I'm taking my vacation. Before I do, this important message from Minnesota.
"(Not Matt's voice) Hi, this is Minnesota! Do you realize how cool this state is? It is AWESOME! The Twin Cities alone has enough things to see and do, you'll never get bored. Throw in the majestic beauty of the northland, our sensational lakes, hiking, camping, fishing, Duluth, the prairie, biking, the southeaster river country, the north shore, the Iron Range, golf, theater, the arts, the amazing food and so on and so on. You'll have a great time in Minnesota."
I'm spending some time with my family, disconnecting for a few days. There won't be any updates to Progressive Citizen X in that time, as I have found I can't really relax if I have any work related commitments, but with the Supreme Court rulings coming up, I imagine I'll have some things to say when I get back to the station.
Have a great few weeks and I'll fire this sucker back up right before the 4th.
Friday, June 19, 2015
The Friday Link for 6/19/15
I am going on vacation, so I'm not putting much effort into this one. But with Patton Oswalt, you don't need too!
Here is an entire concert of his. Probably a lot of bad language. You've been warned!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC_nAMjPl8k
Enjoy on your Friday!
Here is an entire concert of his. Probably a lot of bad language. You've been warned!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC_nAMjPl8k
Enjoy on your Friday!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Die Dumb
I love summer movies. Mind you, most of them are absolute crap films, with God awful writing, massive editing gaffs, missing plot points, and completely unnecessary characters, only in the film because the movie company said they had to be. But I still like them! Summer movies are supposed to be a great disconnect, allowing you to shut down your mind as you enjoy a popcorn and soda, sitting in front of a big screen.
Sometimes the summer movie is shockingly good. Go see Mad Max Fury Road. It's incredible! I'm also excited to see Inside Out.
One summer blockbuster I enjoyed years ago was Die Hard. Bruce Willis starred as John McClain, a tough NYC cop battling a group of 'terrorists' who have taken over Nakatomi Plaza in LA. When it was released in 1988, it was gobbled up as Reagan era propaganda, evoking cheers in the theaters as McClain took out the bad guys. I still like the movie today. It's enjoyable cheese, but the reality it promoted, through influencing other movies, and on culture itself, has contributed to various American ills today. No, I haven't gone bonkers. Die Hard is not responsible for our screwed up society, but it ushered in a new era in our culture which has permeated entertainment and our mindset. Let me elaborate.
First, it started this over the top action genre which has dominated entertainment for 25 years. Before this movie, action films were gritty, dirty and had a level of restraint when it came to action sequences. No one had a guy jump out of a 20 story building and somehow miraculously survive the fall, because they wouldn't have. After Die Hard, a 20 story fall was the dull part of the movie, with disbelief firmly suspended. Most action movies afterwards had laughable scenarios, where the idea of someone surviving was comical. Every Die Hard movie has an action "jump the shark" moment. In the original, it was either when McClain managed to catch the elevator shaft vent, or when he's caught dead to rights as an elevator full of bad guys opens up in front of him, but somehow he runs passed it, hitting his targets while all of their bullets miss. In II, it was the entire movie, but the worst was how long it took for grenades to explode on the plane. III, the fall from the bridge. Both he and Samuel L. Jackson should have died (and roll credits!). IV and V are so bad they make II look believable.
John McTiernan and Jan de Bont created a flashy movie, designed to catch our attention, like a car crash; disturbing, but we can't look away. How many movies came afterwards which were simply pitched as "Die Hard in/or on a blank !"? How many movies were made afterwards where the script was never even a consideration? The laundry list of horrific summer movies trying to copy the original fare is daunting. Thanks Die Hard.
Bruce Willis is actually a very good actor. Twelve Monkeys, The 5th Element and The 6th Sense (numbers, just noticed that) all are great, with him in a very enjoyable roles. His personal politics don't bother me. He's American like all the rest of us, so he can believe what he wants to believe. I just wish he would focus on movies more like Pulp Fiction and less like Armageddon.
But beyond entertainment, Die Hard has contributed to one specific societal problem we have today.
Gun fetishists worship Die Hard, much like greedy pricks worship Wall Street. I talk about this on-air. The NRA, along with the gun and bullet manufactures, have cultivated a fantasy which pathetic losers have gobbled up. If you have a gun on you, and terrorists take over the Mall of America, or the Foshay Tower, or the Xcel Energy Center, you can fight off a group of 20 to 30 trained experts willing to die for their cause with just your six shooter. Actually, even the NRA realizes the six shooter won't cut it anymore, hence why they encourage their delusional followers to carry semi-automatic weapons into Target Stores.
As a veteran who has fired numerous weapons designed to kill other human beings, let me be blunt; if the minute the bad guys started shooting, you didn't turn and try to get away with anyone you could safely take with you, you will likely die, and the weapon you have on you will likely be used to kill other people in the carnage. What do you think, a psychopath who is spraying a room of kids with bullets will give you a courtesy time out, so you can unholster your weapon, turn off the safety, lock and load and target the suspect? No, you will get shot. You might die quick, but then again, you might still be alive, very likely in shock, as the last of your life drains from your body, unable to help yourself, let alone anyone else. If you want to try to help, that's very noble of you, but do not think the gun you have gives you any grand advantage, and be at peace with your God before you try.
Guns do not make you safer. If that was the case, police departments filled with trained experts, many of them wearing guns on themselves, wouldn't be getting attacked. Biker rallies, with hundreds of guns amongst the participants, would be the safest places on earth. Die Hard was a movie; make believe, pure and simple. Please wake up and realize that.
The movie also romances the loser underdog element a little too much for my tastes. How much did John McClain screw up to where to redeem himself he had to beat a group of 20 guys in one building? Must be pretty bad, as he was left back in NYC without the kids, to much of a jerk to be happy for his wife who had been offered a senior executive job at a major international corporation. Not only did he choose his job over his wife and kids, a job he easily could have gotten in LA, but this jerk wasn't even planning on staying with his family when he got there.
You shouldn't have to save Nakatomi Plaza to redeem yourself, and any woman who stays with a 20 time loser, just because she hopes he can get himself in a terrorist take over scenario to prove he's not what everyone already knows he is, is sad. If you have your wife and kids living across the country because you can't accept the fact your wife got a great job offer, maybe you should look long and hard in the mirror and say, "I might be the problem here."
Then again, out side of the gun worship thing, maybe I'm over thinking this. Yippie Kay Yea indeed.
Sometimes the summer movie is shockingly good. Go see Mad Max Fury Road. It's incredible! I'm also excited to see Inside Out.
One summer blockbuster I enjoyed years ago was Die Hard. Bruce Willis starred as John McClain, a tough NYC cop battling a group of 'terrorists' who have taken over Nakatomi Plaza in LA. When it was released in 1988, it was gobbled up as Reagan era propaganda, evoking cheers in the theaters as McClain took out the bad guys. I still like the movie today. It's enjoyable cheese, but the reality it promoted, through influencing other movies, and on culture itself, has contributed to various American ills today. No, I haven't gone bonkers. Die Hard is not responsible for our screwed up society, but it ushered in a new era in our culture which has permeated entertainment and our mindset. Let me elaborate.
First, it started this over the top action genre which has dominated entertainment for 25 years. Before this movie, action films were gritty, dirty and had a level of restraint when it came to action sequences. No one had a guy jump out of a 20 story building and somehow miraculously survive the fall, because they wouldn't have. After Die Hard, a 20 story fall was the dull part of the movie, with disbelief firmly suspended. Most action movies afterwards had laughable scenarios, where the idea of someone surviving was comical. Every Die Hard movie has an action "jump the shark" moment. In the original, it was either when McClain managed to catch the elevator shaft vent, or when he's caught dead to rights as an elevator full of bad guys opens up in front of him, but somehow he runs passed it, hitting his targets while all of their bullets miss. In II, it was the entire movie, but the worst was how long it took for grenades to explode on the plane. III, the fall from the bridge. Both he and Samuel L. Jackson should have died (and roll credits!). IV and V are so bad they make II look believable.
John McTiernan and Jan de Bont created a flashy movie, designed to catch our attention, like a car crash; disturbing, but we can't look away. How many movies came afterwards which were simply pitched as "Die Hard in/or on a blank !"? How many movies were made afterwards where the script was never even a consideration? The laundry list of horrific summer movies trying to copy the original fare is daunting. Thanks Die Hard.
Bruce Willis is actually a very good actor. Twelve Monkeys, The 5th Element and The 6th Sense (numbers, just noticed that) all are great, with him in a very enjoyable roles. His personal politics don't bother me. He's American like all the rest of us, so he can believe what he wants to believe. I just wish he would focus on movies more like Pulp Fiction and less like Armageddon.
But beyond entertainment, Die Hard has contributed to one specific societal problem we have today.
Gun fetishists worship Die Hard, much like greedy pricks worship Wall Street. I talk about this on-air. The NRA, along with the gun and bullet manufactures, have cultivated a fantasy which pathetic losers have gobbled up. If you have a gun on you, and terrorists take over the Mall of America, or the Foshay Tower, or the Xcel Energy Center, you can fight off a group of 20 to 30 trained experts willing to die for their cause with just your six shooter. Actually, even the NRA realizes the six shooter won't cut it anymore, hence why they encourage their delusional followers to carry semi-automatic weapons into Target Stores.
As a veteran who has fired numerous weapons designed to kill other human beings, let me be blunt; if the minute the bad guys started shooting, you didn't turn and try to get away with anyone you could safely take with you, you will likely die, and the weapon you have on you will likely be used to kill other people in the carnage. What do you think, a psychopath who is spraying a room of kids with bullets will give you a courtesy time out, so you can unholster your weapon, turn off the safety, lock and load and target the suspect? No, you will get shot. You might die quick, but then again, you might still be alive, very likely in shock, as the last of your life drains from your body, unable to help yourself, let alone anyone else. If you want to try to help, that's very noble of you, but do not think the gun you have gives you any grand advantage, and be at peace with your God before you try.
Guns do not make you safer. If that was the case, police departments filled with trained experts, many of them wearing guns on themselves, wouldn't be getting attacked. Biker rallies, with hundreds of guns amongst the participants, would be the safest places on earth. Die Hard was a movie; make believe, pure and simple. Please wake up and realize that.
The movie also romances the loser underdog element a little too much for my tastes. How much did John McClain screw up to where to redeem himself he had to beat a group of 20 guys in one building? Must be pretty bad, as he was left back in NYC without the kids, to much of a jerk to be happy for his wife who had been offered a senior executive job at a major international corporation. Not only did he choose his job over his wife and kids, a job he easily could have gotten in LA, but this jerk wasn't even planning on staying with his family when he got there.
You shouldn't have to save Nakatomi Plaza to redeem yourself, and any woman who stays with a 20 time loser, just because she hopes he can get himself in a terrorist take over scenario to prove he's not what everyone already knows he is, is sad. If you have your wife and kids living across the country because you can't accept the fact your wife got a great job offer, maybe you should look long and hard in the mirror and say, "I might be the problem here."
Then again, out side of the gun worship thing, maybe I'm over thinking this. Yippie Kay Yea indeed.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Ripple Effect
Now that the Minnesota DFL, a political party which walked into this legislative year riding a massive wave of success and popularity, holding the most important office in the state (Governor) and one of the two legislative branches (Senate), with a mandate to continue on the path they paved, with a nearly two billion dollar surplus, and only themselves to get into their own way, now that it's been undone by treachery and personal agenda, the DFL has got to pick up the pieces and move forward. Here are some suggestions on how they can do so, before they get trounced in next year's elections.
1) Senator Bakk needs to either resign or be removed from his Senate leadership position. He's proven to be the worst DFL Senator we could have in that roll. He put his personal agenda ahead of what was best for the state, placing profit margins for a foreign mining company ahead of what's best for the citizens of Minnesota, double crossing many senators from his own party along the way. Bakk had his personal hatred of Governor Dayton played effectively by the GOP, ensuring the compromise bills pushed out of the legislative branch were written from an extremely pro-Republican point of view, intentionally designed to stymy the Governor's political bankroll, a bankroll he had handed to him by the voters last November. When it came to negotiations on the final bills between the Governor and the Legislative Branch, Bakk defaulted to Speaker Daudt (something I presume was motivated by his reluctance to face the Governor in light of such overwhelming betrayal), wasting the powerful position the DFL could've had when it came to toning down the GOP bills. And, even after the damage had been done, as the GOP was popping champaign bottles at their success, Bakk was played one last time in the final hours of the special session, which, in turn, solidified my opinion on why he needs to be removed.
The GOP was ALWAYS going to pass the special session bills they had in front of them. They were. They never dreamed they would get such pro-Republican bills at the beginning of this session. They would've never let these bills slip from their fingers, but when Senator Bakk realized he had lost the faith of his own party during the special session vote for the Environmental and Agricultural Bill, coming up one vote shy of what was needed to pass, he didn't address the concerns of his own party, nor did he call the GOP's bluff, which would've sent them scrambling to pass it. Nope! He unbelievably went hat in hand to the Senate Minority Leader, Republican David Hann, promising him (according to the Star Tribune), "significant tax reductions" during next year's legislative session. That's right, even though the GOP would've never let that bill falter, Bakk failed to realize it and has already promised next years Senate will be driven from a pro-GOP agenda; the Democratic majority in the Senate has already been defeated for 2016.
A majority leader needs to work with the tools he has in his tool box, cultivating a relationship with the other Democratic leaders, to best help him get a DFL agenda pushed through, not allow petty, ignorant, personal vendettas to rule his decision making process. A majority leader needs to put his party's core principles first, for the betterment of the state, not a personal agenda geared to his own benefit. Senator Bakk will likely make a lot of one on one calls to DFL Senators trying to smooth over his atrocious leadership decisions, while pinky swearing he won't double cross the DFL again. Don't trust him. Fire his butt, immediately from the leadership role he does not deserve.
2) Put all DFL Senator's on notice: YOU have chosen to be part of the DFL; act like it. No more of this jumping ship to the GOP if the DFL doesn't give you exactly what you want. All you're doing is selling out the state, and your party, for personal gain. This is a textbook example of how a minority party can use simpletons to become the majority party. We elected you to lead, not be wishy-washy sellouts who are only in it for yourselves. If the bill in front of you erodes the core principles of the party, you vote against it regardless of the amount of hand picked pork the GOP has vowed to give you in return for you selling out your party. This is not about punishing differing opinions, it's about making sure DFL core principles are just that, core principles.
3) There is no off season. You have to be on the offensive for the rest of the year. Even with their success, the GOP has hurt themselves in rural Minnesota by not following through on their campaign promises, and they clearly will never care about Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the first ring suburbs. The GOP is a party which is only strong in wealthy suburban areas, and in extreme, fringe districts that would vote for a turnip with an R next to it (Bachmann). The DFL candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, need to be aggressive, having weekly community gatherings, with local media, talking about protecting education, undoing the damage the GOP has done to the environment, saving the Auditor's office, fixing the transportation problems the state has, and putting forward spending bills which place the middle and lower class first. They need to talk to their constituents about preventing the GOP from taking the budget surplus and giving it away to the wealthiest one thousand individuals in the state. From now until the 2016 session begins, we need to embrace the DFL's populist message and hammer it home.
4) The Minnesota DFL needs to put together a game plan for the 2016 legislative cycle which follows one of two paths.
The first would have the Senate pass the most far left agenda they possibly could. I mean extreme. Why? Not because I'm a socialist (pure capitalist, thank you), but because the GOP House is going to pass the most obnoxiously, far right bills, ever conceived, in 2016. The only way you counter punch them is to go to the negotiation table with the exact opposite.
Imagine a line scale with zero in the middle. On the left, the scale goes from the zero up to 100. Label that side 'the Democrats' (D). Then do the same on the right, going the opposite direction, and label that side 'the Republicans' (R). The House GOP are going to pass bills which will fall on the scale in the +80 to 90 R range. If the DFL comes out with bills that fall on the scale in the +10 to 20 D range, when it comes to negotiations, the end result will be a +30 to 40 R compromise. That's without a Senate Majority leader who can easily be manipulated by the opposition party.
If the DFL passes a +80 to 90 D platform out of the Senate, the end result, after the negotiations with the House GOP, and with a DFL Governor who'll have to sign off on the final bills, would be a +10 to 20 D compromise, where it should be in this current political environment. Considering the potential of a Senate majority leader selling out the DFL, it's a risky move with some lurking pitfalls.
The other path is the safer one; have the Senate Majority Leader and Governor Dayton sit down prior to the beginning of the 2016 session, and at regular intervals during the session, to make sure their agendas match up. Two weeks before the end of session, the Senate Majority Leader and the Governor should have a final game plan session to make sure Speaker Daudt and the GOP know the minimums the DFL need in the bills for them to even have a chance of coming out of the Senate. Make sure the DFL Senators are also briefed on these issues, and listen to their input. When it comes to hammering out the final agendas, the Senate Majority Leader and the Governor act as one, making the GOP concede to the DFL, as opposed to a single individual's cowboy-esque negotiation tactics, which, in turn, dooms the entire DFL platform.
At this point, I think it's safe to say Senator Bakk won't embrace either of these options, so he needs to go. There's a way to re-energize DFL strength, but you're not going to do so with weak kneed, spineless, self serving, grudge holding Democratic leadership who will sell out their own party and side with the opposition at the drop of a hat.
1) Senator Bakk needs to either resign or be removed from his Senate leadership position. He's proven to be the worst DFL Senator we could have in that roll. He put his personal agenda ahead of what was best for the state, placing profit margins for a foreign mining company ahead of what's best for the citizens of Minnesota, double crossing many senators from his own party along the way. Bakk had his personal hatred of Governor Dayton played effectively by the GOP, ensuring the compromise bills pushed out of the legislative branch were written from an extremely pro-Republican point of view, intentionally designed to stymy the Governor's political bankroll, a bankroll he had handed to him by the voters last November. When it came to negotiations on the final bills between the Governor and the Legislative Branch, Bakk defaulted to Speaker Daudt (something I presume was motivated by his reluctance to face the Governor in light of such overwhelming betrayal), wasting the powerful position the DFL could've had when it came to toning down the GOP bills. And, even after the damage had been done, as the GOP was popping champaign bottles at their success, Bakk was played one last time in the final hours of the special session, which, in turn, solidified my opinion on why he needs to be removed.
The GOP was ALWAYS going to pass the special session bills they had in front of them. They were. They never dreamed they would get such pro-Republican bills at the beginning of this session. They would've never let these bills slip from their fingers, but when Senator Bakk realized he had lost the faith of his own party during the special session vote for the Environmental and Agricultural Bill, coming up one vote shy of what was needed to pass, he didn't address the concerns of his own party, nor did he call the GOP's bluff, which would've sent them scrambling to pass it. Nope! He unbelievably went hat in hand to the Senate Minority Leader, Republican David Hann, promising him (according to the Star Tribune), "significant tax reductions" during next year's legislative session. That's right, even though the GOP would've never let that bill falter, Bakk failed to realize it and has already promised next years Senate will be driven from a pro-GOP agenda; the Democratic majority in the Senate has already been defeated for 2016.
A majority leader needs to work with the tools he has in his tool box, cultivating a relationship with the other Democratic leaders, to best help him get a DFL agenda pushed through, not allow petty, ignorant, personal vendettas to rule his decision making process. A majority leader needs to put his party's core principles first, for the betterment of the state, not a personal agenda geared to his own benefit. Senator Bakk will likely make a lot of one on one calls to DFL Senators trying to smooth over his atrocious leadership decisions, while pinky swearing he won't double cross the DFL again. Don't trust him. Fire his butt, immediately from the leadership role he does not deserve.
2) Put all DFL Senator's on notice: YOU have chosen to be part of the DFL; act like it. No more of this jumping ship to the GOP if the DFL doesn't give you exactly what you want. All you're doing is selling out the state, and your party, for personal gain. This is a textbook example of how a minority party can use simpletons to become the majority party. We elected you to lead, not be wishy-washy sellouts who are only in it for yourselves. If the bill in front of you erodes the core principles of the party, you vote against it regardless of the amount of hand picked pork the GOP has vowed to give you in return for you selling out your party. This is not about punishing differing opinions, it's about making sure DFL core principles are just that, core principles.
3) There is no off season. You have to be on the offensive for the rest of the year. Even with their success, the GOP has hurt themselves in rural Minnesota by not following through on their campaign promises, and they clearly will never care about Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the first ring suburbs. The GOP is a party which is only strong in wealthy suburban areas, and in extreme, fringe districts that would vote for a turnip with an R next to it (Bachmann). The DFL candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, need to be aggressive, having weekly community gatherings, with local media, talking about protecting education, undoing the damage the GOP has done to the environment, saving the Auditor's office, fixing the transportation problems the state has, and putting forward spending bills which place the middle and lower class first. They need to talk to their constituents about preventing the GOP from taking the budget surplus and giving it away to the wealthiest one thousand individuals in the state. From now until the 2016 session begins, we need to embrace the DFL's populist message and hammer it home.
4) The Minnesota DFL needs to put together a game plan for the 2016 legislative cycle which follows one of two paths.
The first would have the Senate pass the most far left agenda they possibly could. I mean extreme. Why? Not because I'm a socialist (pure capitalist, thank you), but because the GOP House is going to pass the most obnoxiously, far right bills, ever conceived, in 2016. The only way you counter punch them is to go to the negotiation table with the exact opposite.
Imagine a line scale with zero in the middle. On the left, the scale goes from the zero up to 100. Label that side 'the Democrats' (D). Then do the same on the right, going the opposite direction, and label that side 'the Republicans' (R). The House GOP are going to pass bills which will fall on the scale in the +80 to 90 R range. If the DFL comes out with bills that fall on the scale in the +10 to 20 D range, when it comes to negotiations, the end result will be a +30 to 40 R compromise. That's without a Senate Majority leader who can easily be manipulated by the opposition party.
If the DFL passes a +80 to 90 D platform out of the Senate, the end result, after the negotiations with the House GOP, and with a DFL Governor who'll have to sign off on the final bills, would be a +10 to 20 D compromise, where it should be in this current political environment. Considering the potential of a Senate majority leader selling out the DFL, it's a risky move with some lurking pitfalls.
The other path is the safer one; have the Senate Majority Leader and Governor Dayton sit down prior to the beginning of the 2016 session, and at regular intervals during the session, to make sure their agendas match up. Two weeks before the end of session, the Senate Majority Leader and the Governor should have a final game plan session to make sure Speaker Daudt and the GOP know the minimums the DFL need in the bills for them to even have a chance of coming out of the Senate. Make sure the DFL Senators are also briefed on these issues, and listen to their input. When it comes to hammering out the final agendas, the Senate Majority Leader and the Governor act as one, making the GOP concede to the DFL, as opposed to a single individual's cowboy-esque negotiation tactics, which, in turn, dooms the entire DFL platform.
At this point, I think it's safe to say Senator Bakk won't embrace either of these options, so he needs to go. There's a way to re-energize DFL strength, but you're not going to do so with weak kneed, spineless, self serving, grudge holding Democratic leadership who will sell out their own party and side with the opposition at the drop of a hat.
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Friday Link for 6/12/15
John Cleese had one of the best slams ever on Piers Morgan this week. Here it is:
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jun/05/john-cleese-twitter-row-piers-morgan
Since he's on my mind, I will make him and the rest of Monty Python the Friday laugh.
This skit is so amazingly well written, even when it get's to outrageously, silly levels, it's still mesmerizing. Palin and Cleese have some of the best comedic dialogue ever written, but it's Eric Idle and the sorely missed Graham Chapman who end up really driving this bit. They are quick elements of the piece, but they are perfect.
I was at the Dudley Riggs show 50 Shades of Gravy recently and was extremely impressed with their ability to work together as a group. Having the performer know how to deliver a quick line that's outrageously funny but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the group is very tricky. In that regards, Monty Python is really there greatest comedy troupe ever. Everyone knew exactly how to play off of the rest of the group.
For your viewing pleasure, let's have an argument! Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jun/05/john-cleese-twitter-row-piers-morgan
Since he's on my mind, I will make him and the rest of Monty Python the Friday laugh.
This skit is so amazingly well written, even when it get's to outrageously, silly levels, it's still mesmerizing. Palin and Cleese have some of the best comedic dialogue ever written, but it's Eric Idle and the sorely missed Graham Chapman who end up really driving this bit. They are quick elements of the piece, but they are perfect.
I was at the Dudley Riggs show 50 Shades of Gravy recently and was extremely impressed with their ability to work together as a group. Having the performer know how to deliver a quick line that's outrageously funny but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the group is very tricky. In that regards, Monty Python is really there greatest comedy troupe ever. Everyone knew exactly how to play off of the rest of the group.
For your viewing pleasure, let's have an argument! Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Special
Now that we are headed towards a special session, we'll get a final tally of the damage done by a Senate Majority Leader allowing personal feelings to get in the way of doing what is best for the state. It looks like the GOP won another concession, penalties for people who install alternative energy options on their homes. Like I said, it's not enough for the GOP to write legislation supporting their corporate causes. They have to go out of their way to try to hurt Minnesotans who they perceive to be their enemies.
I'm tired of it all. Tuesday morning's 6AM hour was as straight forward as I'm ever going to get. Listen for yourself:
https://soundcloud.com/am950-show-podcasts/the-morning-grind-hour-1-june-9-2015
If you want to hold a leadership position in a government, you can't allow a personal disagreement with someone in your own party to cause so much damage to said party. If Bakk can't work with Dayton, then, personally, I think he needs to resign his position.
Because of this DFL failure, the Democrats don't have a political off season. They have to go on the offensive immediately. The GOP wants the one billion dollar budget surplus that was left untouched, and anything else they can accumulate, to go to the wealthiest 1000. Well, time to start the counter punch.
This state is in desperate need of major transportation upgrades. Roads, light rail, buses, bike trails, sidewalks, walking trails, train service, airports...all of it. Traffic in Minneapolis/St. Paul is amazingly bad, and only getting worse, and most outstate communities have a laundry list of projects they needed done 10 years ago. This is an issue everyone can relate to. The talking point of getting Minnesotans home five minutes faster everyday is a winner.
The day after the special session ends, every Democratic politician in the state, AND any challenger they can find to run in a currently held GOP district, should have a weekly media/community Q&A session on a transportation project in their district that needs updating/upgrading. Have everyone meet them at the road or transit station. Talk about how it's reckless and irresponsible to not fix our failing transportation system when there is a budget surplus going unused.
The politicians should ask their constituents the question, "should that money go to a select few wealthy people, or should it go for the betterment of us all through upgrades in our transportation system?" Come the beginning of the 2016 session, make the talking point of major tax breaks to wealthy people political poison for the GOP.
I hope there is a way to win back the Auditor's Office her ability to protect tax payer dollars, maintain oversight, and fight corruption, through the judicial branch.
What is done is done. Time to regroup and move forward.
I'm tired of it all. Tuesday morning's 6AM hour was as straight forward as I'm ever going to get. Listen for yourself:
https://soundcloud.com/am950-show-podcasts/the-morning-grind-hour-1-june-9-2015
If you want to hold a leadership position in a government, you can't allow a personal disagreement with someone in your own party to cause so much damage to said party. If Bakk can't work with Dayton, then, personally, I think he needs to resign his position.
Because of this DFL failure, the Democrats don't have a political off season. They have to go on the offensive immediately. The GOP wants the one billion dollar budget surplus that was left untouched, and anything else they can accumulate, to go to the wealthiest 1000. Well, time to start the counter punch.
This state is in desperate need of major transportation upgrades. Roads, light rail, buses, bike trails, sidewalks, walking trails, train service, airports...all of it. Traffic in Minneapolis/St. Paul is amazingly bad, and only getting worse, and most outstate communities have a laundry list of projects they needed done 10 years ago. This is an issue everyone can relate to. The talking point of getting Minnesotans home five minutes faster everyday is a winner.
The day after the special session ends, every Democratic politician in the state, AND any challenger they can find to run in a currently held GOP district, should have a weekly media/community Q&A session on a transportation project in their district that needs updating/upgrading. Have everyone meet them at the road or transit station. Talk about how it's reckless and irresponsible to not fix our failing transportation system when there is a budget surplus going unused.
The politicians should ask their constituents the question, "should that money go to a select few wealthy people, or should it go for the betterment of us all through upgrades in our transportation system?" Come the beginning of the 2016 session, make the talking point of major tax breaks to wealthy people political poison for the GOP.
I hope there is a way to win back the Auditor's Office her ability to protect tax payer dollars, maintain oversight, and fight corruption, through the judicial branch.
What is done is done. Time to regroup and move forward.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
More for the Friday Link...on a Sunday
I was in Albertville for the weekend. It was pleasant, as the outlet mall there has brought in numerous businesses, and the drive wasn't too bad. Without traffic, using backroads (because every freaking road was routed onto 169 this weekend), it took 35 minutes to get there. Cute town, lovely church in St. Michael, the neighboring town to the south.
Since I did a fly by Friday Link post as I was scrambling to get up there on Friday, I did want to add a little about Key and Peele. They really are hilarious. Comedians are always a bell weather of the changing times, and if you can glean anything from these two, it's that racial based comedy is changing.
The biggest change Key and Peele represent, to me at least, is how they address the "misinformed, unknowingly racist white guy" aspect of today. Back in the 90's, in the In Living Color days, there were many times where the punchline of the joke was calling out that guy. Key and Peele use that guy as the basis of their joke. The racist zombies is a great example. Racism is bad enough, but what happens when racism is a symptom of becoming a zombie. That skit is really good.
Key and Peele are also known for their skit on Luther, President Obama's anger translator, taking the angry black man bit, and making it smart, excellent political commentary and laugh out loud funny.
They also don't shy away at poking fun at black culture, in a way which makes white America understand it better, and laugh. Guilty as charged. Here is a skit which my kids, white suburban Hopkins kids, think is the funniest thing they have ever seen. I have to admit, I'm rolling with it too. A laugh for a Sunday!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7FixvoKBw
Since I did a fly by Friday Link post as I was scrambling to get up there on Friday, I did want to add a little about Key and Peele. They really are hilarious. Comedians are always a bell weather of the changing times, and if you can glean anything from these two, it's that racial based comedy is changing.
The biggest change Key and Peele represent, to me at least, is how they address the "misinformed, unknowingly racist white guy" aspect of today. Back in the 90's, in the In Living Color days, there were many times where the punchline of the joke was calling out that guy. Key and Peele use that guy as the basis of their joke. The racist zombies is a great example. Racism is bad enough, but what happens when racism is a symptom of becoming a zombie. That skit is really good.
Key and Peele are also known for their skit on Luther, President Obama's anger translator, taking the angry black man bit, and making it smart, excellent political commentary and laugh out loud funny.
They also don't shy away at poking fun at black culture, in a way which makes white America understand it better, and laugh. Guilty as charged. Here is a skit which my kids, white suburban Hopkins kids, think is the funniest thing they have ever seen. I have to admit, I'm rolling with it too. A laugh for a Sunday!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7FixvoKBw
Friday, June 5, 2015
The Friday Link for 6/5/15
I'm having to run to a baseball field a long way away, so here it is quick, Key and Peele. These guys are great. I'll write more and post a second scene on Saturday, but for now...racist zombies!
Warning, adult content!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xyhVO-SWfM
Warning, adult content!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xyhVO-SWfM
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Mining for Answers
One thing seems to be clear from the end of the Minnesota Legislative regular session, Polymet Mining of Canada has likely bought and paid for politicians from both major parties in the state. What is most shocking, and unforgivable, is how our DFL Senate Majority Leader seems to have forsaken well established Democratic party platform positions for Canadian mining.
The GOP is easy to understand. Most of what they do is geared towards self fulfillment and punishing perceived enemies. Looking at what they laid out this last session backs that up. They got silencers legalized in the state, pandering to dim bulb voters who only vote how their gun tells them to at night, and to the NRA and all of that sweet, sweet gun and bullet manufacture campaign cash. They went after campaign finance rules, so big money from a handful of individuals can potentially buy the state government for them. They went after public schools and teachers, as they want to redirect tax payer education dollars into the coffers of the wealthiest 1000, and punish the teachers union, one of the last strong unions. They waged war on Minneapolis and St. Paul proper, a region filled with people they want to punish for daring to vote Democrat. Same story, different day; the GOP is easy to understand.
Some of the policy positions the GOP passed need to get signed into law. They really do, as they are the controlling party in the House. As much as I don't like it personally, I accept silencers were legalized, campaign finance rules got re-written and the Governor's education plan was toned down (although with a pile of 1.9 billion in cash, I have no idea why).
It was three other issues that passed which, frankly, scare me. I understand the House GOP's wish list would contain legalizing toxic pollution for corporations ("It's Un-Amercian to not pollute!"), limiting the public's say in environmental regulation ("Constituents having a say...NEVER! Big corporations should always be trusted!") and dismantling oversight of the state ("Corruption is FUN!"), but a DFL leader going along with them, making sure those things got into a compromise bill, and rushed through the Senate before the majority of Democrats had a chance to stop it (the Senate passed it with a handful of Democrats voting along with the minority Republicans) is unthinkable.
But that's exactly what Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk did. Before anyone comes at me, criticizing my calling him out, let me say I don't mind having differing opinions on the Democratic side, but there are some things which make Democrats, Democrats. The appearance of selling out your party for a Canadian mining company is not one of them. I was just as critical when a certain Democratic west metro Senator went after the teachers union.
Governor Dayton vetoed the environmental bill, effectively stopping Bakk and the GOP's anti-environment agenda, which included the Oopsie law, making it legal for corporations to pollute with no recourse whatsoever, and the dismantling of the Citizens Board of the Pollution Control Agency, ensuring corporations are the only ones influencing environmental decisions in the state.
But the third issue, the attack on State Auditor Rebecca Otto, the Democrat, who just won re-election, and the fact they attached it the the omnibus spending bill, is inexcusable. They attached it to that bill because they knew the Governor had to sign it to keep the majority of lights on in the state. Bakk, either stupidly or intentionally, set the Governor up, putting him into the position of being the bad guy if he vetoed the omnibus bill, and dramatically weakening his negotiation position if he demanded the Auditors office's power be reinstated during a special session.
Why did he do this to the Auditor? Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson, a supporter of the Auditors office, sized it up perfectly; since the Auditor serves on the state boards which have a say in mining, and since Rebecca Otto has publicly announced her opposition to the Polymet mine, Bakk went to war with her office, going along with the plan to effectively neuter the oversight agency, crippling her budget, and eventually making her office defacto useless.
A reminder, he is supposed to be a Democrat.
I pray Governor Dayton stays vigilant and refuses to allow a special session to begin without guarantees the Oopsie law, the dismantling of the Citizen Board, and the attack on the Auditor's office are overturned.
Senator Bakk seems to have quickly sold out his Democratic principles. The party needs to take a long hard look at his leadership position.
It's also very clear the mine proposed for the eastern Iron Range was never concerned about the environmental cleanliness and safety of their operation, something they publicly have insisted, but something exposed to be lies when you see their legislative backroom dealings. They planned to try to eliminate any state hurdles, paving the way to unlimited polluting with no accountability. This undeniable reality is something which should negate any further DFL consideration of sulfur mining in Minnesota.
The GOP is easy to understand. Most of what they do is geared towards self fulfillment and punishing perceived enemies. Looking at what they laid out this last session backs that up. They got silencers legalized in the state, pandering to dim bulb voters who only vote how their gun tells them to at night, and to the NRA and all of that sweet, sweet gun and bullet manufacture campaign cash. They went after campaign finance rules, so big money from a handful of individuals can potentially buy the state government for them. They went after public schools and teachers, as they want to redirect tax payer education dollars into the coffers of the wealthiest 1000, and punish the teachers union, one of the last strong unions. They waged war on Minneapolis and St. Paul proper, a region filled with people they want to punish for daring to vote Democrat. Same story, different day; the GOP is easy to understand.
Some of the policy positions the GOP passed need to get signed into law. They really do, as they are the controlling party in the House. As much as I don't like it personally, I accept silencers were legalized, campaign finance rules got re-written and the Governor's education plan was toned down (although with a pile of 1.9 billion in cash, I have no idea why).
It was three other issues that passed which, frankly, scare me. I understand the House GOP's wish list would contain legalizing toxic pollution for corporations ("It's Un-Amercian to not pollute!"), limiting the public's say in environmental regulation ("Constituents having a say...NEVER! Big corporations should always be trusted!") and dismantling oversight of the state ("Corruption is FUN!"), but a DFL leader going along with them, making sure those things got into a compromise bill, and rushed through the Senate before the majority of Democrats had a chance to stop it (the Senate passed it with a handful of Democrats voting along with the minority Republicans) is unthinkable.
But that's exactly what Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk did. Before anyone comes at me, criticizing my calling him out, let me say I don't mind having differing opinions on the Democratic side, but there are some things which make Democrats, Democrats. The appearance of selling out your party for a Canadian mining company is not one of them. I was just as critical when a certain Democratic west metro Senator went after the teachers union.
Governor Dayton vetoed the environmental bill, effectively stopping Bakk and the GOP's anti-environment agenda, which included the Oopsie law, making it legal for corporations to pollute with no recourse whatsoever, and the dismantling of the Citizens Board of the Pollution Control Agency, ensuring corporations are the only ones influencing environmental decisions in the state.
But the third issue, the attack on State Auditor Rebecca Otto, the Democrat, who just won re-election, and the fact they attached it the the omnibus spending bill, is inexcusable. They attached it to that bill because they knew the Governor had to sign it to keep the majority of lights on in the state. Bakk, either stupidly or intentionally, set the Governor up, putting him into the position of being the bad guy if he vetoed the omnibus bill, and dramatically weakening his negotiation position if he demanded the Auditors office's power be reinstated during a special session.
Why did he do this to the Auditor? Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson, a supporter of the Auditors office, sized it up perfectly; since the Auditor serves on the state boards which have a say in mining, and since Rebecca Otto has publicly announced her opposition to the Polymet mine, Bakk went to war with her office, going along with the plan to effectively neuter the oversight agency, crippling her budget, and eventually making her office defacto useless.
A reminder, he is supposed to be a Democrat.
I pray Governor Dayton stays vigilant and refuses to allow a special session to begin without guarantees the Oopsie law, the dismantling of the Citizen Board, and the attack on the Auditor's office are overturned.
Senator Bakk seems to have quickly sold out his Democratic principles. The party needs to take a long hard look at his leadership position.
It's also very clear the mine proposed for the eastern Iron Range was never concerned about the environmental cleanliness and safety of their operation, something they publicly have insisted, but something exposed to be lies when you see their legislative backroom dealings. They planned to try to eliminate any state hurdles, paving the way to unlimited polluting with no accountability. This undeniable reality is something which should negate any further DFL consideration of sulfur mining in Minnesota.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
The End of the Dance
After taking as much grief as I have about covering the debacle around the Minnesota State High School Dance Line Championship from Valentine's Day night of this year, it finally has come to an end. The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has handed down the punishment; a year suspensions for all coaches involved in the bullying and taunting of the Faribault high school team on the night of the competition. Like I said this morning, I completely agree with the MSHSL ruling on this. For more background information, there are a few posts about it the last few months. Please browse.
Before I get into why I did make this story a major issue on my show, let me explain why I didn't make it an issue. I didn't talk about this because I'm a fan of Faribault. I'm not a dance line fan. I'm not trying to make a marginal sport more popular. I didn't talk about it because I needed an easy topic due to not prepping my show. I didn't make this a priority because I dislike the five schools who were caught taunting and bullying.
I also didn't talk about this because I'm afraid of talking about politics. I talk politics constantly on the Morning Grind, and frankly, I'm damn proud of the shows Bryan and I have put together over the last month. We've been the only morning show giving the Democratic leaders of this state a true open forum to talk about the end of session, the last second bills and the special session negotiations. I'll continue to dedicate the majority of time on my show to covering local politics.
Everyday...every single day, I get e-mails and messages criticizing me because I'm not talking about this issue, or that issue. In the last few days, I have e-mails wanting me to talk about bees, mines, parks, too much government, not enough government, South American politics (?!), 9/11 (I get a lot of 9/11 stuff), police violence, native American schools, water quality, this politician, that politician...I can't possibly talk about every issue which is important to every single person.
I also can't just focus on politics all of the time, and will, at times, talk about social issues. I, like many people, have kids, three active ones to be exact, and the social impacts of our schools and our athletics are an issue many people in the Twin Cities and Minnesota are interested in. We talk a diverse range of topics because life today is diverse.
Numerous other media outlets, including KARE 11, Fox 9 and the Star Tribune also covered this story from the beginning, although with varying degrees of agenda behind their editing. Even the MSHSL validated the punishment they handed out by saying this was the worst sportsmanship they had ever seen. It wasn't just me.
Why did I make this an issue? A big reason was the social media posts from February 14th and 15th, social media posts long erased by the cowards who placed them online in the first place, only to realize too late what they had really done. Waking up and reading the vitriolic hatred aimed at a group of high school kids was a rude awakening indeed. The calls for swift and harsh punishment of the Faribault coaches, athletic department, Faribault teachers and administrators, judges from the night's competition, anyone from the MSHSL involved in 'the greatest Minnesota injustice of all time,' and (worst of all) the kids themselves was too much for me to just sit on the sidelines and shrug my shoulders. When I discovered what really had happened that night at Target Center, I was furious. How could coaches and parents be so out of control that they turn a simple dance line competition in theater of the absurd? This was a story that needed attention.
In the end, this story was about some very talented dancers from Faribault getting booed during the competition, bullied and taunted off the floor at their championship moment, harassed throughout Target Center in a Mean Girls script come to life, and then publicly shamed online for 36 hours...for winning fair and square. Isn't standing up for the little guy who is being held back by nefarious forces part of what I'm supposed to do? Shouldn't my show present injustice when it happens? I'll be the first to say; it's not as urgent as other issues, but my daughter wasn't dancing for Faribault on that floor. It was a major issue for the girls, family and school on the receiving end of the negativity deluge. As much as you might not like hearing it, because it's not the one issue you wish I was talking about right as you want me to talk about it, I stand by bringing it to light and talking about it on air.
Now, since there is a resolution, will someone please tell the coaches suspended for a year to sit down and shut up so we can all move on.
Before I get into why I did make this story a major issue on my show, let me explain why I didn't make it an issue. I didn't talk about this because I'm a fan of Faribault. I'm not a dance line fan. I'm not trying to make a marginal sport more popular. I didn't talk about it because I needed an easy topic due to not prepping my show. I didn't make this a priority because I dislike the five schools who were caught taunting and bullying.
I also didn't talk about this because I'm afraid of talking about politics. I talk politics constantly on the Morning Grind, and frankly, I'm damn proud of the shows Bryan and I have put together over the last month. We've been the only morning show giving the Democratic leaders of this state a true open forum to talk about the end of session, the last second bills and the special session negotiations. I'll continue to dedicate the majority of time on my show to covering local politics.
Everyday...every single day, I get e-mails and messages criticizing me because I'm not talking about this issue, or that issue. In the last few days, I have e-mails wanting me to talk about bees, mines, parks, too much government, not enough government, South American politics (?!), 9/11 (I get a lot of 9/11 stuff), police violence, native American schools, water quality, this politician, that politician...I can't possibly talk about every issue which is important to every single person.
I also can't just focus on politics all of the time, and will, at times, talk about social issues. I, like many people, have kids, three active ones to be exact, and the social impacts of our schools and our athletics are an issue many people in the Twin Cities and Minnesota are interested in. We talk a diverse range of topics because life today is diverse.
Numerous other media outlets, including KARE 11, Fox 9 and the Star Tribune also covered this story from the beginning, although with varying degrees of agenda behind their editing. Even the MSHSL validated the punishment they handed out by saying this was the worst sportsmanship they had ever seen. It wasn't just me.
Why did I make this an issue? A big reason was the social media posts from February 14th and 15th, social media posts long erased by the cowards who placed them online in the first place, only to realize too late what they had really done. Waking up and reading the vitriolic hatred aimed at a group of high school kids was a rude awakening indeed. The calls for swift and harsh punishment of the Faribault coaches, athletic department, Faribault teachers and administrators, judges from the night's competition, anyone from the MSHSL involved in 'the greatest Minnesota injustice of all time,' and (worst of all) the kids themselves was too much for me to just sit on the sidelines and shrug my shoulders. When I discovered what really had happened that night at Target Center, I was furious. How could coaches and parents be so out of control that they turn a simple dance line competition in theater of the absurd? This was a story that needed attention.
In the end, this story was about some very talented dancers from Faribault getting booed during the competition, bullied and taunted off the floor at their championship moment, harassed throughout Target Center in a Mean Girls script come to life, and then publicly shamed online for 36 hours...for winning fair and square. Isn't standing up for the little guy who is being held back by nefarious forces part of what I'm supposed to do? Shouldn't my show present injustice when it happens? I'll be the first to say; it's not as urgent as other issues, but my daughter wasn't dancing for Faribault on that floor. It was a major issue for the girls, family and school on the receiving end of the negativity deluge. As much as you might not like hearing it, because it's not the one issue you wish I was talking about right as you want me to talk about it, I stand by bringing it to light and talking about it on air.
Now, since there is a resolution, will someone please tell the coaches suspended for a year to sit down and shut up so we can all move on.
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