The republicans are coming! The republicans are coming! To Minnesota, and not just in the airport bathrooms anymore.
In March Saint Paul issues a number of permits for demonstration spaces in city parks during the RNC. Thanks to the heads up from Kossacks I was able to secure some of the best demonstration spots in town for Media impact and proximity to the Xcel center (the RNC location). We have park space reserved from 8 am - 8 pm for the days of:
Aug 31 - Ecolab Plaza for 200 people
Sept 1 - Mears Park for 500 people
Sept 2 - Ecolab Plaza for 200 people
Sept 3 - Hamms Plaza for 91 people
Sept 4 - Hamms Plaza for 91 people
The city has very recently "pulled" the permits for Sept 3 and 4 as detailed in this diary by Ben Masel
We will hold events on the 3rd and 4th, as the issue will be under litigation I will not comment further at this time.
The RNC is coming to Saint Paul in September. Thanks to the heads up provided by other dailykos users I secured park demonstration permits when the process opened. My permits are for Ecolab Plaza on Aug 31 and Sept 2 (for 200 people I believe) for Mears Park for 500 people on Sept 1 and for Hamm's Plaza on Sept 3 and 4 for 91 people. In addition we have dock space reserved at the Saint Paul Public docks across the Mississippi from the Xcel for a 60 ft boat on Sept 1-3.
I will be devoting one of the days to the Costs of Military Spending. The use of the other days is still undecided.
My intention is to use the spaces in ways that further the cause of the issues presented. I would like to keep the use of the space to one message or issue at a time to increase coherence of the message. The issues should be presented in such a way as to not be an attack on others, but instead advocacy for a need. Ideally demonstrations will educate or cause people to approach issues from unfamiliar directions.
"Naturally the common people don’t want war. But after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it’s always a
simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy or a
fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.
Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of
the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are
being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every
country."
--- Hermann Goering, Hitler’s Reich Marshall, at the Nuremberg
Trials after World War II.
The impact of emotion on citizens behavior has long been acknowledged, in the quote from Goering the impact of fear on the electorate is presumed. American politicians have used the emotional impact of items like flags, music, wild animals, and doves to improve the impact of their message or to create a desired response in people. This is not an American original idea, evidence indicates that knowledge of the ways people are impacted by emotion in their decision making extends through recorded history.
River Falls Wisconsin is about 30 minutes east of Saint Paul. Through the work of a number of committed students and community members the UW-River Falls campus has become a center of political activism in the area.
We have been working hard on all areas of political participation: getting student elected to local political offices (Pierce County Board), electing a super majority of progressives to our student senate, distributing condoms on campus, registering voters, holding public information meetings for candidates for offices, encouraging voter turnout, challenging governmental meetings held in Violation of the Wisconsin Open Meeting Law, researching Anti Trust violations made by university food service providers, holding our democratic congressman accountable for his votes to fund the Iraq War Hopping Mad Students about the War ,running a member of the UWRF college Dems against our republican state representative Kitty Rohades, and many other actions.
http://
The River Falls Anti War Coalition is a joint effort involving Students from the UWRF College Dems and the UWRF Socialist Alternative. The University of Wisconsin - River Falls is located just across from the Minnesota Border, about 30 minutes from Downtown St Paul and 45 Minutes from Minneapolis. In the next several month the Anti War Coalition will have many events leading up to the RNC convention protests in Saint Paul this September.
UW-RF website
This Tuesday March 11 the Coalition is sponsoring the event "Peace and War in the Heartland: A panel discussion." Panel members include Frank Kroncke and Don Olson - Members of the Minnesota 8 (Vietnam War Peace Activists put on trial for burning draft cards), Marv Davidov — The "Honeywell Project" (A campaign to end Honeywell’s weapons manufacturing during the Vietnam War), and Chante Wolfe —Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans for Peace.
Some times people go to such lengths to tell a lie that it screams at you. With this administration it has just become something I expect.
The US has an old spy sat that is in a reentry orbit, (edit -- 2006 launched spy sat that failed, not an old one) happens all the time, space junk falling. The reason stated for the US shooting it down in this AP article
US to try to shoot down spy satellite Is because there is hydrazine on the rocket
Military and administration officials said the satellite is carrying fuel called hydrazine that could injure or even kill people who are near it when it hits the ground. That reason alone, they said, persuaded President Bush to order the shoot-down.
Hydrazine is all over the damn place, and it would burn up in reentry. The wiki article on hydrazine shows that this is in fairly common use, and while dangerous only to a very limited area.
Well that is if you consider Wiscesota to be in the Twin Cities metro area as I do. Prescott Wisconsin is directly across the Mississippi from Hastings Minnesota and is about 30 Minutes from Downtown St. Paul and 45 from Minneapolis.
Russ has done terrific work in this area supporting local candidates. Being in the Twin Cities media market local candidates often have a difficult time with media purchases and news exposure. Despite the challenge this is an area that is part of the target plan to gain at least 3 seats in the Wisconsin assembly so that Wisconsin can enjoy the benefits of having a democratic Assembly, Senate, and Governor. In 2006 Russ came to the area to help other candidates fundraise and gain local attention. The Progressive Patriots fund helps by sending field organizers to areas across the nation that have potential but need experienced organizers.
This was originally written as a response to why I am supporting nuclear power, I got quite a bit off track but maybe it'll all tie together in the end.
I agree that nuclear, as we know it today is not the perfect solution - not even a great one. But from all the research I have done it is the best we have available at this moment that I have been able to find. I support solar and wind power, and as soon as they become economically viable I will buy some, and probably some before then (remind me to up the amount I add to my utility bill to buy renewable).
Emotions tend toward people making bad decisions. For an example of this look no further than our collective response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Many Americans are still (34% last I heard) letting emotions control their decisions, the results have been scores of bad laws (The Patriot Act tops this list), a war in Iraq, well you can fill out this list as well as I can.
I am making this diary for people to discuss gun control here and keep it out of the threads discussing the shooting at Virginia Tech. Gun control is an issue people take very seriously, many already have very emotionally based beliefs about it.
So if you have to discuss gun control go ahead - but remember what happens when emotions are allowed to make our policy.
Update 12:55 pm central I will be tipping everyone that is able to be polite to each other here. This is a difficult issue to discuss, but I trust Kossacks to be able to do such appropiately.
Update 3:15 pm central Time for my law enforcement class, thanks for the input all. I'll check back after class in 2 hours
The supposed man on the top of the short list for new CIA head is yet another military man. It seems that maybe more people are getting tired of the far reaching ties of the military.
From the AP
The criticism of the expected choice of Gen. Michael Hayden to head the CIA came from some influential Republicans in Congress as well as from Democrats.
"I do believe he's the wrong person, the wrong place, at the wrong time," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich. "We should not have a military person leading a civilian agency at this time."
Being from a small town in western Wisconsin I eagerly awaited The visit To Saint Paul Minnesota by Markos Zuniga. The wonderful bookstore we had in our town closed about two years ago, so I had not yet been able to purchase a copy of CTG. I called the cafe where Markos was having a breakfast book signing this morning to make sure they would have copies available there. The folks working checked and yes, they did have some. Great, I thought I could drive to Saint Paul and purchase copies for myself, my local library, and the democrat parties of the two neighboring counties to where I live. I got to the New Louisiana cafe in St. Paul (used to be the New Amsterdam Cafe) and what a crowd there was.
I bought my house, built in 1962, in 1999. The attic was first insulated with about 6 more inches of blown cellulose insulation. 4" Roll fiberglass was added over the top. The garage exterior were insulated with 4" fiberglass and OSB placed over the exposed insulation. The garage isn't heated, but does share a wall with the heated area, it was like adding another layer of insulation to an exterior wall. The 1962 furnace was replace with a 90% plus energy furnace. The water heater was moved to right below the shower and I got one of the ones with the blower vent. Now my shower water is hot about 2 seconds after I turn it on and there is no 4" open pipe going out the roof. Lastly new thermal efficient windows replaced the 40 year old ones.
It has been almost two weeks since the election that placed me on the county board. The most surprising thing to happen so far has been the arranging to figure out who will be on what committees. This was something totally unexpected on my part. There are 17 county board supervisors and 6 committees elected by the board members. The big no surprise here is that the group that controls a majority of the seats controls who can get on the committees. I am hopeful that I will be elected to the Health and Human services and the Law Enforcement committee. But even if I am elected to these It will still be important to get a majority on the Finance and Personnel committee because all budgets go through there before going to the whole board.
Wow, this worked great. Following a demonstration by the abortion picture folks on our campus the college democrats came back with a plan for birth control. Two rabbits were the hook, drawing people in and showing a reality of college life.
The crew set up a table with condoms, literature, and membership card for the state party.
Tomorrow The College Dems of UW River Falls will have a demonstration about birth control. The Republican Senate and Legislature voted to ban emergency contraception on UW campuses. Thankfully Wisconsin Gov Doyle vetoed this extremist law. Yesterday the abortion picture folks decided to visit our fine campus. The college Dems though this would be a great time to talk about birth control.
There will be two rabbits (full costume) and students handing out info, condoms and talking about what the Republicans extremists have tried to do. This coincides nicely with the visit to our campus of the State senator and representative on Monday that voted to ban birth control. Pictures will be posted tomorrow for all to enjoy.
"Proud to be from Wisconsin, thanks Russ"
This last Saturday a protest was held at our University. The protest was held at the Wisconsin Republican 3rd congressional district caucus. The response has been swift; today the abortion picture folks are back on campus. They get more votes for us than anything we can do ourselves. Our next response is handing out condoms on campus. A real concrete plan from the College Dems to reduce Abortion, something they haven't been able to come up with yet.
Polls closed here in Wisconsin. Everything that can be done today has been. Just need to wait for election results and look to this as a learning experience. I have bunny pictures from the protest this weekend on campus. I'll post the pictures tommorow, and hopefully get them in the student paper also.
