Quick Hits for 2/1/16

***** - A reminder about the Iowa Caucuses: the media will try their hardest to make the wins today into a one time thing, that we really have to wait until the NEXT primary/caucus to get the 'real story.'  It's a line they'll repeat every 'day after,' for the next four months, until all contending candidates withdraw.  Every four years, they make so much money on this political dog and pony show, they can't help themselves.  The story tomorrow, mark my word, will be "can blank hold their momentum until New Hampshire?"

***** - May I make a formal request that goes beyond arresting the militia members who tried to overthrow the government at a bird sanctuary in rural, desolate, eastern Oregon (good thinking, geniuses), and who called for the execution of numerous politicians, judges and members of law enforcement?  Could we also arrest some of the powerful, high ranking dolts who've encouraged these clowns, and charge them with treason, conspiracy and aiding and abetting?  I'm speaking specifically about dumb as a brick Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, bag of rocks stupid Nevada Assemblywoman Shelly Shelton, and moron with a badge, Grant County Oregon Sheriff Glenn Palmer.  All three of these idiots are not only trying to convince everyone this was something more than an attempt to make western white ranchers immune to federal laws, or an attempted land grab of Federal property for personal gain, they're also rooting for violence.  For the twisted militia members, a 'win' can be achieved by either the federal government letting them break the law and take federal land (stealing from all of us taxpayers), or by killing law enforcement, federal agents and military, in some sort of combat victory.  These three upstanding citizens encourage the militia's "give us what we want, of we'll kill people" mantra.  Many people who have tried to wrap their selfish, money grabbing schemes into some sort of constitutional fight (JP Morgan and the Smedley Butler case, the Whiskey Rebellion), and the western militias won't be the last.  We just need to make sure we make an example of all enemies of the American people, foreign AND domestic.

***** - A lot of people's eyebrows were raised today when the Star Tribune printed a full page "It'd be Un-Minnesotan" anti-bigotry ad, geared towards stopping anti-Muslim rhetoric.  Many people might be wondering where this ad is coming from.  Stop by Blue Stem Prairie and read Sally Jo's excellent coverage of 1) the deteriorating situation in St. Cloud, where MN Republicans have scrambled to cozy up to the worst of anti-Muslim bigotry, and 2) the GOP introducing anti-Muslim legislation in St. Paul.  Then you'll understand why this full page ad was warranted.  (http://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2016/01/st-cloud-disunity-whered-those-mn-lawmakers-get-that-wild-crazy-bill-anti-sharia-anyway.html, http://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2016/01/four-mn-house-republicans-introduce-companion-to-senator-browns-foreign-law-bill.html) It doesn't surprise me some Republicans like Bruce Anderson of Buffalo, Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa and the racist Jim Newberger of Becker are hooking up to the hate train, but two names which are co-sponsors of the anti-Muslim GOP House legislation do.  Representatives Bob Dettmer of Forest Lake/Stillwater/Marine on St. Croix and Cindy Pugh of Chanhassen/south Lake Minnetonka have decided to ignore their districts growing metropolitan slant, and have embraced the politics of hate.  I've spent time in Pugh and Dettmer's districts, and they're not stockpiles of bigotry.  They might have some farms and are located a distance from the metro core, but most people work and play in the metro.  This Hail Mary attempt to squeeze the last of the bigotry and hate votes out of those districts is misguided and sad.  Maybe we should deliver boxes of rocks to each of their offices so they can commence with the public stonings they might endorse next.  (One quick side note - my Catholic church service this weekend featured my priest condemning the discrimination and persecution of others, specifically mentioning anti-Muslim hate.  It seems the Republicans are, once again, extolling anti-Christian values.)

***** - High ranking people need to go to jail in Michigan for annihilating the city of Flint's water supply.  The only reason they haven't been arrested is because it's a city with a high minority population.  Governor Rick Snyder and all the Michigan Republicans that enabled this disaster, you're horrible people.

***** - If you want a prime example of how manipulated the media in this town is, just read two stories that were, for the most part, COMPLETELY ignored by them.  The first was the horrible story out of Mound Westonka High School, where students attending a school dodgeball tournament dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan, and members of the group shared photos on social media, with one student's photo labeled "Grand Wizard."  (http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/minnesota-high-school-students-facing-suspension-for-dressing-up-like-the-klan-at-dodgeball-tournament/)  Sweet Jesus!  With this story, we could talk about two recurring topics on this blog:  kids whose parents have not taught them how to behave in public, and people who don't understand social media is the same as screaming on a street corner.  Instead, I'll focus on the double standard in media coverage.  In 2013, at Minneapolis Washburn High School, some students took some pictures of the "lynching" of an African American doll, and the public and media, rightfully, exploded with outrage and condemnation.  Why then is the Mound Westonka story so under-reported?  I didn't hear anything about it until I saw it on the national news source Raw Story, who reposted (to their credit) the WCCO story, the only major coverage I could find.  The reason this story was buried is simple.  Mound Westonka is a wealthy, white suburban school.  The media in this town is so afraid of losing advertisers, many of whom live in wealthy, white suburban school districts, a story, which should be front page news, and would be if it were to happen in the Minneapolis or St. Paul public schools, is purposely ignored because it happened in a wealthy, white suburban school. 

The second story has the same double standard exposed.  Back in December of last year, the media in this town was obsessed with the physical assaults happening within the Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools.  Front page articles were written, media programs were dedicated to the topic, and condemnation was heaped upon the inner city school districts for not addressing the abuse issue.  One quote I read insisted, "one attack was too many."  Agreed!  So, can someone explain to me why an assault story out of the Minnetonka school district was ignored?  (http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/01/27/fmr-timberwolves-player-fired-by-minnetonka-high-after-assault-accusation/)  The story from WCCO (that's 2 for you!) talked about the firing of the Minnetonka basketball coach, former Minnesota Timberwolf Chris Carr, after Carr allegedly chocked a student at Minnetonka High School after, allegedly, the same student had assaulted Carr's daughter by slapping her.  By my count, we have two alleged assaults in the school, one male student on female student, one coach on male student, and you have the added angle of the coach being a former Minnesota Timberwolf too.  This isn't news worthy why?  Oh that's right, it's Minnetonka, a wealthy, white suburban school.

FACT! - The media in this town downplays problems in white schools and highly inflates problems in inner city schools with high minority enrollment. 

***** - If you have not seen the video for Poliça's latest song, Wedding, here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG8JMSMDICI

The last image is so good, but regardless of what paranoid conservatives fear, it's not a threat.  Poliça is right; the world is changing, albeit far slower than I hoped it would.  The world we were born into, a world of racism, discrimination, unbelievable wealth inequality, hate, guns, religious discrimination and war, is dying, and the new world built around peace, love, compassion, sharing, fairness, equality and justice is getting ready to take it's place.  That's just a fact.  It can't arrive soon enough for me...

A Messsage to Fans of The Daily Report

Hi, it's Matt.  Some of you may have no idea who I am, but most do.  I'm either A) the person you used to listen to in the mornings (thanks!), B) the person you knew who did mornings but couldn't listen because you were either busy or listening to something else, or C) you're a person who disliked my show, but liked The Daily Report.  I understand.  Some people like a straight up cup of coffee, some people like a Dairy Queen sundae served in a coffee cup.  Apples/Oranges.

Starting tomorrow, fans of the Daily Report will definitely know who I am.  My show, The Matt McNeil Show, will broadcast in the 3 PM hour, the former first hour of The Daily Report.  Ian will broadcast TDR in the 4 PM hour only.

For the record, this wasn't my decision, but rather a decision made by the management of AM 950.  The station is making these changes in an effort to give themselves better positioning for the 2016 election, and beyond.  If you'd like to comment on the schedule change, station management wants to hear from you - (952) 946-8885.

I listen to Ian's show regularly, and he does a GREAT job!  I'm incredibly impressed with how intelligent he is, and how he lays out topics and interviews.  It's easy to see why people like him. 

My goal has always been to do good radio.  I know my style, delivery, tone, topics, and direction will not appeal to everyone.  That's okay.  At the end of the day, we agree on most things.  Call, tell me what you like or dislike and I promise I'll listen.  Cool?

Talk tomorrow.

The Friday Link for 1/29/16

I'm not exactly sure why this is letterbox, like an old movie, but it is.  A little dated, but presented without further comment...Enjoy!

The End is Also the Beginning...

I remember April 9th, 2012.  That was the day of my first Morning Grind show.  I had what all morning show hosts have the night before their first show; absolutely zero sleep.  As I got ready for the show, I was super excited, pretty much the same feeling I have every morning.  I remember not exactly knowing how the show was going to go, but I knew we were going to have fun doing it.

Almost four years later, with a heavy heart, tomorrow, January 29th, 2016, will be the last Morning Grind.

Starting on February 1st, I'll be hosting the 3 PM hour, in the aptly named The Matt McNeil show. As always, Bryan will be by my side.

Change is constant, and it happens.  The station management made the decision to change the schedule in an effort to deliver a better product for the listeners, and for the station clients who keep us on-air.  It sounds like a cliche to say what we are doing is important, but over the last four years, I've witnessed the near destruction of the liberal talk format nationally by conservative elements, a system which gives national conservative hosts million dollar bonuses even when they're losing money, while at the same time telling Progressive hosts they need to work for "FREE" for a year to see if it's 'worth their time.'  We're one of the last bastions of full time Progressive talk left in this country. Yeah, what we do IS important, and keeping this station on the air matters.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how many listeners the Morning Grind has had over the years.  They tune in every day; reliable regular callers, thousands of locals chiming in on the various topics, and the numerous national calls we constantly received.  From the bottom of my heart, I'm truly grateful for every person who woke up and started their day with me.  Thank you so very much.  The Morning Grind was also financially successful thanks to the wonderful sponsors who have stayed with the show from the beginning, mainly because the listeners constantly visit their businesses and tell them how much they appreciate them advertising.  Please keep it up.

At the end of the day, the Morning Grind was a tremendous success; a really nice win.  Thanks once again.

I look forward to the 3 PM hour on Monday, I look forward to not waking up at 4 AM and not going  bed at 8:30 PM, but most of all I look forward to talking with you, as always.  See you on the flip side!

Quick Hits for 1/27/16

I'm actually hoping Donald Trump wins the 2016 GOP nomination, but for a weird reason; if he wins, the GOP is going to be in big trouble again in 2020.  Trump is an outsider, resonating with the far right, extremists, tea party elements of the GOP, a substantial part of the party.  If he wins the GOP nomination in 2016, he'll get destroyed in the general election.  This will cause the dim bulbs on the right to insist the problem wasn't the fact they are putting forward a bloviated extremist as their candidate, but that they put forward the wrong bloviated extremist, who was too outside the mainstream.  Since the far right can't help themselves, they'll polish up the Texas turd that is Ted Cruz for 2020, thinking he'll have a better chance because he's a sitting Senator.  (pardon me a sec. - HAHAHAHA!)  If Cruz wins this year, he'll also get destroyed in 2016, Trump will likely not run again in 2020, and there's a decent chance the moderate and traditional GOP will tell the tea partiers and pseudo-libertarians, "you had your chance and it ruined us.  Next time we are going with someone who has SOME moderate appeal"  Trump winning this year gets the Democrats two Presidential elections.

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Bernie Sanders had an very impressive swing through Minnesota yesterday, with 6000 showing up in Duluth, and 20,000 showing up in St. Paul.  I think it's great he's resonating with the left, but two things.  First, two people who were at the rally contacted me this morning insisting the actual turn out was closer to 40,000.  Why RiverCenter would so grossly under report the truth, I have no idea, but the Bernie camp themselves said the turnout was 20K.  That's great!  You don't need to pad 20,000.  I understand the media hasn't given you a fair shake, but don't get outlandish in your push back.  The other issue is something Sander's folks have to address.  As passionate and excited as the crowd was for Bernie, there are going to be a lot of those in attendance yesterday not showing up to caucus in Minnesota on March 1st.  You're only as good as your turnout, something all Democrats need to remember.  If yesterday was important for you, then make sure you show up on March 1!

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Finally, some of the Oregon militia idiots were arrested yesterday for trying to overthrow the government.  These traitors are not true patriots.  They're self serving, greedy thieves, trying to gobble up valuable government land for their own personal gain.  I stand by my assertion; if these 'occupiers' would have been African American, they would've all been killed within four hours of the occupation, and the GOP would be criticizing the President for it taking so long.  As it was, these armed dolts, who've threatened to kill law enforcement, military, judges and politicians in their selfish land grab, were mostly taken alive nearly a month after they began their 'occupation,' with 'tarp guy' the only one killed.  He tied to flee the police, twice, and when cornered, stormed the officers.  Not heroic, just stupid.  The rest of them were taken into custody.  With all of the violence they've threatened, as armed to the teeth as these morons were, most of them were taken alive.  Now can someone please explain to me Tamir Rice, Jamar Clark, Laquan McDonald, and ALL of the other instantaneous death sentences unarmed African American's have received at the hands of law enforcement?  Clearly two different standards are on display.

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Bike guy, I like you and I'm for a vibrant biking community.  Minneapolis/St. Paul is great for bicyclists, and the city spends an insane amount of money on expanding and maintaining the bike friendly atmosphere.  Do me one favor; tone it down a little bit.  I love passion, but when you jump from 'share the road' to 'make life tough for automobile owners,' you lose people.  Most people in the Twin Cities are going to drive a car  That's a fact.  This means we need to maintain parking, roads and highways to meet those needs.  Not every street can be be made into a bike friendly street.  There are space limitations which prohibit it, so instead of insisting the parking spots need to go away, or the road needs to become pedestrian/bike only, acknowledge that car owners have very justifiable needs too.  When you go out of your way to be obnoxious, all you're doing is making people mad.

This last summer, I was driving to a weekend baseball tournament for my son.  As we are going down a rural highway with a dedicated bike path running the side of the road (not a sidewalk, an actual bike trail), I pulled up behind a bicyclist who was going down the middle of the lane.  As I waited to get past him, I wanted to ask him why?  Why wasn't the dedicated, completely empty bike path on the side of the road not good enough for him?  Why was he risking his life, the life of the people in the cars around him, and wasting the tax dollars which had been spent for him specifically, in a misguided attempt to insist 'I have the same rights to be on the road as you do?'  All you did was piss me off, and everyone else who was asking the same exact questions of you.  That's going out of your way to be obnoxious, and it does more damage to your cause than good.

Also, do me one more favor.  If I approach a crossing where the bikes and pedestrians have the right of way, and I see a bicyclist on the edge of the street looking like they're wanting to cross, I stop.  Don't wave me through.  YOU have the right of way.  Either don't take your rest at an intersection, or cross when everyone stops for you.  I know people who have said they don't stop at them anymore because the bicyclists always wave them through.  Please keep that in mind.  I don't like it when I stop for a person in the crosswalk and, as the people are trying to cross, jackass driver guy barrels through the crossing because he doesn't think he needs to stop.  I feel the same exact way about over courteous car drivers who clearly get to an intersection well before I do and then wave me ahead.  No, you have the right of way.  GO!

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Earlier this week I ripped on Edina.  For those reading this who don't live in Minneapolis, Edina is the obscenely wealthy community on the southwest side of the metro, where the minimum price for a house is somewhere around 300K (and good luck finding one of those.  Most are over seven figures).  On Tuesday, I made fun of Edina for something they're hilariously guilty of, being unfriendly.  A story in the Star Tribune talked about an Edina kid who wrote the mayor a note about how unfriendly the city was, as neighbors don't talk to their neighbors anymore, a byproduct of the tear down/rebuild epidemic which has turned Edina into a 6000 square foot mansion mecca (something I discussed in the blog post Supersize Me from July 9th, 2015).  Ironically, and somewhat hilariously, the mayor acknowledged he had gotten the letter, but had not responded.  The reason I, and so many people in the Twin Cities, like to make fun of Edina, is because Edina likes to think of themselves as having no negatives, only positives.  Of course Edina has negatives, so does every other community.  Only delusional, myopic fanatics think their waste doesn't stink.  Edina is very reluctant to admit they have problems, let alone try to solve them.  That's why we always love a story which rubs Edina's nose in it. The funny thing is how this public shaming makes them even more unwilling to acknowledge their faults.  The vicious circle continues.

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I want to encourage everyone to find out how they can volunteer for their local community.  I'm part of my city's Planning and Zoning committee.  It has been unbelievably rewarding to be part of my communities decision making process and future.  Please, take some time and find out if your community has ways for you to be part of the solution.  Most do not require too much effort and, trust me, you'll get rewarded for your effort.

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Remember, the end is also the beginning.

The Friday Link for 1/22/16

I have gone back and forth on whether to post this, but it is too brilliant for me not too!

***WARNING - ADULT CONTENT***

I've posted Cinemas Sins here before.  They are the guys behind the wildly popular "Everything Wrong With..." YouTube series, where they watch a movie and point out all the things wrong with the movie, handing each mistake a sin, sometimes more than one sin.  They have some really good videos, but I have to give it to them for their take down of the Fast and Furious franchise. 

The Fast and Furious movies are exactly as these guys describe, garbage.  They are the WWE of movies, where the action and stunts are so unbelievable you have to be blindly rooting for the good guy to make any of it remotely enjoyable.  The acting is atrocious, the scripts are abominable and the overall experience gives you a headache.  These are movies made for 13 year old boys, with everything a 13 year old boy thinks is great: cars, fights, explosions, stunts, scantily clad women and stupid references to some sort of street code that has some sort of mythical honor involved.  They are just DUMB!

That being said, they sell a lot of tickets to them, mainly because the movie studio releases them on weekends with no completion, outside of the summer and holiday seasons, and the other movie studios don't schedule movies against them, giving them two to three weeks of uncontested box offices.  They are popular by default.

Thank you Cinema Sins!  Thank you.  Your sharp, technical, and incredibly funny dissection of each of these duds is the only way to watch them.  And your running jokes which carry over from each video are hilarious.  

I'll start with the fourth move, and post 5, 6, and the recently released 7.  Make sure you have an hour or so.  For some reason, YouTube will not allow me to post the video itself so please click on the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNIdbLabtlE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQV_31rR0mU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szY9hUdCZek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TaEznVOHG8

Cheap Philosophy

Sorry the blog has been light this week. Too many things running through my head.  Last week I had four posts, so no complaining.  Looking forward to the Blue State Ball, the radio station's annual get together at the end of next month.

January is always a tough month for me.  Cold and dark.  I was having lunch with a friend today and she said the way to look at it is to realize we are at the end of the worst of it, and soon the days will be warmer and longer.  She said, "every end is also a beginning!"

Indeed, every end is also a beginning...

-12 and Loving It!

The last three days, it's been cold.  Not the cold most people in this country usually think of; something in the mid-20's with a few snow showers.  Nope, we're in Minnesota's winter tableau, our annual jaunt into sub-zero air temperatures, a sensation so cold we look forward to high single digits above zero (a warming trend!).  Only this year, like most years lately, there's a problem.

It's mid January.  We should be beginning our two to three week stay in the arctic cold, sucked down from the north by the Great Lakes and the jet stream.  We get three days, for now.  Next weekend, we're supposed to be above freezing.  I know people think anyone complaining about a warm up is silly, but it really isn't normal, and we shouldn't blindly act as if it's a blessing.

Climate change is real, and it's currently happening at a disgusting rate.  We had monsoon like rains in Minneapolis on December 24th.  We didn't have snow on the ground until the 26th, and now we have inconsistent weather patterns, where instead of having a 10 day cold spell to make us dream of Spring, we're having early March like days with a few reminders of normal cold sprinkled in; a hollow shell of winter's normal self, a brief reminder of where we should be.  Oh, and we also had a hurricane form in the Atlantic in January.    That's really weird.

The world's weather has, and will continue to, change dramatically in the time from my father to the time of my son.  My dad, born in 1929, remembers winter being so cold, Snowy Owls were nesting on the University of Minnesota Campus every year, and only fools would venture outside between Christmas and Valentine's Day.  In recent years, since I moved back home in 2000, there have only been two Snowy Owl sightings in the Twin Cities, and we've seen January's with little or no snow and above freezing temperatures.  My son, born in 2001, will likely see the first winter without snow in Minneapolis/St. Paul, metro area lakes with open water though winter, and true cold temperatures of 10 degrees or below restricted to north of the Canadian border.

I know people will say, "but Matt, it still gets cold."  Yes it does, but not nearly as cold, for not nearly as long.  That's a dramatic change.  "But Matt, it still snows."  Yes it does, and with these weird weather patterns, we've seen winters with snow piled as high as stop signs, followed by years with very little snow at all.  That's also a dramatic change.   "But Matt, you must love really cold weather!"  No, I don't.  I hurts me as much as it hurts anyone else, but I acknowledge I moved to a city which gives me all four seasons, including a cold winter.  It's not 'pro-cold' to say we should have normal weather.  "But Matt, what are you complaining about?  Why are you against a little nicer weather?"  I'm not, but this isn't a little nicer weather.  It's the new normal, it's showing no signs of slowing down, and it's not Minnesota.  If you really like warmer weather, please move someplace warmer.  Stop acting like changing the weather patterns of the planet is some sort of 'WIN!'

I could mention the other weird things going on in the state (torrential rain patterns for six weeks, follow by severe drought for three months, migrating animals which are either showing up in the state for the first time ever, or are moving out of the state permanently, birch trees, which used to grow in Iowa, not surviving the metro area's summer heat, plants blooming three to four weeks too early, die offs in certain species) but I know this undeniable evidence will be gleefully ignored.  Too many people maintain the foolishness: 'why worry about the world crumbling around us when we might be able to get a tan?'

The Friday Link for 1/15/16

Damn, it's been a tough week.  First Bowie, then Rickman.  I know we can remember both for such wonderful music and dramas, respectively, but let's put a smile on for a Friday.

First up is David Bowie.  With all of the tributes to him this week, it's his comedy and wit which was really underrated.  I watched a lot of interviews he did with late night hosts.  He had an incredible personality and comedic timing.  This scripted bit is my favorite from him.  From Ricky Gervais' comedy Extras, here is the David Bowie appearance which not only shows Bowie making a little fun of himself and his music, he makes A LOT of fun of Ricky Gervais.  It's unbelievably funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4ci-N-GT88

I talked a lot about my Alan Rickman guilty pleasure, Quigley Down Under, but another great movie he was in (yes I know Dogma is sensational, but I can't post much of THAT here) is Galaxy Quest!  Here are his best scenes from that one, with the very touching moment at the end:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7bo_A6XnUU

Also Dan Haggerty from Grizzly Adams fame passed away.  Not nearly the legacy of the first too, but I do have fond memories of watching him as a kid...sad week indeed.

Quick Hits for 1/14/16

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How is the poisoning of the Flint, Michigan water supply not more of a national news story?  The Republicans of Michigan, in an effort to take control of Democratic districts they've not been able to win in elections, put forward an anti-American program to overrule the voice of the voter, installing an Emergency Financial Manager in cities with budgetary issues, who's sole responsibility was to cut expenses.  In the case of Flint, a decision was made: even though the water supply of Flint (the Flint River) was polluted, the residents of Flint didn't deserve the cleaner, slightly more expensive Lake Huron water they'd been drinking.  They flipped the switch back to the Flint River. The Flint River is highly corrosive (MMM, yum!), the it was determined by the Republicans the $100 a day chemical agent which would make the water 90% safer (only 90%???) was too expensive for the non-Republican voters of Flint.  That's when things got worse.  The corrosive characteristics of the Flint River water started to immediately erode the antiquated lead water pipes of Flint, dumping highly toxic lead into the water, where it was easily absorbed into humans, including children.  When medical professionals and scientists started to scream the water was poisoning the residents, the initial response of the MIGOP was to call them all liars.  Only after dragging a local pediatrician, who dared to speak the truth, through the mud did the Republicans finally fess up.  They'd poisoned the entire city's water supply in a pathetic attempt to save a few bucks.  It's now starting to come to light they knew months before hand the water was too dangerous to consume, and ignored the warnings.  Some people, including Governor Rick Snyder, need to go to jail.

This is another perfect example of why we should never trust the modern Republicans and their insatiable, money worshipping policies.  Much like Wisconsin, and their dramatic loss of worker's revenue, loss of jobs, plummeting education system, and rotting deer carcasses on the side of the road, Republicans are solely responsible for this failure.  Never trust modern Republican policy.

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Three things I want to bring up about April Gehl.  She's the high school senior who, after the Wisconsin High School Athletic Association (WIAA) made the foolish decision to outlaw taunting and aggressive cheers at high school sporting events, decided to show the world her wit and intelligence by tweeting, 'EAT S--T WIAA."  Oops, it appears Jane Austen forgot the comma.  She was suspended for five games, but not from school. My first point is how she's getting treated in the media.  The idea she's some sort of victim because she was "only bringing truth to the masses" is a laughing joke.  She's no hero; she's an idiot who thinks grunting the loudest is how to effectively protest rulings she doesn't agree with.  She didn't start a petition, or send a "I disagree" tweet.  Nope, she swore like an ignorant moron, not like a misunderstood protagonist.

The reason the media is trying to turn her into martyr is because she is a pretty white girl with red hair from rural Wisconsin.  I GUARANTEE, if she was African American, the media would be painting her in a whole different light.  "How disrespectful!  Her parents clearly have failed!  Someone needs to teach her her place!"  This is just the latest example of the racial double standard in America; when white kids do stuff like this, it's the reaction of the authorities which is out of line.  If it was a black kid, the narrative validates any punishment up to, and including, her being gunned down by a police officer.  At the very least, without a doubt, if she were African American, she'd been suspended from school.

The last issue is something we've talked about over and over again.  Parents, if you don't teach your children proper social media etiquette, you're dooming them for failure.  April Gehl is a victim of bad parenting; for teaching your kid to swear like a sailor in public (yes online social media is public), for teaching her to show so little respect for the people who've been placed in charge of the sports leagues SHE has chosen to participate in, and, as some media outlets have reported, for the parents to act like she's the frail innocent in this situation.  God awful parenting...Teach your children the rights and wrong of social media or expect them to learn the hard way.

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The Minnesota right is getting ready to gear up a major anti-transgender initiative, one which will primarily focus on bathroom usage.  I could point out how off the Republicans are for being so obsessed with individual bathroom usage, but I prefer to try to defend my religion.  I'm Catholic.  The people who are trying to turn transgender bathroom rights into a political issue are doing so while draping themselves in Christianity.  I don't think Jesus died on the cross so in 2016, his name would be used to vilify a child who is questioning their sexual identity.

Jesus does not want you to use his name to discriminate, or to limit someone's rights, or to be invoked when someone complains about 'being persecuted' because a different group achieved the same rights they've always had.  Imagine if all the people who will try to use Christianity, God and Jesus too validate their hatred, and their persecution agenda, instead focused on all the positive, loving and welcoming aspects of Christianity.  Instead of funding an ad campaign of hatred, they instead used that money to feed the hungry.  Imagine if the focus of Christianity was about doing good deeds in the community, caring for our fellow man and woman.  Imagine.

• 
  

Mad Max: Fury Road deserves an Oscar nod.  Watch it, without the kiddos.

• 
  

I'm going to really miss Alan Rickman.  Hans Gruber from Die Hard is one of the all time great villains in movies.  Professor Snape is one of the most heroic, complex and endearing characters, and Elliott Marston was the lynchpin in a very underrated Western, Quigley Down Under.

• 
  

David Bowie...I'm still very sad.  Ch-ch-ch-changes...

speaking of which...

Big Money

Tonight, someone's life will be changed forever, and mainly for the worse.  Tonight, someone will win the 1.5 billion dollar Powerball drawing.

I have my tickets.  Most people have theirs too, even though the odds are astronomical you'd actually win.  The lump sum cash payout would be 930 million, but if you took the monthly payout for 30 years, it'd register at somewhere around 4.16 million a month before taxes.  I think you will be able to pay your monthly bills, and your credit will be good too.  Go with the monthly payments.

Back in the mid-90's when I was trying to find a radio job and working comedy improv in the Twin Cities, I got to know a odd guy named Mark.  Mark and I, both being older than the rest of the improv children (he in his late 30's and me in my late 20's), found ourselves gravitating towards each other in conversations.  He was always real quiet about what he did and where he was from.

After a few months, we went out for coffee one night and he shared his backstory.  He'd won the lottery ten years earlier, a big one too.  He would't tell me how much, but eluded to it being substantial.  He talked with a bitterness which flowed heavy under his tone.  He said never having to worry about money is great, but within months of winning, he'd lost his marriage, most of his friends and ended up walking away from his life.

When he'd won, to celebrate, he took a big group of his friends out to Vegas for a high rollers vacation.  The total cost for the trip, for 15 people, was 700K, for only six days!  It made him realize how fragile his wealth really was.  Sure he had a lot of it, but it would be gone pretty damn quick if he did that too often.  Problem was, everyone now expected that sort of extravagance to be the norm.

His wife got twisted by the money, starting an affair with one of his friends almost immediately, and demanding half of the winnings in the divorce.  They both walked away with eight figures.  After he signed the divorce papers, he went home, put all of his family items into storage, packed two bags, went to the nearest airport, and disappeared.

Five years after the divorce settlement, his wife sued him again.  After burning through most of her half, she wanted more.  After the courts laughed her away, she then begged him for more money.  As he described it, she was groveling in the courthouse, pleading with him to help her, as her second husband had taken off and left her with the two kids.  He said he'd talk to his lawyer and be in touch.  He never was.  He changed his name and moved again.  He said he didn't trust anyone.

That was the last time I ever saw him.  He never showed up for any more improv shows.  After a few weeks, I looked him up.  The bell for the apartment listed for him had no name next to the buzzer, and no one ever answered.

I think his story is pretty common.  If you do win one of these massive payouts, your life is over as you know it.  You're not going to able to lead the life you had the moment before you stuck it rich.  You have to walk away from your job, friends, community and even your family.  Your kids have to be all gathered up and taken out of school, cutting ties with their friends.  Pack your bags, get out of your house, lock the doors and put up no trespassing signs.  Too many people want your money and will do anything to get it, even murder.  You have to disappear.  Think of it as a witness relocation program, but with the one benefit of being able to afford anything you want while you're hiding out.

There are two sides to every coin.  Good luck tonight...and be careful for what you wish for.

Ted Cruz Can't Become President

Back in 2008, there was a question about citizenship qualifications in regards to becoming President of the United States, but it wasn't Barack Obama's citizenship that was in question.  It was John McCain's.

First, let me get this out of the way; President Obama was born in Hawaii.  He was born in the United States.  Anyone who thinks differently is either dumb as a sack of rocks, or so twisted by partisanship, they can't even see reality anymore.

Where our current President's citizenship is unquestionable, there was a slight problem with the citizenship of Senator John McCain.  He was born in the Panama Canal territory, a region that was under US jurisdiction and control at the time of his birth.  He was born in a US Military hospital, on US controlled territory, but he wasn't born in the United States.  Constitutional scholars went over the requirements to be eligible for the presidency and they all concluded one undeniable fact; if you were born in the Untied States itself, you're qualified.  If you were not born in the United States, even if your parents were American citizens, you're not eligible for the presidency.  It's actually pretty cut and dry, Constitutionally.

Where McCain fell, as the first presidential candidate born outside of the 50 United States, was a mystery, because the founding fathers didn't have the foresight of the United States becoming a country controlling territories across the globe.  It was determined, after a bipartisan legal review, that he was eligible, and a Senate resolution was passed to make it look official, but a resolution which was non-binding and raised a lot of Constitutional scholar's eyebrows.  The feeling was there were serious questions about the legality of McCain's citizenship eligibility, but since he lost, no blood, no foul.

By the way, these valid questions about McCain were the start of the unfounded and ludicrous questions about Obama's legal standing.  The "no, your guy's worse" pettiness of the modern Republicans got it's fertile beginnings with that issue.

This brings us to 2016, and to something I've been waiting to be addressed.  Ted Cruz, the Senator from Texas, was not born in the United States.  He was born in Canada.  This is not up for a debate.  He's not eligible for the Presidency.  He's just not, but for some reason, the same people who've insisted President Obama is a secret Muslim Kenyan felt as if they could just skip past this campaign ending, 'minor' problem.  Mary Brigid McManamon of the Washington Post has a clear cut breakdown on why Ted Cruz can't be President (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ted-cruz-is-not-eligible-to-be-president/2016/01/12/1484a7d0-b7af-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_story.html).

The most condemning part of her article is how smart legal people, who are conservatives, have purposely played dumb in an effort to make something that doesn't exist in the Constitution (an exception for Presidential eligibility for people born in foreign countries to an American parent/parents), appear like it IS part of the Constitution.  For Ted Cruz to be eligible for the Presidency, we'd need a Constitutional Amendment passed allowing it.  No, a Senate resolution will not cut it (on a side note - Mitch McConnell, Republican Senate majority leader and turtle, has insisted he will not pass one for Cruz.  Christmas spirit gone!).

And if you are expecting everyone to accept this minor loophole, reminder, it only takes one US citizen to legally question the citizenship of the President.  As opposed to dolts who keep being told the current President's birth certificate really exists in Hawaii, this challenge would have teeth.  Multiple people could bring it up in multiple circuit courts around the country, and I guarantee it would be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court.  Of course Alito and Thomas would go for Cruz, but Scalia?  As much of a blowhard as he is, he's a strict Constitutionalist.  If he abides by his standards, he'd rule against Cruz.  Can you image the mess we'd have on our hands if the President elect was deemed unqualified AFTER the election.

Ted Cruz and Republicans, you need to figure this out, NOW!  I think you'll come to the realization that it's time to send Ted Cruz back home to Winnipeg...I mean Texas.

The Friday Link for 1/8/16

The Daily Show is going to survive the loss of Jon Stewart.  It won't be as good as Stewart's version for a long while, but that was because Stewart wrote the Master's course on hosting a fake news program  With time, say four or five years, Trevor Noah will get past his nervousness and start to develop the comedic chops of his predecessor.

What makes the current version still watchable is the same thing which has made the show great year in and year out, the correspondents.  The three carry overs from the Stewart era, Jessica Williams, Jordan Klepper, and Hasan Minhaj, plus the new addition Roy Wood Jr., are what make the episodes most nights.  Jessica was always a massive talent, and I'm so glad she stuck around.  Kleeper and Minhaj have developed nicely, coming into own their roles.  I do think part of their problem was they started in the shadows of other great correspondents, so it takes some time to get rolling.

Kleeper joined the pantheon of great correspondent field pieces from the show with this epic take down of the good guy with a gun falsehood, and the idea that a regular person can stop a lunatic with a gun.  Enjoy, and pass this around.  This goes to the level of comedy which actually becomes newsworthy.

It won't post, so click the link and enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCI4bUk4vuM

Democrats, Don't Screw This Up

Over the holidays, I was asked if there was anyway I felt the GOP could win the Presidency in 2016.  The first scenario I came up with, although very real, is also very tragic.  I mention that because of the jarring nature of the scenario:

With the GOP saddled with either Trump or Cruz, after their failed attempt to usurp their voting base's choice at the GOP convention, they find themselves in mid-October trailing the Democratic candidate by 25 points.  Considering the delusional, detached, and dangerous mindset of some of the GOP voters today, and with the abundance of guns readily available, one of their more fervent supporters decides to assassinate the Democratic nominee.  The individual, unfortunately, succeeds, and turns the Democratic ticket on it's head.  It becomes a fight between whomever loses in the primary (Clinton or Sanders), Joe Biden, or another senior Democratic statesman, for whom would be the replacement Presidential nominee.  Even if the party was able to coalesce around one individual quickly, Republican states would refuse to change the ballots before the election, meaning an intense campaign to encourage a 'Write-In' choice.  After the election, when none of the candidates have the Electoral College majority needed to claim victory, and after the GOP uses their conservative majority on the Supreme Court to uphold any state's overtly bias vote counting mandates, the decision on who becomes President moves to the U.S. House of Representatives, where roughly, through gerrymandering, 3/5th's are Republicans and 2/5th's are Democrats.  The question then becomes 'are there enough Republicans who would go against their party's orders and elect the clear choice of the American People, the Democrat, or would they take it upon themselves to install the candidate who finished a distant third behind the deceased Democratic candidate and the replacement Democratic candidate, the Republican?'  Blind allegiance wins in the end, and the Trump/Cruz term begins.

Something similar to this has actually happened before, although without an assassination to spur it.  In the 1824 election for this country's 6th President, no one won the electoral college majority to claim victory, but Andrew Jackson had won the majority of electoral college votes, and the popular vote too.  In early 1825, after the appointing of the President went to the House of Representatives, Jackson was stunned when Speaker of the House Henry Clay, a weasel of a politician, and a power hungry fiend, who had himself finished a distant 4th in the Presidential election, and who hated Andrew Jackson like Bakk hates Dayton, went against the voters wishes, and appointed John Quincy Adams as president.  Clay then accepted the role of Secretary of State, letting the country know the fix was in.  Jackson and his supporters were outraged.

The reason my current world scenario included the hypothetical 'would they' question is because the Republicans would know this would doom them for years, much like it did politicians who supported the Quincy Adams decision.  Today's Republican's who represent moderate districts would be ending their political careers with that vote.  The swing to the Democrats in the elections to come, gerrymandered House or not, would be unprecedented. Much like Quincy Adams, Trump or Cruz's bar for failure would be set pretty low, and the Democrats would likely run the conservatives out of DC, and the vast majority of state legislative bodies, in 2018, 2020, and for another decade afterwards.  Anytime a Republican ran for office, they would have to wear the yoke of the 2016 appointment like an anchor dragging them underwater.  And if the Democrats hold a filibuster minority in the Senate, Trump/Cruz would be able to do some damage, but not nearly as much as if they had two years of unfettered power.  Enough Republicans might vote for the public's choice, acknowledging the impending Republican nightmare from them installing a President.

That scenario is somewhat outrageous, and let's hope it never comes to light, but truthfully, I don't think the Democrats have won anything yet.  There are still a thousand ways the GOP could win in 2016 that don't include an assassination.  On the good side, most of those ways are avoidable as they involve the Democrats handing the Republican victories.

The biggest problem I see for the left is Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the head of the DNC, who clearly has a bias for Hillary Clinton.  Why she's still in charge after the debacle that was 2014 I have no idea, but her attempts to impress Clinton, by clearly making decisions she feels will give Hillary the edge, has soured a lot of Democrats.  For the record, I don't think Hillary Clinton has been privy to any of Wasserman-Schultz's boneheaded decisions, like the scheduling of debates, the amount of debates, the attempted silencing of her critics and the molehill of a witch hunt Debbie started against the Sanders campaign.  I think Wasserman-Shultz is acting on her own, and she's doing more harm to the party than good.

The fighting between the Sanders and Clinton folks has been, for the most part, passionate but respectful.  There's only about 10% of it which has gone too far.  Everyone, please, let the process play out.

To fervent Sanders supporters who inundate me with 'Hillary's really a Republican' correspondence,  you do realize Bernie has a very real chance at being the nominee, right?  Follow me:  Sanders loses Iowa but keeps it within 10 points.  He then wins New Hampshire handily (something Ken Martin, the head of the DFL, predicted this morning on my show).  I think for Sander's it would be wise to skip South Carolina, and head to Nevada.  If he can pull off the win there, he has taken half of the first four, and heads into Super Tuesday with new momentum.  Let me repeat, Sanders could win, and it's not science fiction for him to do so!  If he does become the nominee, the incendiary statements and allegations Sanders' supporters are making against Clinton supporters will come back to bite you in the butt.  You might want to think about that, and tone down the outrage a smidge.

Another problem for the Democrats?  Apathy.  We think it's in the bag because it's only Trump or Cruz and no one does their due diligence and campaigns.  The GOP machine of money, media and morons pushes forward and, along with either negative numbers for Clinton, or anti-leftists feelings for Sanders, they pull out the win.  Think 2010.  Most Democrats going into that night thought it was going to be a 50/50 night, but it ended up being a massive smackdown for the left.

Democrats, let's not screw this up.  Be involved, be active, but don't be a jerk.  There's a lot riding on 2016.  Let's make sure we keep moving forward as a county, not backwards.

The Friday Link for 1/1/16

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you are having a nice holiday.

Sweet and simple today, as I don't want to spend too much of my downtime on this.  Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is back and it's first episode this season is a doozy!  President Obama joins Jerry to talk about being the president, cars and life in the White House.  It's a great, relaxed look at the President.

I think the President's comments about other world leaders is really eye-opening.  It makes a lot of sense, but to be so straight up front with it was a little jaw dropping.

I already know President Obama hater will be screaming "How dare he belittle the office of the...blah, blah, blah!"  This President completely understands how you relate to the modern American.  I'd rather have a President who does stuff like this, than a micro-manager, who never cracks a smile or let's down his guard.  If you hate the guy so much, then only watch it for Jerry's car, one of America's sweetest rides ever!

And for anyone who insists the President is NOT a comedian, he's shown off his comedy chops many times.  The one joke Seinfeld plays from one of the Correspondent's Dinners to justify his guest gives the President all of the credentials he needs to be on the show.

Love the President's car too.  Enjoy!

The News Stories of the Year, 2015 Edition!

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I hope 2016 is wonderful for you.

It's time for our annual countdown of the news stories from the year that was 2015!  These are what I consider to be the biggest news stories of the year!  I know there are going to be stories not on this list which some will insist are the biggest stories of the year.  This is just my opinion.  A story might be here for good or bad reasons, and it might be a local story, a Minnesota story or a national story.  Some adult themes ahead.

Before we get to the countdown, three honorable mentions:

HM#1 - The rise and fall of little Scotty Walker - mainly May thru September.  This was amazing to witness.  The guy was pegged to be the nominee after he won his recall, and after he cemented his position as front runner by winning a second term in Wisconsin, so to watch Walker flame out so quickly was stunning.  The minute the intense national spotlight got on him, he was exposed for what he really was, a county clerk who was placed on a national stage he really couldn't handle.  All the Koch money in the world couldn't save him.  http://fox6now.com/2015/12/14/i-do-not-regret-anything-but-after-campaign-for-president-gov-walker-in-debt-and-he-needs-help/

HM#2 - A total of six people show up in Minnesota to rally in support of the Confederate Flag -September.  After the Dylann Roof shooting in South Carolina, the Confederate Flag, and what it represents, came under scrutiny.  Supporters of the flag stood by their argument that it stood for tradition, but the rest of us weren't buying it anymore.  It's the symbol of an enemy of the United States of America; the flag of the pro-slavery south.  In an attempt to show southern pride, a rally was attempted in Minnesota.  A total of 6 people showed up.  Six(!) in a state of 5.5 million.  Good riddance.  http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2015/09/05/rally-at-minnesota-capitol-for-confederate-flag-fizzles/71782522/

HM#3 - In what was an epic display of horrible coaching and bad sportsmanship, the Faribault Dance Line team was chased off the floor, and out of Target Center, in a coordinated attack by the five losing team's coaches, after Faribault won the State Dance Line Championship, fair and square - February.  Once again, the other schools who were competing against Faribault felt they should be disqualified.  The Minnesota State High School League disagreed.  The five other schools made the worst decision they could, tried to win public sympathy afterwards and eventually were exposed in shame.  This was ugly.  http://www.startribune.com/high-school-league-suspends-dance-team-coaches-at-four-schools-for-one-year/305706351/


Now, on with the countdown!

#12 - Rep. Jim Newberger makes racist comments on the floor of the Minnesota House - April.  This was a dumb, arrogant white guy who doesn't know when to turn off the racism.  He's an idiot for saying what he said.  The House GOP and their leaderships failure to properly address this issue was equally disturbing.  Watching this is SO horrible.  Wait for the even more tone deaf 'black hole' remark at the end.  https://www.minnpost.com/minnclips/2015/04/video-rep-newberger-booed-house-floor-north-minneapolis-comment   http://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2015/04/mention-st-cloud-visions-of-prison-north-minneapolis-pop-into-jim-newbergers-head.html

#11 - Walter the dentist kills Cecil the lion - July.  The point which infuriates me about this story was how we're all supposed to ignore one major fact: they HAD to cut the tracking collar off Cecil to remove his head.  They knew he was a protected animal.  They didn't care.  The worldwide condemnation still is palatable.  http://cecilthelion.org

#10 - Due to his horrible management of the abuse scandal, Archbishop John Nienstedt resigns - June. As a Catholic, it was hard to watch from the inside as Nienstedt's personal crusade against gay marriage tore apart the church.  Beloved priests left the state to avoid preaching his screeds.  But it was the Diocese 's horrible management, and criminal acts, in regards to dealing with abusive priests which was his eventual downfall.  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/15/us/archbishop-nienstedt-and-aide-resign-in-minnesota-over-sex-abuse-scandal.html

#9 - The 2015 Legislative Session and the unrelenting GOP pettiness - January through June.  You knew there was going to be friction when the Speaker of the House didn't even show up for the Governor's inauguration, because of a "fundraiser," in January, on a Monday, at noon.  The fight to get Legislation finished was always permeated with the GOP agenda.  They legalized gun silencers for no reason outside of appealing to the NRA, they went after the Auditor's office for making sure tax payer money was not being abused, they got rid of campaign finance rules, created the environmental 'Oopsie' law to allow corporations to pollute legally, and did everything they could to vilify the Twin Cities metro area in an effort to appeal to rural Minnesota, a rural Minnesota they also ignored when it came to the final bills.  Meanwhile, the GOP kept insisting there was no money to do anything, even though there was a huge pile of surplus cash available.  SHHH, they want to give that away to the wealthiest Minnesotans in 2016.  Sad, but let's face it, predictable.  https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2015/06/legislature-passes-budget-bills-after-dramatic-special-session

#8 - The disturbing epidemic of gun violence in America, and our national shame at doing nothing to stop it - all year.  'Thoughts and Prayers' were all the bought and paid for NRA politicians were allowed to offer up in response to a gun violence epidemic so severe, over 30,000 Americans die each year from it.  If this was terrorism, would we spare any expense to address it?   http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

#7 - The Grazzini-Rucki Saga -  May through December.  First off, kudos to Michael Brodkorb for some fine and outstanding investigative journalism this year.  If not for him, these girls would still be missing.  (Allegedly) Sandra gets divorced and proceeds to attempt to brainwash two of her kids into thinking their father was abusive.  When the court determines the kids are being brainwashed, she, out of spite, kidnaps the girls and ushers them into an underground system meant to keep them away from the parent who has custodial rights.  She then insist she knows nothing of the girls whereabouts, proceeds to ignore her other children, goes on exotic vacations with her new boyfriend, and probably laughs at the revenge she got on her ex.  Meanwhile, it's still uncertain what her lawyer, Michelle MacDonald, knew about the abduction, as, while this was going on, MacDonald was running as the GOP candidate for the MN Supreme Court (!).  An associate of MacDonald's was the lynchpin to busting open the case, after police raided her house in St. Cloud.  Sandra was caught in October, and the kids were finally found in November, having been kept in an environment where there father had been painted in the worst possible light.  These kids will never be the same, the dad will never be the same.  Shame on all of you for doing this to them.  http://www.startribune.com/charge-mother-of-runaway-girls-left-them-at-ranch/353027841/

#6 - The attack on Paris - November.  This was a brutal terrorist strike, scarring a nation, and the world.  We all wept for the French, and prayed for peace.  Meanwhile, political opportunists manipulated the natural fear which arose after the attack to vilify innocent refugees and an entire religion.  The repercussions of this attack will affect us for years to come.  http://www.nytimes.com/news-event/attacks-in-paris

#5 - Gay marriage is now the law of the land - June.  The same religious zealots who claimed the Supreme Court was a divine entity just a year before, when they handed down their Hobby Lobby ruling, now turned on the Supreme Court, calling them an activist body and demons (!) after their ruling which defined marriage is indeed a right for all, gay and straight.  Amen and thank you.  Love wins, but the end of this fight is nowhere near, as the GOP is trying desperately to overturn the ruling.  This will be a major issue in 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/26/supreme-court-gay-marriage_n_7470036.html

#4 - The killing of Jamar Clark, the occupation of the 4th precinct and white supremacists shoot five protesters - November.  This sad tragedy played out over a few weeks.  Why is Jamar Clark dead?  Were his hands in cuffs when he was shot?  Is there any video?  Would the police stonewall the public's right to know?  The protest outside of the 4th Precinct was organic, rising up out of the frustration of yet another young African American life lost.  It was about to wind down on it's own, when racists, who had been trying to start a confrontation with protesters, opened fire on them, shooting five.  The protest came back strong through Thanksgiving.  Finally, in early December, they were forcibly removed.  Still a lot of unanswered questions, including were the shooters carrying 'Carry and Conceal' weapons? https://ellison.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-keith-ellison-statement-on-shooting-at-fourth-precinct-protest

#3 - Republican Representatives Tara Mack and Tim Kelly, both married (but not to each other), both on the House Ethics Committee, and both part of the political party which is supposedly embodies traditional family values, are caught in a compromising sexual situation in Lebanon Hills Park - September.  When the Japanese news animators are making a cartoon video of your escapade, you know you screwed up.  I could care less if they find each other attractive, it happens.  No, the reason this is up so high on this year's list is the hypocrisy of the whole thing, the fact they tried to throw a police officer under the bus to protect themselves, the fact that they tried to play it off as a 'document exchange,' and how Rep. Kelly tried to dismiss this as gotcha politics.  I love the soundtrack to this video!

#2 - Senate Majority Leader Bakk betrays the DFL - May/June.  We all knew that Senator Tom Bakk and Governor Mark Dayton didn't like each other personally, but what happened in 2015 goes beyond personal feelings.  You can give Speaker Kurt Daudt some credit for driving a wedge between the two, but in reality, Tom Bakk had to WANT to do what he did.  He avoided his best option (working with the Governor to get a strong compromise bill), undermined his DFL Senate majority (by negotiating with Kurt Daudt independently, whether by ignorance or by design), walked away from the Governor's negotiating table when the regular session ended (handing Daudt all the Legislative Branch power during the negotiations), and in the end conspired against the DFL by recruiting a handful of Democratic Senators to jump ship and side with the minority Republicans in the Senate (traitors!).  This was a complete betrayal.  I'll never trust Senator Bakk again, and considering the rumors he's been hanging out with Daudt and other GOP'ers, hunting and fishing while out of session, I expect we will see another attempt to betray the DFL in 2016.  https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2015/06/dfl-senators-divided-over-bakks-leadership-wake-special-session

And...

#1 -The Rise of Black Live Matters - all year long.  When we began 2015, Black Lives Matter was in trouble.  After their 2014 MOA protest, they were dealing with a lot of rhetoric from the Mall of America's lawyers and the Bloomington City Attorney, and there was a full court press to paint them in a negative light.  Then things started to change.  Rumors of the MOA security infiltrating the BLM protesters arose.  Vows to fight the charges rang out.  Protests on MKL Day and in Spring showed the public they were not going away.  Although there was a minor stumble with a handful of protesters and an unfortunate chant at the State Fair rally, Black Lives Matter was able to use the State Fair, and the Twin Cities Marathon, to further their cause.  In November of this year, charges against them from last years MOA protest were dropped.  They became a focal point of the communities outrage when the Jamar Clark shooting happened.  Regardless of whether you agree with their tactics, you can't deny they've gotten what they were looking for: Attention.  I understand some people get frustrated when they close off a street or a highway, or when they march on a shopping mall or airport, but in their defense, if we allowed people to protest in public, visible spaces, where our political leaders can hear and see them, maybe they wouldn't have to resort to getting our attention the hard way. http://www.startribune.com/dayton-met-with-black-lives-matter-reps-stressed-danger-of-airport-protest/363842121/



That's it!  Have a great New Year's everyone, and here's to 2016!!!

The Lost Tribe

One of the things which makes the current GOP a scary group is their willingness to crash the system itself, gleefully trying to crack the government they so eagerly represent.  Whether it's some sort of intentional, Ayn Rand inspired scheme to break the US Government, so they can rewrite the Constitution in their image, getting rid of freedoms like speech and voting rights, making it a Christian first country, and ensuring wealthy people never pay a tax again, or if it's just a bunch of dim bulb idiots who believe their own press about how great they are (I'm looking square at you Ted Cruz), it doesn't matter.  This demented effort to bring the government down is scary since it became clear they were actually serious.

The Republicans have adopted a new strategy since 1994.  They're no longer content on having a chance every four years as one of the two legitimate candidates for President, win or lose.  For them, campaigning is a 365 day a year experience.  If they win, they carry themselves as if they've won by 90% of the vote, insisting everything the Democrats suggest, or have ever done, needs to be talked down, like it's a mess made by a 4 year old.  If they lose, they adopt a scorched earth policy; the bitter ex-boyfriend who insists if he can't be President, no one can be President, intentionally hurting the country which rejected them.  Yes, I mean to imply the GOP has become the aggressor in an abusive relationship against the Untied States.  "The country will be sorry if they don't accept the Republican candidates and ideas completely, with no questions asked...REALLY sorry!"

There are about 100 GOP Representatives and 7 or so GOP Senators whose PUBLIC policy is to never work with the Democrats, EVER!  This means unless the Democrats accept their terms 100% of the time, with no deviations, they'll attempt to crash the system by not passing a budget to keep the government open and functioning, and will default on the debts we owe other countries.  They know this will make our government abruptly stop, make basic need services millions depend on everyday cease, will irreparably harm the day to day existence of the entire country and dramatically weaken our defenses.  They know defaulting on our debt will lead to loss of federal assets.  They know both of these will cost TRILLIONS of tax-payer dollars, and might lead us to lose some of our US territories.  They don't care.  They think its fair game.  It's the idiot who comes over to your house to play poker, and on the first hand, with a pair of sixes, they throw the keys to their house into the pot.  They're morons who think they're intelligent.

Where calmer minds have prevailed when it comes to the federal budget and debt ceiling, with establishment Republicans working with Democrats to keep the governmental doors open, and foreclosed signs off of Guam, the GOP has successfully stymied a functioning diplomatic core and judicial branch.  Vice President Walter Mondale wrote an nice opinion piece in the NY Times about how even no brainer approval of ambassadorships to our closest allies, like Norway, Sweden and Mexico, are being held up over petty politics and a desire to harm Obama's legacy.  The judicial branch is woefully behind in appointments to Federal benches, an attempt by the GOP to overrule election results, making it where only Republican judges are approved.  They don't care about the day to day functioning of these elements, only that these elements function how they want them to, regardless whom won the elections.

With this being the new Republican Party, and with Donald Trump being the front runner for the GOP nomination for 2016, I noticed a new sentiment from my conservative friends and family members this holiday season.  After years of trash talking and obscene allegations about President Obama, all of the sudden they didn't want to talk politics this year.  The same people, who at past get-togethers had screamed about Obama being a Nazi/Marxist/Muslim, were now insisting everyone else has crossed a line.  "Hey, this year, let's not talk about politics.  Let's just focus on positive things, okay?"  It's the same mentality you get from the Packers fan who always trash talks you when their team is winning, but when their team is having a down year, they can't understand why everyone only wants to talk about football.

These pleas to avoid talking politics is a road sign on the trail of the Lost Tribe.  Once they used to roam this country in the millions, a cornerstone of all political initiatives and legislation.  They were the standard bearers for the right, and gave this country some of its greatest politicians.  The Lost Tribe are the displaced moderate Republicans, and right now, unless they can get their feet back underneath them, their party, and this country, could be forever broken.

I'm not endorsing the moderate Republicans, but I do remember a time when I agreed with some of their policies.  Back in the 80's, before they became drunk on Reagan Kool-aid, they used to make some sense with their fiscal conservative/social liberal stances, but as a handful of political opportunists started to drive the Republican Party further and further to the right for personal gain, they were slowly driven out of the party, relegated to pasture where the extremists bank on their blind voting habits.

Jim Ramstad was one of the last remaining Republicans I could agree with, and he saw the writing on the wall when he walked away from his House seat in 2008, a seat he could have won for life.  He knew the Republican Party was readying a blood oath of hatred and spite he didn't want any part of.  He knew there was no place left in the GOP for a pro-choice, pro-gay rights Republican, so he left, handing the MN-03 over to a far more conservative Erik Paulsen, who, in 2008, darkened Ashwin Madia's skin color on billboards and campaign literature to scare white people away from him.  THAT was where the GOP was heading.

What happened to the rest of the Moderate Republicans?  Since 1998, they've slowly left or been pushed out of the GOP, usually with screams of "RINO" in the background.  In Minnesota, many went to the Independence Party, a sort of recovery group for disenfranchised moderate Republicans, but when the IP had their convention overrun by far right extremists in 2014, they either went back to the GOP, or they just stayed home.

Moderate Republicans, I know this is hard for you.  The modern Republican Party really has nothing for you anymore, so why do you keep voting for whichever zealot has the 'R' next to their name?  They need YOU far more than you need them, but they need to learn this lesson the hard way.  In 2016, don't vote for them.  I know many of you are still hypnotized by Reagan's 11th Commandment, but if you blindly award them your vote, YOU are being the enabler.  The only way the GOP is ever going to return to normalcy is if the far right extremists realize they can't even muster 20% of the vote without the Lost Tribe's backing.  This will lead them to start welcoming back more moderate ideals, or it might make them break off and start a new party based on Fascism and pseudo-Libertarianism.  Regardless, they'll be gone and then you can start rebuilding the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Eisenhower.

The sad thing, I know many of the Lost Tribe have become so accepting and numb at being lost, they won't hear this.  Instead, slumped over and beaten down, they'll meekly stumble into the voting booth in November and vote for whichever nut-bag the tea party has ordered them to vote for.

Not So Golden

On the eve of the University of Minnesota football team's undeserving bowl appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl, I think it's time someone said it; the Golden Gopher men's athletic program is in absolute chaos.

Before I bash on the Gopher's men's programs, let me start by complementing the quality and success of the U of M's women's athletics.  So far, it's been a great year for them.  Women's cross country and soccer both had nice runs in the playoffs, volleyball finished third in the nation and women's hockey and basketball both have had promising starts to their seasons.  Women's athletics at the U is the gold standard for college athletics in Minnesota.

The men's programs are floundering, but considering the desirability of the metro area the University is located (Twin Cities), why any program at the U has issues has always made zero sense to me.  Have you spent anytime in the glorified rest stops that masquerade as Division I college hometowns?  This program should NEVER have problems recruiting the better players and coaches.   Does it get cold?  Sure, but the weather never seems to be a problem at other cold weather universities.  Nor is it a problem at rainy, earthquake prone or ungodly hot ones either.

Locale aside, I think there's a lack of seriousness with the men's most popular division I sports programs at Minnesota.  It manifests itself in different ways, but the lack of results are the same.

Let's start with the most prestigious of all of the Golden Gopher men's programs.  No, not football; ice hockey.  The ice hockey program in Minnesota is as serious as football at Ohio State or basketball at Duke.  A few years back the program moved from the consistently competitive WCHA conference to the new Big 10 conference, and the end result is a weaker program.  The program is vanilla this year.  They are 7-8 so far, and are playing down to the substandard programs which inhabit the Big 10, but this was expected.  When you play the best teams in hockey, it keeps your program sharp.  When you play subpar competition consistently, you start playing down to them.  When the ice hockey team moved to the Big 10 conference, they needed to be proactive to prevent the programs predictable fall.  I'm not too concerned, as men's ice hockey can easily recover from this with the right attitude, but the other major men's programs are a mess.

The biggest mess at the University of Minnesota is the mens basketball team.  The season started on shaky ground with loses to Temple and Texas Tech in a Thanksgiving tourney, but the wheels came off the program when they lost to South Dakota (!), South Dakota State (!!) and UW-Milwaukee (!!!).  We haven't even started the incredibly brutal Big 10 schedule.  When you look at the roster, there's a lot of talent on the team, so you need to look at the coach.  Richard Pitino, son of coaching legend Rick Pitino, proves a name is only a name.  He has yet to show any of the early career ability of his father.  Even worse, it feels like he's always looked at Minnesota as a stepping stone job to a more prestigious college.  With the program currently a dumpster fire, and a lack of coaching intensity and interest (my guess is dad will always have an assistant position for the boy if he needs a safe place), the program is years away from turning it around.

The saddest downfall at the U is the program which will likely get annihilated by Central Michigan tomorrow, the football program.  I'm not going to get into the health issues surrounding the former head coach Jerry Kill, but his unexpected resignation earlier this year particularly stung because he was the coach who wanted to be here.  I really liked him.  I don't know how Tracy Claeys will do as the head coach, but I think they rushed his long term signing.  I also think the programs commitment to the Division III level quarterback Mitch Leidner has been a blow to their season, but when you talk about lack of seriousness, it's the fact they are playing in a bowl game at all which highlights the lackluster mentality.  I get that the NCAA has moved WAY past tradition when they allowed teams with less that 8 wins into bowl games, and when they allowed bowl games to be known more by the ludicrous sponsors who buy them like trading cards, but to allow a 5-7 program anywhere near a bowl game, and for said program to accept the invite like it was some sort of win, points to the sad state of the Minnesota football team.  They're so desperate to put any polish on this crap-fest of a season, they've become Charlie Brown gladly accepting a used Valentine's Day card just to feel something.  It's really sad.

My prediction on tomorrow's University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Football bowl game...who cares! They'll have a losing record if they win, and they'll have a losing record if they lose.  I'll pay attention to the women's athletic programs if I want to see winners.

The Saturday Link for 12/26/15

I stand by not doing the Friday link yesterday.  It's Christmas!

My suggestion for you.  I know no one likes fighting their way through a crowded movie theater to see a film, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a special film, and that's not just my nerd talking.  It's a very good film, and while I don't think it's better than any of the offerings in the original trilogy, it far exceeds any of the second trilogy sequels.  It achieves a lot.

Still, it's not my movie of the year choice.  That's Mad Max: Fury Road, followed by Inside Out, Carol, Spotlight, Star Wars, and It Follows.  There are some good movies out there, so please go and enjoy.

Since I wanted to do one last hurrah for the holidays, here's one of the WKRP in Cincinnati Christmas episodes.  Not sure why part of the following year's holiday episode is attached, but it's funny too.  "Non-Stop to Dayton!"  My first line in this post is a reference to a Johnny Fever line from the episode, when Herb shows up to Jennifer's place without a tree.  Like I said, everything that went on the air for that TV show has actually happened in a radio station.

One final Merry Christmas everyone!  Live shows again on the 30th!

An Obvious Update

There will be no Friday Link today.  I'm playing with my kids.  Maybe tomorrow.

Thanks for understanding, and Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

A wonderful Christmas to you!

Not Seeing the Forest for the Christmas Trees

Here's a picture of a house in Hopkins:

As you can see, quite festive!  We all have a neighbor like this, where their Christmas light display is crazy.  As long as they aren't blaring their choreographed light tribute, with accompanying Trans Siberian Orchestra soundtrack, into their neighbor's houses at 10:30 at night, more power to them.  As a private citizen, you're entitled to celebrate your religious festivities as you wish.

Christmas is everywhere.  Not just the overeager neighbor with a light fetish, but pretty much most communities are drenched with Christmas displays, some more Christian-y than others.  When someone tries to make the argument there is a 'War on Christmas,' I laugh.  There's no war.  The battle is long over and Christian Christmas was triumphant.  What we have now is, more or less, an occupation by Christmas, with constant reminders of the Christmas season everywhere you look, but because some people want to force their religion on others, they refuse to see the symbols of Christmas that are everywhere.

Freedom of religion means that everyone has a right to practice the religion of their choosing, whilst not being subjected to the constant, nonstop barrage of another religion being forced onto them.  As Americans, we're not supposed to have public high school choirs sing Christmas carols or public high school football coaches leading teams in mandatory prayers before and after a game, especially when the kids aren't Christian.  We're not supposed to force people into courtrooms where the 10 Commandments are posted, leading to questions of how the defendants religious beliefs factored into the rulings.  We're not supposed to discriminate against a minority population because of their religious beliefs, even going to the point of a religious litmus tests to determine whether citizenship should be granted.  We're not supposed to have over the top displays of one religion über alles in our public parks, installed by the supposed neutral city government which exists to represent ALL of the community.

When I hear a person scream about the 'War On Christmas,' how their religious freedom is being persecuted when someone dares complain about unwanted, unrelenting Christian screeching, I shake my head.  They usually have become blinded by the Christmas lights.  It's an interesting paradox; instead of the usual demure Christmas lights in a downtown community, an individual tries to push it to the next level by displaying an undisguised Christian religious scene (like a manger scene), a display which some religious, and non-religious people, are NOT okay with.  They then act like they're being persecuted when the overtly religious display is taken down, insisting all Christianity is being driven away, when in reality it's just being toned down, slightly.  It's the same delusional irrationality which drove people to actually protest a private company because their coffee cups only featured Christmas themed imagery, not definitive religious motifs.  They act as if anything short of screaming "Jesus is your savior" into people's faces, mandatory Christmas trees in everyone's houses, and forced singing of Christmas psalms, is religious persecution.  Trust me, Christmas is still the reigning champ, even without the over the top Christianity

Let's take a tour of my town, Hopkins.  I love it here.  For the record, I'm Catholic.  There are no manger scenes on Hopkins city property, and the outside of City Hall is Christmas decoration free.  Inside, you get this:

I think it's quite nice, but legal label to prevent lawsuits aside, it's a Christmas tree.  You can insist it's not, that it's a 'Holiday Tree,' but it's a Christmas tree.  City Hall also had a wreath on display.  Wreaths were not started as a Christian symbol, but at this time of year, the wreath is displayed as a symbol of Christian Christmas, like an advent wreath (there's a great one over at the Basilica!)

Here is a look down Main Street in Hopkins.  Every streetlight has a Christmas wreath on it, with colorful lights, another symbol of Christmas, and candles in the middle of each one.  Pretty, and very Christian.  I know over sensitive Christian readers will insist the candle is not necessarily Christian, and I agree, but I know many Christians, from many different ethnic denominations, whom decorate with candles for Christmas.  And let's be honest, those displays in Hopkins don't look like any menorah I've ever seen.

Here are some more images of the Christmas lights on the streets.

Here is a picture of the Hopkins Fire Department:

Notice the Christmas tree and the Christmas lights there.  And finally, Bandshell Park in downtown Hopkins:

That would be a Christmas tree.  I should mention, as I was taking these photos, the church bells in the downtown Hopkins chimed 6 PM, and then played a melodic bell rendition of classic Christmas music (Silent Night, Hark the Harold Angels Sing), the sounds of which permeated the entire downtown.  I thought it was nice, but I'm not going to deny it was very Christmas, and very Christian.

By the way, visit Hopkins!  It's a cute town.  You'll like it.

Fervent religious zealots are furious at me right now.  For them to make the argument there needs to be a baby Jesus on display in every town, people need to be blind to the insane amount of Christmas and Christian symbols already around them.  I think Hopkins, and most other cities, don't need to add anything else to their holiday displays, let alone something so bluntly Christian as a manger scene.  If you want your Christmas to be real Christian-y, then get to church, like my family does.  We have two nativity displays in our house.  I don't need the post office, the police department, or my city's water management center to have one to validate my religious beliefs.

For those who just want to force everyone in Minnesota and the United States to be Christian, stop it.  It's un-American.  Let people make their own decisions.  That's what a good Christian would do.

I'm not pointing this out in an effort to remove the Christmas decorations in Hopkins.  Quite the contrary; I want to thank the individuals from different religions who don't celebrate Christmas for not feeling threatened or pressured by the simplistic Christmas displays Hopkins, and many other cities, exhibit.  Thank you!  To all those who aren't Christian, Happy Holidays to you, and your family.  To all those who are either Catholic like me, or of a different Christian denomination, a wonderful Merry Christmas to you!