Legalectric

(So does someone have a more “appropriate” photo? No, I won’t put up the horse’s ass!)

Regime change begins at home!

Though not in time to stop the prior regime’s declaration that there would be no candidate signs or display tables at the convention (how bizarre, this is a county political convention!?!?!), the spirit of the Rice County DFL convention was clearly spirited. And in strolls the new boss, up early in the a.m., all decked out and ready to rock — the Screening Committee (NOTE CORRECTION!!) got a screening done — did their job as best they could with half missing — the nomination was made and the guy with the mighty mighty pen (laptop?) won the election and is the new chair! As someone said, “That just isn’t done!” But of course it is, particularly where a situation warrants change, where the people demand change. Right guy in the right place, ready to take it on, couldn’t be better! As the Larry Long tune goes, it’s time to “STAND UP!” Or for that matter, “BE THE CHANGE!” (Can you tell Larry Long was there last night? Below…)

Erick Sommers is the new Chair of the Rice County DFL! It’s a new day. Erick Sommers can put his creativity to the test and lead the Rice County DFL to help unseat a couple of others who need to be shown the door — Rep. Ray Cox and Sen. Tom Neuville. This is going to be a fun election season! Let’s get to work!

=================================================================================

Lift up your voice
Let it roll like thunder
Be the change you believe in
Where hatred sleeps
Where truth never slumbers
Be the change you believe in

Stand up (Stand up)
For the children
Stand up (Stand up)
For the people
Stand up (Stand up)
For each other

Larry Long & J.D. Steele

=================================================================

Headwaters to Gulf Jazz & Heritage Festival

Last night there was a benefit in my old neighborhood for a group that’s been helping out in New Orleans — Mission from Minnesota. I got a call to work on sound from Diane Anderson, who I’d worked with for years on the 9-Oscar show at the Riv (right Ross?!?!) back in my KFAI days. Why not, though I’m too long in the tooth to be hauling base bins up the stairs of Wilebski’s! It was light duty and a good time!

Willie Murphy did “People Get Ready” and noted that one verse always reminded him of politicians:

There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner whom would hurt all mankind
Just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there is no hiding place against the kingdoms throne

Laurie Trach and her family, the Santiagos, three generations, started getting the crowd going, and the Rev. Lance Eden of the First United Methodist Church of New Orleans brought them to their feet!

It was Rev. Lance and then Mick LaBriola and his “Beau Koo Jacks” that brought down the house…

If you’re in need some mood music here in Minnesota, here’re the Meters.

Mushrooms growing on bed of compost

It’s no coincidence when they’re constantly keeping us in the dark and feeding us shit! This quote came across the wire a while back and as I’m cleaning out the inbox, I realize it’s too good to toss away… it says too much about this great free country of ours…

“The American people don’t have a constitutional right to know doodly-doo.”

— Victoria Toensing, ex-prosecutor, on PBS NOW 3/17/2006.

It’s the norm in Washington:

Victoria Toensing failed to disclose friendship with “No Disclosure” Novak in Wash. Post op-ed

It’s election season again, it’s the legislative session, the courthouse is open most days, and it’s always vocalization season. So enough complaining and whining — what are YOU DOING?

Party faithful were met with a startling scenario at the Northfield Caucus — NO LARGE GROUP MEETING! No rousing, insprational showing of DFL strength, no introduction of all the candidates to the cheers of loyal DFLers, no opportunities for candidates to show what they’re made of, nothing, nada… just shuffle everyone off into their little precinct rooms. Whatever were they thinking? What’s worse is that they got away with it! Lucky for them, I was in Red Wing, sharing a table with Steve Murphy and his manager and others.

Hero of the Day – Charlie Kyte is one who
took the bullshit by the horns…
maybe he should be running…

If four, FOUR, House and Senate candidates cannot work together, sieze the opportunity, commandeer the situation, gather the crowd, and STAND UP…

Come on over to the Cow and meet Sharon Marko

Monday, March 6 @ 7 p.m.
Contented Cow in Northfield – before Nordic Jam!
302 Division St. So. (down the stairs toward the river)
Northfield, MN

State Sen. Sharon Marko is running for Congress in the Second Congressional District — the seat that covers both of my ‘homes’ in southern Minnesota. Yes, she’s against the war in Iraq, without a doubt, but it’s the “more” that sold me! I’m supporting her in this race because she’s got extensive policy experience from her terms in the state House and Senate. I want my Representative to know about a broad range of policy issues, and though it’s impossible for any candidate to have the breadth of knowledge on energy issues that I demand (but her father was a nuclear research physicist!), she’s got a solid history in education and local government, transportation and taxation.

From her site at www.markoforcongress.com:

A veteran of the Minnesota Legislature, Sharon has represented families in Dakota and Washington counties since 1995 and is a leader on education and transportation issues. Sharon sits on the important Senate committees including the K-12 Education Finance Division serving as vice chair, and the Transportation Budget and Policy Committee.

And from the Northfield News article “Marko seeks DFL endorsement” this quote:

Marko, who visited Northfield Tuesday during a campaign swing, said her No. 1 reason for running was the nation’s mounting national debt.

“When the programs are finished, the debt service continues on,” she said. “… My children and grandchildren in the future will be paying our debt down the road. … The net interest on the debt … makes the budget priorities of education, homeland security and veterans pale in comparison. This is something we should all be concerned about.”

Marko was elected to the state Senate in 2002 after having served eight years in the Minnesota House. According to her campaign, she “supports making health care more affordable, investing in education to keep America competitive and ending the culture of corruption that has gripped Congress.”

Marko describes herself as a a “fiscal conservative” and says she would seek Medicare reform including ending the current law prohibiting the federal government from negotiating for the lowest price with drug companies. She also has criticized the No Child Left Behind Act, and its “failure to meet the needs of public school studentsin Minnesota.”

Stop by the Cow and say hello and let her know what you think about those burning issues and find out what she’s all about!

For sure I’ll be taking advantage of the opportunity to twist her arm and bend her ear about that stadium…

Doug Jones doesn’t remember that Ray Cox sponsored “Cookies with Cox” at the Archer House… but many of us do!

Here’s the Northfield News story:
Bly cleared in 2004 pie debate

He filed a Campaign Finance Complaint about pie… unreal… It does not get much pettier than this — Doug Jones has said some utterly false things in the paper about candidates and wind turbines, he showed up every day for the 2002 25B recount, he’s hosted a “Take back the Senate” house party at his award-winning “biggest 2 BR house in Rice Co.” home, and seems to be a wheeler-dealer in Republican politics, but just because he’s richer than Dog and contributing to many political campaigns doesn’t mean he’s got good judgment. And we’re seeing more evidence that the opposite is true.

Way back when, in June 2004, Speaker Sviggum sent a nasty threatening letter, stating he’d file charges about serving pie in the park. He stated in a St.PPP article that he didn’t know of other candidates doing this, but that was a lie because he sent the same threatening letter to Jeanne Poppe for her “Popsicles in the Park.” Sviggum ended up being the laughingstock of Minnesota politics after this fiasco, just ask the boys at AM1550 who were snorting out loud!

Speaker Sviggum – ugly politics personified

So Wheeling Township’s Douglas C. Jones files a Complaint with the Campaign Finance Board about the pie.
Here’s the CF Board’s ruling: Download file

You can catch Doug at Ray’s site serving lemonade and at the Rotary Bike Tour and as host for the annual Rotary Picnic. Given Jones’ antics, is this someone Ray wants to be associated with, someone he wants to take money from? Hmmmmmm…

Face it, Republicans, you’re wrong, you’re fabricating an issue, and with your baseless threats and frivolous compalints, you’re exposing your true colors and are a walking-talking liability exposure! Get over it! Enough of the petty partisan politics! It’s time to talk about issues!

As Sviggum noted in the St. PPP on March 31, 1999, “Pies don’t cream people, people cream people!”