Category: US Politics

by Dave Mindeman

I encourage you to look through the next couple of posts after this one... it's about activist frustration; about people who are looking for new ideas and bold leadership from their elected officials and sadly, finding none.

The next post has reports from the latest round of meetings with the good Congressman from the 2nd District, John Kline. And the one following that is commentary about where we are now, and how we need to take action ourselves.

Last week, the activists were encouraged that this district would finally have a public forum on this war and get their chance to have a voice in the matter.

But this week, that flicker of reason was snuffed out. It is like the previous efforts never happened. Could be, that in a way, the Congressional Democrats have unwittingly provided cover for Pro-War Republicans like Kline. As the Dems flop around like fish out of water, there is no incentive for the War hawks to modify their position. They will wait as the Democrats try to find a "watered down" consensus.

I understand the Democrats dilemma, the damage has been done.... it is the horrible policy of this President that makes all options untenable; but at some point, acts of political courage need to surface.

While Congress looks for answers, it is up to us to keep the debate front and center. Actions at Kline's office may seem futile, but it is persistence that gives hope to win the day. We have to keep going because this country just can't abide by 2 more years of this war.

Read on.....

Category: Minnesota Politics

This entry includes a couple of accounts of events (from 2 different people) at Congressman Kline's office for week #4 (February 27th)....

Account #1:Cooler reception at Kline's office

It was a decidedly cooler reception Tuesday for peace advocates at the office of U.S. Rep. John Kline. On a Tuesday visit two weeks ago Kline's District Director Mike Osskopp seemed to be looking for ways to offset the threats of arrest he had made the previous week. He served donuts and coffee to the visitors, and last week, Feb. 20, Kline himself addressed the group of forty five about his positions in favor of the war and the surge of troops. In answer to a request for a public forum on this country's Iraq policy, he asked if a Saturday at an area high-school gym would be acceptable. The meeting adjourned with assurances from Kline that his aides would be in touch with members of the peace group to work out details of what would be happening and where. Members of the group say they e-mailed Osskopp, but there was no contact made by Kline's office with them over the past week.

Tuesday morning two staff members from Kline's office directed the group to a conference room which had been reserved for an hour. When asked about plans for the public meeting, the two said they knew nothing about that. Gathered constituents adjourned saying it was a breach of faith to appear to be in favor of such a meeting one week, then totally in the dark about it the next. The staff members collected a few communication forms from individuals in the group.

Account #2: Kline Back to Stonewalling His Constituents

Peace-petition coordinators Greg and Sue Skog and Paul Hoffinger all report that this week’s group of CD-2 constituents were not greeted with coffee, donuts or even by District Staffer Mike Osskopp. Instead two female staffers met the group at the doorway and claimed not to know of any request for a town hall meeting. This comes after 45 or so people understood Kline to agree last week to a public meeting and begin to discuss logistics of place and date.

Unfortunately, despite the group’s patience—this was its 4th meeting—and constructive request for dialogue, it almost looks as if things have reverted back to square one.
You know it would be one thing if democracy was in such short supply in this district but things were otherwise going well in the country. But as everyone knows, we are in the throes of the worst debacle-quagmire-nightmare-mess imaginable. If you got 5 minutes, watch this truthout video, containing PTSD-affected testimonial from one young Marine and his family about the horrors he witnessed in Iraq . This is why we really need to continue this effort to get democracy back in our district and get saner leadership in Washington D.C.

We aren’t going to get our democracy back by waiting, hoping or even praying for some strong, wealthy but good-hearted candidate to come along, save the district and finally defeat Kline. The beauty, but also the downside, of democracy is it depends on us. It would be great if some of us bloggers and letter writers could help point the way here. It is obvious that much more pressure in terms of participants, press and signatures has to be brought to bear on our elected representative Kline to realistically provide any incentive for him to hold a public meeting.

(Between us, a whole bunch of other national leaders are making up their minds about what to do right now. Some like Norm Coleman and Ramstad might actually worry about being held accountable in the next election. But if a Kline can successfully Rove-plow his way forward without having to worry about his constituency, that may also embolden other leaders facing re-election to disregard their own constituents.)

Category: Minnesota Politics

by Roxanne Mindeman

I begin by noting that I am not one of the organizers of the past 4 weeks of Tuesday morning gatherings of anti war activists at Congressman John Kline's office. I don't speak for them. I can assure you that the organizers of these events, had I chosen to ask their preference, would have requested that I just type this blog - to vent, if necessary, and then press "Delete". I didn't ask 'em.

I'm one of dozens of people who have showed up on Tuesday mornings, to add our voices to the growing citizen awareness that our collective silence is giving our neocon driven government permission to continue - and now, sadly, to escalate -a culture of destruction tied to our name...... so far nearly 3200 American soilders have died - more than 50 of them Minnesotans...... And hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. And, to anyone paying attention, the neocon message machine, has for some time, been preparing silent, polite, resolute, respectful Americas for yet another preemptive war. This time against Iran. This time, with "all options on the table", including nuclear.

While I've had as many "Minnesota nice" lessons as the next guy, I'm no longer willing to sit silently, while the neocons and their hapless, hopeless excuse for a President continues to turn up the heat. To borrow from the boiling frog analogy, it's time to quietly perish - or wake up and bail out of the boiling water! This frog is bailing.

So let me just say, Congressman Kline, this North Dakota farm girl knows a snow job when she sees one. Though they may be too polite to say so, others in this group recognize it too. Contrary to your apparent hope and expectation, we're not dumb and we're not blind.

First you sent the police after us. Then you had your staff buy us Krispy Kreme Donuts and Caribou Coffee. (Might have been a nice touch, had it not been proceeded by the squad cars.) Then your staff told us that you were just "booked solid" for every minute you were at home, through all of February .... and all of March.... but there "might" be "some possibility" in April. Or if we went to Washington, you could "get us in". Then your staff went on to explain the gargantuan efforts they were making to get us some time with you, and what a boatload of money they would have to spend to set up a public meeting (Absurd!), and how they were concerned that if they did set such a meeting - which over 500 of us had signed a petition to request - that few of us would bother to show up. (Equally absurd!).

It now appears that we ran through your long list of lame excuses, leaving you to either honor our request, or select the true cowards option.....show up unannounced, and for a change, "play nice". Then, with our silence, pretend that this unscheduled, unpublished "appearance" should serve as the requested public meeting, satisfy the less demanding among us, and allow you to claim to have provided an opportunity for the opposition to be heard. Sorry Congressman Kline, that ain't gonna cut it.

Bottom line folks, "Week 4" was "Week 1" without the squad cars. Do we let them buy our continued silence with half hearted (at best), completely disingenuous, "efforts" to bring our cowardly representative face to face with his constituents? Not me. This frog is bailing. And if next Tuesday morning's meeting is open to soggy frogs, I'll be there. Fellow frogs, it's time to bail, grab a towel, shake off the neocon induced, simmering frog "brain fog", and join us. Tuesday's, 9 to 11 am. Congressman Kline's office at 101 West Burnsville Parkway, #201.

Roxanne Mindeman, political activist, suburban liberal, recovering amphibian, can be reached at newtbuster@prodigy.net .