Another thing required due to the threats from the diaper wearing anarkidz.  

Unprecedented security expected on light rail during the RNC

There will be unprecedented security on buses and light rail during the Republican National Convention. One of the people sitting or standing in the crowd with you on the light rail line may be a Federal Air Marshal. For more on what you can expect to see click the video button above…

Go here to watch the video. 

I snapped a couple shots of the XCEL as we left teh Science Museum following the Star Wars ‘experience’.

[Show as slideshow]

There is a commenter here on RF who drives me absolutely nuts. In a moment of weakness, I turned my keyboard over to my dark side and let him - have it this morning.

The only real reason I am posting this is that I thought up that line in the tittle and wanted to get it out into the intertubes. And to dig into the RINO defender a little more. 

I’m going to see the Star Wars deal this afternoon and evening. Then a nice dinner. Maybe at somewhere real nice for a steak which I haven’t done since a long long time ago back during the chair’s race. Speaking of which, someone still owes me and my girlfriend a replacement dinner since he ruined that one!!!

Who knows. Don’t care, just thrilled to have a few days of non-18 hour rat race move constantly and for gosh’s sake, don’t stop dealing with everything AAA - days ahead of me. 

A little R&R for a very tired and grumpy AAA who has been killing himself recently doing far more than his body and mind can handle. And next week will be completely nutso with the convention action beginning. A quick trip for one last cabin trip before school starts and while the weather is warm, then it is the mayhem of the RNC convention and diaper wearing Anarkids. 

Take care and go hug a RINO while you can. I haven’t gotten them all yet. Yet, being the key word. 

There’s an interesting story in the Strib about some of the Legislative races that have Primary battles. Take a look. 

One key portion of it is this from Rep. Jim ‘Hey Let’s Tax Their Arses Off’ Abeler. 

Abeler said focusing on relatively minor exchanges misses the larger point — preventing DFLers from gaining a veto-proof majority in the House.

Hey Abeler, you voted to override a veto, you moron! With you around, they don’t need to win that seat.

It is because of YOU, Jim Abeler, that the DFL overrode a veto! 

(Note: Abeler’s mention of minor exchanges has to do with him trying to get his lit into the Anoka County Republican booth. It was for ONLY endorsed Republicans, Abeler is not endorsed. He still tried to get his lit in there. The stories on what really happened varies, but Abeler DID cross a line. Because he is an ……

Honest to goodness…………….. [redacted to remain a PG-13 blog]

New Brighton councilman wants solicitation charges dropped

ST. PAUL (AP) - A New Brighton City Council member arrested in a prostitution sting wants the solicitation charges against him dropped.

David Phillips alleges officer misconduct. Phillips was arrested during a prostitution sting last February at a hotel in St. Paul.

Phillips’ attorney, Earl Gray, says that the introductory e-mails originally attributed to Phillips were not sent from Phillips’ computer.

Gray contends that the undercover vice officer lied in the police report, making any evidence from her suspect.

Prosecutor Steven Heng maintains that an officer mistake did not constitute misconduct.

A motion hearing, at which the defense will argue for dismissal, is set for October 9th. Phillips is scheduled to go on trial in Ramsey County District Court on October 14th.

 

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Happy feat? Lying cops? He just happened to be there at the hotel looking for women to “talk” to? 

This one is too close to home, literally. I work in New Brighton. 

The PiPress has a nice Editorial about the upcoming protests and free speech events aimed at disrupting the RNC Convention.

Freedom, what a pain

But that exercise in free speech apparently isn’t sitting so well with the free-speakers who want to demonstrate against the war. “We’re organizing a massive anti-war protest. We object to the idea of a stage where people have different messages … especially in the midst of our protest,” a spokesman for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War told Hoppin. “The city has created a vehicle for a handful of individuals to speak at the expense of a large protest and groups of people.”

I have this feeling that we have some very bad people coming to the Twin Cities, not for free speech, but to intimidate folks and break stuff. No one has to listen to what you say. You have a right to say what you want, but not to be heard. 

The fact that these people are now throwing fits that someone else may not sit by intently listening to the hate as these diaper wearing anarkidz try to incite a riot, exposes exactly why these thugs shouldn’t be catered to. But DFL Mayor Chris Coleman is one of them and he has pretty much handed over the keys for the city to the very people who may burn it down and break stuff. 

We’ll all need to be observant and vigilant in the next weeks. Not that we need to stop these thugs or get into altercations. Absolutely not. Rather, we need to be the eyes and ears around town. These people are planning mayhem. Yes, the anarchy folks are well organized. They even brought their lawyers along.

They have plans and we need to keep an eye on our city.

The folks doing the organizing for the RNC Convention operations sure seem to be top notch. I was asked to volunteer for something and have gotten a chance to see their work and am very impressed. I’m with holding the details of what I am doing, but will post on it when I think it would be safe. 

Republican Party of Minnesota has a new website. I happened to notice this a few weeks back and dropped the ball in posting on it. It is LIGHTYEARS ahead of the old site. Good job! Go check it out. 

Posting is going to be pretty sketchy for the next few weeks. Since I’ll be helping with the convention on and off over the next few weeks, blogging from the convention, busting my rear at work so I can get the time off, helping organize my area for the McCain camp, performing my BPOU duties (which includes masterminding a BBQ/picnic event this week, oh and trying to let my girlfriend know I am not ignoring her, well, I am really flapping busy. 

Anyways, there is a ton going on and I haven’t forgotten about blogging, I am just really flapping busy right now.

US Senator Norm Coleman is also not too fond of the prospects of an Olson candidacy. 

I stand firmly with the members of the Senate Republican Caucus who today announced that they will not support Mark Olson for the open Senate seat of Betsy Wergin.  His endorsement by the party is a matter that is of great concern to me.  In particular, given the circumstances behind Mr. Olson’s decision to not seek re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives – a decision that I believe was the right decision – I believe the fact that he is our party’s endorsed candidate for Senate District 16 is simply unacceptable and unsupportable.

The Senate Republican Caucus has made the appropriate decision in rejecting the candidacy of Mark Olson. I understand there are other candidates who may remain eligible to run in the September Primary, and I would hope that they continue their efforts to become our party’s standard bearer. 

In the unfortunate event that Mr. Olson succeeds in the September Primary, I would ask that our party refuse to offer any type of assistance to his campaign.  While the loss of a State Senate seat is unfortunate, I join Senators Senjem, Fischbach, Gimse, Hann, Koch and Michel in the strong belief that we must maintain and uphold our beliefs that violence of any kind, whether it is in word or in deed, should not be rewarded with our party’s support, of the support of voters in Senate District 16.”

Oh, and Gary at TvM has a nice take on it too, including a picture that I’m sure the DFL is gladly grabbing for lit hit pieces.

Michael Brodkorb unleashed on Olson, the Strib has an Editorial dinging the party, and the DFL Blog is giddy at the prospects of party wide attacks. AND IT HAS BEEN JUST ONE WEEK since Rep. Mark Olson was endorsed to run in the Minnesota Senate special election. 

Luckily the Senate Caucus is going to support the other person in the Primary.  

I’d caught wind of the predicament many leaders in the party had, but with held comment until the news broke. I had a post drafted, but it got eaten in the intertubes thanks to my fat polish fingers.

I feel this is just the beginning of the saga regarding Mark Olson running for office.

Props: 

Purely as a Legislator Rep. Olson has been better than average for Republicans. I haven’t followed his career that long, but last session he was a hero on the Transit tax Bill. Despite being thrown out of the House Republican Caucus, he still fought the good fight.

But, there is that other problem, the 800 pound gorilla the rest of the Republicans will have to deal. Mark Olson and his legal matter with his wife.

Thanks, but no thanks:

We as Republicans need to police our own. We can’t let a few votes here there make up for major indiscretions of an individual. Whether it be their foolish undying support for liberal causes or personal conduct that is unbecoming for members of the party of family values. 

For the last decade, we didn’t care what Republicans did as long as they voted the right way on the Speaker vote. The Caucus mentality that a lot of leaders lived by has left the party on the verge of moral bankrupcy and with skeleton Minorities. And when some polls show voters more confident that the tax and spend liberals can handle the economy better, all that special interest bidding has been counter productive to the cause. 

If Olson is on thew ballot, it will be a heavy weight hanging around every Republican’s neck across the state. I can see the lit pieces now: “Wife Beater Republican Welcomed With Open Arms” 

When our House candidates are going door to door, we don’t want them having to answer for why Olson was endorsed in SD16. We want them talking about low taxes, responsible spending, and liberty for individuals, not what did or did not happen in one guys house in another part of the state. 

It is and was a huge mistake to endorse Olson. I do support the endorsement process, but sometimes people get it wrong. Most of the time it is a problem that only they have to live with, but this time we will all have to deal with it, so I feel we have a say. 

I mean just think about it. How can the Senate Caucus welcome Olson if he should win, when the House Republicans threw him out on his bum unanimously. 

As Michael noted, the Senate Caucus is not going to support Olson in the Primary. How could they support him if he wins it? We can’t afford to lose any more seats in the Senate, heck the Democrats already have a veto proof majority there. 

Allison Krueger is going to be on the Primary ballot. I believe they had a pledge to abide by the endorsement and not campaign for the Primary. So if we are going to clean up our party, someone will need to make that document disappear, or go campaign for her. Frankly this may be one pledge worth breaking. I have the feeling that there will be others coming out against Olson too. 

Luckily the Democrats, mouths watering at the prospects of having another scandal to attack all Republicans with, have their own Primary battles. Al Franken is facing like 3 dozen other Dems plus there is a battle in one of the House races in SD16. Otherwise they could cross over and slip Olson right on through. 

It was a huge mistake for Olson not to retire after the session. Thankfully the Delegates in 16B did the right thing and endorsed Mary Kiffmeyer. It was an even bigger mistake for Olson to run for the Senate nod, and an even bigger one for him to get endorsed for the Senate given his past. 

We must clean up our own party. We must hold our own to higher moral standards. We must remove any doubt to voters that we do have principles, that we do stand for strong family values, and we will not tolerate such behavior. 

There is still time to clean up this mess.

Bad news from Joe Repya, the MN VFW is …. well, they aren’t supporting the troops. 

Minnesota VFW Would Rather Play Politics Then Support Our Troops!

Written by Joe Repya

Monday, 11 August 2008 14:08

Victory signs will be printed this week. Sadly, I have been forced to take the sponsorship of the Minnesota VFW off our sign. Late Friday I was notified by the Minnesota State VFW Commander Stan Kowalski and his staff, Don Nix - Senior Vice Commander, Donald Dallman - Junior Vice Commander and Raymond Trebus - Judge Advocate, that they had reversed their support for the Victory Over Terrorism signs. Their reason was they do not support the Iraq War. His statement counters the National VFW whose position is clear that the Iraq War is a battlefield of the War on Terror.  I have long experienced the Democratic Party leanings on the Minnesota VFW. Shamefully, partisan politics has no place when the nation is at war. National veteran’s organizations like the VFW have long ago been de-politicized over war. They believe that once war starts, you can’t choose sides, debate stops at the waters edge once the shoots are fired. This is especially important today with an all volunteer military. Veteran’s organizations can’t choose which wars they will support the troops over and have any credibility. A lesson that the Minnesota Department of the VFW has not embraced.  As a veteran of Viet Nam, the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), I’m insulted with the position Commander Kowalski has taken. How can the Minnesota VFW ask any OIF veteran to become a member of their organization. If you agree, please call the State VFW Headquarters at 651-291-1757 and tell Commander Kowalski he should be ashamed of himself for playing politics over supporting our brave troops!