We grew up hearing one version of a president's reaction to a supreme court decision, but the New Georgia Encyclopedia sets the record straight in Worcester v. Georgia (1832):
(Although Jackson is widely quoted as saying, "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it," his actual words to Brigadier General John Coffee were: "The decision of the supreme court has fell still born, and they find that it cannot coerce Georgia to yield to its mandate.")
The desire by a president to trample on the Constitution is nothing new, though like Jackson's response to Worcester, President Trump's desire to void the 14th Amendment is unsettling.
You'd think that Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson would either go big with Trump or get out, but instead Minnesotans get silence.
Democrat Tim Walz said this in a statement to the St. Paul Pioneer Press: “The president does not have the right to change the constitution. As I travel across the state, I hear from Minnesotans who are fed up with the politics of fear and division. They are ready for a new approach — one where we put effectiveness over ideology, patriotism over partisanship, and hope over fear.”
Walz was referring to Trump’s notion that he could end “birthright citizenship” with the stroke of his pen, via an executive order. Most legal scholars, as well as Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, say the president doesn’t have such power.
Republican Jeff Johnson, whose candidacy has been endorsed by Trump, wouldn’t say Tuesday what he thinks.
“Jeff does not wish to comment on that issue at this time,” spokeswoman Christina Ridgeway said.
Such courage from a person from the party pushing the phrase "rule of law" in Minnesota's statewide races.
In an interview with the news program “Axios on HBO,” President Trump announced that he plans to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship, the principle that everyone born in the United States, with a handful of exceptions, is automatically a citizen of the United States.
“It was always told to me,” the president declared, “that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t.”
In fact, such an order would undoubtedly be unconstitutional. It would also violate a deeply rooted American idea — that anybody, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or the legal status of one’s parents, can be a loyal citizen of this country.
Birthright citizenship is established by the Civil Rights Act of 1866, still on the books today, and by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified two years later. The only exceptions, in the words of the amendment, are persons not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. Members of Congress at the time made clear that this wording applied only to Native Americans living on reservations — then considered members of their own tribal sovereignties, not the nation — and American-born children of foreign diplomats. (Congress made all Native Americans citizens in 1924.) ...
Foner and others have fact-checked Trump's statement that only the United States confers "birthright citizenship" status to all children born here. In fact, Canada, Mexico and other nations do. Via Minnesota Public Radio, here's the AP fact check: Trump off track on birthright citizenship:
President Donald Trump has astonished legal scholars with his claim that he can end birthright citizenship with a swipe of his pen. No, they say, he can't.
Trump also went far off track in asserting that the U.S. is the only country that automatically grants citizenship to anyone born in the country. Many do. . . .
Trump: "We're the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And it has to end."
The facts: That's flat-out wrong.
The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or "right of the soil" — is applied, according to the World Atlas and other sources. Most are in the Americas. Canada and Mexico are among them. Most other countries confer citizenship based on that of at least one parent — jus sanguinis, or "right of blood" — or have a modified form of birthright citizenship that may restrict automatic citizenship to children of parents who are on their territory legally.
More broadly, Trump's view that U.S.-born children of foreigners live a lifetime of taking "all those benefits" ignores the taxes they pay, the work they do and their other contributions to society.
The AP Fact Check cites a Trump-appointed judge:
James Ho, a conservative Trump-appointed federal appeals court judge, wrote in the Green Bag legal journal in 2006 that birthright citizenship "is protected no less for children of undocumented persons than for descendants of Mayflower passengers."
Why is Johnson silent? Is he afraid to ruffle the feathers of extremists who carry on about "anchor babies"?
Photo: We're surprised too, baby.
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.@MCEA1974 & the Assist Attorney General successfully defended @MnPCA’s extension of the public comment period for proposed expansion of a mega dairy in Winona County. In her decision, Judge said, “It’s better to have the right [EIS] decision than a rushed one.” #EISyes@LSPnow
The Minneapolis Star Tribune and Winona Daily News report on an injunction sought by ag groups that would prevent the extension of the public comment period for the expansion of the Daley Dairy in Winona County.
The full power of Minnesota’s agricultural industry will line up against state pollution regulators in a Ramsey County court on Wednesday, in an unexpectedly heated conflict over how much time the public will have to comment on a major expansion of a dairy megafarm in Winona County.
Eight of the state’s leading agricultural groups filed suit against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), arguing that the agency lacks authority to add two weeks to a 30-day public comment period outlined in state law.
At issue is the expansion of Daley Farms of Lewiston, from 1,728 dairy cows to 4,680, in an area of the state which is already experiencing significant drinking-water contamination from agriculture. In Utica Township, where the dairy is located, some 46 percent of private wells tested higher than the legal limit for nitrate, which primarily comes from fertilizer and manure.
The Daley proposal is just one of many new or expanding large animal operations generating conflicts in communities throughout southeast Minnesota. The MPCA is weighing whether to take the unusual step of conducting major environmental reviews on two proposed animal operations, one in Fillmore County and another in Wabasha County.
In Winona County, the Daley proposal has generated intense public interest on both sides of the question. The business is already operating above the size allowed by county regulations, but it was grandfathered in when the county changed its ordinance.
Earlier this year, it applied for a state permit to expand, and the MPCA opened a 30-day public comment period on Oct. 1. A public hearing on Oct. 16 drew a crowd that included supporters and opponents. After receiving requests from the public, the MPCA agreed to extend the comment period to Nov. 15, despite the objections of Daley Farms.
On Friday the agricultural groups, including the Minnesota Farm Bureau, the Minnesota Pork Producers and others, filed suit. Daley Farms is not one of the plaintiffs.
“The issue has nothing to do with Daley per se,” said Gene Hugoson, interim director of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council, a major industry group. “It’s about whether or not the MPCA has the authority to arbitrarily change the law in terms of the number of days to comment.”
The MPCA said in a legal document filed Tuesday that it does have legal authority to extend the comment period, and an agency spokesman said it has done so before. In this case, the agency said, it had received more comments than usual, and that many people called asking for an extension because local farmers were too busy with the harvest. The agency also said the Daley proposal would more than double what is already the largest feedlot in the county, and it wanted to be sure that the community had the chance for meaningful engagement.
That’s exactly what the farm groups are trying to prevent, said Bobby King, policy director for the Land Stewardship Project, a conservation and family farm group that has been involved in the fight. “They don’t want more opportunity for local farmers and residents to understand what’s being proposed,” he said.
The Daley proposal includes thousands of documents and significant potential impacts around the community, King said. It calls for two new wells that would each draw 30 million gallons of water per year, bringing the total used by the farm to 92 million gallons per year. Manure would be spread in areas near municipal drinking water systems that are already high in nitrate, and where karst geology and sinkholes pull contaminants directly from surface fields into the aquifer. And there are already 13 feedlots within a 3-mile radius. . . .
We'll keep an eye out for the judge's ruling, as we do our errands and process apples we gathered from our orchards, as well as those from neighbors and friends. There's nothing like apple butter making to cheer the soul.
Photo: Old school dairy cows on pasture. That's not what you see at megadairies.
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Browsing through Minnesota Campaign finance reports, we noticed that Action4Liberty PAC had gifted brand spanking new political committee Concerned Mothers of Minnesota $500.
Most of the money ($6,390.00) contributed to the new fund shared by Republican activist Sherri Auclair appears to have gone toward this billboard, for which Auclair used a personal credit card to pay $9,189.13, listed as the committee's debt.
Wow, fantastic billboard up on 394/169! @tim_walz wants to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for people here illegally!
But it's not all work and no play for Auclair, as a reversed video posted on Facebook by Auclair at a purported Halloween fundraiser for Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek on Saturday night October 27 at 8:13 PM ·Live with Sheriff Rich Stanek. While much of the nation was mourning, Auclair was narrating a party. The Facebook video is reversed, so our friend Dan Feidt fixed the file and posted it on YouTube:
It doesn't get any better than that and we congratulate Sheriff Stanek for drinking bottled water as his supporters cavort around him, sharing deep thoughts about cultural appropriation among European historical figures. Rick Rice, an RNC member from Minnesota, is the fellow dressed as a Knight Templer, while playing with the Viking-butt-humping-a-Packer toy.
• Chair at “Concerned Mothers of Minnesota” PAC (Present) • Finance Committee, Jeff Johnson for Governor (January – September 2018) • MN 3rd Congressional District Executive Committee Vice Chair (2015-Present) • Trump National Delegate to the RNC Convention (2016) • MN State Central Delegate (2015- Present) • MN Senate District 44 Executive Committee Vice Chair (2013- 2016) • MN State and CD3 Delegate (2014-Present) • MN Alternate State and CD3 Delegate (2012-2014)
The Republican activist is indeed a guest at some of the MNGOP's most exclusive events, as an October 3 Facebook post illustrates:
Meeting President Trump tomorrow at private reception....shoes picked out 👠👠 now to figure out the dress...I may be living in my closet for the night...
"I'm thrilled to be going out there, " said Auclair is a staunch Trump supporter who helped fund raise for the President-Elect's campaign and was a Trump delegate to the RNC in Cleveland.
The swearing-in ceremony "is going to give me goose bumps," said Auclair, who will be watching history unfold from the Capitol, along with her husband, their son, and her godson.
Auclair has already met the president-elect. Auclair and her husband were co-hosts of an August 2016 Trump fundraiser at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
"[Trump] asked very pointed questions. He just looks you in the eye and he drills down," remembers Auclair.
While she expects to come across protesters that will be demonstrating against the President-Elect, Auclair believes Donald Trump will bring "a sense of hope that after eight years, we finally are going to be on the right track," she said.
That worked out. Indeed, Auclair's billboard campaign at Concerned Mothers of MInnesota PAC has been evicted by the billboard's lease holder:
Catholic Charities owns the lease to one of my billboards up at I94/Chicago. They are not too happy with my message. It "goes against their core beliefs and values". I am being forced to take it down but expect it pop up at I35/Lake St. Whack a Mole! Vote Jeff Johnson! #MNGovpic.twitter.com/cih5dXu8T5
Photo: Sherri Auclair in her Stanek Fundraiser costume. Via Facebook.
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Now clergy members in the district are distributing a letter asking his Republican opponent, Jim Hagedorn, to denounce the ads. We've been sent the following letter from clergy by Faith in Minnesota, the 501(c)4 arm of ISAIAH. Here's the letter:
. . .Southern Minnesota Clergy Issued the Following Letter:
“As clergy and religious leaders in Southern Minnesota, we believe we have a responsibility to serve everyone in this community - no matter what faith. We know that all Southern Minnesotans whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim; black, brown or white, want similar things: to be able to care for our families and feel safe and respected.
We spent this weekend in grief and prayer after the shootings at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg. This was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the history of our country. This attack has shaken us to our core and caused us all to reflect upon how we could have come to this point.
Today, as we mourn, we call on our communities to come together in unity. To all who are confused and grieving, you are welcome in our places of worship and in our communities. We are here for you and alongside you.
And yet, it is not enough to pray and lean on one another in this moment. We must also look at the choices certain people in power have made that enable, excuse, and breed this type of violence.
When public leaders running for office use fear and division to win votes; when candidates for office, especially national office, try to turn us against one another it is not without dire consequences. In this election, some politicians have attempted to point the finger at Black and brown Minnesotans, at people seeking asylum, at Muslims, and at Jews. They are stoking these fears intentionally because they know they have nothing better to offer, and so long as we are divided, we cannot come together to demand the better future we want for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors.
And the consequences are profound. This cruel attempt to trade on fear has turned houses of prayer and safety into houses of mourning. Last year, a mosque in Bloomington, MN was bombed. On Saturday, a synagogue was attacked. These attacks have shattered our sense of safety and forced us to imagine the unthinkable.
We must speak up. And more: we must act.
As faith leaders in Southern Minnesota we call on all public officials and those who seek office to commit to a higher standard. Your thoughts and prayers are welcome, but they are not enough. We call on you to make it clear that Minnesota welcomes everyone by rejecting racist dog-whistles and campaign rhetoric that incites fear. We call on you to represent the values we share: coming together, working hard, caring for our families, loving our neighbors, and investing in our future.
We are grateful to the public leaders who have already taken this path.
Others have not: we call on Jim Hagedorn, candidate for Congress, to denounce the anti-semitic and anti-immigrant campaign ads running on his behalf. If you do not, Mr. Hagedorn, you are contributing to the political culture that has already led to violence and death. Instead, let us imagine together a kind of politics that elevates our community and holds all of us to our highest moral standards. Let us imagine together a kind of politics that is greater than fear; a kind of politics that is about the better future we get to build together.”
Signed:
Bishop Steven Delzer, Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA Rev. Beth Rogers, Peace United Church of Christ, Rochester Rev. Corrine Haulotte, Lutheran Campus Center, Winona Rev. Coqui Conkey, United Church of Christ, Owatonna Rev. Dan Doering, People of Hope ELCA, Rochester Daniel Wilson, Winona Friends Meeting Father Henry Doyle, Christ Episcopal Church, Albert Lea; Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, Faribault; St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Waterville; The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, Faribault Pastor Kathy Redig, All Are One Roman Catholic Church, Winona Pastor Loren Olson, Prairie Spirit Cooperative Parish (UMC), Owatonna and Dodge Center Rev. Luke Stevens-Royer, First Unitarian Universalist, Rochester Rev. Dr. Mark Docken, Chatfield Lutheran Church ELCA, Chatfield Michael Resman, Quaker Meeting, Rochester Patrick Gannon, Holy Ground catholic Community, Rochester Pastor Rachel Riggle, Presbyterian Regina Mustafa, Community Interfaith Dialogue on Islam, Rochester (Retired) Pastor Alan Bray, ELCA, St. Peter (Retired) Charles R. Christensen, ELCA Lutheran First Lutheran Church, St. Peter (Retired) John E. Frey, ELCA, Mankato
Photo: President Trump and MN01 congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn at the Trump Rally in Rochester earlier this month. Via Hagedorn's campaign Facebook page.
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Last night, more than 2,500 Minnesotans attended the Interfaith Vigil for Tree of Life Synagogue. Many were turned away or congregated outside, and I'm so, so sorry that we ran out of space and couldn't accommodate everyone who wanted to join us. A few people have asked me to share my remarks for those who couldn't attend. Here they are:
"I'm Carin Mrotz and I'm the director of Jewish Community Action. We organize Jews in Minnesota for racial and economic justice, and the core of our work is building power together with communities most impacted by injustice.
The synagogue in Pittsburgh, Tree of Life, the worshippers within, were not just targeted because they were Jews, they were targeted because they supported an organization that helps to resettle and support refugees. They were targeted because they exercised their values as Jews, values that said help the stranger because you were strangers, too. They were targeted for their beliefs about how to treat others, beliefs that JCA shares and many of us share, and we are in deep pain at their loss.
Our community is in pain and fear. Some of us have felt alone, isolated. That's the goal of antisemitism - to isolate us. The Tree of Life Synagogue, the organization HIAS, itself probably responsible for so many of our families being here today, they were targeted because they were Jews acting in solidarity with immigrants and refugees. Antisemitism is a tool that is being wielded to push us out of solidarity, to turn us inward in fear. We are blamed and targeted for supporting immigrants and refugees to encourage us to stop.
But we won't stop. And we may be afraid, but we won't back down. We won't be silenced, and we will never abandon what our Jewish tradition has taught us - that we are all made in the image of G-d. This terrorist act, evidence that to some we are still the stranger, we will always be the stranger, serves as a reminder to us that we must never turn our backs on solidarity.
We are stronger together. We will get through this together.
This room tonight, this is the cure for isolation, this is the antidote to antisemitism.
We support our Muslim neighbors, immigrants and refugees. We stand with communities of color and indigenous people facing violence and erasure. Thank you for continuing to stand with us."
Should the embedded video not play for you, go over to Facebook and watch it here.
Asked for recommendations by Bluestem for efforts to further the solidarity she encouraged, Mrotz shared these suggestions:
I think donating to HIAS right now would be great. Their funding for refugee resettlement has been threatened under the current administration, and an influx of grassroots support would be excellent. Donate to HIAS
Photo: Carin Mrotz of Jewish Community Action, right, receives a hug from Asma Mohammed of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment. The two were among the speakers at Mt. Zion Temple's interfaith vigil for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Judy Griesedieck for MPR News/ Please read the article: Hundreds honor Pittsburgh shooting victims at St. Paul vigil.
It is a fact universally acknowledged that Minnesota employers are having a gosh-darned hard time finding qualified workers, while young people are all told to go to college.*
5. Many employers remain frustrated in their ability to find qualified workers for the available jobs. What role does higher ed play in addressing this problem?
JS: I am one of those frustrated employers, and the responsibility for changing that doesn’t rest on higher education alone. Businesses need to be able to better anticipate and describe the needs that they have. They need to have the ability to work directly with the schools – high school, tech school, and colleges – to get the programs needed to develop the appropriate workforce skills. These schools need to be able to adjust to these skill needs much faster than they currently can. It can take a year or better to get something set up. From the legislature, we need to pass laws that open up the lines of communication and allow for programs to be fast tracked in schools.
We also need to support collaboration as is being done with legislation passed last year to assist in developing vocational-technical programs in schools. Programs that our students can benefit from even before they look at higher education gives greater access to the pipeline of skilled workers to good jobs.
We remember being discouraged by a counselor from enrolling in the pre-college coursework at St. Peter High, primarily because both parents worked in factories. National Merit Scholar finalist status in the senior year stopped that chatter. Many friends went on to post-secondary vo-tech program--which were tuition-free at the time--finding good jobs.
But we also remember a time when Minnesota's conservative activists battled against programs like those Schomacker describes--indeed, some of Minnesota's highest profile Republicans battled to rid public schools of "the pipeline of skilled workers to good jobs."
...[Bachmann]. joined by a self-styled education policy specialist named Michael Chapman, [gave] a presentation on the Profile. The duo was traveling the state to discuss the ideology and constitutionality (or lack thereof, in their view) of the curriculum standards on behalf of the Maple River Education Coalition (MREC), one of a handful of groups of concerned parents and educators that popped up to battle the Profile. . . .
The pair’s critique of the system, as outlined in a fact-sheet they drafted for the MREC two years later, revolved around a fear that federal education policy (of which the Profile was an extension) was stealthily laying the groundwork for a “state-planned economy.” The Profile, which was initially created by former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson, established 10 basic “learning areas” that students were required to pass—things like reading, writing, and mathematics. But according to Bachmann and Chapman, this was merely a gateway; they argued that public schools, in collaboration with business interests, would then funnel children to specific careers through a program called School to Work. . ..
Many of the EdWatch (and later Education Liberty Watch) attacks on school-to-work remain online. There's an insistence that public school curriculum be the liberal arts, that knowledge for its own sake, should be the goal of education. For example, here's Minnesota Republican Allen Quist's School-to-Work chapter from his book The Seamless Web.
The Edwatch site provides a wealth of detail of the repeal of the Profile of Learning here.
What discouraged developing that pipeline? It wasn't snotty libs, as far as we can tell, but those on the right peddling extremist conspiracy theories about career education and training.
Logo: From the Edwatch website.
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A day after the deadly shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the head of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee refused to disavow a campaign ad linking a Democratic candidate to George Soros, who was sent a pipe bomb last week and has been the subject of attacks many regard as anti-Semitic. . . .
The ad, released on October 18, targetsDan Feehan, the Democrat running against Republican Jim Hagedorn to represent Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. It features a montage with Colin Kaepernick kneeling and warnings of “left-wing mobs paid to riot in the street,” followed by an image of Soros with stacks of bills, repeating a classic anti-Semitic trope. “Billionaire George Soros bankrolls the resistance,” the ad says.
Despite the pipe bomb and the fact the accused Pittsburgh shooter said he wanted to “kill Jews,” the head of the NRCC, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), defended the ad on NBC’s Meet the Press. “Our independent expenditure arm is independent,” Stivers said. “But that ad is factual. And it also has nothing to do with calling for violence. That ad is a factual ad.” . . .
In fact, the ad is funded by an arm of the NRCC. On the same show, Jonathan Greenblatt, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, said, “The attacks on George Soros are appalling and the continued invocation of classic anti-Semitic themes…is just repulsive.”
Greenblatt attributed the 57 percent surge in anti-Semitic incidents last year—“the single largest spike we have ever seen”—to the ways in which anti-Semitic language had been embraced by some elements of the Republican Party. “We are seeing an environment where anti-Semitism has moved from the margins into the mainstream, where political candidates and people in public life now literally repeat the rhetoric of white supremacists,” he said. “It’s normal and permissible to talk about Jewish conspiracies manipulating events, or Jewish financiers somehow controlling activities, and that is awful.”
One Republican member of Congress, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, recently claimed without evidence that Soros had funded the migrant “caravan” from Central America. The accused Pittsburg shooter, Robert Bowers, was obsessed with the idea that Jewish organizations were bringing migrants into the US. . . .
Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, chairman of the House GOP campaign arm, defended the group's repeated criticism of billionaire liberal donor George Soros in campaign ads on Sunday.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has been running ads in Minnesota's First Congressional District tying the Democratic candidate, Dan Feehan, to Soros. Feehan worked at the Center for New American Security, a think-tank that received funding from Soros.
A more recent ad began running days after authorities found an explosive device sent to Soros's home, one of more than a dozen sent to Democratic officials and other critics of President Donald Trump.
When asked about the ads, Stivers noted that the group's independent expenditure staff, which creates the ads, is walled off from the rest of the committee leadership to comply with campaign finance laws. But he defended the ad as "factual."
"Our independent expenditure arm is independent. But that ad is factual. And it also has nothing to do with calling for violence. That ad is a factual ad," he said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
But the ad contains the kind of criticism that one prominent U.S. Jewish leader said can be evocative of anti-Semitic attacks.
"Political candidates and people in public life now literally repeat the the rhetoric of white supremacists," Anti Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said on "Meet the Press."
"And they think its normal and permissible to talk about Jewish conspiracies manipulating events or Jewish financiers controlling activities."
While not specifically addressing the NRCC ads, Greenblatt said that "the attacks on George Soros are appalling and the continued invocation of classic anti-Semitic themes.
As investigators seek answers in the case of mail bombs sent to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others, there will be no shortage of evidence regarding the first target, the billionaire philanthropist George Soros.
The bomb maker’s motivations remain unknown. What is clear is that the attempted attack comes as the demonization of Soros in the US, previously limited to fringe groups on the far right, has reached new heights. More recently it has been taken up by the most senior Republican politicians in the country, up to and including the president.
Experts worry it is a sign that taboos on public antisemitism have all but disappeared. Indeed Soros’s son, Alexander Soros, said in an op-ed on Wednesday that many attacks on his father over the years have been “dripping with the poison of anti-semitism”.
Earlier this month, Donald Trump repeated the familiar accusation that Soros pays for protesters, when he said that the “elevator screamers”– protesters who were confronting senators over their votes for Brett Kavanaugh, the then-nominee to the supreme court – had their signs “paid for by Soros and others”.
A Republican attack ad in a congressional race in Minnesota accused the Democratic candidate of being “owned” by Jewish billionaire financier George Soros, leading some to accuse the GOP of anti-Semitism.
The ad, titled “Owns,” states that Dan Feehan is “owned” by Soros, who was also accused of “funding left wing protests.”
“Just remember, the left owns Feehan,” the narrator concluded as Soros, an Antifa protester and NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick flanked the candidate.
Still, the juxtaposition of a Jewish financier “owning” a candidate led some to conclude that the ad was anti-Semitic.
“GOP Ad Channels Anti-Semitism to Portray George Soros as Puppetmaster,” The Daily Beast wrote in its headline covering the story.
“This new @NRCC ad touts one of the most disgusting anti-Semitic libels: Jews are the puppet-masters that convince people of color to rise up against their white superiors,” social justice organizer Max Berger wrote on Twitter.
The Republican Jewish Coalition did not respond to a request for comment; this story will be updated if they respond (full disclosure: I interned for the RJC for a college semester).
President Trump accused people protesting then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of being “paid for by Soros and others.” (One of the women who accosted Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator about the nomination works for a not-for-profit supported by Soros’s son Alex.)
“Whether intentional or not, the images and rhetoric in this ad touch on subjects that anti-Semites have used for ages,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said at the time.
This is not the first time the race in the largely-rural 1st District of Minnesota has had to deal with anti-Semitism: Feehan’s opponent, Jim Hagedorn, once wrote on his blog that former Sen. Joe Lieberman supported the Iraq War because Lieberman is Jewish.
The new advertisement by the National Republican Congressional Committee shows Democratic candidate Dan Feehan next to stacks of dollars and an image of Jewish-Hungarian philanthropist George Soros. . . .
A Republican ad in a Minnesota U.S. House race has drawn allegations of anti-Semitism for suggesting that Jewish billionaire George Soros “owns” the Democratic candidate.
The ad, titled “Owns,” attempts to tie Dan Feehan, an Iraq War veteran running to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, to Soros, who is depicted behind stacks of cash. . .
The ad claims Feehan worked for a “Soros-funded liberal outfit in D.C.” That appears to be a reference to the Center for a New American Security, which is run by a former aide to the late Republican Sen. John McCain and whose board director was the frontrunner to be deputy defense secretary under President Trump. Feehan is a combat veteran who earned a Bronze Star while in Iraq and later served as a senior Pentagon official in the Obama administration. . . .
The NRCC was immediately accused of anti-Semitism. Democratic organizer Max Berger wrote that the ad “touts one of the most disgusting anti-Semitic libels: Jews are the puppet-masters that convince people of color to rise up against their white superiors.”
The ad is paid for by the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) on behalf of Republican candidate Jim Hagedorn.
"Look at who finances Dan Feehan's employer. Radical George Soros. Wall Street's biggest banks. A crooked lobbyist tied to Pelosi that paid Feehan's bills and fund his campaign," the narrator says.
Feehan is an "adjunct senior fellow" at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), which touts itself as "an independent, bipartisan, non-profit organization that develops strong, pragmatic, and principled national security and defense policies." Feehan is also an Iraq War veteran.
It's true Soros, banks and a controversial Democratic lobbyist, Tony Podesta, have all contributed to CNAS. But as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, CNAS is barred from partisan political campaign activity.. . .
From our backpages:
Bluestem was among the first to examine Hagedorn's rhetoric in the "Mr. Conservative" blog; Mercury Rising posted an excellent recap in an early December 2009 post, Hagedorn: “The Only Good Indian Is A Dead Indian.”
The Strib editorial board is correct--and Hagedorn's rhetoric isn't a bug. It's a feature--and he seems to have plenty of company in the NRCC.
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
State Representative Mary Franson exhibits that sort of impudent audacity in RESISTANCE V. RESULTS, a new video on her YouTube channel in which she says "if you don't agree with what's happening, you call or email your elected officials to share your concerns. Shutting down a freeway isn't a way to make a point....
Here's that special moment:
Why do we get the sense that she's trolling Democrats and the rest of her audience with this gem? Or maybe she's just got a tin ear to her own social media history.
Despite a history of social media controversy, comments made by Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, over the weekend seemed to put the legislator in especially hot water.
In a Facebook post Saturday night she appeared to compare students who participated in the nationwide "March for our Lives" to Hitler Youth by quoting and sharing an article from the United States Holocaust Museum, a statement many say trivializes the actual history of the Holocaust.
"Oftentimes in politics if you don't like someone or you don't like an organization you call them a Nazi, and that's completely inappropriate," said Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, whose grandparents died during the Holocaust. "It's ignorant, it's insensitive, and it actually cheapens the civic discourse in our country."
Franson initially shared a post from another page referring to Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg as "Supreme Leader Hogg," claiming he made a statement saying his constitutional rights were infringed upon. Above the article, Franson wrote, "he's the leader of the movement though" with a raised eyebrow emoji. 20 minutes later she penned another post, saying "There you have it friends ... the anti gunners, the high school students who speak for all, aren't interested in an inch". [sic] They want the mile. They want your guns. Gone."
Minutes later Franson posted a Hitler quote accompanied by images of young Germans donning swastikas, though she says the two posts were unrelated. . . .
This is not the lawmaker's first brush with controversy after making another Holocaust-related reference to gun control measures in 2016, as well as an online comment in 2012 comparing food stamp recipients to animals. She's also garnered attention in the past for pushing the widely-debunked theory that vaccines can cause autism.
But there's more: Franson also attracted attention for refusing to meet with high school students from her district. In Franson declines to meet with students, tweets go viral, Al Edenloff reported in the Alexandra Echo Press:
A request from a group of students — the Alexandria Area High School Democrats — to meet with state Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, to discuss legislative issues triggered a Twitter exchange that went viral over the weekend.
Franson declined the group's request, tweeting that it was "not a legislator's duty to meet with a partisan Democrat group."
In one exchange, Franson tweeted, "I don't meet with partisan groups in my office — besides, isn't your group actively campaigning against me? One of your members is soliciting funds for my opponent."
The student group responded by saying, "Just because we are of different parties doesn't mean we shouldn't meet and talk out our differences. We actually think that's necessary, regardless of what campaign some of our members are on! We are constituents who have concerns."
Franson replied, "AAHS Dems is a partisan group. Thanks for playing."
As of Monday morning, the topic generated more than 200,000 interactions on Twitter, which the student group says was not their intention. Most of the comments were negative, blasting Franson for not wanting to meet with the students.
"It ended up blowing up with others making comments — we didn't expect that at all," said Emma Reilly, a co-founder of the student group of about 15 members that was formed about a year ago. "We didn't want it to get as big as it did."
Reilly, who is a senior, said the main issues the group wanted to talk to Franson about were college tuition rates and climate change.
At first, Reilly said the students tried to contact Franson by phone and made about 10 calls. "We thought we did it rightly and politely," she said. But after Franson declined a meeting, the group decided to share its frustration on Twitter.
In an interview with the Echo Press Monday afternoon, Franson said she initially told the students that they could talk to her while she was at Elden's Fresh Foods last Friday collecting food and supplies for the homeless. She said the time didn't fit with the students' schedules. ....
When we last left state Rep. Mary Franson (R-Alexandria), she was graciously offering a clinical diagnosis of new Minneapolis Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins, who happens to be transgender.
“A guy who thinks he’s a girl is still a guy with a mental condition,” Franson tweeted the night of the election.
So it was only natural that a group of Alexandria High students asked to meet with their representative, if only to wet their beaks in the crystalline waters of her wisdom.
The AAHS Democrats describe themselves as a collection of “politically active, community-centered students” seeking a “respectful, productive talk.” But Franson, who possesses a keen snout for odious intent, smelled a rat.
Most notably: The word “Democrat.” She refused to return their calls.
The kids then reached out through Twitter, only to be ensnared again in the Mary Franson Civil Defense System. She knows the smart pol never talks to people who think differently than she does, for the introduction of new ideas is a gateway drug to enlightenment, a state of being Franson wants classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic. ....
. . . King really did leave a radical legacy, not the cloying kumbaya stuff that gets recycled for elementary school classrooms and retail commercials on the third Monday in January.
There’s a clear symbolism in blocking a bridge on his birthday, because King helped lead a civil rights action in Selma, Ala., wherein protesters attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge were beaten horribly by police. But the episode got me thinking about why we’re seeing so many protests on roads and bridges. Why those? Why now? . . .
Joshua Clover, a UC Davis professor of political economy, has been studying centuries’ worth of uprisings for his new book, “Riot. Strike. Riot: The New Era of Uprisings.” He told me that the Black Lives Matter movement’s street blockade technique is basically the way that protest worked from the 14th through the 18th centuries.
“This happened over and over, thousands of times,” Clover said. “People blocked a county road, brought business to a halt, and said: ‘This way of doing business isn’t keeping us alive, it’s killing us, and we’re here to stop it.’”
We also have to wonder: what's up with Franson campaigning about the Philando Castile protests in St. Paul, when by nearly all the accounts we read in Greater Minnesota newspapers, the issues rural people are talking about now arehealth care, child care, broadband, farm prices and the like. Perhaps after years of being in office--all but one term in the majority--Franson doesn't have much else to point to. It's campaigning locally, dogwhistling globally.
Photo: Martin Luther King Jr. (second from left) and his wife, Coretta Scott King, lead a civil rights march from Selma, Ala., to the state capital in Montgomery in March 1965. On the left is diplomat Ralph Bunche. William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images via the Root.
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Voters in southern Minnesota’s First Congressional District sent military veteran Rep. Tim Walz to Washington, D.C., in the last six House elections. By electing Dan Feehan, they can continue an honorable tradition of sending to Congress a military veteran and tireless advocate for those who have served.. . .
Hagedorn has cast himself as a protector of the Mayo Clinic. The reality: His immigration fearmongering, support for travel bans and hard line opposition to same-sex marriage is clearly at odds with Mayo’s vision for its future — enhancing Rochester’s global draw through its Destination Medical Center project. In addition to attracting more patients. Mayo must recruit highly specialized physicians and researchers — and their families. Hagedorn’s rhetorical baggage, not to mention new bombast, would send the wrong message to doctors and scientists considering a move.
On these issues and others, including climate change and sensible gun law reforms, southern Minnesota has an opportunity to send a forward-thinking representative with enormous potential to Congress — one who is not hindered by impolitic past statements or at risk of making new ones. Dan Feehan is the right choice for the First District.
Hagedorn not alone in fearmongering: anti-semitism seen in NRCC ad
A Republican attack ad in a congressional race in Minnesota accused the Democratic candidate of being “owned” by Jewish billionaire financier George Soros, leading some to accuse the GOP of anti-Semitism.
The ad, titled “Owns,” states that Dan Feehan is “owned” by Soros, who was also accused of “funding left wing protests.”
“Just remember, the left owns Feehan,” the narrator concluded as Soros, an Antifa protester and NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick flanked the candidate.
Still, the juxtaposition of a Jewish financier “owning” a candidate led some to conclude that the ad was anti-Semitic.
“GOP Ad Channels Anti-Semitism to Portray George Soros as Puppetmaster,” The Daily Beast wrote in its headline covering the story.
“This new @NRCC ad touts one of the most disgusting anti-Semitic libels: Jews are the puppet-masters that convince people of color to rise up against their white superiors,” social justice organizer Max Berger wrote on Twitter.
The Republican Jewish Coalition did not respond to a request for comment; this story will be updated if they respond (full disclosure: I interned for the RJC for a college semester).
President Trump accused people protesting then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of being “paid for by Soros and others.” (One of the women who accosted Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator about the nomination works for a not-for-profit supported by Soros’s son Alex.)
“Whether intentional or not, the images and rhetoric in this ad touch on subjects that anti-Semites have used for ages,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said at the time.
This is not the first time the race in the largely-rural 1st District of Minnesota has had to deal with anti-Semitism: Feehan’s opponent, Jim Hagedorn, once wrote on his blog that former Sen. Joe Lieberman supported the Iraq War because Lieberman is Jewish.
The new advertisement by the National Republican Congressional Committee shows Democratic candidate Dan Feehan next to stacks of dollars and an image of Jewish-Hungarian philanthropist George Soros. . . .
A Republican ad in a Minnesota U.S. House race has drawn allegations of anti-Semitism for suggesting that Jewish billionaire George Soros “owns” the Democratic candidate.
The ad, titled “Owns,” attempts to tie Dan Feehan, an Iraq War veteran running to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, to Soros, who is depicted behind stacks of cash. . .
The ad claims Feehan worked for a “Soros-funded liberal outfit in D.C.” That appears to be a reference to the Center for a New American Security, which is run by a former aide to the late Republican Sen. John McCain and whose board director was the frontrunner to be deputy defense secretary under President Trump. Feehan is a combat veteran who earned a Bronze Star while in Iraq and later served as a senior Pentagon official in the Obama administration. . . .
The NRCC was immediately accused of anti-Semitism. Democratic organizer Max Berger wrote that the ad “touts one of the most disgusting anti-Semitic libels: Jews are the puppet-masters that convince people of color to rise up against their white superiors.”
The ad is paid for by the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) on behalf of Republican candidate Jim Hagedorn.
"Look at who finances Dan Feehan's employer. Radical George Soros. Wall Street's biggest banks. A crooked lobbyist tied to Pelosi that paid Feehan's bills and fund his campaign," the narrator says.
Feehan is an "adjunct senior fellow" at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), which touts itself as "an independent, bipartisan, non-profit organization that develops strong, pragmatic, and principled national security and defense policies." Feehan is also an Iraq War veteran.
It's true Soros, banks and a controversial Democratic lobbyist, Tony Podesta, have all contributed to CNAS. But as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, CNAS is barred from partisan political campaign activity.
Dan Feehan served two tours of combat duty in Iraq, fighting insurgents who were funded in part by Iran.
So, the Democrat running for Congress in Minnesota's 1st District never expected to be accused of supporting Iranian terrorism. But that's exactly what an attack ad from the National Republican Campaign Committee does.
...the ad misleads the average viewer that Feehan supported giving Iran up to $150 billion, which would in turn be funneled to terrorists.
Iran clearly has funded terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere. But it's quite a jump to equate the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal with support of terrorism. . . .
The ad creates the false impression that Feehan rejected the needs of US soldiers, while at the same time supporting Iranian terrorism. On that count it's very misleading.
And at no point does the ad mention Feehan served in the military or fought on the ground in Iraq.
From our backpages:
Bluestem was among the first to examine Hagedorn's rhetoric in the "Mr. Conservative" blog; Mercury Rising posted an excellent recap in an early December 2009 post, Hagedorn: “The Only Good Indian Is A Dead Indian.”
The Strib editorial board is correct--and Hagedorn's rhetoric isn't a bug. It's a feature--and he seems to have plenty of company in the NRCC.
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You might think that with an awfully Ralph Nadery name like "Consumer Energy Alliance," a group might be in the business of defending consumers and ratepayers against the interests of energy corporations.
Oct 24, 2018--U.S. Representative Tom Emmer and State Representative Nick Zerwas were joined by business leaders, labor leaders, policymakers and academia today to discuss the need for bipartisan and sensible energy solutions for Minnesota that includes the growth of all resources and the expansion of its pipeline infrastructure. Speakers discussed an array of hot-button energy issues and the importance of local development to the economy, job creation and Minnesota’s competitiveness at today’s forum hosted by Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) at the Monticello Community Center. Minnesota State Representative Tama Theis was also in attendance.
How nice. The press release continued:
[Chris Ventura, CEA’s Midwest Director] said he hopes voters remember the importance of energy infrastructure and jobs when they head to the polls in a few weeks.
“Energy issues are critical to Minnesota’s future, and we look forward to implementing our goals of improving energy infrastructure, ensuring energy independence and diversity and increasing access to more affordable, reliable energy,” he said. “This will help lower energy costs for families and small businesses across the state and provide stronger opportunities for manufacturers and businesses to create jobs.”
This is a message doubters and critics of energy production and infrastructure should keep in mind, Minnesota State Rep. Zerwas said.
“Recent events have shown that environmental protesters are willing to use very dangerous tactics to prevent the lawful construction and replacement of Line 3. Minnesota must update our laws in order to deal with these escalating protests and sabotage attempts,” Zerwas said.
During a discussion about the importance of reasonable energy solutions for Minnesota, Evans discussed how Xcel’s been focused on environmental benefits and how energy economics are driving decisions.
What is the Consumer Energy Alliance? Astro-turf, mostly
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) likes to call itself “the voice of the energy consumer” but it really is a fossil fuel-funded advocacy group run out of the offices of the PR firm HBW Resources. HBW is headed by David Holt, Andrew Browning, and Michael Whatley. A 2017 visit by a representative of the Energy and Policy Institute to CEA’s office in Lexington, Kentucky revealed that the office instead belonged to HBW Resources.
Consumer Energy Alliance is little else but a PR effort waged by consultants with close ties to the fossil fuel industry.
A 2015 investigation by The Institute for Southern Studies found that the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition (OCSGC), “is largely run and managed by two groups tied to the oil and gas industry” HBW Resources and the CEA. BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon, Shell and Norway’s Statoil are some CEA financial backers, and many of these companies also happen to have deep ties to the Alberta tar sands. CEA supports lifting moratoria on offshore and land-based oil and natural gas drilling, and encourages the creation and expansion of petroleum refineries and easing the permitting process for drilling.
The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is a nonprofit organization and a front group for the energy industry that opposes political efforts to regulate carbon standards while advancing deep water and land-based drilling for oil and methane gas. The CEA supports lifting moratoria on offshore and land-based oil and natural gas drilling, encourages the creation and expansion of petroleum refineries and easing the permitting process for drilling. The group also says it supports energy conservation. CEO portrays itself as seeking to ensure a "proper balance" between traditional non-renewable and extractive energy sources and alternative energy sources. The group also supports construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.[1][2][3]
According to Salon.com, which obtained over 300 emails of personal messages between lobbyists and Canadian officials, the CEA is part of a sophisticated public affairs strategy designed to manipulate the U.S. political system by deluging the media with messaging favorable to the tar-sands industry; to persuade key state and federal legislators to act in the extractive industries' favor; and to defeat any attempt to regulate the carbon emissions emanating from gasoline and diesel used by U.S. vehicles.[4]. . .
The CEA was created in the late 2000s by Michael Whatley, a founding partner of a Washington, D.C.-based Republican lobbying group HBW Resources that has close ties to the Alberta, Canada tar sands industry. In a January 25, 2010 pro-industry strategy proposal to an Alberta government official, Whatley wrote that he was interested in "conducting a grassroots operation" in "target states" that would "generate significant opposition to discriminatory ow carbon fuels standards" that were created to address climate change. Whatley created the CEA with backing from big energy producers BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon, Shell and the Norwegian energy company Statoil. Despite it's backing by big corporations, the group claimed it provided "a voice for consumers interested in vital public issues."[5]
A December 15, 2011 article in Salon.com reported that
In August 2009, it began running a series of slick radio and TV ads in Tennessee, Montana and the Dakotas, warning that such policies “threaten thousands of American jobs” and “would be disastrous for American consumers.” Each ad instructed viewers to complain to their state’s representatives in Congress, providing phone numbers to make it easier.[6]
E-mails obtained under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act reveal the relationship between the Consumer Energy Alliance and the energy industry, and show the group is part of a coordinated astroturf strategy to create an echo chamber putting forth pro-industry messaging. [7]
These are the folks with whom Emmer, Zerwas and Theis associate.
As utilities and the fossil fuel industry expand their efforts to slow solar power’s growth, they are turning to new and more extreme tactics. A prime example took place in Wisconsin in 2014, when an industry front group called Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) submitted questionable petition signatures to the Wisconsin utility board in favor of a utility’s proposal to impose new costs on Wisconsin solar owners. The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) calls itself the “voice of the energy consumer.”
In reality, CEA is a Houston-based front group for the fossil fuel industry, representing fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell Oil. The group was created by oil industry lobbyist Michael Whatley and has been active in fossil fuel industry public relations campaigns across the country. ...
Perhaps you’ve seen a TV ad supporting the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline expansion project through northern Minnesota. The Consumer Energy Alliance announced the ad buy Sept. 17.
Here’s what you need to know about the Consumer Energy Alliance. It’s not about consumers the way you and I see ourselves as consumers, individuals making small purchases in a grocery store. The Alliance represents large corporate interests. The players and organizations involved in the Alliance would not have to live with the consequences of a northern Minnesota oil spill. The Alliance does not appear to be concerned about the project’s broader environmental impacts. It is looking at spread sheets, not communities.
Wayne Zemke, Alliance Chair, a marketing executive with Caterpillar, Inc.
Brett Vassey, Alliance Vice Chair, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association
Brain Welch, Treasurer, managing director at Wortham Insurance & Risk Management in Houston
John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist for Airlines for America
Mark Pulliam, solution partner with Sabre Airline Solutions
John Eichberger, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Convenience Stores
Jennifer Diggins, Director of Public Affairs at Nucor (with the tagline: “North America’s largest recycler”)
One of the new ads is set in a dairy farm, the other in a gas station/service center/convenience store in a small suburban community. Hidden from the viewer are the corporations pushing the pipeline.
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Are Minnesota Republican Attorney General Doug Wardlow's past statements irrelevant to the current race for the state attorney? They do seem relevant to news coverage about a U.S. Department of Justice decision to tell employers that it’s okay to discriminate against trans people in the workplace.
Days after the New York Timesleaked a memo demonstrating the Trump administration’s intention of undoing basic legal protections for trans people, the Justice Department has essentially told employers that it’s okay to discriminate against trans people in the workplace.
Bloomberg Law reports that on Wednesday, the Justice Department sided with a Michigan funeral home, which in 2013 fired Aimee Stephens after she came out as trans.
After Stephens told her former boss at Harris Funeral Homes, Thomas Rost, he said it was “not going to work out,” according to court documents. Stephens filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which successfully sued the funeral home. Rost, a self-described devout Christian, is represented by right-wing, anti-LGBTQ group Alliance Defending Freedom.
“The funeral home’s dress policy is legitimate, understandable, and legal,” ADF Legal Counsel Doug Wardlow said in a press release on the suit.
After a district court ruled in favor of Stephens, in March, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, saying that Harris Funeral Homes had violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The court became “the first federal appeals court in the country to conclude that transgender bias is sex discrimination” under the law, Bloomberg Law reports.
But the funeral home wants to take the case to the Supreme Court. In August, Republican officials in 16 states—13 attorneys general and three governors—filed a brief in support of the funeral home, claiming that the appeals court has erroneously expanded the definition of “sex” in the Civil Rights Act “to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘transgender’ status,” which “rewrites Title VII in a way never intended or implemented by Congress.”
Even though the EEOC sued on Stephens’s behalf, the Justice Department “has the sole authority to represent the government before the Supreme Court,” Bloomberg Law notes, and the Justice Department happens to agree with the funeral home—not with Stephens.
If Wardlow were to elected Minnesota Attorney General, would he recuse himself? Or "non-politically" join the other Republican Attorneys General?
Would he uphold the rule of state law? After all, transgender people are protected from discrimination under Minnesota, according to OutFront Minnesota:
In 1993, the Minnesota Legislature amended the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) to prohibit many forms of discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation.” The broad definition of “sexual orientation” in MHRA made it the nation’s first state civil rights law to protect transgender individuals from discrimination.
Wardlow was also asked about his work with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has been called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He said that designation is a "gross mis-characterization" of the work he did there.
"I'm proud of the work I did there fighting for free thought, free speech and free religion," he said. "It's a respected Supreme Court advocate."
The Southern Poverty Law Center accused the Alliance Defending Freedom, for which Wardlow worked, of having homophobic and transphobic policies. Wardlow was asked if he stood by the beliefs of the work he did for the Alliance.
"I stand by the beliefs of the arguments I made with the Alliance Defending Freedom because I was fighting for free thought, free religion and free speech and those things are not controversial," he said.
The Justice Department today told the U.S. Supreme Court that businesses can discriminate against workers based on their gender identity without violating federal law.
Solicitor General Noel Francisco told the high court that a civil rights law banning sex discrimination on the job doesn’t cover transgender bias. That approach already has created a rift within the Trump administration, contradicting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s view of the law it’s tasked with enforcing.
A Michigan funeral home wants the high court to overturn a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit decision finding that the company violated federal workplace discrimination law when it fired Aimee Stephens, a transgender worker. The EEOC successfully sued on behalf of Stephens in that case, but the Justice Department has the sole authority to represent the government before the Supreme Court. The DOJ told the high court that the Sixth Circuit got the case wrong.
“The court of appeals misread the statute and this Court’s decisions in concluding that Title VII encompasses discrimination on the basis of gender identity,” Francisco said in a brief filed with the court.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide in the coming months whether to take up the case. It’s also been asked to consider two other cases testing whether sexual orientation bias is a form of sex discrimination banned under the existing law.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to first decide whether to take those two cases before making a decision on whether to review the Stephens case.
The DOJ’s brief follows a New York Times report that the Department of Health and Human Services is considering limiting its definition of gender to sex assigned at birth.
“This administration is not a friend of the LGBT community,” Greg Nevins, an attorney for Lambda Legal, told Bloomberg Law. “They can say what they’re going to say, but the courts will have the final word.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has intervened in the case and will represent Stephens if the high court decides to grant the funeral home’s request for review.
No Religious Protection
With its ruling in the funeral home case, the Sixth Circuit last year became the first federal appeals court in the country to conclude that transgender bias is sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It previously recognized transgender discrimination as a form of prohibited sex stereotyping.
The court said Harris Funeral Homes violated the law by firing Stephens after she told owner Thomas Rost she was transitioning to a woman.
“It is analytically impossible to fire an employee based on that employee’s status as a transgender person without being motivated, at least in part, by the employee’s sex,” Judge Karen Nelson Moore wrote for the Sixth Circuit.
The court rejected the company’s claim that Stephens overstepped a funeral home dress code requiring her to wear clothing corresponding to her birth gender and that allowing her to continue to work at the funeral home would distract mourners. It also said the company wasn’t protected by a federal religious freedom law, even though Rost said allowing Stephens to continue working would conflict with his Christian beliefs.
“You’re talking about someone with the same bundle of experience and qualifications coming back in the form of a woman,” Nevins said. “That sounds like not only a viable sex discrimination case but a slam dunk case.” ...
Photo: Doug Wardlow. Screengrab from pro-GOP Minnesota Sun site; which says it's a smear to talk about Wardlow's record.
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Doug Wardlow, Republican candidate for Minnesota Attorney General, took "$24,000 from owners and executives of the for-profit college chain Globe University, which was successfully sued for fraud by the state," Christopher Magan reports for the Pioneer Press.
[Attorney General Lori] Swanson filed a lawsuit against Globe University and the Minnesota School of Business in 2014 after hundreds complained the schools deceived them. The case focused on the criminal justice programs that students said they were told would lead to careers in law enforcement.
The court ruling in 2017 led to the state revoking the schools’ authorization to operate in Minnesota. The institutions also lost access to federal student loan programs.
The schools have since closed or are run by other for-profit organizations, some of which are related to the Globe Education Network.
“You don’t have to be a campaign finance genius to wonder what these donors are hoping to gain by donating to Doug Wardlow,” Martin said. “The fact that Doug Wardlow has cozied up to individuals who systemically ripped off college students should alarm everyone in the state who has been or could be a victim of consumer fraud.”
After all, Wardlow wants to fill Swanson's shoes--and it wasn't just any set of students Globe was ripping off. That's what makes Wardlow campaign manager Billy Grant's response so laughable:
Billy Grant, Wardlow’s campaign manager, said the donations would be returned because of the “recent litigation” by the attorney general’s office. He called Martin’s criticism “laughable,” saying that Wardlow’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Keith Ellison, has ties to extremists.
“The recent poll numbers reflect the obvious: Keith Ellison is unfit to serve as Minnesota’s top cop,” Grant said.
A "top cop" who took the money of grifters who ripped off students who wanted law enforcement careers? Wardlow promises to "have the back of our police." but maybe not students who want to join their ranks. Can't make it up.
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Gustavus Adolphus College math/computer science emeritus professor and Minnesota elections expert Max Hailperin called Secretary of State candidate John Howe on this retweet:
Minnesota voters can reasonably ask what @HoweforSOS means by retweeting this. Better yet, they could vote for someone with better judgement and better taste. pic.twitter.com/OBp1NBDOyf
Photo: John Howe, who wants to run Minnesota elections and business services, campaigning at a Republican BPOU picnic this summer.
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In an email, a reader mentioned in passing that Republican Minnesota Attorney General candidate Doug Wardlow had once been a blogger. Intrigued, we went looking for evidence, but we didn't have to work at all for the story.
The tale is hiding in plain sight at the MN Political Roundtable, a progressive blog, under the general headline Doug Warlow?[sic] Attorney General? A Very Bad Choice, online since September 3, 2018. Perhaps that unfortunate typo in the headline is what kept us from finding it before.
Even more interesting: blogger Dave Mindeman is recycling a post from 2010, presumably from the MNpact blog, which he so diligently kept until August of this year.
Mindeman writes:
But there is one other sad commentary about Doug Wardlow. As an officer of the court, he is sadly lacking in ethical values. I’m going to take you back to 2010 and reissue a blog post I put together on the background of Wardlow. He once clerked for the Minnesota Supreme Court and I was given information about a blog he was posting to while clerking for the court. His post were partisan Republican and even referred to electoral races in which he trashed Democratic candidates. This is an ethical violation of court procedure. No partisan writing or public pronouncement are allowed. Wardlow tried to hide his posting by supposedly making his blog anonymous – but people that worked with him were disturbed enough that they outed this devious methodology. The following is that 2010 Post in its entirety...
Here are some not-so-hot-off-the-press tidbits from yesteryear:
Doug Wardlow is the GOP District 38B candidate for the State House. He has an impressive resume. Here is part of his LinkedIn profile:
Law Clerk Minnesota Supreme Court (Judiciary Industry) August 2004-July 2005 (1 year) Law clerk to the Hon. Justice G. Barry Anderson
It’s only part of an impressive history. Graduated Cum Laude from Georgetown Univ Law Center. CALI award for best examination in Constitutional Law and Jursprudence. Currently works for Parker Rosen.
But let’s get back to ethics….and a blog called The Rostra. (The Rostra blog can still be accessed but some posts are missing as well as the Bush/Cheney ’04 ad at the end).
The Rostra blog was dedicated to conservative commentary and political philosophy. Its main blogger used the pseudonym of Marius, who’s background is stated in the About Me section:
Marius holds a degree in government and political theory from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He resides in Minnesota.
I have copies of blog posts from The Rostra which have dates of February 14, 2005 to March 3rd, 2005. Some of these posts are philosophical but some are very political.
As you can see, those dates coincide with the time that Doug Wardlow was a judicial law clerk with the Minnesota Supreme Court, and I have people who tell me that Marius IS Doug Wardlow. ...
We've been strolling through posts archived in the Internet Way Back Machine--and there's much to ponder in Wardlow's style (we're reminded of proto-hipster God-fearing conservative philosophy majors at Hamline in the late 1970s, though they would not have embraced the artwork).
In CNN Sovereignty, for instance, we marvel at the prescience of Wardlow equating opposition to the re-election of George W. Bush to stability in Iraq:
The media's all too obvious agenda to minimalize the political effects of our successes in Iraq makes one wonder what they desire more -- American victory in Iraq and a stable democracy for a long-oppressed people[link added], or electoral defeat for George Bush.
According to a MPR/Mason-Dixon poll released today, 64% of Minnesotans believe the President was right to fight the war in Iraq. While these Minnesotans are split roughly evenly as to whether or not the Administration has been doing 'generally the right thing' in handling the aftermath of the war, nearly two-thirds of the state's population nevertheless think it was important to rid the region of Saddam and liberate the country. What's more, 48% of Minnesotans believe that Iraq will be better off because of the war, while only 11% believe Iraq will be worse off. . . .
And they fight us in vain -- a new Iraq is emerging, an Iraq with a new, bright future. We must stay the course, even though we are disturbed and frightened by the extent of the evil now revealed to us. But as we listen to politicians playing on our fears and lamenting our 'provocation' of the opposition, we must not forget that is far better to face your enemy openly than to proceed in ignorant bliss.
But this is where we are. Money is not speech, said the Supreme Court in McConnell, and therefore it may be regulated. But, as Justice Scalia pointed out, how is saying that money is not speech any different from saying that paper is not speech, and then passing an act that all paper must bear a stamp indicating that tax has been payed? How is saying that money is not speech any different from saying that book binding and publishing is not speech, and then regulating who may and may not bind and publish books? There is no difference.
Proponents of plans to do away with our traditional election day, such as those who support Oregon's move to mail-based voting, believe that calling all voters to precincts over the course of a single day is outdated and unnecessary. Their goal is generally to increase turnout and make voting easier.
Higher turnout is not necessarily a virtue if it is sparked not by voter education and real civic concern on the part of those casting ballots, but rather by the goading of voter turnout advocates combined with easy access to balloting. If people are too lazy to show up at the polls over the course of twelve hours, it says something about the intensity of their support for their chosen candidate.
Take that, early voters--and rural Minnesota townships that conduct mail-in balloting. Minnesotans have embraced early voting in 2018; we'd not call that laziness, but enthusiastic good citizenship.
We anticipate more attention to Wardlow the blogger as the election approaches; perhaps someone will find the link in the Way Back Machine to his post about torture. Heckova guy.
Screengrab: The Rostra's banner.
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Last legislative session, the Republican-controlled legislature raided constitutionally dedicated lottery funds that protect our clean air and water, through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, and used them for other projects across Minnesota. As a result, Minnesota was recently sued by numerous Minnesota organizations questioning the constitutionality of the Republican last minute end of session antics.
Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), the DFL-Lead on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, has drafted legislation that will undo changes Republicans made that threaten the mission of the trust fund to protect, conserve, preserve, and enhance Minnesota's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources for future generations.
“When Minnesotans voted to create a state lottery, they did so knowing a big chunk of the money earned would go toward our cherished outdoors,” remarked Hansen. “Republicans made the choice to abandon the will of Minnesota voters. They’re simply unwilling to fix our state’s infrastructure without stealing the money from elsewhere. It’s not right and that’s why I’m committed to making sure we fix this. We must act like adults and pay to fix our infrastructure while continuing to protect our public lands, waters and air.”
Legislation has been drafted and will be introduced in the next legislative session. A link to the draft bill can be found here. More information on the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund can be found here.
Perhaps voters will hand Hansen and the DFL a majority in the Minnesota House--and there will be some action on stopping the "pot o' money"raids Republicans so love.
Logo: Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison is shown standing near U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. They are all Minnesota Democrats on ballot this year, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they all might be seen together. The image, with text scrawled across it, shows them awkwardly posed in front of a homeless tent encampment in Minneapolis, campaigning at a "town hall" style event.
But the problem is, that event never happened. The photo is fake.
It's a poor Photoshop attempt by an outside group, Right Now MN, to use misleading and fake information to influence the outcome of the election. In particular, the group is trying to tie Smith and Klobuchar to Ellison, who is facing an allegation of domestic abuse.
The reporters explain who's paying for and economically benefiting from this bad photoshopping:
What groups are trying to spread misinformation?
Here's what we know: a man who leads a market research firm in Minnesota named Elliott Olson started the Right Now MN and also founded Right Now USA. A man named Louis Fors Hill — a descendant of railroad magnate James J. Hill — is bankrolling the group, and it's spent more than $200,000 on website services provided by a company called 1854 Inc.
That company appears to have been created exclusively to support Right Now MN and Right Now USA's websites. The group has also spent a fair amount on the services of an attorney named Richard Morgan who has supported Republicans in the past. And that's where the paper trail ends.
Is that the same Morgan that Bierschbach and Richert discuss? Apparently so, since the treasurer for Right Now Minnesota shares the same name, phone number and email contact address as the one at Freedom Club State PAC:
While Hill has provided the lion's share of the money for Right Now MN, Don Huizenga made a much smaller contribution. Readers might remember him as the fellow who objected to Republican state representative Abigail Whelan's bill to educate hospitality industry workers about the signs of sex trafficking. As we reported in Truth or troll? MNGOP activist fancies no sex-trafficking until immigrants & Muslims arrived. Unfortunately for the Anoka County Republican and anti-Muslim activist, Minnesota has long been known for sex trafficking.
Meme: Right Now MN's bad photoshop, via MPR:The Right Now MN super PAC has taken down this Facebook post, which uses an edited photo taken without permission from MPR News. Screenshot via Facebook
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
UPDATE: For October 21 update on this post covering the local co-host, scroll down to the subhead: Screenshots from the Thee Book Club event page about Loudon's talk at a public school little theater [end update].
Many Americans are horrified by news of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi; after all, concepts in our Bill of Rights like due process and a ban on cruel and unusual punishments by governments reflect the memories of the founders about such matters at the hand of European governments.
However much these values may have been neglected in our past, they are ideals to which our Constitution binds us, and that set of values has often been an inspiration for citizens of other nations.
With the Saudi monarchy’s denials of responsibility for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi becoming harder and harder to believe as time goes on, the regime’s American defenders appear to be shifting to the time-honored tactic of suggesting that a victim of state-sanctioned violence had it coming.
Robert Costa and Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post reported Friday on the “whispering campaign against Jamal Khashoggi that is designed to protect President Trump from criticism of his handling of the dissident journalist’s alleged murder.” Reportedly, House Republicans have been quietly sharing emails about Khashoggi’s background, but as the article notes, quite a few prominent conservative voices have hardly been whispering.
U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart of Virginia said on a local radio program that Khashoggi was “not a good guy himself.” Fox news anchor Harris Faulkner said on her show that Khashoggi was “tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.” The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., retweeted a post about Khashoggi “tooling around Afghanistan with Osama Bin Laden.”
It is true that Khashoggi first made a name for himself by interviewing a young bin Laden and that he supported the jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Back then, of course, the United States supported it as well. It is also true that for at least a time early in his career he was associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and that he expressed support for political Islam as well as democracy. Far from a lifelong dissident, he had a complicated and at times close relationship to the Saudi royal family before emerging as one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s most prominent critics.
This is all fascinating background about a complex person, but not really relevant to the questions of whether a journalist and U.S. resident was tortured and murdered by an authoritarian regime and whether the U.S. administration is helping that regime cover it up.
Via Willmar City Council Member Ron Christianson's Facebook page, we learn of a new venue for Minnesota's anti-Muslim speaking circuit: the Let Freedom Ring forum, which will host anti-Muslim speaker Chris Gaubatz on October 2 at a location to be announced.
The event is the second offering by the group, which brought Phil Haney to The Harbor church in Spicer on September 11. Read about Haney's beliefs at Right Wing Watch. Willmar Radio' spoke to Haney here. Let Freedom Ring events are hosted by the THEE Book Club . . .
The forum is sponsored by the THEE Book Club. The latter bills itself on Facebook as:
. . .a small group of Christian patriots; small in numbers but strong in effort because we are obedient to the Lord’s Word, Will and Ways. We are not ones who believe in oneness because one does not make an army. We are minutemen who believe in many! We are a group that is Biblically foundational; we are driven by our love of God and love of our country! We pray on Ephesians 6:12-14 to give us strength and courage to journey into territories that may have struggle, strife and uncertainty at times but we know that no matter the path that lies ahead, our true victor has already WON!
We believe in facts and truth, not hearsay, rumors and lies. We live by our Bible but secondly we live by the law of our land, our US Constitution. The very constitution initiated and written by founding father of this great country of ours. Men also guided by love of their God and love for their newly formed country. Men who sought life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness free from the dominance of monarchy and government restraints.
THEE Book Club and its events appear to be organized--at least in part--by Heidi Jo Fagerlie-Ahmann, wife of Kandiyohi County Commissioner and former Willmar City Council Member Steve Ahmann.
The public nature of the events appears to be fueled by the extreme conservative star-power of its speakers. Fagerlie-Ahmann posted about the announcement of group's first speaker, Phil Haney:
It was to be more private but when we found out we were to be blessed by Phil's presence, we made it more public and shareable.
The THEE Book Club Facebook page was created on August 28, 2018.
Another sort of club: one leadership faction in Willmar
Rick Fagerlie, the brother of THEE Book Club organizer Fagerlie-Ahmann, is on the Willmar City Council and was part of what the West Central Tribune in 2016 called the "Ron Christianson-Steve Ahmann-Tim Johnson-Rick Fagerlie faction." According to the paper, this faction punished anyone whom it perceived as opponents; one example cited was state representative Dave Baker, R-Willmar, who was not re-appointed as president of the Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission because of his involvement in an effort called Moving Willmar Forward.
Screenshots from the Thee Book Club event page about Loudon's talk at a public school little theater
While some of the posts on the Thee Book Club Facebook Event page for the Willmar event use the phrase "invited guests," the Action4Liberty Exposing Ellison calendar listing notes "This event will feature author Trevor Loudon speaking about the radical agenda of Keith Ellison 6:30 pm – Doors Open 7:00 pm – Event start 8:30 pm – Event ends This event is free and open to the public. Local media is welcome to attend." No address, however, is listed on the calendar date. Here's the screengrab:
The link in the free download copy of Loudon's instabook slamming Ellison is dead, so if our readers want swag, they'll have to attend and pray they get luck in the doorprize drawing for the socks. Winter is coming.
What a Connection: Exposing Keith Ellison and ISIS
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison isn’t backing down in the face of a death threat from the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
Ellison, a Minneapolis Democrat who was the first Muslim elected to Congress, was threatened in ISIS’ official English-language magazine, Dabiq, as a “politically active apostate.” . . .
In a statement, Ellison said he is taking the threat as a point of pride.
“Daesh is a collection of liars, murderers, torturers and rapists,” Ellison said, using a pejorative term for ISIS. “The fact that I’m on Daesh’s bad side means I am fighting for things like justice, tolerance and a more inclusive world.” . . .
Screengrabs: From Trevor Loudon's twitter feed.
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
Minnesota District Court Judge Gregory Anderson issued a temporary restraining order and injunction Friday, Oct. 19, against Nobles County Sheriff Kent Wilkening in a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota on an issue of jailing immigrants, an ACLU press release states.
The ACLU sued Nobles County in southwestern Minnesota this year saying Wilkening and the county are violating Minnesota law by refusing to release some immigrants from the county jail when they post bond or otherwise should be released, then re-arresting them for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
The ACLU said Wilkening doesn't have the authority to re-arrest people and detain them on behalf of ICE.. The judge's order requires Wilkening to release people when they are eligible for release under Minnesota law and the Minnesota and U.S. constitutions.
If they are re-arrested and placed in federal custody, an ICE officer must do it, the judge ruled.
Nobles County, home to a high immigrant population, has a contract to house ICE detainees.
"We are pleased the court acted quickly and decisively to issue this temporary restraining order against the Nobles County Sheriff," ACLU-MN Executive Director John Gordon said in the release. "Every day immigrants have been at risk of unlawful arrest because of the sheriff's egregious behavior.
"As courts have held over and over, Minnesotans have constitutional rights regardless of their immigration status," Gordon said. "When sheriffs flout the law and try to act as federal immigration officials, it not only harms our community but it also violates the law. This unlawful behavior needs to end immediately — not only in Nobles County but across the state.
"This order sends a clear message that these actions will not be tolerated, and provides immediate relief to all immigrants in Nobles County. We look forward to making that relief permanent."
Anderson specifically held in his order that "there is a substantial likelihood" that the plaintiffs will win when the case comes to trial. That trial is anticipated to occur early next spring.
A Minnesota judge has issued a temporary restraining order that bars the Nobles County Sheriff's Office from relying on arrest warrants from immigration officials to keep individuals detained.
The southern Minnesota county is appealing the order.
The Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sued Nobles County this year, alleging the sheriff's office didn't release some immigrants from jail when required, then re-arrested them for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. . . .
In a statement, an attorney for Nobles County said this case, like others filed by the ACLU across the country, is intended to force counties to become "sanctuary counties."
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After all, Doug's all about the rule of law, right? Indeed, he brings it up twice at close of the letter in the screengrab above.
In an email, we asked Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board for comment and in his usual, uber-professional way, Sigurdson replied:
Ms. Sorensen,
I would not comment on a particular piece of campaign literature that may come before the Board in a complaint.
The disclaimer requirement in Minn. Stat. §211B.04 https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/211B.04 is clear, and you have identified the correct section in the candidate handbook that explains the requirement.
Regards,
Jeff Sigurdson
Executive Director
Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
We thank him for providing statute number for the rule of law in these case. Perhaps Wardlow will know now as well.
Here's what we posted yesterday afternoon about the explanation in the candidate campaign finance handbook:
A post-script in the other letter reads:
P.S. Keith Eliison doesn't share the American values you and I do. He's in bed with in bed with radicals and terrorists, hangs out with racists and anti-Semites, hates President Trump, and wants to use the Attorney General's office to force far-left policies on us.
Keith Ellison is a very dangerous man and he must be kept far away from power.
I promise to adhere to the rule of law as Attorney General. But first I must defeat Keith Ellison. Please rush back a donation of at least $35 or $50 today. Thank you so much!
Bluestem suggests that he might adhere to the rule of law starting with his own fund-raising letters. [The screenshot is posted above] . . .
Not every action of the board is triggered by a complaint; staff review of campaign finance reports may cause a file to be opened. However, since the Board doesn't receive the items like flier or fundraising letters--a point of law for which they must be deeply grateful--it's likely that a complaint about the letters would be what causes the board to look into these matters.
In his 2013 speech, Wardlow went on to say the institutions and values of family and faith make up a "second Constitution of sorts" that is inherited from "a long tradition, a Judeo-Christian tradition."
The DFL posted his comments on its website "Real Doug Wardlow" and questioned which Constitution Wardlow would defend if elected, and whether Minnesotans can trust him to defend the rights of all people.
"Doug was referring to a concept in jurisprudence called the ethic of legal obligation. That is the basic concept that people should obey the law," Grant said. He said Democrats are trying to spread misinformation.
The Wardlow campaign should probably try to follow campaign finance law if it respects both constitutions so very much.
Screengrabs: From one of the letters and the campaign finance board's candidate handbook.
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
Visit Minnesota Republican Attorney General candidate Doug Wardlow's campaign website or read his twitter feed, and you'll discover there's no dearth of attacks on DFL Attorney General rontest opponent Keith Ellison.
Ellison is attacked for alleged extremism related to law enforcement, environmental regulation and immigration policy. One area where Ellison isn't criticized, however, is his Muslim faith.
But if you're unfortunate enough to receive a "Dear Fellow Republican" fundraising letter--one going on and on about how Wardlow perceives Ellison as "one of the most dangerous men in America"--there's plenty of heated rhetoric including the bold-face sentence in one letter, "As a Muslim, Ellison has hung around radical Islamic groups and defends known terrorists."
A post-script in the other letter reads:
P.S. Keith Eliison doesn't share the American values you and I do. He's in bed with in bed with radicals and terrorists, hangs out with racists and anti-Semites, hates President Trump, and wants to use the Attorney General's office to force far-left policies on us.
Keith Ellison is a very dangerous man and he must be kept far away from power.
I promise to adhere to the rule of law as Attorney General. But first I must defeat Keith Ellison. Please rush back a donation of at least $35 or $50 today. Thank you so much!
Bluestem suggests that he might adhere to the rule of law starting with his own fund-raising letters. Here's a screenshot of the letter's close:
A reader contacted Bluestem about the presence of the letters, which were mailed to a voter in Anoka County who is a Muslim. The recipient, who worships at the MAS Blaine Community Center (BCC), brought them to MAS MN Executive DirectorAsad Zaman, concerned about the accusations in the letters that the Moslem Society of America is "an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamic group that for years worked to overthrow the government of Egypt and spread its message of hate and death throughout the world."
MAS is an independent American organization that aims to move people to strive for God-consciousness, liberty and justice and to contribute to a virtuous and just American society. MAS has no affiliation with the Ikhwan al Muslimoon (Muslim Brotherhood or the Ikhwan) or with any other international organization. . . .
Warnings from GOP legislators that Muslim voters plan to "infiltrate" Republican caucuses appear to have galvanized Muslim efforts to get out and caucus. But Muslim leaders say the rhetoric has extended well beyond the content that the two Republican representatives have shared.
It started with a Facebook post that said a "Macalester professor from Bangladesh" led a recent caucus training at a mosque. Dave Sina, chairman of the 4th Congressional District GOP, wrote that the training "encourages them to infiltrate them all, Republican, Democratic as well as Green and independent." The post went on to say that "the easiest is the Republican, because they don't show up."
We believe that the activist was part of the Wardlow campaign in February and March. As "Alison Heruth-Woodbury", the anti-Muslim and pro-Trump activist was paid $4990.67 in February and March by the Wardlow campaign. From the September 2018 report:
The MPR story continues:
Republican Reps. Cindy Pugh of Chanhassen and Kathy Lohmer of Stillwater shared the post. Since then, the Facebook page of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota has been flooded with comments. Executive Director Asad Zaman characterized the comments as hateful and in some cases inciting violence.
"They are the responsibility of those who promoted this in this negative way, including two elected officials," Zaman said. "These are designed to provoke fear, and they have done what they were designed to do. There are people who are afraid, and so they are posting hateful comments."
Zaman passed the Wardlow letters on to a reader, along with a story that Republican Muslims asked Wardlow campaign manager Billy Grant about the documents. We spoke with Zaman about the backstory, though none of his sources were willing to go on the record.
A call yesterday to Grant by Bluestem Prairie was not returned.
CAIR-MN and ISAIAH, with the support of a number of organizations, including our friends at Clean Up the River Environment in Montevideo, released Minnesota's Anti-Muslim Propaganda Mill yesterday.
UPDATE 10/19: Just about the time we were polishing this post, the DFL held a press conference was held about the fundraising letters. Bluestem Prairie was not informed about this press conference, although the PDF of the letters is the same file we received Tuesday evening.
The mailers correctly state that the Muslim American Society paid for Ellison's pilgrimage to Mecca, but then take a leap by falsely claiming that the Muslim American Society is "an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood."
Zaman said that's a claim based on a list circulated by the United Arab Emirates, a list that the US State Department has denounced as false.
"The Muslim American Society has church status with the IRS. We do food shelves. We do children’s faith formation classes. Children come and play soccer and basketball at our gyms," Zaman said.
"We do just about everything you would encounter in the normal church except we’re Muslims."
Screengrabs: From the letters, Facebook and Wardlow's September 2018 campaign finance report.
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
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