Progressive Calendar 09.13.08
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu)
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:48:53 -0700 (PDT)
            P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R    09.13.08

1. Peace walk       9.13 9am Cambridge MN
2. Israel/myths     9.13 9:30am
3. Georgia          9.13 10am
4. NWN4P Mtka       9.13 11am
5. Northtown vigil  9.13 2pm
6. Trans youth      9.13 7pm
7. ACLU/activism    9.13
8. RNC press/CTV    9.13 9pm

9. Stillwater vigil 9.14 1pm
10. RNC/arrestees   9.14 2pm
11. NRP/AM950       9.14 3pm
12. Vets for peace  9.14 6pm

police raids:
13. Anna Pratt (MN Independent)
14. Kolstad (PC)
15. McLean
16. Kelly
17. Underwood
18. Kahn
19. Muller
20. Repke
21. Repke
22. Martin
23. Fratto

24. Joel Hirschhorn - Deception and delusion: Dummies for democracy


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From: Ken Reine <reine008 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Peace walk 9.13 9am Cambridge MN

every Saturday 9AM to 9:35AM
Peace walk in Cambridge - start at Hwy 95 and Fern Street


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From: "wamm [at] mtn.org" <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Israel/myths 9.13 9:30am

Video: "Israel: Myths and Propaganda"
Saturday, September 13, 9:30 a.m. (Refreshments), 10:00 a.m. to Noon
(Program and Discussion) Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer, 5440 Penn
Avenue South., Minneapolis.

Ilan Pappe, in an impressive illustrated video interview, explores the
myths and propaganda perpetrated and maintained about the creation of the
state of Israel. He relates his discoveries at Oxford University based on
the declassification of the Israeli, British and American archives in
1978. Born to a German Jewish family in Haifa he served in the Israeli
army and grew up learning the myths.  He is the author of four books on
Palestine and is one of the several new Israeli historians.  After
teaching many years at Haifa University he currently chairs the history
department at Exeter University, Devon, UK. Sponsored by: Middle East
Peace Now (MEPN). FFI: Call Florence Steichen, 651-696-1642.


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From: Lisa Boyd <tigerlily64 [at] usiwireless.com>
Subject: Georgia 9.13 10am

Saturday, September 13, 2008, 10am-Noon
Coffee with Lisa Boyd - "Impressions of Georgia: Background to Conflict"

I will give a first-hand report of the time I spent there from 1996-1998
as the Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator for USAID, commenting on the
situations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia at that time and offering
opinions on what is currently happening there. I have asked two other
people with first-hand experience in Georgia (including a Georgian
exchange student) to join me, so we may have a panel of sorts. (Otherwise
it will just be me.)

Location: Van Cleve Community Center, 901 - 15th Ave SE, Minneapolis.
(Just north of Dinkytown near the U of M east bank campus. The park is at
the corner of 15th Ave SE and Como Ave SE.) This program is free and open
to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the MN Metro Branch of the Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom. www.wilpfmn.org FFI: info [at] wilpfmn.org or
tigerlily64 [at] usiwireless.com


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From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net>
Subject: NWN4P Mtka 9.13 11am

NWN4P-Minnetonka demonstration- Every Saturday, 11 AM to noon, at Hwy. 7
and 101.  Park in the Target Greatland lot; meet near the
fountain. We will walk along the public sidewalk. Signs available.


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From: Vanka485 [at] aol.com
Subject: Northtown vigil 9.13 2pm

Peace vigil at Northtown (Old Hwy 10 & University Av), every Saturday
2-3pm


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From: Erin Parrish <erin [at] mnwomen.org>
Subject: Trans youth 9.13 7pm

September 13: Trans Youth Support Network. Left Out Party, sponsored by
Minnesota Gender Advocates to support a fully inclusive ENDA (Employment
Non-Discrimination Act). 7 - 10 PM. Pi Bar, 2532 25th Avenue South,
Minneapolis. More info.


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From: "Caroline Fredrickson, ACLU" <field [at] aclu.org>
Subject: ACLU/activism 9.13

Dear ACLU Supporter,

This Saturday, the ACLU Washington Legislative Office and the ACLU of
Minnesota will be jointly hosting an activist training in Bloomington,
Minnesota. We need people like you - in every state and in every
congressional district - who can help make lasting change on core civil
liberties issues.

Don't miss this! You can learn more and sign up by going here:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=YyY3eQDuwYkZg0Uf0z7SFQ..
INVITATION: ACTIVIST TRAINING IN BLOOMINGTON, MN
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Take your activism to the next level. Help make change.
RSVP now at:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=AP8IfdMj1mkMQ5h8c5wWow..

Hi,
I'm Josh Spaulding. I'm working with the ACLU of Minnesota to put together
an exciting, all-day training in Bloomington, near the Mall of America.
It's happening on Saturday, September 13.

At the training, we'll help people like you bring about positive change on
important and timely civil liberties and civil rights issues. Will you
join me? You can see an agenda and RSVP here:

http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=x9kSx_JgmLp937gu6vnJDg..

Not only will this training be a fantastic opportunity for you to learn
about civil liberties issues at play in Minnesota and around the country,
but we will also provide you with the tools necessary to successfully
engage decision-makers on those issues.

At the training, you can expect to learn about:

* Meeting with elected officials
* How to talk about civil liberties issues that are important to you
* What it takes to make change happen

In addition, it's a great place to make friends and network with others
who care about the Constitution and are just as passionate about these
issues as you are. You may be surprised to learn there are more civil
libertarians in Minnesota than you think!

The training is free and lunch will be provided. All I ask is that you
RSVP in advance and attend the entire training. You can see an agenda and
learn more here:

http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=mVEDY7EYtWbbDMusz2P9YA..

This is an exciting time, but we can't lose sight of all the work we have
ahead of us: Fixing the Patriot Act and National Security Letters.
Repealing the Military Commissions Act. Taking on politicians who ignore
the Constitution and put liberty at risk. And, stopping the Bush
administration's recent attempt to undermine access to basic reproductive
health services -- including birth control and abortion.

To accomplish this, we'll need to be organized and ready no matter how the
elections go. We'll need folks in every part of the country who can help
make lasting change.

Are you with us? Are you ready to be a leader on these issues?  Learn more
and sign up:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=habMUTdIRrbI9P057gPrhQ..

I hope to meet you soon.

Josh Spaulding Regional Field Organizer ACLU Washington Legislative Office
© ACLU / 125 Broad Street / New York, NY 10004


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From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: RNC press/CTV 9.13 9pm

Torture in Ramsey County
Minneapolis Television Network viewers:

"Our World In Depth" cablecasts on MTN Channel 17 on Saturdays at 9pm and
Tuesdays at 8am, after DemocracyNow!  Households with basic cable may
watch.

Sat, 9/13, 9pm and Tues, 9/16, 8am

RNC Welcoming Committee Press Conference 9-4-08

In the wake of the RNC Welcoming Committee being targeted by the Ramsey
County Sheriff's office and the national security apparatus, six
non-arrested members of the RNC Welcoming Committee held a press
conference.  Although recorded by national and international corporate
media, these will probably be the only televised showings of the full
press conference.


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From: scot b <earthmannow [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Stillwater vigil 9.14 1pm

A weekly Vigil for Peace Every Sunday, at the Stillwater bridge from 1- 2
p.m.  Come after Church or after brunch ! All are invited to join in song
and witness to the human desire for peace in our world. Signs need to be
positive.  Sponsored by the St. Croix Valley Peacemakers.

If you have a United Nations flag or a United States flag please bring it.
Be sure to dress for the weather . For more information go to
<http://www.stcroixvalleypeacemakers.com/>http://www.stcroixvalleypeacemakers.com/

For more information you could call 651 275 0247 or 651 999 - 9560

[For less information, forget you read this.]


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From: andy <afahlstrom [at] riseup.net>
Subject: RNC/arrestee 9.14 2pm

This Sunday, there will be a meeting for those arrested during the RNC.
This will be a chance for arrestees to talk to lawyers, organize legal
defense, and receive information about court solidarity plans. It will
also be a good opportunity to join together with arrestees to discuss and
strategize, as well as plan future meetings as needed. Please note that
the TIME and LOCATION of this meeting have changed from the original
plans. Sorry for any confusion or inconvenience!

Sunday, September 14th, 2pm
Hosmer Library (347 E 36th St., Minneapolis)

This meeting will be mainly facilitated by a team of legal workers working
to organize this meeting.  The first half of the meeting will be an
informational session similar to last Saturday's meeting, covering
attorney options, criminal vs. civil cases, court procedures, etc.  The
second half will be a larger group discussion about future, more long-term
arrestee support, including how to plug in out-of-towners and continuing
discussion about forming working groups.  This will be a facilitated
discussion, and any decisions made during this discussion will be decided
using consensus process.

Though Coldsnap Legal Collective has initiated a lot of the arrestee
support thus far and many are coming to us for support and resources, we
believe it is much more empowering and more sustainable to have this
support network be led largely by the arrestees themselves and other
allies in the community.  Clearly, Coldsnap recognizes the responsibility
we have to aid this process with the resources and connections we already
have, but will be working to disseminate them throughout the group as much
as possible as time moves on as to not remain as the hub of information
and communication.

A proposal has been formed to create a larger support network for RNC
arrestees, which consists of working groups (such as Media, Pressure
Campaign, and Outreach working groups) which meet separately and then
convene roughly every other week to give reportbacks to the general group
and coordinate with other working groups.  The formation of these working
groups will allow folks from other areas to plug in to the discussion from
afar and have their ideas brought back to the larger group.

Within this proposal, members of Coldsnap would plug into each of these
working groups, but not as the center of communication. We would like to
invite other community groups to plug in to this support network in this
way, by sharing experience and resources while still empowering and
allowing arrestees to step up and organize support as they need it.

Please attend the arrestee meeting on Sunday to show your support, share
experience and resources, and discuss this proposal for creating a larger
movement to support RNC 08 arrestees! Please forward this to any other
allies that were inadvertently not included in this e-mail.

In solidarity,
Coldsnap Legal Collective


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From: James Mayer <info [at] jamesmayer.org>
Subject: NRP/AM950 9.14 3pm

OF THE PEOPLE:  CALL FOR ACTION
AM 950
952-946-6205

Of the People: This Sunday, September 14th at 3 p.m. on AM 950--Air
America Minnesota's new name; call letters: ktnf--with Host James Mayer.

Do problems in urban neighborhoods affect those of us who avoid living in
major cities?  Indeed, they do affect us all in varying degrees, socially,
economically and politically.

The Neighborhood Revitalization Program in Minnesota has been used as a
model in studies around the country of how people join together to create
action solutions that improve the economic, social and physical well being
of their neighborhoods.

Join James Mayer for a close look at the NRP and how it needs the people
of Minnesota to use their power to help it continue its work for our
common good this Sunday at 3:00 on Of the People.


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From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Vets for peace 9.14 6pm

Sunday, 9/14, 6 to 8:30 pm, monthly meeting Veterans for Peace chapter 27,
Vets for Peace office, St Stephens school basement, 2123 Clinton Ave S,
Mpls.  John Varone 952-448-2665.


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Cataloguing the RNC's journalist detainees
By Anna Pratt, Minnesota Independent
September 12, 2008

Of the 800-plus people who were arrested or detained in conjunction with
RNC protests, a good chunk of them - 42, by our count - were members of
the news media. Media representatives in town to cover the events, from
both big and small presses, were slapped with citations and pending
charges ranging in severity, including unlawful assembly, obstructing the
legal process, misdemeanor interference with a peace officer and felony to
riot plus other riot pretenses. (Notably Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman
was jailed along with two of the show's producers.) Many others who
weren't arrested or detained endured pepper-spray and other arms used for
crowd-control.

MnIndy has compiled a list of journalists who were detained or arrested,
including some preemptively, culled from news reports and sources,
including the Ramsey County sheriff's department's booking roster. Let us
know if anyone is unaccounted for and we'll add them to the list.

Journalists detained/arrested:
Tom Aviles, WCCO photojournalist
Charlie B, MTV Think blogger (full last name unknown)
Anita Braithwaite, New York-based Glass Bead Collective
Wendy Binion, Portland IndyMedia
Geraldine Cahill, The Real News
Eileen Clancy, I-Witness Video, a New York-based media collective
Paul Demko, Minnesota Independent
Amy Forliti, Associated Press reporter
Ben Garvin, Pioneer Press photographer
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! host
Art Hughes, Public News Service
Suzanne Hughes, The Uptake, volunteer coordinator
Ted Johnson, Variety managing editor
Olivia Katz, Glass Bead Collective
Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Democracy Now! producer
Alice Kalthoff, MyFoxdfw.com editor
Jon Krawczynski, Associated Press reporter
Joseph La Sac, Pepperspray Productions journalist
Ed Matthews, University of Kentucky photojournalism student
Jonathan Malat, KARE-11 photojournalist
Stephen Maturen, Minnesota Daily assistant picture editor
Britney McIntosh, University of Kentucky photojournalism student
Matt Nelson, University of Iowa student
Jason Nicholas, New York Post freelance photographer
Mark Ovaska, Rochester freelance photographer
Elizabeth Press, Democracy Now!
Matt Rourke, Associated Press photographer
Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet
Lambert Rochfort, Pepperspray Productions journalist
Seth Rowe, Sun Newspapers, St. Louis Park community editor
Jeff Schorfheide, Madison, Wis. Badger-Herald photographer
Mark Skinner, University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebel Yell reporter
Ania Smolenskaia, The Real News
Matt Snyders, City Pages
Nicole Salazar, Democracy Now! producer
Vlad Teichberg, New York-based Glass Bead Collective
Dean Treftz, U-Wire, national college news service
Nathan Weber, photographer, Chicago-area freelancer
Tony Webster, Twin Cities independent media professional
Jim Winn, University of Kentucky journalism adviser
John P. Wise, MyFox national editor
Dawn Zuppelli, Rochester IndyMedia

Article Tags: journalists arrested, Media, Republican National Convention,
RNC 2008, RNC arrest, RNC protest


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:34:28 -0500
From: Sue Horns Kolstad <sue [at] millcitymusic.com>
To: David <shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Review of RNC policing & voting

Two Comments:  1.  Who should review RNC policing?  Sure, local groups
should look into it.  But don't forget:  The money for this came from the
federal government.  Money was given to both RNC and DNC sites. Shouldn't
there be a national inquiry?  Add a compare/contrast section.  People all
over the country should know what went on outside both conventions.
(Surely, not much of note went on inside the conventions.)

2.  A poster said "Please Vote".  Where are the candidates who will speak
out for us?  On a local level many of us are wracking our brains to come
up with challengers to those who brought us this debacle.  (both mayors,
both county sheriffs, several judges, most members of both city councils
and who knows what other offices) .  I have heard only one person
mentioned as a viable candidate.

On a national level.  Many Republicans voted Democrat in the last election
to elect representatives to end this war and hold those responsible
accountable. The Democrats continue to vote funding for the wars.  Nancy
Pelosi holds fast against impeachment.  Third party candidates are
marginalized. We are told we must vote for the lesser of two evils.  Why
not the best of three (or 4 or more) candidates? Sue Kolstad


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Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:39:01 +1200 (NZST)
From: Bob McLean <grmpllc [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

Initially, I thought that it would be best for me to stay out of this
fray, since I wanted nothing to do with the RNC in the first place and
accordingly, left town for its entire run. I left, because my pre
assessment of the RNC was that it would be a dismal mess, particularly for
downtown residents that were living close to the convention site: It was.

Ultimately, the blame should be laid at the mayor's feet. In his own
words, one of the key accomplishments of his first two years in office was
this convention: First Item - Winning the opportunity to host the 2008
Republican National Convention over larger cities, including Cleveland,
New York City, and Tampa-St. Petersburg.

http://www.stpaul.gov/DocumentView.asp ...

I respect great politicians, without regard to their political
affiliation. Truman was a great president and I am sure that you all
remember where he believed "the buck should stop."

Where am I coming from on all of this? Well, first, I happened to be in
New York a couple of days for business during the 2004 RNC and it was
awful. And if it was bad getting around in New York, remember, its Central
Park is bigger than Saint Paul's entire downtown, so it was foreordained
to be that much worse here. Second, New York has a city police force of
38,000 officers, of which 10,000 were deployed to the RNC. There were
2,000 arrests during the 2004 RNC in New York. Saint Paul deployed 3,500
officers and the City's entire police force is less than 25% of the total
number of officers deployed. If New York could not control its own
officers?

Post assessment: A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, so run for
your lives the next time something like this is suggested.

As for the Thune matter, Cicero said that "flies do not bother a lion."
Thune is no lion.


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:48:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: Grace Kelly <thegracekelly [at] earthlink.net>
To: David Shove <shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Re: Progressive Calendar  09.12.08

One of your writers, asks for the shot that sums up this RNC.

For me, it is the shot of the gleeful Republican when everyone else was in
shock and horror at what was happening.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2664/p1010100ls7.jpg


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Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:39:04 +1200 (NZST)
From: Charley Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

Much has been written about Councilman Thune's using the "f-bomb" on his
office computer.

I remember a certain vice president using the same language on the floor
of the U.S. Senate a few months back.  I don't seem to remember much
outrage about that moment.  In fact, I remember how Cheney was lauded as
being quite frank and plain-spoken and open with his feelings.  Hmmmm....

But for a real contrast, try this one: Case number one, you send an
annoying email to a St Paul city councilman and he responds with the
f-bomb.  Case number two, you are a beautiful 21-year-old girl following
police orders and you get drenched with pepper-spray when you glance at
the storm trooper in front of Mickey's Diner.

So a couple of weekends ago, about 200 people had Fletcher's goons draw
guns on them for no reason.  And last week a couple of hundred folks got
drenched with chemical weapons.

Which action do YOU think is worse?

If Mike Costello is so outraged by an ancient Celtic expression, would he
be better pleased to receive a face-full of OC gas, which is banned in
international warfare?


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:29:14 -0500
From: cathleen royce <catyroyce [at] gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

If memory serves me right (granted theres room for doubt here) Costello
was one of the people that were frothing at the mouth about Thune's
corageous move to ban smoking in St. Paul's restuarants.  Some history
would explain Costello's ridiculous attack on Thune's work to protect
civil liberties and hold public officials accountable.

Great job on both scores, Dave; the smoking ban and the call for
accountability. I'm glad you're one of our voices in city hall!

caty royce
south minneapolis, ex selbyite


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:30:55 -0500
From: Bill Kahn <wjkahn [at] mac.com>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

This hate accusation seems to be a major theme in accusations about
Democratic folks by Minnesota Republicans. Certainly there seems to
be a great deal of bad feeling related to the early adoption of a
smoking ban in the City of St. Paul, so I would tend to agree with
Caty and think the exchange between David Thune and Mike Costello has
less to do with partisan hate or outrage over RNC behavior than
perceptions about the plain old economics of the RNC for local
business. That Michael Brodkorb would seize on such an exchange is
certainly not surprising, but having it end up here in a discussion
thread sort of helps define what the Republican Party is all about in
Minnesota; these folks are just lucky they live here in the land of
nice.

Costello's would seem to be different from the norm as far as St.
Paul hospitality businesses go, i.e., they don't appear to try to be
all things to all people or else have a clear and strong niche that
doesn't include folks who protest or those who support the rights to
do so. Mike doesn't strike me as all that nice or as having much
business acumen. In any case, I won't be walking or crawling into
Costello's on Tuesday night or any time in the future. Anybody else
can patronize them if they like because, after all, it is, or was, a
free country; at least it is in St. Paul Minneapolis when the RNC is
not in town.

We really have to have a good look, hard and long, at the excess of
the Republican notion of homeland security and how it affects
American democracy. Dave Thune's had a start here on this thread, but
he appears to have some telling opposition from Republican folks.

On Sep 12, 2008, at 8:02 AM, John Harris wrote:

> Those of you on the left sure do seem to have a lot of hate built up
> for those that disagree with you.  It isn't healthy.

Bill Kahn (D)
Prospect Park, Minneapolis, City of Waters on the Brain
Info about Bill Kahn (D): http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/billkahn


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:54:53 -0500
From: Alan Muller <amuller [at] dca.net>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment [Thune]

Looks to me as if Thune is the only elected official in St. Paul who comes
out looking decent on this.  Not brilliant, maybe, but decent.  Decent
counts for a lot when one is confronted with Fascism.

An "after assessment" needs to be based on the record, not inflated email
rhetoric.  Who knew what when?  Who said one thing publicly while agreeing
behind-the-scenes to another scenario?  Fifty million $ pays for one hell
of a paper trail.  (Where are the purchase orders for the clubs and guns
and cute black outfits and so on....?)  Who is digging it up?  For that
matter, who is now shredding it?

Some of these emails from right-wingers look intentionally provocative.
Trying to get the do-gooders off balance.....?

am

"It also gives us a very special, secret pleasure to see how unaware the
people around us are of what is really happening to them. "
 -Adolf Hitler


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:27:59 EDT
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

Let's put all of this in perspective Mike Costello is a bar owner in Saint
Paul that has contributed monies to Thune's opponents.  This is not some
unknown business owner to Mr Thune this is someone who had pictures of
Dave Thune with slash marks across his face on the doors and walls of his
business establishment.  This is someone who hates Dave's leadership on
the smoking issue.

If you go to his bar website as of last night at least he still had the
republican elephant on all of the pages and I am sure Mr Costello was
extremely frustrated that he had lost money on the Republican Convention.
So, if you bet on the GOP convention and you lost money on it, and you
were a Republican from Sunfish Lake who would you blame?

Simple DAVE THUNE.

Hell, Mike's been blaming Dave for his poor business for almost five years
now.

So, when Thune get's the email from Mike suggesting that since Mike is
once again a business failure and this time it is because Dave has stood
up for people's first amendment rights, one can understand why Dave
wouldn't have taken the message as being from a "business person," but
rather from a long time political opponent.


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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:08:36 EDT
From: Chuckrepke [at] aol.com
To: grimmy31 [at] comcast.net, stpaul-issues [at] forums.e-democracy.org
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

In a message dated 9/12/2008 8:57:31 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
grimmy31 [at] comcast.net writes:

He should have held his opinions on the police actions until after the RNC
ended and for a forum much more suited to his position

Let's remember again what happened.  Sheriff Fletcher led a raid into a
hall on Smith Avenue in Thune's ward and shut the building down for
building code violations.  An action that is not usually done by the City
of Saint Paul Police Department or the Ramsey County Sheriff's office.
Code violations are handled by the City's Department of Safety and
Inspections.  Thune asked the head of DSI to determine if there were code
violations or if this hall could continue to be rented.  It was determined
that the hall could be rented.

If Thune would not have acted when he did and speak out at that moment
then those citizens who were intending to use the hall to organize in
protest to the convention would not have been able to do so.  They would
have lost this location to freely assemble and to freely associate.

It is reasonably clear that was the Sheriff's intent.  He was destroying
the command and control of the anarchist and domestic terrorist...

Well, maybe he was and maybe he wasn't but we have the courts to determine
that.  Not Lord Fletcher.

If Thune wouldn't have opened his mouth and subjected himself to the abuse
that will now come his way, a little piece of all of our civil liberties
would have been lost.

But, they weren't lost.  The building was allowed to be rented and people
were able to meet there.  And it didn't stop the police from doing their
work.

It is that one person who stands up to the tank that makes a difference
and I will always be proud to have once worked for Thune.


--------22 of x--------

Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:52:49 +1200 (NZST)
From: Ren Martin <renmrtn [at] gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

Chuck Repke wrote:

"Let's remember again what happened.  Sheriff Fletcher led a raid into a
hall on Smith Avenue in Thune's ward and shut the building down for
building code violations.  An action that is not usually done by the City
of Saint Paul Police Department or the Ramsey County Sheriff's office.
Code violations are handled by the City's Department of Safety and
Inspections. Thune asked the head of DSI to determine if there were code
violations or if this hall could continue to be rented.  It was determined
that the hall could be rented."

The above quote is only part of the story, the complete facts are more
telling: the only code violation found during the raid was that the rear
emergency exit had a locking bar in place - a removable anti burglary
device - that was supposed to be pulled out whenever the building was
occupied. DSI went through the bldg and there were no other violations and
no citations were issued. The claim that there were "sleeping pads
everywhere" was an observation attributed to the Sheriff - after deputies
scattered a pile of donated blankets and pillows during their search. The
tenants own posted rules prohibited sleeping in the building.

The RC Sheriff, stepping well outside his authority, had the building
entrances screwed shut in an attempt to deny the tenants (the building was
rented by a Mpls community center, not the RNC Welcoming Committee) the
use of their lawfully rented space. The City of St Paul, not just Mr.
Thune, acted in the only manner they could and immediately returned the
building to the tenants.

It is important to note that NO weapons, tire flattening devices, buckets
of urine etc. were found at the Smith ave bldg;  read the search warrant
and evidence receipts that have been available for many days on various
sites (strangely enough Fox 9 was one of the first to post them). What
they confiscated was mostly intellectual property - all the laptops,
personal electronics such as MP3 players, cellphones, boxes and boxes of
literature and handouts, maps, poster paint and some misc junk.

Also note that no one was arrested at the hall, further evidence that
there was nothing there, yet every ID was recorded and every individual
photographed before they were released. A grandstand show by Ramsey County
that is deeply disturbing at best.

Ren Martin
West Side, St Paul
Info about Ren Martin: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/7LiXS6NUkE9nmM1EoKmOj3


--------23 of x--------

Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:35:11 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Fratto <mfratto [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [SPIF] after assessment

John, I can't condone what is reported that Thune wrote. However, lets get
one thing on the table. It seems that the messages that contain anything
close to hate comes from posters that espouse the Conservative point of
view. Generally, those on the left are open to other points of view. Its
the only way to refine your position. On the other hand, very few people
who post points of view from the right seem to be so closed minded.

Look at the issues regarding the RNC. We live in a country that has a
Constitution. Even though the President and his minions have violated many
aspects of it in the guise of Homeland Security, it doesn't mean we should
allow it in our back yard.

We have a right to free speech. Yes it stops when you attempt to cause
injury to persons or property. But we still have the right to freely
espouse what we think. This first amendmest has never been questioned
unlike the interpretation of the right to bear arms in the second
amendment. Yet the right seems to think we don't have the right to
protest.

Yet there are quite a few posters who seem to think that because a few,
relatively speaking, protesters intended to cause damage and injury that
the police had the right to infringe on their first amendment right. Then
there are mostly the same posters who claim the police were right in their
reaction to plain citizens on the street.

We do not have to submit to search by police without a warrant. Yet there
are more than a couple of incidents where police demanded someone show
them the contents of a backpack etc. Of course the most agresis action by
some police officers was the intentional injury of a suspect, already in
cuffs, by spraying them with mace or pepper spray or slaming their heads
into the sidewalk.

It is our right and obligation to object to this. Yet we seem to hear from
the right that the police had the right to do this.


--------24 of x--------

Elections & Voting
Deception and delusion: Dummies for democracy
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
Online Journal Contributing Writer
Sep 12, 2008, 00:17
_http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3737.shtml_

I confess. I believe there is a ruling class that sustains the two-party
plutocracy running the nation for the benefit of the rich and corporate
class.  Their broad strategy is deception and delusion. Tactically, they
use government, the mainstream media, the financial services sector,
funding of politicians and the two major parties, and many other parts of
the culture and economy to maintain their power and control.

Elections do not threaten elites. To the contrary, political debate and
elections are important to maintain the illusion and delusion of a real
democracy. They are key to preventing outright revolution, marginalizing
dissidents and political reform efforts, and suppressing third parties.
Would power plutocrats allow election of a president that threatened their
control? Of course not. And no Democratic or Republican presidential
candidate ever poses a real threat, despite cloaking themselves with
labels like maverick, reformer or change agent.

If you accept my worldview, then you know that the ruling class would
prefer John McCain over Barack Obama, though they can live with Obama,
which is why many, many wealthy people and corporations have poured money
into the Obama's campaign and the recent Democratic convention. The
chief disadvantage of Obama and Sarah Palin, from the rulers'
perspective, is their relative brief stints as politicians. It takes time
to corrupt politicians and cement their dependency on and membership in
the ruling class. In contrast, McCain and Joe Biden clearly have shown
themselves reliable in protecting the status quo two-party plutocracy.

The best way to view most current events is through the prism of the
ruling class. Take lower gas prices and the federal takeover of the two
mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Both occurred relatively soon
before the general election, as has far better information about the Iraq
war. Manipulation and engineering of national and even world events are
designed to serve the interests of the ruling class.

Why does deception and delusion work so effectively? When it comes to
politics, current events and history, the vast majority of citizens are
uninformed, stupid and dumb, regardless of their educational level. As
distracted and compulsive consumers, they fall head over heels for
political lies and slick campaign rhetoric.

First, consider younger voters. So much talk is about the increased
interest in this presidential campaign by younger people, especially
evident in the Ron Paul and Obama campaigns. But consider these facts: For
those age 18 to 29, just 20 percent read newspapers and just 11 percent
regularly surf the Internet for news. Most of what people know about
candidates' positions on the issues comes from what they learn from
unreliable and all too often misleading 30-second commercials. Despite far
more widespread and extensive schooling, people today possess no more
political knowledge than their parents and grandparents. And don't think
that those addicted to The Daily Show and its irreverent view of politics
are a lot smarter than those favoring The conservative O'Reilly Factor
show. In both groups, only about 54 percent of the shows' politicized
viewers scored in the high knowledge category.

Propaganda and misinformation really work. Just prior to the 2003 invasion
of Iraq, some 60 percent of Americans believed that Iraq was behind the
9/11 attack. But here is the kicker: A year later there was a wealth of
information, including the 9/11 Commission report, saying that Iraq had
nothing to do with the 9/11 attack. Yet an amazing 50 percent of Americans
still believed that Iraq was to blame, and may still think so. As Rick
Shenkman, author of Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the
American Voter, concluded: "By every measure social scientists have
devised, voters are spectacularly uninformed." Guess who takes advantage
of the stupidity of voters, especially younger ones.

If people can believe Obama when he says that the election is not about
him but about them, then they also can believe McCain when he says he is a
proven change agent and reformer.

The only real difference between Obama and McCain is exactly how they will
screw the public and benefit the rich and powerful if elected, not whether
they will. If the electorate was really intelligent, they would understand
and focus on the similarity between the two, rather than their professed
differences.  It is what they share -- obedience and loyalty to the
two-party plutocracy -- that matters the most. As long as voters do not
understand this, the oppression and destruction of the middle class will
continue, despite people thinking they are free and live in a democracy.

Mostly, Americans are free to remain vulnerable to deception and delusion.
Democracy for dummies is what we have and what the majority deserve. For
the rest of us the difficult challenge is to find ways to fight the
political system that are not marginalized and only satisfy our egos. As
long as you are an enthusiastic supporter of any Democrat or Republican
you are a willing participant in our fake democracy. Most voters persist
in believing in the myth that some Democrat or Republican can and will
reform the political system, fix the economy, and restore American
democracy.  They refuse to face the painful truth that this is simply not
true.  They rather keep embracing the delusional myth.

Consider these wise words of John F. Kennedy:  "The great enemy of the
truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and dishonest,
-- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in
myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."

And so millions of Americans suffering from habitual stupidity will cast
their votes confident that they have discovered the truth. Like the march
of the penguins diving into icy water without thinking they have any other
choice, they succumb to the big myth that this year cost about $1 billion
to keep alive.  These voters are dummies for democracy. The rest of us
will vote for a third party candidate, or refuse to vote at all, and seek
ways to ignite the Second American Revolution.

Politicians and media people often praise the smart public and smart
voters as if they inevitably make the best, most intelligent and informed
electoral decisions. This is sheer hype designed to maintain the political
status quo.  There is only one smart fact: Every single Democrat and
Republican candidate lies.  Why do they keep lying? It works.

Contact Joel S. Hirschhorn through _www.delusionaldemocracy.com_
(http://www.delusionaldemocracy.com/) ; he is a co-founder of _Friends of
the Article V Convention_ (http://www.foavc.org/) .

Copyright © 1998-2007 Online Journal _Email Online Journal Editor_
(mailto:editor [at] onlinejournal.com)

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