Legalectric

Let’s hear it for Minnesota, a state with a legislature putting a Constitutional Amendment to a vote, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?” and also trying, but failing, to also put to a vote the stripping constitutional checks and balances from the judicial branch.  And doing it in the name of “God.”  Makes me want to puke.

Yes, folks, it’s the inflamed “gay marriage” bill that I am so disgusted with, well, more correctly, I’m so disgusted with the people promoting it, the vitriolic fear and hatred flying out of the capitol and all things political, and the promotion of this nonsense by people ignorant of what the bill even says, by people ignorant and uncaring of who it affects and how it affects them.

Let me be very clear.  I’m an attorney, licensed in the state of Minnesota, sworn to uphold the constitution, state and federal, which is no small task, and I’m struggling to do my small part.  I’m one who grew up being carted around to my mothers pretty tame churchy “social justice” meetings, soaking in the imperative of “good deeds.”  In 4th grade I quit saying the Pledge of Allegiance when I realized there wasn’t “liberty and justice for all” and vowed to work towards it; one who religiously attended and enjoyed both sessions of Mayflower’s Confirmation class and chose not to sign up when I saw the glorious theories weren’t being practiced; transferred into Central H.S. as part of the first magnet class and sounded off at the School Board meetings as they were trying to wiggle out of the NAACP suit about Minneapolis’ segregated schools (did you know the court defined “segregated” as a 30 some percent minority school, yet a 100% white school was NOT “segregated?”); was a programmer and board officer for years at KFAI Community Radio recognizing the importance, the necessity, of independent voices; and drove a million bleary-eyed miles over 12 years in a Kenworth/Peterbilt to get through school to be “where I am today,” in a career I love, fighting for human and landowner rights when faced with steamrollers of utility infrastructure and ill-conceived land-use projects, suffice it to say that I am hypersensitive about the importance of standing up.  Standing up is not optional, standing up is not a question… it’s an inherent part of our job as humans, our duty as citizens, our calling as living breathing beings on this planet to leave it better than we found it, and it’s for each of us to figure out how we do that.  The bottom line is standing up.  There is nothing worse than standing silent in the face of injustice.

Here’s a video, thanks to Carol Duff, about public perceptions, speaking out, and silence:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

There are no exceptions, here, folks. It’s ALL. Everybody, liberty and justice for all.

It’s not just “liberty and justice” for those you like, not just liberty and justice for those you agree with, not just to your select friends & relatives, not just liberty and justice for immigrants from your grandparents era, not just those who don’t make you queasy, not just liberty and justice who believe in your God, not just those who don’t challenge your belief system, but it’s liberty and justice for ALL.

ALL… liberty and justice for ALL…

Here’s the first engrossment text — where’s the “liberty and justice for all” in this?  As my mother would say… is this a Christian thing to do?

Here’s what they tried to amend it to, but failed, trying to take out the checks and balances of the judicial branch:

“Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.
An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to the people. If the amendment is
adopted, a section shall be added to article VI, to read:

Sec. 14. The judicial branch has no jurisdiction under this constitution to define marriage. The
legislature has the sole power to define marriage.

Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.
The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2012 general election. The
question submitted must be:

“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that the judicial branch has no
jurisdiction under the Minnesota Constitution to define marriage and that only the legislature has
this power?
Yes ……………..
No ……………….

Here, linked, is where it passed in the Senate.

Here, linked, is where it passed in the House.

And on the federal side, they re-upped the “Patriot Act” also this week… sigh…

We have our work cut out for us… in Minnesota, it comes to a vote November, 2010.

Tomorrow is the Humane Society of Goodhue County’s Walk-A-Thon:

Red Wing’s Bay Point Park

Saturday, May 21, 2011

And10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Tomorrow — yup, that’s right — so if you’re not expecting to go fly away… (does it mean anything that I’ll be handing out poop bags??!!)

• Pick up your thank-you goodie-bag and enjoy complimentary refreshments.

• Enter to win door prizes donated from area businesses!

• 1st, 2nd, & 3rd prizes will be given to the participants who bring in the most donation money in both the under-12 and over-12 age groups.

• Have your face painted for free & listen to animal themed stories.

• Have your pet’s portrait sketched while you wait for just $10.

• Have your pet’s nails trimmed and teeth brushed for $5 each.

• Have your pet make a paw print painting to take home for $5.

• Watch an agility demonstration, meet a K-9 officer, learn about pet health & wellness, & more!

• Enjoy the beauty of Red Wing’s Bay Point Park with your pet & other pet lovers!

One suggestion worth stealing — gather up old shoes, leave pairs on the sidewalk filled with dry ice!!!

A break from all this serious work for … TREE RATS!

Yesterday I was patrolling the curtilage perimeter with the sheps, and heard a noise and saw a flicker.  So I stopped, and in a hard to see place above the back door, oh my… this is a PROBLEM…  first I see the hole, and then one head, I stood frozen as Summer went bonkers, and then out pops another… I thought the wasps were bad, but these guys have chewed a hole in the side of the house and are nesting… great… but they are cute!  How do I get them out of there without killing them?  Live trap and then haul them way up to the top of the bluff???  Install a one way cat door?  Get a crane and hoist Summer-pup up onto the ledge over the door?  I really detest squirrels!

$50 says they’re progeny of that one who comes over to the full view door off my office, waves its tail, and does a little dance for the dogs…

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Xcel Energy’s Hiawatha Transmission Project moves forward.

Recently, Comments and Reply Comments were due in this “informal” Certificate of Need proceeding.  All the intervening parties in the routing docket have been sitting on their hands, or worse (I hope not, but why the silence?).  So when only MOES filed “Comments” I filed Reply Comments, because theirs were SOOOOO… soooooo… well, read them yourself, they’re in INITIAL comments recommending that the Certificate of Need be approved, shouldn’t they at least make it look better by waiting to see what comes in before declaring that it should be approved?!?!?!  … and the basis, well, it’s just absurd:

MOES – Comments and Recommendation

Here’s what I filed — I don’t have a dog in the fight, no client, no direct interest, but I cannot stand it when there’s NO response, NO filings, it’s just not right, and that’s when I get twitchy that somebody is pulling a fast one, and others did join in:

Overland Reply Comment

Johnson Reply Comments

Johnson – Reply Comment Attachment

City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County Reply Comments

Suburban Rate AuthorityReply Comments – LATE

Xcel Reply Comments

And then MOES has the last word, complaining that Xcel’s aren’t allowed under the PUC Rules of Practice in Minn. R. ch 7829!

MOES Comments and Recommendation