The environment means Ken Pentel

We need Ken Pentel as Governor of Minnesota. Our environmental problems have not gone away. Pentel has the most detailed plan for cutting energy infrastructure costs. No other candidate comes close. We can cut 60-70% in waste with better lighting, windows, motors, refrigerators, etc., and by requiring power plants to trap waste heat. We're currently caught in a wasteful planning trap that encourages us to consume appliances and then throw them out instead of getting them repaired. We are literally killing our planet, and we need someone with Pentel’s expertise to restore our communities and our ecology. The Green Party is many things, but our name is Green and Green means the environment. And the environment means Ken Pentel.

Charlie Rangel is of the Devil

You’re either with us or against us in the war on tyranny, and Democrat Charlie Rangel apparently is against us. After Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Bush the Devil at the UN in New York, Rangel said, "You don’t come into my country, you don’t come into my congressional district, and you don’t condemn my president."

While I don’t take Chavez to be serious, I think he is on the right track in comparing Bush to the Devil. Bush lied about WMD so he could murder Iraqis and steal their oil, violating the 6th, 8th, and 9th Commandments. I do consider it murder because he knew the inspectors had no evidence of weapons of mass destruction, and because he himself said recently that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. By all indications the war has not saved more innocent lives than it has taken. The Gulf War had long since ended. If you go in unprovoked and start killing people, that’s murder. And it’s not enough to say Hussein planned to kill us. Only God can read minds. The same reasoning applies with Iran.

And it’s not the troops who are committing murder. They’re hired guns. It’s the one who gave the order. Support the troops. Give them adequate armor, medical care, and keep them away from the deadly Depleted Uranium. Bring them home.

My understanding of evil is that it is simply the absence of light. When you think it’s okay to lie, murder, and steal, you are in deep spiritual darkness. I wouldn’t say that Bush is the Devil, but I would say that he is of the Devil, until and unless he repents and changes his evil ways. By this definition, I think it’s also safe to say that Charlie Rangel is of the Devil, because he is shielding Bush from the light. Of course, you could say that we are all of the Devil to some degree, and you’d be right. But I think Rangel, by attacking Chavez, is a big part of a serious problem.

We're so much better on the issues!

	Cavlan	Klobuchar	Kennedy
Immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq	YES	NO	NO
Single payer universal health care	YES	NO	NO
Independent investigation of Ohio recount	YES	NO	NO
Phasing out existing nuclear plants	YES	NO	NO
Censure, impeachment & removal of Bush	YES	NO	NO

Counter-frames

I picked up some counter-frames:

Death tax: Super-rich pony-up.
Cut and run: Leave and live.
Hurricane Katrina: The levy failure.

Zimmermann follow-up

I was able to follow up on a few details that were bothering me. Of the $7200 the developer gave to Dean, $1200 was seized in the raid. The other $6000 went into the Redistricting Lawsuit Fund account months ago. Tom Taylor, joint holder of the account, verified that for me. The jury may have felt the money was too late getting into the lawsuit fund. As I understand it, Dean tried to write a check to FREE early on, but the jury may not have been convinced the check was authentic or timely.

In the end, it looks like the developer didn't get any special treatment, and the money did not go to benefit Dean or his campaign, so then I guess it really was "nothing for nothing." I am still disappointed with Dean’s conduct, however, accepting large sums of money from a developer with business before the city. It is not what I would expect of a Green Party office holder. I told Michael Cavlan that we have to be guided by truth first, and loyalty second. Michael reassured me that he will not act in a fashion similar to Zimmermann's. I still have confidence in our other candidates. You can tell by our stands on the issues that we are not likely to be compromised.

See also Zimmermann convicted.