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Showing posts from April, 2006

Coleen Rowley "Rescue Hope From Tragedy"

I cry when a sad commercials comes on TV so I try to avoid sad movies. Needless to say, I won't be seeing 'United 93' any time soon. But given how historic the event is to Americans, I'm glad most reviews claim the movie is both sensitive and accurate. Coleen Rowley , second district congressional candidate and former FBI agent who spoke out about mistakes leading up to 9/11 had this to say : "When you know there's a sad ending, I think it's hard to get people caught up in it. They know the outcome," Rowley says. She views "United 93" as an opportunity to rescue hope from tragedy , since the actions of the passengers prevented the hijacked airplane from reaching its probable target in Washington, D.C. "People get caught up in these situations that are hopeless or they put up too many barriers," Rowley said. "I use Flight 93 as this great example of people who took action , even though they only had a short few minutes to appr...

Friday's Smack Down

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Where There's Smoke, There's Oil. The money barons don't hand out money because they favor good government or grassroots community values. Remember kids...Big Oil and Gas industries gave Minnesota Congressman John Kline $74,955 . Any surprise that Exxon's 3 month profit equals $8,400,004,000.00 . There's a better way! Friday’s Advice The best advice I've seen for disgruntled progressives comes from Goldy … In short, you want to make the Democrats more progressive? Make yourself an indispensable part of Democratic success. So roll up your sleeves, time to get to work ! No sleeping in this Saturday even if it rains, no excuses! There's swing voters waiting to become Democrats. Holy Sh*t! Holy Land Theme park is now tax exempt . Somewhere around the ‘holy roller’ roller coaster and the ‘tabernacle water slide’ that goes into the ‘pool of life’, the spirit of Christ is suppose to convert Jews to jesus...wonder how long it will be before Disney starts sell g*...

Basic Politics

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Politics 101 “ Schoolhouse Rock has taught generations of Americans how a bill becomes a law,” says Rep. ” said Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee in a press release just issued by 11 U.S. Congressmen. “As most school children can attest,” Stark says, “a bill is just a bill on Capitol Hill until it passes both the House and Senate in identical form and is signed by the President – or Congress overrides his veto. I’m sorry we’ve had to resort to this lawsuit, but I am committed to protecting our democracy.” 11 ranking Members of the United States House of Representatives will be filing a law suit in U.S. District court on Friday seeking a permanent injunction of “Deficit Reduction Act” which George W. Bush signed into law on February 8th of this year, despite its not having passed both houses of Congress.

The Onion Gives Us 'Rum and Coke' Friday!

President Bush, already facing the lowest approval ratings in history, is coming under fire from former supporters over what they call his "ineffectual and incompetent" use of prayer for national guidance and assistance. Despite assurances from the president that he "prays every day" for the nation's interests both at home and abroad, the mounting crises of recent months---escalating gas prices, the botched Dubai port security deal, ethics scandals, and the rising death toll in Iraq---have left many unimpressed with the effectiveness of his devotion. While newly released portions of White House prayer logs show that Bush's praying has actually gone up in recent months, critics are seeking to subpoena the documents in their entirety to determine the strength of those prayers. Susan DiDomenico of the National Prayer Task Force said her organization is seeking "full disclosure" of any and all prayers Bush may have skipped or manipulated to seem more e...

Friday's Listening Pleasure

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Take a listen to: Neil Young's NeilYoung.com LivingWithWar.blogspot.com MySpace.com/NeilYoung

Coming Tomorrow....

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Living With War will stream on NeilYoung.com beginning Fri, Apr. 28th. The album will be available at digital retailers beginning May 2nd. CDs will be available in stores early/mid May.

It's the oil stupid!

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Oil Companies Pumping Profits From Our Pockets

CNN , All told, the 19 oil and gas companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index that have reported so far have earned more than $20 billion excluding one-time charges and other items, up more than 50 percent from a year earlier, according to earnings tracker First Call. The profit from Exxon alone would cover ALL Social Security benefit payments for three months. It would pay for an Ivy League education for about 60,000 kids. It would pay the average list price for more than 160 Boeing 737s. It would fund the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than two months. Jesse at DFLers has ten more reasons to blame the GOP...

Getting My Hopes Up

Does Bush = Lincoln The Land of Lincoln says NO! and then some! My heart sez yes, Yes, YES... Tell me it's true! Oh be still my beating heart.... BTW: Where's Bin Laden?

Quiet As A Mouse In South Dakota

Hear anything from the 'liberal' press on this Kennedy statement?

This Saturday Will Be A Working Day

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This Saturday will be working day for Democrats but expect a big paycheck come November! Democrats.org has a post called " 50 State Canvass " on Democratic volunteers working in their communities to organize and mobilize volunteers and voters. Minnesota Democrats will have no excuse to stay in bed Saturday morning...remember the prize in November! Click the link above to sign up at a location close to you or contact Stephanie at the MN DFL if you are interested in participating; 651-293-1200 or stephanie@dfl.org . Interesting enough, the Republicans are doing the same on the same day so don't be surprised if you run into a mentally challenged group of idiots.

Getting Bossed Around

Just last week I velled for more timely protest music... Well 'The Boss' has answered. Bruce is releasing The Seeger Sessions: We Shall Overcome. There's something in the air...I can feel it.

Had Enough

People get readyThere's a train a comin'You don't need no baggage you just get on board All you need is faithTo hear the diesel comin'Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord There ain't no room for the hopeless sinnerWho would hurt all mankind just to save his own soulHave pity on those whose choices grow thinnerThere ain't no hiding place from the Kingdom's throne People get ready There's a train a comin' You don't need no baggage you just get on board All you need is faith To hear the diesel comin' Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord From the Land of Lincolm...Greetings to the Preznut... HJ0125 - 2 - LRB094 20306 RLC 58347 r 1 to fully investigate these charges to date; therefore, be it 2 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 3 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 4 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the General Assembly of the 5 State of Illinois has good cause to submit charges to the U...

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Fried Rice Lobbyists' Lawyers Say Rice Leaked Information . They intended to prove that senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, provided the lobbyists with some of the sensitive information. Looks like she has lots in common with Libby and Rove and Cheney Bush....and Mary McCarthy... The firing of Mary McCarthy , a senior CIA official who apparently leaked information to Washington Post reporter Dana Priest about the CIA's secret prisons, may turn out to be an explosive story, especially if the Bush administration pursues criminal charges against her I'm wondering if they will fire....Rice or Rove or (fill in any Bu$hCo name) or have we reached the apex of John Edward's two Americas? But there is a major difference... McCarthy’s firing last week was a political hit by Bu$hCo because she was a Kerry supporter and was a holdover from the Clinton Administration. The White House is saying there are good leaks and bad leaks. And leakin...

I'm The Decider Koo-Koo-Kachoo

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Kids, Turn up the volume on your computer, click the link and sing along... http://decider.cf.huffingtonpost.com/ I am the egg head, I'm the Commander, I'm the DeciderKoo-Koo-Kachoo Baghdad city policeman sitting pretty little targets in a row See how they die when the shrapnel flies see mothers cry I'm Lying...I'm Ly-ing...I'm Lying...I'm Ly-ing Yellow cake uranium, imaginary WMD's Declassifying facts, exposing secret agents Tax cuts for the wealthy leaving all the poor behind CHORUS Sitting in the White house garden talking to the LordMy thoughts would be busy busy hatching If I only had a brain

Friday's MN Roundup

Spring into the weekend and have fun! MN DNC Delegates Clean Up! The RNC calls it "political posturing...." Democrats call it "citizenship." While in New Orleans for the spring DNC meeting … Groups of Democratic delegates including Minnesota's delegates Nancy Larson, Rick Stafford, Ken Foxworth, and Jackie Stevens will clean up lawns and clean out, stabilize and demolish homes in disrepair. Some will distribute clothing and other necessities to victims and pack groceries for the needy. Keep in mind, these Democratic delegates are the cream atop the Democratic jar. National officers and their staff. National Committeemen and Committeewomen. Elected officials from across the nation. The 'elite,' if you will. Making us proud, and helping our nation heal. Call it Reason I'm A Democrat Number…well, I've lost count. But it's a big one. Hat Tip to Upper Left Mark Kennedy (R -MN) is So Very Special It’s no secret that Mark Kennedy is among the top...

It's a Gas, Gas, Gas!

Bush and Gas?!- As the price of gas soars, Bu$h’s approval rating tanks. Gas and Global Warming- Eating meat and farting plays a role in global warming…just thought you should know. ABC News Full of Nothing but Gas- "But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense." Bu$h Driving a Hard Deal - As gas prices soar, more and more working poor are turning to pawn shops to help cover the cost of driving.

Baaaing From The White House

Bush's new Policy wizard, Joel Kaplan, is better known for his ‘Brooks Brother riot’ of 2000. That is when a bunch of WA GOP operatives, posed as outraged Floridians and waved fists, chanted ‘Stop the fraud’ and pounded windows in an effort to intimidate officials in the Florida recount effort…. Is it just me or does he sounds like the perfect person to set policy for the Bu$hCo administration.

Neil Young: Living with War

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Neil Young has always been a maverick politically as well as musically. Although he has recorded a few songs that drew cheers from liberals, such as "Ohio" and "Southern Man," he also drew criticism from the left for pro-Reagan comments many years ago. Now Neil Young is weighing in with a soon-to-be-released album that urges, “Let’s impeach the president -- for lying.” featuring a rap with Bu$h’s voice set to the choir chanting “flip/flop” and the like. more here and here . According to film director (heart of gold) Jonathan Demme at JamBase , It is a brilliant electric assault, accompanied by a 100-voice choir, on Bush and the war in Iraq... Truly mind blowing." From Howie Klein's blog DownWithTyranny! : " "The album, with Young on Old Black, Rick Rosas on bass and Chad Cromwell on drums, took three days to finish." Howie is a personal favorite of mine and former president of Reprise Records and life long committment to being a hippie. I h...

A Different White House Spin A Comin'

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They're shooting the messengers ! "All of us serve at the pleasure of the president, It's premature to talk about any future decisions that may or may not be made." - Scott McClellan, White House Spokesperson And bringing on new spin-golies masters !

A Short Sighted Neanderthal Whore

Looks like we're at a point when the tax committee will be playing ball . I've talked with my representative already -- several times. He told me a funny story about leaning toward probably supporting it... His reasoning: Since we (he and I, oh and those who vote for him) don't reside in Hennepin County, supporting this won't adversely affect any of 'us' monetarily! (my note: or his re-election chances!) Really it was a pretty funny story especially coming from a Democrat . I won't out him for being a short sighted neanderthal whore of the stadium lobbyists as he may yet change his mind and vote no (siding with 2/3 of Minnesotans who don't want public funding for any stadium!)...but feel free to call through the list with your opinion. Minnesota House of Representatives Taxes Committee: Chair Philip Krinkie (R) 296-2907 rep.phil.krinkie@house.mn Vice Chair: Dean Simpson (R) 296-4293 rep.dean.simpson@house.mn Lead-DFL: Ann Lenczewski (DFL)296-4218 rep...

No Happy Ending

I guess this means we're not going to ride off into the sunset. US to retake Baghdad ...sigh...

How Much Is Just Enough-ness?

When does a living wage become obscene greed at the expense of others? Exxon Mobil $36 billion in profits Lee R. Raymond , Chairman of Exxon Mobil: $140 million last year compensation package another $258 million in options (last year) millions deferred compensation from last year $398 million plus for golden (platuim) parachute

You Don't Get Nothing For Nothing!

Okay ‘ Steal This Paper’ is bad enough… Any odds takers on... When will the MN Star start charging an employee 'user fee ' * for using the toilets at work? Will toilet paper be included in the cost or will employees have to make use of 'other' paper options? "ABOUT a month ago, The Star Tribune in Minneapolis let it be known that, as a cost-cutting effort, free copies of the newspaper would no longer be broadly available around the newsroom. Instead, the staff was offered an electronic edition of the paper — "an exact digital reproduction of the printed version," no less — that they could access online. Those who insisted on seeing the fruits of the their labors in its physical form were told that they could purchase copies for 25 cents , half the retail cost, from boxes around the office. (This change in policy was first reported by City Pages in Minneapolis.)" *'User Fee' not to be confused with Tim Pawlenty's 'User Fee'. Rea...

By The Numbers

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Seven According to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) six congressmen and a fellow senator will go to jail. Eight Eight men… Eight Soldiers, Commanders, Veterans… Twenty-two stars… Four Silver Stars Six Bronze Stars One Distinguished Flying Cross Three Purple Hearts Fifteen Legions of Merit Twentyfour Air Medals Two Combat Action Ribbons (USMC) Three Combat Infantry Badges (USA)… not to mention dozens of commendation and campaign medals One voice… RUMSFELD MUST GO! FortySeven 47 Americans dead last month in Iraq

Friday's Forecast

It's beautiful out, I'm off to watch the tulips grow. Have a great weekend and take the time to smell the flowers. Get a Clue! 'The End of the Line' inches closer in St. Paul but it's being played out in every town and city within the fifty United States: Finger point at the usual suspects... NAFTA, CAFTA, no affordable healthcare, declining economy, lack of innovation, mismanagement at FORD, the alignment of the planets.. but at the end of the day, the result is the same, America is bleeding away it's jobs, intellectual property, and infrastructure while politicians argue who can marry whom. A Bad Call! It was putting in a player from the Bu$hCo Bullpen that upset the fans. “The booing started when Cheney walked onto the field — it was not in response to a crap pitch. It was in response to his crap Vice Presidenting.” Bu$h's Cherry Picking: Now He Tells US?!?! "..he [Colin Powell] and his department's top experts never believed that Iraq posed an i...

Welcome Back!

Risk your life in the game of Bu$h Neocon and their cause to make America safer. Well, welcome back home ! Twenty-six reservists returning to Minnesota from Iraq are forced to leave a comrade at the Los Angeles airport because the government had put his name on a list of potential terrorists. Marine Staff Sgt. Daniel Brown has just spent the past eight months serving his country in Iraq, only to return to the United States and find out his country had placed him on a watch list as a possible terrorist. A ceremony was waiting Tuesday at home in the Twin Cities for Brown and 26 other Marine military police reservists returning from the war. There were eager families and bagpipes. But Northwest Airlines wouldn't let him on the plane in Los Angeles. His name had been flagged on the federal list.

More Tahoe Commercials

Come on...it's fun ad s econd ad third ad Rapture 1 2 3 4 5 Who Loves Flowers?

Campaign Websites

There has been a bit of talk about different candidate websites. Some are good , some are bad (but improving), but I want to ask a question to the netroots what makes a good website and why. My personal favorite candidate website is this . Now, don't get all over me about who it is for, her future is something I am NOT talking about here, but her website is the best I have seen. I wish others would follow her lead on this. Why do I like it? Mainly because of the "Action Center" this feature is a powerful tool for the netroots interact with the grassroots all to support the candidate. This entire site is designed to be used by supporters and is much more than an information and messaging tool. I could go on with some of the other features, but man whoever set this up for her knows their stuff. Thoughts?

I Meant To Say That!

When the hated despots of nations like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan loot their countries' treasuries, transfer their oil wealth to personal Swiss bank accounts and use the rest to finance (in the House of Saud's case) terrorist extremists, American politicians praise them as trusted friends and allies. But when a democratically elected populist president uses Venezuela's oil profits to lift poor people out of poverty, they accuse him of pandering. Ted Rall

Pawlenty Stupid

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"He [Governor Pawlenty] said that we tend to lose sight of the big picture in the day to day headaches of life. Society is changing rapidly and that puts pressure on the economy. We need to be forward thinking enough to anticipate changes." ‘The Savage Republican’ . If Minnesota’s Governor Pawlenty really wants to be forward thinking and anticipating changes..why have the GOP offer up a 'one time only' rebate check on property taxes …er fees. Did ‘Pawlenty-awful’ and the republican house forget to plan ahead?

No Team Work Among MN House GOP

Representative Lanning (MN R) is a taxes committee member in the MN House and he hadn't heard of the one time tax rebate , wasn't aware of it, hadn't even received a copy ?!?! Kind of makes you wonder just who in the GOP lead MN House is making decisions. Why bother with representation if only a handful (at best) are calling the shots. We knew that the House Republican leadership has refused to reach across partisan lines to House Democrats but apparently that now extends to their own party's elected officials. Even those that serve on boards that vet tax issues! Tell me this doesn't stink of a desperation to be re-elected.... “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Lanning said after receiving a copy of the news release. “I’m not real happy about reading about this in an e-mail after it had been released,” he said. A one-time rebate “doesn’t solve anything,” he said. “I have some real questions about it myself”

Friday's Follies

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Limbo Lower Bu$h's approval rating... 36% Bu$hCo (John Kline with DeLay)... 30% Too Late For An Intervention, They've drank the koolaid and zombies sucked their brains out! Powerline blogs Delay “It’s too bad, I think. DeLay was an effective leader, albeit too liberal in recent years . It’s possible, of course, that he did something wrong along the way. But there is no evidence of that in the public domain …” Best Defense of Delay: Innocent By Virtue Of Being Republican! "If DeLay was a crook, it will come out soon; in that event, we'll join in the chorus of denunciation. But at the moment, the evidence isn't there, and DeLay is entitled to a presumption of innocence, in view of his long service to his country and to the Republican Party." Save Our Million/Billionaires: $500,000: The average tax reduction for people earning more than $10 million a year . Geez thanks Bu$hCo!. Against Immigration: Reason 1 Because we’re making money by sounding just like the g...

Violence Doesn't Have A Political Affiliation

Minnesota’s Governor Pawlenty criticized Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak for the recent rise in violent crimes. When I heard him I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry given that Governor Tim Pawlenty has cut funding for Safety and the Police in previous years by at least a third. As far back as 2003 local government officials across the state were concerned withTim’s budget proposals that lead to major cuts in public safety. Pawlenty’s policies of managing by budget cuts squarely puts the lion’s share of blame for any lack of protection and safety in our communities on the Governor’s shoulders. Minneapolis laid off a third of their police, battered women’s shelters were shut down, crime victim assistance grants that fund victims of battering, sexual assault, general crime, and child abuse was slashed by a third, and law enforcement along with community grants that are used to support crime prevention programs were gutted by 1.3 million. To be fair, yes some of the funding has been restore...

Bush a Traitor?

Former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby is saying that it was both Vice-President Cheney and President Bush who authorized him to out a CIA agent. This agent was working to insure the safety and security of the United States and the Bush administration broke her cover, endangering her life and the lives of all her contacts in the field just to get political pay-back to the CIA agent's husband. During the 04 Presidential election this was one of those stories I was trying to get more people to pay attention to, because this type of treason in the White House cannot be tolerated. If these facts pan out, both the President and Vice-President of the United States should be impeached and thrown into jail. It is just that simple. More here

Make Your Own Commercial!

They will eventually stop us, but before they do... Go here , and here , and here , and check this . SUVs do more than melt Greenland, who knew?

New numbers in the Horse Race

http://www.hatch2006.org/">Hatch leads and Kelley tied with Pawlenty in latest Rasmussen Poll . Hatch 45% Pawlenty 40% ___ Kelley 42% Pawlenty 42% Bad news again for Pawlenty. Still polling in the low 40s is a bad sign for an incumbent. Where's Lourey ? - Good question. This poll is especially good for Hatch, showing a very strong general favorability rating for him at 60% I think that this 60% is the most interesting thing in all of this. I personally don't have very positive feelings towards the guy, not that I have to like a guy personally to be happy to vote for them, but there is a very loud group of people who just cannot stand him. I still have yet to hear why this is, or even figure out myself why I do not like him much, but that is my problem I guess. This poll does suggest that a Hatch has very positive support in the general public, and that is good for the DFL. Hatch has got to get a new website , man it stinks.

Peas In A Pod: DeLay, Kline, Kennedy

Today ex-GOP majority leader Tom DeLay announced his pending retirement from politics amid epic size scandals of corruption, partisan politics, cronyism and numerous other criminal activities centered out of DeLay's office. But here in Minnesota, two strong DeLay rubber stamp backers/supporters are currently seeking to stay in politcal offices. Both John Kline (R-MN) and Mark Kennedy (R-MN) have used their positions, influence and votes to further DeLay's corrupt leadership. Just how tangled up are Kline and Kennedy with DeLay's Culture of Corruption? John Kline has taken more than any other Minnesota elected official $30,000 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC. No surprise that Kline voted with Tom DeLay 96% of the time between Jan. 1 2004 and March 31 2005. Mark Kennedy has taken a close second $29,500 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC. Kennedy voted with Tom DeLay 95% of the time between Jan. 1 2004 and March 31 2005 John Kline and Mark Kennedy voted to weaken the ethics rules ...

Ding Dong DeLay is Done!

No surprise here, the Democrats did call it . More Karma at work. But the GOP still loves him, so continues the Republican Culture of Corruption "The president thanked him for his service and all that he accomplished and wished him all the best," McClellan said. "Congressman DeLay has been a good ally whom the president has worked very closely with." "Ally", do they really want to use that word? Oh well, too late. The slime of corruption continues throughout the GOP.

MN State Candidates

The best list of Minnesota Candidates for State House and Senate I have seen yet on a blog. Check it out!

Republicans Need To Scrape The Sh*t Off Their Shoes

I turned on the TV this morning while making the coffee. Looks like the 'maintream media' will be aiding Bush in his delusion that all in Iraq is hunky dory and what corruptions exist is spread equally throughout the political arena But not so fast... It's time to confront the 'liberal' media bias and brand it for what it really is! Take a look at this . It's Maeve Reston's article at the P-G describing how the Senate has approved new rules about lobbying because of Abramoff and Cunningham. Notice that not once is the word "Republican" used . The closest Reston gets is when mentioning the Republican members of Congress. But let's remember friends, that the Abramoff and Cunningham scandals are Republican scandals. If you didn't know , Reston's piece presents Abramoff as an equal opportunity briber (which he wasn't) or that the lobbying corruption is shared in equal parts by both parties (which it isn't). In this piece it looks l...

Vacation is Over

Bush should get the message, his long vacation is over.

Tactical Mistakes Were Made

Russet: Should someone resign? Gen. Zinni: Absolutely. Russet: Who? Gen. Zinni: Secretary of Defense to begin with... Video and transcript at Think Progress

Inquiring Minds Want To Know?

While it screams ‘give me some coffee’, Moses's early morning post at Yowling from the Fencepost is 110% right. Where the outrage from MDE about the lying, manipulations, cheating, illegal profiting and just plain evil of the Bu$hCo reign?

Marko Supports Coleen Rowley

Sharon Marko(MN) throws her support behind Coleen Rowley for the congressional seat in 2... "I leave the race for Congress, humbled by the depth of support I received, and searching for a path to unify our party in CD2 and beyond. As Coleen Rowley noted in her email earlier today, our campaigns have been about defeating Kline. In the final analysis, that is what matters most. In a little over a month, delegates will gather in Faribault where they will vote to endorse a congressional candidate. Today, I offer my support for the candidacy of Coleen Rowley for United States Congress." State Senator Sharon Marko