August 2006

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Fighting crime, one silly ordinance at a time

Filed under: Minneapolis

Tomorrow morning, the Minneapolis City Council will decide whether to criminalize those citizens who like to roam the alleys. Under the proposed ordinance--conceived as a crime fighting measure--alley-walkers would be subjected to a ticket or, in some cases, arrest if spotted by police in alley not adjacent to the block where they live.

Naturally, there are some exceptions. "Invitees"--defined as someone who is visiting a resident or on their way to a garage sale--would not be deemed in violation of the rule, nor would police, emergency personnel or garbage haulers.

Still, it's no surprise that the proposal remains controversial. A divided Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee forwarded the proposal to the full council without recommendation; it's anyone's guess what the council will do. In a long thoughtful post on his blog, Cam Gordon, the second ward councilman, articulated a number of reasons for opposing the measure. Wrote Gordon:

This kind of prohibition is unprecedented in the United States. I am concerned that it will move us in the wrong direction. It may well move us away from the proactive, preventative and accountable approach to public safety that we know works and towards a system that criminalizes harmless behavior and opens the door to more discriminatory and selective enforcement revolving-door placebo practices that are so frustrating to so many people. It may well bring us closer to a privatized, suburbanized city and not towards the safe, pedestrian-friendly community of close-knit caring city most of us want Minneapolis to be.

But Gordon, the only Green Party member on the City Council, neglected to mention one environmentally-based reason to stand against the ordinance: it would effectively criminalize some of Minneapolis' most fervent recyclers. The reference here is to not to the officially sanctioned recycling crews--naturally, they too are exempted from the proposed ordinance--but to the Norman Rigers of the city.

A retired postal worker, science fiction writer and full-time eccentric (he claims, among other things, to be half-lizard), Riger is one of the city's most prolific junkmen. He routinely prowls the alleys of Uptown in search of anything he thinks he might be able to sell for more than a nickel. He strips copper and gold from electronic equipment, extract the magnets from microwaves, and collects discarded books by the box by the for sale on the internet. It's both his vocation and avocation.

"If Minneapolis passes this, it will be the laughing stock of the world," Riger declares, with typical gusto. He doubts that will happen--"they're probably not that stupid." If it does, he doubts police will have much interest in enforcing the rule. He bases the latter opinion on his trash digging experiences, some in municipalities where the practice is legally forbidden. "I've encountered many cops while working at dumpsters at various locations," Riger notes, "and I've never had any trouble with them."

But in the event the ordinance is enacted, Riger has a plan. "I will milk it for all its worth," he says. "I will advertise alley parties. I will hand out free alley passes. And I will probably even write a poem about it and have it published in the neighborhood newspaper."

Posted by Mike Mosedale at August 31, 2006 3:40 PM | Comments (2)

 

Lavender Magazine Endorses Reichgott Junge

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

The GLBT magazine Lavender has endorsed Ember Reichgott Junge for congress in the 5th District, according to a press release issued today by the Junge campaign.

In its edition due out tomorrow, Lavender cites Junge as "the most experienced, qualified, and progressive-thinking candidate...Unlike other candidates for the Fifth District seat, Reichgott Junge's stand on issues protecting those without a voice is not tokenism, but a real and concerned call to action from the mountaintops."

The press release also notes that Minneapolis has the third-largest concentration of gay and lesbian couples in the nation, according to the 2000 census.

Posted by Britt Robson at August 31, 2006 1:40 PM | Comments (6)

 

Campaign cash: Auditing the auditor candidates

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

Otto trumps Anderson in statewide money sweepstakes

While the gubernatorial and state attorney general races have grabbed headlines in this campaign season, the race for state auditor is still worth noting. Rebecca Otto is the former state rep. who is running as the DFL challenger to GOP incumbent Pat Anderson, who first entered politics as the mayor of Eagan.

The two have done a PR dance over Anderson's record as state auditor, a post she's held since she was elected in 2002. Then, Anderson was part of the statewide regime change, when the Republicans ushered in a new era of dominance in Minnesota politics. The bottom line in this race might just be the bottom line.

If campaign-fund raising is any kind of indication at this point, Anderson might be in a little trouble. The latest state election records show that Otto has raised some $81,200 over the latest reporting period to Anderson's $73,500.

More importantly down the homestretch, perhaps, is how much each candidate has on hand to spend: Otto has $67,000, while Anderson has just more than $15,000.

Even more notable is who each candidate counts among her contributors. Otto has a host of backers in and outside of the DFL, while Anderson appears to be lacking some of the green from her own party.

For the record, the notables in Anderson's donor list include just a handful of GOP heavies, including local broadcast mogul Stan Hubbard ($500) and longtime Republican icon Wheelock Whitney ($500).

Otto, by contrast, has drawn a wide-range of supporters. She has a host of contributions from the usual DFL-machine labor unions, as well as the PAC of the Rice, Michels and Walther law firm, which counts the Minneapolis Police Department union among its clients. And, of course, she has a piece of the collective wallet of Sam and Sylvia Kaplan, the most important DFL rainmakers in state politics.

Some of the individual contributors include erstwhile DFL candidate for U.S. Senate Ford Bell ($150); former Republican governor Arne Carlson ($500); onetime media magnate John Cowles ($200); former DFL congressional candidate Theresa Daly ($200); outgoing U.S. Senator Mark Dayton ($500); recently disgraced AG candidate Matt Entenza ($125); Entenza's well-heeled wife Lois Quam ($125); current DFL state rep from Minneapolis Frank Hornstein ($125); and notorious Wellstone worshipper Rick Kahn ($500).

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at August 31, 2006 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

 

8/31 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

THESE DAYS

The Rev. Donald Wildmon's American Family Association has urged members to protest against CBS's decision to air an updated version of its 9/11 documentary in which firemen and other emergency workers are heard swearing.

Fuel expands in the heat, throwing off its measurement at the gas pumps. Hawaii, with an 86-degree fuel temperature, is the hottest. The state with the lowest gas temperature is Minnesota (53 degrees), and we pay $37 million less annually because of it.

A lack of federal money has triggered the shutdown of a coordinated effort to locate 135 people still listed as missing as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Track Tracy Eberly's numerous issues with Minnesota's newspaper of record at Anti-Strib.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Some guy wearing 121 t-shirts

Photos of celebrities with regular folks equals non-stop entertainment at CelebSafari. (Send in your own pix)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I was watching TV and saw the trucks that said 'UN' on them and said, 'Man, you are so uncool, ineffective, anything.'"

-- Megadeth singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine, discussing the metal band's new album United Abominations, its title prompted by Mustaine's disdain for the United Nations

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 31, 2006 6:45 AM | Comments (1)

 

Don't thank me for making you rich. OK, go ahead and thank me.

Anyone remember the rotten old days of chain letters, when you'd have to copy them by hand and send them by post? (Back then, kiddies, candy bars cost five cents and oral gratification was something you had to pay for in Tijuana and Bangkok.)

Yet there's bountiful pleasure (if not oral pleasure) to be found in these modern days of email mischief, myths, and scams. I dare say that our children will one day remember the Nigerian Era as a golden age of flim flammery.

To wit, a friend in Atlanta forwards me the following:

Read carefully,

THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USA TODAY - IT IS FOR REAL

To all of my friends, I do not usually forward messages, but this is from my friend Pearlas Sandborn and she really is an attorney.

If she says that this will work, it will work. After all, what have you got to lose?

SORRY EVERYBODY. JUST HAD TO TAKE THE CHANCE!!! I'm an attorney, And I know the law. This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion-dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by PepsiCo against General Electric not too long ago.

* * *

Dear Friends; Please do not take this for a junk letter.

Bill Gates sharing his fortune. If you ignore this, You will repent later.

Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.

When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (If you are a Microsoft Windows user) For a two weeks time period.

For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00 For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, You will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check.

Regards. Charles S Bailey General Manager Field Operations
1-800-842-2332 Ext. 1085 or 904-1085 or RNX 292-1085
[mailto:Charles_Bailey@csx.com]Charles_Bailey@csx.com

I thought this was a scam myself, But two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on. Microsoft contacted me for my address and within days, I received a check for $24,800.00. You need to respond before the beta testing is over. If anyone can affoard this, Bill Gates is the man.

It's all marketing expense to him. Please forward this to as many people as possible. You are bound to get at least $10,000.00.

We're not going to help them out with their e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When i went to visit him for the Baylor/UT game. She showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped "Paid in full"

Posted by Michael Tortorello at August 30, 2006 12:44 PM | Comments (0)

 

Three questions: MPLS civil rights director

Filed under: Minneapolis

Michael K. Browne and the future of the CRA

In this season of high-profile candidacies, it's not likely that you've heard of Michael K. Browne, the acting director of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights. But Browne, who took over for Jayne Khalifa after she was appointed Deputy City Coordinator in May, has already appeared relatively proactive in what has in recent history been a moribund city department.

Most notably, before his appointment, Browne authored a study that raised serious questions about the state of the city's Civilian Review Authority, the citizen board that investigates complaints against the Minneapolis Police Department. The CRA has been flogged to death repeatedly since its inception in 1991, and skeptics could read Browne's report as another case of the city applying more window dressing to an entity they'd rather see disappear once and for all.

But since he took over the civil rights department, Browne has stayed the course on CRA reform, and his interim directorship was recently extended by Mayor R.T. Rybak. As a sign of his political acumen, perhaps, agititators and city bureacrats from the African American community could be spotted at J.D. Hoyt's downtown on a recent Friday evening celebrating Browne's extension--a rare sign of unity.

Yet another task force has been assigned to make changes to the CRA, to that end and there's a public hearing Wednesday, 7 p.m., at the Brian Coyle Center at 420 15th Avenue south, near Cedar-Riverside in Minneapolis.

In light of that event, Browne answered three questions via e-mail from Blotter regarding the future of the CRA.

City Pages: What sorts of changes are being sought in the CRA protocol and why?

Michael K. Browne: Overall, the CRA task force has striven to maintain the integrity of the CRA's authority while creating a more focused process. This is important for several reasons: For the community, the CRA must be a credible avenue to grieve a complaint of police misconduct in where the decision can be trusted; and for the officers, the mysticism of CRA process must be dispelled while ensuring due process, especially since civilian oversight is a condition of employment with the City of Minneapolis.

A comprehensive summary of the task force's work is available on the City's website, and there are noticeable changes to highlight. For example, the CRA task force: (1) endorsed the recommendation to conduct a comprehensive study/audit of the MPD internal affairs unit; (2) maintained the integrity of the CRA Board's authority by making certain that cases are not re-examined by the Internal Affairs Unit of the MPD; (3) expanded the CRA's scope of authority to include violations the MPD Policy and Procedures Manual; and (4) recommended pursuing avenues to obtain subpoena power for the CRA investigative process.

CP: Will these changes ever come to fruition and be implemented? What's the mood of the City Council on this issue?

MKB: Once the work leaves the CRA Taskforce, it will be up to the City Council to adopt, change, or reject the recommendations. Six members of the City Council--Council Members [Cam] Gordon, [Don] Samuels, [Robert] Lilligren, [Elizabeth] Glidden, [Ralph] Remington, and [Betsy] Hodges--serve on the task force. To this point, it is noteworthy that a majority of the work completed by the group was reached through discussion, debate and consensus. Thus, there is likely to be strong support from the Council as a whole to adopt these recommendations.

What is less clear is whether a majority of the Council will support making certain that the CRA Board retain its position as the final authority that determines the designation on police misconduct complaints filed with the CRA. Although there is pressure to revert that power to the police chief, Council Member Hodges is working on language that would retain that authority for the CRA.

Should City Council adopt the Hodges Motion, it would fall to the CRA Manager, the Civil Rights Department, the MPD, and ultimately the Mayor to ensure that the new ordinance and procedures are followed.

CP: This most recent CRA has been plagued by ineffectiveness. You have also written a report that was largely critical of the current state of the CRA. What, if anything, can be done? And what would you say to skeptics who say it's a lost cause?

MKB: Although the report identifies several challenges throughout the City's civilian oversight process, it also recommends a solution: create a CRA task force--convene key City stakeholders and experts from diverse backgrounds to work through the issues together.

I have seen an amazing amount of support and cooperation from the task force members, which is a strong indication that these new policies and procedures will bode well for the CRA's future.

In fact, I have already seen positive changes in the relationship between CRA and MPD as a result of implementation of some of the recommendations, and trust that the upward trend can and will continue, and extend to the community. Without a doubt, history has shown us that the struggle to strengthen civil rights is never a lost cause, and the improvement of this police accountability mechanism no exception.

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at August 30, 2006 8:03 AM | Comments (0)

 

8/30 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

THESE DAYS

This morning, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona will play host to a contingent of politicians and business types from Luxembourg, so, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say "hi."

Responding to numerous "reports of unpleasant meetings" from Alpine trail hikers, the Swiss Hiking Federation is advising against hugging the cows.

Some commercial sex workers in Kenya who apparently are immune to HIV might be carrying a gene that protects them from contracting the virus, according to a study presented at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. [via Digg]

A company called Baby Rock Records has created lullaby versions of songs by Metallica, Tool, and the Pixies.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Political and social commentary not for the faint of heart at Big Daddy Malcontent.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Robin Williams plays a Jon Stewart-like political comedian that runs for the presidency in Barry Levinson's Man of the Year, with Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, and Lewis Black.

A politically incorrect Jell-O commerical from the 1950s

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I didn't even know what school he was from. Then I decided to Google him and found all this information about how awesome he was in college. I guess I should have done that before the draft. I also should have Googled Donte Whitner, because apparently he isn't very good."

-- 80-year-old Buffalo Bills GM Marv Levy, regretting passing on Denver's rookie QB Jay Cutler, and drafting Ohio State safety Donte Whitner instead

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 30, 2006 12:00 AM | Comments (1)

 

Swanson competitive in DFL Attorney General Fundraising

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

Perhaps the biggest surprise among the recent campaign finance data that has been reported thus far is the strong showing of the current solicitor general, Lori Swanson, in her campaign to succeed her boss, Mike Hatch, as Minnesota Attorney General. Swanson is going up against Steve Kelley in the September 12 primary. Kelley enjoys far better name recognition, having finished a strong second this summer in a bid to capture the DFL endorsement for governor. When the DFL endorsee for AG, Matt Entenza, dropped out of the race last month, Kelley hopped in and was endorsed by the party in early August.

According to the reports on file with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Kelley has raised more than $100,000 and shows a respectable balance of $77,804.33. As of Tuesday morning, Swanson's finance report wasn't on file at the MCFB website, but the candidate told the PiPress Pat Sweeney that she had raised more than $60,000, loaned her campaign another $10,000 and, more importantly, has a balance of $62,476 on hand, very close to Kelley's cash reserve. It lends added credibility to Swanson, who is endorsed by Miles Lord and has shown a surprising strength in the unscientific "yard signs" wars in the weeks before the primary.

By contrast, former U.S. Rep. Bill Luther reports just $12,403 left in the bank, after raising slightly more than $15,000 overall. Sweeney thought this significant enough to be the focus of his story, but in fact Luther has run an extremely low-profile campaign and would not be considered a serious candidate without his previous electoral history.

Among the non-DFL candidates for attorney general, Republican endorsee Jeff Johnson has raised, spent, and retained the most money of anyone in the race, having garnered just under $200,000 thus far and showing a balance of $116,219. Independence Party candidate John James, a former official in DFL governor Rudy Perpich's administration in the late 80s, raised a decent amount of $53,901 but has only $17,439 remaining.

Posted by Britt Robson at August 29, 2006 11:10 AM | Comments (2)

 

Crime blotter: planting evidence

Filed under: Crime

The Duluth News Tribune reports today that 12 marijuana plants were discovered growing in a municipal garden in front of the West Duluth police substation. Reporter Janna Goerdt noticed the plants while covering a press conference highlighting a crackdown on illegal use of all-terrain vehicles. The cops claimed ignorance regarding the plants' origins.

[Lt. John] Beyer pointed out that he, his police officers and the public use the backdoor entrance to the police station. The front door just off busy Grand Avenue is usually locked and not used.

"The only thing I can say is somebody has a sense of humor," Beyer said. "Now they'll read about it in the paper and say, 'Yeah, that was me.' "

Posted by Paul Demko at August 29, 2006 10:43 AM | Comments (1)

 

Belated answer to Kersten's smear of Keith Ellison

Filed under: Media

As I was doing a media clip search in the course of reporting the story on Keith Ellison that will be published tomorrow, the June 8 column from Strib writer Katherine Kersten stood out. I won't go into the entire thing, but do want to address her last point, which was quoted in at least one other national story.

"Imagine that a Republican seeks his party's endorsement for the U.S. House of Representatives, despite having been allied with a white supremacist organization just a decade earlier," Kersten smugly wrote. "You're right. That man wouldn't get his party's endorsement."

We'll leave aside Kersten's equation of the Nation of Islam and a white supremacist organization for others to quibble over and go straight to her assumption of moral superiority on the part of Republicans. Because while Kersten is encouraging us to imagine hypothetical scenarios, we need only remember relatively recent history--not on something as small potatoes as Congress, but regarding the current occupant of the White House--to rebut her smug analogy.

It is well documented that with his presidential campaign on the rocks after losing to John McCain in the 2000 New Hampshire Republican primary, George Bush was determined to shore up his right-wing base (and smear McCain, but that's another story) in the next battleground state of South Carolina. To that end, his first campaign stop in the state after New Hampshire was at Bob Jones University, the institution notorious for defending its policy of racial segregation all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The university was still banning interracial dating at the time candidate Bush appeared before them and said, "I look forward to publicly defending our conservative philosophy."

Candidate Bush also refused to take a position on the Confederate flag flying over the South Carolina State Capitol. The Confederacy was a treasonous government that specifically took up arms against the United States to fight for the right to own slaves--would that fit Kersten's definition of a white supremacist organization? We all know what happened next: Coddling the folks at Bob Jones and others nostalgic for the Confederacy helped Bush defeat McCain in South Carolina, giving him enough momentum to eventually capture his party's endorsement.

Keith Ellison has repeatedly repudiated--using words like "reject" and "condemn"--any affiliation he had with the Nation of Islam. George Bush has never apologized for his more recent affiliations: Kissing the rear ends of Bob Jones University administrators and those who chose to fly the symbol of the Confederacy over a public building.

Posted by Britt Robson at August 29, 2006 10:09 AM | Comments (31)

 

8/29 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

It was one year ago today Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast region. Weeks later, City Pages spoke to some of the evacuees to compile New Orleans: Survivor Stories, first-hand accounts of those trapped in the city after Katrina—what they did, what they saw, and how they stayed alive.

THESE DAYS

European footballers have frozen stem cells from their newborn babies to use in case of their own career-threatening sports injuries.

A Government Accountability Office probe of the White House's anti-drug media campaign has found that the $1 billion-plus spent on the effort so far has not been effective in reducing teen drug use.

Turning off the television, picking up a crossword puzzle, and eating more fish could be the keys to a better memory, an Australian survey has found.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Jim Braaten took the kids fishing in northern Minnesota recently. Read about the trip and the childhood memories it triggered at the Sportsman's Blog.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Top 100 Wikipedia articles by page views

Will Ferrell pitching Macs (versus parfaits)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"None of us should feel good about where we stand now."

-- NAACP President and CEO Bruce S. Gordon, on the recovery of New Orleans one year after Katrina

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 29, 2006 6:48 AM | Comments (0)

 

The end of dead ends?

Filed under: General Archive

Northfield ponders sacking cul-de-sacs

Usually when the New York Times wastes ink on little old us, it has to do with mentioning Eagan as the headquarters of Northwest Airlines.

But yesterday's Sunday Times has an interesting story on its national real estate page. It looks at the larger issue of subdivision development, and how two Minnesota towns are differing on what to do with that dread suburban development hallmark, the cul-de-sac. (The reporter, Carla Baranauckas, has lived in Minnesota.)

Northfield residents and city leaders, according to the story, are largely hoping for an end to the dead-end.

"In Northfield, a city of 17,000 about 45 miles south of Minneapolis, cul-de-sacs are more than out of fashion," the story reads. "'This city has tended toward not liking them,' said Dan Olson, the city planner."

Eagan residents, however, are not giving up their 650 cul-de-sacs without a fight:

"In 2004, residents of Wellington Way were dismayed when they learned that their flat-ended cul-de-sac would become a through street as the adjacent Diamond T Ranch, a horse ranch, is developed into a residential subdivision called Steeplechase of Eagan," sez the Times. "They petitioned the city to keep their cul-de-sac, but the Dakota County Plat Commission insisted that the cul-de-sac, which had been planned for a through street as far back as 1985, be extended."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at August 28, 2006 5:36 PM | Comments (0)

 

8/28 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Steve Monaco has your Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

THESE DAYS

Pope Benedict XVI has removed Father George Coyne from his position as director of the Vatican Observatory after the American Jesuit priest repeatedly contradicted the Holy See's endorsement of "intelligent design" theory. And for saying the sun is the center of the universe.

A survey carried out for the Directorate for Health and Social Affairs found that 18 percent of Norwegian women have been harassed by drunk men in the past year. Sounds about right.

The United States is headed for a recession that will be "much nastier, deeper and more protracted" than the 2001 recession, says Nouriel Roubini, president of Roubini Global Economics.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Paul blogs on north Minneapolis political and cultural issues at The North Star.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Does Muse + 120% pitch shift equal Gwen Stefani? [via B3TA]

Thanks a million

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"That lie we have been told, the separation of church and state, people have internalized, thinking that they needed to avoid politics and that is so wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers."

-- U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris (R-FL)

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 28, 2006 6:33 AM | Comments (2)

 

Who is Jim Jundt?

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

A brief bio of the man who hosted Bachmann and Bush

For all of the mystery surrounding President Bush's visit to the Twin Cities on Tuesday--Which interstates would be closed for the motorcade? Who came up with the idea of his health care reform panel?--one poorly kept secret was where the Presidential fund raiser for Michele Bachmann's Congressional campaign would be held.

By Tuesday morning, the Bachmann snoops had sussed out the location: 1400 Brackett's Point, a ritzy peninsular enclave on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Historically, the place has been referred to as "Pillsbury Point" by the locals, due to the fact that the famous Minnesota family has owned several mansions there for decades.

But the host of Tuesday's high-class kegger was a lesser known tycoon by the name of James Jundt.

The party was a smashing success, apparently. Armies of law enforcement vehicles blocked off parts of Highway 15, the road that leads to Brackett's Point, and giant orange balloons and water patrol officers kept boaters about three football fields away from the shoreline. But a cool grand would get you into the lavish affair, and another $5,000 would get you a picture with G-Dub.

Hennepin County property records show that the home of Jim and Joann Jundt, on the border of Wayzata and Orono, has been valued at $11 million. Jundt, along with his son Marcus, is one of the managers of Jundt Associates, an investment firm that was founded in 1982.

"Initially, the firm managed large corporate pension plans and other tax-exempt money," according to the firm's web site. Now the business is a "family of mutual funds," and "currently own[s], or [has] owned in the past, stocks like Microsoft, Oracle, Home Depot, XM Satellite Radio, Wal-Mart, Cisco, and Starbucks."

From 1990-93, according to one newspaper account, the firm earned more than $80 million. Coffee, apparently, has been very, very good to Jundt, for he is also the largest individual shareholder in Caribou.

Jundt started his career in 1964 with Merrill Lynch as a security analyst. He worked for IDS (the namesake of the iconic downtown building) in 1969, and eventually became a portfolio manager for St. Paul Advisers in 1979 before starting his own firm. Jundt is a graduate of Gonzaga University.

Jundt has had a profile outside of the local investment community. He currently sits on the Board of Governors at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and in the 1990s was one of the owners of the Minnesota Vikings.

He's also been a big-time political donor. The Star Tribune noted in 1998 that Jundt had contributed some $143,000 to local and state campaigns over the years, a majority of it going to Republicans. In 1997 alone, he forked over some 25 grand to political candidates on the GOP side.

News reports had it that the Bachmann shindig raised some $500,000 for the state senator from Stillwater who is seeking Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District seat--although Bachmann never directly said that money was coming from just this one event.

Either way, it's good for Bachmann to have people like the President and Jundt on her side. She's trailed main opponent Patty Wetterling in the money-raising stakes so far, and conventional wisdom has it that her evangelical base in the Sixth is a little light in the wallet.

Jundt, clearly, is a man comfortable around boatloads of money. "If you've got something to invest, he's one of the guys you go to," one Wayzata insider said on Tuesday. "The trouble is, you've got to have at least $4 million, just to play with, before he'll even talk to you."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at August 25, 2006 10:32 AM | Comments (2)

 

8/25 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

How was ice made and sold in pre-industrial times? What does "Alice in Wonderland" have to do with psychological testing? You've got the questions, and Cecil Adams is the man with the answers, as we welcome The Straight Dope to City Pages every Friday.

THESE DAYS

A coalition of 13 conservative groups—including the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America—took out full-page ads in some editions of USA Today urging the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate whether some of the porno movies widely available in hotels violate federal and state obscenity laws.

The New Delhi-based Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology said it would blockade the supply of Coca-Cola and Pepsi products into the country after another environmental group said it had found dangerous levels of pesticides in their drinks.

Evolutionary biology has vanished from the list of acceptable fields of study for recipients of a federal education grant for low-income college students. A spokeswoman for the Department of Education, Katherine McLane, calls the omission inadvertent.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Moses is blogging and looking for a job in the education field at Yowling from the Fencepost.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Rush Limbaugh handicaps the race-based tribes of Survivor

An interactive map of Springfield

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Always the mom, I thought, we need napkins. I asked the President if he had a napkin and he said no. So, I had to quickly grab napkins. I cannot imagine dripping custard in the Presidential limousine."

-- 6th District congressional candidate Michele Bachmann, recalling the recent visit to a Wayzata custard shop with President Bush, while on their way to a Bachmann fundraiser

"I had the opportunity this afternoon to be part of a relatively small group who heard President Bush talk, extemporaneously, for around forty minutes. It was an absolutely riveting experience. It was the best I've ever seen him. Not only that; it may have been the best I've ever seen any politician."

-- Power Line blogger John Hinderaker, dripping custard

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 25, 2006 6:49 AM | Comments (2)

 

Xcel Energy customers reap unexpected windfall

Filed under: Business

Close readers of their Xcel Energy bill will have noticed a peculiar item on this month's statement. The payment summary portion of the bill contains a mysterious 22 cent credit. This act of unexpected corporate benevolence is rather vaguely explained later in the statement. "The bill includes a credit as we did not meet one of our 2005 Service Quality Plan measurements," it reads.

According to Xcel Energy spokeswoman Mary Sandok, the specific requirement that it failed to comply with was the speed with which calls for service were answered. Under the company's regulatory agreement with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Xcel is required to answer 80 percent of these calls within 20 seconds. In 2005 the company met this standard on 79.3 percent of calls. Because of this failing, Xcel was required to dole out $250,000 to its roughly 1.2 million customers.

The power company was actually fined a total of $1.7 million for non-compliance issues in 2005, however, according to the PUC. The bulk of that penalty, $1.2 million, was for failing to meet the state-mandated standard for length of power outages. Under the terms of Xcel's regulatory agreement, the average outage is required to be less than 98 minutes. Xcel's average in 2005? 110 minutes.

Xcel was required to use half of the fine money for maintenance and improvements to its distribution system. An additional $600,000 was allocated to consumers who had experienced substantial power outage problems during 2005. Roughly 7,000 businesses or households that lost power for more than 24 hours or experienced at least a half-dozen outages received an $88 credit.

Which left $250,000 for the rest of us--or 22 cents per customer. Don't spend it all in one place.

Posted by Paul Demko at August 24, 2006 1:47 PM | Comments (1)

 

The fire man returneth?

Filed under: Crime

A new sentence ordered for Alan Enger

As reported recently in the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ordered a resentencing for convicted arsonist Alan Enger (pictured left).

According to the story, "Judges Gordon Shumaker, Thomas Kalitowski and Kevin Ross said the sentence must be reversed because the dangerous-offender statute under which Enger was convicted is unconstitutional because a judge, not a jury, made the finding."

Enger, 41, had been sentenced to 10 years, with no time off for good behavior, after he pled guilty to second-degree arson for setting fire to a vacant duplex in the 2300 block of NE Polk Street in Minneapolis on December 8, 2004. As reported in City Pages, Enger is so well known on the streets of Nordeast that he's earned the nickname "Backdraft." (See "The Fire Man," CP 2/1/2006.)

The future of Enger's sentence has caused some consternation; Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar has said that the 10-year sentence is what Enger deserves, and has vowed to take the case to the state Supreme Court.

And one of the people most familiar with Enger, MPD arson investigator Sean McKenna, is equally vexed.

"This is not good news," McKenna says in an e-mail to Blotter, noting that Enger has prior convictions. "He lives with his mother and as long as she lives on NE Polk Street, he will as well. History shows him to be a recidivist.

"If Alan Enger is out in three years and two months," McKenna continues, speculating on Enger's possible new sentence, "the Fall of 2008 is going to be pretty interesting in northeast Minneapolis."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at August 24, 2006 8:25 AM | Comments (0)

 

8/24 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Jim Walsh notes Minneapolis/St. Paul was recently named America's second drunkest city. In honor of this achievement, give us a new city slogan at Culture To Go.

THESE DAYS

Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favorites Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo, to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking. What's next? Bug Bunny's transvestism? Yogi Bear's criminal tendencies?

In an interview with Wired, Professor Daniel Levitin discusses research into how our brains process the works of artists as varied as Beethoven, the Beatles, and Britney Spears, and why they make us feel so good.

Striptease send-offs at funerals may become a thing of the past in east China after five people were arrested for taking it off at a farmer's funeral in Donghai County, Jiangsu province.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

It's Minnesota State Fair time, and that means Brian, who's got "all the milk you can drink" milk running through his veins, gets the nod at My Pronto Pup.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Cat weight-lifting challenge using fish

Dangerous Beauty: The Art of the Shiv

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"The other day, the little fella who does our maintenance work around the house, he's from Guatemala, and I said, 'Could I see your green card?' And Hugo says, 'No.' I said, 'Oh gosh.' ... Hugo is a nice little Guatemalan man who is doing some painting for me ... in Virginia."

-- Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), in a speech discussing tighter immigration controls

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 24, 2006 6:46 AM | Comments (0)

 

Liberal global warming threatens Christmas 2014

Filed under: Environment

The Associated Press reports the tree-growing operation owned by John and Jan Donelson "has lost 27,000 young Christmas trees to the drought" that hit Minnesota this summer. The Donelsons own 300-acres of faith-based forest near Clear Lake, Minnesota that, despite a new irrigating system, met an inconvenient truth that could affect the Christmas tree supply in eight years. Ironically, the more secular Santa's Forest nearby lost no trees because new trees weren't planted this year.

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 23, 2006 3:29 PM | Comments (0)

 

Minister of Silly Walks

Filed under: Minneapolis

In which the blogosphere offers an occasional gem

Redoubtable South Minneapolis hubris-deflater Wizard Marks has written a letter to the city council committee this afternoon considering restricting the use of alleys to residents of each particular block and a select few others.

Will this ordinance make us safer? No. Even it there were twice as many officers on the force, this tool would not be effective, because the design is hopelessly flawed.

Will it keep graffiti from appearing on garages and fences? Not a chance.

Will it rein in nogoodniks casing yards for vulnerabilities into which they can insinuate themselves? No.

Will it lessen the number of break-ins, car thefts, burglaries, or
robberies? Very, very unlikely.

Will it lessen the number of predators roaming the area looking for
opportunities to make mischief? No, no, no.

This ordinance will, however, bolster those judgmental and
self-righteous citizens and help them pretend that they live in a gated community. It is a chimera. This is a city with long alleys
criss-crossing the whole area, and citations will be ineffective in
producing such an illusion.

Marks' letter is posted in its entirety at the Minneapolis Issues Forum.

Posted by Beth Hawkins at August 23, 2006 1:56 PM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: Milwaukee's best

Filed under: Crime

On August 4 at approximately 7:15 p.m. a person identified in court records only as JW was driving a Pontiac Sunfire eastbound on Highway 55. Near the intersection of Highway 149 the driver noticed a white Cadillac El Dorado approaching from behind at a high rate of speed. According to a criminal complaint subsequently filed in Dakota County District Court, the Cadillac proceeded to bump the Pontiac off the road, causing it to strike a post. The driver of the Cadillac then allegedly fled the scene in the vehicle. The Eagan Police Department was summoned.

At 7:24 that same evening a woman identified only as PLS in court records was backing out of her driveway in Eagan. She noticed a white Cadillac weaving back and forth as it traversed the road in front of her residence. The Cadillac came to a halt in front of her driveway, blocking PLS's car. A man, subsequently identified as Jose Alberto Marcelo-Gomez, then exited the Cadillac. He was wearing shorts, but no shirt and began gesturing at PLS in a manner that she deemed threatening, demanding that she give him money. Marcelo-Gomez appeared to be extremely intoxicated. When he attempted to get into her vehicle PLS hit the horn. She then drove onto the lawn, around her antagonist, and out into the street. Marcelo-Gomez allegedly kicked the vehicle as it drove off, then followed in the Cadillac.

PLS managed to flag down a passing car and have the passengers call 911. At this the Cadillac took off, driving into the open garage of a nearby residence. A woman was at home with her three children. She assumed that the noise in the garage was her husband coming home from work. When police arrived at the scene they discovered the Cadillac still running, blasting classical music. Marcelo-Gomez, still shirtless, was found sprawled across the front seat. When asked if he was okay, he allegedly responded "fuck you." Marcelo-Gomez was eventually arrested.

On Monday he was charged with four crimes stemming from the incident: attempted theft, burglary, driving while impaired, and leaving the scene of an accident. According to records maintained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the 25-year-old Milwaukee resident has no prior criminal history in this state.

Posted by Paul Demko at August 23, 2006 10:10 AM | Comments (1)

 

8/23 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

THESE DAYS

The Minneapolis Public Safety & Regulatory Services Committee is meeting at 1:30 today in Room 317 at City Hall to discuss prohibiting the use of alleys for through pedestrian traffic, except for abutting property owners, tenants, their guests and invitees, and law enforcement personnel.

German astronomers revealed Monday that they possess one of the world's rarest videotape collections: original images of the Apollo moon landings that had been lost by NASA.

During a half-hour speech before the Tulsa Metro Chamber, Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK) called the United Nations an "absolute disaster" whose peacekeepers in Africa have been "going around teaching girls to be prostitutes."

Two live diamondback rattlesnakes were released in a Phoenix movie theater during a showing of the new film Snakes on a Plane. UPDATE: Only one snake, and it entered the theater under his own power

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

LissyJo states she's learning "how to juggle a baby, work, and graduate school." I'd pay to watch her juggle a baby, a bowling pin, and a chain saw, but that's just me. Read about this Minneapolis momma at Adventures of a Mother / Wife / Grad Student / Nurse.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Teletubbies and MC Hammer: 2 Legit 2 Quit

Learn how to shuffle a deck of cards with one hand

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"If we do not get control of our borders, by 2050 Americans of European descent will be a minority in the nation their ancestors created and built. No nation has ever undergone so radical a demographic transformation and survived."

-- political pundit Pat Buchanan, from his new book, State of Emergency

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 23, 2006 6:28 AM | Comments (1)

 

Ellison wins overwhelming endorsement from Take Action Minnesota

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

DFL-endorsed candidate Keith Ellison was the choice of more than 80 percent of Take Action Minnesota members who screened 5th Congressional District hopefuls at the organization's endorsement meeting Tuesday night. The results of the tally:

Keith Ellison 103 votes
Jay Pond (Green Party candidate) 14 votes
Mike Erlandson 4 votes
Paul Ostrow 0 votes

Take Action Minnesota is a recent merger of Progressive Minnesota and the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action. The overwhelming margin for Ellison indicates that his progressive base has not been swayed by relentless criticism of his campaign in the media and blogosphere over much of this summer. In a mild surprise, Ember Reichgott Junge declined an invitation to appear and be screened about her positions on the issues.

Posted by Britt Robson at August 22, 2006 9:56 PM | Comments (19)

 

8/22 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

THESE DAYS (RELIGION EDITION)

Bishop Thomas George Doran, of the Roman Catholic Church's Rockford, Illinois, diocese, has described as seven "sacraments" the Democratic Party's devotion to "abortion, buggery, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, feminism of the radical type and genetic experimentation and mutilation." [via Undernews]

Police Chief Annetta Nunn is concerned her actions—singing hymns at the funerals of three slain officers, making speeches and writing articles mentioning God—somehow have made the devil meaner than usual in Birmingham, Alabama.

The First Baptist Church of Watertown, New York, dismissed Mary Lambert on August 9 with a letter explaining that the church had adopted an interpretation that prohibits women from teaching men. She had taught there for 54 years.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

MN Crawler interviews writers, artists, photographers, and other "everyday people" living in the Twin Cities.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Keep your kids safe from Satan while they sleep with Armor of God PJs! [via Andrew Sullivan]

Sploid is kaput

Jamming at a listening station near you: Record Store Cats

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"We wanted to be different. This is one name that will stay in people's minds."

-- Punit Shablok, owner's of Hitler's Cross, a new Nazi-themed eatery in Mumbai, India

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 22, 2006 6:29 AM | Comments (1)

 

Fun Facts

Reported number of Iraqi dead (minimum): 40,592
Reported number of U.S. military dead: 2,605
Announced attendance at Sunday's Twins game at the Metrodome: 42,537

Posted by Jim Walsh at August 21, 2006 11:24 PM | Comments (16)

 

Reichgott Junge's Republican pals

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

Blanked-Out has posted an interesting analysis of contributors to Ember Reichgott Junge's 5th District Congressional campaign. The blog's author, 24-year-old Minneapolis resident Noah Kunin, found 25 substantial Junge donors who have little or no prior history of giving to Democratic causes. By contrast, since 2000 these contributors have funneled $233,400 towards Republican candidates and committees.

Perhaps most conspicuous among these Junge benefactors: J.C. Huizenga. The Grand Rapids, Michigan resident is a "Bush Pioneer," having raised more than $100,000 for the President's 2000 campaign. Huizenga is also chairman of National Hertitage Academies, a for-profit educational institution that, according to the company's web site, operates 51 charter schools in five states.

Kunin, who worked on Mayor R.T. Rybak's re-election campaign, as well as the short lived Congressional candidacy of Gail Dorfman, speculates in a subsequent post that Junge might be attracting contributions from Republican voters because of her support for charter schools. In 1991, as a state senator, Junge authored the nation's first charter school legislation.

Although there is a Republican candidate in the race, Alan Fine, he is thought to have virtually no chances in the heavily Democratic district. Junge, a proud moderate, might be the GOP's best bet.

Posted by Paul Demko at August 21, 2006 4:12 PM | Comments (7)

 

RIP Terry Fiedler

Filed under: Media

Star Tribune reporters Jon Tevlin and Eric Weiffering have written their own eulogy for Terry Fiedler, who died unexpectedly at age 47 on August 12. It was circulated internally at the Strib:

Terry loved Mustang convertibles, drives in the country, dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, Norma's banana cream pie, Famous Amos cookies, the poor boys and crayfish monica at Jackamo's in New Orleans, and Lucky Charms.

He loved the music of Warren Zevon, Bruce Robison and Greg Brown, and he loved books. Shortly after graduating from college Terry came across one of those lists of the 100 books that define the western canon. He made it a point to read them all and, for most of his life, knocked back an average of 2 new books a week.

Terry loved Grand Marais, golf anywhere but especially at scruffy
"country" courses like his beloved Afton Alps with Tom Buckingham or Jon Losness or Dick Odegaard. He loved cheddar cheese, the Savoy Inn, El Vez (The Mexican Elvis), movies with Will Ferell, and Michael Rybak's Neal Young imitation.

Terry laughed, along with everybody else, at Burl Gilyard's rendition of the Terry Fiedler trouser pull.

Anyone who knew Terry knew that he loved his nieces and nephews, his brothers and parents. Every year his mother, Norma, spent a week at Terry's place in Afton, cleaning it from top to bottom. He loved taking her out to dinner every night. He hated to see her go.

Even if you'd never met Terry's brothers you knew them. Terry called Kevin the bigger, nicer Fiedler; Tim was the smart one and Kraig the only one patient enough to work for Jerry Fiedler, who Terry usually referred to as, "the old man."

Until I met Terry I'd never heard that phrase used outside of literature nor uttered with such affection. He loved Jerry and he loved Jerry's story, from lot boy and car detailer to owner of Fiedler Ford.

He especially envied Jerry's full head of hair.

Terry loved Stoli gimlets and after-work happy hours, and the bartenders and waitresses loved Terry and his big laugh and big tips.

Terry loved anything absurd, like a monkey riding a dog. In fact, on days when things were going particularly badly, he'd say, "Wouldn't you just love to see a monkey riding a dog right about now? It would just make you feel good."

Of course, Terry had his dislikes, too, and he wasn't bashful about sharing them.

Terry disliked injustices to his friends, buckthorn, house cleaning, disloyalty, phonys and artifice of all kinds. He disliked the Vikings, cheats, bloggers and vegetables, unless you consider Captain Ken's Baked Beans a vegetable.

Terry disliked people who abused power and people who ingratiated themselves with people in power. Terry disliked anyone who was nonchalant about their work, or bad at it. He called them, "tremendously untalented," or, worse, "aggressively stupid."

He also disliked people who didn't take the time to find out who you are, or thought you were just another warm body. "People are not interchangeable," he said frequently.

Terry had more close friends than anybody. Like a big, gravitational force he pulled people into his orbit. He kept making friends to the end, but he also had them from as far back as the third grade and he was unwaveringly loyal to every one of them. In times of need, he gave them money, advice, or a room in his house. And he could keep a confidence. It's no wonder many here today considered Terry their best friend.

Terry loved and sometimes hated the Packers. There was nothing funnier, or scarier, than seeing Terry in his green and gold, a large wedge of foam cheese on his head, screaming obscenities at Brett Farve. My son was there once, wide-eyed, having never previously heard those words in all of his 10 years.

When the Wisconsin Badgers were one game away from a Rose Bowl berth in 1994, a bunch of us gathered at Terry's to watch the Tokyo Bowl. Scott Gillespie judged Terry's TV too small and went to Best Buy and bought the biggest set available, fully intending to return it after the game. It took Tony Kennedy, Terry and Scott to get it through the front door. The party lasted until dawn.

Terry loved a good story. He never thought of journalism as a profession. "It's a calling," he said. He turned down big jobs in corporate America. Whenever he heard about another journalist taking what he considered to be a soul-sucking job he'd turn to one of us and say, "Promise that you'll run me down in the parking lot if you ever hear that I've taken a job like that."

It drove Terry nuts when journalism failed to live up to its potential.

"Words mean something", was a favorite saying. Often, he'd see a poorly executed story, slap his hand on the newspaper and practically shout: "THAT'S why journalists should be licensed," or, "Have any of our editors even READ a book?"

He abhorred the superficial and the trendy. He hated formulas and focus groups. "People who don't like to read are taking direction from people who can't read," he said recently.

Terry's outbursts--and what he jokingly referred to as his "sunny Germanic disposition"--could scare people off and frustrate his superiors. But those who got close to him knew that Terry was a softie. He teared up at movies and cried through books such as The Lovely Bones.

"Terry would rage and bemoan," noted Mi-Ai Parrish, "but he just wanted things to be good, to be fair and for the Packers to live up to our expectations."

David Carr put it another way: "There was so much goodness and decency in this guy's heart that it was easy to miss the fact that he was a hugely talented reporter, editor and writer. He taught me how to do real stories that stayed written and did hundreds of his own the same way."

Terry loved Kelli May, and we knew she truly was the future Mrs. Terry G. Fiedler. Kelli and Terry repaired the scar tissue on each others' hearts. Both were happier than they ever thought they could be again.

Terry liked to refer to himself as an emotionally impaired German bachelor farmer. But every morning, on his way to work, he called Kelli and sang a song he'd composed on the spot. Different lyrics every time, but the same warbly, slightly off-key tune.

A couple of days before he died, Terry talked to friends about the possibility of cutting back to part-time in order do other writing outside the newspaper. He and Kelli discussed selling his home so he could have financial cushion. Maybe he'd even make enough on the house to be able to quit and become a freelance writer.

But before he'd move in with her, Terry said he needed to get Kelli an engagement ring. They were planning to go shopping the day he died.

"I'll never leave you," he told Kelli recently.

As it turns out, that decision wasn't his.

Last week, Terry bought some food and a bottle of champagne to celebrate their engagement. He cleaned his Mustang for the shopping trip.

Saturday morning, he was reading a novel by Cormac McCarthy in bed. He kissed Kelli on the forehead, told her he loved her and that she was beautiful.

As always, he chose the right words. And then he died.

It's a tragic story, but it's a beautiful one, too. Much like his favorite novel, Suttree by Cormac McCarthy, it doesn't end like you want it to, but how it has to.

You might say Terry lived his life for this moment, right now, right here. The one story that really matters. The eulogy.

Terry used to say, "when it's my time to go, I hope it's a big boomer that just takes me out right away."

He got what he wanted, but far, far earlier than he deserved.

When that day came, he noted, nothing else would matter, not the big jobs, the big house or the title, unless you had the love and respect of your friends and family.

That's probably what Terry would remind you of if he could be here today. He'd also put a big paw on your shoulder, tell you to quit crying, pour yourself a drink, and have some fun.

Then he'd say, "God, wouldn't it be great to see a monkey on a dog right now?"

Posted by Paul Demko at August 21, 2006 3:43 PM | Comments (2)

 

8/21 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Steve Monaco has your Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

THESE DAYS

Book22, named for the twenty-second book in the Bible, "Song of Solomon," is a new adult toy store positioning itself as a Christian source of intimacy products, like the "Wireless Double Dolphin" and the "Jelly Micro Nitro," for married couples. [via Wired]

"Flex-fuel" vehicles, which run on any combination of ethanol and gasoline, now make up 77% of the Brazilian market.

St. Paul-based Freeload Press will offer more than 100 college textbook titles this fall—mostly for business courses—completely free by including paid advertising.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Minneapolitan Tom Cleland, who created his first post in August 2000, blogs on Green Party issues, electric cars, inconvenient truths, and the Iraq war at Tom Stream.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Hollywood's youngest and thinnest join forces to fight Stephen Colbert (on orders from the president) as The Superficial Friends. [via Drawn!]

From McSweeney's: Ways in Which Spider-Man Does Not "Do Whatever a Spider Can"

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"The island where Copperfield located the fountain is so restricted, telephone service is nearly impossible to get; therefore, Copperfield found a pier where he was just able to pick up a cell-phone signal to contact the outside world and speak directly with CNN's Robin Meade. Meade questions him as to whether this is an elaborate set-up to his next big trick and if he really has hired scientists to test his fountain."

-- an excerpt from a press release from CNN, who apparently aren't using the middle "N" anymore, touting magician David Copperfield's claim of finding the fountain of youth

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 21, 2006 6:33 AM | Comments (2)

 

The Unmaking of a Pawlenty Voter

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

For Ron Peterson, the veteran boxing promoter from Mounds View, no word carries more sting than "liberal." He ascribes most of the world's ills to liberals. When he wants to convey disgust and garden variety invective fails him, he will usually deploy some variation of the L word.

Given this outlook, it's no surprise that Peterson professes to have never cast a vote for a Democrat. Similarly, it's hardly shocking that he has long been a robust supporter of Governor Tim Pawlenty. "He always seemed like a stand up guy," Peterson says. "I know he cut back on a lot of that welfare bullshit."

But a couple of weeks ago, Peterson ripped the Pawlenty for Governor bumper sticker from his vehicle. Then he fired off an email to the governor's office in which he vowed to never again vote for Pawlenty. Then he called City Pages to announce these developments.

At first blush, the loss of support from such a red-blooded, flag waver would seem to be a bad omen for the sitting governor. After all, as a conservative, religious, white, middle-aged, male suburbanite, Peterson sits pretty much at the center of the GOP base. If T-Paw can't hold on to guys like him, what chance does he have?

Actually, probably a pretty good one.

Peterson's sudden disgust with Pawlenty, it turns out, has nothing to do with the governor's tax policies, support for the war or other hot button issues. He soured on the governor for a much more parochial reason: the appointment of Scott LeDoux to serve as director of the newly reconstituted Minnesota Boxing Commission.

Peterson's grudge against LeDoux goes back to the 70s, when Peterson managed and promoted LeDoux, then a young heavyweight prospect. Relations between the two men first soured when LeDoux defected to a new manager. They worsened after LeDoux's retirement and subsequent appointment to the old Minnesota Boxing Commission, where he and Peterson were often at loggerheads. In Peterson's view, LeDoux simply meddled too much with the match-making.

With plans to create a new state boxing commission were first announced, Peterson wanted a role in the selection of the director. He feared LeDoux was the front runner