Ellison’s Positions on Crime Have Been Dismayingly Clear
October 18th, 2006 – 9:42 PMLots of folks tell us that it’s time to lay aside the nagging questions that have dogged Keith Ellison’s campaign in the Fifth Congressional District. Enough about his driving and campaign finance violations, and his association with the Nation of Islam, they say. Forget about the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ recent fundraiser for him. So what if New York’s Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer has described CAIR as an organization “which we know has ties to terrorism”? Instead, say the pundits, we need to talk about the real issues.
OK, I’m game. How about discussing crime, one of the hottest issues in the district that Ellison aspires to represent? In Minneapolis, shootings and other violence have ripped the social fabric. The struggle pits the police and victims against thugs.
Ellison has made some remarkable statements in support of one side in this conflict. Guess which?
In 2000 he spoke at a fundraiser for longtime fugitive Kathleen Soliah, aka Sara Jane Olson. The text of his speech was posted on a website, www.soliah.com, by Minneapolis resident Greg Lang.
Ellison praised Soliah for “fighting for freedom.” At the time, she faced charges of planting pipe bombs under two Los Angeles police cars as a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a paramilitary organization whose slogan was “Death to the fascist insect that preys on the life of the people.”
Soliah pleaded guilty in 2001. In 2002 she also pleaded guilty to the murder of Myrna Opsahl, a bank customer shot by another SLA member during a holdup. She’s now serving a long prison sentence.
But Ellison’s call to the crowd was broader than a plea to aid Soliah. “We need to come together and free … all the Saras,” he proclaimed.
Like who? Like Assata Shakur, Ellison told his audience. Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army, a “revolutionary activist organization,” who killed a New Jersey state trooper “execution-style at point-blank range,” according to the FBI’s Wanted Fugitives website.
Shakur escaped from prison in 1979, and eventually fled to Cuba. She “should be considered armed and extremely dangerous,” says the FBI, which is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her apprehension.
Ellison, however, lauded Shakur. “I am praying that Castro does not get to the point where he has to really barter with these guys over here because they’re going to get Assata Shakur, they’re going to get a whole lot of other people,” he told the crowd. “I hope the Cuba[n] people can stick to it, because the freedom of some good decent people depends on it.”
Well, so what if Ellison’s judgment about a convicted cop-killer like Shakur is flawed? How does he view real, day-to-day crime-related issues of importance to the Fifth District, like gangs?
As a criminal defense attorney, Ellison told the crowd, he saw “startling similarities” between Soliah and the gang members he represents: Bloods, Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples. He portrayed gang members as misunderstood victims, ordinary folks whose parents “scrimp, save… maybe sell plates of BBQ chicken so Junior can get an attorney.”
Gangs are “stigmatized” and “vilified,” he explained, just as Soliah’s Symbionese Liberation Army was. “Nobody ever knows what it means to BE a Blood,” he maintained, “because they’ve already said this is ‘just evil.’ ”
In fact, in Ellison’s view, young black men in prison seemed almost to morph into civil rights advocates. “The people who govern this society,” he suggested, are “incarcerating all these young black men” in some kind of retribution for the victories of ’60s civil rights activists, and those who campaigned to “free Nelson Mandela.” For the powerful, he said, the “very idea of … black people having civil rights has got to be obliterated with [obviously] the criminal justice system and incarceration.”
Today, Ellison has moved on to different topics. You probably won’t hear him talk about victimized gang members, or freedom fighters who attack our police. He declined to comment for this column on his current view of felons such as Soliah and Assata Shakur.
The establishment is now embracing Ellison. Next week he will be feted at a fundraiser in a tony Lake of the Isles home (”as featured in the October issue of Midwest Home Magazine,” says the invitation), in the company of dignitaries such as Walter Mondale.
Kenwood, let’s remember, is far, far away from north Minneapolis.
74 Responses to "Ellison’s Positions on Crime Have Been Dismayingly Clear"
Has anyone ever heard the saying, “You are the company you keep”?
Say there was a Republican running that, while in college, was associated with, “The Army of God”, which is an underground network of terrorists who believe that the use of violence is an appropriate tool for fighting against abortion. And, while delivering a speech on behalf of the “AOG”, surmised that Eric Rudolph was fighting on behalf of every unborn child, and that while he dosen’t condone his actions, he understands why he needs to continue his fight.
Be honest with yourself, would this be an “issue”, or would it just be the misguided thoughts of someone who has long disassociated himself from these radical Christian militants? Based on the current climate of the media, my guess is that it would be a HUGE issue. Does anyone here think it wouldn’t be?
First of all, Keith was never a member of the Nation of Islam. His “association” was limited to helping organize the Million Man March. Second, CAIR is not a terrorist organization. I haven’t seen any right wing pundits publish the positive quotes about that organization by President Bush and a bipartisan bevy of politicians (http://www.cair.com/whattheysayaboutcair.asp). The number of times these lies are® repeated makes them no more true. As for the driving and campaign finance violations, there may be personal reasons behind those that Keith is a better man for not talking about.
But let’s put those aside for now and talk about crime. Keith has spoken out for radicals like Sara Jane Olson and Assata Shakur. He has defended criminals in his law practice, and worked with gang leaders as a community activist. And no, Keith Ellison does not condone crime. Listen to him speak and you’ll hear very quickly that his overriding message is one of peace. But of course that’s something Katherine Kersten and other Republican mouthpieces prefer to ignore.
The thing is that Keith Ellison probably does know better than anyone in Congress right now what it means to BE a gang member. More than any politician I can remember Keith understands that crime is not just a black-and-white, us-versus-them issue. There are root causes that deserve to be addressed just as much as the acts themselves. I think that Keith gets that, and in a system where so few others do his voice on crime issues will be unique, and refreshing, and important. It isn’t the only reason I’m voting for Keith Ellison, but it’s up there.
Wow, just, wow. I don’t even know what to say, Katherine. You continue to amaze me with this stuff.
Well, I will address one thing in this column. Kenwood, last I checked, is in the 5th Congressional District. And I believe anyone in 5CD has a right to fundraise for Ellison.
Where is Laura Bush campaigning for Bachman again?
Honestly, you should have left that last part out of the column, you proved the point you were trying to make several times earlier in the piece, but the last line shows how someone spoon-fed you this information.
That single line illustrates how you think you are doing voters in the Fifth a favor, but you are only engaging in dirty, childish political games.
How does it feel to be a pawn? I mean, you have every right to write your column, but how does it feel to be nothing more than a pawn?
Well, no surprises here. The right-wing lynch mob arrayed against Keith Ellison is tightening its noose. Instead of criticizing his policy positions, they pick on him for his past associations, no matter how transient. Unfortunately for them, the people of the 5th district are, by-and-large, too smart to be duped into joining this orgy of anti-Muslim hatred.
In the interest of full disclosure, there really needs to be a disclaimer at the end of each of Kersten’s columns saying “I’m Karl Rove, and I approved this message.”
truthiness, you should read the part about kenwood is not north minneapolis again. you misunderstood the meaning. while i was reading the article, i knew that none of it’s claims would be believed by those that would be writing comments. i also knew that those comments would be anti-kersten. no surprise was there. you can read lefties like a book. ellison is a trojan horse and the media and the “good” progressive people of the 5th will do everything they can to cover up ellison’s past. if any of the claims above are true, any one should be more than enough to keep him out of congress.
High on the list of reasons most of the outspoken Minneapolis residents enjoy our community so much is our neighbors. Inasmuch as all true communities are full of good people, what sets us apart here is our high propensity for critical thinkers and creative independence. Whereas other locations have fostered their brand of literati through generations of living in artists’ compounds and socialism experiments, we in the Twin Cities come by our attitude via rock-solid Midwestern values and a more than healthy work ethic. We don’t foster our legions of free-thinkers through societal pressure, but as a natural progression from a great education system and an environment relatively free of fear and other negative energy.
Which of course brings me to the column in question. It is beyond pointless to point out the idiocy of the arguments presented. Curiously enough, Minnesotans also enjoy mob-mentality talk radio and this column is nothing more than fear-mongering that any one of us can get any time for free. Here comes a straw-man argument. There goes some baseless labeling. Please accept this paranoid lunacy based on nothing but that tiny little voice inside your head. To even break this down and comment point-by-point is to bend down and figuratively scold the kids once again why name-calling is a bad thing.
But instead of opting to just skip your ridiculous column like most of us already do and be done with it, I am compelled to respond simply because the level of vitriol and hyperbole might cause a few less-educated souls to actually take you seriously. You actually do manage to mask your contempt in a few phrases. Alas, I can take comfort that the vast majority of us have moved on. You may get a few more from the base to again nod their heads in agreement as they do every day while chanting along with the radio, but that’s about it. Perhaps screaming the Talking Points from rooftops might help? Education and the information age are your enemy. Guess what? We’re winning.
Try embracing what it truly means to be a fully integrated citizen of Minneapolis sometime. It truly is liberating.
Much as I generally prefer Democrats Ellison does indeed have some troubling opinions. It’s NEVER OK to plant bombs under police cars in a democracy, or rob banks with shotguns anywhere, and it’s never OK to support those who do. I don’t care how nice a person Soliah was later in her life - she conspired to commit terrorist acts and should rot in prison.
I don’t give a tinker’s cuss which particular brand of fanciful grandfather-in-the-sky mumbo jumbo Keith Ellison believes in, but his support for Soliah, the Nation of Islam and gangbangers is asinine and unacceptable in a Representative. Criminals who became so in large part due to poverty and hopelessness certainly deserve our sympathy, and our earnest efforts to reduce the problems that spawned their criminality, but they do not deserve our support or praise for their actions. Criminals who chose their path, despite a privileged upbringing, out of some jejune rebellion deserve nothing but scorn and removal from society.
Not being in his district, I cannot vote for Ellison, but if I could do so I certainly would not. It’s rare that I vote other than Democrat, and I certainly could not bring myself to help support a Republican Congressional majority, but if I lived in the 5th I would probably simply abstain from that race - Ellison’s personal peccadillos I could overlook - his wacky and dangerous support for criminals I could not.
MinneapolisMike -
Very nice of you to knwo so certainly that only less educated types will take this topic seriously. Have you read the speech in question?
Like, say, this passage:
“For the people who want to incarcerate Sara Jane Olson, ain’t nothing changed. As a matter of fact, they want to settle scores with Sara Jane Olson and others who were fighting for freedom in the 60’s and 70’s. What I’m saying to you is that, really, the 60’s and the 70�s were only a blip in the data in the minds of the people who govern this society that we live in. To the powerful,they were an aberration. They were a time when people came together: people coming out of World War II; black people needing to have some rights in the country after having 400 years of oppression, slavery, and segregation; white people coming to a realization that it’s better to be a part of humanity than over humanity. This was a confluence of a time when people came together and DID beat back the things that America was always based on. In the minds of the people who want to prosecute Sara Jane Olson, these people feel that the gains that we made have got to be beat back, and the very idea of, say for instance, black people having civil rights, has got to be obliterated with (obviously) the criminal justice system and incarceration.”
The number of young black men in prison is alarming. No one can disagree with that. Almost every other idea here is something most of us entertained our first two years in college and then said, well, maybe not. if you grow up, that is.
Or this:
“The idea that the people who want to prosecute Sara Jane Olson have, well,they have a “June Cleaver” concept of what women are supposed to be about. They have a “June Cleaver” idea that Sara Jane Olson, women in general, were supposed to be in the kitchen cooking -SOMETHING. Right? And are NOT supposed to be engaged in political protest, laying out political thought, and certainly not breaking out of some concrete stereotype or image that they had.”
You absolutely sure you want this mind representing you in Congress?
MplsMike -
I just have to comment once again on the intense irony of the way you hold yourself up as a beacon of open-mindedness.
Have you ever been seriously wrong in any of your left-side views? (An answer like “well, I wasn’t left enough” on something doesn’t count.)
Paul S, you know that Mpls Mike is just intelligent enough to see through these issue? He embraces this type of diversity, even if it kills him.
How can the citizens of this state give Ellison a free pass? This is someone who is:
1. A close associate of CAIR (a group well documented support for Islamic terrorists)
2. A supporter for domestic terrorists (Soliah, etc.)
3. Acused of domestic abuse.
4. Tax evader.
5. Apologist for gangsters.
He probably makes a good defense attorney for these thugs, but is this who we want to be our representative in the U.S. Congress? Are you kidding?
I call on the DFL and their media hacks (Nic Coleman, Rochelle Olson, STRIB editors) to pull their heads out of the sand and start reporting on a few facts.
Thank you lefty loons for reminding me that I left Minnesota for reasons other than the weather.
Look, as a proud centrist in Minnesota I’m constantly dismayed by the willingness of BOTH sides of things to overlook major issues with their partisan candidates.
The bleeding heart liberals have opted to neglect the fact that Ellison has OPENLY SUPPORTED AND COMMENDED CRIMINALS. Look, I don’t want someone writing laws in Washington who supports lawbreakers and has been known to break plenty himself. I don’t care about why the thugs and gang members are the way they are…there are PLENTY of people in similar unfortunate circumstances who look to make an honest living and steer clear of the gangs, so this excuse for lawlessness stops right here.
But before you all think I’m a Republican let’s discuss Alan Fine. Alleged wife-beater, berater of Ellison WITHOUT factual information to prove it unlike these charges Kersten has brought up with source links handy. I don’t like anyone tied to Karl Rove, and his campaign has come right out of the Rove playbook…and for all we know Rove might be calling the shots.
There’s only one candidate I can vote for with any sort of clear conscience, and thus Tammy Lee is getting my vote on Election Day.
Thank you lefty loons for reaffirming my decision to leave Minnesota. You all are nuts. Really, you are.
The thing is, Brian, I believe Katherine K. takes a slightly off-key tack here when she uses this speech to make a case that Keith is “soft on crime.” That allows people like MplsMike just enought of an opening to react like he does, because it doesn’t ring true: when push comes to shove, Keith E. and liberals in Mpls would agree that murderers need to be punished severely.
I think the point has more to do with the bizarre, conspiratorial social analysis that runs rampant through the Twin Cities DFL, as revealed in this speech and the adulation it received from the crowd. Andn how easily and joyfully they let that worldview start excusing the acts of criminals and wackos.
(The transcript, incidentally, was available on a site that collected old stuff like this, and it was described as a version edited under Keith’s supervision; but that link evidently doesn’t work anymore. Now the only place I know where to find it is at www.soliah.com, run by a guy very fixated on the case. The look of the site will give MplsMike a chance to decide it’s wingnuttery, but as far as I know there is no doubt as to the transcript’s authenticity.)
While there is much to be troubled by in Ellison’s past, it isn’t completely fair to rail against what he said “as a criminal defense attorney.” That is part of what criminal defense attorneys do: provide an alternate view and create doubt about the government’s line of prosecution. The American presuppotion of innocence until guilt is proven rests on that confrontational system. It is therefore odd and curious to criticize a defense attorney for a vigorous pursuit of his job.
That doesn’t erase all of his comments or associations, and it is quite fair to surmise that on balance, his views and pronouncements make him unfit for office. I would tend to agree, in much the same manner that I agree that a woman who in effect thinks that she is on a mission from God - and feels obligated to defer to her husband in pursuit of that mission - is unfit for office.
I have no idea how Keith Ellison secured the DFL nomination for the stalwart Martin Sabo’s seat in Congress, but it won’t matter much on November 7th.
Like most thinking people in the 5th Congressional District, I’ll be voting for Tammy Lee.
So, I have a question. What would the opponents have dug up on Erlandson or Junge? If the Fifth CD is so damn important to Conservatives, why is Fine running? I mean if it is important enough to run a smear campaign, why does Fine only have $117,084 in his coffers?
I am sorry to say, but Fine is a throwaway candidate and I believe many on the right feel that Sabo’s old district was too blue to win.
Take for instance the debates. I am not saying Ellison is a great debater, but Fine just plain stinks. I was at the debate in St. Louis Park Tuesday night and his kippah kept falling off. How does a man of Jewish faith, participating in a Congressional candidate debate in a synagogue allow that to happen?
And Fine did not do a good job of handling himself. I was surprised because he kept saying he is a teacher, but he did not speak well in front of the audience at all. And he came across, frankly, as immature and unknowledgeable about the political process and his stands on major policy questions.
He didn’t even have a solid answer about Iraq! How can a candidate not have a polished answer about the No. 1 issue of the 2006 election?!
You may say that shouldn’t matter to the election, it is about the issues, but Kersten and the Star Tribune has made the debate about everything but the issues. Based on character alone, Fine fails to even begin to sway my vote. Lee? I could consider her, but with how inept the GOP has made Congress during the past 12 years, I agree with the next Speaker that it is “time to drain the swamp.”
So, with less than a month to go, you (Conservatives/Republicans) all of a sudden start caring about the welfare of Fifth CD voters?
Didn’t President Bush meet with CAIR? Why isn’t that important to note? Shall we look into the background of things Alan Fine and Tammy Lee have said in the past? Do people change in six years? Are people allowed to change positions? Norm Coleman was welcomed with open arms into the GOP fold. What has Coleman said in the past?
Face it, you are desperate because you realize that the 6th CD could go to Wetterling and Kennedy is toast. But we all know the real reason Ellison is being attacked, don’t we.
{MinnJRJ says:}
Exactly! Where did I say Keith Ellison was beyond criticism? But if we as a society are to actually state that saying kind words about someone who has themselves said anything that may indeed be certifiable makes them guilty as well, well let’s just say no one in my town lives in a glass house.
Praise to all those of you who have given me a label as well. See how simple that is! You certainly have put everything properly in its place, haven’t you.
Keep chanting those Talking Points and keep digging up excuses to categorize anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable. Also, keep trumping the definition of irony while keeping your perspective limited to only what you dare let into your home.
Xenophobia is not your friend. But who am I to talk? I just live here and attempt to get a full measure of any person before assessing their merit.
Xenophobia may not be your friend, but it may raise the hair on the back of your neck and raise the question that something just isn’t right here. Ellison’s ’secret’ speech in Florida recently. His past. Too many questions remain unanswered. But many are afraid to ask and risk being labeled rasist etc.
This entire race typifies the sad state of political leadership across the country today. This is 2006 and the number one underlying issue facing our country is moral character. What are we basing our morals on? What qualifies someone for leadership?
This country is in dire need of leadership - not compromise. We have compromised on nearly everything in our society; from test standards in schools to unjust judges in our courtrooms to the re-definition of marriage to the tolerance of illegal immigration.
60 years ago, when this nation was last truly threatened, the country united to defeat the evil that it faced. The evil that it faces now is its own complacency and compromise. Until we face these facts, we will continue to make excuses and accept sub-standard leaders.
truthiness says:
So, I have a question. What would the opponents have dug up on Erlandson or Junge? If the Fifth CD is so damn important to Conservatives, why is Fine running? I mean if it is important enough to run a smear campaign, why does Fine only have $117,084 in his coffers?
Okay, here’s an answer. If the candidate had been Erlandson or Junge, attention would have gone elsewhere. Both of them are standard-issue Democrats without some of the specific issues that surround Mr. Ellison. Republicans do understand they won’t win this seat. But they’re putting money into this race because Ellison is deeply problematic.
As far as the race issue, I’d say this: if the candidate were Sharon Sayles Belton, you wouldn’t be seeing the same outcry, either. Probably the same with Don Samuels. Ellison gets extra scrutiny because of his record.
And one other thought for you - as much as conservatives dislike Betty McCollum, no one says much about her because she has her seat in the 4th for as long as she wants it. And McCollum’s opponent is a fine man named Obi Sium, who came to America from Eritrea. He too could be the first African-American Minnesota elects to Congress, but, oddly, very few people seem to know who he is.
goodeats4life:
I’d agree that we have substandard leaders now, but precisely because those leaders too often seem unwilling to make real compromises.
Included in any definition of moral character should be the ability to compromise. Compromise requires empathy and sympathy, an ability to understand those who come from different places and perspectives than our own. What we really need in our leaders is not the ability to know with absolute certainty what is right, but the ability to listen to what might be wrong.
If he is such a man of principle, why don’t he run for office as Keith Hakim, or Keith Ellison Muhammad or Keith X. Hey, I’m down with a brother that is a Muslim Black Panther revolutionary. Hey, be proud of that, man! Power to the People, man!
But no, he got to put on that white sheep costume so he fit in white Minneapolis. He got to change his name back to that incipient Scandinavian name, Ellison, so no white folks jump out of their skin.
That’s what I’m sayin.
MplsMike -
All you do is label people who disagree with you. That’s it. We’re people shouting talking points, nothing more. So basically, you’re not even part of the conversation.
As for the point that W and others have met with CAIR and so what’s the big deal: that’s Response #1 (speaking of talking points). It’s denied by no one, covered up by no one.
Someone thinking it’s a powerful point is ignoring the difference in context; ignoring the fact that CAIR is increasingly controversial, including in the American Muslim community; and trying to pretend that the first-ever Muslim congressman’s relationship to an ostensibly moderate but increasingly controversial Muslim organization is somehow a taboo and well-nigh racist topic. Very odd.
Oh, by the way, if any other candidate of any party, race or religion, running for any office was accepting major donations from CAIR officials, and heading off to Florida for sparsely-attended, non-public fundraisers with CAIR officials and trying very hard not to talk about it - I’d be just as interested and just as concerned.
Mpls Mike:
“I just live here and attempt to get a full measure of any person before assessing their merit.”
That’s great. I’d love to see some evidence of that studiousness.
Box:
What you said was a contradiction. To base one’s convictions on a set of absolute moral standards AND to have the “ability to compromise” on those standards is simply not possible.
Your point is precisely the problem.
Leaders today are willing to bend their values and convictions to whatever “politically correct wind” blows through the door. This lack of character is spun to the public as “openness, tolerance, compromise, and centrality”. In fact, they work themselves into political corners (trying to appease everyone) because they have no moral center.
Great leaders can listen with empathy and sympathy. They can be compassionate, loving, and generous. This same great leader can also lead with an unwavering commitment to the highest moral standards, truth, and a conviction to make decisions based on them. And they can do this without bending to the special interest and poll-of-the-day.
The bottom line is that Keith Ellison supported, and probably continues to support, the wanton killing of random police officers (among others). Of course, radical leftists (i.e. mike) do not deal in facts or reality and thus are unconcerned with the issue.
Notice, for instance, the total absence of any factual rebuttal in mike’s initial post. He claims he was “compelled to respond” but responded only with vague and contradictory statements about Minneapolis and MN in general. Nothing about Ellison.
But really, the cop killing issue is not a separate one. It fits into the overall nature of the campaign, which is to say Ellison is basically a communist. His statements with regard to Cuba make that clear. It should not be surprising that communist voters– in MN-5, a substantial portion of the vote– back Ellison.
So yes, if you believe in the violent overthrow of the US government and the establishment of a “vanguard party” to lead the way to a socialist utopia, Ellison is a logical choice on ideological grounds. His character is questionable, to say the least, but he IS a politician, after all.
KE is jutt another example of why I left the Democratic party years ago. raised in a union household, we were taught to beleive that the DFL stood for the common man, as did Democrats in general. Most of my friends growing up were the same way, either farmers or laborers for parents, we beleived this party was the one for us. We left the party, because the party left us, and left is the key word here. The Dems have gone too far left for the common man, as proven by who they choose as leaders. Nancy Pelosi was the final straw that has prevented me from considering the Democratic party, or so I thought when she became the minority leader in the house. Now, I look at this KE situation, and this is the best you can bring forward as a leader? This party is in a sad state of affairs and needs to get back it’s roots before it shrivels completely our of the picture. Heck I’d even consider voting green party before I’d vote DFL ever again. At least they stand for something.
I am not going to try to say I am a moderate or “centrist” in my political views. I didn’t ever expect a republican or even a moderate dem to come out of the 5th district. Sabo was a good man and even though I hardly ever agreed with his politics, he seemed to be a good representative for Minnesota. Ellison does represent the 5th district VERY, VERY well. It is run amuck with the same trash he defends and sticks up for. Isn’t it time they had their own represntation in congress? Then, we can get a couple of Islamic terrorists and Illegal aliens in the House, because everyone has rights in the eyes of the liberal democrat. Well everyone except Jews and Christians.
Seriously, if you can defend Ellison’s stance on Sarh Jane Olson or any convicted gang member as being a victim, you need your head examined and your voting rights withdrawn.
Violent criminals are not victims, they create victims. Until you can understand that, lefties, I will NEVER take what you say to heart. Why should I if I have to live in fear? And, oh, by the way, Lynch-mob and “hanging” comments are so cliche’. Get a new cart to pull. Racism is WAY old, and if you think Minnesota is racist, you’ve NEVER been south of Mankato. Try classism for a while longer.
WHAT A MESS, WHAT A MESS.
saintdon: Minnesota IS racist. The local archbishop said a few years ago that notions of racial superiority underlie our concept of “minnesota nice.” As a matter of fact, you very well might be a racist - equating Islam with terrorism. BTW - you really are a “saint.”
One more thing Mr Saint: Which country is responsible for the death of more than 600,000 Iraqis since 2003? Oh yeah, the U.S. But of course WE can’t be terrorists - we’re a Christian nation!
I’m with you, BornDemocrat. Both my mother and father were unwavering DFLers when I was growing up. My father still thinks that Nixon is the closest thing to the devil incarnate. I can set him off for 30 minutes just by mentioning the name. We were Demos, because they were supposed to be representing the average Joe, but they lost me 15 years ago. I have three brothers and we all have pretty average Joe jobs today: accountant, teacher, programmer, etc. I wouldn’t say that we never vote DFL … but it’s pretty rare.
Dear editor25-
I never equated Islam in general with terrorism. I said(if you could read through your hatred)Islamic Terrorists. Big difference. As in Stupid liberal, and liberal. Loser lefty or lefty. Right wing wacko conservative or conservative. I am sure you have trouble forming sentences let alone reading them. DONT EVER ACCUSE ME OF RACISM AGAIN!
I have spent many years volunteering my time overseas in inpoverished nations like Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana helping people with whatever I can. Have you done anything like that? I most certainly doubt it.
With all the money Ellison has, has he ever done anything like that? I truly don’t know, but I can assure you accusing him of being anti semetic is a hell of alot closer than me being a racist. You seem to toss around racism like a cocktail napkin. Do you even know what racism is? I have seen genocide first hand. I have witnessed young black teens in South Africa violently forced into a casper truck because of their peaceful protests. I have seen villages of opposing African tribes burned to the ground because of historic and religous differences.
You call me racist. I call you pathetic. I’ll call everyone in this state pathetic who thinks supporting terrorism or ignoring it pathetic. Gangs are terrorists. Olson was a terrorist. You deny that, Editor?
I doubt it.
by the way, editor, 600,000 dead in Iraq? Are you aware of who is fighting over there and what the REAL numbers are? Its a mess, no duh, but where are all the graves for those 600,000?
How is Bush so smart to hide that, but too stupid to stay out of Iraq in the first place? Forget it, Ididn’t ask that. I think we need to concentrate on Ellison…and your selective reading.
saint: So - if 600,000 graves cannot be found, it means those people never existed? You accuse Ellison of supporting terrorism - where is your proof? Of course he doesn’t.
saintdon,
Did you know that the Muslim terrorists in Iraq are putting in overtime to kill as many people as possible before our election to help get Democrats elected? They seem to like comments like yours and would like liberal pacifist democrats in power so they can more easily spread their idiology and terror.
MinneapolisMike:
Thanks so much for condescending to take time out of your enlightened life in order to protect fools such as myself from Katherine’s ridiculous and offensive point of view. I find it intriguing that someone who claims to be a “critical thinker” and who revels in his true community full of good people doesn’t hesitate to create some negative energy of his own by rejecting information that a resident who is truly concerned about the well-being of his community should consider when casting their vote next month.
Speaking of straw-man arguments, what does listening to the radio and talking points have to do with Katherine’s column? Apply your esteemed little gray cells (small as they may be) and realize that Kersten was quoting Ellison’s own statements regarding crime. Are you seriously o.k. with electing as a lawmaker someone who supports those who commit violent acts against the innocent and doesn’t see fit to abide by the law himself? How can that possibly lead to the preservation of this idyllic enclave of peace, love and happy thoughts you value so much? Why doesn’t Ellison address these questions directly? If you’re not interested in getting some answers, then you need to hang up your smarter-than-thou act because you’re the one who is the fool.
ther is no winning with you, editor. You’re like Don King. I never said it directly. I said he supported SJO and defends gang members, who , I believe are terrorists. I don’t think Ellison is out to hand over america to Osama. I think he has some issues he needs to address and answer to. I think our great liberal media has to start asking the questions.
Go home to your wife, or hubby, or domestic partner. Get some sleep, and get a conscience.
Sorry saintdon,
You are clearing a guy with a white hat here. I’m just so used to seeing anti-American liberal posts and I need to read more carefully.
Ellison was fairly harmless to National Security as a Minnesota Congressman, but I’m very worried about what he would do as a US Congressman. One positive note is that it would be hard for him to get a Security Clearance with his ties to terror supporting CAIR and the radical and racist Nation of Islam, but his demands for immediate surrender to terrorists in Iraq would only make worldwide Islamic terror much more deadly.
This pathetic clown of a candidate can`t manage his own personal affair`s (pay your tickets and taxes) how do the good people of “the land of 10,000+ communists” expect this putz to serve them in D.C.. Maybe KKKkeith can get shariff Willis out on a weekend furlough (Remember Willie Horton you deranged mentaly ill liberals) to discuss the gang problem in the “community” Now I don`t want to confuse you USE-FULL IDIOTS that support this “HOLY MAN” with the facts but the facts are the religion errr the death cult that KKKkeith submitted to would slit your throat and blow up you kids kindergarten school, if you don`t SUBMIT to the fascist, fundamentalist, no diversity, “religion of peace”. Yes sheeple the only thing KKKkeiths gang of cut throats despise more than a man like me is piny tail wearing, clove smoking, over educated, degenerates like you. PEACE.
As always Katherine, great article. Sure beats the heck out of reading Nick.
Half the fun is reading the left trip over themselves with their hostility.
Keith Ellison, if a Republican, would’ve been run out of town long ago. That’s hypocrisy and a joke of a party in my view. Keep it coming Katherine.
goodeats4life:
I don’t think it’s a contradiction to have values and to be able to change what you believe when new facts or perspectives appear. I want leaders who can listen and learn from others, and who aren’t so convinced of their righteousness that they never listen to anyone’s opinion who comes from someplace else intellectually or politically.
I guess my real problem is that we have a political culture today where people feel like you demonstrate strength by being (or pretending to be) inflexible because you know you are right. That seems simply to create a lot of people who talk past each other. I’m also not so sure that it’s anything but a pose meant to appeal to those who would prefer the world to be without nuance or contradictions, or confusion.
Mr. Box,
I appreciate your input, but we’re not talking about a beauty contest here.
Keith Ellison has ties to racist and terrorist organizations, has serious character flaws, and was endorsed by the DFL above more honorable DFL canditidates in the name of diversity.
America is at war with radical Muslims and we don’t need a Congressman with ties to a terrorist Muslim organization.
Common Sense Democrats should be ashamed of this endoresment.
You say “Assata Shakur,” I say “Fred Hampton” — the 25 year period that began in 1959 with the US intervention in Vietnam and culminated in the police bombing of a black neighborhood in Philadelphia in 1984 was a time of massively increased political violence on many sides. Certain examples of that violence probably seem justified to nearly everyone except the most dogmatic pacificists. Was Kathleen Soliah justified in taking revenge against the police department that had killed one of her closest friends? Did Assata Shakur shoot first in her confrontation with two state troopers, or was she even physically able to shoot anyone with a bullet in her own arm? Was the FBI justified in conspiring to harrass, falsely imprison, torture and murder social justice activists under its COINTELPRO initiative? Was Dan White justified in murdering Harvey Milk and George Moscone? Were the patrons of the Stonewall Inn justified in rioting after years of persecution by the police? Were the Chicago police justified in repeatedly attacking protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention? Was the National Guard justified in killing four anti-war protestors at Kent State?
I would submit that your ability to be enraged, at this late date, by any or all of these actions has far more to do with your current political sympathies than it does with any objective value you place on the lives of any of the dead or maimed. If Keith Ellison believes that Assata Shakur and Kathleen Soliah were targeted for their political beliefs as much as for their actual crimes, I think he is probably correct. And if he believes that political activists are subject to unfair trials and stacked courts, based on his experience as a criminal defense attorney and his reading of history, then I think he’s correct in that as well.
From the witchhunt in Salem Village to the Haymarket Tragedy to Sacco and Vanzetti to Martin Luther King’s arrest for protesting in violation of a court order, there is a rich tradition of criminal proceedings being used to disguise political persecution in this country. The fact that Ellison has spoken out against this, and made vocation of defending the most vulnerable members of society speaks to both his courage and his integrity. The fact that the Republicans are trotting out the same arguments against Ellison that they use against everyone else who speaks truth to power merely underscores the bankruptcy of their discourse.
Here are two things we know for facts: Keith Ellison has repudiated any ties he may have had with the Nation of Islam. Alan Fine has yet to repudiate his race-baiting, anti-Muslim hate letter directed at Ellison.
Most of the commentators here opposed to Ellison are probably not politically aware enough to remember that it was just such a craven attempt to pander to the lowest common denominator that ensured that Rudy Boschwitz would be defeated by Paul Wellstone in 1990. But the 5th district will not forget.
Growler,
You convinced me. I will be voting for people who support terrorists Assata Shakur and Kathleen Soliah.
If (DFL) Keith Hakim Ellison supports terror from yesteryear, he must surely support the Islamists now. Beware Americans!
Does this Katherine Kersten ever do anything but whine?
Just a quick addendum to my earlier comment: I guess it might make just as much sense to say the three decades between Emmett Till’s murder and the MOVE bombing (which was 1985, not 1984, although that year might have been more appropriate) were the critical ones for political violence in the US. Of course, by the mid-1980s, the object of violence had shifted from more ideological issues to the question of whether consenting adults should or should not be allowed to ingest certain plant products.
In any case, what I want to underscore from my comment above is that the “terrorists” of yesteryear — Harriet Tubman anyone? — often morph into the culture heroes of today, while the defenders of virtue — like J. Edgar Hoover for instance — quite often are revealed to be the most compromised and corrupt individuals when history is written.
We live in a country where the legislature and the executive have conspired to rob us of our most fundamental freedoms. Today, at the President’s whim, any human being in the world, including any U.S. citizen, can be kidnapped from their home or workplace or right off the street, transported to a foreign country and tortured for the rest of their life, without any chance to defend themselves in a court of law or any expectation that the orders for their detention will ever be reviewed. If that doesn’t scare you more than the existence of some angry young men with homemade bombs on the other side of the world, then I would argue that you’re not very astute about guaging threat levels. Anything, including Keith Ellison’s election, that keeps me and my friends and family one iota safer from the gang of terrorist oil thugs in control of the White House is something that I will support.
Anyone who compares GW to terrorists has zero credibility. I’ll be ignoring your posts from here forward. Gang of terrorist oil thugs! Go drink your koolaid. KE being an irresponsible terrorist sypathizer has nothing to do with GW. The Democrats have so pushed their hatred for GW that they are blind to the fact that their Congressional candidate is scum bag. They actually beleive that KE isn’t big problem and rectify this thinking based upon hatred for the President.
Growler-
We get that you feel cheated by white America and all of the rich jews in this country. We all get it. There are alot of “circumstancial” facts you bring up in every example you give. You are definately on one side of the issue. We all get that.
I truly believe you have “freedom” and “liberty” in your mind and heart when you make the points you do. The examples you give, though(Kent State, Mascone, Philadelphia, Shakur) are so unrelatable and few and far between.
I am sorry, but it is very ” black Helicoptor”-ish. This country’s government has made many mistakes in the past when it comes to race relations. I don’t see any mention of Waco, or Ruby Ridge? Why? They seemed to be handled very aggresively and violently. Why not use those examples? Is it because maybe everyone in those examples was white? They dont’ seem to fit your profile, right? Please get back to 2006 and concentrate on what really matters today. Do we want a Rep like Ellison in the House? If you do, vote for him.
By the way, read the terrorist bill you quote again. There is NO WAY a citizen of the US can be “grabbed in the middle of the night” and tortured forever and ever. You are getting us confused with China, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico,any Afican nation, N.Korea,…who am I forgetting? I am sure several. As much as you hate Bush, oil companies, and the lot, this is still a pretty nice country. Check out a few others sometime. See how your life would be different in another country. Compare and contrast. Move if it would be better for you somewhere else. I have compared the US to many places, and I like it here. Yeah, our government sucks. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all of the others. You think the US is corrupt, you ain’t seen nothin.
Parvez Ahmed from the terror supporting Muslim group CAIR wrote a piece in the Strib Opinion section today (12-20-06) and basically stated that anyone who doesn’t welcome Keith Hakim Ellison with open arms is a bigot. Parvez failed to mention two very important points about his organizition which is trying very hard to get Ellison elected:
1) CAIR is in fact an organization which supports Muslim terrorist groups. This is well documented and even liberals like Chuck Schumer publically state this.
2) CAIR leaders openly state that they would like to see the United States Constitution be banned and replaced with Islamic law.
It’s typical liberalism to play the race card and call me a bigot for being very bothered by what Ellison and CAIR stand for. I hope people realize that with the DFL endorsement of Ellison, this clearly shows that you can’t trust our National Security to the Democrats.
Obviously Dare2sayit you have some information that CAIR is a terrorist supporting group. Could you point to us a federal indictment of this group on this so called terrorist connections
rm,
Here are some qoutes from fellow democrat comrades of yours………..
*U.S. Senator Richard Durbin:
“[CAIR is] unusual in its extreme rhetoric and its associations with groups that are suspect”
*U.S. Senator Charles Schumer:
“we know [CAIR] has ties to terrorism” “intimate links with Hamas”
Why do liberals insist on putting diversity and multiculteralism ahead of common sense and safety?
One of your progressive, enlightened, forward thinking, BLOGERS that live on a higher moral plane (in their mind), than someone like me stated that MN was racist. First of all playing the race card is the first sign of an exhausted mind. Also idiot why did a black muslim win the primary if we are so racist? Let me give you a little history lesson. America was the last to get involved in the GLOBAL policy of slavery and the first to get out. It`s easy to say that Norway is less racist than us, but that is easy for a country of 6 million homogenized Norwegians. We live in a melting pot of very different cultures, there is not one other country on earth that a black man can thrive if he can put his mind to it and washes his brain of the rubbish the race baiters and misery merchants ( I`m talking to you rev. al and jesse) feed him. Heck maybe he can become a United States congressman.
dare2sayit
i dont care what schumer and durbin said. i can point to a bunch of pols who call abortion protestors terrrorists also. that does not make them, or does it?
i was quite specific. could u show me a federal indictment.If Durbin and Schumer are so sure CAIR is a terrorist org, why is there no indictment.
dont give us this liberal “diversity and multicul…” talk when you cant prove a simple statement, ie that CAIR is a terrorist org….because you are just doing the usual baiting
Mike:
Perhaps you should do a little more research: Britain outlawed slavery before the United States did (in 1830?). Also, I’m not so sure that ending slavery and ending racism are the same thing. We could note thigns like state-mandated segregation and state-sponsored disfranchisement after the Civil War, as well as measures like the Chinese Exclusion Act at the end of the 19th century or the internment of Japanese Americans during the second world war for no other reason than that they were Japanese Americans (please don’t cite Michele Malkin on this issue; Ron Takaki would be better).
rm,
I didn’t say that CAIR was a terrorist organization, they simply support other Muslim terrorist organizations.
Keith Hakim Ellison’s involvement with groups like these should tip people off that he’s bad news, but try to understand liberals.
Too bad you ignore warnings about CAIR from liberals like yourself.
In any case, the whole Ellison/CAIR relationship shows intelligent Americans that you can’t trust our National Security to the democrats.
Ms Box. Please educate me. Tell me what other country a clored person or a person of color (I could never understand the difference) can thrive in business, politics, sports etc. then they can in the good old USA. Don`t give me any Micheal Moore, Lynne Stewart, AL frankin, Howard dean seditious, american hating talking points. 500,000 mostly white americans died to end slavery. You and your ilk are just like the french, the only time you get your hands dirty is when your running them though your hair. Maybe you can pray to your liberal prophet (BILLY BOB CLINTON) for the answer to this difficult question.
dare2sayit
Whether CAIR “supports or is” a terrorist organization. You have not provided a shred of proof. It shows how you are twisting the truth, just like Katherine Kersten does.
rm,
Maybe this will help open your eyes:
http://www.anti-cair-net.org/
Just because you don’t want something to be true doesn’t mean it’s not true.
rm,
I’ve been trying to send you a link that covers CAIR’s involvement with terrorist organizations, but it must be getting blocked. If you do a google searce on anti-cair-net , you should get more than enough evidence. Happy reading.
dare2sayit
u cannot prove that CAIR has ever been indicted for “being or supporting” a terrorist org. So all you are doing is pointing to some right wing crack pot web sites
CAIR wsa set up by the Holy Land Foundation. Just after 9-11, CAIR solicited donations for the victims on their web-site, which they then channeled to…
The Holy Land Foundation.
They quickly took this link down, though, as several days after that the US Government shut down the Holy Land Foundation for funding terrorism. Nihad Awad and Ibrahim Hooper, both acquaintances of Mr. Ellison, have acted as apologists for Hamas and Hezbollah. I think 5th district residents should really question Ellison’s ties to this nefarious organization. And many people on this blog should start reading more than just what coincides with your political view.
Start here.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=24619
Start here. Robert Spencer is a noted expert on radical islam. I’m not calling Ellison a radical islamist. Just letting you know where Spencer is coming from with his opinion.
Here’s more on that secret meeting in Florida:
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=24915
I’ll warn you liberals that it’s a conservative site (oh, my!).
When you’re done reading these, head on over to www.powerlineblog.com and search “Keith Ellison.” You’ll find far more on him there than was ever considered for print in the Strib.
rm, I’ll correct you on your 9:06 post. Members of CAIR are currently in prison for terrorist activities with groups connected to Hamas and Al Qaeda. It’s in the Kaufman article.
This DFL sure ain’t the old DFL, noam sayin?’
Mike:
Ok. I don’t intend to say that opportunities do not exist for people of color in the United States. They obviously do. I’m not sure, though, that we want to say that those opportunities do not exist in other countries. I was merely pointing out to you that you were wrong about the United States being the first country to abolish slavery. In terms of the Civil War, I don’t think that 500,000 people died to end slavery (certainly we can assume that those who fought for the South and died in the Civil War weren’t fighting to end slavery, and I’m not sure that all those who fought for the North and died did so out of a desire to end slavery. That’s a long and complicated question, but I would agree with anyone who would want to say the Civil War was about slavery. I’d say, however, that the Civil War was about the extension of slavery into the territories, and not necessarily about ending slavery.). In any case, while I can agree that opportunities exist for people of color in the United States today, I think we have to agree as well that access to opportunity is different for people of color than for white people, and that that influences the lives we lead. We should be aware of that–especially we white people who benefit from the way that power is structured in our society.
Noam Sayin
show me a federal indictment that shows that CAIR sponsored or supported terror. obviously u cannot. so what u point out is right wing clap trap like the powerliars blog.
all i asked is show me a federal indictement of the organization. are us saying that after 5 years of “war on terror” u cannot show me an indictement.
that shows how the so called “experts on islamic groups” are nothing more than puffery who play their self serviing right wing spiel
rm
RM: there’s a search engine called “Google.” Type in “CAIR & federal indictment.” You’ll find one from 2003
“On 3 July, 2003, ABC News announced that the government has presented information leading to the federal indictment of eleven men who had trained in the woods of Fairfax County, Virginia with “AK-47” style assault weapons.
Of the eleven indicted, one name stands out: Mr. Randall Todd Royer, who has served as a communications specialist and as a civil rights coordinator for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
This is not the first time that CAIR has had its officers arrested for Islamist-terror related crimes; Mr. Bassem Khafagi, CAIR’s director of community relations was arrested this past January and Mr. Siraj Wahhaj, CAIR Advisory Board member has been named as “one of the “unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators” in a plot to blow up monuments in New York City several years ago.”
CP: there is a search engine called “Google”: Type in Republican and federal indictment. You’ll find many
once again show me a federal indictment that shows that CAIR sponsored or supported terror. obviously u cannot. so what u point out is right wing clap trap like the powerliars blog
[…] It isn’t surprising that Keith Ellison didn’t wait until his swearing in to become a featured speaker at radical Islamic groups’ conventions. He has a history of being an outspoken advocate of radicals, saying this about Kathleen Soliah: In 2000 he spoke at a fundraiser for longtime fugitive Kathleen Soliah, aka Sara Jane Olson. The text of his speech was posted on a website, www.soliah.com, by Minneapolis resident Greg Lang. Ellison praised Soliah for “fighting for freedom.” At the time, she faced charges of planting pipe bombs under two Los Angeles police cars as a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a paramilitary organization whose slogan was “Death to the fascist insect that preys on the life of the people.” Soliah pleaded guilty in 2001. In 2002 she also pleaded guilty to the murder of Myrna Opsahl, a bank customer shot by another SLA member during a holdup. She’s now serving a long prison sentence. But Ellison’s call to the crowd was broader than a plea to aid Soliah. “We need to come together and free…all the Saras,” he proclaimed. […]
[…] Here’s one of the “Saras” that Ellison was thinking of: Like Assata Shakur, Ellison told his audience. Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army, a “revolutionary activist organization,” who killed a New Jersey state trooper “execution-style at point-blank range,” according to the FBI’s Wanted Fugitives website. […]
[…] Here’s one of the “Saras” that Ellison was thinking of: Like Assata Shakur, Ellison told his audience. Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army, a “revolutionary activist organization,” who killed a New Jersey state trooper “execution-style at point-blank range,” according to the FBI’s Wanted Fugitives website. […]
[…] Let’s not forget this Ellison gem: But Ellison’s call to the crowd was broader than a plea to aid Soliah. “We need to come together and free…all the Saras,” he proclaimed. […]
adult friend
Great Blog! Your post was very interesting! I think your points are excellent and I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Hotel Sepia
Lots of folks tell us that it’s time to lay aside the nagging questions that have dogged Keith […]
Please leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Katherine Kersten writes a weekly column for the Star Tribune's Sunday Opinion Exchange section. The column covers a broad range of topics reflecting her experiences and interests.
In this blog, she will address many of the same issues, albeit in quicker, less formal fashion, along with pointing readers to other sources of interesting online commentary and coverage.
Subscribe to Katherine Kersten
Learn more about RSS
Books I Love
- Underdevelopment is a State of Mind - Lawrence E. Harrison
- The Schools We Need: Why We Don’t Have Them – E.D. Hirsch
- The Closing of the American Mind – Allan Bloom
- The Repeal of Reticence – Rochelle Gurstein
- Political Pilgrims – Paul Hollander
- The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism – Michael Novak
- A Conflict of Visions – Thomas Sowell
- Adam Bede – George Eliot
- The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Lord of the Rings -- J. R. R. Tolkein
Great Minnesota Blogs
Indispensible Think Tanks
Movies You Won't Forget
On Education
- Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
- Center for Education Reform
- Core Knowledge Foundation
- Intercollegiate Studies Institute
On Marriage and the Family
Sites You Shouldn't Miss
Categories
- 2008 GOP Convention (11)
- Abstinence (3)
- ACLU (3)
- ADA (1)
- Adoption (1)
- Adversary Culture (3)
- Affirmative Action (3)
- AIDS (2)
- Airlines (1)
- Airport Taxi Drivers (3)
- Al Franken (5)
- Al Gore (3)
- Al Sharpton (1)
- Amy Klobuchar (1)
- Animal Rights (3)
- Anti-Americans (1)
- art (1)
- Assisted Suicide (1)
- Athletics (1)
- Bikes (5)
- Bill Clinton (1)
- Bin Laden (1)
- Boy Scouts (1)
- Boys (2)
- Brainerd Lakes (1)
- Bridge (1)
- Bridge Collapse (8)
- British (1)
- Canada (1)
- Charter schools (1)
- Children (14)
- China (1)
- Chris Stewert (1)
- Christianity (8)
- Christmas (6)
- Cities (2)
- Clarence Thomas (1)
- Collectors (1)
- Colleges (24)
- Congress (2)
- Conservatism (8)
- Constitution (5)
- Contraception (1)
- Courts (9)
- Courtship (1)
- Crime (12)
- Critical Mass (2)
- Culture Wars (6)
- Cyberspace (1)
- Darwin (1)
- Dating (2)
- Dawkins (1)
- Death (2)
- Death Penalty (2)
- Delta Queen (2)
- Discrimination (8)
- Disneyland (1)
- Diversity (9)
- Divorce (2)
- Don Samuels (1)
- Drugs (5)
- Economics (10)
- Education (32)
- Emperor has no clothes (1)
- Energy Policy (1)
- Environmental Issues (11)
- Ethanol (2)
- Eugenics (1)
- Europe (8)
- Evil (1)
- Experts (1)
- Falwell (1)
- Fathers (4)
- Feminists (3)
- First Minnesota Volunteers (1)
- Flying Imams (12)
- Francis of Assisi (1)
- Free Speech (2)
- free will (1)
- Gambling (1)
- Garrison Keillor (2)
- Gas Prices (1)
- Gay Issues (4)
- Gay Marriage (8)
- George Washington (1)
- Germany (1)
- Global Warming (11)
- government gone wild (2)
- Happiness (4)
- Hate Crimes (3)
- Health Care (10)
- Hillary Clinton (2)
- Home Schooling (2)
- Huck Finn (1)
- Indomitable Human Spirit (6)
- Intellectual Freedom (1)
- Iran (1)
- Iraq (22)
- Islam (3)
- James Lileks (1)
- Jane Fonda (1)
- Joe Lieberman (2)
- John Edwards (1)
- John Kerry (2)
- John McCain (2)
- John Wesley Powell (1)
- Journalists (2)
- Keith Ellison (5)
- Larry Craig (1)
- law enforcement (3)
- Lawyers (3)
- Legislature (5)
- Lori Swanson (1)
- Love (2)
- Main (555)
- Manhood (3)
- Mark Ritchie (1)
- Marriage (14)
- Media (9)
- medical ethics (1)
- Melancholia (1)
- Michael Moore (1)
- Michael Vick (1)
- Michelle Bachmann (2)
- Mike Hatch (2)
- Military (19)
- Mitt Romney (1)
- Monster Houses (1)
- Morality (12)
- Mortgage Crises (2)
- Mother Teresa (1)
- Movies (3)
- Multiculturalism (4)
- Museums (1)
- Music (1)
- Muslims (17)
- Nancy Pelosi (1)
- Navy SEALs (1)
- New Orleans (1)
- Norm Coleman (3)
- Norman Borlaug (1)
- North Korea (1)
- Novels (1)
- Obama (10)
- Oberstar (2)
- Olympics (1)
- Outward Bound (1)
- Overcoming (1)
- Parenting (10)
- Peter Singer (2)
- Peter Swanson (1)
- Political Correctness (3)
- Political Pilgrims (1)
- Politics (68)
- Popular Entertainment (3)
- Pornography (3)
- Poverty (5)
- Princess Diana (1)
- Prostitution (1)
- psychology (1)
- Race (16)
- Rachel Paulose (2)
- Radical Islam (3)
- Rap Music (3)
- Religion (21)
- Rights Talk (7)
- ROTC (1)
- Salvation Army (1)
- Sara Jane Olson (1)
- Sarah Palin (4)
- Science (15)
- Self Esteem (2)
- Sexual Infidelity (1)
- Sexuality (16)
- Single Parents (1)
- Sixties (1)
- Skewering the Author (4)
- Slavery (1)
- Smoking (2)
- Social Security (1)
- Solzhenitsyn (1)
- Somalis (2)
- Sports (1)
- Statistics (1)
- STDs (1)
- Stem Cells (2)
- Suicide (1)
- Sustainability (1)
- Sweden (1)
- Tatoos (1)
- Taxes (6)
- Terrorism (6)
- There for Another (8)
- Think Again Readers (5)
- Thomas More (2)
- Tim Pawlenty (6)
- TIZA (6)
- Tobacco (1)
- Transgender (1)
- University of MN (2)
- Ventura (2)
- Video games (2)
- Vietnam (5)
- Violence and the Media (1)
- Virtues and Values (9)
- Voting (3)
- Wal-Mart (1)
- Wealth and Poverty (6)
- Welfare (4)
- Western Culture (1)
- Woodstock (1)
- World War II (2)
- Young People (18)
Archives
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006