Rankings Stay the Same- an ok year

1) 2003 10-3, 5-3, 4th, Win Sun Bowl v. Oregon 31-30
2) 1999 8-4, 5-3, 4th, Lose Sun Bowl v. Oregon
3) 2002 8-5, 3-5, 7th, Win Music City Bowl v. Arkansas
4) 2004 7-5, 3-5, 8th, Win Music City Bowl v. Alabama
5) 2005 7-4, 4-4, 7th, Lose Sun Bowl v. UCLA ...probably
6) 2000 6-6, 4-4, 5th, Lose Micronpc Bowl v. NC State
7) 1998 5-6, 2-6, 7th
8) 1993 4-7, 3-5, 8th
9) 2001 4-7, 2-6, 10th
10) 1996 4-7, 1-7, 9th
11) 1992 2-9, 2-6, 10th
12) 1995 3-8, 1-7, 10th
13) 1994 3-8, 1-7, 11th
14) 1997 3-9, 1-7, 9th
15) 1991 2-9, 1-7, 10th

The Two Americas

By Marjorie Cohn
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Saturday 03 September 2005

Last September, a Category 5 hurricane battered the small island of Cuba with 160-mile-per-hour winds. More than 1.5 million Cubans were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm. Although the hurricane destroyed 20,000 houses, no one died.

What is Cuban President Fidel Castro's secret? According to Dr. Nelson Valdes, a sociology professor at the University of New Mexico, and specialist in Latin America, "the whole civil defense is embedded in the community to begin with. People know ahead of time where they are to go."

"Cuba's leaders go on TV and take charge," said Valdes. Contrast this with George W. Bush's reaction to Hurricane Katrina. The day after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Bush was playing golf. He waited three days to make a TV appearance and five days before visiting the disaster site. In a scathing editorial on Thursday, the New York Times said, "nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis."

"Merely sticking people in a stadium is unthinkable" in Cuba, Valdes said. "Shelters all have medical personnel, from the neighborhood. They have family doctors in Cuba, who evacuate together with the neighborhood, and already know, for example, who needs insulin."

They also evacuate animals and veterinarians, TV sets and refrigerators, "so that people aren't reluctant to leave because people might steal their stuff," Valdes observed.

After Hurricane Ivan, the United Nations International Secretariat for Disaster Reduction cited Cuba as a model for hurricane preparation. ISDR director Salvano Briceno said, "The Cuban way could easily be applied to other countries with similar economic conditions and even in countries with greater resources that do not manage to protect their population as well as Cuba does."

Our federal and local governments had more than ample warning that hurricanes, which are growing in intensity thanks to global warming, could destroy New Orleans. Yet, instead of heeding those warnings, Bush set about to prevent states from controlling global warming, weaken FEMA, and cut the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for levee construction in New Orleans by $71.2 million, a 44 percent reduction.

Bush sent nearly half our National Guard troops and high-water Humvees to fight in an unnecessary war in Iraq. Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Paris in New Orleans, noted a year ago, "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq."

An Editor and Publisher article Wednesday said the Army Corps of Engineers "never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security - coming at the same time as federal tax cuts - was the reason for the strain," which caused a slowdown of work on flood control and sinking levees.

"This storm was much greater than protection we were authorized to provide," said Alfred C. Naomi, a senior project manager in the New Orleans district of the corps.

Unlike in Cuba, where homeland security means keeping the country secure from deadly natural disasters as well as foreign invasions, Bush has failed to keep our people safe. "On a fundamental level," Paul Krugman wrote in yesterday's New York Times, "our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on prevention measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice."

During the 2004 election campaign, vice presidential candidate John Edwards spoke of "the two Americas." It seems unfathomable how people can shoot at rescue workers. Yet, after the beating of Rodney King aired on televisions across the country, poor, desperate, hungry people in Watts took over their neighborhoods, burning and looting. Their anger, which had seethed below the surface for so long, erupted. That's what's happening now in New Orleans. And we, mostly white, people of privilege, rarely catch a glimpse of this other America.

"I think a lot of it has to do with race and class," said Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. "The people affected were largely poor people. Poor, black people."

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin reached a breaking point Thursday night. "You mean to tell me that a place where you probably have thousands of people that have died and thousands more that are dying every day, that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources we need? Come on, man!"

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff had boasted earlier in the day that FEMA and other federal agencies have done a "magnificent job" under the circumstances.

But, said, Nagin, "They're feeding the people a line of bull, and they are spinning and people are dying. Get off your asses and let's do something!"

When asked about the looting, the mayor said that except for a few "knuckleheads," it is the result of desperate people trying to find food and water to survive.

Nagin blamed the outbreak of violence and crime on drug addicts who have been cut off from their drug supplies, wandering the city, "looking to take the edge off their jones."

When Hurricane Ivan hit Cuba, no curfew was imposed; yet, no looting or violence took place. Everyone was in the same boat.

Fidel Castro, who has compared his government's preparations for Hurricane Ivan to the island's long-standing preparations for an invasion by the United States, said, "We've been preparing for this for 45 years."

On Thursday, Cuba's National Assembly sent a message of solidarity to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It says the Cuban people have followed closely the news of the hurricane damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and the news has caused pain and sadness. The message notes that the hardest hit are African-Americans, Latino workers, and the poor, who still wait to be rescued and taken to secure places, and who have suffered the most fatalities and homelessness. The message concludes by saying that the entire world must feel this tragedy as its own.

NCAA bans Indian mascots, nicknames from postseason events

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.

The NCAA's executive committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.

Nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive'' would not be allowed by teams on their uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president.

"What each institution decides to do is really its own business'' outside NCAA championship events, he said.

At least 18 schools have mascots the NCAA would deem "hostile or abusive,'' including Florida State's Seminole and Illinois' Illini. The full list of schools was not immediately released.

Not all schools with Indian-related nicknames would be on that list. NCAA officials said some schools using the Warrior nickname do not use Indian symbols and would not be affected.

The NCAA two years ago recommended that schools determine for themselves whether the Indian depictions were offensive.

Among the schools to change nicknames in recent years over such concerns were St. John's (from Redmen to Red Storm) and Marquette (from Warriors to Golden Eagles).

The NCAA plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events. Harrison said schools with such mascots that have already been selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos.

Such logos also would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.

CNN Suspends Novak After He Walks Off Set

NEW YORK -- CNN suspended commentator Robert Novak indefinitely after he swore and walked off the set Thursday during a debate with Democratic operative James Carville.

The live exchange during CNN's "Inside Politics" came during a discussion of Florida's Senate campaign. CNN correspondent Ed Henry noted when it was over that he had been about to ask Novak about his role in the investigation of the leak of a CIA officer's identity.

A CNN spokeswoman, Edie Emery, called Novak's behavior "inexcusable and unacceptable." Novak apologized to CNN, and CNN was apologizing to viewers, she said.

"We've asked Mr. Novak to take some time off," she said.

A telephone message at Novak's office was not immediately returned Thursday.

Carville and Novak were both trying to speak while they were handicapping the GOP candidacy of Katherine Harris. Novak said the opposition of the Republican establishment in Florida might not be fatal for her.

"Let me just finish, James, please," Novak continued. "I know you hate to hear me, but you have to."

Carville, addressing the camera, said: "He's got to show these right wingers that he's got a backbone, you know. It's why the Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em that you're tough."

"Well, I think that's bull---- and I hate that," Novak replied. "Just let it go."

As moderator Henry stepped in to ask Carville a question, Novak walked off the set.

Only two weeks ago, CNN executives defended their decision to keep Novak on the air during the ongoing probe into the revelation of CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity. In a July 2003 newspaper column, Novak identified Plame, the wife of administration critic and former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, as a CIA operative.

Wilson has said the leak of his wife's name was an attempt by the administration to discredit him. Two other reporters connected to the case openly fought the revelation of their sources, and Judith Miller of The New York Times has been jailed for refusing to cooperate with prosecutors.

Novak has repeatedly refused to comment about his role in the federal investigation.

After Novak walked off on Thursday, Henry said that Novak had been told before the segment that he was going to be asked on air about the CIA case.

"I'm hoping that we will be able to ask him about that in the future," Henry said.

Novak has been a longtime contributor to CNN, taking the conservative point of view during the just-canceled "Crossfire" show.

FLASH: Alvarez in final season at Wisconsin

Barry Alvarez will hand the Wisconsin coaching job to Bret Bielema after this season and focus on running the school's athletics department.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the coaching move, which sources confirmed to ESPN.com's Pat Forde.

Alvarez is in his 16th season as the school's football coach and has also been serving as the athletic director since last year.

Bielema, who is 35, is in his second season as the team's defensive coordinator. He previously was the co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State.

Alvarez is 108-70-4 at Wisconsin with three Rose Bowl victories and seven other bowl appearances.

Some pull 'Doonesbury' over Rove moniker

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- It may be President Bush's nickname for key political adviser Karl Rove, but some editors don't think it belongs in their newspapers.

About a dozen papers objected to Tuesday's and Wednesday's "Doonesbury" comic strips, and some either pulled or edited them.

The strips refer to Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, as "Turd Blossom."

Lee Salem, editor at Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the strip to 1,400 papers, said the complaints from 10 to 12 newspapers weren't unexpected. As opposed to other times when editors have objected to Doonesbury content, the syndicate did not send out replacement strips.

"Given the coverage of Karl Rove, we thought it was appropriate, especially given the history of the strip," Salem said.

Doonesbury's creator, Garry Trudeau, has infuriated some editors over the years with his language, images and political themes. An e-mail to Trudeau wasn't immediately returned Tuesday.

Salem said that since newspapers don't have to notify the syndicate when they choose to remove a strip, it's impossible to know how many papers ran Tuesday's comic.

In the strip, Bush and an aide are lamenting the problems the administration has had over allegations that Rove leaked the name of a CIA officer to reporters.

Bush says, "Karl's sure been earnin' his nickname lately."

The unnamed aide says, "Boy Genius? I'm not so sure sir ..."

Bush then says, "Hey Turd Blossom! Get in here."

The term is said to be one of several nicknames Bush uses for Rove, one of his closest allies and who is widely credited for Bush's election in 2000 and re-election in 2004. The mainstream U.S. media have rarely mentioned the nickname, but it has gained traction in the international press and on the Internet.

Among those with concerns was the Providence (Rhode Island) Journal, whose editors removed the offensive word from the strip's final panel.

"I didn't think (taking out the word) hurt it," Executive Editor Joel Rawson said. "I would prefer to run the strip and if we can edit it, that's fine."

Other papers, such as The Kansas City Star, removed the strip entirely, replacing it with an older one.

"We thought it was in bad taste and probably unclear to a lot of people why we would be using the term," said Steve Shirk, the Star's managing editor/news.

Whitehouse says won't hand over some Roberts papers

WASHINGTON - The White House said on Tuesday it will refuse to hand over to the Senate some documents related to Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' government legal work, a sign of a possible battle ahead with Senate Democrats.

Senate Democrats, who have demanded access to relevant information as the confirmation process gets under way, expressed disappointment and said the documents being held back could hold information necessary to evaluate Roberts.

"A blanket statement that entire groups of documents are off limits is both premature and ill advised," said a letter to Bush from eight Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the administration would make public 62,000-65,000 pages of documents concerning Roberts' work during the administration of Republican President Ronald Reagan.

But he said the Justice Department will withhold internal memos generated from 1989 to 1993, during Roberts' work as deputy solicitor general during the presidency of George Bush, father of the current president and a fellow Republican.

Roberts wrote a legal brief during this period on the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing a woman's right to abortion, in which he said "we continue to believe that Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said the White House had decided to hold back some documents and that Ed Gillespie, President Bush's point man on the nomination, informed him of it on Monday.

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which will hold confirmation hearings, said he hoped the White House move was not intended to hinder the Senate's consideration of Roberts' nomination.

"There will be additional documents we ask for," he said.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy said in his 42 years on the Judiciary committee, "we have received many internal Justice Department documents as least at sensitive as these, even for confirmation proceedings that don't come close to the importance of a Supreme Court appointment."

Specter said it was premature to talk about documents but noted, "I'd have to be an ostrich not to be concerned."

LINE OF ATTACK?

McClellan accused Democrats of demanding documents as part of a line of attack prepared even before Roberts' nomination.

The White House cited an agreement in 2002 by seven former solicitor generals in declaring the internal memos protected by attorney-client privilege. The solicitor general argues cases on behalf of the U.S. government before the Supreme Court.

Releasing the documents, McClellan said, "would have a chilling effect on the ability of the solicitor generals to receive candid, honest, and thorough advice from their attorneys during the decision-making process."

He said he did not know how many documents might be in question.

Roberts spent a fifth day visiting with lawmakers before his confirmation hearings.

Partisan bickering also broke out over their timing.

Specter said he and Leahy, despite numerous talks, have yet to agree on when to start. Some Democrats favor mid-September; some Republicans are pushing to have committee members end their summer recess early and start in late August.

Specter, who has scheduling power as chairman, said he wants the full Senate to vote on Roberts no later than Sept. 29, so he could be seated before the Supreme Court begins its new term on Oct. 3.

McClellan said all documents from Roberts' 1981-1982 tenure as special assistant to the attorney general during the Reagan administration would be sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

They were also being made available to the media in a special reading room outside Washington later on Tuesday.

The administration also agreed to work with the Reagan presidential library in California to release documents relating to Roberts' work in the White House counsel's office from 1982 to 1986.

Roberts, a federal appeals court judge for the past two years, has received a generally upbeat reception on Capitol Hill since being nominated last Tuesday to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

(Additional reporting by Tom Ferraro)

Democrats Watch in Horror as Union Base Falls Apart

by David Usborne

The American labor movement was on the brink of civil war last night as two major unions, including the Teamsters, prepared to leave the country's main labor congress, the AFL-CIO, amid bitter recriminations over its leadership and failure to reverse a steep membership decline. Hostilities broke into the open on Sunday when four large unions announced that they were boycotting the annual convention of the AFL-CIO, which got under way in Chicago yesterday. It then emerged that two of the four were likely also to withdraw from the alliance altogether. The two departing unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union, have 1.4 and 1.8 million members respectively. Their revolt represents a body blow - both in morale terms and financially - to the AFL-CIO and was being described as the worst rift in the labor movement since 1930. It risks further undermining union strength in the United States which has been in decline for decades, eroded by dwindling membership rolls, the effects of automation, the relentless rush to improve productivity, and the ramifications of globalization and increased world competition. The AFL, the American Federation of Labor, and the CIO, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, broke away from one another in the 1930s. However, they merged again in 1955 and this year's convention was meant to be a celebration of that 50-year marriage. In all that time, the AFL-CIO, roughly equivalent to Britain's TUC, has been the voice of organized labor in the country. But while roughly one in three workers in the private sector belonged to a union in America half a century ago, only 8 per cent do so today. The relentlessness of that decline and the political environment now makes union power still less credible and has given rise to the tensions of today. A splintering of the labor movement also bodes ill for the Democratic Party, which for generations has depended on labor leaders to galvanize voters as well as raise funds for candidates for the White House and Congress. Last year, almost a quarter of all the votes cast in the presidential race came from union households, a majority of which supported the Democrat, John Kerry. Part of the battle is being fought over John Sweeney, leader of the AFL-CIO for 10 years, who is expected to win re-election this week. Activists have been fighting to have him removed, arguing he has failed to re-energize the movement. Seven unions now belong to an ad hoc grouping - the "Change to Win Coalition" - opposed to Mr Sweeney's re-election. All may end up breaking ranks. They are demanding new leadership and more funds to allow individual unions to merge and launch new membership drives. "The AFL-CIO, to its credit, has listened to us. But in the end, they have not heard us. The language of reform has been adopted, but not the substance ... We have reached a point where our differences have become unresolvable," said Anna Burger, the chairman of Change to Win. Backers of Mr Sweeney, 71, have come close to branding their departing brethren as traitors to the cause. "Today is a tragic day because those that left the house of labor ... are weakening our house and shame on them," growled Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers, which will remain in the fold. Others contended that the dissidents, far from helping, were playing into the hands of those who would like to see the movement grow weaker still. "I think the only one who wins from this is George Bush and his minions who are trying to weaken labor unions," said Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

AFSCME files unfair labor practices complaint against U

Unions representing 3,500 workers at the University of Minnesota have filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the school, saying administrators are trying to control bargaining committee membership.

Contracts for AFSCME units representing clerical, technical and health care workers expired in June. The union wanted the clerical and health care units to bargain a new contract together. The university refused.

Representatives of some of the AFSCME units are sitting in on each other's negotiation sessions, and asked that the observers receive union leave benefits that allow them to accrue vacation and sick leave benefits while they are there. The school refused.

"For us, that's the university trying to control who is on the negotiating committee," said Jennifer Lovaasen, communications director for the union. She said some members can't afford to attend the sessions without the benefits.

"No one is ever denied an opportunity to come to the bargaining session," said Mark Rotenberg, the university's general counsel. "But we do not have to provide special benefits to someone who wants to come to the table and is not in the bargaining unit."

A hearing on the union complaint will be scheduled soon.

In 2003, members of the clerical unit were on strike for two weeks. It was the first strike at the university in almost 60 years.

Big Ten Changes its Bowl Lineup for 2006: Sun & Music City Out, Insight & Champs Sports In

The Big Ten shuffled its postseason bowl game lineup, adding some popular fan destinations in new football agreements announced Tuesday.

The league added the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando and the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., in a four-year agreement starting in 2006. The conference will drop the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, and the Music City Bowl in Nashville after this season. The status of the Motor City Bowl in Detroit is still up in the air.

The Big Ten also extended its agreement with the Capital One (Orlando), Outback (Tampa, Fla.) and Alamo (San Antonio) bowls for four more years. It already had signed an eight-year extension with the Rose Bowl through the 2013 season.

"With a heavy concentration of Big Ten alumni in the states of Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, this bowl lineup is a natural fit for the conference and should provide some great matchups on the field," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said.

Held the final week of December, the Champs Sports Bowl will have the fourth choice of Big Ten schools for two years and the fifth choice the other two years, rotating with the Alamo Bowl. The Big Ten's opponent for the Champs Sports Bowl has not been finalized yet.

The Insight Bowl will move to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., in December 2006 and will pit the Big Ten against the Big 12.

The Big Ten currently has six tie-ins outside the Rose Bowl. A league spokesperson said the conference is exploring either an extension with the Motor City Bowl or adding a different bowl game.

Twins vs. Tigers - June 23, 2005

Just some pictures I took at the Twins game a couple weeks ago. Nothing special in them, mostly just shots of my so-called 'friends.' And by so-called friends I mean enemies! ;-)

How do I use this thing?

The friendly metrodome swastika

A classic piece of work with the camera

Squinty and her pop (Holy Eyeball!)

Mark looking intelligent

I can't believe Marcus actually ate this

Joe Nathan warming up

Brad & Mark trying to watch the game

US suspected of keeping secret prisoners on warships: UN official

The UN has learned of "very, very serious" allegations that the United States is secretly detaining terrorism suspects in various locations around the world, notably aboard prison ships, the UN's special rapporteur on terrorism said.

While the accusations were rumours, rapporteur Manfred Nowak said the situation was sufficiently serious to merit an official inquiry.

"There are very, very serious accusations that the United States is maintaining secret camps, notably on ships," the Austrian UN official told AFP, adding that the vessels were believed to be in the Indian Ocean region.

"They are only rumours, but they appear sufficiently well-based to merit an official inquiry," he added.

Last Thursday Nowak and three other UN human rights experts said they were opening an inquiry into the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Washington has been holding more than 500 people without trial, and into other such locations.

The United States has neither refused nor granted requests by Nowak's group to visit Guantanamo.

"We have accepted, upon the request of the State Department and Pentagon, to limit our investigation for now to Guantanamo, but even in accepting this we have not had a positive response" to the request for a visit, Nowak said.

He said that if the "investigation into Guantanamo leads us to other things, we will follow them. We will bring up all these matters to the US government and expect Washington to say officially where these camps are."

The use of prison ships would allow investigators to interrogate people secretly and in international waters out of the reach of US law, British security expert Francis Tusa said.

"This opens the door to very tough interrogations on key prisoners before it even has been revealed that they have been captured," said Tusa, an editor for the British magazine Jane's Intelligence Review.

Nowak said the prison ships would not be "floating Guantanamos" since "they are much smaller, holding less than a dozen detainees."

Tusa said the Americans may also be using their island base of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean as a site for prisoners.

Some 520 people suspected of terrorism are currently being held without trial at Guantanamo and others are in camps the United States has refused to acknowledge, the human rights organization Amnesty International has said.

The United States has said that prisoners considered foreign combattants in its "war on terrorism" are not covered by the Geneva Conventions.

Maroon and Good

The Gophers 2005 Preview is up on College Football News. Check it out HERE.

Does Anyone Still Read This?

I don't know if I've lost my loyal readers completely, but I apologize for the lack of posts on The MarxistGopher Report. It's been a combination of me being really busy at work (and outside of work) as well as a lack of interest in anything going on in the news or world of sports.

Since I really have nothing to say about anything important I thought I'd just post some photos that I took at the couple of Twins games I've been to in the past few weeks. The first was a Kyle Lohse victory over the Blue Jays and the second was a Kyle Lohse loss to the Giants 8-4. The next time I go I really want to see a different pitcher...you have to see avariety of hurlers to get the full baseball experience.

...I should probably add at this point that I don't even like baseball! But hey, it's something to do.

I'm going to sign off now because it's really hot and typing is making me sweat. Enjoy the pics, and hopefully I'll have some more regular posts this week.

Mark and I leaving after the victory

Squinty and Her Dog

My View

Tori Hunter

Me and Katie

Shannon Stewart

URGENT NEWS FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS TEAM!

University says they won't negotiate unless they can choose Union's Team
AFSCME Clerical and Healthcare Workers are ready to begin contract negotiations!
Labor Relations REFUSES to sit down with the team the Union has chosen!
For More Information:
Come to the Kickoff Event
TODAY!
June 15th
at NOON
In Front of Coffman Memorial Union

Shameless Ad for 'Politics the Wellstone Way'

Paul Wellstone unseated a senator who couldn't be beat with a progressive populist platform that launched him all the way to the US Senate. This book tells how it was, and can be, done.

From the school board all the way to the White House, Politics the Wellstone Way instructs people on becoming better organizers, candidates, campaign workers, and citizen activists, empowering them to make their voices heard.

"This is a great book for progressives who want to win without compromising their principles. The pages are filled with smart advice and useful tools from Wellstone's most trusted advisers. Highly recommended for those who are progressive and want to win!" - Senator Tom Harkin

Politics the Wellstone Way will be released late September 2005.

Reserve your copy today and get free shipping! Books will be shipped in early October.

New College Football Helmets for 2005

Indiana, BYU, and Pittsburgh will be having new helmets this fall(in case anyone cares). You can check them out here.

Old Fashioned Carter Not Down With Torture

Former US president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter called for the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to be closed, "to demonstrate clearly our nation's historic commitment to protect human rights."

"Our government needs to close down Guantanamo and the two dozen secret detention facilities run by the United States as soon as possible," Carter said Tuesday in Atlanta at a conference organized by the Carter Center.

He also called for an end to the policy of transferring prisoners to countries where there have been reports of torture, and pressed for an independent commission to investigate the US detention facilities.

Full Story

ESPN pulls out of coaches' poll, BCS process

ESPN withdrew from the college football coaches' poll Tuesday, the second major news organization to say it didn't want to be a part of the Bowl Championship Series' weekly rankings.

The cable sports network said it no longer wanted its name attached to the rankings unless all ballots were made public, not just the final ones. USA Today will continue running the poll, which helps determine who plays for the national championship.

In December, The Associated Press told the BCS to stop using its media poll in its weekly formula.

Full Story (ESPN)

Moe: People today are healthier and drinking less. You know, if it wasn't for the junior high school next door no one would even use the cigarette machine.

Friday Feelings

It's time for another edition of Friday Feelings. I've forgotten what edition we're actually on, as I forgot to do it last week. Talk about whatever you like...

State Sen. Kelley announces candidacy for governor

State Sen. Steve Kelley, a Hopkins attorney, chairman of the Senate Education Committee and one of the Legislature's foremost technology experts, got an early start on potential rivals Wednesday by declaring his candidacy for the DFL gubernatorial nomination.

Full Story (Star Tribune)

Amnesty International's Response to Rumsfeld

Statement of Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

Dutch say no to EU Constitution

Voters in the Netherlands have rejected the proposed European Union constitution by 63 percent to 37 percent, according to an exit poll broadcast by Dutch NOS television.

Full Story (CNN)

Fox News radio expands newscasts

With a newly constructed Manhattan studio and expanded news offerings, the fledgling Fox News Radio is marking a key step in its growth plans. The service started two years ago and has offered one-minute newscasts to affiliate stations. As of this morning, it's offering the longer newscasts that many talk-oriented stations demand. "It's important if we're in this business that we're in it in the visible ways that the old-line guys are in it,'' said Kevin Magee, senior vice president of Fox News Radio.

Fox's earlier agreement with Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio ownership group, will take effect this summer and, by August, the news service's outlets will reach about 500 nationwide, Magee said. There are more than 10,000 commercial radio stations in the country. Many talk stations spend hours criticizing major media outlets as liberal, then turn to market leaders ABC and CBS for newscasts at the top of the hour, he said. Fox will offer a newscast with many of the same personalities and tone as seen on Fox News Channel, he said. Laurie Dhue was scheduled to anchor the first five-minute newscast. "It's not opinionated,'' he said. "It's straight news, but it's news fair and balanced, where we believe both sides should get a fair hearing.''

I am 'Deep Throat' !

AP- A former FBI official claims he was "Deep Throat," the long-anonymous source who leaked secrets about President Nixon's Watergate coverup to The Washington Post, his family said Tuesday.

W. Mark Felt, 91, was second-in-command at the FBI in the early 1970s. His identity was revealed Tuesday by Vanity Fair magazine, and family members said they believe his account is true.

"The family believes my grandfather, Mark Felt Sr., is a great American hero who went well above and beyond the call of duty at much risk to himself to save his country from a horrible injustice," a family statement read by grandson Nick Jones said. "We all sincerely hope the country will see him this way as well."

Felt, who lives with his daughter Joan in Santa Rosa and is in declining health, kept the secret even from his family until 2002, when he confided to a friend that he had been Post reporter Bob Woodward's source, the magazine said.

"My grandfather is pleased he is being honored for his role as Deep Throat with his friend Bob Woodward," Jones said.

"As he recently told my mother, 'I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he was a hero.'"

The Washington Post had no immediate comment on the report.

The existence of Deep Throat, nicknamed for a popular porn movie of the early 1970s, was revealed in Woodward and Carl Bernstein's best-selling book "All the President's Men." In the hit movie based on the book, Deep Throat was played by Hal Holbrook.

But his identity of the source whose disclosures helped bring down the Nixon presidency remained a mystery.

Among those named over the years as Deep Throat were Assistant Attorney General Henry Peterson, deputy White House counsel Fred Fielding, and even ABC newswoman Diane Sawyer, who then worked in the White House press office. Ron Zeigler, Nixon's press secretary, White House aide Steven Bull, speechwriters Ray Price and Pat Buchanan, and John Dean, the White House counsel who warned Nixon of "a cancer growing on the presidency," also were considered candidates.

And some theorized Deep Throat wasn't a single source at all but a composite figure.

In 1999, Felt denied he was the man.

"I would have done better," Felt told The Hartford Courant. "I would have been more effective. Deep Throat didn't exactly bring the White House crashing down, did he?"

In 2003, Woodward and Bernstein reached an agreement to keep their Watergate papers at the University of Texas at Austin.

At the time, the pair said documents naming "Deep Throat" would be kept secure at an undisclosed location in Washington until the source's death.

MSNBC quoted Bernstein as saying Tuesday that he and Woodward would stick to their pledge not to say anything until Deep Throat dies.

In the family statement, Jones said his grandfather believes "the men and women of the FBI who have put their lives at risk for more than 50 years to keep this country safe deserve recognition more than he."

"On behalf of the Felt family we hope you see him as worthy of honor and respect as we do," Jones said.

Andersen conviction overturned

Top court rules jury instructions flawed in Enron shredding case; other Enron cases to proceed.

The Supreme Court Tuesday unanimously threw out the conviction of accounting firm Arthur Andersen, a symbolic victory for a nearly defunct company torn apart in a document-shredding case involving the fallen energy giant Enron.

full story (CNN)

Homer: The lesson is: Our God is vengeful! O spiteful one, show me who to smite and they shall be smoten.

More Hillary Stats

Among those who were very or somewhat likely to vote for Clinton for president, there were:

•A big gender gap. Six of 10 women but 45% of men were likely to support her.

•Significant differences by age. Two of three voters under 30 were likely to support her, compared with fewer than half of those 50 and older.

•Strongest support from those with the lowest income. Sixty-three percent of those with annual household incomes of $20,000 or less were likely to support her, compared with 49% of those with incomes of $75,000 or higher.

•And big swings by ideology. An overwhelming 80% of liberals were likely to support her, compared with 58% of moderates and 33% of conservatives.

Among those surveyed, 54% called Clinton a liberal, 30% a moderate and 9% a conservative.

Poll: Mixed messages for Hillary Clinton

More than half of those responding to a new poll said they would be at least somewhat likely to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton if she runs for president in 2008.

But those saying they are virtually certain to vote against her topped those virtually certain to support her by 10 percentage points in the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

The poll found 29 percent were very likely to cast a vote for Hillary Clinton for president and 24 percent said they were somewhat likely.

Seven percent were not very likely and 39 percent said they were not at all likely. The margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.

The poll found her on stronger ground than in June 2003, when a similar poll had as its respective numbers: 21, 21, 12 and 44.

According to the latest poll, 55 percent of respondents reported a favorable view of her, while 39 had an unfavorable one. The margin of error for that question was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

These findings were similar to the June 2003 poll that found 53 percent reacted favorably toward her and 41 percent unfavorably.

The pollsters also asked respondents their view of Clinton's place on the political spectrum.

Fifty-four percent of all those questioned said they consider her a liberal, 30 percent a moderate and 9 percent a conservative, with a 3 percentage-point margin of error.

Among registered voters, the numbers were virtually the same, with 56 percent considering her a liberal.

When asked how likely they would be to vote for a woman in 2008, 32 percent of registered voters said very likely, 41 percent said somewhat likely, 9 percent said not very likely, and 11 percent not at all likely. The question did not explore whether the political viewpoint of the woman would affect the voters' attitudes.

The results were based on telephone interviews with 1,006 adults, ages 18 and older, conducted last Friday through Sunday.

The release of the poll comes amid steps by Edward Cox, son-in-law of President Richard Nixon, to challenge Clinton for her U.S. Senate seat from New York. (Full story)

Clinton served on the staff of the congressional Impeachment Inquiry in the wake of Nixon's Watergate scandal in 1974.

A poll earlier this month by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found overwhelming support for her -- 67 percent -- among New York voters, if she decides to run for re-election next year. Among Democrats, however, 65 percent surveyed want her to pledge to serve out a full term if she runs, negating a 2008 White House bid.

Sixty-one percent also said they'd like her to run for president.(Full story)

Asked by CNN whether she could pledge today that she would serve out her U.S. Senate term if re-elected, or whether she would pursue a White House run in 2008, Clinton declined to say. "I am focused on winning re-election," she said.

"My view is that life unfolds in its own rhythm. I've never lived a life that I thought I could plan out."

Meanwhile, the former finance director of her ultimately successful 2000 U.S. Senate campaign is awaiting his fate before a federal grand jury. David Rosen is accused of underreporting the costs of a star-studded fund-raiser four years ago. (Full story)

Two More Enter 2006 MN Governors Race

The lineup card for Minnesota's 2006 governor's race is starting to fill up.

Two more potential challengers to Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty took steps this week toward running. The Independence Party's Peter Hutchinson filed papers Monday forming a campaign committee and DFL state Sen. Steve Kelley scheduled a kickoff event for next week after filing his papers Wednesday.

Although the general election is 18 months off, this summer is considered decision time for possible candidates. Pawlenty hasn't officially said he will run for a second, four-year term. If he does, he has a virtual lock on the Republican nomination.

The fight for the DFL Party's nomination is where the action will be.When Kelly holds his Capitol steps rally, he will join Bud Philbrook, who is a former-legislator and the founder of a nonprofit-group, in the DFL field.

Two other big-name Democrats -- Attorney General Mike Hatch and Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson -- have put out feelers but are uncommitted to campaigns. State Sen. Becky Lourey of Kerrick also has been mentioned.

Kelley, a third-term senator from Hopkins, is one of the Pawlenty administration's leading critics. As chairman of the Senate Education Committee, he led the hearings that resulted in the ouster of Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke, and he helped draft the state's academic standards after disagreeing with Yecke's.

Kelley tried but failed to get the DFL's U.S. Senate nod in 2000.

"It will be an energetic campaign from the very beginning," Kelley said. He plans to abide by the party endorsement and not advance to the primary without it.

There's a benefit to being an early entrant, he said. "Every subsequent story includes your name."

Hutchinson could be a wild card in the race.

The Independence Party -- formerly the Reform Party in Minnesota -- has factored greatly into the last two gubernatorial campaigns, winning in 1998 with Jesse Ventura and polling in double digits in 2002 with ex-Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Penny.

Hutchinson is public-policy consultant. He served as finance commissioner under Gov. Rudy Perpich. He has also served as superintendent of Minneapolis schools and deputy mayor of Minneapolis

Obligatory Post

I haven't posted anything today, because there's really nothing going on, but...sigh...I feel obligated to post something everyday...well, at least every weekday. So I'll just tell you a little bit about my exciting day.

I got up at 6:30 this morning. I had a little extra time before I had to leave for work, so I played another turn of Axis & Allies D-Day, which I'm in the process of soloing. (The Germans are about to push the Allies back into the channel...the Germans always win when I solo games...hmmm, interesting)

I got to work a couple minutes before 8, after sitting in morning rush hour traffic. Between my exciting tasks at work I burned my 4 Netflix movies and got those in the mail. i spent most of the morning checking my 40 or so bookmarks on the net and reading the days news. Then I decided to rip a few CD's to my laptop.(I'm in the process of ripping all my music onto my laptop) Then i got in a little work before lunch...

About noon I went to Lucky Dragon for lunch with Swede and Squinty. We ate an extremely greasy, and therefore tasty, lunch and discussed the evils of McDonalds. Now, I'm supposed to have a 2hr lunch on Wednesdays, but thats way too much time for me to fill with eating and conversing with the other human beings, so i just ended up coming back to my desk and...sigh...actually doing work.

This afternoon has been a lot of surfing the net and coloring my DVD's that I burned this morning. I also added them to my movie database..(I have a excel document where i catalog the location, rating, etc. of al lmy burned DVD's. Yes, I have way too much time on my hands.) Then I read a bunch of articles on the Indy 500 because i'm trying to get myself psyched for this weekend. I'm really pulling for Danica Patrick. She has real shot at being the first woman to win Indy. Plus shes really cute...but I digress. Then I realized that i've been neglecting The MarxistGopher Report today and decided that i had nothing interesting to say, and wrote this...

Tonight I'm planning on finally doing my long overdue grocery shopping, as well as the long overdue washing of the dishes. and I have to stop off at Nat'l Camera Exchange to pick up my photos and take out the garbage at some point....fun stuff! Anyway, i just thought I'd share my monotonous day...

I hope everyone else had a more exciting day than me. Later.

Lizz Winstead sues Air America radio network

Comedian-turned-radio-host Lizz Winstead filed a lawsuit in New York this week against her former employer, the liberal radio network Air America.

Winstead, a Minnesota native who was one of the first hires made by the network, claims she is owed $200,000 for on-air work, $14,423 in unused vacation time and $83,333 in severance pay. She was fired in March as co-host of Air America's show "Unfiltered," which has since been replaced by "The Jerry Springer Show."

"It's the sad old story of someone devoting 16-hour days to build an exciting, new venture -- and she's out the door without ... what she's promised," her attorney, Edward Hernstadt, told the New York-based newspaper Newsday.

Air America told the paper it wouldn't comment on pending litigation.

Two hurt in mock light sabre duel

Two Star Wars fans are in a critical condition in hospital after apparently trying to make light sabres by filling fluorescent light tubes with petrol.

A man, aged 20, and a girl of 17 are believed to have been filming a mock duel when they poured fuel into two glass tubes and lit it. The pair were rushed to hospital after one of the devices exploded in woodland at Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. A third person present at the incident had been questioned, police said.

Videotape found

A videotape was found nearby by police called to the scene on Sunday. A police spokeswoman said the pair were taken to West Herts Hospital before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, in Essex. They are both said to be in a critical condition. She said the 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead suffered serious injuries.

She added: "At this stage we are unable to confirm the exact circumstances, but glass tubes and traces of accelerant (flammable substance) were found at the scene."

Renee (Moe’s girlfriend): Really, you think I’m gorgeous?
Moe: Yeah, well the parts that are showing. I guess you could have a lot of weird scars or a fake ass or something.
Renee: You don’t talk to a lot of women do you?

Film Review: Insomnia

Insomnia
2002
1 hr 56 min
Directed by Chistopher Nolan
Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank

Plot Outline: Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

This is an exremely underrated movie. It is probably one of, if not the best thriller/mystery that I've ever seen. The addition of the main detective character being stricken with insomnia because of 24 hr sunlight is what makes this film. I thought at times that it reminded me of Hitchcock, but it never quite got to that point...if it had I probably would have given it a nine. The movie takes a surprising turn early on that changes the complextion of the film for the better. I would highly recommend this movie to everyone.

MarxistGopher's Rating: ********(8 of 10 stars)

UW-Stout chancellor blocks ROTC from campus

MADISON, Wis. — The chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout says the military, which does not accept openly gay recruits, is not acceptable on his campus.

The UW System on Monday began a review of Chancellor Charles Sorensen's decision to reject an Army ROTC program to protest the military's "don't ask don't tell'' policy on gays.

The review comes after Sorensen's decision touched off a furor from Republican lawmakers, who said it could jeopardize millions of dollars in federal funding and force students who want military training to drive hundreds of miles to get it.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule in the next year on whether the government can cut funding to campuses if they block military recruiters or Reserve Officer Training Corps programs to protest the policy on gays. A coalition of 31 law schools is seeking to overturn the law known as the Solomon Amendment that allows the funds to be cut in those cases.

Sorensen said in a letter to lawmakers that he stands by his decision. He said allowing ROTC would be hypocritical at a time the 8,000-student campus at Menomonie in western Wisconsin is trying to promote "tolerance and diversity.''

"I do not think, in good conscience, we can invite an organization to campus that discriminates against anyone because of sexual orientation,'' Sorensen wrote in a campuswide e-mail.

The review, ordered by UW System President Kevin Reilly, will look at whether the decision was in line with policies of the Board of Regents and state and federal law.

Three Republican lawmakers said in a letter last week they were concerned the decision "is not only motivated by political correctness but by general anti-war sentiments.''

Sens. Ron Brown of Eau Claire, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls and Dave Zien of Eau Claire said in their letter that the decision could mean the loss of $16.3 million in federal funding for the campus.

The chancellor has said anti-war views had nothing to do with the decision and that military recruiters would still be allowed to visit campus.

Six UW schools, including the flagship Madison campus, have ROTC programs, in which students earn scholarships in exchange for getting training to be a military officer for a number of years after graduation.

Regents President Toby Markovich said Monday he believes the board should have the authority over campus ROTC programs, which he said are important.

"The regents have taken very strong stands on encouraging diversity and protecting people from harassment, and I don't think that policy is in any way contrary to having an ROTC program on campus,'' he said.

A handful of UW-Stout students in ROTC travel 110 miles to UW-La Crosse for training, and an Army ROTC official last fall proposed a program on the Stout campus after a study showed high enough demand.

The academic staff senate shot down the proposal 10-2, criticizing the policy on gays.

"It took us all by surprise,'' said UW-Stout Provost Robert Sedlak, who said discussion until then had focused on the potential benefits to students. "There are a number of things we weren't aware of that we are much more conscious of now.''

Sorensen said he would allow the program only if groups representing students, faculty and staff agreed.

Random Movie Quote

Peter Gibbins: So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.
Dr. Swanson: What about today? Is today the worst day of your life?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah.
Dr. Swanson: Wow, that's messed up.

GOP Alleges Fraud in Washington Gov. Vote

By REBECCA COOK

WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) - A trial to determine whether the results of Washington state's gubernatorial election last fall should be thrown out opened Monday with the Republicans charging that the Democrats ``stole'' the contest for Christine Gregoire, who won by 129 votes out of 2.9 million cast. The GOP wants Dino Rossi declared the winner or a do-over election held.

``This is a case of election fraud,'' GOP attorney Dale Foreman said in his opening statement in the trial, which is being heard by a Superior Court judge without a jury. ``This election was stolen from the legal voters of this state by a bizarre combination of illegal voters and bungling bureaucrats.'' Foreman surprised the court with a new claim: that the Democrats rigged the election by stuffing ballot boxes in Gregoire's two strongest precincts and by ``losing'' votes in two of Rossi's strongest precincts. The findings in Seattle's heavily Democratic King County show ``partisan bias and not random error,'' Foreman said. ``If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.''

Up to now, the Republicans have largely complained of bungling rather than outright fraud on the part of election officials. Foreman also said the GOP will prove that when all illegal votes are subtracted from both candidates, Rossi won the election.

Democratic attorney Kevin Hamilton countered by arguing that the Republicans lack the ``serious proof'' they need to make their case and justify the removal of the governor. He showed the judge a Power Point slide titled ``Evidence we won't see.''

Every election has mistakes, Hamilton said, and the 2004 Washington governor's contest was no exception, but ``imperfection is not enough to overturn an election.'' He also said the Republicans' belated claim of fraud demonstrates ``desperation'' on their part.

Chelan County Superior Court Judge John E. Bridges said that later in the day he would consider a request from the Democrats to exclude evidence relating to claims not previously raised - such as fraud.

``This case is going to set the rules for all future election contests in Washington state, large and small,'' said state Elections Director Nick Handy as he waited for the courtroom to open. ``It's going to be closure, at last, to this long and difficult election.'' Nevertheless, Bridges' verdict will almost certainly be appealed to the Washington Supreme Court.

Rossi, a former state senator and commercial real estate agent, won the first count by 261 votes and a machine recount by 42 votes - seemingly a stunning upset for Gregoire, a three-term attorney general in a Democratic-leaning state. But during a hand recount of 2.9 million ballots, the Democratic stronghold of Seattle made Gregoire the winner by 129 votes. Gregoire was inaugurated in January, amid protests from Rossi supporters.

Beatty for Governor?

Warren Beatty says he won't rule out running for governor of California, and he thinks he could do a better job than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I don't think anyone should ever rule public service out," Beatty said. "It's a way of saying, 'Take me out of the mix and don't listen to me anymore.' "

The actor made the remark after giving a commencement address at the University of California Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. Beatty, who has been involved in politics for years, entertained the idea of running for the presidency six years ago.

Beatty, 68, said he has "a real soft spot for actors even if they are right wing" and has always liked Schwarzenegger. But Schwarzenegger is a politician who should "rise to the higher level of that calling," Beatty said, and not denigrate fellow politicians by mocking them as "girlie men," as the governor did of Democratic lawmakers.

"Can't we accept that devotion to the building of the body politic is more complex and a little more sensitive than devotion to bodybuilding?" Beatty asked.

Schwarzenegger deputy press secretary Vince Sollitto said of the criticism: "I'm sure it's nothing personal. Warren's just mad at Republicans because he's afraid they're cutting off his Social Security."

Film Review: LA Confidential

LA Confidential
1997
2 hrs 15 min
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger

Plot: A shooting at an all night diner is investigated by three LA policemen in their own unique ways.

This ws an excellent suspense film. It was everthing that I had hoped Chinatown would be. Period pieces are tough to pull off, but I thought LAC managed it very well. Great acting by Kevin Spacey as usaul...and the rest of the cast wasn't too bad either. Plus, it's about corrupt LA cops. Who doesn't love that theme! Bad LA cops seems to be relavent in any decade. I didn't think that it was a very deep movie, but in terms of a mystery/thriller its one of the best I've ever seen. I'd say this one is worth seeing if you haven't, though I don't know if I'd see it again....maybe if it was on TV I'd watch it.

MarxistGopher's Rating: *******(7 of 10 stars)

Scully: Homer, we're going to ask you a few simple yes or no questions. Do you understand?
Homer: Yes. (lie dectector blows up)

Apu: Yes, yes, I know the procedure for armed robbery. I do work in a convenience store, you know.

DFL Elects Brian Melendez Party Chair

Minneapolis City DFL Chairman Brian Melendez beat out two challengers Saturday to win election as state party chair for the next two years.

"To change the world, we must win elections. To win elections, we must build an effective, relentless party organization. That's what I do," Melendez said before the vote of the DFL State Central Committee at St. Cloud's Apollo High School auditorium.

Melendez, 40, a partner at the Minneapolis law firm Faegre & Benson, beat out Josh Syrjamaki, an activist with the United Steelworkers of America and a former deputy campaign chairman for Sen. Paul Wellstone. Former state Rep. Betty Folliard also ran but dropped out after the first ballot and encouraged her backers to vote for Melendez.

"We all agree on the end, returning the government of Minnesota to the people of Minnesota and the vehicle for that is going to be the DFL Party," Melendez told the crowd.

Departing state chair Mike Erlandson, also chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo, had served for six years, the longest tenure. The campaign for chair was much more high-tech this year than when Erlandson beat out Mary McEvoy for the job in 1999. Supporters were working the floor with headphones and delegate lists.

Minneapolis activist Donna Cassutt was elected associate chair.

Melendez, who has served as the unpaid city chairman in Minneapolis for six years, is known for being pragmatic, highly organized and efficient.

"The Democratic Party is going to become the voice of the middle class," he said of his main goal for his term.

Melendez has three degrees from Harvard, including a law degree and a master's from the Divinity School. "I'd like to see the Democrats talk about faith and values rather than let the Republicans claim the moral high ground," he said.

Before he won, Melendez said the party needed to get out its message of accountability, opportunity and fair play. He pledged to hold training sessions for activists on how to get out the message.

Melendez also offered four priorities: fundraising, organizing, communications and customer service, which he described as reconnecting the state party with local party units.

Melendez said the legacy of Erlandson's tenure is healthy finances so as incoming chair, he can focus on party building.

In his preelection address, Melendez said he grew up without money, living in a two-bedroom apartment with his mom, an aunt and six other children. "My mother married my stepfather, and we got to move into a trailer," he said, bringing laughs.

When Republicans cut funding to higher education for disadvantaged children, they cut funding for people like him, Melendez said. "I can't stand by as Karl Rove and Tim Pawlenty build the America of their dreams while crushing our dreams," he said.

Melendez was born in upstate New York, raised in Florida and moved to Minnesota right after college. "I moved here because I liked the weather," he said in all seriousness.

The new chair will see the DFL through the 2006 election as the party seeks to hold on to the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by Mark Dayton and to regain the governor's office.

Hatch on the stump

Another question for the party is whether Attorney General Mike Hatch will run for the governor against Pawlenty.

"I don't know yet," Hatch said when he arrived at the event. When he addressed the delegates, he gave a fiery speech.

"I joined a new organization today; it's called the Minnesota Fee Payers Association," he said, referring to Pawlenty's proposal to add a 75-cent "health impact fee" to the cost of a pack of cigarettes.

On departing, Erlandson said, "We won more elections than we lost while I was party chair, including twice delivering the state as a blue state [in presidential voting]." Party officials provided a list of his accomplishments, among them, overseeing the election of U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, the first woman elected to Congress in Minnesota in 50 years.

Erlandson also led the party during one of the most tragic events in its history: the 2002 plane crash that killed Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, their daughter, Marcia, and five other people, including McEvoy. Erlandson called that day, Oct. 25, his most difficult day as chair. "It was a heartbreaking year. If I could take anything back, I'd take the airplane crash back and have lost every election," he said.

After a turbulent couple of weeks, the DFL lost Wellstone's Senate seat to Norm Coleman and the governor's office to Pawlenty as well as several seats in the state House. In 2004, the party picked up 13 seats in the state House.

DFL website

Galloway Senate testimony PDF goes AWOL

Evidence 'missing' from Committee website

The website for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs has removed testimony from UK MP George Galloway from its website.

All other witness testimonies for the hearings on the Oil for Food scandal are available on the Committee's website in PDF form. But Galloway's testimony is the only document not on the site.

"I have met Saddam Hussein exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him," Galloway told the Committee.

"The difference is that Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns and to give him maps the better to target those guns."

Press representatives for the Committee had no comment.

Mayor Quimby: I stand by my racial slur.

Galloway Miracle

If you haven't seen or heard any of the Galloway testimony before Norm Coleman's evil committee you should check out the at least the highlights below. Or if you're feeling really ambitious you can watch the entire testimony. Why can't we have politicians like this in the US....oh wait...thats right, they just kill them here...

The Highlight of the Galloway Testimony

The Full Testimony from the BBC (45 min)

4th Edition

It's time for yet another edition of Friday Feelings.
So....whatever you want to discuss....

Lisa: Dad, don't you think you're overreacting?
Homer: Don't you think you're *under*reacting?
Lisa: This conversation is over.
Homer: This conversation is *under*.
Lisa: Goodbye.
Homer: *bad*bye

Final Star Wars bears message for America

Lucas wins festival trophy - and hopes his epic will awaken US to democracy in peril

The republic is crumbling under attack from alien forces. Democracy is threatened as the leader plays on the people's paranoia. Amid the confusion it is suddenly unclear whether the state is in more danger from insurgents, or from the leader himself.

It sounds more like a Michael Moore polemic than a Star Wars movie. But George Lucas, speaking as his latest epic was given its world premiere at Cannes yesterday, confirmed that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, could be read as a parable about American politics.

read the whole article from The Guardian here

Film Review: Phone Booth

Phone Booth
2003
1 hr 20 min
Directed by Joel Shumacher
Starring Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell

Plot: Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle.

Booooooo! That's all I can say about this one. Maybe 'ughh' too. I'm not exactly sure what the message of this film was supposed to be. Was the psycho guy on the phone supposed to be God forcing the sinner to confess his sins? I really don't know? It's basically a morality tale wrapped in the shell of a psychological thriller....and it just didn't work for me. I'm not giving this a 1 or 2 simply because it managed to hold my interest for the whole hour fifteen minutes it lasted. If I was basing it entirely on the message though...

MarxistGopher's Rating: ***(3 of 10 stars)

Mr. Burns: I don't like being outdoors Smithers, for one thing, there's too many fat children.

Antonio Villaraigosa Elected L.A. Mayor

Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa unseated Mayor James Hahn on Tuesday to become the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century, confirming the rising political power of Latinos in the nation's second-largest city.

After a lackluster term tainted by corruption allegations at City Hall, Hahn was turned out of office in favor of a high school dropout and son of the barrio who turned his life around to become speaker of the California Assembly and then a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Villaraigosa had 202,861 votes, or 59 percent, to 140,416 votes for Hahn, or 41 percent.

"You all know I love L.A., but tonight I really love L.A.," an exuberant Villaraigosa told supporters.

Continue Story

Film Review: Ocean's Eleven

Ocean's Eleven
2001
1 hr 50 min
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts

Plot: Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

I'll try to keep this one short, because I didn't feel there was much to say about this film. Not that it's a bad movie...in fact it was quite entertaining. It was just fluff entertainment. I thought it was a fairly entertaining heist movie with an unnesessary and annoying love story. The gluttony of stars was interesting, but I really don't like George Clooney or Brad Pitt. I just find them annoying in everything they're in. Anyway, I guess that's it. I don't have much to say about this flick. Overall, a good way to kill a couple hours, but I wouldn't put it on any 'great films' list.

MarxistGopher's Rating: ******(6 of 10 stars)

Homer: Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get.

The British Elections

A guest post by Matt Carhart

Even though the blog master claims that politics is one of his sites principal themes, he somehow managed to completely ignore the 2nd most important election in the English speaking world. In light of this oversight, and because I am currently experiencing something of a personal “British Renaissance”, devouring all things British (remember the Avengers? I can’t wait for the world cup next year- go England!) , I decided to take a moment and present my analysis of the recent election. Since we are not likely to witness any sane, reasonable or legitimate politics in this country any time soon, it seems appropriate to examine British politics in order to fill the void and see what we are missing. I shall look at the three main contenders in the British election, the conservatives (tories), the Liberal Democrats, and Labour. I will describe the results of the election from each of the three party’s perspectives classifying each of them into the winners, losers, or neutral category, and then offer an overall assessment of the election and the future prospects for each party.

The Big Losers

Given the raw voting numbers and the number of seats in parliament they gained, it may shock many to discover that I am putting the conservatives in the big loser’s bracket. But a closer examination of the situation reveals that from the conservative perspective this was a deeply disappointing election. First, let’s put the conservative’s current MP (Member of Parliament) position in historical context. In 1983 when Labour was widely considered to have suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Thatcher, Labour held slightly over 200 seats; today the tories hold less than 200 seats. In addition, because Britain does not use proportional representation, the tories are actually over-represented in parliament so their number of MP’s is not an accurate reflection of their support in the country. Most of their support comes from rural areas in England and like in the U.S. these places have more political representation than they deserve.

Second, the actual number and percentage (32%) of voters that cast ballots for the tories in this election remained virtually unchanged from the 2001 election that was clearly a Labour landslide. Moreover, in many constituencies where the conservatives picked up seats it was the result of Labour voters turning to the Lib Dems or staying home rather than the tories gaining significant votes. This means that the tories gains are tenuous at best and cannot be seen as a sea change or trend they can count on to continue in the next election. For example, the tory majority in Pembrokshire is 607, in Hornchurch it is 480, in Clwyd West it is 133 and in Croydon Central it is only 75. In fact, in Clwyd West if only 2/3 of the Socialist Labor voters had voted Labour it would have been enough to defeat the tories even with a large Lib Dem vote taking votes away from Labour.

All this news should be troubling for the conservatives. They faced a prime minister that had been plagued by scandals in his cabinet, an unpopular war, a deteriorating health care and education system and a Labour party seemingly divided over Tony Blair. This should have been the tories opportunity to take advantage of the discontent and win 10 Downing. Instead the tories watched almost two thirds of the electorate vote for center-left parties. The tories will certainly point to the seats they won as evidence that they are gaining momentum, but do not let those numbers fool you, the tories are still out in the wilderness and the quick resignation of Howard and subsequent infighting over a new leader indicates that the tories themselves know how far away they are from winning a majority.

Failed to win big but did not lose either

This position belongs to the Liberal Democrats. Again, on the surface this might seem like a strange assessment, after all the Liberal Democrats remain the third party in terms of members and votes in Britain, why are they not the big losers? In addition, the Lib Dems went into the election with high hopes of surging into the primary opposition party slot but only picked up 8 additional seats. Clearly, this is a disappointing result for Lib Dems who hoped to capitalize on the unpopularity of Blair and the war. For these reasons, they are candidates for the biggest losers in the election; however, it is difficult to put the Lib Dems in the loser’s bracket when you put their result in historical context. The Lib Dems were almost an extinct party in the 1980s but the recent election has given the Lib Dems their largest vote percentage and MP representation since the 1920s. Moreover, the Lib Dems gained nearly 4% in the popular vote, more than the other parties and it is only a lack of proportional representation that prevents the Lib Dems from having control of about 1/4 of parliament. Given this historic result it is impossible to say that the Lib Dems were losers, rather they did not win as much as they thought or hoped. This leaves the Libs in a difficult position. They cannot really afford to sack Kennedy given his high personal popularity and the fact that he did lead the LD’s to gains in this past election, yet it is not clear that he can make the LD’s into a primary opposition party. The LD’s have to hope that in the next election they can raise their total another 3-4 % (a realistic number I think) and that the conservatives or Labour drop down to about the same level, this will put them into the position they wanted to be in now, namely, poised to secure second status nationally. Thus, the LD’s are still looking at an 8 year strategy in my view.

The Big Winners

I know it is hard to believe but Labour is the big winner. Disregard all that crap coming from the media about a bloody nose and Blair being finished. The fact is that Blair and Labour have so successfully marginalized the tories that even when their privatization schemes blow up, the war turns unpopular, and Blair runs a poor and defensive campaign they still manage to retain a comfortable majority. If I were in the Labour party I would be celebrating wildly. I know that 67 is not an ideal majority but it is certainly workable and if there is one thing that I have learned from recent U.S. politics it is that being in power no matter how small the majority is an infinitely better position than being in the minority. Look at it this way, Labour fucked things up and they still won a comfortable victory. They are now in the enviable position of having 4+ years to fix things and reassert their dominance. Plus, Labour can ride Blair for a few years and hope things improve and then take credit for the improvement and if Blair fails they can sack him a few months before calling an election, blame him for everything and put forward a new program that might rescue them from defeat. Basically, Labour controls its own destiny now. They survived the challenge from the left and the right is still on its knees looking for its weapon. You can be sure that Labour will not take the LD’s lightly next time and if they can recapture those that defected to the LD’s it is almost a certainty that they will win again in 2009. Finally, as much as I dislike Blair’s policies, I admire his political skill and despite a lackluster campaign he showed after the election why he is the Bill Clinton of Britain. His humble apology and insistence that he will listen to the people was brilliant. Let’s not forget Labour is now on their 3^rd straight term, the first time in history, and if they even make faint gestures to the left they are likely to see a 4^th straight term.

Summary/Outlook

I think the overarching result from this election is that the tories are still in disarray, the LD’s are the clear voice of the left and that Labour remains ascendant. In order to reclaim power, the tories need a young charismatic leader and they need Labour to continue to ignore social services. In short, the tories need a good leader and they need help from labor to fully recover. The key to winning elections are the big industrial cities and London and right now they are controlled by Labour. Unless the tories can make inroads there, they will remain in the minority. The Lib Dems have the toughest decision in the wake of the election. It seems they did not take votes away from the tories as much as they had hoped so the question is will the LD’s move right to try and peel those voters off the tories or will they maintain their leftist stance and hope to further erode Labour. I do not see the LD’s becoming the primary opposition party unless it comes at the expense of Labour. In other words, I do not expect to see a Labour government and a LD’s opposition with the tories as the third party. I expect the LD’s will continue along their current path and hope that they can take votes from both parties in the next election. Kennedy is a solid but not spectacular leader, he will not hurt the party but he will not attract votes on his own like Blair did in 1997. Therefore, the LD’s need the tories to remain a joke and hope that Labour continues to struggle, this scenario might get the LD’s a better result in 2009 but here again they need help to improve. Labour, meanwhile, is well positioned to increase its majority in 2009. A reasonable 4 years of rule should help move some Lib Dem voters back to Labour and prevent the tories from gaining any traction. Unfortunately, Blair is likely to continue on with his semi-conservative policies that will likely further erode the British economy and cause more suffering. This is the recipe for a Labour loss in 2009, but if Labour can somehow come to its senses it can push its MP majority back over 100. I look for Labour to try to have it both ways, they will try to put more money into social services to blunt the left but they will proceed with privatization and useless security spending. I also expect Labour to attack the LD’s much more over the next 4 years than they did during the campaign. I know it is early and things can change dramatically, but in the end, I predict Blair will be the longest serving PM (breaking Thatcher’s record) and Labour will win again in 2009.

Now it’s time to celebrate the center-left victory with an English muffin.