drive on I-90 you can see wind farms
being built. Also many school districts around the state are looking
into building wind mills to power the school building and provide extra
revenue by selling the extra energy to the power companies. . . .
Conclusion
These are just a few of the major programs and bills that were passed
during this last legislative session to help make Minnesota energy
independent. Looking at these options will assist Minnesota in being a
leader and spur economic growth across the state by bringing in new
business opportunities. . . .
That is so 2008.
Crocodile tears for wildlife
No longer. Bluestem hopes Zellers' new concern for wildlife will provoke renewed scrutiny of all "takings" permits that allow for destruction of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Surely this concern isn't only restricted to the wind industry.
After all, the only Republican to support HF 425, Rick Hansen's bill to fund scientific and natural area and wellhead easement protection area acquisition near frac sand mines, withdrew his name after four days.
In early November 2013, Blaze morning talker Doc Thompson will bring his Operation RINO (Republican in name only) Hunt to Tea Party meetings in Chanhassen and Sauk Rapids.
The rant begins around 1:59 as Thompson introduces Operation RINO Hunt, a self-described "desperate" measure to "punish":
Any Republican who supports these wrong ideas--maybe it will spread beyond the idea of immigration--but certainly now as part of this immigration bill, that any Republican that supports this bill, ANY immigration bill that has any even remote hint with of amnesty, that they will be targeted for a loss in their next election. And I wll do everything I can within my power to see them kicked out of office.
But here's the key. In addition to trying to run people against them in their primaries, in addition to trying to boot them out of office anyways, this is what I'm proposing and it's radical. Number one that we swear, that we make a solemn promise and let them know that those fifteen who voted for it before, they still have one more shot . . .at the Senate. If you vote for this bill, I swear I will never support you, I will never vote for you in any capacity whether it's that office or future political aspirations, no matter the opponent. If Satan himself popped up as their political opponent,that you will not support them . . . and as we get to the general elections, that even means voting for a Democrat...
There's more, but you get the drift.
November RINO Hunt visit in Minnesota
This brand will be coming to Minnesota in just over a month. On September 21 Central Minnesota Tea Party blog posted in Doc Thompson Show In St. Cloud:
My name is Paul Brandmire and I’m active with the BPOU of Senate
District 14 which is the St. Cloud area. We are in the process of
securing a visit by a national talk-show personality named Doc Thompson.
He was a regular fill-in host for Glenn Beck until he got his own show
on Beck’s Blaze Radio Network. He does a great show which I listen to
nearly every morning. It’s available on the internet or through iHeart
Radio.
I got a response back from the Doc Thompson show and they want to
come to St. Cloud Friday, November 8, and speak at a venue (we’d have to
plan). They’ve already been plugging “a second location in Minnesota”
on their radio show as they put together their “Great American RINO
hunt” tour. Their goal is to actively target RINOs and assist promoting
conservative candidates who run against them. We would have to not only
get a venue and promote the event, but identify and approach truly
conservative candidates for federal office who desire our support, and
get their participation as well.
We want to do Central Minnesota proud and make it a large event. As
such, we’re approaching TEA Party groups and BPOUs from Central
Minnesota. As Doc plugs the event on his show, I’m sure word will spread
(I can’t be the only guy in our area who listens to his show!), but we
want to get the word out.
Also listed on Doc Thompson's site under Tour? A stop in Chanhassen, home of Representative Cindy Pugh's SW Metro Tea Party:
11/7/13 – Chanhassen, MN
11/8/13 – Sauk Rapids, MN
Is the SW Metro the sponsor of the Chanhassen event? On August 17, the Doc Thompson Show tweeted:
Let us know if your Patriot group wants to host a stop our #DocTour
First stop OKC 11/3!
Also confirmed...Chanhassen, Minnesota
. . . [The Senate] bill is DOA in the Republican-controlled House, where the GOP
caucus is divided on the question of citizenship for those immigrants.
The divisions are evident in the Minnesota delegation as well — Reps.
John Kline and Erik Paulsen said they’re open to looking at the legal
status of immigrants, while Michele Bachmann and the caucus’
conservative wing oppose reform, equating it to amnesty.
“We’re absolutely not going to take up the Senate bill, we’re going to
move forward with the process and we’re going to have to evaluate each
of these bills as they come up,” Kline said after the meeting. “It was
very clear in the conversation that there was unanimous agreement that
you’ve got to have real solid border security before you can take the
next step.” . . .
Rallies at offices of Reps. Kline and Paulsen were part of a national
effort to target “persuadable” conservatives as recess nears an end. . . .
Two busloads of activists, clergy and children stopped at the Burnsville
offices of Second District Republican John Kline and the Eden Prairie
office of Third District Republican Erik Paulsen, part of a national
coordinated effort to put pressure on GOP House representatives who have
been identified as possibly “persuadable” on immigration reform.
Later in August, religious activists held a rally in the Guardian Angels Parish School gymnasium in Chaska, near Chanhassen in Carver County--and part of Paulsen's district.
The American Action Network is launching the Conservative Immigration
Support Network, an August initiative delivering positive and supportive
messages to House Republicans to continue tackling immigration reform.
The initiative includes a new $250,000 grasstops program engaging key
local leaders, mobilizing our existing grassroots network, and releasing
district-by-district studies on the economic impact of immigration
reform.
Our grasstops and grassroots supporters will be active
in over 20 districts in 10-plus states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Minnesota, California and Texas. The Conservative Immigration Support
Network’s message will be simple: Our immigration system is broken and
it’s an important issue that needs to be addressed, but in a different
way than the Senate did. We support the House’s effort to deal with
immigration reform in a methodical step-by-step conservative way. We
need to give Congress the space to offer conservative and responsible
solutions. . . .
On September 2, Coleman published The United States needs immigration reform, an op-ed piece in the Star Tribune. Judging by some of the comments left on Coleman's thoughtful column, Doc Thompson's RINO Hunt will get a warm welcome in Minnesota come November. More's the pity, since Coleman and business groups, as well as the faith community activists, are heading in the right direction on this issue.
Photo: Doc Thompson, via The Blaze.
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The protest invite focuses on corporate interests like George Soros' beloved Halliburton and other such entities in the post "gold rush" frac sand era. But Bluestem was much more interested in the flacks leading two presentations Wednesday in Session VI: Regulation and reputation:
Hydraulic fracturing: Adjusting to regulatory demands and public pressure • How is the regulatory and political environment influencing the industry and public opinion? • Even if regulations are met, how can the public be brought onside? • How to communicate and right message and generate grassroots support John Davies, CEO, Davies Public Affairs
Reputation transformation: How to manage a misunderstood industry • How can the industry reputation be better communicated? • What to do about misinformation already in the public eye? • How to ensure that regulators and the public have the correct information Amy Malerba Hemingway, SVP and Group Head, Energy Sector, Edelman
Because of course the citizens of Southeast Minnesota are so dumb that they've got to be simply misinformed about what the impact of wrecking their landscape, endangering restored trout streams, storm spills, blasting bluffs, heavy traffic, particulates, and all the rest.
Who are John Davies and Amy Malerba Hemingway?
John Davies: astroturf aristocracy with a believer's edge
"Davies Communications is another specialist in astroturf support.
Mailing lists and computer databases put the firm in touch with
receptive citizens, who are asked to write letters to their
representatives. And if they don’t have the time, Davies Communications
offers to write the letter for them, adding their signature under their
consent. “We hand write it out on ‘little kitty cat stationery’ if it’s a
little old lady,” says John Davies. “If it’s a business we take it over
to be photocopied on someone’s letterhead. [We] use different stamps,
different envelopes... Getting a pile of personalized letters that have a
different look to them is what you want to strive for."[4]
Pacifica
In 2006, CoastSider reported "A couple of participants in the
Pacifica-L Internet mailing list claiming to be Pacifica residents who
support the Pacifica Quarry development appear to be employees of the
developer’s public relations firm [Davies Communications] in Santa
Barbara."[5]
Profile from World of Coal Ash 2009
"DAVIES Public Affairs assists firms in the coal ash industry prepare
for and respond to a crisis with: crisis planning, media and
spokesperson training, situational first response, crisis and issues
management, media relations, grassroots supporter activation, and
regulatory response. DAVIES was named Public Affairs Agency of the Year
by The Holmes Report. The firm has served clients in 46 states." [6]
Another expert in creating grassroots support for corporations is John Davies who features a picture of an old lady carrying a sign "Not in my backyard" in his advertisements. The picture is captioned Don't leave your future in her hands.
Traditional lobbying is no longer enough. Today numbers count. To win in the hearing room, you must reach out to create grassroots support. To outnumber your opponents, call the leading grassroots public affairs communications specialists.(Stauber and Rampton 199, p. 18)
In his promotion, Davies explains that he will use mailing lists and computer databases to identify potential supporters and telemarketers to persuade them to agree to have letters written on their behalf. In this way he is able to create the impression of a "spontaneous explosion of community support for needy corporations." (Stauber and Rampton 199, pp. 23-4)
The practical objective of letter-writing campaigns is not actually to get a majority of the people behind a position and to express themselves on it—for it would be virtually impossible to whip up that much enthusiasm—but to get such a heavy, sudden outpouring of sentiment that lawmakers feel they are being besieged by a majority. The true situation may be quite the contrary.(Sherrill 1990, p. 376)
Astroturf. Lovely.
Since 2010, Davies has stood up not only for the coal ash industry, but for the entire coal industry. In a 2011 article in American Coal magazine, Davies wrote in American Coal is Under Attack:
. . .Over the last 40 years new technology and innovation has led to
substantial reductions in emissions. Likewise, recent stringent new
environmental regulations are being met and surpassed by power
generators across the country. Yet opponents of coal are more aggressive
then ever and are increasing their attacks on coal. Clearly, opponents
are not concerned with improving coal – they want it gone.
In 2009, a Sierra Club lawyer announced the environmental community
would eventually shut down all of the existing fleet of coal-fueled
plants, replacing them with energy efficiency measures or renewable
power. His plan was of course to fight every new plant, but also
according to this lawyer, the plan by which they will achieve their goal
is an indirect attack, an attack on the cost of energy from coal-fueled
plants.
The total effect has been plans for dozens of new coal-fueled plants
have been scrapped in the last two years; probably a mercy killing
because chances of getting them successfully through the regulatory
approval process were slim to none.
None of this should be a surprise as there has been an all out
assault on coal for decades. Now that the anti-coal activists are
entrenched in a number of federal agencies, they are acting quickly. The
Sierra Club’s anti-coal campaign is really a political campaign and has
effectively portrayed coal as the environmental public enemy number
one.
Ok that was the bad news. Here’s the good news.
Our research and experience shows there is an approach that the public understands and will move them to assist us.
Lining up coal miners and employees at public hearings, is helpful, and can show the real face of the industry.
But much more powerful is activating people with absolutely no vested
interest in coal. Individuals, who were moved by a compelling message
to take action, can help us better tell the story with passion and
credibility. . . .
Oilsands companies are "at war" with militant environmental groups and
need to appeal to emotion as much as fact to win the public's hearts and
minds, says the head of an influential public affairs company in the
United States.
"Reason without emotion is impotent," John Davies, CEO of
Davies Public Affairs based in Santa Barbara, California, told the Oil
Sands Heavy Oil Conference & Exhibition in Calgary, July 19-21,
2011. "Thing is, we're at war and we've been at war for a couple of
decades, and the war is being fought at various fronts," including
legislative, regulatory and in the courts, Davies said. The other side
is tapping emotion to muster strength for its cause, and using fear to
change regulations and the economics of natural resources extraction, he
told conference delegates. "What would you do if someone attacked your
family the way they're doing this industry? You would defend them. So
why aren't you defending your industry in the same way?"
. . . Davies told the oilsands and heavy oil conference about a Sierra Club
lawyer's comments about coal, which he said were made to an American Bar
Association meeting about two years ago. The lawyer said that the
Sierra Club's opposition to coal-fired power was "going to change the
regulations so that we increase the cost to a level that is unfeasible,"
said Davies, who maintained that environmental groups are using the
same tactic to undermine oilsands production.
The game is being played
in both the U.S. and Canada, although from the American perspective, the
game is all about pipelines, Davies said. "So all of a sudden, your
pipelines become the worst thing for the environment."
Both the proposed
Keystone XL pipeline (a TransCanada Corp. project to carry crude from
Hardisty, Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma, and eventually to Texas), and
the Gateway Pipeline (an Enbridge Inc. venture involving a twinned
pipeline system running from near Edmonton, Alberta, to a new marine
terminal in Kitimat), have faced opposition from environmental groups
and First Nations.
Davies said that with any resource-based project,
companies face opposition from three groups of individuals: those who
are 1) responsible; 2) persuadable; and 3) irrational. Companies need to
understand what motivates each group, he said. The attitude of the
"responsibles" represents a good thing, such as Neighbourhood Watch,
gone bad and turned into NIBMY, he said. "It's stepping up and doing
something in your neighborhood and your community . . . Who doesn't want
to move into a neighborhood that has pride of ownership . . . NIMBY's
pretty good on that side."
Bluestem suspects that Davies will say very much the same thing--right down to the Sierra Club anecdote--on Wednesday.
What better way to defeat a
grassroots movement than to create an astroturf campaign? That’s what
residents of Carmel Valley believe Kilroy Realty is doing to gain
approval for its massive mixed-use project, One Paseo.
Residents say that
in order to pass what will be the largest development project ever in
Carmel Valley the developer has hired a Santa Barbara–based public
relations firm that specializes in creating fake grassroots campaigns to
make “NIMBYs and naysayers irrelevant.” . . .
Those residents believe that
executives at Kilroy Realty have taken steps to quell the opposition by
hiring a former director of development services for the City of San
Diego, Marcela Escobar-Eck, to serve as a project consultant. Kilroy has
also hired Davies, a public relations firm in Santa Barbara. O’Dwyer’s
public-relations news organization ranks Davies as the third top PR firm
in the country dealing with environmental projects.
. . . Last summer, Carmel Valley residents believe they saw Davies’s strategy unfold.
“We got this elaborate
brochure in the mail, and we wondered why they were sending it to us.
Something just felt weird about it,” says Carmel Valley resident Carolyn
Keen.
“And then we started seeing these letters printed in the Carmel Valley News in support of the project. I knew this wasn’t grassroots, it just pretended to be.”
Will this be the future media environment facing citizens in Southeastern Minnesota?
Those who need to win the highest stakes matters, the toughest crises, and the most
difficult regulatory problems increasingly turn to Davies Public Affairs.
Since 1983, Davies has grown to become the nation’s third largest dedicated public affairs firm. This success is based on results across multiple industries,for clients includin Fortune 100 companies and top names in 47 states.
From traditional outreach to highly structured online cam campaigns, Davies builds and implements integrated grassroots programs to shape public opinion and build genuine support.
For Davies, nothing is too complicated, too political, too controversial, or too tough. Starting with a research-based approach, Davies crafts strategies designed not just to move the public opinion needle, but to win. This drive to win is what many clients say sets Davies apart.
Impeccable tactical execution is the starting point, but is not sufficient. Success requires the ability to articulate why. That is, from the standpoint of the public, why should a client succeed? Most public affairs fights are lost because that question is never answered.
Davies not only knows how to answer the all-important why, the firm knows how to use that message to motivate individuals to stand up, speak out, and take action.
"You will discover practical teaching for men in the 'Market Place',
helping them to influence the culture of Government, Business, Arts,
Media, and Education within our communities."
Amy joined Edelman’s Washington office in April 2006. She currently
serves as strategic counselor to the world’s largest independent E&P
company, and advises a variety of energy clients on corporate
positioning/reputation, message and content development, stakeholder
engagement, crisis and issues management, research, executive
engagement, media partnerships, and event strategy. For six years Amy
managed multiple aspects of a national public affairs campaign for the
American Petroleum Institute (API), which focused on educating and
engaging important audiences on key energy and policy issues including
hydraulic fracturing, oil sands/Keystone XL pipeline, access and taxes.
Her work included support for the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010. [emphasis added]
Keynote Day 1: Keynote Day 1: “From License to Operate to License to Lead: Building Trust Around Hydraulic Fracturing”
ABSTRACT:
The state of play on hydraulic fracturing
The current state of trust in the oil and natural gas industry
The changing landscape and the implications for the industry
The path forward for industry action on hydraulic fracturing
Amy Malerba Hemingway, SVP and Group Head, Energy Sector, Edelman
Edelman is the world’s largest public relations firm, with 66 offices
and more than 4,500 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more
than 30 cities.
Across the vast Edelman network, she works to globalize,
dimensionalize and operationalize Edelman’s energy experience to
intensify the company’s position as a leader in the fast-growing energy
sector. She serves diverse energy client interests including natural
resources, power and clean tech. She works across various disciplines
including corporate positioning and reputation, public affairs, message
and content development, research, stakeholder engagement, digital
integration, crisis and issues management, executive engagement, media
partnerships and event strategy.
Prior to Edelman, Amy served as the government relations director for
U.S. participation in the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan. She is
an active member of the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment
and Washington Women in Public Relations.
Amy has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and a Master of Public
Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Well then. The Women's Council on Energy and the Environment's mission is "to provide nonpartisan, policy neutral forums on energy and
environmental issues and to foster the professional development of our
members." It does this with the help of "Angel Sponsors" like Exelon, while BP and other firms settle for being Sustaining Sponsors.
As for Edelman, energy clients include API, GE, Shell, Chevron, MASDAR, Solar Frontier, Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
PR Industry as Targets
The work of public relations and public affairs firms hasn't escaped scrutiny by activists elsewhere. Another Edelman executive writes in PR Firms as Targets:
The NGO, Reclaim the Power, [link added] put a sign over the entrance describing
Bell Pottinger as “Fracking Liars.” They also released an undercover
recording of an employee of the firm speaking at a public meeting near a
proposed drilling site, with excerpting comments to maximum negative
effect. The NGO contended further that the Bell Pottinger employee also
said that the net effect of “fracking” would amount to an insignificant
reduction of bills to consumers, though there was no recording of that
claim.
. . .Edelman was in this exact situation when we began our work with Walmart
seven years ago. We work around the world with real estate developers
seeking to build new properties, biotechnology companies wanting to
introduce new forms of genetically modified seeds and technology
companies challenged on privacy standards. We encourage our clients to
practice radical transparency on production methods and sustainability
practices. We engage critics, from community activists to NGOs, in
constructive discussions and consultations. We offer the opportunity for
a public debate where the facts are aired and challenged. We make sure
that our communications are factually sound, checked by client experts.
We are aggressive in telling our story, quick to correct inaccuracies,
relying on third-party commentary from academic experts.
Fact checks by "client experts." Lovely. Why would anyone ever target public relations firms, for cat's sakes?
Images: The banner for Industrial Minerals' Frac Sand Conference, beginning today in Minneapolis (top); there's nothing to fear but giant sand mining with John Davies, a Goliath of the PR industry (second); Amy Malerba Hemingway (third); Fractivists targeting a British firm, via the Guardian (bottom).
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While southern Minnesota's geography is largely rural, voters there cluster in Rochester (Minnesota's third largest city), thriving mini-metro college towns as Winona and Mankato, and blue-collar regional enclaves like Austin, New Ulm and Faribault.
Nathan Gonzalez, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report,
said he sees the race as one in which Republicans are still looking for a
candidate.
“Republicans are determined to play offense in Minnesota’s 1st
District,” Gonzalez said in an email. “They are still searching for a
candidate, but they don’t want Walz to get a free ride. Walz has proven
to be a tough incumbent to defeat, so it’s up to Republicans to prove
that 2014 will be any different.”
Shaw explores the geographic calculus that the Republicans need to solve to beat Walz, although electoral history demonstrates that geography isn't destiny for the Mankato DFLer.
Walz beat six-term Rochester Republican Gil Gutknecht by 5.62 percent spread in an upset in 2006, Rochester doctor Brian Davis by a nearly 30 percent landslide in 2008 and Hayfield legislator Randy Demmer by 5 percent in the Republican wave year of 2010. Hayfield is about a half-hour drive from Rochester, a stone's throw in the sprawling Fighting First.
Shaw points out, "In 2012, Walz defeated his Republican opponent, Allen Quist, by a commanding 15 percentage points." Nicollet County made the Republican a relative home boy for a Mankato incumbent.
Those who subscribe should read all of Shaw's solid reporting. One thing that remains constant for CD1 Republicans is the rhetoric that Walz acts "like us" in the district while voting with his caucus in DC:
“The fact is that when he comes home, he talks like us. When he goes to
Washington he votes like [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi,”
Stevenson said. “Republicans don’t feel that he matches the district
very well at all. His support for Obamacare is really what’s motivating
folks here.”
Earlier this year, Mankato Free Press veteran political reporter Mark Fischenich pointed out how shopworn and unsaleable that line of goods has been for district Republicans:
[Aaron] Miller also made the same pledge that Brian Davis, Randy Demmer and
Allen Quist made early in their campaigns to unseat Walz, who defeated
six-term incumbent Congressman Gil Gutknecht: to persuade southern
Minnesotans that Walz is conning them rather than revealing his true
beliefs and values.
“He wants you to believe he’s ‘the moderate from Mankato,’” Miller said.
Marijuana is hurting our kids and Representative Faust wants to make it easier to get.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. SAMHSA released a study last week regarding drug use
by our nation’s teenagers.
The report showed that, on a typical day in
America, young people are more likely to smoke marijuana for the first
time than they are to smoke tobacco cigarettes for the first time. . . .
A month ago a huge marijuana bust occurred near
Hinckley where 5,500 marijuana plants, having a street value of $4
million, were found.
Even though more people use and abuse marijuana
than any other drug in our country, with the exception of alcohol, Tim
Faust, our state representative, wants to make marijuana even easier to
get.
Faust is co-authoring a bill that will be heard
next March which would open the door to marijuana use in Minnesota under
the guise of “medical marijuana.” I would encourage Faust to read the
article from SAMHSA titled “A Day In the Life of American Adolescents.”
After reading this, I would encourage him to
change his mind about marijuana. Fifty-five hundred marijuana plants are
a lot of plants, Rep. Faust. Do it for our young people.
Really, where does one begin with this? Soderstrom conflates regulated medical marijuana with 5500 plants seized in nearby Hinckley, while accusing Faust of promoting pot under the "guise" of "medical marijuana."
Faust lost his seat in the Republican wave in 2010, but regained it last year as the DFL took over both houses of the legislature. Given the swing nature of the district, Bluestem suspects that her letter may have more to do with the GOP's attempt to recycle an attack launched against Faust in 2009 than any dreams of pushing drugs on Faust's part.
This is not even a partisan issue, as there are prominent proponents and
opponents to “medical” use of marijuana in both parties. The larger
issue is whether core supporters of “medical marijuana” are using
potential legalization of the “gateway drug” for medical use as a
gateway for broader legal use down the road. The other issue, which I
will get to in a bit, is whether a representative of a district that
has had a high number of meth labs in recent years should treat the
issue of “medical” marijuana as cavalierly as he did on May 11th in the
Ways and Means Committee. . . .
The blogger tells how Faust changed his vote, then suggests that Faust isn't concerned about marijuana being a gateway drug to meth use.
Did accusing Faust of being soft on drugs work toward his defeat in 2010? Or is Soderstrom simply hopelessly confused about prescription pot?
Photo: Former state rep Judy Soderstrom, who's got a little reefer madness issue.
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Reached for comment about Smyser's cancellation, King said that he and a Winona-based frac sand industry critic had raised objections to Smyser's trip not only because of the potential appearance of favoritism toward industry Smyser's workshop leadership in Houston might signal, but also because the EQB planner had turned down three requests for meetings by concerned citizens.
"He couldn't meet with us," King told Bluestem, "but he's got time to go to Texas and talk to these guys?"
King called the trip cancellation "a positive development."
He noted that Smyser had addressed the criticisms in Wednesday's meeting, saying that he had intended to go to Texas to learn more about the industry. According to King, Smyser told the board meeting that the out-of-state travel had been approved for state payment.
Following testimony on Wednesday, the EQB voted to reject draft frac sand mining guidelines, Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reported in Frac sand draft rules go back to the drawing board.
According to King, a citizen activist videotaped the board meeting, including activists and Smyser's statements. Bluestem will post it if and when it becomes available.
Photo: Winona frac sand activist Jim Gurley, who expressed his dismay about the Smyser junket to the EQB on Wednesday. Photo by Judy Keen at MinnPost. For a strong overview of the issue, read Keen's excellent July 2013 article, Frac mining’s pros and cons: Debate focuses on southeastern Minnesota.
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On August 23, CBS Minnesota reported that some fairgoers had "protested" againt Bradlee Dean's You Can Run But You Can't Hide International's (YCR) State Fair booth. Four days later, Bluestem noted that the emails the station received might better have been called complaints, since no one was tossing glitter or carrying signs.
Throwing logic aside, a radical left-wing petition on the website Change.org has taken aim at popular preacher and radio personality, Bradlee Dean, and his ministry’s participation at the Minnesota state fair recently.
The petition, started by St. Paul resident Michael Chergosky, claims that You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, Dean’s youth ministry, is “divisive” and should not be invited to the state fair; regardless of the fact that the ministry has had a booth at the Minnesota State Fair for the past eight years. The petition also ignored a multitude of praise from young people and school administrators over the years over YCRBYCHI’s ministry. Chergosky merely made the oft-heard charge of “hate group” simply because Dean promotes a message that sex should be limited to within marriage between one man and one woman.
“It’s all a matter of viewpoint discrimination,” Dean said in reply. “When you uphold the truth of the Bible you have enemies – Christ himself told us of this.”
Indeed, YCRBYCHI organizers are noting that their ministry has reached out to more than 342 high schools in 26 states. Opposition to it, Dean said, seems to center on a few opponents from the militant homosexual community, or communist-leaning media [emphasis added]. . . .
Mr. Chergosky claims to be with the Minnesota State Fair, according to the petition, and from the groups he is engaged in on his Facebook page, he is a practicing homosexual or at least sympathetic to homosexuality. . . .
Brown claims that Chergosky the petition maker was born in 1953. He seem to have confused the younger Michael Chergosky, born in 1992, with his father, born in 1953. Both are members of the band Café Société.
Progressive criticism of Change.org
It's curious that the main attack of the press release is directed toward the vehicle for young Chergosky's petition, since Change.org has been under attack from the Left. In October 2012, Crooks and Liars blogger Karoli wrote in Why I Will Not Sign Another Change.org Petition, Ever:
What is happening to Change.org and other organizations should worry
all of us. With venture capitalists buzzing around these organizations
waiting to put money and effort into buying the grassroots, Change.org
appears to have decided it's too much trouble to make a decision about
whether or not sponsored campaigns should be accepted from organizations
doing evil to progressive causes, like Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst did earlier this year.
Jeff Bryant wrote a post for the Campaign for America's Future aptly entitled "Change.Org, Enabler Of Davids, Decides To Side With Goliaths Instead",
exposing the decisions Change.org launched on Monday. They had not
planned to actually tell their progressive clients they were moving in
this direction, preferring to roll things out and then deal one on one
with any complaints. However, someone leaked the internal documents to
Jeff, who then published them along with his post.
Jeff:
According to the new policies, the social action
platform will now be open to companies and corporations of any size,
political parties, "front groups," and "astroturf" organizations. Only
advertisers strictly identified as "hate groups" are to be barred.
According to a Change.org document "Rebrand-Internal FAQs,"the
more than 20 million users of the platform will not notice dramatic
changes to the site. They will see "a new visual look" and "updated
language on the About Us" and other boilerplate pages. And users will be
able to submit petitions as they have done in the past.
But wait, there's even more.
What will change is that Change.org will no longer "filter potential advertisers" based on the advertisers' "values." Nor
will Change.org filter potential advertisers based on any "gut feelings
about the content of the ad itself."A different document, "Change.org Advertising Guidelines,"
provides more detail about the new policies, including that ads can't
"promote hate, violence or discrimination… promote bullying, harassment,
or intimidation… use or promote hate speech… discriminate against an
organization, person, or protected group." Also, "Ads cannot contain
inaccurate or deceitful content."
Other than that, it's all George Soros all the time.
Christian News Service: standing in the need of payer
Who's distributing the rote Soros conspiracy attack? According to its website page "What We Do," Christian News Service works in the following way:
Christian News Service (CNS) exists to assist organizations and
businesses share information through media outlets across the
globe. There are two main purposes of this site:
For Publishers – weprovidesmall PR agencies and organizations a voice to reach the Christian market.
For News Journalists – we provide a news gathering service to support your news operation.
In addition to covering PR news, we also write press releases, news
editorials, produce news packages for radio. Although CNS is based in
the United States, our news may come from any side of the world,
addressing our subscribers from specific countries, and international
audiences.
PUBLISHERS
Create and publish your press releases in three easy steps
Write your 350-400 word news or press release
Fill out our simple submit form
Select and Purchase your target distribution plan on the next page after submitting your release.
Our Mass Media Distribution reaches nearly 80,000 journalists, 4000+
websites including Religion Today, the Salem Web Network, Christian
Press, Crosswalk, Christian Broadcasting Network, American Family Radio
Network, USA/IRN Radio Network, BOTT Radio Network, Christianity Today,
TownHall, NewsMax, World Magazine, Roll Call, WND, Google News, AOL
News, Yahoo News, Fox News Channel, CNN and more.
Bluestem, alas, is not on this distribution list, but perhaps we'll use CNS for our winter revival meeting on the Minnesota River once it freezes.
Dean's martyrdom at the hands of Soros!
But for Bradlee Dean, it's all about the persecution:
This week I received some information that my ministry was being petitioned by change.org,
which is funded by none other than the international criminal George
Soros, in an attempt to prevent my participation at the Minnesota State
Fair. We also became aware of the fact that he who is petitioning the
ministry is representing himself under a feigned manner and has no
affiliation with the Fair. Outside of the fact that I have nothing to
hide, the truth and facts, which bear forth my fruit, will expose their
lies and those advocating crimes toward our American republic.
Photos: The Minnesota State Fair (above); George Soros channels Grumpy Cat (middle); Michael Chergosky the Younger, via Facebook (below).
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After much drama last spring, Dennis Egan resigned as mayor of the City of Red Wing after citizens raised objections that he couldn't serve as a frac sand lobbyist and as mayor of a city where the issue of frac sand industry expansion had been divisive.
Frac sand industry spokesman Dennis
Egan said the legislature directed the environmental quality board to
have the standards ready to use by October first. But now it will take
months longer.
"The industry, as in any industry,
wants certainty in terms of what's the process forward, what can we
expect, and we can't have new standards and new guidelines every six
months," Egan said.
workshop . . . designed to support the industry with these challenges as an informative and interactive discussion forum. Bringing together regulators and industry experts, this workshop will deliver key information regarding the current landscape and future direction of regulatory control.
With the guidelines in flux, Smyser will so have to redo his PowerPoint before he leaves for Texas.
. . . I want you to know how very troubling it is to people that there’s been
little to no communication from the EQB to the public in southeast
Minnesota about the progress or status of this EIS since you became
responsible for it in March, six months ago. . . .
The world of power generation is a very scary place for Emily Gruenhagen, wife of state representative Glenn Gruenhagen, and the other members of the Sibley County Republican Party executive board.
Natural gas pipelines are scary. Stray voltage is scary. Wind turbines are scary. The world is a dangerous place.
In a letter to the editor of the New Ulm Journal, Wind turbine truths blow in the wind, Mrs. Gruenhagen and nine other Sibley County MNGOP board members write (among other things). Emphasis added:
Pipeline Damage: Did you know there are three natural gas pipelines
near the proposed Cornish township construction site that these over
weight loads will be going over? Did you know one of the pipelines is
many, many years old? Did you know that these truck loads could cause
leaks where the pipes are deteriorated? Did you know there is no mention
of pipelines in the application and permitting process? No one told us
either.
Groundwater Contamination: Did you know pipeline leaks elsewhere have
created extensive ground water contamination? Did you know those
families now cannot drink their well water and must bring in bottled
water? Did you know that natural gas contaminated ground water may be
unusable for years? No one told us either.
Wildlife
Preservation: Did you know any contaminated run-off from the proposed
Cornish tower sites will go directly into tributaries going into the
Rush River, which goes through the Alfsborg Wildlife Area, right next to
the golf course, which finally drains into the Minnesota River? Did you
know any contaminated water along that stretch may be drunk by
wildlife? . . .
Stray Voltage: . . . Did you know stray voltage striking a natural gas pipeline may
have consequences of death, injury, and property damage, even for people
miles away, which could include Winthrop residents? No one told us
either. . . .
Those natural gas pipelines certainly are scary but we have to wonder if the committee then objects to electricity generated by the natural gas carried in pipelines. The alternative, wind, is scary. Stray voltage is scary--but it's also created by transmission lines, regardless of the energy source generating the electricity
The Republicans are also afraid of the price of wind energy.
The letter also claims that "that industrial wind is so ineffective that it leads to higher rates[.]" That might be news to Xcel Energy, which is not afraid of the price of wind energy.
Citing the ability to lower customer costs while cutting carbon
emissions, Xcel Energy today submitted to state regulators a proposal to
add 600 megawatts of wind resources in its Upper Midwest service
territory. Construction would begin in time to qualify for the extended
federal Production Tax Credit.
“These projects will lower our customers’ bills, offer protection
from rising fuel costs, and provide significant environmental benefits,”
said Dave Sparby, president and CEO of Northern States Power
Co.-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy company.
The additional 600 megawatts of wind power – enough to serve 180,000
homes – would lower customer costs by $180 million over the lives of the
projects. “Wind prices are extremely competitive right now, offering
lower costs than other possible resources, like natural gas plants,”
said Sparby. “These projects offer a great hedge against rising and
often volatile fuel prices.”
Maybe Mrs. Gruenhagen and her friends are holding out for coal, hydro or solar, but since they fear stray voltage, we're not sure how they'll transmission electricity generated by any of the three.
Yet, there is good to come out of this episode . . . all of us are being
reminded, again, of the inherent danger of accepting what government
agencies and officials or politicians tell us as being fact or "good for
us." We all know liberals never admit when they are wrong on the facts
because if they did once they would be at the confessional early and
often and on many issues. Conservatives concluded a long time ago that
liberal bureaucrats, both GOP and DFL, never quite get it right when it
comes to our economic well being and public health or the greater good.
The United States is on the verge of the largest energy boom in our history with trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. We also have over 800 billion barrels of recoverable shale oil, three times the reserves of Saudi Arabia (Source: Rand Corporation). This means that all of America’s liquid fuels can come from secure North American sources within 15 years. . . . Accessing these natural resources will lower energy costs for families and businesses in Minnesota and create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs
Perhaps the Gruenhagens can have a talk about pipelines and natural gas.
Photo: A natural gas pipeline explosion near Hinton IA in 2012, causing by a trenching machine, via Des Moines Register (above); A corroded natural gas pipe in Pennsylvania via Natural Gas Watch. Are wind turbines the real problem here or the need to better regulate and maintain natural gas pipelines if they're that dangerous.
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