[Mpls] PB candidate Christine Hansen pads her resume

[Chris Johnson]

One the more recent campaign literature pieces from Christine Hansen states 
that she is a member of the Seniors & Workers Coalition on Quality Care, a 
group made up of representatives from many organizations working on improving 
health care in nursing homes and assisted living homes.  I'm told by a member 
of the League of Women Voters (LWV) that the truth is otherwise.  Last spring, 
Hansen was invited by the LWV to see if she would be interested in replacing 
the former LWV representative to the Seniors & Workers Coalition.  Hansen 
attended only 2 meetings in the spring, never did anything else, and then 
abruptly quit the job.


Now she lists it as one of her organizational memberships.

One has to wonder whether other memberships she lists are equally invalid, or 
of no consequence.


Also, I note that her website attempts to trick the careless or distracted 
reader into thinking she is endorsed by the DFL, when in reality her opponent 
Tracy Nordstrom has the endorsement.


With these kinds of problems with honesty and ethics, she seems like the last 
person taxpayers would want managing their money and parks.



--
Chris Johnson
Fulton

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[Mpls] library fine questions and responses

[[EMAIL PROTECTED]]

Sarah asks:   does removing fines decrease the rate of permanently missing 
books? 

Samantha answers:  this is a great question but I do not have the data to 
answer it 
Bill asks:   I wonder if the Minneapolis Libraries are not already operating in 
a no-fine environment?
MPL does assess fines, as you have probably learned from other posts, but no, 
the library staff do not insist upon them every time you check out, however, if 
they get too high, your privileges are suspended pending payment


Mike spews:

"a gratuitous attempt to garner sympathy from people who believe anything they 
are told.
Do you really think I would pay a library fine if it meant that my baby would 
be without milk? Yes, I would pay the fine. I am a lower middle class white 
male. I AM the reason so many poor people have overdue books, and I would eat 
the baby to save milk money."


Samantha responds:  I am surprised this nasty sentiment got by the moderator - 
I believe the rule is 
"be civil!"  I am amazed that merely stating my opinion on an issue could 
generate this kind of viciousness, both toward me and toward everyone else on 
this list if you all will believe anything you are told.  This is one peoples 
republic I don't care to live in.  


However, I would also like to say that anyone can incur a fine - and it is not 
always a matter of being responsible.  I wish I could count the number of times 
that library books I read to my kids at night have slipped between the bed and 
the wall, disappearing into the chaos until we remember to search for them.  I 
usually prefer to think the best of people and not infer that there are 
denizens of low-lifes stealing library books just so that someone else will not 
be empowered or enthralled by the same.  

In my view, the bottom line is free access to library materials for the masses 
of people.  If fines and fees are a barrier, as the American Library 
Association has affirmed, than we should cease to impose them.  


forward ever, Samantha Smart

[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Smart libraries are OPEN libraries!
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[Mpls] Mixing it up again!

[Annie Young]

List members - I want to clarify some statements attributed to me in a List 
Memer's blog and message to this Forum list.


Eva Young - I hate wasting one of my 2 daily e-messages in this way but Eva 
you have again raise my angst and gone over the line in your 
cyber-meanderings..


In your writings you just released this evening regarding Greens Natalie 
and Dean you mix a lot of this and that which makes it seem all the truth 
of things because you have pieced them all together.


I want people to know that I didn't make some of the statements in your 
message - others I did.  And the way, Eva, you wrote the piece it looks 
like I go right into saying lots of other things about Dean.

-
Fellow Green Party office-holder 
Annie Young once voiced dismay 
over Dean's obsessive PRT collaboration with right-wing Republicans like 
Mark Olson:

I voiced dismay in The Pulse article.
I never  said, " collaboration with right-wing Republicans like Mark Olson".
To be honest, I don't know if I would know Mark Olson if I was standing 
right next to him.  Eva, I don't talk this way. Rightwing  Republican is 
not really a word in my vocabulary if I can help it.



I did not make this statement - you did but it looks like it is attributed 
to me.
"Zimmermann's party, the Green Party, is however, apparently distancing 
itself from Zimmermann.



I did say this, however,
" Annie Young of the party said, "This is not a Green Party issue; this is 
Dean's project. I'm concerned about his relationship to Taxi 2000, and 
about the time he's spending on the project and whether he's meeting the 
needs of the people in his ward. There are potentially some good things 
that could come from it, and I see what the point is but I'm not sure the 
timing is right. There are also a lot of questions about it, like why are 
the Republicans so interested in it? There are a lot of good alternatives 
that we should be working on, and there are so many transportation needs to 
be addressed. I'm just not sure this is the best one."

From that point on I am not involved in the rest of Eva's message.

Even though Dean  and I are friends for years and years we certainly do not 
agree on every single issue.  This is one of them.  There are many we do 
agree upon, however. Who in the world agrees with a person ALL the time?


Annie Young
East Phillips
























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Subject: Re: [Mpls] last weeks' library board meeting

[Linda Koelman]

The bobcats were not here at Webber all summer - they didn't even begin
laying out the project until after our Labor Day Victory 10K run. They were
in other places closer to the river earlier tho. And now they are already
done and most of the bobcats and everything else is pretty much gone. At
one point we were told that some of the north/south streets between
Humboldt and Osseo Road would be filled in from 45th to Memorial Parkway,
making a green space more like that on the west side of Osseo Road - that
was one of the things discussed and requested at 2 open meetings held
within the last year for input from the public. Unfortunately, for some
reason that doesn't seem to be happening now, because they poured all new
curbs on the ends of those blocks as they did the new path. This new path
replaces the old one that was sunken/raised up/disintigrated/falling apart
and narrow - and it does look a whole lot better now. At least for that, we
are thankful!

Linda Koelman 
President of Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization



Liz's message
 
If you look at the maps the library does sit within the park 
boundaries. I imagine that like with the rec centers located in the 
schools there is some sort of joint use agreement. This would be an 
excellent time for the lighting to be improved as they have been out at 
Webber all summer with bobcats etc... laying the new bike trails that 
go from Victory Parkway to the river by where Shingle Creek joins the 
Mississippi. Maybe one of the many lurkers from the MPRB staff would 
like to clarify what's up. Maybe Ms. Sommers the new media guru for 
the MPRB could fill all of us in on this issue.
 
Liz Wielinski
Columbia Park


Linda Koelman
[EMAIL PROTECTED]




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[Mpls] So Called "Green" Campaigns: Johnson Lee and Zimmermann

[Eva Young]

Natalie Johnson Lee has some TV ads.  They give absolutely no information 
about the candidate and where they stand, but is just a song "Vote for 
Natalie" with photos of Natalie Johnson Lee.


I have decided to vote for Don Samuels on Tuesday.  I had concerns about 
both candidates.  I've always liked Samuels message about personal 
responsibility.  I've thought his vigils were grandstanding.


Don Samuels is a democrat, but he made the effort during both of his 
campaigns to reach out to Log Cabin Republicans.  He stopped by one of our 
meetings in 2003, and he came to our fundraiser a few weeks ago.  I 
appreciate the Democratic politicians who make an effort to reach beyond 
the partisan democratic base in Minneapolis.  Samuels was very impressive 
when he was a guest on David Strom's show on the Patriot.


I've heard from NJL supporters that part of the reason to vote against Don, 
is that voting for Don would be bringing Jackie Cherryhomes back to city 
hall.  I don't agree with this.  While I felt Jackie Cherryhomes deserved 
to be defeated 4 years ago, the reason was that she was part of the 
irresponsible fiscal management of the city - not the venomous bile that 
was directed towards her.  Jackie Cherryhomes did host a fundraiser for Don 
Samuels.


Margaret Martin (David Strom's wife) from Ourhouse blog describes a visit 
from Natalie Johnson Lee's husband, Travis:


http://www.ourhouseblog.com/?m=20051015

The things Travis told Margaret Martin were similar to the things he told 
me.  I did verify from another council member that Don Samuels does have a 
low attendance record - and that is something I hope he works on during the 
next council.


Ken Avidor has a piece on Lloydletta about Dean Zimmermann's claim that 
Heathrow Airport is in Scotland:


http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2005/11/heathrow-in-scotland-by-ken-avidor.html

Fellow Green Party office-holder 
Annie Young once voiced dismay 
over Dean's obsessive PRT collaboration with right-wing Republicans like 
Mark Olson:


"Zimmermann’s party, the Green Party, is however, apparently distancing 
itself from Zimmermann." Annie Young of the party said, “This is not a 
Green Party issue; this is Dean’s project. I’m concerned about his 
relationship to Taxi 2000, and about the time he’s spending on the project 
and whether he’s meeting the needs of the people in his ward. There are 
potentially some good things that could come from it, and I see what the 
point is but I’m not sure the timing is right. There are also a lot of 
questions about it, like why are the Republicans so interested in it? There 
are a lot of good alternatives that we should be working on, and there are 
so many transportation needs to be addressed. I’m just not sure this is the 
best one."


Zimmermann's eagerness to work with anti-transit, pro-highway, 
right-wingers confirms what some critics including myself have said that 
Zimmermann is anti-LRT, anti-transit and pro-highway himself. Zimmermann 
did not get the Sierra Club endorsement this year mainly because of his 
many anti-transit statements. Zimmermann's promotion of PRT has consumed a 
large share 
of his first term in office. Zimmermann has even traveled to suburbs to 
promote his PRT plan.


Unfortunately, the FBI raid on Zimmermann's house has dominated the 6th 
Ward campaign. Zimmermann has gotten a lot of sympathy from well-meaning 
people who feel that Zimmermann is being "persecuted". The investigation 
has allowed Zimmermann to avoid explaining his support for PRT and his 
anti-transit rhetoric. For much of his campaign, Zimmermann has been 
uncharacteristically quiet about PRT.


Dean Zimmermann's campaign has just released a 
position 
paper on transportation that repeats the standard anti-transit 
disinformation that PRT proponents repeat on their web sites and in their 
pamphlets:


"Light rail is great, but costly to build. And buses – well, as a friend of 
Dean’s says: “I believe in mass transit­until then I’ll take the bus.” 
We’ve done better in the past, the street car system was really good, but 
we need practical, lower-cost alternatives for the future."


"Council Member Dean Zimmermann advocates for PRT­Personal Rapid Transit. 
Like a car, it goes where you want, is available when you want it, and is 
as private as you want it to be. Unlike motor vehicles it doesn’t burn gas 
and it doesn’t add pollution to our urban air.


"And it’s not some pipe dream Council Member Dean Zimmermann cooked up. 
Just this month, Heathrow Airport in Scotland signed a contract to build a 
PRT system using a technology developed in Wales."


Besides misstating where Heathrow Airport is, the Zimmermann campaign 
states that there is a contract to build PRT at Heathrow. The British 
Airport Authority announced only a "agreement for the developmen

[Mpls] Don Samuels/ 1993:God called him/ 2005: Darwin called him

[PennBroKeith]

I have pointed out in recent posts how Don Samuels has used demagogic tactics 
and language to advance himself in our local 5th Ward Council race. During 
his tenure as Council Rep for the 3rd Ward his demagogic hater tactics have 
divided, and wounded, the Jordan and Hawthorne neighborhoods. He has busily 
pitted 
stakeholder against stakeholder, when he should have been reuniting diverse 
people and diverse interests in the neighborhoods. I also pointed out his giddy 
self-discovery and public announcement that he is an "Alpha-Male".

I have recently learned that Don Samuels tactics and outlook have not 
evolved, nor changed, at all from 12 years ago. On April 2, 1993 Hennepin 
County 
Judge Harry Seymour Crump granted Rev. Curtis Herron a restraining order 
against 
Don Samuels.

This Hennepin County, Court issued, restraining Order was based on the 
court-upheld allegation that Don Samuels was harassing Reverend Herron and his 
family.

>From the official Petition for a Court Restraining Order and in Reverend 
Herron's own words: 

"Respondent (Don Samuels) has been harassing Petitioner (Rev. Herron) since 
August 1992. Respondent (Don Samuels) stated to Petitioner's Wife and other 
members of the church that Respondent (Don Samuels) comes to this Church to 
help 
get rid of the Pastor. Respondent (Don Samuels) said that he was called by God 
to do this." There are additional allegations of harassment cited.

On April 2, 1993, Judge Harry Seymour Crump, Henn. County District Court, 
ordered Don Samuels to "... cease or avoid the harassment..." of Rev. Herron. 
The 
Judge ordered that "Any repeated, intrusive, or unwanted acts, words, or 
gestures that are intended to adversely affect the safety, or privacy... " of 
Rev. 
Herron and "Any contact with..." Rev. Herron "...in person, by telephone, or 
by other means or persons." will be a "VIOLATION OF THIS RESTRAINING ORDER 
(and) IS A MISDEMEANOR PUNISHABLE BY IMPRISONMENT FOR UP TO 90 DAYS OR A FINE 
OF 
UP TO $700 OR BOTH." A PEACE OFFICER MUST MAKE AN ARREST WITHOUT WARRANT AND 
TAKE THE RESPONDENT (Don Samuels) INTO CUSTODY IF THE PEACE OFFICER HAS 
PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THE PERSON (Don Samuels) HAS VIOLATED THIS 
RESTRAINING 
ORDER." (Quotes and caps are Judge Crump's; parenthesis are mine)

I am so glad that Don Samuels and his God, did not destroy Reverend Herron 
and his Wife. Rev. Herron went on to stand in front of the bulldozers at what 
is 
now Heritage Village. He was arrested there for trying to block the wanton 
demolition of affordable housing. Don Samuels went on to preach hatred and 
divisiveness in the Hood. The self-proclaimed Alpha-Man Don Samuels needs to be 
defeated at the polls on Tuesday, November 8th.

God called Don to crazy misbehavior in 1993. Darwin called him in 2005 to 
become a self proclaimed and divisive "Alpha-Male" in our Northside 
neighborhoods. We, the Voters, must recall him on this Tuesday, November 8th.

Remember, Vote for the Sister, Natalie Johnson-Lee on Tuesday, November 8th.

Keith Reitman  NearNorth


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[Mpls] Mpls Riverside Coal/NG Plant: Importing Energy

[Gary Hoover]

This issue is an example of our parochial and poorly educated approach to 
energy and environmental issues.  Wake up, DFL!

The Riverside plant burns coal to make electricity.  Mayor Rybak wants this 
changed -- we should burn natural gas, which is cleaner by far.   Of course 
DFLers who support McLaughlin seem to think that the big problem here is that 
we are moving too slowly.

Here's the real issue, which neither DFL faction cares to know about (or is it 
knows to care about?).

We import large amounts of natural gas from Canada.  Canadians send the USA 
about 55% of the crude oil they produce and about 68% of natural gas.  The fine 
print of NAFTA locks Canada and Mexico into exporting at least as great a 
percentage of this fossil fuel to the USA even as they reach peak and will need 
to import from other countries to supply their own needs.

Many Canadians are angry about the high-handed way we energy-guzzling Americans 
assume that we can demand their resources even if they need them at home.  (The 
USA and Canada have a little problem with lumber, too, but for now that's a 
different story.)

More than half of our homes are heated using natural gas.  Many businesses use 
natural gas furnaces as well.  Some people believe that we are stupid to burn 
natural gas when it is so useful as a feedstock to make fertilizer and other 
very useful products.

So our local DFLers want to burn natural gas to make electricity.  Natural gas 
will become more expensive, and may give us a harder and more drastic energy 
crunch than petroleum. Electricity will biome more expensive as well if we burn 
natural gas to burn it.

If Canadians and Mexicans and other folks from Central America and South 
America decide to lower the flow of fossil fuels to the USA in order to bargain 
for a better deal for themselves (it's a free market, free trade and all that, 
right?) then we are up a crick without a paddle.

The latest, excellent summary of this issue I've found is here online:

http://www.fcnp.com/535/peakoil.htm  

I continue to be amazed at how upset DFLers get with people who oppose their 
favorite flavor of DFLer for Mayor or City Council.  We need local government 
representatives who are willing to do their homework and plan infrastructure 
for the next twenty or thirty years.

We need to look at how much energy we can generate here in our bioregion, and 
create an energy budget which will require us to import far less energy than we 
do.  Minneapolis, the Metro Area, and our state are a part of a bioregion.  We 
need to learn to live within our energy means.

By the way, we also import electricity from Manitoba Hydro.  This Canadian 
project has been devastating for many Native People who have been displaced by 
the project.  Once again, a colonial arrangement:  we suck energy in without 
thought for how it gets to us.  check out the documentary website for Green 
Green Water.

http://www.greengreenwater.com/vlog/  

In ten years we will see increasing tension over scarcening supplies of 
petroleum, natural gas, and even water.  Prices will go up. Those who realize 
that we in the USA exclude them from our banquet will become hopeless and full 
of rage. 

As we become more brutal in order to maintain the status quo for a shrinking 
minority of wealthy people, civil unrest will grow here in the "homeland."

Rybak and McLaughlin are afraid to address these issues because their political 
base refuses to do so.

We need to educate ourselves out of the paralysis we have chosen in the face of 
challenging times.  Mayoral and City Council Candidates must help create a plan 
to transform Minneapolis into a sustainable city.  So far, neither one has made 
even one point stick in their campaign mudfight.

Tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dee.  Please pass the coal, petroleum, and natural 
gas.  And a heaping helping of nuclear power as well, please.  And so it 
goes.politics as usual in the local DFLand so it goes.

pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst for now - Gary Hoover
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[Mpls] What ever happened to Lake Harriet Live?

[Chris Johnson]

Lake Harriet Live [1]

Last year, on September 19, about 30,000 people enjoyed a day-long musical
celebration at the Lake Harriet Bandshell.  Musical guests ranged from the
Minnesota Orchestra to Debbie Duncan to Boogie Wonderland.  It celebrated the
completion of the all-volunteer restoration of the Lake Harriet Bandshell.

Lake Harriet Live was supposed to become an annual event.  Founder Mark
McGowan also directed the renovation effort.  In order to continue the
maintenance of the Bandshell, McGowan created the Lake Harriet Preservation
Fund, a 501(c)3 charity, to receive donations.  Food vendors at Lake Harriet
Live agreed to donate 20 percent of their sales to that fund.  The Minneapolis
Park and Recreation Board gave the organizers assurances that they could hold
this event annually for park users enjoyment and to raise money for the
preservation fund.  [2]

Many people have asked what happened, why was there no Lake Harriet Live this
year?

In his own district, park commissioner Bob Fine helped torpedo the Lake
Harriet Preservation Fund.  Fine helped prevent the Lake Harriet Live 
celebration from being the annual event the Park Board promised that it would 
be.  On September 19, 2004 at the Lake Harriet Live celebration, at which Bob 
Fine was present, Fine refused repeated invitations by Mark McGowan and Mick 
Sterling to come up to the stage and acknowledge the 50 business partners and 
150 individuals who contributed to the half-million dollar, unprecedented

restoration project.

So if you wonder why there was no Lake Harriet Live celebration and why the
Lake Harriet Preservation Fund is dead in the water, ask Bob Fine.  Demand
a straight answer, although it's a sure thing you won't get one.


[Links]
[1]  Lake Harriet Live website:  http://www.lakeharrietlive.com/
[2]  Southwest Journal about Lake Harriet Live:
http://www.swjournal.com/articles/2004/09/03/neighbors/neighbors07.txt

--
Chris Johnson
Fulton



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RE: [Mpls] library board meeting/camp coldwater info

[Roberta Englund]

Regarding the Webber Library: The library is on land owned by Minneapolis
Park and Recreation. If the Library does not maintain use the land and
improvements reverts to the Park Board. 

Roberta Englund
Executive Director
Webber-Camden Neighborhood
Home of Webber Library
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Dorie Rae Gallagher
Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 6:20 PM
To: Elizabeth Wielinski
Cc: mpls@mnforum.org
Subject: [Mpls] library board meeting/camp coldwater info

It is my understanding the library has to own the land
 the library sits on...perhaps a board member can
tell us if they own the property where the library sits
 at Webber Park.


> Cheryl wrote...
> Additional note, a Weber library user expressed concern over the lighting 
> around that library...apparently it's on park board
> Liz's reply If you look at the maps the library does sit within the 
> park boundaries.  I imagine that like with the rec centers located in the 
> schools there is some sort of joint use agreement.

different note...

Fish & Wildlife will reopen  Coldwater Springs  on Tues. Nov. 8th
Hours  9-3  Monday - Friday  Don't need permits!

History buffs might be interested in Camp Coldwater..Birthplace
of Minnesota...so the claim goes for the EuroAmericans. Natives
might have reason to dispute that claim!

www.preservecampcoldwater.org

Dorie Gallagher/Nokomis

>
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>
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>
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Re: [Mpls] Kummer campaign tactics

[Niel Ritchie]

The death throes of the status quo. So predictable,
and so sad. 

The writer (any relation to the Park Board's lawyer?)
must be responding to the Star Tribune's sneaky
one-two punch; a ringing endorsement of Jason Stone
and a clearly articulated rejection of the
dysfunctional Park Board majority, including Carol. 

And because it was a viscous attack, I'm betting it
will stick!

Eagerly anticipating a reform majority...

Niel Ritchie
Linden Hills


--- Jason C Stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> A paragraph from a letter distributed in the
> community by one of Commissioner Kummer's
> supporters:
> 
> "Beware of last minute scare tactics and slanderous
> viscous [sic] personal political attacks!
> 
> Carol has run a fair, honest and decent campaign
> based on the issues.  Unfortunately, opponents of
> Carol have run a negative and distorted campaign
> attacking her and other members of the Park
> Board.  Carol's opponent and the group that support
> him have already made false accusations about
> the Park Board.  Those tactics, especially when it
> comes to Park Board races, should be rejected.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Devin Patrick Rice"
> 
> I don't have any scare tactics and slanderous
> viscous [sic] attacks on the pre-election tasklist,
> so rest easy Kummer campaign.  But thanks for
> alerting voters to the "potential".  
> 
> __
> 
> Jason Stone
> Diamond Lake
> Candidate for Park District 5
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> 
> Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused
> Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
> Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org
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> 




__ 
Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
http://farechase.yahoo.com
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[Mpls] Library Board Candidate Rod Kruger

[Barbara Lickness]

I am writing to encourage people to support Library Board candidate Rod Kruger 
by voting for him on Tuesday November 8th.  I have been working on a few 
campaigns this campaign seaon and the one thing that I could count on for 
certain is that Rod Kruger was always there somewhere. 

 

I work in the 4 Phillips neighborhoods and live in Whittier. I attend tons of 
meetings and events in these  two neighborhoods. Rod Kruger has been there 
talking to people at nearly everything I attended. I am encouraged that a 
citywide candidate would spend so much time in neighborhoods with such low 
voter turn-out. Most citywide candidates pretty much blow us off. I will say 
for the record that Samantha Smart has been at some stuff too. But Rod has been 
the "steady-Eddy". That says a lot to me. He works hard for the votes he gets. 
I believe he will also work hard to keep libraries and library options 
accessible to those living in my ward. Good Luck Rod!

 

Barb Lickness

Whittier


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change 
the world.  Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
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[Mpls] library board meeting/camp coldwater info

[Dorie Rae Gallagher]

It is my understanding the library has to own the land
the library sits on...perhaps a board member can
tell us if they own the property where the library sits
at Webber Park.



Cheryl wrote...
Additional note, a Weber library user expressed concern over the lighting 
around that library...apparently it's on park board
Liz's reply If you look at the maps the library does sit within the 
park boundaries.  I imagine that like with the rec centers located in the 
schools there is some sort of joint use agreement.


different note...

Fish & Wildlife will reopen  Coldwater Springs  on Tues. Nov. 8th
Hours  9-3  Monday - Friday  Don't need permits!

History buffs might be interested in Camp Coldwater..Birthplace
of Minnesota...so the claim goes for the EuroAmericans. Natives
might have reason to dispute that claim!

www.preservecampcoldwater.org

Dorie Gallagher/Nokomis



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Re: [Mpls] Justice Du Jour

[Dan McGrath]

Robert Halfhill wrote:
   "Access to adequate public transportation is a right.  If you think of it
in collective terms, we can either collectively provide for adequate
transportation for the people living in this city or do it the way we do
now, with most people providing for their transportation individually and
clogging the streets and polluting the air with a plethora of private
automobiles."

How can anything which requires the participation of another individual (or
a group of people) be a "right?" Rights are inalienable. That means you
possess the same rights whether you are alone in the wilderness, or in the
urban core. They don't change with circumstance, and you cannot demand
someone else do something to make your rights possible. It can't be a right
if you can't do it! It can't be a right if you can't do it yourself!
Rights are concepts like freedom of speech, freedom of motion (within your
capabilities - you cannot have the right to fly like a bird, for example),
freedom to defend ones-self, freedom to choose with whom you associate (that
doesn't mean the individuals you choose have to associate with you!).
Freedom to make a living, to make transactions with another willing person,
etc.

Public accomodations cannot be a right. They can't be enjoyed alone in the
wilderness.

If you go hiking in the mountains, and get tired, and want to catch a train
back home, are your rights violated because the national park isn't
cris-crossed with tracks?

The idea that public transportation is a right is as ridiculous as the
notion that I have the right to my neighbor driving me where ever I wish to
go!

Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us

- Original Message -
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: 
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 10:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Justice Du Jour




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[Mpls] Kummer campaign tactics

[Jason C Stone]

A paragraph from a letter distributed in the community by one of Commissioner 
Kummer's supporters:

"Beware of last minute scare tactics and slanderous viscous [sic] personal 
political attacks!

Carol has run a fair, honest and decent campaign based on the issues.  
Unfortunately, opponents of
Carol have run a negative and distorted campaign attacking her and other 
members of the Park
Board.  Carol's opponent and the group that support him have already made false 
accusations about
the Park Board.  Those tactics, especially when it comes to Park Board races, 
should be rejected.

Sincerely,
Devin Patrick Rice"

I don't have any scare tactics and slanderous viscous [sic] attacks on the 
pre-election tasklist,
so rest easy Kummer campaign.  But thanks for alerting voters to the 
"potential".  

__

Jason Stone
Diamond Lake
Candidate for Park District 5
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[Mpls] Annie Young for At-large Park Board Commissioner

[Diane Wiley]

Here is the whole text of what I sent to the Star Tribune -- of which they
printed about half:

It would be a crime not to re-elect Annie Young as an at-large Minneapolis
Park Board Commissioner.  Annie has a proven track record.  She is someone
who has been totally accessible to the public -- she will listen and talk to
anyone who has concerns, and she has had email access for city residents to
contact her for the past 5 or 6 years now.  Annie does her homework -- she's
knowledgeable, she knows why she is taking any positions she takes.  She
works tirelessly and attends as many relevant events and meetings as is
humanly possible, again, listening and talking to people about Park Board
issues.  

Annie's in-depth understanding of important environmental issues such as
water quality and wetlands is invaluable.  She understands the importance of
keeping our neighborhood parks open and available to all.  She has
steadfastly voted against privatizing and giving away our park resources to
private developers.  She has shown herself to be committed to land use
planning and developing a new Master Plan for the park system so that we can
continue to have one of the best park systems in the country.  

Annie Young doesn't owe anything to any special interests - she votes her
conscience and for the betterment of the parks and the public.  She has been
a true public servant in the best sense of the word.  A vote for Annie on
November 8th is a vote for all of us and for the future of the Minneapolis
Parks.   

Diane Wiley,  Minneapolis 

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[Mpls] A suggestion for more cost effective policing in Minneapolis

[gemgram]

Minneapolis faces three serious problems with providing public safety. 
These are:

1. Need for greater monetary resources
2. Need for more “on the street” police manpower
3. Need for a more professional police force

These needs may in part be addressed by creating an apparatus in the 
Minneapolis police department that would train suburban and out state police 
officers in drug & gang interdiction.


Institute of Drug & Gang Interdiction (Or some such title to be put on a 
graduation certificate)


Police departments around the state are required to provide and pay for 
additional training time or continuing education for their officers.  This 
amounts to many thousands of dollars for each separate police and sheriff's 
department in the state.  It includes thousands of sworn police officers 
from those departments in the Metropolitan area alone. Finding meaningful 
training that will have a maximum benefit to that department can be more 
than a challenge. It is almost impossible! Training officers from several 
suburban departments have openly expressed this problem and need.


Drugs and Gangs are no longer just an inner-city problem; the problem has 
gone statewide.  Other departments are aware of their lack of experience in 
dealing with this problem.  Minneapolis in juxtaposition has a world of 
experience in dealing with such matters, but lacks sufficient manpower and 
funding to deal with them as effectively as might be possible. Creating 
within the Minneapolis Police Department a “Drug and Gang Interdiction” 
training apparatus may address the needs of both. Other departments and 
agencies would pay their training dollars to Minneapolis to do street level 
training in the area.  In addition to some classroom orientation the 
“student” officers would receive training experience by actually 
participating in various police operations.  Such training could include, 
but not be limited to, “sting” operations, “reverse sting” operations, 
undercover surveillance, gang identification, saturation operations of 
targeted problem areas, public relations, ethical practices, and community 
involvement in policing. After completion of the course participants would 
receive a certificate as well as possibly some covered college credits.


Such an “Institute”, in addition to bringing scarce resources of manpower 
and funds to Minneapolis, would also raise the professional level of the 
Minneapolis Police Department itself.  By rotating officers through the 
program as teachers and trainers Minneapolis would raise the awareness, 
sensitivity, and professional conduct of the entire department.  Such an 
“Institute” would help to create a “culture” of professionalism that would 
be carried back to individual officer’s precincts.  Through the training of 
others the Minneapolis training officers would increase the expectation of 
proper procedures, practices, and techniques for ALL Minneapolis police 
officers. This alone would potentially save millions of dollars in lawsuits, 
as well as creating a far more effective and appreciated police department.


With Captain Mike Martin and others from the department being the leading 
authorities on gangs and drug interdiction in the State of Minnesota, 
Minneapolis is uniquely situated to take advantage of this possibility and 
opportunity.  In addition to being able to immediately have access to the 
increased manpower such “Training Officers” would provide, Minneapolis could 
dedicate the additional dollars paid for the training to hiring additional 
permanent police officers of its own.


This and other ideas are not new.  They, like the “STOP” unit, have come 
from Minneapolis’ own residents for the last four years, but have been 
largely ignored.  Minneapolis can make use of its wealth of human resources 
to do smarter, more creative, policing and provide better services to the 
Minneapolis community.  But Minneapolis leaders must be open to exploring 
those creative ideas that are brought forward.  An ongoing “Institute” would 
be one mechanism to allow for that possibility.


(I would be happy to flesh out such an initiative. I have run it by training 
officers and even some of our own Police Department Inspectors and Captains, 
and they all received it with enthusiasm.)


Jim Graham,
Ventura Village


"Many receive advice, few profit by it."
- Publilius Syrus, 1st Century B.C. 


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Re: [Mpls] last weeks' library board meeting

[Elizabeth Wielinski]

Cheryl wrote...

Additional note, a Weber library user expressed concern over the 
lighting around that library...apparently it's on park board land so 
who knows who is responsible...and how long that could take with 2 
jurisdictions...hope it's the park boards area cuz they have more money


Liz's reply

  If you look at the maps the library does sit within the park 
boundaries.  I imagine that like with the rec centers located in the 
schools there is some sort of joint use agreement.  This would be an 
excellent time for the lighting to be improved as they have been out at 
Webber all summer with bobcats etc... laying the new bike trails that 
go from Victory Parkway to the river by where Shingle Creek joins the 
Mississippi.  Maybe one of the many lurkers from the MPRB staff would 
like to clarify what's up.  Maybe Ms. Sommers the new media guru for 
the MPRB could fill all of us in on this issue.


Liz Wielinski
Columbia Park

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[Mpls] Mayor Update 11/04/05 Needs Clarification/Correction

[Joeandjeannabor]

 
Dear Mayor Rybak, 
Please  clarify for residents this statement that was sent out in the Mayor 
update  11/4/05(see below): 
"...I  am proud of the work we have accomplished in Minneapolis to protect 
our  environment. For example, we have reduced air pollution by converting the  
riverside coal plant to cleaner natural gas" 
To date---not one brick  has changed---no conversion or reduction of air 
pollution has occurred.  (average 90lbs of mercury a year and tons of global 
warming gases continue to  freely expel from the Riverside plant)  
Residents demanded a better  quality of life and a conversion of the 
Riverside plant in one  year. The Mayor knows he didn't get it done in one 
year, which 
was  certainly an option, or four years and we're now still waiting while 
claiming  this is an accomplishment?  
I'm sure this is a mistake and  wouldn't want to mislead or confuse residents 
into believing that this  conversion already got done when there is still 
much work and vigilance needed  ahead.  
A promise, handshake, and  headlines do not a conversion or reduction in air 
pollution at Riverside make.   
Remaining vigilant and  planning a conversion party in 2009, 
Amy Luesebrink 
Clean Energy Now member 
former Lind-Bohanon  resident 
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[Mpls] SWJ: "Slippery Slope" Peak Oil article (fwd)

[Charles Gimon]

Resources are also available at the Minneapolis Public Library:

http://www.mplib.org/hottopicsarch032.asp

--Charles Gimon
  Waite Park (and MPL)


Forwarded message:
> 
> The current Southwest Journal includes an article on Peak Oil awareness 
> activism.  The article by Michael Metzger is a good introduction to this 
> complex but vitally important topic.  I recommend it to list members.  The 
> print version included a nifty list of books and websites for further 
> exploration.  I didn't see that list online, but the rest of the article is 
> online at:
> 
> http://www.swjournal.com/  
> 
> Also: in my last post I neglected to include the link to Grist magazine's 
> interview with Matthew Simmons.  Here it is:
> 
> http://grist.org/news/maindish/2005/11/03/simmons/index.html  
> 
> Energy resource depletion is a crucial issue for Minneapolis.  The way we 
> respond will determine whether "peak oil" is a blessing or a curse. 
> 
> if we continue in denial, thousands upon thousands more people will die in 
> resource wars (see Ebel, cited in last post) and our environment will 
> continue to deteriorate.  If we learn from "peak oil" then we will give peace 
> a chance through the way we live.
> 
> What is wonderful is this: careful response to "peak oil" also benefit us in 
> terms of global climate change issues, other environmental concerns, and in 
> terms of geopolitics.  As we go through the "bottleneck" of the next two 
> decades, sustainable living will have multidimensional benefits.
> 
> We need to focus on this at every level, and in terms of every decision about 
> how we structure our city.
> 
> -- pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst for now -- Gary Hoover

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[Mpls] last weeks' library board meeting

[c lee]

After all the election frenzy subsides, hopefully those interested will 
follow the current discussions on the library board.  Despite all the new 
members who will be on that board, they will need to live with the current 
proposed budget to be approved Nov./Dec.


At the last meeting, discussion items included:
*** charter revisions and why the charter commission has not addressed the 
concerns of the library board (theoretically they have addressed the park 
board's concerns)...this discussion and failure of the commission to respond 
has been going on over a year.  Like a truly independent set of 
boards.?..this is where the decision may be made ("revision" is needed 
before the "reform" can begin)  Commission has promised a one on one with 
the library.


***What to do with that pesky LGA...how to spend the one-time "windfall"  8 
options are on the block...2 were added last week and the board has asked 
that these be further investigated:

a)use the LGA to fund the downtown library
b)use the LGA to fund the downtown library with some left to facilitate the 
opening of North and East lake street when they come on line in a year and 
one-half.
This is a simplification...also mentioned is using it to balance budget, pay 
down debt.
Disussion on these options by board trustees and some of the responses 
surprised (and maybe troubled) me.  Now maybe the time to follow this and 
comment at the Board meetings before final decisons are made.  Board 
meetings are first and third Wed at 250 Marquette (4th floor), 5:30...double 
check on web site...occassionaly held at community libraries


***staffing and hours proposal for the new central library...a long spread 
sheet, it's gonna be a tight squeeze...just hope the community libraries 
don't get squeezed to death.

If interested, the fun exciting details are on the MPL website
under board meetings.

Additional note, a Weber library user expressed concern over the lighting 
around that library...apparently it's on park board land so who knows who is 
responsible...and how long that could take with 2 jurisdictions...hope it's 
the park boards area cuz they have more money


Best wishes,
cheryl luger

SMART   LIBRARIES ARE  OPEN LIBRARIES...AND SAMANATHA SMART DOES SUPPORT 
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS DESPITE THE "Misunderstanding" by the STRIB


thanks to all 19 candidates who cared enough to run this year

_
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[Mpls] last weeks' library board meeting

[c lee]

After all the election frenzy subsides, hopefully those interested will 
follow the current discussions on the library board.  Despite all the new 
members who will be on that board, they will need to live with the current 
proposed budget to be approved Nov./Dec.


At the last meeting, discussion items included:
*** charter revisions and why the charter commission has not addressed the 
concerns of the library board (theoretically they have addressed the park 
board's concerns)...this discussion and failure of the commission to respond 
has been going on over a year.  Like a truly independent set of 
boards.?..this is where the decision may be made ("revision" is needed 
before the "reform" can begin)  Commission has promised a one on one with 
the library.


***What to do with that pesky LGA...how to spend the one-time "windfall"  8 
options are on the block...2 were added last week and the board has asked 
that these be further investigated:

a)use the LGA to fund the downtown library
b)use the LGA to fund the downtown library with some left to facilitate the 
opening of North and East lake street when they come on line in a year and 
one-half.
This is a simplification...also mentioned is using it to balance budget, pay 
down debt.
Disussion on these options by board trustees and some of the responses 
surprised (and maybe troubled) me.  Now maybe the time to follow this and 
comment at the Board meetings before final decisons are made.  Board 
meetings are first and third Wed at 250 Marquette (4th floor), 5:30...double 
check on web site...occassionaly held at community libraries


***staffing and hours proposal for the new central library...a long spread 
sheet, it's gonna be a tight squeeze...just hope the community libraries 
don't get squeezed to death.

If interested, the fun exciting details are on the MPL website
under board meetings.

Additional note, a Weber library user expressed concern over the lighting 
around that library...apparently it's on park board land so who knows who is 
responsible...and how long that could take with 2 jurisdictions...hope it's 
the park boards area cuz they have more money


Best wishes,
cheryl luger

SMART   LIBRARIES ARE  OPEN LIBRARIES...AND SAMANATHA SMART DOES SUPPORT 
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS DESPITE THE "Misunderstanding" by the STRIB


thanks to all 19 candidates who cared enough to run this year

_
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RE: [Mpls] Justice Du Jour

[List Manager]

We're beyond Minneapolis here. Let's get the thread back here or end it.

David Brauer
List manager

> > I wonder if that was the thinking in New Orleans as well.  It certainly
> > resulted in an oppressive situation for the poor who did not have cars
and
> > could not reach the buses to evacuate.  But perhaps they should have
> > thought about that inconvenience in advance and tried to solve the
problem
> > on their own by some creative means.
> 
> MT: The citizens of New Orleans who couldn't get out were not oppressed.
> They were victims of their own government. Oppression implies an enduring
> culture of subjugation by cruelty or being kept down by unjust force or
> cruelty. I don't think this was the case in NO. Keeping that in mind, when
> things go bad, more often than not, government will fail the people.
> Government screws far more things up than it solves owing to the massive
> amounts of bureaucracy and political patronage. Katrina was another
example.
> I got news for ya: FEMA's first mission is NOT about managing emergencies.
> FEMA's first mission is ensuring the existence of FEMA. Do you think if
the
> federal government really cared about the citizens and managing
emergencies,
> they would have put a former horse show judge at the top?


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Re: [Mpls] library fines

[wmmarks]

Timothy J. Salo wrote:


<>From: wmmarks 

... The ALA has signed in as against fines, their collected
evidence is sufficient for me. ...



<>Did they? I dug through the ALA's Web site and found,...


First, fees and fines are not the same. Fees are for copying government 
documents, delicate materials, pictures, etc. Fines are also not 
replacement costs collected from users who lose materials.


Fines, even though a sub-class of fees, are those fees charged for 
overdue books.


I think the statement on access was created by the ALA Social 
Responsibility Roundtable. I often look to that committee for the most 
future-looking statements of professional librarians. What happens at 
the Roundtable is what filters up to the ALA organization as a whole 
over time. The access statements were made years ago, but then 
bureaucracy takes years to implement positions into practice.


I do not know how much data the Roundtable worked with, nor whether they 
have done testing of their statement. I would presume they have data 
(just being librarians means having data) and that some of it has come 
from libraries who do not collect fines.


The Public Library Association is the division of ALA of interest here. 
Their web site does not lay out a more in-depth position, but does 
emphasize access as a primary goal.



WizardMarks, Central


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[Mpls] ?

[Joeandjeannabor]

What is the reason why my email's aren't being posted?
Thank you.
Amy Luesebrink
LBNA and SCNA staff
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Re: [Mpls] library fines (oops)

[Timothy J. Salo]

> Date: Sat, 5 Nov 2005 14:25:39 -0600 (CST)
> From: "Timothy J. Salo"
> Subject: Re: [Mpls] library fines
> 
> > From: wmmarks 
> > 
> > ... The ALA has signed in as against fines, their collected 
> > evidence is sufficient for me. ...
> 
> Did they?
  

My apologies; I should have said: "Did it?"

(While my original wording is common British usage, it is neither
correct English or correct British.)

-tjs
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[Mpls] Sandy Colvin Roy flyer observation

[Randall Kindley]

I, however, noticed a smudge of cheese on my piece of mail from Kevin
McDonald. What does that make that piece?

Randall Kindley [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Nokomis East



> Just strikes me this AM as a cheesy attempt to imply
> public safety credentials...
>
> John McClellan
> Keewaydin
>


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Re: [Mpls] library fines

[Timothy J. Salo]

> From: wmmarks 
> 
> ... The ALA has signed in as against fines, their collected 
> evidence is sufficient for me. ...

Did they?

I dug through the ALA's Web site and found, for example, "Economic
Barriers to Information Access: An Interpretation of the Library
Bill of Rights"

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/interpretations/economicbarriers.pdf

Under the section "Principles Governing Fines, Fees and User Charges"
it states:

"The American Library Association opposes the charging
of _user fees_ [emphasis added] for provision of information by
all libraries and information services that receive their major
support from public funds." 

It later states :

"All library policies and procedures, particularly those involving
fines, fees and other user charges, should be _scrutinized_
[emphasis added] for potential barriers to access."

I assume that this policy adopted by the ALA Council is carefully
worded, (these are librarians, after all).  It clearly states opposition
to _fees_, but only specifies "scrutiny" of fines.  It also indicates that
the ALA clearly differentiates between user fees and fines, in contrast
to several e-mails in this thread.

In a more recently approved policy, "Library Services for People with
Disabilities", the ALA Council states:

"Libraries must not discriminate against individuals with
disabilities...  To ensure such access, libraries _may_
[emphasis added] provide individuals with disabilities with
services such as ... waived late fines ..."

http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaissues/libraryservices.htm

This language appears to pretty clearly accept the notion of late fines.

Based on the Council-approved ALA policies I found, it does not appear
that the ALA, in fact, opposes fines.  Perhaps, you could point us to
a more recent ALA policy that reverses these earlier positions?

-tjs
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RE: [Mpls] Library Budget

[Anderson & Turpin]

Sheldon Mains wrote:
On Monday Craig summarized the library budget information I talked to him
about in Ballot Box
(http://www.mplsobserver.com/node/413).

You can find more detail on my website at http://www.MainsForLibrary.org.
Just click on the budget link at the top center.

Also, the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library have background
information at
http://www.friendsofmpl.org/images/Citizens%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

This budget information shows why we need library board members who can
understand detailed and confusing budgets and who can and will work with all
the council members and whoever is elected Mayor.

Mark Anderson replies:
I assume you are saying that you are one of those folks who can understand a
detailed and confusing budget?  Can you tell me then; since the library
budget increased 68% over the last ten years (per one of the cites you have
above), why did libraries suddenly cut hours dramatically?  68% is greater
than inflation over those years; what services have been expanded so that
these cuts have been needed?  The Friends mention health care costs, but
such costs are only a small piece of the budget, so even a large increase
wouldn't have such a major effect.

Thanks

Mark V Anderson
Bancroft


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Re: [Mpls] library fines

[wmmarks]

Laura, thanks for weighing in.

I don't think library fines are just about poor people. Really bad 
library employees in positions of power can make life miserable for 
librarians and public alike and do so on a day to day basis through a 
rigid insistence on fine collection (neither includes nor excludes MPL 
employees). The ALA has signed in as against fines, their collected 
evidence is sufficient for me.


The cost of buying, cataloging, and processing every new book  runs to 
something above $14.00 each and replacement isn't always possible. It's 
impossible to replace out of print books, particularly small market 
books like local and regional authors without a national following, 
books on esoteric subjects most folks never concern themselves with, 
books about MN, its towns, farms and villages, odd histories, journals 
and diaries. GLBT books walk out the door with great frequency, often 
times specifically to deprive others of reading books about, by, and for 
GLBT people.


I want the books back. I also do not want to make occasions for parents 
with 'anger management issues,' to have another excuse to terrorize a 
kid in the library, on the way out of the library, at the car or bus 
stop. (Interesting that we've gotten so refined that we say people have 
anger management issues rather than just saying they're behaving like 
vicious jackasses.)


Best numbers on Tuesday. Rah-rah and all that jazz. W

Oh, did I mention I want the books back?


WizardMarks, Central


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[Mpls] Sandy Colvin Roy flyer observation Sat 11/05

[John McClellan]

Checking the mail today, in the pile of political ads,
I see a full page color advert for Colvin Roy.   Under
the headline "Sandy Colvin Roy is proof that when we
bring people together, we get things done!" is a
collage of photos, mostly showing SCR doing
"neighborhoody" things, like riding the LRT, talking
at a block party, etc.

Two of the photos imply a public safety connection, a
picture of a firefighter next to a rig and a cop in a
squad car.

Observation - The firetruck & firefighter are
definitely not Mpls rigs -- certainly not Engine 12
from the hood.  Possibly a suburban volunteer
department?   (Or more likely from a generic $50
public safety photo collection).  There's a somewhat
sloppy Photoshop attempt to cut out the rig number on
the front bumper, so it says "ENG INE".   Same
goes for the pic of the cop - not a Mpls cop either.

Just strikes me this AM as a cheesy attempt to imply
public safety credentials...

John McClellan
Keewaydin




__ 
Start your day with Yahoo! - Make it your home page! 
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
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RE: [Mpls] library fines

[Eva Young]

> Why can't we expect people to be responsible for
> their own actions?
> Why do people assume that poor people are not
> responsible, smart, have
> integrity, values, etc?
> Poor people and rich people can, and do, return
> materials on time.
> No one is "forcing people to choose between a $3.00
> fine and a gallon of
> milk for the family" as you said. That's just
> ridiculous, and a gratuitous
> attempt to garner sympathy from people who believe
> anything they are told.
> Do you really think I would pay a library fine if it
> meant that my baby
> would be without milk? Yes, I would pay the fine. I
> am a lower middle class
> white male. I AM the reason so many poor people have
> overdue books, and I
> would eat the baby to save milk money.

Mike Nelson says it well.  I forget to return books on
time, and I have library fines sometimes.  I don't
have problems with paying them.  If there weren't
fines, it would mean less of an incentive to return
the books on time.  

I find the online ability to reserve books and to
check when books are due and renew if I want very
valuable.  

Eva Young

Eva Young
Near North 
Minneapolis
Blogs: 
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
http://www.outletradio.com
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[Mpls] Thankyou Laura Huseby

[m1r3201]

I respect and appreciate Laura's post to the list.

I too am a person who volunteers (usually more than 40 hours per week) on the 
issue of homelessness.

I too have found that the many of us who volunteer our time and expertise 
often have more grass roots and action oriented goals then those paid to serve 
in 
organization. Certainly there are paid staff in organizations that work long 
and hard.

Anyway, Ms. Huseby makes a crucial point in the importance of volunteers in 
making real change.

Often I am in meetings where we go around and give our agency identification. 
Usually I am the only one -- other then the folks I work with experiencing 
homelessness--who have no agency or organizational affiliation.

My work on the Decrim Task Force of the Community Advisory Board on 
Homelessness was as a volunteer...I am not a member of that Advisory Board. Our 
core 
group in Decrim was made up of people who had or were currently experiencing 
homelessness. You would have thought they were getting paid big bucks with the 
way they consistently showed up for meetings, and worked diligently lobbying 
city hall, the MPD, the City Attorney, etc. This was a 3 year long haul task 
force..that completed the work we were charged to do  and achieved and 
continues 
to achieve significant change in policy and attention.

Over time the agency folks come to realize that those of us with no official 
label are sharp, intelligent and motivated by passion and a commitment to the 
issues. 

Peter McLaughlin is not impressed by labels...he is impressed by those who 
work hard and don't BS about issues important to this city and county and state.

He can talk to people who make tons of money and wield that sort of power and 
he can talk to people who don't even have a place to stay at night,,,and he 
gives equal respect in both cases.

The reason I avoid official membership is somewhat my own eccentricity--- I 
don't like much being constrained by organizational bureaucracy.

The other is because I have so often seen organizations morph into myopic, 
stagnant entities that forget about who they are supposed to be serving and 
advocating with and for.

I think Peter understands this dynamic and can ask the hard questions when 
action is not being taken and he also can handle being challenged.

Margaret Hastings
Kingfield
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[Mpls] Fw: Sierra Club endorsed RT: Laura Huseby real story!!!

[rick broberg]

Mr. Bradley and list:

This is a classic case of diverting the discussion.  The only response RT 
supporters can grasp; trash the messenger and not the actual meat of the post.  
I can see why you no longer have a position in Sierra Club and I wonder at how 
you managed to stay in as long as you did with these ethics.

Mr. Bradley-Kenny Neighborhood states:

>Laura Huseby became a Sierra Club member in February of 2005.

Yes, I only became a card carrying member this year.  Being a single income 
homeowner in South Minneapolis has me paying attention to were money goes, 
especially on a public service wage.  I have been attending, participating in 
the Sierra Club as a volunteer for the past 3 years.  I guess it wouldn't occur 
to you that "blue-collar workers" contribute to a cause in time and expertise 
(sometimes more valuable) not just $.  That is why "volunteer" precedes 
"member" in my posts. 

>She never attended any >Minneapolis Political Committee meetings that are open 
>to members.

I never claimed to have attended a Political Committee meeting of any sort.  

>It seems like she may have joined to just be able to criticize endorsements as 
>a member. We call this SPIN.

On the contrary, Mr. Bradley, your statement is the SPIN in that post.  You 
stated that I joined in February 2005.  I don't recall SC endorsing anything in 
February.  Seems like I would have joined much later in order to simply 
criticize endorsements.  You know nothing about me or my personal decisions and 
your assertion is utterly disrespectful and rude.

The real issue:

Tuesday is nearly here, and our city and it's environment is at stake.  That we 
elect a 'real' environmental Mayor capable of reaching across the city, 
political parties, regions and international boundaries in the effort to 
preserve and protect, as ambassador for Minneapolis, is critical to 
Minneapolis' survival and progress.  Peter McLaughlin has an exemplary record 
of doing just that and that is why I support Peter McLaughlin for Mayor of 
Minneapolis.

Have a good day. 

Laura Huseby

Sierra Club volunteer and member

Peter McLaughlin supporter
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[Mpls] Star Tribune reports SE Como man beaten near downtown Minneapolis

[Justin E.]

Posting this to the list for Jennifer Lee, Como neighborhood staff (Tom Dahl 
served on Como's NRP park committee; as far as I know, this hasn't been 
covered on the tv news yet):



http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5709801.html


Man severely beaten in Minneapolis
Last update: November 4, 2005 at 11:29 PM

A 35-year-old man was found beaten near downtown Minneapolis, apparently 
after he called for a cab after a night out with some co-workers.


Thomas Dahl of Minneapolis, who was found injured early Thursday, was NOT 
EXPECTED TO SURVIVE HIS HEAD INJURIES, said his mother-in-law, Martha 
Lijewski. "It feels so unfair that such a young guy would be struck down," 
she said.


Dahl was in the intensive care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Trent Palmer, an associate of Dahl's, said it appears that Dahl spent 
Wednesday night downtown with a small group of co-workers. About midnight 
they split up, and Dahl called for a cab home.


A little more than an hour later, a motorist pointed patrol officers in the 
direction of Washington and 12th avenues N., where they found Dahl. He had 
severe head injuries, perhaps caused by a piece of wood found at the scene, 
Capt. Rich Stanek said.


Officers arrested a man who was standing near Dahl who apparently had taken 
some of his belongings. The man who was arrested told police that another 
man ran from the scene, but he was too far away for officers to catch up to 
him. Dahl and his wife married about 15 years ago and have a daughter, 12, 
and son, 6.



TOM FORD


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Re: [Mpls] library fines

[Laura and lloyd]

On Friday, November 4, 2005, at 12:49  PM, wmmarks wrote:

 please tell us your position on library fines vis-a-vis the budget.


Other library board candidates, could you weigh in on this?



I'd like to de-couple the discussion from poor people for the moment. 
Whether or not the poor should have to pay fines for late books or 
materials is a separate question.


Relative to the number of library cards out there for Minneapolis, how 
many are dormant because of fines? That's something we need to know 
(not that the library does not know this, but I don't have that 
information now). Have we moved past the time when fines are an 
effective way to keep the maximum number of books and materials in 
circulation? That's another question well worth pursuing. And, there is 
a relation to the first question. If the number of dormant cards due to 
overdue materials is large, say in the youth population, then more has 
to be done to get this population back in the libraries and using the 
materials and services.That could very well be a change in the fine 
structure, or its elimination. It could also be other things we have 
not discovered yet.


There are other "borrowing" entities that have done away with fines or 
never had them to begin with. These strategies are tied to the overall 
marketing plans - note Netflick and now Blockbuster. The goal is 
maximum circulation.


For the library system, we need the optimum number of items in 
circulation (available for borrowing) and we need the optimum number of 
borrowers to be actively using the system. If that can be achieved by 
eliminating fines, I would favor it. The cost of collecting has risen, 
and with tightened budgets for operating, more dollars spent serving 
patrons is a good thing, even if it is a sliver more.


So, vis a vis the budget, if materials loss through failure to return 
is less than the cost of time to recover the materials, the budget is 
better off with no fines. But it is a big step that requires research 
and a pilot study period. In the end, we want more service in the 
"front of the store" than back in non-public area doing work that does 
not pay off in higher patron satisfaction and greater use of the 
library system.


Thanks,

Laura
Southeast - Como Neighborhood



Laura Waterman Wittstock
Candidate for Minneapolis Library Board of Trustees
DFL and Labor endorsed
AFSCME Mn Council 5
AFL-CIO COPE
Minneapolis Building and Trades
Stonewall DFL
Minnesota Women's Political Caucus
www.laurawatermanwittstock.com
http://laurawatermanwittstock.blogspot.com/
Wittstock for Library Committee
913 19th Avenue SE, Mpls, 55414
Minneapolis, MN
612-387-4915

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Re: [Mpls] Justice Du Jour

[Michael Thompson]

- Original Message - 
From: "Dorothy Titus" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

To: "Mpls Forum" 
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 9:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Justice Du Jour

Dottie Titus says (and MT responds):

I wonder if that was the thinking in New Orleans as well.  It certainly 
resulted in an oppressive situation for the poor who did not have cars and 
could not reach the buses to evacuate.  But perhaps they should have 
thought about that inconvenience in advance and tried to solve the problem 
on their own by some creative means.


MT: The citizens of New Orleans who couldn't get out were not oppressed. 
They were victims of their own government. Oppression implies an enduring 
culture of subjugation by cruelty or being kept down by unjust force or 
cruelty. I don't think this was the case in NO. Keeping that in mind, when 
things go bad, more often than not, government will fail the people. 
Government screws far more things up than it solves owing to the massive 
amounts of bureaucracy and political patronage. Katrina was another example. 
I got news for ya: FEMA's first mission is NOT about managing emergencies. 
FEMA's first mission is ensuring the existence of FEMA. Do you think if the 
federal government really cared about the citizens and managing emergencies, 
they would have put a former horse show judge at the top?


MT: The government in New Orleans failed the residents, not the 
transportation system. The transportation is an entity run by the 
government, it is not a tangible being that cun run itself. City officials 
failed to properly plan. State officials failed to properly plan. Federal 
officials failed to properly respond, as illustrated above. However, to some 
extent, when you live in hurricane land, you hold some (not all, but some) 
responsibility for getting yourself out when the hurricane IS COMING. You 
also, like it or not, hold some responsbility for living in hurricane land 
in the first place, just like people who live on flood plains do when their 
homes get flooded or people in LA who build on the San Andreas fault. I 
would never live on the Gulf Coast without an idea of how I will get out on 
THREE DAYS notice. Maybe I'm expecting too much of people.


Cities nearly always have a certain population that do not own cars either 
for convenience or because they cannot afford to.  In my neighborhood, 21% 
of those in the workforce used public transportation to get to work (2000 
census). 27% of the population lives below the poverty line.  Public 
transportation is important.  Certainly, it is not a "right."


MT: That's not what Robert Halfhill says. He says transportation is a right. 
See below.


Then Robert Halfhill of Loring Park says (and MT responds):

 Access to adequate public transportation is a right.  If you think of it 
in collective terms, we can either collectively provide for adequate 
transportation for the people living in this city or do it the way we do 
now, with most people providing for their transportation individually and 
clogging the streets and polluting the air > with a plethora of private 
automobiles.


MT: I do not see the connection to transportation being a right so as not to 
clog the streets with a "plethora of private automobiles." Public safety is 
a right, but it is not a right just so we don't clog the streets with 
private security guards. Your connection is not clear.


 Were you actually being serious or were you satirizing the position that 
adequate transportation is not a right when you said that the people in 
New Orleans who > were trapped there should have come up with some 
"creative means" of solving their lack of a way of getting out of the 
city?  Well, I've got news for you.  I don't > own and cannot afford an 
automobile and if Pararie Island ever explodes, I can't get out of here 
either.  I will be completely dependent on the mercies of the government 
to provide emergency vehicles.


MT: I am responding to your points above, though I know that your response 
above was to another's posters comments. That said: It's not too late to 
plan. I believe in the old adage of "if you always do what you've always 
done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." If you're banking on the 
government to come through for you on this one, you run the significant risk 
of being let down, once again, by a system that honors bureaucracy before 
citizens. Make a contingency plan. Hell, contact me back-channel and I'll 
volunteer to be your ride out of town should the sh*t hit the fan. 
Seriously. And no, I'm not a survivalist. I'm a realist.. who realizes 
that the government is not always the answer and often makes things worse 
than they were.


Mike Thompson
Windom



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[Mpls] inadvertant post

[Ron Werner]

I accidently sent out a post about 5 minutes ago and it was 
incomplete--hopefully, it will not get posted


ron werner

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http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/


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[Mpls] Police Community Relations Council and Mayor Rybak

[Hanson, Jeremy J.]

As a response to the recently-posted PCRC opinion letter, below is a commentary 
article from Mayor Rybak that was published in November's Minneapolis Observer:

Dear Editor, 

I am writing to respond to the recent opinion article questioning my commitment 
to the Police Community Relations Council (PCRC) and its efforts to implement 
the Federal Mediation Agreement. Unfortunately, the guest commentator took 
liberties that require correction.

Building bridges between Police Department and the community is tough work, 
especially when we are addressing issues that have been simmering for decades. 
PCRC and the mediation agreement will continue to be controversial, especially 
in the weeks leading up to an election.

I am committed to improving police-community relations in Minneapolis, which is 
why I hired Chief McManus to reform the department and to build a constructive 
working relationship between the Police Department and the community. I put my 
political career on the line to hire Chief McManus because he is uniquely 
capable of healing the long-simmering racial wounds of our police. I fully 
support the federal mediation process as part of our effort to resolve the 
serious and long-standing community concerns about the department.

We are making solid progress. Two years into the five-year mediation agreement, 
we are acting on a majority of the 82 agreed-upon action items. We have 
completed about a third of the action items and are in the process of 
implementing another third. I am pleased that community and police PCRC members 
are working together on a detailed progress report and I am confident that we 
will continue making progress on this important agreement.

I agree with those involved that there are problems within the PCRC. There is a 
communications breakdown, caused by many factors from many sides. This 
breakdown has slowed our progress.

The Mediation Agreement does not give the Mayor a seat at the PCRC table, but 
only allows the Mayor's office to participate as "an observer."  This is 
intentional because the agreement needs to build bridges directly between the 
police and the community regardless of politics. I initially avoided 
interfering with the PCRC to give it time and space to develop a plan, and 
relied on Chief McManus and Civil Rights Director Jayne Khalifa to monitor and 
keep me abreast of progress.

It has become clear to me that, due to the communications breakdown we are 
seeing at PCRC, my office needs to take a more active role to ensure continued 
progress on the mediation agreement. I plan to attend the PCRC's upcoming 
November meeting to clarify my expectations as Mayor, and commit to my 
continued support of the development of a workable action plan for the 
remaining action items.

While important, PCRC is only one tool to improve police-community relations. 
Under my direction the Police Department has undertaken a number of reforms, 
implemented rigorous new training and established new higher professional 
standards for our police officers. We are also committed to creating a more 
diverse police force that represents the community it serves.

While we have made great strides diversifying the upper ranks of the 
department, my budget recommendation to hire 71 more police officers in 2006 
will allow us the first opportunity in years to dramatically increase the 
diversity of our entry level ranks. When completed, a majority of the 71 new 
officers will be people of color.

On August 22, I announced a draft plan to increase the diversity of the Police 
Department. I presented my plan as a work in progress and invited review and 
comment by members of the community, including the PCRC. I eagerly await their 
feedback.

The percentage of people of color in the Police Department has increased since 
I took office and we have promoted an unprecedented number of people of color 
to police command positions. Although I am proud of these achievements, I 
remain unsatisfied with our progress and am committed to pushing even harder 
for increased diversity at all levels of the Police Department.

Mayor R.T. Rybak 

--- 
Jeremy Hanson 
Communications Director 
Office of Mayor R.T. Rybak 

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[Mpls] Mpls needs to create a plan to end homelessness

[m1r3201]

This article is about Saint Paul's plan to end homelessness. Mpls has yet to 
develop such a plan.
time we did, ( i have taken excerpts from the article)
Margaret Hastings- kingfield
Posted on Wed, Nov. 02, 2005
 






Plan targets homelessness

Expansive effort seeks to end problem

BY JASON HOPPIN

Pioneer Press

A coalition of politicians, policy-makers and homeless advocates will 
announce an ambitious effort today to not just manage homelessness in Ramsey 
County 
but end it.
The $131 million, five-year plan — the first part of a two-pronged approach 
to homelessness — calls for enough new housing by 2010 to support 920 people.
.The effort focuses on chronic homelessness. More than 700 people regularly 
spend their nights on local streets in the county, according to the Wilder 
Research Center of St. Paul. More than half of them suffer mental illness, 
one-third are addicted to drugs and only 30 percent are employed.
The problem is getting worse, said Jim Anderson, a human services planner 
with Ramsey County who has helped coordinate the advisory board's efforts. A 
recently concluded five-year plan failed to solve the homelessness issue 
largely 
because it didn't contain specifics, Anderson said.
"We really feel that we need to end homelessness, period," Anderson said. 
"This is not a problem that can be managed. … If we're not committed to making 
the effort to end it, it's just going to go on and on and on."
A second phase — a plan aimed at transitional homelessness — is expected to 
be announced next spring. On any given night, there are an estimated 1,500 
people or more on local streets, including the chronically homeless.
"The cost of doing nothing far exceeds the cost of the plan," Anderson said, 
citing expenses for detoxification services, hospital stays and other costs 
associated with homelessness.
Plans with similar goals have often failed for lack of political will. 
Although Anderson said he was warily optimistic about the federal government's 
commitment, he believes local government is committed to the problem. The 2005 
Legislature set aside $31 million to deal with the problem, he noted.
Steve Rice, a city of St. Paul staffer who works on the issue, said he hopes 
the political will doesn't waver.
"It takes a lot of courage to go with this plan, quite frankly. You don't 
have a shiny new skyscraper to point to. But what you'll have is some 
normal-looking person living a decent life," Rice said.
 

 
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[Mpls] Barb Lickness on "Revisting Rybak takes the high road."

[NESIMONS]

The November fourth posting (please see below) of 
Barb Lickness is meaningless as far as I am concerned.  
I cannot try to anticipate the state of a mind that would 
form constructs about my intentions.  I have no interest 
in trying to marginalize and demean anyone, but I can't 
say the same about Barb in this instance.  (And I don't 
think that this is a matter of troll feeding.)  To me, her 
arguments have been ineffective and I don't understand 
why Barb would think that others should automatically 
believe in the value of anything that she happens to state.

I do appreciate her consistency in spelling my name 
correctly this time.


Neal E. Simons
Minneapolis



Message: 8
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 13:16:13 -0800 (PST)
From: Barbara Lickness <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Revisting Rybak takes the high road.
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], mpls@mnforum.org
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Neal said:

It seems that only part of my original posting (please see below) has been 
commented on and then only ineffectively.  I should add that Commissioner 
McLaughlin, to my knowledge, has not indicated any change in his determination 
to 
trash Prospect Park by running a LRT route through our neighborhood.

Me: 

I am only going to respond to part of your post again Neal. The part where 
you stated the response to your post was ineffective. Using words like this 
serve to marginalize and demean the responder. That is a good tactic. People 
who 
live in inner-city neighborhoods are used to being marginalized by our 
government. It has been happening for years. 

However, I don't agree with you and many who responded to me off-list don't 
agree either. I do not believe my response  to your post was  ineffective. I 
had concrete examples of actual occurances that I have personally experienced 
during the Rybak administration. Whether you care to hear or listen to the 
truth 
is up to you, it doesn't negate the fact that these things happened and 
continue to happen. They were all concrete examples of how R.T. Rybak has not 
been 
honest with the people who work for the city and more importantly the 
constituent base of the city.  

I still say if a person wants "honest government" then my hope is that they 
will vote for Peter McLaughlin. I have worked with Peter on a large variety of 
issues over the past decade and a half.  I may not agree with him on 
everything he does and says but I can say with all certainty that he has never 
lied to 
me. That is called integrity. That is the type of person I want leading this 
fine city.

Barb Lickness
Whittier
Ward 6

 ~~
 ~~

It seems that only part of my original posting 
(please see below) has been commented on and 
then only ineffectively.  I should add that Commissioner
McLaughlin, to my knowledge, has not indicated
any change in his determination to trash Prospect
Park by running a LRT route through our 
neighborhood.

~

The opposition campaign against Mayor Rybak might 
appear to have been influenced by Bush/Cheney 
campaign strategy:

 - false inferences through a second party with 
   disclaimers that exempt their candidate from 
   responsibility for the content

- derogatory, incorrect information about 
  security (crime) matters

- flip-flop accusations

Indeed, during last night's televised debate summations, 
Rybak's opponent seemed to be pandering to Republican 
voters by blaming Rybak for problems that have obviously 
been caused by Bush and Pawlenty.

One of the reasons that R. T. Rybak will get my vote 
is that he has taken the high road with his campaign 
strategy.  If I can trust him to campaign fairly, I feel 
that I can trust him as mayor.

Also, Mayor Rybak has been endorsed by the 
Sierra Club.  I hope that fellow progressives who
identify with nontraditional political parties will rally 
with me behind all candidates who want honest 
government and want to put the people's interests 
before special interests. 


Neal E. Simons
Prospect Park
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[Mpls] FairVote MN Post-Election House Party - Novembe r 16

[Jeanne Massey]

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

FairVote MN Post-Election House Party — November 16

With elections complete on November 8th, you’ll surely be asking yourself
“what improvements can we make to our system that will make for better
campaign and elections next time?”

We’re glad you asked!

Come and find out more about improving elections systems with FairVote MN.

Come for the light appetizers, deserts and wine (non-alcoholic choice
available), but stay for the conversation:
•    Update on 2005 efforts by FairVote MN and a look ahead to 2006 
•    Update on the Minneapolis and Hopkins charter amendment efforts 
•    Actual IRV election to determine the favorite desert of the night
(That’s right – favored by an actual majority!)    

Please join us:
Wednesday, November 16, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Melendez Residence
Lowry Hill Neighborhood
1777 Dupont Avenue – Minneapolis
(3 blocks West of Hennepin Avenue, between Summit and Douglas – also 3
blocks North of Franklin)

Suggested donation $25.  But nobody is turned away from eating and drinking
for improved democracy!

Please phone Jim Cousins with any questions (612-209-1897).

P.S.  If you’d like to help out at the event, please indicate so on a
response and we’ll be happy to follow up with you.
_

You can find information about the Minneapolis Instant Runoff Voting charter
amendment initiative at www.fairvotemn.org/minneapolis.
 

Jeanne Massey
Kingfield and Minneapolis Instant Runoff Voting charter amendment effort
organizer


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[Mpls] Booker Hodges for Mpls Park Board

[Shawn Lewis]

I say lets give this young men a chance to serve as an elected officials!


>From :  Booker Hodges <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
Sent :  Friday, November 4, 2005 1:38 PM 

As this campaign season raps up I just want to remind everyone to vote this 
Tuesday November 8.  I also hope that you all will enjoy watching my campaign 
TV commercials that are going to saturate BET channel 33, Fox Sports Network 
channel 28, and various other cable channels this weekend and Monday.

 

It’s time for real change on the Park Board not a continuance of the same thing 
and that’s why I didn’t seek nor accept any endorsements during this campaign 
season. 
The only endorsement that I want is from the votes in North Minneapolis whom I 
will 
represent once I am elected. I look forward to keeping our parks open longer, 
changing the Park Police Department patch so it reads “Minneapolis Park 
Police”, 
informing the public about what’s going on in our park system, keeping public 
lands 
public, and lastly ensuring that North Minneapolis gets it fair share. If you 
have 
any questions don't hesitate to contact me.


Thank you 

Shawn Lewis, Minnetonka,MN


-- 
___
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