The Declaration of Independence or the Stanley Cup?
As noted in the video posted yesterday, the Declaration of Independence can only fly first class. That got everyone at Politics in Minnesota thinking.
The Declaration or the Stanley Cup...which is the bigger rock star?
Below, we compare the two.
It's an election year, so you decide.
The Declaration or the Stanley Cup...which is the bigger rock star?
Below, we compare the two.
It's an election year, so you decide.
| Declaration of Independence | Stanley Cup | |
| Age | 232 years old | 120 years old |
| Weight | 45 pounds (in traveling case) | 35 pounds |
| Copies | 25 remaining out of 200 printed in 1776 |
2 (one original, one stand-in replica) |
| Morale-boosting Moment | George Washington read to his troops | Came under missile attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan |
| Suitable Vessel for Champagne-drinking? | No | Yes, oh yes. |
| Effect on Yankees | Started a 1776 war with the Redcoats | Inspired a 2003 win against the Redbirds |
| Relation to Royalty | Created because of British Lords | Created by a British Lord |
| Consequences for signing your name on it | High treason against British Empire | Black eyes, missing teeth |
| Birthplace | Philadelphia, PA | Sheffield, England |
| Number of Signers | 56 | 2056 |
| First Signees | John Hancock | Montreal Wanderers |
| Inspiring Quotes | "We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately". --Ben Franklin | "His bottom fit right in." --Chris Nilan, on photographing his infant son in the Cup. |
| Stands... | For justice and freedom from colonial rule |
For winning hockey games |
| Home when not traveling | Highly secure bunker in Norman Lear's LA home | Highly secure location in Toronto |
| Penalty for submersion in swimming pool | Destruction of a National Treasure | None, apparently. (Revelers have frequently gone swimming with the Cup) |
The Declaration Arrives in Minnesota [video]
Politics in Minnesota greeted the Declaration of Independence at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, yesterday. Check out our video, where we learn that Declaration handler Christie Manning found the job on Craigslist.
[Download the video - QuickTime - 81 MB.]
The Declaration is on public display -- for free, thanks to PIM's parent company and Declaration Presenting Sponsor Dolan Media Company. Here's more information about how to see the Declaration at the Minnesota History Center. In the coming days, PIM will have much more on the Declaration, as will our sister publications, Finance & Commerce, Minnesota Lawyer and the newly named Capitol Report (formerly the St. Paul Legal Ledger).
New Weekly Reports up!
We've got a couple more Weekly Reports up for free. Check it out:
- Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 39 - 4/11/2008: In this issue: 52 Painful Lashes; Paul And Our Politics; The O' Douglas Factor And Franken; Save The Sheet Music: Moisture & Mildew Menace Marching Melodies In Metastasizing Museum; Romero Retirement Rout; Property Taxes? No More!; REAL ID: Real Expensive, Real Big, Legislators: Really Not Going To Pay For It; Bit & Pieces; Credit Crunch Crashing Corporate Cash; Venture Capital Vending Funds For Very Voluminous Opportunities; Lobbyist Watch.
- Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 38 - 4/4/08: In this issue: The Dorfman Rules Rule; Cuban Trade Travel Time: Reps Find Ag Opportunities Abound In Changing Communist Climate; Bits & Pieces: From The Capitol; 8th District Convention Excitement: Who Wants To Be A State Delegate?; You Can't Handle The Truth In Music; Bits & Pieces; Lobbyist Watch. Have a great weekend! --PIM staff
No More Moe...For Now
Rare is the two-term legislator who is well-liked, well-respected--and
thus assumed safe in future elections in a swing district--who decides
to call it quits.
Rare is Rep. Frank Moe (DFL-Bemidji).
Moe shocked both his district and the Capitol crowd by announcing to DFL endorsing delegates last week that he's done. Moe was candidly cool about the major reason he's retiring to the Park Rapids Enterprise's Lou Ann Hurd-Lof, "Moe said the reason for his decision was to keep his marriage strong. 'My parents were divorced four times,' Moe said, talking about how difficult it has been to leave his wife, Sherri, every week and drive to St. Paul."
I enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation with Moe in his office this week. When Moe was first elected, he and his wife, Sherri Moe, had eight sled dogs (a wide mix of breeds from a shelter where they were abandoned). Now they have 22 sled dogs, along with eight acres to keep both the couple and the dogs happy. The Moes also bought a floral shop in Walker, Grey's Floral Shop, where business is much better than they expected. Moe concluded that it simply wasn't fair to Sherri to be down in St. Paul so much, along with running around the district he loves so much when he is home.
Typically, legislators announce their retirements on the floor in the waning days of the legislative session. That was Moe's plan, as well (he had made the decision to retire months ago). But then, after the nominating speeches were given, when Moe was expected to accept the nomination, he got to the podium and looked out at all the faces who worked so hard to elect him. "I simply had to come clean," he says.
Asked what the worst part is about serving in the Legislature, Moe quickly answered, "Long floor debates and amendment after amendment." But when Moe is feeling cynical about the process, he checks himself by remembering Winston Churchill's words, "Democracy is the worst form of government except all others." Moe adds, "You can't stop the debate...People have the right to be as stupid or as brilliant as they want, and you never know when stupid or brilliant will happen."
The worst vote he ever took? In 2005, post-Dru Sjodin's abduction and murder, there were many amendments on legislation increasing penalties for sex offenders. One amendment would have required sex offender identification on license plates. Moe voted for it, for political reasons (who wanted to be known as being easy on sex offenders?). "I felt gross, like I had to take a shower." Moe says that vote taught him to vote on an issue thinking how it will play, politically.
That conversation sidetracked into the difference in prevailing political winds in the northern part of the state, "People where I live just want to be left alone," notes Moe, and that has driven a lot of his thinking on issues where he's not toeing the DFL party line.
The legislator who has been most important to him in his four-year career? Moe declined to single out any one legislator, but the question did flag a moment Moe found particularly gratifying. Tiny Cass Lake (population 860 in the 2000 U.S. Census) was having a crime problem. Moe brought the city's crime blotter to then-House Tax Chair Republican Ron Abrams, who said the blotter looked like it was from Minneapolis. Abrams made sure that $100,000 in a local government aid cut was restored to Cass Lake in that year's tax bill.
Moe's retirement highlights a serious problem Politics in Minnesota has a long history of flagging: Serving in the Legislature is extremely difficult for younger legislators with families. How to solve the problem? Moe thinks the interim hearing schedule was "too aggressive," and that the Legislature should conduct its business Monday through Thursday, which would build in one full day to be with constituents and at least one full day for family only.
Moe, 42, and Sherri don't have any children "yet........but that was simply out of the question serving in the Legislature and trying to run our businesses." Congrats to Moe on being awarded a Bush Fellowship. He's completed all the coursework required for a PhD in Education at the U of M and now will have the time and means to focus on the written exam and his dissertation.
Rare is Rep. Frank Moe (DFL-Bemidji).
Moe shocked both his district and the Capitol crowd by announcing to DFL endorsing delegates last week that he's done. Moe was candidly cool about the major reason he's retiring to the Park Rapids Enterprise's Lou Ann Hurd-Lof, "Moe said the reason for his decision was to keep his marriage strong. 'My parents were divorced four times,' Moe said, talking about how difficult it has been to leave his wife, Sherri, every week and drive to St. Paul."
I enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation with Moe in his office this week. When Moe was first elected, he and his wife, Sherri Moe, had eight sled dogs (a wide mix of breeds from a shelter where they were abandoned). Now they have 22 sled dogs, along with eight acres to keep both the couple and the dogs happy. The Moes also bought a floral shop in Walker, Grey's Floral Shop, where business is much better than they expected. Moe concluded that it simply wasn't fair to Sherri to be down in St. Paul so much, along with running around the district he loves so much when he is home.
Typically, legislators announce their retirements on the floor in the waning days of the legislative session. That was Moe's plan, as well (he had made the decision to retire months ago). But then, after the nominating speeches were given, when Moe was expected to accept the nomination, he got to the podium and looked out at all the faces who worked so hard to elect him. "I simply had to come clean," he says.
Asked what the worst part is about serving in the Legislature, Moe quickly answered, "Long floor debates and amendment after amendment." But when Moe is feeling cynical about the process, he checks himself by remembering Winston Churchill's words, "Democracy is the worst form of government except all others." Moe adds, "You can't stop the debate...People have the right to be as stupid or as brilliant as they want, and you never know when stupid or brilliant will happen."
The worst vote he ever took? In 2005, post-Dru Sjodin's abduction and murder, there were many amendments on legislation increasing penalties for sex offenders. One amendment would have required sex offender identification on license plates. Moe voted for it, for political reasons (who wanted to be known as being easy on sex offenders?). "I felt gross, like I had to take a shower." Moe says that vote taught him to vote on an issue thinking how it will play, politically.
That conversation sidetracked into the difference in prevailing political winds in the northern part of the state, "People where I live just want to be left alone," notes Moe, and that has driven a lot of his thinking on issues where he's not toeing the DFL party line.
The legislator who has been most important to him in his four-year career? Moe declined to single out any one legislator, but the question did flag a moment Moe found particularly gratifying. Tiny Cass Lake (population 860 in the 2000 U.S. Census) was having a crime problem. Moe brought the city's crime blotter to then-House Tax Chair Republican Ron Abrams, who said the blotter looked like it was from Minneapolis. Abrams made sure that $100,000 in a local government aid cut was restored to Cass Lake in that year's tax bill.
Moe's retirement highlights a serious problem Politics in Minnesota has a long history of flagging: Serving in the Legislature is extremely difficult for younger legislators with families. How to solve the problem? Moe thinks the interim hearing schedule was "too aggressive," and that the Legislature should conduct its business Monday through Thursday, which would build in one full day to be with constituents and at least one full day for family only.
Moe, 42, and Sherri don't have any children "yet........but that was simply out of the question serving in the Legislature and trying to run our businesses." Congrats to Moe on being awarded a Bush Fellowship. He's completed all the coursework required for a PhD in Education at the U of M and now will have the time and means to focus on the written exam and his dissertation.
"I'm Tired Of Being A Criminal": Can Cannabis Break Crushing Cop Countermeasures In Coup For Cooped Up Cancer Crusaders?
[This story was originally published in the 4/25/08 issue of The Weekly Report.]
The medical marijuana bill (SF 345/HF 655) has been generating a great deal of public debate. With television ads, editorials and opinion pieces, gravely dissimilar claims about the legislation are being circulated. PIM has checked into the language of the bill, examined claims in the debate, and studied the public relations strategies employed by both sides. A House vote on the bill is expected next week, and the result on the board promises to be surprising.
The Minnesota bill is quite restricted and specific, compared to the 12 other states that have legalized the use of medical marijuana. It regulates every stage of usage: Patients would be required to hold a unique registration card for a fee of $100, which would exempt them from arrest and prosecution for possession or use; the card is valid for one year; patients are limited to 2.5 ounces of cannabis per two-week period. The marijuana would come exclusively from registered, vetted organizations. Patients would need to have defined debilitating diseases, which are named in the bill (including multiple sclerosis, cancers, and certain severe injuries) as well as conditions the Commissioner of Health deems acceptable.
Letters published in major papers that oppose the movement for medical marijuana, often authored by law enforcement officers and county attorneys, predict dire consequences that seem unrelated to the actual bill. For example, Nicholas O'Hara, a Ramsey County inspector, framed the legislation as a part of "the fight against drug abuse," implying that medical legalization would increase violent crimes, child abuse and, of course, the traditional "gateway" bridge-to-other-drugs claim. He also claimed that teen pot smoking has increased in the medical marijuana states, while the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) says this is provably false.
James Backstrom, Dakota County attorney, writes to the Star Tribune with similar concerns. He claims that medical marijuana would "clearly lead to the perception that marijuana is harmless" and the same old doom and gloom about violent crime. Neal Levine, MPP's state campaign director, shot back that the Minnesota Nurses Association, the Minnesota Public Health Association and the Minnesota AIDS Project all support the bill, and nearly 3,000 medical professionals have signed a statement in its favor.
Arguably, these letters miss the point of the legislation and only address vague hypothetical scenarios, while ignoring the bill's language and experiences in the other states. The only way opponents can frame the debate is by deliberately ignoring when marijuana entered the medical lexicon in ancient Greece and China: for them, reality begins in 1937, and everything outside the last century is strictly out-of-bounds. [Consult the 1972 report of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse for more background. The report concluded: "Marihuana should be accorded the medical status it once had in this country as a legitimate prescription item."]
In a PR coup for bill proponents, the Strib and Pioneer Press editorialized in favor of it, focusing on strong bipartisan support and the paramount importance of providing effective medical care to Minnesotans. Hoping to seal the deal, MPP has made a six-figure ad buy on local TV, with stories from real Minnesotans. The first featuring chronic pain sufferer Lynn Rubenstein Nicholson of Minneapolis, is also on YouTube. She concludes, "I'm tired of being a criminal."
Battling rebellious state legislatures, the federal government is intervening via advertising in Michigan. With cash from the Department of Justice, the Drug Free America Foundation produced an ad campaign promoting TrueCompassion.org, which falsely claims that "every major health organization rejects smoked marijuana," while in fact national groups like the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association and many others actually support medical marijuana reform.
On Almanac at the Capitol [video], Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover) said the MN bill puts licensed doctors and patients in control, which is in agreement with his Republican principles. He squared off with Police Officer Association chief Bill Gillespie, who claimed erroneously that it has "narcotic" chemical components. Mainly it's a "terrible message" to send to the public, Gillespie said. Reducing the numbers of harmless, sick people among the 700,000+ annual marijuana arrests nationwide was another benefit for DeLaForest. Gillespie said that "marijuana cures nothing," and people should take the less effective THC-laden Marinol pills anyway. Gillespie said that "funny scrips" empower people to grow and sell marijuana in other states, even though nothing in the Minnesota bill allows anyone besides registered growers to grow. "This thing is an idea... The hardest thing in law enforcement is to fight an idea, anywhere in the world. We cannot, will not, agree to this idea," he said. DeLaForest added that it permits the smallest amount nationwide, and explicitly requires upholding the federal policies of the FDA and DEA.
While Gillespie assured Almanac viewers that GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty intends to veto the bill, the governor might want to take note of his friend U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) hedged statements. When McCain launched his presidential campaign on April 25, 2007, he said that "I will let states decide that issue," though he has also provided the usual Republican anti-drug hawk messages, as well.
The reality is that marijuana has been known for well over a thousand years to relieve certain types of pain, and the Legislature has crafted a tight, bipartisan bill that is congruent with federal law. If we can create jobs by generating biodiesel and ethanol from industrial hemp, then Minnesota will once more be making proper use of this versatile plant.
The medical marijuana bill (SF 345/HF 655) has been generating a great deal of public debate. With television ads, editorials and opinion pieces, gravely dissimilar claims about the legislation are being circulated. PIM has checked into the language of the bill, examined claims in the debate, and studied the public relations strategies employed by both sides. A House vote on the bill is expected next week, and the result on the board promises to be surprising.
The Minnesota bill is quite restricted and specific, compared to the 12 other states that have legalized the use of medical marijuana. It regulates every stage of usage: Patients would be required to hold a unique registration card for a fee of $100, which would exempt them from arrest and prosecution for possession or use; the card is valid for one year; patients are limited to 2.5 ounces of cannabis per two-week period. The marijuana would come exclusively from registered, vetted organizations. Patients would need to have defined debilitating diseases, which are named in the bill (including multiple sclerosis, cancers, and certain severe injuries) as well as conditions the Commissioner of Health deems acceptable.
Letters published in major papers that oppose the movement for medical marijuana, often authored by law enforcement officers and county attorneys, predict dire consequences that seem unrelated to the actual bill. For example, Nicholas O'Hara, a Ramsey County inspector, framed the legislation as a part of "the fight against drug abuse," implying that medical legalization would increase violent crimes, child abuse and, of course, the traditional "gateway" bridge-to-other-drugs claim. He also claimed that teen pot smoking has increased in the medical marijuana states, while the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) says this is provably false.
James Backstrom, Dakota County attorney, writes to the Star Tribune with similar concerns. He claims that medical marijuana would "clearly lead to the perception that marijuana is harmless" and the same old doom and gloom about violent crime. Neal Levine, MPP's state campaign director, shot back that the Minnesota Nurses Association, the Minnesota Public Health Association and the Minnesota AIDS Project all support the bill, and nearly 3,000 medical professionals have signed a statement in its favor.
Arguably, these letters miss the point of the legislation and only address vague hypothetical scenarios, while ignoring the bill's language and experiences in the other states. The only way opponents can frame the debate is by deliberately ignoring when marijuana entered the medical lexicon in ancient Greece and China: for them, reality begins in 1937, and everything outside the last century is strictly out-of-bounds. [Consult the 1972 report of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse for more background. The report concluded: "Marihuana should be accorded the medical status it once had in this country as a legitimate prescription item."]
In a PR coup for bill proponents, the Strib and Pioneer Press editorialized in favor of it, focusing on strong bipartisan support and the paramount importance of providing effective medical care to Minnesotans. Hoping to seal the deal, MPP has made a six-figure ad buy on local TV, with stories from real Minnesotans. The first featuring chronic pain sufferer Lynn Rubenstein Nicholson of Minneapolis, is also on YouTube. She concludes, "I'm tired of being a criminal."
Battling rebellious state legislatures, the federal government is intervening via advertising in Michigan. With cash from the Department of Justice, the Drug Free America Foundation produced an ad campaign promoting TrueCompassion.org, which falsely claims that "every major health organization rejects smoked marijuana," while in fact national groups like the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association and many others actually support medical marijuana reform.
On Almanac at the Capitol [video], Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover) said the MN bill puts licensed doctors and patients in control, which is in agreement with his Republican principles. He squared off with Police Officer Association chief Bill Gillespie, who claimed erroneously that it has "narcotic" chemical components. Mainly it's a "terrible message" to send to the public, Gillespie said. Reducing the numbers of harmless, sick people among the 700,000+ annual marijuana arrests nationwide was another benefit for DeLaForest. Gillespie said that "marijuana cures nothing," and people should take the less effective THC-laden Marinol pills anyway. Gillespie said that "funny scrips" empower people to grow and sell marijuana in other states, even though nothing in the Minnesota bill allows anyone besides registered growers to grow. "This thing is an idea... The hardest thing in law enforcement is to fight an idea, anywhere in the world. We cannot, will not, agree to this idea," he said. DeLaForest added that it permits the smallest amount nationwide, and explicitly requires upholding the federal policies of the FDA and DEA.
While Gillespie assured Almanac viewers that GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty intends to veto the bill, the governor might want to take note of his friend U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) hedged statements. When McCain launched his presidential campaign on April 25, 2007, he said that "I will let states decide that issue," though he has also provided the usual Republican anti-drug hawk messages, as well.
The reality is that marijuana has been known for well over a thousand years to relieve certain types of pain, and the Legislature has crafted a tight, bipartisan bill that is congruent with federal law. If we can create jobs by generating biodiesel and ethanol from industrial hemp, then Minnesota will once more be making proper use of this versatile plant.
Friday, May 16th, 2008
The Weekly Report
Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 40 - 4/21/2008
In this issue: Let's Call The Whole Thing Off?; New Respect For A Czech; New PIM Feature; Police Memory Of Mass Mobile Moment Proven Mutable; Bike Protester Videos Defeat City In RNC-Linked Court Battle; Abortion And Gestational Carrier Arrangements... "Kind Of A Stretch"; Vic's Video Vending: DFLers Demonstrate Acumen In Delivering Metro Cable Show; "Bussing, Flushing And Planning": Met Council At A Crossroads; Bits & Pieces; PIM Blogger Q&A With Aaron Brown Of Minnesota Brown; Lobbyist Watch.
Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 39 - 4/11/2008
In this issue: 52 Painful Lashes; Paul And Our Politics; The O' Douglas Factor And Franken; Save The Sheet Music: Moisture & Mildew Menace Marching Melodies In Metastasizing Museum; Romero Retirement Rout; Property Taxes? No More!; REAL ID: Real Expensive, Real Big, Legislators: Really Not Going To Pay For It; Bit & Pieces; Credit Crunch Crashing Corporate Cash; Venture Capital Vending Funds For Very Voluminous Opportunities; Lobbyist Watch.
Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 38 - 4/4/08
In this issue: The Dorfman Rules Rule; Cuban Trade Travel Time: Reps Find Ag Opportunities Abound In Changing Communist Climate; Bits & Pieces: From The Capitol; 8th District Convention Excitement: Who Wants To Be A State Delegate?; You Can't Handle The Truth In Music; Bits & Pieces; Lobbyist Watch.
Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 37 - 3/28/2008
In this issue: No Budget Blow-Out; Don't Skol Vikings...; Celebrating 150 Years Of Dedicated Public Service; Republican National Committee Update; Anti-Walz Surveillance Ads Stem From Boisterous Beltway Bloc P.O. Box; That Lady Knows Our Rights; Minnesota Boxing Commission's Name KO'd by MMA Chokehold; Good Faith Insurance Battles Return; Bits & Pieces; Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover: Ruminations Go Deeper Than You Think; Lobbyist Watch.
Morning Reports
