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Saturday, May 27, 2006

YER OUT! Candidates needed

My state senator and state rep both voted for the new stadium, even though there are higher priorities like education, health care, property taxes, transportation and the environment that need the money more. Are we going to let them get away with this? I’m calling on ordinary citizens from all over the state to step up to the plate and eject these bums from the political ballgame.

Unfortunately, they're making it harder for minor parties to get on the ballot. You need 500 signatures for state house and 1000 for state senate, they need to list their legislative district, and there's something like a two-week window to collect them all. Your map has to be very detailed so they can be certain they live in the district. You might be better off going house to house, twice: Once to find out who is willing to sign, and once to get the actual signatures.

The good news is I bet you could get a lot of mileage out of the stadium issue. Just keep hammering the stadium issue over and over and over again. I bet you could even say you agree with the incumbent on all other issues! I'm a state employee so I can't run this year, but I will be eternally grateful to anyone who does.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Movie Review: Loose Change

Must see. To watch it try clicking here. There's a button in the lower right corner that sets it to full screen. Watching it online the text is a little blurry, but you get to rewind the parts that go by too fast.

Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code

I liked The Da Vinci Code because it sparks the imagination and encourages people to think outside the box. Unless proven otherwise, I will regard it as a work of fiction. If anyone claims it’s true, it’s nothing that a little excavation can’t settle. If they’ve got the goods, though, I just hope they can wait a few years, until I finish my book!

Friday, May 19, 2006

Help me see the tail fin

Before I saw the newly-released video of the 9/11 Pentagon crash, I thought maybe the wings of the plane could have collapsed like an umbrella, explaining the small hole left in the wall. After seeing the video, however, the streak looks skinny enough to punch that type of hole. Maybe I'm too biased. Somebody please help me see the tail fin!

Monday, May 15, 2006

Why privacy and respect are important

The Bush administration has been illegally tracking our phone calls, and yet polls show most Americans still don’t mind. Now we’re learning that the administration has been tracking the phone calls of reporters, presumably to plug whistleblower leaks. Here’s one good reason why privacy is so important. Law-abiding political participants need to be able to strategize without fear of retaliation.

Maybe Bush will talk about it tonight when he talks about using our already overextended National Guard to keep poor people of color out of our country. He’s preempting Oprah’s "Legends" show, which ought to make him very popular with women viewers. The show is a tribute to African American women leaders and role models, rescheduled for May 22.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Cavlan shines in Pulse nuke questionnaire

U.S. Senate candidate Michael Cavlan really outshined Amy Klobuchar and Ford Bell in a recent questionnaire about nuclear issues in Pulse magazine. Here's the link:

http://www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2466

Unlike Klobuchar, Michael wants to phase out existing nuclear plants. Michael called for depleted uranium testing not only for our returning military personnel, but also for civilians exposed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. He was one of 28 arrested at Alliant Tech, and won't be taking their money. He was the only one in the article calling for impeachment (and removal) of President Bush, based on evidence already made public. And unlike Klobuchar, he supports Russ Feingold's measure to censure George Bush.