Minnesota
updated
9:03 a.m.
Unexpected early morning errands compounded by a McDonald’s breakfast. Yes, this is going to be one of those days. And not entirely because of forces beyond my control. Shit happens mostly because of things we’ve done that prove to have consequences, usually quite predictably so. Eric Deaton knows what I’m talking about. Dan Maes is [...] ...
Norwegianity - 9:03 a.m.
by Dave Mindeman Congress passed a bill that will bring $167 million in direct education money for Minnesota. The idea is to help ailing school districts to keep education jobs and meet budget deficits. But it will have zero effect. As this MinnPost article by Beth Hawkins points out, school districts are so tenuous about future budgets that a lot of them plan to go with the patched together...
mnpACT! - 9:03 a.m.
Tonight the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm closes its "Art in the Park" concert series at the amphitheater. Admission is free with live local music, food, beverage and fun for all. "Slapshot" will be the headliner at this show, which runs from 5-9 p.m. I'm sure there will be plenty of surprises. As I said last week, the series has been a big hit and a great opportunity for the local mu...
MinnesotaBrown - 8:40 a.m.
Two nights ago the Goodhue County United Veterans Organizations held a candidate forum at the Cannon Falls VFW. CD2 U.S. Congressional Candidate Shelley Madore (D-MN) had no problem showing up and reaching out to her constituents. But, Congressman John Kline (R-MN) was M.I.A. In 2006, Mr. Kline was also a no-show for the Goodhue County Veterans candidate forum. Check out this video ...
Minnesota Progressive Project - 8:23 a.m. - 3 clicks 
Thirty years ago, the United States and other developed countries such as Australia, Canada and France had similar traffic death rates of about 25 per 100,000 persons. That toll has been reduced over time thanks to safer cars, safer roads and other factors, but by a significantly lesser margin in our country. A new study [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - 6:42 a.m.
State Republican Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb, "former blogger", loses patience with blogger questions. Brodkorb with his faithful Mark Dayton tracker took the podium after a press conference with Twin City Mayors, DNC chair Tim Kaine and Mark. Link to press conference: http://theuptake.org/2010/09/0... Soren Sorenson, peace activist and blogger tried to follow up with Bodkorb; not ...
Minnesota Progressive Project - 5:49 a.m. - 5 clicks
I found myself chuckling a little last night. I was trading barbs with a neocon on Twitter , when his final comment was that I refused to learn. I wondered how this ass clown felt he was qualified to teach me anything. You don't need a degree in sociology, when you've driven cab as long as I have, to understand life at the poverty level. I see it first hand every day. There have been a couple ...
The Shannon Files - 3:40 a.m.
harvested fennel, root, stem and leaves 490 BC Death of Pheidippides, (530 BC - 490 BC) the ancient Greek hero of the Battle of Marathon during the First Persian Invasion of Greece under Darius I. Pheidippides, as an official herald, ran from Athens to Sparta, a distance of 150 miles, in two days. He then ran another 25 miles from the Marathon battlefield...
Penigma - 1:09 a.m.
He’ll only be in office a few more months, but he wants to destroy whatever he can while he still has a chance. August 31st — “Gov. Pawlenty today signed an executive order directing state agencies to decline all discretionary participation in the federal health care legislation. Newly christened monster Tim Pawlenty, in a futile [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Wed 9:45 p.m. - 7 clicks
I have a full rest of the week, but as a parting gift to you and all the other amateur slime sleuths working on your behalf, I would suggest you buy a plane ticket to New York City, see if......
Across the Great Divide - Wed 9:44 p.m. - 7 clicks
- Glenn Greenwald on right-wing excuse-making in Iraq, etc. The predominant attribute of American elites is a refusal to take responsibility for any failures. The favored tactic for accomplishing this evasion is the "nobody-could-have-known" excuse. - There have been a lot of these types of diaries (don't give up on November) at Daily Kos lately. They're pretty good, I th...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 8:24 p.m.
So what was wrong with the story that Social Security is broke? When Randy Demmer said , "The truth is there's no money there now. There is no social security fund. It's been used up. The government has not taken care of that and the fund is gone," he clearly means there's nothing there now. So of several correct answers, the most correct is probably "If there's no money why haven't the checks s...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 8:09 p.m.
Republican MN-GOV candidate Tom Emmer just put a sign up on a billboard for drivers heading south on Hwy. 494 north of Hwy. 55. It's not exactly a major intersection, but a lot of people drive past it every day. There's only one problem ... can you see it? Team Emmer can't count! There are eight people on the billboard but Tom only cares about seven of them. Ha ha ha ha...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 7:45 p.m.
Could Rupert Murdoch's other "journalistic" ventures be phone-hacking as well? Journalistic ethics, Rupert Murdoch-style : ...AS OF THIS SUMMER, five people have filed lawsuits accusing News Group Newspapers, a division of Rupert Murdoch’s publishing empire that includes News of the World, of breaking into their voice mail. Additional cases are being prepared, including one seeking a judi...
Eyeteeth - Wed 6:06 p.m. - 2 clicks
by Dave Mindeman Luke Hellier over at Minnesota Democrats Exposed got himself into a lather over the divorce records of Mark Dayton. He went into post after post about releasing these "unsealed" documents -- Republican translation: He has something embarrassing in there and we want it. He even got to ask Dayton a question about it at a press conference -- God knows how he got a pass f...
mnpACT! - Wed 4:48 p.m. - 9 clicks
MPR Polinaut : GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign posted a revised ad today, which uses a generic State Fair logo instead of the actual one. Fair officials had objected to the campaign's use of the logo. The Bachmann campaign said yesterday they believed they had the legal right to use the logo but agreed to pull it and substituted it with a generic logo. Michele Bachmann has never believe...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Wed 4:48 p.m. - 5 clicks
Blogger and GOP activist Sheila Kihne has Luke Hellier and other GOP disinformation artists all atwitter over the fact she was unable to verify the employment of Mark Dayton by New York City public schools 40 years ago. It took......
Across the Great Divide - Wed 4:24 p.m. - 12 clicks
New polling data came out today about lame duck Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's anemic 2012 presidential campaign. Pawlenty's presidential hopes have never really gotten off the ground. He has continually polled in the lower single digits. Keep in mind that this is the same flawed MPR/Humphrey Institute poll Joe dissected yesterday. In other words, because of the rig...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 3:07 p.m. - 5 clicks
Before I get too deep into Afghanistan, pray indulge one comment on Iraq. As I hear Republicans who want credit for conditions in Iraq improving, it sounds like demanding credit for picking up broken glass after smashing the windows. Actually, there is a direct relation between Iraq and my main point, because it seems one of the biggest changes we made in Iraq has gone unremarked upon, even thoug...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 2:48 p.m.
Welcome to September - which used to be the seventh month, back when the calendar year started in March, but that changed when the beginning of the year was moved back to January, and the month of July for Julius Cesar, and August, for Augustus, were inserted into the Calendar. For a more complete explanation, I refer our readers to the September " Hot Word Blog " blog ...
Penigma - Wed 12:41 p.m.
When last we checked in on Westbrook, Minn., city leaders were puzzling over how to repave the crumbling streets of the Cottonwood County town of 700. They were staring at a daunting estimate of $2.5 million, five times the city’s annual budget. Now the project is a go, thanks to a surprisingly low bid of [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Wed 12:41 p.m.
Minnesota State Senate District 15, geographically comprising much of St. Cloud and regions south and east, is home to an open seat going into the 2010 election, because incumbent Tarryl Clark is running for the US Congress. Her federal race is the object of no little interest, including here on this website. The DFL candidate is Bruce Hentges. Under 'Priorities' on his website, education...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 12:41 p.m. - 4 clicks
Ethics investigations can take a long time, and so it is not a surprise that an event that happened on December 10th could take until yesterday to result in a formal ethics investigation. Along the way, many have to be investigated … The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) has sent corporate donors and fund-raising hosts more than Follow this link to read more of: MN-03 : Being a Dynamic Fundr...
MN Political Roundtable - Wed 12:07 p.m. - 2 clicks
It caught the reporters and the professional political media by surprise--but you guys, the ones who regularly read my Bachmann stuff here--you weren't that surprised, were you? I'm referring to this: Beck's marriage of politics and religion raising questions By Michelle Boorstein Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 31, 2010 A few weeks before organizing a massive rally on the Mall...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 10:28 a.m.
Hello, traveler. You've located a blog about the Iron Range in northern Minnesota. Stay! Stay! Peek inside the machinery . See the wonderful gears turn like fingers of the gods. It is magic, magic I say! In olden days Iron Rangers lived and died never seeing the powerful pen flicks and filed papers that controlled their very livelihood. Now Google news alerts have pried up the rotten board, ...
MinnesotaBrown - Wed 10:27 a.m. - 4 clicks
Edward Burtynsky , Oil Spill #2, Discoverer Enterprise, May 12, 2010 , via Flavorpill , where you can see the entire series • Starting Monday, likenesses of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera will appear on opposite sides of 500-peso bills in Mexico . • "After serving 30 months in the Navy and participating in four overseas invasions during World War II, comedian Lenny Bruce went to the sic...
Eyeteeth - Wed 10:03 a.m.
As the talk about teacher merit pay continues, there has been little discussion about the benefit of teacher experience even though it is important to a quality education. Let me give you an example: Last night I took my daughter to her seventh-grade open house. Her math teacher met her at the classroom door with [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Wed 9:49 a.m.
The NY Times editorializes that Obama was right not to declare victory. Fox, of course, disagrees — not just with Obama but with everything imaginable including themselves. Read the speech itself here. Juan Cole’s analysis here. See also Glenn Greenwald’s take. [ATR with the shorter Glenn Greenwald] Me? I was watching The Expendables. Too loud, too [...] ...
Norwegianity - Wed 8:50 a.m.
Deanna Coleman, the government witness who blew the whistle on the $3.6 million Ponzi scheme is scheduled for sentencing tomorrow at 9:00 AM. Deanna Coleman was the source for some interesting information about Frank Vennes Jr. (for more about Bachmann's close ties to Mr. Vennes, see yesterday's post about Michele Bachmann and crime ). Here's a screenshot from the FBI affidavit (PDF) that i...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Wed 7:25 a.m. - 10 clicks
On Monday, the Minnesota Department of Education formally applied for $167 million in federal education stimulus funding. The money could save as many as 2,800 teacher jobs in the next year. Not that that matters to Gov. Tim Pawlenty. He’s irked that the money is part of Congress’ $26 billion stimulus package. “The federal government should [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Wed 7:05 a.m. - 15 clicks
Should the dollar remain the United States' form of currency? Should Congress cut its own pay until the budget is balanced? Are you angry at the federal government's policies? Are judges in our country too liberal, too conservative, or about right? What do these questions have in common? They've all been asked recently during polls by major "reputable" pollsters, and they are each useless, vac...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Wed 6:22 a.m.
by Dave Mindeman There is a fine line that elected officials have to walk. It's the line between (a) doing what's best for your constituents and (b) doing what is poltically beneficial for yourself. Governor Pawlenty has thrown (a) out the window and now his only policy test is what will get him another few votes in Iowa. Minnesota is in massive deficit and has health care issues. When it com...
mnpACT! - Wed 1:03 a.m. - 9 clicks
Dave Mindeman on his MNPact.org blog notes that Dakota County Commissioner’s plan to raise property tax rates for transit improvements after failing to obtain the final $20 million through a Federal appropriation : Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline has refused on principle to seek earmarked federal funding for Cedar Avenue, (Dakota County Commissioner Will) Branning said. While Mr. Kline’s Fo...
MN Political Roundtable - Tue 8:47 p.m. - 7 clicks
UPDATED I added the link I neglected to Demmer's quote, and this is the answer . When Republicans push for the privatization of Social Security (one hint on observing politics: when Republicans resume pushing to privatize Social Security, it means they feel cocky) they like to claim Social Security is broke. For example, State Rep. Randy Demmer, who is challenging US Rep. Tim Walz in CD1, said,...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Tue 8:47 p.m. - 6 clicks
Yesterday I read an article in the Star Tribune about how Joel Pourier stole more than $1 million from a charter school in Minneapolis. Pourier was hired by the school in 2002 as a finance director and was later promoted to executive director. When he applied for the position he listed on his resume that he Follow this link to read more of: Our tax dollars aren’t properly funding charter s...
MN Political Roundtable - Tue 8:26 p.m. - 7 clicks
- Dean Baker, of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, has a quick budget quiz, via The Huffington Post. - Much as I dislike linking USA Today, this is an important compiliation of information on record need for anti-poverty programs. - Political Animal: 'Planning ahead for a government shutdown.' Last month, I put the odds of a government shutdown, in ...
Minnesota Progressive Project - Tue 8:25 p.m.
Mark Dayton and Tom Emmer are (more or less) tied in the race for Governor of Minnesota. This is hard to believe. Do half of my fellow Minnesotans really want Emmer, a right-wing extremist who despises certain random people and wants to gut every helpful program in this state, to replace the current right-wing extremist? [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Tue 8:03 p.m. - 11 clicks
Interesting news, in part from ThinkProgress. At Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) “House Call” rally, ThinkProgress produced a video report exposing Koch for paying for dozens of buses for anti-health reform activists to reach DC. We also captured the picture of a large banner comparing health reform to the Holocaust. The Koch Brothers are famous billionaires [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Tue 6:30 p.m. - 4 clicks
The Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District – one of the few districts in Minnesota that has no locally funded operating levy – will ask voters to support a $500 per pupil operating levy referendum even though it has cut $2.4 million of the district’s $8 million budget over the last three years and that the last two [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Tue 4:41 p.m. - 9 clicks
free range (uncaged) large poultry operation Minnesota is a 'fly-over' state, one which is active in producing the food supplies for the entire nation and beyond. In this context, I contacted the office of one of our Minnesota senators, junior Senator Al Franken. My response to that contact was extraordinarily prompt, and as has been my experience when contacting h...
Penigma - Tue 3:28 p.m. - 4 clicks
Yesterday's post about Central Corridor parking linked to a story [scroll down to July 22; original Finance and Commerce link is dead] quoting the owner of Swank Retro antiques. He said he has 22 spaces in front of his store,......
Across the Great Divide - Tue 3:28 p.m. - 4 clicks
Today I am confronted with two alarming facts: Minnesota is home to a roller derby league reviving the all-female rollerskating battle sport phenomenon from the 1970s. The Iron Range DOES NOT have a team in this league. Well, we DIDN'T until I discovered this , the recruitment page for the Iron Range Maidens. They need 20 women roller athletes and all manner of coaches, equipment managers ...
MinnesotaBrown - Tue 1:20 p.m. - 7 clicks
by Dave Mindeman Yesterday, the USA Today had a front page story which I think everyone should examine. As the partisan debate over spending and deficits rages on, these statistics should give us pause: --Anti-poverty programs now serve 1 in 6 Americans. --50 million Americans are now on Medicaid. --40 million Americans now get Food Stamps. --10 million people get Unemployment Benefits. (4...
mnpACT! - Tue 12:50 p.m. - 4 clicks
Associated Press: Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's latest critical TV ad uses the Minnesota State Fair to look at her Democratic rival's tax record. Just one problem - Bachmann used the fair's trademarked logo without permission. MinnPost: Says Fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette in an e-mail: "The Minnesota State Fair logo is trademarked. Michelle Bachmann’s campaign did not ask f...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Tue 12:50 p.m. - 16 clicks
In the nearly twenty years since Minnesota authorized charter schools, charter school advocates have championed their educational model as the solution to nearly every traditional school problem. Asserting that charter schools will educate children better and at lower cost, they’ve also consistently resisted educational and organizational standards for publicly funded schools. When Minnesota 2020 ...
Hindsight 2020 - Tue 10:25 a.m. - 9 clicks
Black Robe Regiment? Do the ret.-tards who attended that freaking rally have any idea how extreme or heretical Beck’s theology is? More: Clusterfuck Nation [with Spotty reinforcement] Tons of pictures Digby with someof the stories behind the pictures A perversion of the gospels ATR on the Washington monument story Marketwatch on Beckapalooza Bachmann’s three-dollar bill’s worth [...
Norwegianity - Tue 9:22 a.m. - 2 clicks
As a nerd engaged in a lifelong battle with body weight, an event called "Lunch and Learn" is a siren call to be heeded. Maybe for you too? Iron Range historian Pam Brunfelt will be the featured speaker at this Minnesota Humanities Center event Thursday, Sept. 9 at Valentini's in Chisholm. I'll be there. Join me! ( RSVP ) Here's the description: What would U.S. history look like without M...
MinnesotaBrown - Tue 8:41 a.m. - 8 clicks
If you can't see it, the dolphin in the second piece is stuck in a net and jumping a BP barrel. Via Andrew Flanagan . ...
Eyeteeth - Tue 7:40 a.m. - 2 clicks
Bachmann's accusations that Democrats are using teachers to launder money, that the President is running a Ponzi scheme, that the Obama administration is "a gangster government" etc. makes me suspect that this is the Rovian tactic of attacking others on stuff which she is vulnerable. Michele Bachmann has been connected to several criminals and crimes, solved and unsolved. There's her conne...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Tue 7:28 a.m. - 2 clicks
Our latest analysis, released today, “Minnesota 2020 Property Tax Report: 2002-2010″, outlines how eight years of regressive “no new taxes” state policy has forced local governments to rely more heavily on property taxes as a source of revenue while also making deep cuts in education, infrastructure and public services. Take a look at the report [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Tue 6:20 a.m. - 9 clicks
I remember it as if it happened yesterday. KSTP-AM 1500 had rolled out a new duo in its 9am-1pm slot. Shawn Prebil and Chris Murphy brought a fresh approach to what had become a stagnant, heavily right leaning line up of talk shows on that station. The pair debated on many issues of public interest without becoming uber-political. I became an instant fan of the show, however, Prebil and Murphy ...
The Shannon Files - Tue 6:09 a.m.
Today’s Must Read story comes from Newsweek’s Andrew Romano (here are the highlights) : Nothing is more important to Republican politicians these days than jobs and the deficit. Elect Republicans in November, as House Minority Leader John Boehner put it, we will put an end to this insanity. There’s only one problem with Boehner’s message: Follow this link to read more of: House Re...
MN Political Roundtable - Tue 6:09 a.m. - 4 clicks
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) begged for donations Monday on the Michael Savage hate radio show, even though she has her own fund-raising PAC and is a star money-raiser for the GOP and the Tea Party. Or is she? Bachmann and Savage share their paranoia and conspiracy theories and whine about the media not covering the [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Tue 12:06 a.m. - 5 clicks
Caligula 12 Birth of the infamous Roman Emperor, Gaius Caligula, (d. 41) Commodus 161 Birth of Commodus, another Roman Emperor (d. 192) Commodus fancied himself a gladiator, staging spectacles in which it was always arranged for him to win. He was assassinated after behaving in e...
Penigma - Mon 10:50 p.m. - 2 clicks
They both agree that there was over a million people at Glen Beck's rally on Saturday. Bachmann says there were 10,000 people at her post-rally "town-hall meeting".... then Savage and Bachmann REALLY let loose their flying monkeys. Listen: ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Mon 9:20 p.m. - 4 clicks
Over and over we've heard that the Central Corridor light rail line running between St. Paul and Minneapolis will eliminate 85% of on-street parking along University Avenue. Periodically, I bike commute along University, and since I've done some consulting related......
Across the Great Divide - Mon 9:20 p.m. - 13 clicks
The person we really need to represent us in Minnesota’s sixth district, someone who cares and won’t just go through the motions is Tarryl Clark — hopefully our next Congresswoman. Help us make it happen! Our current Congresswoman is Michele Bachmann, and she cares far more about raising money and her own fame than the [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Mon 8:02 p.m. - 10 clicks
MinnPost: This morning's news conference took a sharp turn, however, when Luke Hellier, who runs a conservative website Minnesota Democrats Exposed, started asking Dayton about his divorce records a decade ago from Janice Haarstick, his second wife. Earlier, he and his first wife, Alida Rockefeller Messinger, had divorced. On his website and in repeated questions to Dayton this morning, ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Mon 7:06 p.m. - 28 clicks
Interesting quotes from a new, fluffy article about Michele Bachmann are in abundance in this month’s Minnesota Monthly. Yeah, yeah, it’s a “study in perspectives”, but it’s far too positive to describe the nutty Michele Bachmann. First, let me say how horrified I am by most of the things Bachmann says in public. Her 2008 [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Mon 6:09 p.m. - 54 clicks
From the Tarryl Clark Campaign: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Lucking August 28, 2010 St. Cloud, MN AFTER 2 DAY DRIVE-BY OF DISTRICT, BACHMANN CONTINUES HER 'ANYWHERE BUT HERE TOUR' Bachmann holds townhall in Washington, D.C., not at home After a brief, 2-day drive-by of her home District, Michele Bachmann spent Friday night and today holding her own rallies and events in conjunction w...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Mon 6:08 p.m. - 17 clicks
These days, one needs an education to get anywhere. But some kids whose parents move quite a bit, cross country, can find inconsistencies in education levels from state to state. Click here to listen... ...
The Shannon Files - Mon 5:41 p.m.
by Dave Mindeman An article in the Apple Valley paper regarding the latest Dakota County Commissioner's meeting caught my attention. Especially this little blurb: Commissioners also talked about raising the 2011 Regional Rail levy 38 percent. Although the percentage increase sounds significant, the result on a median-value home, which for 2011 is $206,100, would increase $2.35 per year, go...
mnpACT! - Mon 3:27 p.m. - 13 clicks
In the 1988 Presidential Election, Senator Lloyd Bentson of Texas debated then Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana. In one of the more famous lines, Bentson rebuked Quayle for likening himself to John F. (Jack) Kennedy. Quayle went on to be elected Vice President as George H. W. Bush's running mate. He also went on to ignominy as a result of being eviscerated weekly on a television show "Murphy Brow...
Penigma - Mon 1:30 p.m. - 4 clicks
by Dave Mindeman Paul Krugman was on CNBC (financial channel) for a brief segment today. He held his ground, as a conservative talking head interviewer tried to get him to criticize the original stimulus package. Krugman has remained consistent from the beginning of this financial crisis....he has maintained that the original stimulus package was half the size it needed to be. Democrats were t...
mnpACT! - Mon 1:06 p.m.
Because the state is delaying aid payment to schools, many districts are making other arrangements to pay their bills. One such district is Caledonia Public Schools. While the district is in good financial shape, the school board decided earlier this month to take out nearly $3 million in general aid anticipation certificates. According to the [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Mon 12:50 p.m. - 2 clicks
Minnesota’s state budget ax has fallen hard on higher education, forcing the U of M and MnSCU to reduce departments, programs, and instructors, resulting in fewer class offerings. Here’s what’s in the trash bin: Minnesota State University–Mankato cut 28 programs and will reduce many more; St. Cloud State University is eliminating 26 programs, including its [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Mon 12:50 p.m. - 7 clicks
The Taxpayers’ League of Minnesota (TLM) is supporting a charter amendment that would cap the rate of spending growth in the City of Greenfield. Such spending restraints are generally a bad idea. Local officials—elected by city residents—are in the best position to gauge the need for spending increases or spending reductions. Hardwired caps cannot anticipate [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Mon 12:50 p.m. - 7 clicks
Bradlee Dean's ministry of hate tweets their return to the The Great Minnesota Get-Together: Stop by our booth at the MN State Fair. Located on Dan Patch and Cooper Ave. by the Merchandise Mart! Here's some pics of the creepy YCRBYCH booth (click on the pics to make them bigger): ... and here's Bradlee & Jake at the AM 1280 "The Patriot" booth. The "Sons of Liberty" wil...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Mon 12:49 p.m. - 16 clicks
Michele Bachmann on Laura Ingraham radio show: The crowds were overwhelming. If you saw the aerials on the Drudge Report this weekend, there was an aerial photo.... Unofficially, off-the-record we talked we talked to one of the guys from the National Park Police who told us he thought it was 1.6 million. There had to be over a million people there. People were packed in from the Washington Monum...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Mon 12:27 p.m. - 3 clicks
Readers of my book, "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range," might remember that I'm a fan of the myth and historical impact surrounding the Northwest Passage. Northern Minnesota's Iron Range was just one of many regions that early European explorers believed might have been part of the fabled "sea route to the Orient." The St. Louis River, Lake Vermilion and the mighty Mississippi, all o...
MinnesotaBrown - Mon 11:41 a.m. - 7 clicks
The last time a Democrat sat in the White House, he faced a nonstop witch hunt by his political opponents. Prominent figures on the right accused Bill and Hillary Clinton of everything from drug smuggling to murder. And once Republicans took control of Congress, they subjected the Clinton administration to unrelenting harassment — at one [...] ...
Norwegianity - Mon 8:44 a.m. - 3 clicks
There's a post on MPR's Polinaut that quotes Bachmann saying she has no personal antipathy to President Obama: GOP Congresswoman Michele Bachmann told MPR that the various rallies she participated in this past weekend in D.C. were not motivated by harsh feelings towards President Obama. Bachmann held a "Tea Party Rally" on the Washington Monument grounds Saturday. It was one of several cons...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Mon 7:08 a.m. - 3 clicks
When we first considered building our current house in the country, what struck me about the site was this tall white pine along the property line. The woods around northern Minnesota's Iron Range once teemed with some of the largest white pine in North America, a fact that literally put the place on the map as loggers, then miners, then tourists poured in from places with smaller trees. The ...
MinnesotaBrown - Mon 6:23 a.m. - 8 clicks
by Dave Mindeman You know if you are Michele Bachmann, and you are going to go to all the expense of getting a bus with your likeness emblazoned all over it, you really ought to get more than 2 days out of it, don't you think? Well, at least she made some appearances in the 6th District. It's so hard for her to fit in the time you know. She has rallies and revivals and media events to attend...
mnpACT! - Sun 10:22 p.m. - 16 clicks
Ming Musketeers illustration 1363 Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang—are pitted against each other in what is one of the largest naval battles in history, during the last decade of the ailing, Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty that had been founded by Kublai Khan and his Golden Horde. It wa...
Penigma - Sun 8:08 p.m. - 3 clicks
John Kline (R-MN-02) warned us on September 29, 2009 : Congressman John Kline, the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today strongly criticized legislation that would dramatically expand the federal government by eliminating the private sector-based federal student loan program and spending tens of billions of dollars on a range of new Follow this link to read more o...
MN Political Roundtable - Sun 5:27 p.m. - 10 clicks
by Dave Mindeman Glen Beck's "revival" meeting reminds me of an ever present problem with our ability to debate substantive issues these days. Religion. I don't mind discussing the pros and cons of legislative initiative in regard to economics. How taxes affect our economic condition or what programs constitute priorities are things worthy of public discussion. I can understand ...
mnpACT! - Sun 5:26 p.m. - 4 clicks
Newser.com: CBS News: Commissioned AirPhotosLive.com, which estimated the crowd at 87,000. With a 9,000-person margin of error, the real number could be anywhere between 78,000 and 96,000. NBC Nightly News: “Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands.” ABC News: “More than 100,000 people.” National Parks Service: According to Chuck Todd, that organization’s estimate was 300,000 to 325,000. Fox Ne...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Sun 5:26 p.m. - 8 clicks
The Southern Poverty Law Center: Pulido's coziness with the gay-bashing IFI was no more notable than that of some Minnesota elected officials' with You Can Run But You Cannot Hide Intl. Inc., a music ministry that brings punk rock evangelism into public schools in the Midwest. On a May 15 radio show, the ministry's front man, Bradlee Dean, applauded the call of some Muslims for violence agains...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Sun 12:47 p.m. - 9 clicks
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune . A version of this piece ran in Saturday's edition of "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE . School days spring fresh every fall By Aaron J. Brown You have to love the unbending reality of seasons. A mere human can’t change the weather and holds only minimal ability to survive any given ti...
MinnesotaBrown - Sun 11:02 a.m. - 4 clicks
By the time I woke up the NYTimes had already buried Glenn Beck’s rally on an inside page and I had to search for it. The Strib’s story veered into some classic Michele Bachmann: While the main event’s organizers portrayed it as a patriotic exercise to restore traditional moral values, Bachmann waded directly into partisan [...] ...
Norwegianity - Sun 9:20 a.m. - 2 clicks
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama 1498 Vasco da Gama decided to leave Calicut in southwest India, and returned to Portugal. Portuguese trade and imperial expansion encountered conflict with the rival Ottoman Empire in the Indian Ocean and around the Horn of Africa for control of trade routes with India. Ottoman Navy in the ...
Penigma - Sun 4:01 a.m. - 4 clicks
I had to chuckle at the observation made that was made about the Beckapolooza rally at the Lincoln Memorial, yesterday. It was noted by someone on my Twitter feed that it looked like Beck was addressing a good sized Weight Watchers' convention. So I began to wonder, am I one of the few lard assed Progressives in this country? Then it dawned on me, I'm not your run of the mill Liberal. As sh...
The Shannon Files - Sun 3:23 a.m. - 5 clicks
Andy Steiner wrote a well-balanced profile of Michele Bachmann. She interviewed both those who supported Bachmann and those who opposed her. She interviewed both myself, and Ken Avidor for this article. From the article: In comic books, it’s easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys. That may explain why Ken Avidor, a blogger, illustrator, transit activist, and comic-book artist from Min...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Sat 7:49 p.m. - 17 clicks
This past Thursday, after a couple of hours greeting State Fair visitors from the Minnesota Senate booth, I headed south to Savage to step aboard a barge for a trip down the Minnesota and Mississippi River towards St. Paul. The trip was sponsored by the Highway 169 Corridor Coalition as over 100 members made the [...]...
Mr. Dahle Goes to St. Paul - Sat 2:09 p.m. - 16 clicks
by Dave Mindeman I fully understand that people are worried about the deficit. Anybody who says that Democrats aren't concerned about it are just flat out wrong. And, despite all the lofty rhetoric, Republicans are only worried about it when they can make it an election issue. After all, wasn't it Dick Cheney that informed us that "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter"? My comp...
mnpACT! - Sat 11:46 a.m. - 18 clicks
I think the plan is for Glenn to keep talking until the media all agree to use his crowd estimate. I don’t have cable so I’m just seeing the Post’s online feed, but it’s telling that they don’t pan the audience. The few pictures I’ve seen suggest the estimates of “tens of thousands” should perhaps [...] ...
Norwegianity - Sat 10:40 a.m. - 4 clicks
The Paleo-Americans at the Lincoln Memorial (PALM) Saturday fun fest is underway. Michele Bachmann: The focus of the rally will be on American exceptionalism. Hence, the title Restoring Honor…. I have had African Americans, Latino’s, men, woman, young, old, retired and people from every economic strata contact me with their concern for the Obama Agenda. [...] ...
Norwegianity - Sat 9:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
Tiffany stained glass window of St. Augustine 430 Death of Augustine of Hippo, North African saint and theologian (b. 354) Augustine lived in the Roman African Province which was at one time Carthage, and is now Tunisia. He is considered a founding church father of Christianity and is considered the originator of the concepts of original sin and just...
Penigma - Sat 9:41 a.m.
The Oikos Project's Jellyfish Theatre, London (during construction) • " London’s first fully-functioning theatre made entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials ," Jellyfish Theatre is "a unique mix of public-made art, architecture and performance that explores how a new sustainable society can flourish in a world altered by climate change." It debuted the new work Oikos on Thurs...
Eyeteeth - Sat 9:41 a.m.
Tom Rukavina, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, and former House Speaker Bob Vanasek are scheduled to attend a reception and fundraiser for me at the lakeside home of Mike Thorsteinson on Thursday, September 16, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Please come and bring a friend. More details and directions are in the attached flyer. ...
MN Representative David Bly, District 25B - Fri 8:05 p.m. - 3 clicks
If you're like me, you don't need images of bloated bodies and rooftop refugees to be reminded of the devastation left behind after Hurricane Katrina five years ago this week. Which is why Richard Misrach's photo series, now on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is so striking: His unpopulated images of spraypainted messages marking flood-ravaged homes conjure the despair, rage and resil...
Eyeteeth - Fri 2:08 p.m. - 5 clicks
Strib: Rep. Michele Bachmann will hold her own rally on Saturday on the Washington Monument grounds immediately following Glenn Beck’s rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally has been trumpeted as a “non-political” event that’s unconnected to the Tea Party, and conservative officeholders are mostly staying at arms’ length. But Bachmann is attending the Beck rally, said ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Fri 1:03 p.m. - 7 clicks
The negative political ad was born on September 7, 1964 … The advertisement begins with a little girl (Birgitte Olsen) standing in a meadow with chirping birds, picking the petals of what appears to be a daisy counting each petal slowly. (Because she does not know her numbers perfectly, she repeats some and says others in the Follow this link to read more of: Which MN Democrat Will American Futu...
MN Political Roundtable - Fri 12:45 p.m. - 9 clicks
One of the things that bothers me about the treatment of modern day politicians is that they are expected, from day one, to have formulated their policy stance on every single issue and are not allowed to deviate from it until the end of time. Thank you Karl Rove for cementing the term “flip-flopper” into [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Fri 11:22 a.m. - 3 clicks
Think Progress: This Saturday, the polarizing Fox News pundit Glenn Beck is hosting his Restoring Honor Rally in Washington, DC. Even though conservative celebrity and “potential 2012 presidential candidate” Sarah Palin will speak and Tea Party darling Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) will attend, Beck is pitching the rally as a “non-political, non-partisan event” to “honor the troops, unite the A...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Fri 11:22 a.m. - 3 clicks
Saturday morning's edition of "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE explores a topic close to my heart, "Back to School." Guest host Maddi Frick, a college student about to head back to campus herself, will be leading the conversation. She's got a great name and a smooth drinkin' public radio voice, so give it a listen for that alone. My commentary will touch on the unique "back to school" nature...
MinnesotaBrown - Fri 10:05 a.m. - 2 clicks
contemporary bas relief of one of the Persian 'Achamenid' Kings, probably either Xerxes I or his father Darius I from Persepolis 479 BC In the Greco-Persian Wars, Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan commander of the Greek army in the Battle of Plataea. This was part of the ancient wars between the city states of Greece and Perisa,...
Penigma - Fri 9:42 a.m. - 3 clicks
We export terror. And yes, it’s profoundly unAmerican of me to point out what complete and total hypocritical fucking bastards we’ve become. - Politics: T minus one day until Glenn Beck restores our honor by puking his brains out on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial [more from John Avlon, Will Bunch, Eric Boehlert] Murkowski [...] ...
Norwegianity - Fri 8:10 a.m. - 7 clicks
After turning down $1.4 billion in funds for early Medicaid expansion this June and a $1 million grant to reduce insurance premiums earlier this month, Governor Pawlenty may turn down yet another $263 million in Medicaid dollars. Failure to accept the funds by the September 24 deadline would bring the tally for federal health care [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Fri 7:02 a.m. - 15 clicks
William Powhida , Tips for Artists Who Want To Sell (New and Unimproved) , a 2010 remake of Baldessari's 1966-68 Tips for Artists Who Want to Sell . ...
Eyeteeth - Fri 7:02 a.m. - 3 clicks
A few days ago, a cab driver, in New York City. was attacked, with a knife. The attacker asked the driver, before the attack, if he was a Muslim. I admit, over the last couple of years, I have been hard on the Somali cab drivers, here in the Twin Cities. My feelings were based on their driving and customer service skills and nothing to do with their ethnicity or religion. That said, as cab dri...
The Shannon Files - Fri 6:50 a.m. - 5 clicks
by Dave Mindeman Listening to the 3 Governor candidates debate the state's public pension shortfall, I can't help but notice how the onus tends to be put on the public employees themselves. Tom Emmer in particular brings us the key quotes: "They [public employees] get the guarantee of their future, while the rest of us, if we're lucky enough to have a 401k plan, are watching it ride the r...
mnpACT! - Thu 10:03 p.m. - 8 clicks
CNN Political Ticker: Bachmann fires assault rifle, ends 2-day tour with a bang Anoka, Minnesota (CNN) – Embracing her strong pro-gun stance, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann fired off a few rounds from an M4 carbine Thursday morning, according to employees of a local ammunition manufacturer in her district. The pro-Second Amendment conservative and rising Tea Party movement icon m...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 10:03 p.m. - 23 clicks
You can now see all the Minnesota governor debates in their entirety and even read transcripts of them, thanks to The Uptake’s debate site here. The debate video below is from August 26th at General Mills. The debate included the 3 major candidates, Mark Dayton, DFL Party; Tom Horner, Independence Party; and Tom Emmer, Republican [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Thu 7:09 p.m. - 11 clicks
PBS' NewsHour has produced a video about CSA, the Community Supported Art project co-organized by Springboard for the Arts and mnartists.org. The video segment features Springboard's Laura Zabel, Minneapolis artist Andy Ducett and yours truly. Watch it here. ...
Eyeteeth - Thu 7:09 p.m. - 9 clicks
Hometime Source : City of Ramsey needs help for new passenger rail station by Don Heinzman -- The city of Ramsey needs congressional help to get $3.5 million in federal funds to help build a new passenger rail station for the Northstar Commuter Rail service, a necessary component of a 400-acre transit-oriented commercial development. To finance the rail station, the city first applied unsucce...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 6:07 p.m. - 9 clicks
Politico has an interesting article about MichelePAC, Michele Bachmann's PAC formed to help elect "constutional conservatives", which is code for theocrats. House Republican aides think Bachmann could be helpful but warn that staying on the same team is important. “Michele Bachmann wants to win back the House as much as anyone, to serve as a check on the unbridled liberal agenda of the past 1...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 5:25 p.m. - 5 clicks
Embedding is disabled, but you can view the video here, to listen to her theocratic drivel. She confuses the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The video promotes the Keep God In America website. Michele Bachmann claims to be a "constitutional conservative", but knows little about the constitution. For example, during her recent interview with "Judge" Napolitano, Bachmann st...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 5:01 p.m. - 4 clicks
Hey dear reader, I’m taking a break from blogging until after the November election. As always, I hope there’s a positive (what is the candidate “for”?), insightful, genuine, and thoughtful message out there for you to consider as you decide which candidate is best. I truly believe any democrat is your best choice. [...]...
Holly Cairns - Thu 2:44 p.m. - 8 clicks
Like a boy chasing after a moved-on ex-girlfriend, Minnesota elected officials flew to Michigan earlier this week, pleading with the Ford Motor Company for just one more chance. This pitch–if you keep the plant open, we’ll give you stuff like tax breaks–didn’t work the previous dozen times and it didn’t work Wednesday. Minnesota missed the [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Thu 1:24 p.m. - 12 clicks
Kevin Diaz at the Strib : U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann has been added as a last-minute speaker at the Defending the American Dream ® Summit in Washington, D.C., Friday night, on the eve of Glenn Beck’s controversial “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Bachmann, who has spoken at the annual summit before, is expected to be one of the few national office holders to attend Saturday’s ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 11:07 a.m. - 4 clicks
By now you’ve heard about the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) probe into for-profit colleges. This undercover investigation looked into 15 for-profit colleges in six states and Washington, D.C. The GAO selected these colleges based on several factors, including the fact they all received 89% or more of their revenue from federal student aid. The findings [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Thu 10:07 a.m. - 7 clicks
Today I'm introducing a guest blogger to add some variety and perspective to the content here. I met Jeff Manuel at a book event in the Twin Cities and he's been sending me some fascinating reading material ever since. He explains the series of posts he'll be sharing here in coming weeks: Hello, Minnesota Browners! I want to thank Aaron for letting me contribute to the blog. As someone who is...
MinnesotaBrown - Thu 9:40 a.m. - 17 clicks
From MinnPost's Derek Wallbank's account of Bachmann's bus tour: National press were barred from the bus (“Local media only,” her handlers repeatedly told a national camera crew) so Bachmann could talk to MinnPost, the Star Tribune, local Associated Press, MPR, WCCO, KARE, St. Cloud reporters and others about her district specifically. Eric Roper at the T he Star Tribune: Aside from a...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 9:40 a.m. - 16 clicks
Friends of Tarryl Clark: Last Tuesday, Michele Bachmann introduced us to "Jim the Election Guy" in the first of what will apparently be a series of attack ads. In it, "Jim" calls Tarryl Clark names - with a smile on his face. Very "Minnesota Nice" isn't it? No one knows who "Jim the Election Guy" is, but today, we'd like to introduce you to Jim the Actual Voter. Actually, we'd like to introduce...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 9:22 a.m. - 11 clicks
The Midway: Ground Zero for Fair goers It has started. The Minnesota State Fair is underway and from now until Labor Day north-south Fair traffic will exceed the east-west commuter traffic running past my place as 1.7 million people a day infest the Midway (not that the city has adjusted the timing on the traffic [...] ...
Norwegianity - Aug 26 - 12 clicks
The word most frequently thrown around to describe our climb out of the economic abyss would have to be “jobless.” Despite an unemployment rate that nearly eclipsed the national number in spring 2009, Minnesota’s recovery has not been entirely without job creation. To see how this recovery stacked up, we compared employment trends in the [...]...
Hindsight 2020 - Aug 26 - 12 clicks
Bachmann Supporter and Fellow Traveler (see sidebar to the left) has a blog post on his "Lake Minnetonka Liberty" blog titled "Mark Dayton & SEIU, do you really need another reason not to vote for him?" . This is what The Admiral had to say about SEIU Local 26 President Javier Morillo-Alicea : That’s right, and what business is it of yours, Javier, how much money Target makes? It doesn’t conc...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Aug 26 - 19 clicks
Chittorgarh fort, national symbol and tourist attraction 1303 Alauddin Khilji, Muslim Sultan of Delhi, captures Hindu Chittorgarh, the largest medieval era fort in India, ostensibly out of fascination for the beauty of the Queen/ Rani Padmini, wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh. Rani Padmini threw herself to a fiery death to escape Alauddin Khiliji. Tha...
Penigma - Aug 26 - 3 clicks
I'm still on the mailing list for the Asian Carp controversy . A ruling on whether the threat of this invasive species will close two of the Chicago locks is expected soon. MInnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher has the story . Mostly I'm writing this because I get to show more carp pictures. Is that wrong? Probably. ...
MinnesotaBrown - Aug 25 - 17 clicks
Remember this? Now former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman is coming out as gay . The New York Times covers it here . Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic interviewed Mehlman where he came out publicly . Privately, in off-the-record conversations with this reporter over the years, Mehlman voiced support for civil unions and told of how, in private discussions with senior Republican officials, he...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Aug 25 - 5 clicks
Lately, predictably, there have been letters and ads and essays written on the “oddness” of Senator Mark Dayton’s (the DFL candidate for governor in Minnesota) closure of his senate office shortly before the election of 2004. This is all an effort to paint him as “erratic”, all because he took careful precautions during the hyped-up [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Aug 25 - 9 clicks
The next-to-final show of the "Art in the Park" Iron Range music series hits the Minnesota Discovery Center amphitheater stage Thursday night in Chisholm. Support local musicians Thursday, August 26, at Minnesota Discovery Center’s Art in the Park event. Music begins at 6 p.m. featuring Deafman’s Radio, a blues and rockabilly ensemble out of northern Minnesota, followed by Full Range, a vocal ...
MinnesotaBrown - Aug 25 - 12 clicks
stylized 16th c. iconographic image of Ivan IV 1530 – Birth of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia, known as Ivan the Terrible in English (d. 1584) As Grand Prince of Moscow, he expanded Russian borders eastward through military conquest of what had been territory of the Golden Horde. These included the khanate of Kazan, which encompassed Tatarstan and Bashkortostan;...
Penigma - Aug 25 - 2 clicks
There was a news story in the local paper a couple of days ago about "straw" gun buyers. In the story, police authorities note that perhaps 90% of gun crimes are committed with guns coming from straw buyers. The gun dealer in the article didn't appear to voice any objection to the laws requiring him to ensure that if he notes a gun will not be used by the buyer but instead by another party, that...
Penigma - Aug 25 - 3 clicks
The Ashland Current reports that an Illinois coal mining company is looking at the feasibility of opening a taconite mine in northern Wisconsin. The Gogebic-Penokee Iron Range is a formation that runs from east of Ashland, Wis., through the western portion of Michigan's upper peninsula. Though the politics of mining in this part of northern Wisconsin, which isn't accustomed to open pit min...
MinnesotaBrown - Aug 25 - 2 clicks
On a professional level, I'd welcome a strike by Metro Transit drivers. The last time they walked the picket line, cab drivers made bank. Seriously though, area bus drivers earn every dime they make. Most of you that read this, probably never ride the bus or at least not some of the more problematic routes. It's not by chance that On a professional level, I'd welcome a strike by Metro Transit d...
The Shannon Files - Aug 25 - 3 clicks
He needs a hat to make it a perfect match, but yes, I think Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is busy repeating a part of history that no one else (in their right mind) thinks is worth repeating. Luckily I seem to be without rightwing readers at the moment, or I’m sure I’d hear about this [...] ...
Norwegianity - Aug 25 - 3 clicks
My favorites from Tom Scott's " Journalism Warning Labels " series. Via Rebel Art . ...
Eyeteeth - Aug 25 - 3 clicks
Rob Cockerham at Cockeyed has a little contest : Throw up a fake "Store Opening" sign in the window of a vacant storefront or warehouse in your town, take a snap and send in the image. It's a way to "liven up our neighborhood streets and remind everyone that economic recovery is just around the corner." Deadline: 11:59 Pacific this Friday night. Via Urban Prankster . ...
Eyeteeth - Aug 25 - 3 clicks
I would introduce our Penigma readers to a recent blog roll addition, 'Hot Word', an adjunct to the online dictionary, "Dictionary.com". Completely apolitical, for those of us who are word junkies, as I and some of my colleagues are, I hope you will enjoy it. 'Stan map Today is doubly fun because it deals with another interest, geography, in this case one that also ties in to ...
Penigma - Aug 24
You'll notice some changes here at MinnesotaBrown.com. With some fantastic help from my wife Christina we've implemented a new template and header. This is part of my long range plan to do more creative work here on the blog in addition to my established regional and state commentary. Think The Awl but with mostly one author and based entirely on the Iron Range. I am certain to succeed! And whe...
MinnesotaBrown - Aug 24 - 8 clicks
Unfortunately, cab driving doesn't pay well enough to pay all the bills I've acquired over the years, so I figure I will run for governor of Minnesota in 2014. Here's my platform... I'd help any Minnesotan who had the desire to better their lives. As for those who insist on living a life of crime, I'd provide long term housing, at a nearby penitentiary. I'd promote an extension to t...
The Shannon Files - Aug 24 - 5 clicks
More on Bachmann’s view of America. Today, she released her first ad from her $4.5 million dollar war chest, an ad with a bow-legged guy. It’s meant to illustrate how the very mainstream Tarryl Clark is supposedly going to tax everyone into oblivion. It illustrates, more than anything, how gullible and stupid she thinks [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
Michele Bachmann’s America is all about fund raising to support the candidates and the twisted ideologies of the Tea Party and the GOP, and has nothing to do with real people in Minnesota who need her representation. She doesn’t even meet with people in her district anymore. We are not worth her time. This is [...] ...
Pro MN Politics - Aug 24 - 6 clicks
Update: Courtesy of middle east expert Juan Cole's blog, Informed Comment - see our blog roll - where a commenter posted a link to the story over on the Daily Kos - but read Juan Cole first. ( http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/8/24/895800/-Murdoch-...
Penigma - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
Yumi Roth, Meta Mapa , 2007 • Yumi Roth 's Meta Mapa , as described in the engrossing new book From Here to There: A Curious Collection from the Hand Drawn Map Association : "...Yumi invites local residents to draw maps on their hands that lead to interesting places in their neighborhoods. She photographs the maps and then prints them to create actual maps that she and others then use ...
Eyeteeth - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
Click to listen to the blogcast It seems to me that no matter how much corporate money gets thrown in the mix, the voters still have the last say. ...
The Shannon Files - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
detail, J.N. Sylvestre's 1890 painting "The Sack of Rome by the Visigoths on August 24, 410" 410 The Visigoths under Alaric I begin to pillage Rome for three days; part of the "Migration Period" aka "Barbarian Invasions" from 300 to 700. Christianity had been the official religion of the Roman Empire for about 20 years; some Romans blamed...
Penigma - Aug 23 - 3 clicks
This evening I met with a few of the people cheated by Trevor Cook. There is much more to say than simply these scant few words, and I hope to write more on the subject in the next few days, but I was left with a deep and abiding sorrow. Sorrow at the hurts they've received and sorrow that there is little I can do to help. Each day in this world many people are born, many others die. There are ...
Penigma - Aug 23 - 3 clicks
I find myself wondering, this morning, does Tarryl Clark have have any chance of derailing the Michelle Bachmann machine. The darling of the Tea Party and Fox News has hit the ground running, with radio ads targeting the Nancy Pelosi controlled House of Representatives. It's plain to see that Bachmann has plenty of cash to be able to run so many radio spots so early in the campaign. She also had a...
The Shannon Files - Aug 23 - 2 clicks
When you live in a place like the Iron Range, you learn to cope with a lot of stuff that needs "saving." Local businesses need saving. Mines need saving. The arts need saving. Schools need saving. Everybody's got problems and no institution is really safe. The population is aging and the economy is stuck wearing moon boots like they were new. You can't save it all, so you save what you can. This i...
MinnesotaBrown - Aug 23 - 2 clicks
Pompeii fresco of Vesuvius c. 79 AD 79 Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire; the subsequent eruption destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. The eruption changed the course of the Sarno river, and altered the coastline. Both towns were abandoned until Pompeii was accidentally rediscovered in ...
Penigma - Aug 23 - 2 clicks
