Legalectric

In what world is something like this needed or wanted in a 16,000 population city like Red Wing, or in a rural county like Goodhue County?  What would be the envisioned purpose?

Goodhue County and the City of Red Wing have applied for Homeland Security money to buy one of these, a Lenco Bearcat.  Cost is $332,246.00.  They call the current one the “PeaceKeeper” armored vehicle.  They’re saying it’s too slow, and they’ve been having problems with it.  I saw it cruising toward downtown on West Ave. a few years ago, and was stunned, didn’t know they had one here — I mean really, whatever for?!?!  Meth labs?  Militaristic cults?  The Republican National Convention contractual obligations?  Folks, this isn’t St. Paul…

I’ve heard that the Goodhue County vote recently was that it would not opt in to this grant, but that there is another vote about it.  Red Wing will decide soon.

Goodhue County Commissioners (for your cut and pasting pleasure):  ron.allen@co.goodhue.mn.us, brad.anderson@co.goodhue.mn.us, dan.rechtzigel@co.goodhue.mn.us, jason.majerus@co.goodhue.mn.us, ted.seifert@co.goodhue.mn.us

City of Red Wing Mayor and Council (for your cut and pasting pleasure): dan.bender@ci.red-wing.mn.us, jsebion3@gmail.com , lisa.bayley@ci.red-wing.mn.us, deanhove@charter.net, dan.munson@ci.red-wing.mn.us, peggy.rehder@ci.red-wing.mn.us, ralph.rauterkus@ci.red-wing.mn.us, dustin.schulenberg@ci.red-wing.mn.us

A memo to the County Board from a Sheriff’s Deputy states:

The Emergency Response Team uses an armored vehicle on every mission and at events that may take place at the PINGP.

What does this mean?  How many “missions” and what are the details?  The phrase “at events that may take place at the PINGP” is odd — please explain!  Does this mean response to nuclear emergencies?  Does this mean response to Xcel Energy security concerns?  If this is about the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, shouldn’t Xcel Energy be paying for it?  They’ll probably say that these expenses are what the Utility Personal Property Tax is for, but I don’t think that’s how it works, it’s a separate issue!

Goodhue County LENCO Bearcat

City of Red Wing – CP_Project_Detail_M-Port_Auth-LencoBearcat

Again, cost is $332,246.00.  For this amount, the County and City could buy roughly 10 fully equipped squad cars (based on this linked Goodhue County purchase of 4). Think of the computer equipment they could buy with that kind of money!

Pages from CP_Project_Detail_M-Port_Auth_Squad Replacement

This is overkill, it is not needed in Red Wing, not needed in Goodhue County.  This is not “policing,” but is militarization of policing.  Not a trend I want in my community.

Check out this great slap down of Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois by the Missouri Court of Appeals when Ameren challenged the lower court’s dismissal of their attempt to circumvent state regulation (thanks to Paul Henry for passing this on):

Ameren (ATXI) – Missouri Court of Appeals

As you know, Missouri is the state that had the wherewithall to declare that Grain Belt Express and its Clean Line was not a utility.  In this case, Ameren went in and said, with it seems quite a bit of arrogance, Missouri, don’t touch me, we don’t have to play with you, you don’t regulate me:

WOW, whew, that sure didn’t work for Ameren.  Love it when that happens.

Thanks to Sheila in Frontenac who gave us TWO van loads of day lilies.  They’re in, looking kinda bent up and tired, they’ve had quite a journey, but they’re perking up and next year they’ll look like something, and the year after, even better.  The grass wasn’t coming in on the boulevard after the West Avenue redo, it looks like crap, so let’s see how the day lilies do.  To be covered with chips soon, we have lots of the left over from the West Avenue construction.  And on the other side, in the yard, in addition to the day lilies, I’ve added a bee balm and a few cone flowers.  Soon, the Little Free Library on the metal post, and I found the perfect browsing chair to chain to the post.  Before winter?

And speaking of plantings, we often have a picnic up on Memorial Bluff at the lower quarry, the beautiful newly refurbished area with huge stone benches overlooking the garbage burner.  They’d reopened it last year, but this year, it was clear most of the newly planted trees had died.  Tonight I saw there were new ones… GREAT!  But look, really, 6 of them are planted under the transmission line.  It’s bad enough that they put two big stone picnic benches under the transmission line, but TREES? How long will it be before our friends at Xcel Energy mow them down?

Joe Biden and Champ

I wish Joe Biden would get over himself and stop musing about a Presidential run.  He is not a contender.  Biden’s intent?  I’d guess it’s nothing more than a distraction from the strong showing by Bernie Sanders.  Bernie is the nightmare of Democratic leadership, precisely because he’s the most compelling candidate for democratic voters (small “d”), people interested in preservation, revival, of our democracy.

Biden sure isn’t what I’d look for in a candidate.  A recent post on Politico, How a Young Joe Biden Turned Liberals Against Integration, brings to light Biden’s efforts to preserve segregation.  That should be enough to take him off anyone’s potential Presidential candidate list.

Alan Muller, Green Delaware, has had to deal with Biden for a long time now, and has a lot of insight into Biden’s character based on Biden’s record and actions.  One story I’ve heard often is of a group opposing the Iraq war meeting with Biden in his office, and of Biden’s absolute and nasty dismissal of them and their concerns (expletives deleted for this PG-13 post).

Racial issues have been a struggle for Delaware, and Biden provides an example of white resistance to integration.  Delaware was a slave state.  Though it bills itself “The First State,” and though  Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, it was also the first state outside the Confederacy to reject the 14th Amendment, in 1867, and Delaware was very slow to ratify the 14th Amendment — it held off until 1901, 33 years after it was approved by enough states to be added to the Constitution.

Here’s an example of Biden’s “leadership,” a reminder of Biden’s efforts as a U.S. Senator to maintain segregation:

How a Young Joe Biden Turned Liberals Against Integration

Here’s today’s 5th Circuit decision, remanding the Texas voter ID law.  It’s pretty convoluted:

Texas_Voter ID_14-41127-CV0

What really bothers me is the vacuous claims of “voter fraud” as justification for these restrictions on voting.  Show me the cases!  We’ve got that one case of voter fraud orchestrated by “Jake” (who was acquitted!), but let’s hear about the convictions, I think it’s something like 85 since 2004 or some such.

Here are posts on Legalectric about the Coates case: