Legalectric

More coal is coming our way == considering the way we’re building coal plants, makes sense to me!

Funding for the DM&E moved forward about a month ago and was in the SD papers, and now, a week after the final Environmental Impact Statement is released, it hits the STrib. Slow on the uptake…

DM&E Railroad expansion back on track

Here’s the DM&E final Environmental Impact Statement.

Here’s the 8th Circuit federal court case that put a wrench in the gears for a while.

But only for a while… how many billions are we spending on coal trains, transmission lines and big dirty new coal plants? With all this investment, how do renewables even get into the mix?

Now this is getting interesting… ahem… A Read it first from the horse’s… (where’s horsey photo?) …here’s Brodkorb no photo of BrodKorb either!).

From the STrib: Facing suit, anonymous blogger lifts his mask

The suit alleges that Brodkorb, citing an unnamed source, defamed the St. Paul-based public relations firm New School Communications when he posted a claim that New School had become publicly critical of the congressional campaign of Coleen Rowley only after Rowley rejected a contract with the firm.

Blois Olson, of New School Communications

The StPPP describes the crux this way:

In the Dec. 28 blog posting, Brodkorb wrote that Hubert H. “Buck” Humphrey IV, the grandson of the late vice president and an employee of New School Communications, solicited business from Rowley’s congressional campaign for the public relations firm and that Olson subsequently criticized the campaign as inept.

Olson, who was not asked by Brodkorb to comment on the item until after it was posted on the blog, quickly branded the posting false and demanded a retraction. Brodkorb refused.

On the New School Communications site, they tout New Rules #1: Don’t over think, over design, over analyze. Hmmmmmm, the home page features the “PR Blog – PR Trends and Tactics” and the last post is March 31, 2005. Ought to update on this method of reaping PR!

And in the St.PPP: Minnesota political blogger being sued for defamation

Michael Brodkorb, a/k/a www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com, is sued for defamation. It’s a bar exam question in living color. Blog, conslutants, Colleen Rowley wouldn’t hire Humphrey and/or Humphrey went to Rowley (which of these is the problem), business and political reputations in the crapper, who’s saying what about who, who’s slamming who, a gaggle of public figures so who cares, and something in that makes people gasp? Huh? What? Where’s the slander? So did Humphrey hustle the business? Did the campaign say “go away?” Did the Plaintiff call the Rowley campaign inept? Is the Rowley campaign inept? Did the Rowley campaign have a chat with MDE? Is it all connected, and has it harmed New School? Has it helped New School? Has it helped MDE? Has it helped Rowley? How much would front page advertising in STrib and StPPP cost New School? Is the damage going to be weighed against the publicity benefits? Everybody’s talking — isn’t that a measure of success for publicity communications companies?

I mean it’s not like somebody’s saying they caught Colleen “always try” Rowley and Buck Humphrey in an Olson/New School arranged drunken frolic donning Karl Rove and Condi Rice masks in a soapy Bridge Square fountain doing their best impression of the latest euroPART scandal! (Scroll to Jan. 2)

Stolen from ??? on northfield.org

But there are some gems to think about, like anonymous blogging, the ease of retort because everybody who can type and many who can’t have a blog, same goes for thinking, and whether you can believe everything you read, particularly on the internet, again, from the STrib article today:

The suit has the potential for breaking new ground on legal issues associated with blogging. While some states’ courts have ruled on issues such as anonymous blogging, the territory remains largely uncharted, particularly in the federal courts. While Brodkorb voluntarily revealed himself, some legal experts suggest that federal law would have made it very difficult to unmask him.

Additionally, in a Delaware case last year, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that people aggrieved by a blog had the opportunity for redress simply by posting on the offending blog. Political debate, such as that engaged in by Minnesota Democrats Exposed, also is usually afforded the highest form of First Amendment protection by courts, said Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota.

One result from the Delaware case could be that bloggers may benefit from their own gunslinger reputations, Kirtley said.

“A lot of stuff that appears on blogs, whether it’s meant to be or not, is usually not taken by readers as being statements of fact,” she said. “Bloggers, by their very nature, are not expected to adhere to the same standards of accuracy that those in the mainstream media would be.”

I think this anonymous blogging is utterly no balls, worse than no comment blogging. There’s this guy, flapping away and there’s no recourse, how to hold him accountable, another milder one is “Spot” in Edina…

Spot is supposedly “gloriously unaltered,” but get a life guys, if you can’t say it publicly, loud and proud, with your name attached, what’s the point of having opinions? OWN IT!!!!!!

Here are two articles from the St.PPP that needed to be placed closer together, because it seems folks are slow about seeing the connections between the rise of American Transmission Company (ATC), all these PSC decisions unreasonably favorable to utilities, and utility donations to Wisconsin Governor Doyle, who appointed the Commissioners who approved the Arrowhead line. And remember, it was the Democratic leader Chuck Chvala who was nailed for twenty-some counts of campaign donation violations! Do a little research on the utilities role in that!!!

Here’s ATC, simple and short, the “news” is that “Transmission line company hopes to expand.”. Yeah, we’ve known that a while.

The company, jointly owned by five Wisconsin utilities, now has a 10-year plan to spend $3.3 billion. When the company was formed, some in the industry asked officials to provide “cheap transmission.”

“I said, no, what you’ve got now is cheap transmission and it doesn’t work,” Delgado said.

“We’re going to give you adequate transmission and that is going to save money on energy.”

Uh-huh, right… now is that before or after the cost of the Arrowhead transmission line shot up to half a billion ratepayer bucks?

All these transmission and power plant decisions are made by Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission, that, like our PUC, has Commissioners appointed by the Governor.

Investigators seek info from group on donations to Doyle

Wisconsin Gov. James Doyle

McCabe said FBI agents first approached him a year ago asking general questions about corruption in the Capitol but were not focusing on Doyle at the time. He said Department of Justice and the FBI began asking more specific questions about Doyle’s donations in early fall, and the organization complied with requests for information in November.

McCabe said DOJ specifically asked about donations from the Wisconsin Public Service Corp. The group turned that information over to investigators and also used it as part of a report it put out publicly last month detailing the $41,550 that executives of WPS and Alliant Energy Corp. gave to Doyle in the six months after the state Public Service Commission rejected their sale of the Kewaunee nuclear plant to a Virginia company.

The three-member commission, which included two Doyle appointees, reversed its decision on March 17 and allowed the sale to go through.

Can you say Chuck Chvala? Can you remember what Wisconsin’s Senate leader was doing? If not, go here and type in Charles Chvala
2002CF002451 in Dane County – he’s the one born 12/5/54 (careful, there are two) His guilty plea went through last month.

Former WI state Senator, now felon, starting nine months in jail, then 2 years probation

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal:

Chvala, 51, pleaded guilty in October to two felony counts for using state workers and resources on at least one political campaign in 1998, and illegally running a third-party group that directed contributions to the re-election campaign of Sen. Mark Meyer (D-La Crosse) in 2000. Seventeen other felony charges, including extortion, were dismissed under the terms of a plea deal.

As one who mastered the art of cooking on a Cummins and Detroit Series 60, and veteran of a million miles, I thought no use of a vehicle would suprise me, but here’s an idea — USE YOUR PRIUS TO POWER YOUR HOME!

A guy named Richard Factor played with it, documented his travails and put it online — other than an unreasonably long cord from the car to the test system, it seems he’s ready to generate!

Check out his Prius Power Plant: The PriUPS Concept

Like wow… it comes with a cupholder!!!

OK, back to the Mesaba PPA Petition…

Here it is, just found it in my inbasket! But it’s still not online:

Wedge Issue

Fear-mongering is back

Thanks to Pat Peoples for standing up and exposing the lengths those supporting this agenda of hatred will go to to shore up their beliefs. I wonder what she was feeling as she sat in that “focus group.” And thanks to Nick Coleman for exposing this anti-immigrant campaign in his Dec. 28th column.

I shudder to think what’s in store for us this legislative session and in the coming campaign, but it’s guaranteed to be a continuation of last year’s hate-filled fear-mongering.

Isn’t there some special sin category reserved for those who use unChristian diversionary tactics and lies? Isn’t there some special hell for those who will do anything to keep the focus off the economy, unfair taxation, statutorily bankrupt schools, increasing poverty and uninsured Minnesotans? And I pray that special place in hell isn’t Minnesota 2006

CAROL A. OVERLAND, Red Wing, Minn

And as I look at this, I realize Pat Peoples could be “he” not “she!” Hmmmmmm… biases…

In the LTE’s for January 1, the similar title:

IMMIGRATION

Wedge politics

It is important that we understand the political motivations behind the right-wing Republican push to make immigration a central issue in the 2006 elections.

Along with the gay marriage issue, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, House Speaker Steve Sviggum, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung, Sen. Michelle Bachmann and others who share their distorted view of humanity are promoting wedge issues to distract voters from the issues that actually affect them. They aim to divide support for solving Minnesota’s problems that were in fact created by the current administration.

I hear no discussion from this group on the loss of health insurance faced by many families. Nothing about transportation funding blocked by the governor last session. Nothing about rising property taxes due to breaking the state’s promise to fully fund our public schools. Not a word about working in partnership with Democrats to promote the common good.

They are not interested in immigration or gay marriage. They are interested in winning elections. They are setting up gay people and undocumented workers as scapegoats for the ills of our society. They are working to turn out their base while dividing the rest of us.

This is not about immigration and gay marriage. This is about fear, prejudice, discrimination and hatred.

DAVID GREENE, MINNEAPOLIS