Yeh I have been up around with the sniffles all week. Finally today the ol' sinus passages cleared out and I feel good once more. This was an interesting week, as on Monday I met the one and only Dries Buytaert, the guy who invented Drupal back in college. (The Drupal team is at the U of M to do badass User Interface research). That was the same day as the Veto Override of the Transportation bill, which included a ban on privatizing the road systems of Minnesota.

I suspect that the ban may have been related to the work I did exposing the NAFTA Superhighway plan for MN back in December, which apparently got picked up by the DFL Capitol staff. have to follow up on that.

So yeah, today is the first in quite a few days where I don't feel totally gunked or garbled. Not bad for a Friday!!!

In an epic battle, Minnesota Democrats and a small tribe of brave, rebellious, Republicans defeated Governor Pawlenty's perpetually stupid transportation policies, and put forth a really good plan to save this whole metro area from a perpetually crappy future. Toll roads and privatization are banned (with some loopholes), the license tab caps enacted under Ventura have been removed, and a ton of money will get put into transit. MnDOT is also directed to make nice with the feds and develop a complete metro-wide transportation plan.

The metro area gets a huge block of new money, much of which will go right into transit, the first time in ages that anything has come that way.

Meanwhile local areas can vote to enact small sales taxes to cover various projects, which will be handed out by new joint boards. Or something along those lines. While it seems like a big slam of money, there is also a small gasoline tax refund for lower brackets.

Also they have to report the state of all the bridges every year. In all, it is a model bill for a troubled metro area such as ours, and should really catch notice within months. It also couldn't come soon enough: the municipal bond market is all screwed up now, so it is going to be hard to borrow money.

TPaw sheds some crocodile tears for the defeat of his hardline friends. Once again, he gets off the hook!

1.1A bill for an act


1.2 relating to transportation finance; appropriating money for transportation

1.3activities; providing funding for highway maintenance, debt service, and local

1.4roads; appropriating funds for emergency relief related to the I-35W bridge

1.5collapse; establishing a trunk highway bridge improvement program; requiring

1.6a study of value capture to reduce the public costs of large transportation

1.7infrastructure investment; authorizing sale and issuance of bonds; modifying

1.8motor vehicle registration and motor fuel taxes; establishing annual surcharge on

1.9motor fuel taxes; creating a motor fuels tax credit; allocating motor vehicle lease

1.10tax revenues; providing for local transportation sales taxes; modifying county

1.11state-aid highway fund revenue allocation; prohibiting tolling or privatization

1.12of existing transportation facilities; establishing bridge improvement program;

1.13modifying driver's license reinstatement fee provisions; regulating certain transit

1.14funding activities; modifying provisions related to various transportation-related

1.15funds and accounts; establishing a task force; requiring reports;amending

1.16Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 160.84, subdivision 1; 161.081, subdivision 3;

1.17162.06; 162.07, subdivision 1, by adding subdivisions; 168.013, subdivision 1a;

1.18171.29, subdivision 2; 290.06, by adding a subdivision; 296A.07, subdivision

1.193; 296A.08, subdivision 2; 297A.64, subdivision 2; 297A.815, by adding a

1.20subdivision; 297A.99, subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota

1.21Statutes, chapters 160; 165; 296A; 297A; 398A.

1.22BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

.... huzzah (and there was much rejoicing) ..... TPaw blamed someone else, and all was well in the land.... BE IT ENACTED!

Hey everyone, I caught some important news late Friday afternoon (And I've got a cold right now and nothin' better to do!).

The big news is that the City of St. Paul would take all applications for demonstrations and space in parks on March 3rd. Naturally the City put out the news very late on Friday to keep it off the news radar. There are only a few days to offer some kinds of finalized plans for the permitted use of public space during the Republican National Convention. http://www.stpaul.gov/convention/rncpermits.html
Since the process apparently involves a drawing/lottery, it may be a good idea for many groups of people (bands?) to enter into the lottery system and win space/time in a park.
There was a brief story about it in the Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/15883057.html

Protesting at the RNC? Forms due March 3

St. Paul outlines its process for getting permits for demonstrations or large-group park space during the Republican National Convention.

By CHRIS HAVENS, Star Tribune

Last update: February 22, 2008 - 11:06 PM

Protesters, parkgoers and parade organizers, put March 3 on your calendar.

That's the day permit applications will be accepted for demonstrating or getting park space for groups of 25 or more during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Applications are available now.

The permits would cover the time between Aug. 30 and Sept. 4. The convention will be held Sept. 1-4 at the Xcel Energy Center. More than 45,000 delegates, members of the news media and protesters are expected.

"We hope to accommodate as many people as logistically possible," said Erin Dady, the city's marketing director and convention planner.

Demonstration applications are available at the city website or at the Police Community Services Office, 1169 Rice St. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Some people want a protest area within sight and sound of the Xcel, and that space hasn't been determined yet, Dady said. "By no means will free speech be limited to one area," she said.

Applications will be reviewed by police and decisions made in a timely manner. More specific guidelines might be forthcoming, Dady said. Approvals could be delayed if more clarification or information is needed.

For more information on the city's rules regarding demonstration permits, go to www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/code/lc366a.html.

Applications to use space, pavilions and boat slips in the city's parks system for parties of 25 or more people are available at the city website and at the Parks and Recreation Permit Office, 1100 Hamline Av.

Parks permit applications will be accepted until 2 p.m. March 3, and a public lottery drawing will happen at 3 p.m. Applications received later will be handled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

A limited number of parks have been held for security reasons or convention activities.

Applications are online at www.stpaul.gov.

********

This was posted on the City of St. Paul website and I think matched the initial press release:

http://www.stpaul.gov/convention/rncpermits.html

Permit applications to use space, pavilions, and boat slips in Saint Paul 's parks system for parties and gatherings of 25 or more people during the Republican National Convention Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 are now available online and from the Saint Paul Parks & Recreation Permit Office, 1100 Hamline Ave. North.

In addition, permit applications for demonstrations during the same period are also available online and through the Saint Paul Police Community Services Office, 1169 Rice Street .

A limited number of Parks have been held for security purposes and convention activities, but the vast majority of Saint Paul Parks are available for permits. The City of Saint Paul Division of Parks and Recreation manages over 160 parks and open spaces, the Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, 41 recreation centers, a 9 hole and three 18 hole golf courses, over 100 miles of trails, indoor and outdoor pools, a public beach, sports and aquatics facilities, and wonderful rental facilities for public and private gatherings.

“Hosting the Republican National Convention gives us an incredible opportunity to showcase the city's world-class parks system to visitors from around the globe,” said Bob Bierscheid, director of Saint Paul Parks & Recreation. “Park space will be in high demand, and we want to make sure that everyone has equal opportunity to access our parks and enjoy themselves during this exciting event.”

Similar to the process in which the city awards permits for park use through a lottery at the beginning of the year, permits during the RNC convention period will be accepted up to 2 p.m. March 3 at the permit office.

A lottery drawing from permit applications will then follow at 3 p.m. The drawing is open to the public and will be broadcast through the city's cable channel soon after the drawing. The permit office will notify people of the status of their application by mail.

Based on park availability, permit applications received after March 3 will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Demonstration permit applications will be accepted starting March 3, at which time applications received through the mail also will be opened. Community Services Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Applications will be reviewed and decisions made in a timely manner. However, if there are more questions or clarification is needed, the application approval can be delayed until the information is gathered.

More information on the city's rules regarding demonstration permits can be found in the City Charter and Codes section on the city's Web site at www.stpaul.gov/code . Reference Chapter 366A, which describes the procedures for applications as well as the rules, regulations, and fees.

“The City of Saint Paul is committed to accommodating as many people as logistically possible while ensuring a safe and enjoyable convention for residents and visitors,” said Erin Dady, Saint Paul marketing director. “Hosting a national event of this magnitude takes a lot of coordination from many city departments and outside groups. This permitting process facilitates the necessary planning for a successful event.”

**********

That's all. Thanks for reading through! (hopefully not spam to ya!)

--Dan Feidt - dan.feidt@gmail.com

For some reason, it feels important to me to make sure this is on the site. It is also kind of a gratuitously large list anyway. But it's a lot of people. A good networking opportunity. etc.

Webmaster techie note: Actually, since this item is all one big name drop, it will get a ton of hits from Google, I'd wager. A good example of a 'long tail' post, in SEO-speak.

***********

Clinton Campaign Announces Minnesota Steering Committee

Clinton Campaign Announces Minnesota Steering Committee

The Clinton campaign today announced its Minnesota Steering Committee, made up of community leaders from across the state who will mobilize grassroots support for Hillary leading up to Minnesota’s February 5th primary.

"Hillary Clinton has the ability to deliver the change America needs, from providing universal health care to ending the war in Iraq to moving us toward energy independence," said former Vice President Walter Mondale.

"Minnesotans know Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to lead this nation from her first day in the White House," said Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.

"For 35 years Hillary’s been fighting for children and families and working to expand opportunity for all Americans," said House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher. "She is uniquely qualified to be President in these challenging times."

"I have seen Hillary's ability and intellect up close, and she is the best prepared to be President," said former Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton.

HILLARY’S MINNESOTA STEERING COMMITTEE:

Melanie Benjamin, Chief Executive, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Brian Bergson, Veteran; Saint Paul
State Rep. Karla Bigham, Cottage Grove
Jay Benanov, St. Paul City Councilman
Donald Bungum, Veteran; Lindstrom
Susan Burns, Attorney; St. Paul
Margie Cady, Veteran; Winona
Paul Cassidy, Director of Government Relations, Leonard, Street and Deinard
Tarryl Clark, Assistant Senate Majority Leader; St. Cloud
Claudia Cody, Latino Community Activist; Becker
Chris Coleman, Mayor; St. Paul
Mark Dayton, Former U.S. Senator; Minneapolis
Tom Dooher, President; Education Minnesota
Captain Lou Ellingson; Veteran; Eden Prairie
Matt Entenza, Former House Minority Leader; St. Paul
Tom Foley, Former St. Paul County Attorney
Betty Folliard, Former State Representative, Golden Valley
Susan Gaertner, Ramsey County Attorney
Keesha Gaskins, Executive Director, Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus, Minneapolis
Alan Weinblatt, Weinblatt & Gaylord; St. Paul
Curtis Ghylin, Veteran; Sauk Rapids
Chris Gillette, Military Retiree, U.S. Army Chemical Corps; Roseville
Lisa Goodman, Minneapolis City Council Member; Minneapolis
Joan Anderson Growe, Former Minnesota Secretary of State; National Vice President, Strategic Business, Minneapolis
State Sen. Linda Higgins, Minneapolis
Richard Hoium, Veteran; Minneapolis
Jaimie Holmes, Veteran; Inver Grove Heights
Alan Hooker, Minneapolis Public Library Board Trustee; DFL Stonewall Dems, Minneapolis
Koryne Horbal, Former United Nations Ambassador, Columbia Heights
Hubert "Buck" Humphrey, IV, DNC Member, Plymouth
Mohamed Jibrell, Somali Community Leader, St. Paul
Larry Johnson, Veteran; Golden Valley
Ember Reichgott Junge, Former State Senate Assistant Majority Leader; Minneapolis
Margaret Anderson Kelliher, House Speaker; Minneapolis
Colleen Landkamer, President of NACo, Blue Earth County Commissioner, Mankato
Elsa Leven, Community Activist, Saint Paul
Mark F. Lindsay, Executive, UnitedHealth Group; Wayzata
Andrew Luger, Attorney, and Ellen Goldberg Luger, Edina
Paul Maccabee, President, The Maccabee Group, St. Paul
Paula Maccabee, Attorney, Former St. Paul City Council Member
Mary Jo McGuire, Former State Representative; Falcon Heights
Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County Commissioner
Richard McNary, Veteran; Eagan
Walter Mondale, Former Vice President, Minneapolis
Tom Mullon, Veterans; Saint Paul
Kathleen Murphy, Women's Rights Activist, St. Paul
John C. Neese, Veteran; Fergus Falls
Vance Opperman, Business Leader; Minneapolis
State Senator Sandy Pappas, St. Paul
State Rep. Sandra Peterson, New Hope
Mari Pokornowski, Co-Chair DFL Platform Committee, Cokato
Cheryl Poling, Democratic Activist, Eden Prairie
Phillip Qualy, Legislative Director, United Transportation Union
Lois Quam, Business Leader; St. Paul
Amy K. Rotenberg, Communications Consultant; Minneapolis
Mark Rotenberg, University of Minnesota General Counsel; Minneapolis
Gary Schiff, Minneapolis City Council Member; Minneapolis
Elliot Seide, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 5
State Rep. Nora Slawik, Maplewood
Jill Sletten, Democratic Activist; St. Paul
Michelle Sommers, Political Director, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005
Rick Stafford, DNC Member, Chair of the DNC's LGBT Caucus, Minneapolis
Lisa Stager, Minnesota IAMAW; Minneapolis
David Stanton, Veteran; New Brighton
Jackie Stevenson, DNC Member; Minnetonka
Tammy Tesky, Community Activist; St. Paul
State Rep. Paul Thissen, Minneapolis
Megan Thomas, former Stonewall DFL, St. Paul
Dave Thune, St. Paul City Council Member; St. Paul
Susan Thune, Registered Nurse; St. Paul
Ruth Usem, Community Activist, Minneapolis
Russell Warren, Veteran; Mounds View
Lynn Wilson, Party Activist; Nurse; Rochester
Colonel Nat Wisser, Military Retiree; Saint Paul
John Wodele, MN Campaign Director for the 1992 Clinton Campaign; Vadnais Heights

The pooping lawyer of Chicago: I have no idea what this blog is trying to say, but I approve!

McGovern calls for Bush impeachment. Huzzah i guess.

Lookie here: this news comes from Potomac Flacks, written by, for, about Beltway PR people. Not bad!

Potomac Flacks: Davis Named Communications Coordinator for 2008 Republican National Convention

James Davis has been hired as the Communications Coordinator for the 2008 Republican National Convention. Prior to joining the convention staff, Davis worked in strategic communications in the Public Affairs Office of the Secretary of Defense where he was involved in efforts related to the Global War on Terrorism and other critical issues. While in chilly Minnesota, Davis will be working under Matt Burns who is running the show as Director of Communications and Spokesman for the Committee on Arrangements for the 2008 Republican National Convention. (PF Tipster)

And also:

Minnesota Monitor:: Defense Department blog coordinator hired for RNC

by: Andy Birkey / Fri Jan 11, 2008
The 2008 Republican National Convention has hired James Davis as communications coordinator, a move that bodes well for bloggers, particularly those on the right.

Before the current move to the RNC, Davis' job was strategic communications in the Public Affairs Office of the Secretary of Defense where, according to Ken Silverstein of Harper's Magazine, he helped pass Iraq war and War on Terrorism talking points from the Department of Defense to hand-picked bloggers.

During almost daily conference calls, bloggers and online journalists, including prominent Minnesota bloggers Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker of Power Line and Ed Morrissey Captain's Quarters, are connected with military personnel during the Blogger's Roundtable.

"The list of bloggers who regularly participate in the conference calls is overwhelmingly conservative and friendly to the goals of the Bush Administration," wrote Silverstein. "The government is picking certain people as 'surrogates' to the exclusion of many others and feeding them news."

According to the Department of Defense, the program, once called the "Surrogates Operation," has as its mission providing "source material for stories in the blogosphere concerning the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Global War on Terrorism by bloggers and online journalists."

"A few moderates are invited to take part, but the list of participants skews far, far to the right. The Pentagon essentially feeds participants the talking points, bullet points, and stories it wants told," wrote Silverstein.

While it's not surprising that the RNC hired someone with such a close history of working with pro-Iraq war bloggers, it will certainly ensure access between convention officials and bloggers such as Powerline and Captain's Quarters.

I don't know if this is a spoof or what: Lawyer's Cache of Poop! [the site banner had a great rich dude with a monocle, but it won't load now...]

DFLers Bonoff, Madia raise sizable sums in MN CD3. Hm. Skrilla Billa...

Check out this article about the British banking system, the economic collapse and all. Cityphilia by John Lanchester in the London Review of Books. I really really double recommend this one.

The Raw Story | Report reveals Vietnam War hoaxes, faked attacks meanwhile there is fishy stuff in the notorious Strait of Hormuz. The big deal now is how the establishment trumped up some Iranian boats zipping around the carriers and some old school middle eastern radio pirate lunatic known as the "Filipino Monkey": You just can't make this shit up.

Yes this is fairly awesome. It just shows that 2008 is the kind of year where slackers with high-powered radios can flip out the chokepoints of all the damn oil in the Persian Gulf. Not bad for a jester?

I am posting the whole article because it appears the great Filipino Monkey audio was immediately seized upon by the PSYOPS guys! The military public relations people spliced the audio and video together and got it out to American TV. Everyone looks a bit dumb now...

‘Filipino Monkey’ behind threats? - Navy News - Navy Times

By Andrew Scutro and David Brown - Staff writers, Posted : Sunday Jan 13, 2008 15:38:29 EST

The threatening radio transmission heard at the end of a video showing harassing maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz may have come from a locally famous heckler known among ship drivers as the “Filipino Monkey.”

Since the Jan. 6 incident was announced to the public a day later, the U.S. Navy has said it’s unclear where the voice came from. In the videotape released by the Pentagon on Jan. 8, the screen goes black at the very end and the voice can be heard, distancing it from the scenes on the water.

“We don’t know for sure where they came from,” said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, spokeswoman for 5th Fleet in Bahrain. “It could have been a shore station.”

While the threat — “I am coming to you. You will explode in a few minutes” — was picked up during the incident, further jacking up the tension, there’s no proof yet of its origin. And several Navy officials have said it’s difficult to figure out who’s talking.

SEE THE PENTAGON’S VERSION OF THE VIDEO

A LINK TO THE IRANIAN VERSION (CLICK THE CAMERA ICON)

“Based on my experience operating in that part of the world, where there is a lot of maritime activity, trying to discern [who is speaking on the radio channel] is very hard to do,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead told Navy Times during a brief telephone interview today.

So with Navy officials unsure and the Iranians accusing the U.S. of fabrications, whose voice was it? In recent years, American ships operating in the Middle East have had to contend with a mysterious but profane voice known by the ethnically insulting handle of “Filipino Monkey,” likely more than one person, who listens in on ship-to-ship radio traffic and then jumps on the net shouting insults and jabbering vile epithets.

Navy women — a helicopter pilot hailing a tanker, for example — who are overheard on the radio are said to suffer particularly degrading treatment.

Several Navy ship drivers interviewed by Navy Times are raising the possibility that the Monkey, or an imitator, was indeed featured in that video.

Rick Hoffman, a retired captain who commanded the cruiser Hue City and spent many of his 17 years at sea in the Gulf was subject to the renegade radio talker repeatedly, often without pause during the so-called “Tanker Wars” of the late 1980s.

“For 25 years there’s been this mythical guy out there who, hour after hour, shouts obscenities and threats,” he said. “He could be tied up pierside somewhere or he could be on the bridge of a merchant ship.”

And the Monkey has stamina.

“He used to go all night long. The guy is crazy,” he said. “But who knows how many Filipino Monkeys there are? Could it have been a spurious transmission? Absolutely.”

Furthermore, Hoffman said radio signals have a way of traveling long distances in that area. “Under certain weather conditions I could hear Bahrain from the Strait of Hormuz.”

Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, could not say if the voice belonged to the heckler.

“It’s an international circuit and we’ve said all along there were other ships and shore stations in the area,” he said.

When asked if U.S. officials considered whether the threats came from someone besides the Iranians when releasing the video and audio, Roughead said: “The reason there is audio superimposed over the video is it gives you a better idea of what is happening.”

Similarly, Davis said the audio was part of the “totality” of the situation and helped show the “aggressive behavior.”

Another former cruiser skipper said he thought the Monkey might be behind the audio threats when he first heard them earlier this week.

“It wouldn’t have surprised me at all,” he said. “There’s all kinds of chatter on Channel 16. Anybody with a receiver and transmitter can hear something’s going on. It was entirely plausible and consistent with the radio environment to interject themselves and make a threatening comment and think they’re being funny.”

This former skipper also noted how quiet and clean the radio “threat” was, especially when radio calls from small boats in the chop are noisy and cluttered.

“It’s a tough environment, you’re bouncing around, moving fast, lots of wind, noise. It’s not a serene environment,” he said. “That sounded like somebody on the beach or a large ship going by.”

He said he and others believe that the Filipino Monkey is comprised of several people, and whoever gets on Channel 16 to heckle instantly gets the monicker.

“It was just a gut feeling, something the merchants did. Guys would get bored, one guy hears it, comes back a year later and does it for himself,” he said. “I never thought it was one, rather it was part of the woodwork.”

The former skipper noted that he warned his crew about hecklers when preparing to transit Hormuz. “I tell them they’ll hear things on there that will be insulting,” he said. “You tell your people that you’ll hear things that are strange, insulting, aggravating, but you need to maintain a professional posture.”

A civilian mariner with experience in that region said the Filipino Monkey phenomenon is worldwide, and has been going on for years.

“They come on and say ‘Filipino Monkey’ in a strange voice. They might say it two or three times. You’re standing watch on bridge and you’re monitoring Channel 16 and all of a sudden it comes over the radio. It can happen anytime. It’s been a joke out there for years.”

While it happens all over the world, it’s more likely to occur around the Strait of Hormuz because there is so much shipping traffic, he said.

Speaking of those dem spooks making da spooky press releases: Double Agent Gadahn Threatens Bush In Neo-Con Stunt claiming that some random Jewish kid from California who's now the Al Qaeda spokesman du jour is really a fake. Either way he makes a pretty boring YouTube mastermind of doom etc. Lacks the chutzpah we expect from TV-based evildoers nowadays:

Fear Adam Gadahn!!!! Unless the TV never shows you, because you are not entertainingly scary enough!!

Another one of those attempted Ron Paul racism smear thingys: Vicious Ron Paul Hit Piece Scrapes The Barrel Of Yellow Journalism. On the other hand it confirms that Ron Paul is the kind of guy who showed up to random neo-confederate events in the old days. But what did you expect? The man was part of the great White fringe since forever... At least he's telling 'em to get against the Empire, i say... On the other hand NAACP: NAACP President: Ron Paul Is Not A Racist - "Linder says Paul being smeared because he is a threat to the establishment." Hmm....

Coming Soon: CaucusTime: DEEZ MOINEZ! The Video spectacular!

First we will release a teaser, then several fuller videos. Including The General Narrative, a Ron Paul special, and a Hillary special. Yea!

We have just gotten back to Mpls in the wee hours. The Iowa trip was an interesting one.... the situation strange. The people, cold. The media, not coming back soon.

Massive rallies, cold scenes, media people. Pols. Really eager staffers. Security theater from Clinton's henchmen.

The plan to send out videos from the road fell apart. We got one out from the cafe, but we've had problems with the video formats and want to clean them up first.

We have seen all of the Dem candidates except Gravel and Kucinich and i think we have some level of video of each.

We used the latest in underpowered pocket video systems to record everything insane we could. This really freed up creative opportunities to place visual artifacts over everything and everyone.

After we sleep off the driving, there will be much furious video productions for the Interwebs! Our Ron Paul War on Drugs video has already passed 1200 viewers in 12 hours!!

We went demanding nothing (some of us). We achieved everything!

A kind of Zen.

A big adventure is at hand: I and two friends are going down to Iowa right now. We are going down there to see what is going on and wander around. I just figured out to upload videos directly from my phone, and we will have other tech items to capture the Iowa Caucus scene.

Videos will be posted to YouTube consistently under the username HongPong unless we get bored/and/or thrown out @ http://www.youtube.com/hongpong . We will also have some updates posted on http://www.hongpong.com .

My friend Bobby "the Captain" is a strong Ron Paul supporter. I, Dan Feidt, am suspicious of the whole scene, and Andy French is a renegade philosopher. With one Ron Paul and two agnostics in the mix, what will happen?

Anyone on the scene or having a tip for us, can send us a buzz at 6513387661@myhelio.com or 651-338 7661.

Thanks for your interest!

Whichever day that is. In these dark months, you get the drift of active time, as your circadian rhythms get farther and farther from the intervals of natural light.

At least, I sure do, since my job does not require me to show up anywhere at a certain time every day (besides at my computer to send out the Morning Report).

Start here: Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures - I Can Has Cheezburger? Incredible.

WIRED: Phone and email data mining used on War on Drugs. Surprise! AT&T invents a new programming language to parse mass data mining streams, dubbed Hancock.

The always-excellent Cryptogon changed its banner to a NATO tank behind some opium poppies, which is about as apt a geopolitical symbol as you ever need these days.

Hard Times Cafe in Cedar-Riverside is BACK!

So here are a bunch of links to spice your day: Informed Comment: Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2007.

The Charlie Wilson Afghan adventure movie: pretty awesome.

I feel sorry for Pakistan, which was a mistake anyway. What Bhutto's Death Means and Al Qaeda is not taking credit for it. This is big.

Daily Kos: FISA, SCHMISA: DHS Eye in the Sky ready to spy on Americans Related!: TwinCities.com - Inherent powers, ignoble history make new idea anything but innocuous: The Thought Crime thing and also DHS Finalizing Spy Satellite Program To Watch Americans Without Congressional Oversight.

Go here and put in funny searches. You will be amused: CIA FOIA - Overview. Putting in "Barry Seal" is what got me in trouble!

NAFTA Superhighway skepticism dominates leftie interwebs: The existing left-wing blogosphere wisdom is very skeptical: ‘There’s no such thing as a proposed NAFTA Superhighway’ - The Carpetbagger Report

The whole idea was considered bullshit propped up by Jerome Corsi, at least along the left. Example: Crooks and Liars » The NAFTA Superhighway doesn’t exist and ‘There’s no such thing as a proposed NAFTA Superhighway’ - The Carpetbagger Report and Rumors of a Superhighway - New York Times Blog. Also Matthew Yglesias, same thing: Aug 13, 2007 - The Highway That Wasn't there supporting The Nation's skepticism. But there are also impressively ugly 'tinfoil' sites like this one: NAFTA FLAG.

Here are some other random threads about the subject: NAFTA Super HighWay - Canada links to Mexico! - Canada/US Relations - CKA and NAFTA Superhighway - Ready to shit your pants?, and Anomaly Television » Is the North American Union Conspiracy Theory Really Real? Also, Aftermath News had Campaign of mass-deception exposed over NAU-NAFTA Superhighway agenda.

Interestingly, Wikipedia Nafta Super Highway goes to Trans Texas Corridor! Trans-Texas Corridor - Wikipedia.

This seems to be from the same docs that I put out there: Sound Of Cannons: Money From The SuperCorridor: Already Falling Into The Elite's Hands

The latest popular item is: WorldNetDaily: North-of-border link finishes NAFTA superhighway grid

Fake Christians: NAFTA Highway is Holy. This is weirding people out.

So here are just some of the places that the MnDOT docs I got out there ended up:

• MySpace random college threads.
• Very popular on PrisonPlanet: New NASCO NAFTA Superhighway Docs Released From MnDOT
• 13 Diggs so far - New NASCO NAFTA Superhighway Docs released from MnDOT
• BartBlog - The Blog of BartCop.com » Ron Paul's problems. "haters" indeed!
• 9/11 Truth Movement Forums -> What Ron Paul is fighting against...
• Know Now : a splog?
• The Great Deception -> New Nasco Nafta Superhighway Docs Released From
• Govt. Asks Firefighters To Search For Terrorists In U.S. Homes, As Borders Remain Undefended | 911Blogger.com. first few comments!
• The Great Deception -> Superrondo Superhighway? Mndot, Nasco

Oddly it got into what appears to be a White Supremacist forum Vanguard News Network: there are a lot of angry signatures about the Jews... Yeck. New NAFTA NASCO Superhighway Docs released from MnDOT: The whole plan - Vanguard News Network Forum

The grand list of misc Corridor Watch North American Union activists (weirdos?) etc: For your reference!

• MilitaryCorruption.com - Fighting for The Truth - Exposing The Corrupt in the U.S. Military
• North American Union & Security and Prosperity Partnership | The John Birch Society - Truth, Leadership, Freedom
• T-Shirt, white- Nafta HWY
• SPP MALL
• Channeling Reality
• AmeroCurrency.com contact page Welcome to a discussion of the Amero, the possible new North American currency, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America and the formation of a North American Union between the U.S., Canada and Mexico
• The August Review - About Us
• North American Union
• AmeroCurrency.com $$$ Buy Ameros here--Fight the NAU / UNA--Welcome to a discussion of the Amero, the possible new North American currency, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America and the formation of a North American Union between the U.S., Canada and Mexico Home of the Amero Coins
• Stop the North American Union
• StopSPP.org - Links
• Welcome to American Policy Center
• www.OK-Safe.com
• TruthNews.us » homepage
• The saga continues: Galloping Beaver

• NAFTA Superhighway and the Hit Piece from Newsweek on Ron Paul

• CorridorWatch.org - Challenging the Wisdom of the Trans-Texas Corridor.

• NAU Info

• The Canadian National Newspaper: Anti-NAU Warriors Beginning to Move the Rock Uphill!!

The I-35W collapse conspiracies! I really have nothing new on this but wanted to put the links anyway. I-35W bridge theories collapse « Mysterious Universe

• And What the bleap? Bleap - Bleap - Bleap!!: Mpls 35e Bridge inspires conspiracies Day One.
• 35W Collapse Roundup: Weird News covered at Minnesota Monitor includes further evidence that the Mothman Prophecies are true, and Sorcha Faal who said that "Russia's Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics detected an ultra-low-frequency blast emitted from Augsburg College, located only a mile from the bridge."
• Which sounds awesome. And also: Minnesota Monitor's more mainstream transportation news including shitty MN bridges of the week. Also bits: The Great Deception -> Bridge Collapse In Minneapolis - Audio Included.

Don the Drug Smuggling Cowboy.

I received a total of fifteen years for my crimes. Under current law, it would have been much more, perhaps in the neighborhood of twenty years, and I would not be eligible for parole. My children grew up without a father and bear the scars even today.

I think it fair to say that none of us emerged from this business unscathed.

I think it is also fair to say that we all – the smugglers, the dealers and the whores – have been replaced, and that a similar or worse fate awaits the present day crowd involved in the business. And then they will be replaced.

Don Henry Ford is really cool. He wrote stories about his times as a drug smugglin Iran Contra cowboy. And tells everyone good stories @ the Agonist. All right: Cinco Puntos Press: Portrait of a dope-smuggling cowboy by NarcoNews

Speir Publishing runs the fictional account.

Cinco Puntos Press: CONTRABANDO: Confessions of a Drug-Smuggling Texas Cowboy

Reviewed: Austin Chronicle:

He spent seven years smuggling marijuana into the United States over the border from Mexico and somehow lived to write about it. From the dusty streets of dirt-poor mountain villages to the gleaming corruption of the American justice system, Don Henry Ford paints a picture of a business where no hands are clean – it’s that old song about the war nobody wins, only this time it’s being played out of a beat-up old truck as it heads north filled with dope. All but bankrupted after a failed attempt at cotton farming in the 1970s but in possession of an indomitable work ethic and a fierce desire for self-determination, Ford slips into the role of drug smuggler with a nonchalance (“This is too damned easy”) and an audacity you have to marvel at: He just dreams it up and does it, headfirst all the way. Temerity, Ford demonstrates time and again, is the one compulsory attribute of the drug smuggler, and the one he’s most blessed with. The really remarkable thing about Ford and his book isn’t so much the experiences he’s had – his stories probably aren’t all that dissimilar from those of 10,000 of his colleagues – but rather the humanity and philosophical distance he maintains while having them. His sympathy for the plight of the working poor and disenfranchised, regardless of class, color, or country; his distaste for the indifference of the rich and the laws that favor them; his ability to step back and view the larger universe of the war on drugs, and his role in it, through the lens of a class-conscious, homegrown philosophy: They all mark him as a decent man, regardless of his occupation or criminal record. And I’d be willing to guess this kind of sympathy and awareness is rare among those who traffic in illegal narcotics, rarer even than it is among those who don’t. Don Henry Ford’s no saint and no Robin Hood but at the same time, those expecting the self-indulgent confessions of an unrepentant outlaw will be disappointed: Ford’s harder on himself than the legal system and the drug lords ever were. And it’s to his credit that in a business built on dehumanization, he managed to retain his humanity and conscience and see beyond himself to something larger.

And the Austin American Statesman too.

Repossessin' Texas--a review by the author :)

***** MISC LINKS TIME! *****

RNC Protest news for St. Paul 2008: See UnconventionalAction.org . Shh!

Useful: a large set of embedded social bookmarking HTML codes. Slashdot badges. Digg HTML embeds.

SoCal anarchists inherently a fire hazard -> Shutdown!

Cool graphic novels of 2007 - Salon.

For paranoias check out the Main Page - TinWiki.org: the first full-feature Wiki dedicated exclusively to all the topics that inspires the authors to consider "Tin foil hats". Topics such as conspiracy theories, UFO cover ups,extraterrestrial programs, New World Order, Illuminati, secret government programs, top secret bases, and nearly any other "alternative topic" that would cause paranoid fear of the government reprisals, wire taps, and email monitoring are the focus of this collaborative Wiki.

Bear Sterns reaps what they sow.

The war on greed! We Need A War On Greed.

These so-called Al Qaedas in Iraq are by and large from Saudi Arabia according to West Point. What a surprise.

Wall Street like a cockroach - interesting ideas here.

Journalism today! In cartoon form.

Fimoculous.com - misc - Best Blogs of 2007 That You (Maybe) Aren't Reading by the guy that Started Mnspeak. Admittedly I have never heard of many of these blogs but they sounded good. MeFi was snarky on it: Best Blogs of 2007 That You (Maybe) Aren't Readin | MetaTalk

This seemed like a weird site, which had crossposted the SRI thing but also features news about Solar X-Rays in badge form: Scientists on Acid: The Story Behind “Changing Images of Man”

Anonymous email services have been bought out by the NSA. Someone on Digg said "Poor big brother is going to have to read a shitload of Viagra ads." Hah.

Air America Notebooks very complete.

This story has NOTHING to do with ANYTHING: 2,600 Pages of Clinton Records Withheld: These nothings: Barry Seal, Air Contra, and Mena Airport - Ambrose Evans-Pritchard [Free Republic]. Also: Political Friendster - Rose Law Firm - Connections and Political Friendster - Mena, Arkansas 1980's Narcotics Ring - Connections Awesome LOLS!

Best of The MadCowMorningNews:

• RETURN OF SNAKES ON A PLANE! CIA CHARTERS FLEW SAUDI FLIGHTS
• SHEIKS ON A PLANE:FBI Docs Expose Anatomy of a Cover-Up
• Saudi Flights on CIA-Linked Air Charters
• The Secret History of Jerry Falwell
• CIA Drug Planes Caught in Mexican Standoff

Kroll makes Blackwater look like wimps

Onion's worst band names of 2007 included local Gay Witch Abortion!

This seemed nuts.

About the NIE - the day the spooks cancelled the Iran war: Cool review in the Guardian. Neo-cons attack. Annapolis Iran schemes noted by ex-CIA honcho Phil Giraldi. The quiet counter-coup.

St. Paul real estate blog.

Say no to GMOs: wow! Klebsiella Planticola almost killed the earth! Synthetic DNA on the Brink of Yielding New Life Forms.

Inside the CIA's notorious black sites.

AFRICOM: the Pentagon's new African fishing expedition.

Link was dropped before: Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation.

The Clusterfuck Nation: Jim Kunstler is the dude when it comes to vaguely apocalyptic visions of social collapse and such. He's The Long Emergency guy. Clusterfuck Nation by Jim Kunstler : A Christmas Eve Story

Making Sense of Ethanol and Related Fuels. | The Agonist

I was advised by someone to look at: John Taylor Gatto - Challenging the Myths of Modern Schooling

Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007: Habakkuk on the neocons' use of intelligence. Very old school.

Get Familiar with Zbigniew Brzezinski // Skilluminati Research

Interest Rate Freeze: Real Story Is Fraud

I just thought this was funny: Bill Clinton Joined Masons When He Was 15

Some stuff: The Dark Face of Populism: Why Paul and Huckabee have had a dramatic rise | The Agonist. I had some rambly response to this.

For the space cadet in all of us: Doug Yurchey's World of Tomorrow

I read this guy's book: DOD Plan: 21st Century Global Police Force

Psychotropic Drug Use Skyrockets 400%

Fun stuff: ROGUEGOVERNMENT.COM - Exposing Government Corruption and the New World Order including CIA Fights Terror With GI Joe Action Figures

The Indypendent » The RAND Corp: Here, There, Everywhere

The planned collapse of America. Why not?

I liked this guy's style: The Bwog: Blogging AIPAC: part one of two and part two of two.

HAARP: The Men who Control the Weather (and vibrated 35W to bits!):

• Ionosphere-Boiler Not a Superweapon, After All? | Danger Room from Wired.com
• DARPA Hearts HAARP; Tinfoil Hats Melt | Danger Room from Wired.com
• New Document Reveals Military Mystery's Powers | Danger Room from Wired.com
• FOIA: HAARP Research and Applications Joint Program Report, page 1
• HAARP: WEATHER, POPULATION, MIND CONTROL -- AND THE "EDUCATIONAL-RESEARCH-COMPLEX". Actually this one is sort of an inverse conspiracy theory about the evil scientists. Pretty funny really!

All right, pretty weird stuff. Thanks for joining us!

First: This is (also) why the Minnesota right-wing blogosphere is sad. I met Wedge at the 331 blogger thingy and he's a nice guy. Yeesh.

Over at work we have cancelled any links to the rightwing AntiStrib blog because they are really quite racist towards Native Americans on a regular basis. Another horrible anti-Indian rant ticked off the guy at Minnesota Democrats Exposed enough to cancel all links to the 'vile and racist' postings:

Doug whines that we tried to educate the Indians, but what choice did we have? Their acts of terrorism against the settlers and the military assured that they could no longer be allowed to roam at random over other people’s lands. Their poverty-based societies filled Indians with a deep desire to steal and kill at will. The only alternative to integration was extermination. Andrew Jackson reached this conclusion and rode this issue to the White House. He was veteran of the many wars with the Indians and had no illusions about the Indians.

So skip the noble savage crap. American Indians were domestic terrorists permanently stuck in the Stone Age. Even the God Damned French contributed more and managed to create a better society than the humanoid animals that once roamed our continent.

Wow, someone is angry with many spirits. The banner below is hosted from the more reeled-in freedomdogs blog. Hm. The vast network, etc.

not complete assholes, but hosted @ http://www.freedomdogs.com/images/AntiStribBanner.jpg.