Blanked Out

It will end, will it? I thought Franken’s excellent editorial published today might be enough but no - the madness continues:

The Star Tribune of Minneapolis will be refunding about $12,000 spent on a full-page ad to Al Franken’s Senate campaign, a Franken campaign spokesman says.

This week, Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign took out a full-page ad in the newspaper criticizing Franken for not condemning a New York Times ad by MoveOn.org, which had attacked General David Petraeus.

Coleman’s campaign says it paid a little over $23,000 on the ad - far less than the $37,000 that Franken’s campaign says it paid for a full-page ad two months ago.

In other words…

The Star Tribune is refunding Franken for giving Sen. Coleman a discount on an ad criticizing criticism (Franken’s) of criticism (Congress’) of an ad (Move On’s) criticizing (General Petraeus’) criticism of the Iraq War on the same day they publish an editorial (George F. Will’s) which criticizes the lack of criticism that can result in a discount on an ad criticizing criticism of…

While it would be fun to continue to expose the hilarity that arise from this Moebius Strip we call life I will instead leave it to others to plumb the comedic angles.

Succinctly:

• Congress, as an institution, should not condemn any instance of non-violent free speech. To do otherwise is both embarrassing and dangerous.
• A quick back of the envelope shows that it cost U.S. taxpayers at least $917,528 for the Senate to condemn the Move On ad.*

This is worse that a do nothing Congress.

*Equation: {Average Congress member makes $165,000/Congress meets an average of 93 days per year} x {517 members in the Congress who voted either way on resolution}. (Subtracted members who refused to vote since measure was farce, i.e. Obama).

UPDATE: The Strib is currently not reporting this on their site - instead some sort of bathroom incident is taking top billing. Strib story is here.

This is my first report as I investigate the incident surrounding the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) action of August 31st 2007. While there was a slew of photos, videos and eyewitness reports I did not see any reporting done with those who were actually arrested.

The MPD’s response was to give no comment on this story since it is still an open investigation.

Unless you’re on the City Council that is - 2nd Ward Council Member Cam Gordon was able to confirm several details in his post here that help explain the MPD response:

• The ride was under surveillance from the beginning from both air and ground - joint units (MPD intellgience and State Patrol) - no explanation of why or if this is common procedure
• “Officers reportedly responded to confrontational behavior by three Mass participants, and found themselves in a situation they could not control. They put out an “officer needs help,” call, which the Chief of Police has indicated is not the ideal response to this sort of event. Responding officers arrived without coordination, and, apparently afraid for the welfare of their fellow officers on site, reacted to the situation they found”

• Officers were unaware that Critical Mass participants often hold their bicycles above their heads, and that this is not a threatening gesture but one of celebration and empowerment.

Cam’s post helps a lot - I’ll be writing a “feature” piece that summarizes everything once all the pieces come together. For now, here is my interview with Joel Lueders who was arrested that day. I don’t talk much since his story (which checks out) speaks for itself. If you have any additional information regarding the incident please email me at noah AT blanked-out DOT com:

Blanked-Out:
Tell me a bit about yourself and what happened.

Joel Lueders:

I have lived in Minneapolis since 2000. For the last 5 years I’ve served in the Minnesota Army National Guard. I have a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I am 25 and work in Downtown Minneapolis where I bike to and from each day. I am not a member of the pReNC and this was my first time attending Critical Mass.

It started at Loring Park, went to the University of Minnesota Campus then back across Broadway Bridge. A helicopter was surveying the crowd from the beginning. A police car trailed us the entire time, sounding their siren as they drove through intersections. As the crowd passed people would smile at us, whip out camera phones or whoop and holler.

Some would ask “What’s this all about?” Bikers usually responded with “Happy Friday!” I saw at least one plainclothes officer tracking us with a camcorder. Later, when crossing the Broadway Bridge I came across a single arrest in progress. Unified chants of “Let him go!” began – a few minutes later they did. Bikers immediately continued riding along with the rear police escort.

(more…)

I knew that would draw you in. Don’t worry, pay off for the headline is buried deep. This is an analytical feature, so you’ll have to work for it. You had Labor Day off after all.

First: This post is not about the arrests during the Critical Mass bike ride on August 31^st. Currently, that event is being adequately covered by eyewitness Steve Marsh, Aaron Landry and the always solid Andy Birkey at the Minnesota Monitor. The only thing that will provide info on that event is more verifiable eyewitness reports – something I’m working on.

Exculpations or convictions should be held off until then.

In the meantime, I felt it was important to clarify an emerging mainstream media meme regarding the RNC Welcoming Committee’s (RWC) plans to protest the RNC Convention. This post is not to render judgment either way but to present the details in context which has always been a core mission of Blanked Out.

On the morning of 8/27, RWC proxy Bea Bridges presented this statement and this video. Star Tribune staffer Randy Furst posted a news story that afternoon along with Rachel E. Stassen-Berger of the Pioneer Press. Two days later, activist-columnist Katherine Kersten posted an editorial regarding the legal preparations for the RNC convention.

Let’s see how the story developed on two key points: (emphasis added)

(more…)

Winston had a curious feeling that this was not a real human being but some kind of dummy. It was not the man’s brain that was speaking, it was his larynx. The stuff that was coming out of him consisted of words, but it was not speech in the true sense: it was a noise uttered in unconsciousness, like the quacking of a duck.

- George Orwell, 1984, Chapter 5

I’ve always wondered why I can’t seem to land any of those plush political communication positions.  No longer.  It obviously requires a much more pliable perception of reality than I’m capable of producing. Witness a master:

7/16/2007

Leslie Sandberg, communications director for Ciresi calculates that “68 percent of Ciresi’s money this quarter came from donors inside Minnesota, compared to about 50 percent for Coleman, and about 20 percent of Franken’s donors.”Ron Carey, MNGOP Chair: “No matter how many millions he raises from his far-left friends outside our state, Al Franken won’t be able to convince Minnesotans he has the temperament, demeanor and experience necessary for the U.S. Senate.”

7/24/2007

Kevin Diaz, Star Tribune: “In all, Franken’s camp reports that more than 4,000 of his 28,000 donors were from Minnesota, including 3,677 who gave less than $200.

Coleman’s camp reports that about 3,500 of his 7,000 donors for the period were from Minnesota, including a little more than 3,000 who gave less than $200.”

(…)

“I wonder what the Republican Party’s talking points will be now that they’ve found out that more Minnesotans supported Al Franken than Norm Coleman?” said Franken spokeswoman Jess McIntosh.

Enter the maestro!

Mark Drake, a spokesman for the Minnesota GOP, stuck to his original point: “Al Franken may not like it, but the fact is that overwhelming majority of his donors come from outside Minnesota.”

So quick…like a mongoose’s final blow, Mark Drake, in mere seconds redefines the English language. A new epoch has begun!

Before: money given to political campaigns was called “money” and the people who gave that money were called “people“.

Now: no difference at all between pieces of paper and living human beings!

Yes Mark, moneypeople. I am sure this is merely the first of a whole litany of exciting and novel political newspeak. Funny thing that word…always reminded me of newspeak. I’ll write more on newspeak on Monday.

BONUS: The picture links to an MPR story on the CD-ROM that Drake and MN GOP distributed on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Remember this?

Problem was that the CD-ROM submitted data back to MN GOP servers without notifying the user. Drake’s response? The user should assume data is being collected.

Just like how poor Winston assumed Big Brother was watching him through the telescreen.

Mr. Drake, you are a delight.

I just got back from the Voting with a Mouse: How Bloggers Altered the Political Landscape event at the Humphrey Center.

The forum began with a Power Point from David Carr of the New York times. Karr used to write for various publications and alterative weeklies here in Minnesota.

Following the presentation Joe Bodell of MNCR, Michael Brodkorb of MDE, Eric Black of the Strib/Big Question and Carr held an interesting and informative panel.

The panel spent a large amount of time debating whether or not blogs worsen the partisan divides in society or merely reflect the fault lines that already exist.

Carr and Black argued that since blogs allow the reader to only associate with others that confirm and reinforce his own biases, blogs exacerbate partisan differences. The worry here was that the blogosphere would merely become the electronic equivalent of talk radio.

Despite their own partisan differences, Bodell and Brodkorb united in opposition to this argument. While conceding that individual blogs may amplify voices in the ideological extremities the blogosphere in total does reflect society.

I’ll post more discussion and some of my own impressions tomorrow in Part 2. Teaser: Part 3 is entitled “The End of Privacy”.