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Changing of the Blog

BROWN HQ (Oct. 17, 2007) -- It's been almost a year of running this combined blog, column archive and news site. It seems like a good time to evaluate how its going and make some changes for the next year. I'm going to maintain www.minnesotabrown.com as my professional writing site where I'll post my weekly newspaper columns and news about my upcoming book. I'll now maintain the blog portion of this site at a companion site, www.minnesotabrown.blogspot.com. The blogspot.com host allows me to make faster, easier posts and allows readers to make comments and take part in more interactive features. Bookmark both. Either way, I plan to announce new columns on the blog and send readers here to read them.

I have enjoyed running a blog and plan to continue. I always wonder who actually reads this thing and now perhaps I'll get a chance to find out. Thanks for joining the adventure.



Reading is for the dogs

(This is my weekly Hibbing Daily Tribune column for Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007. For more analysis and Iron Range perspective, see the MinnesotaBrown Blog).

Sometimes big problems require unusual solutions. For instance, who knew that the solution for kids who struggle to read might be “more dogs?” That’s right; I typed “dogs,” not “gods.” Polytheistic religions might have a place in some reading programs, but such programs probably wouldn’t be able to cite the results of one nationwide program involving dogs.

“R.E.A.D.” (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) was developed by Intermountain Therapy Animals in 1999. The program has the duel appeal of helping kids learn to read while working with trained therapy dogs that enjoy listening to stories. Educators say fear often inhibits kids’ reading skills more than anything else. The R.E.A.D. program is designed to reduce that fear while providing a supportive environment to learn.

Here in northern Minnesota, the Arrowhead Library System already introduced R.E.A.D. at local libraries including Eveleth and Babbitt. Many more Iron Range libraries plan to introduce the program this year. Rebecca Patton is Public Library Consultant for the Arrowhead Library System. She says children’s librarians at individual libraries contact local schools to offer the program to kids who read below level. If interested, a child may then meet with the dog at school or the library. After that, all the kid has to do is read to a dog that really enjoys the attention. Patton says the program generates results.

“We had a wonderful success story when a boy from the kindergarten class came to the R.E.A.D. session at one of the public libraries on the Range,” said Patton. “He could read only a few words. The dog owner gave him a book of just pictures to tell the dog the story.  The boy did a great job telling the dog the story from the pictures. The boy read to the dog for 20 minutes once a week for 4 weeks. By the end of the third week, he went back to class and starting reading an ‘easy reader’ to the entire class. He was so excited he could read!”

I must admit I was a bit skeptical when someone told me about the R.E.A.D. program. Really? Dogs? But hearing more settled my doubts. It provides a creative solution to a real problem. Patton says people have been willing to accept the idea.

“I guess I have been lucky,” said Patton. “I have not had people act with skepticism. This program works because children who do not read well aloud are often laughed at by their peers.  A dog does not laugh at the child.  The dog just lies there enjoying the attention. Also, it has been proven that petting a dog, lowers blood pressure and has a calming effect on people.  When a child is petting a dog or leaning against the dog reading to it, the child is able to concentrate better on reading.”

More kids will get to try the program over the winter, though Patton says they need more certified therapy dogs on the Iron Range. Any child who participates receives a free book to take home and read to their dog or cat. The Arrowhead system has grant funding to provide the books and a lifetime membership in R.E.A.D., so there is hope that any kid who needs help with reading could have a doggone good reading buddy in the future. (I almost made it without a pun. Almost.) Meantime, the natural relationship between kids and dogs may now work to improve literacy in our area. If results continue, teachers will see reading skills go through the woof. (Sorry, once the pun dam breaks you can’t stop it).

For more information, contact Patton at (218) 741-3840.

Who’s a good dog? If they help kids learn to read, Reading Assistance Education Dogs are good dogs. Yes, very good dogs.

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Why we shouldn't back Mesaba, again

BROWN HQ (Oct. 14, 2007) -- I picked this off of a post on Carol Overland's blog. Granted, Carol happens to be an attorney for some of the parties fighting Excelsior Energy's Mesaba Energy Project, but the documents she cites provide objective evidence that our leaders made a big mistake in backing this proposed Iron Range coal gas plant. Proposals like it are being canceled all over the world because the costs of implementing this "clean" technology are far out pacing expectations. Especially damning are two coal gas demonstration plants that are pulling out of plans to expand because the cost just isn't worth it.

The only reason we are having this conversation is because our politicians keep giving Excelsior money and favors.

Now the issue becomes the PR war. Local opponents to the project are maintaining their letter to the editor pressure in Itasca County. Excelsior allies are focusing on larger media like the Duluth News-Tribune and TV. For instance, Rolf Westgard ran this op-ed in the DNT, in which he systematically discredits alternative energy sources like solar, nuclear, natural gas, hydro and wind. Westgard concludes:

A better bet is to burn coal through a process called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, or IGCC. Coal gasification allows chemical removal of mercury and sulfur, and the CO2 emerges as a separate stream which can be captured. The plant gets dual duty from the gases it produces. First, the coal gases, cleaned of impurities, are fired in a gas turbine — much like natural gas — to generate one source of electricity. The hot exhaust of the gas turbine is then used to generate steam for use in a more conventional steam turbine generator. The fuel efficiency is boosted by about 50 percent.

With Department of Energy support, Excelsior Energy is proposing to build the IGCC Mesaba Project, a 600-megawatt coal-fired plant on the Iron Range which will incorporate the latest gasification technology.

Sequestering the carbon dioxide will be a next step, but that delay should not block completing one of the world’s cleanest and most efficient coal plants.

Coal replaced wood as our dominant energy source in the mid-1880s. It remained the leader until after World War II when oil and natural gas consumption began its sharp rise. But now, the energy wheel is bringing cheap, dirty and plentiful coal back into view as energy demand grows and production of oil and gas peaks. We have no choice but to learn to use it with the most efficient and clean process that technology can provide.

Westgard assumes that because each of the five alternatives can't fuel the entire electricity baseload that we shouldn't use them at all. In truth, a combination of wind, solar, biomass, hydro, natural gas and -- maybe, but not likely -- nuclear might very well be a cleaner and cheaper alternative to coal gasification. I mean, come on. Westgard says wind isn't viable because we'd need long and expensive transmission lines. And electricity from Mesaba One will leave on magical sailboats? This is a spin job orchestrated by Excelsior. They did something similar last week when the Department of Energy listed Mesaba as a finalist for a loan guarantee program, ginning up overly optimistic coverage on local TV stations. They're good at this. But time has a way of exposing the truth.


Classic October weekend

BROWN HQ (Oct. 12, 2007) -- The end of the week arrived quickly. I didn't offer much on the blog this week because it was hella* busy. We've got baseball playoffs, football, the last lawn mowing of the year and more on tap now. Should be a great weekend.

Brown on the air
Another essay of mine will air Saturday on KAXE's "Between You and Me" from 10 a.m. to noon on 91.7 FM or online at www.kaxe.org. As I've already posted, this unique independent public radio station is holding their annual fall fundraiser. Their topic this time is "Close to Home." Thus, my essay this week focuses on advice for people living here in northern Minnesota. It's called "What a Guy Ought to Do." The station has also been collecting testimonials from new and renewing members about what they like about living in northern Minnesota. (*) For one thing, you can use outdated slang like "hella" here and it enjoys the same provocative edge among locals as it did when first used in your so-called "population centers." Also, we have taconite. It's a lot of fun, but you don't want to hang around AFTER taconite. Oh wait, that's Taco Night. (Wocka Wocka! ... long week, brothers and sisters, long week).

Pumpkins: We be comin' for you
We're planning to take Henry to the local pumpkin patch to pick out our Halloween gourde and enjoy autumnal fun this weekend. This will be Henry's first trip to the patch so wish us good luck. We will return with our pumpkin booty and carve away. If you don't hear from me in a week or two, come rescue us from the corn maze. (Or as Native Americans would call it, maize maze)

Tune back over the weekend for my Sunday column and more.




Who's the best Iron Range presidential candidate

BROWN HQ (Oct. 8, 2007) -- Sure, your fancy city blogs can blather about the obvious stuff: Is Hillary Clinton inevitable as the Democratic nominee? Will Fred Thompson succeed in tonight's Republican debate? How can Guiliani win over conservatives? Is Obama ready? You know what I say? Snooze! Which of these guy/gals is the best fit for the Iron Range people of northern Minnesota. This is an Iron Range blog, after all. Below, my exclusive candidate analysis.

First the disclaimers; I'm a Democrat with a slight independent streak. That should be OK because that's most people on the Range. I'm a little more high brow than some; I don't hunt or fish, but I live in the woods and come from strong gun-toting heritage. Yeah, I've spoken favorably about John Edwards and Barack Obama, with my caucus vote going to Edwards if he makes it out of the early states and, more likely, Obama if and when Edwards drops off the radar. My tolerance for Hillary Clinton has increased but she's still not my ideal president for the post-"W" era.  What follows has been fed through my "objective filter" and then my "Iron Range ideological separator."

The Democrats

Sen. Hillary Clinton
The Iron Range is not known as a bastion for the feminist movement. (See "North Country"). So the appeal of the "first woman president" is somewhat more muted here. Naturally, many feminists live on the Range and they are excited. It seems that Clinton will do very well among female Democratic activists and that's a powerful bloc in the caucuses and local DFL party structure. I've read reports that Hillary is able to completely disarm the gender factor in high level meetings or behind closed doors. She's smart and tough. I think most Iron Rangers would like Clinton if they really got to know her; but most of us won't get that chance, though. Her impression is more negative here than you see in almost any other Democratic stronghold. She may under perform her averages here.

Sen. Barack Obama
Obama is the wonder candidate, the guy who came out of nowhere with a compelling message and smooth articulation of ideas. He is the intellectual candidate of 2008 (following in the footsteps of guys like Howard Dean from 2004 and Bill Bradley in 2000, both of whom I supported and both of whom lost). The Iron Range has its share of intellectuals and deep thinkers, but as a rule it tends to back brawlers, union standard-bearers, and/or mavericks. We still have good Democrats on the Range who factor in race as well. Not proud of it, but there it is.

Former Sen. John Edwards
If the Minnesota caucuses were first, and all the candidates were still alive, I'd bet money that Edwards would win the Iron Range precincts handily. He's aligned with unions and they are still one of the three strong groups that influence DFL politics on the Range (the others being progressives/activists and "unaffiliated" opinion leaders such as legislators, local developers and lobbyists). I worry on a bad day that Edwards is the kind of guy who would float into an Iron Range bar and hover above everyone, socially speaking. That doesn't play well here.

Gov. Bill Richardson
He drinks, he swears, he likes guns, he's a Democrat, he eats what he wants, he fights the Man, but at the same time has all the experience anyone would need to actually do the job of being president. He had a little trip-up a few weeks ago where he thanked the wrong union after a speech, but on the Range you just need to say, "Sorry folks, I've been drinking" and you're covered. On the Range, we don't want our politicians to be perfect. Richardson's Falstaff qualities are his best attributes in winning over Rangers.

Sen. Joe Biden
Delaware, right? Yeah, well, Joe Biden could hold his own in a Range bar or at a pasty sale, but his east coast credentials would hurt him a bit here. Like Richardson, he's a guy that would have gotten more attention other years and maybe should be getting a better look this time. But that's just how it is.

Sen. Chris Dodd
He has the look and sound of a government bureaucrat that Iron Rangers would see in an employment or county zoning office, but unless he talks about fishing ... a lot ... I don't know if anyone's going to vote for him. Side note: On the Range his giant eyebrows help, not hurt.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich
He's always a favorite with the Range progressive community but is not well liked in the more moderate or conservative circles to win over the Range as a whole. You need two of three to do that. He's from Cleveland and knows polka, though. Could do worse than that, Range-wise.

Former Sen. Mike Gravel
He's bats. We Rangers like unstable leaders but only if they're a socially passable kind of crazy. It'd be hard to have a good time jawing at the bar with Mike Gravel. Sorry Mike. If you can't win here, you can't win anywhere.

The Republicans

Former N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani
A pro-choice Republican on the Iron Range is a little like a spoon with a hole in it. What the hell do you need that for? Social issues dominate Republican circles on the Range and an impure candidate on those issues will never be tolerated. Three marriages, well, some Rangers know a thing or two about that. People here were affected by 9/11 the same as anywhere else in the country. He'd get respect on the Range, but he might not get the votes he'd need. I should like Giuliani because he's more moderate than most Republicans on issues. But he fails an important test I ask of every candidate: "Will this person declare martial law for sketchy reasons, then declare him or herself "President for Life." Giuliani has that kind of mojo going and I don' t like it.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney
Guy named Mitt. From New England. A Republican businessman. Perfect teeth. Any of these sound like buzzwords that would electrify an Iron Range electorate?

Former Sen. Fred Thompson
Rangers watch "Law and Order" but usually only as a form of affordable legal advice heading into a custody dispute or DUI hearing. (a joke, a joke). Thompson's Senate career didn't make much news here and our kind of folksy isn't quite the same as the Southern folksy he exudes.

Sen. John McCain
Normally, I'd say that John McCain would be a pretty good fit for Iron Range conservatives. He's a maverick, a decorated veteran, tough as nails and basically on board with conservative ideology. But he doesn't always follow party orders and it seems a lot of the local Republicans just won't forgive him. Too bad. He's the one Republican in the race who I'd be happy to see elected.

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee
An ex-governor and preacher who talks a lot about healthy living and how much weight he lost in office. You can just see him at a public forum in Nashwauk, telling us that the best solution to our school funding problems is to criminalize abortion. And the old ladies would LOVE him. He's living proof that their fat sons can become skinny and come visit them more often.

Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Tom Tancredo, Rep. Duncan Hunter
Nice guys, maybe. Ain't one of them that could win a state House race on the Iron Range, though. Not even if they ran as DINOs. I know they're all very different candidates, but they'll score about 1 percent in the caucuses here.

Rep. Ron Paul
A Libertarian Republican, he's the kind of guy that could draw support from some Rangers. His following and style, however, is a bit too high-brow (or faux high-brow) to reach the grittier conservatives.

Conclusion: The candidate that best fits the Iron Range is probably Gov. Bill Richardson. He seems like a guy you'd see sitting at the Legion. He's also smart and prone to harmless but distracting verbal gaffes. That's the yin and yang that works for the best Iron Range politicians.

For the Republican minority on the Range, an extremely socially conservative and jumpy lot, the most appropriate Range candidate would probably be Gov. Mike Huckabee. He's warm, friendly, plays in a band, and veers mega hardcore on the right-wing issues.

So there you have it: a Richardson/Huckabee race is good for the Range. But just like a $3 billion proposed job creation project that creates jobs through the production of job creation machines, we shouldn't get our hopes up too high.


Make plans for Friday

BROWN HQ (From a press release -- Oct. 9, 2007) -- Itasca County DFL and the ICC Philosophy Club present A Fall Expo and Forum from 4-9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 at Davies Hall of Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn. The event will feature precinct caucus information, sessions on writing DFL platform resolutions and voter registration, elected officials and candidates, food, straw vote for presidential preference . A U.S. Senate Candidate Forum is at 7:30 p.m. featuring Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.

 

The thin 100,000 watt line

BROWN HQ (Oct. 8, 2007) -- 91.7 KAXE begins its "Close to Home" fall fundraiser today. The two-week event celebrates the people and unique culture of northern Minnesota. If you live in northern Minnesota or have the Internet you should A) listen to this unique independent public station as much as possible, and B) become a member. Becoming a member is very affordable and when you realize just how far that money goes to provide original local programming you'll probably wish you gave more.

Sometimes people describe KAXE as the thin line that defends northern Minnesota from the radio mediocrity you see in most parts of the country. I'll go one further. KAXE is not just a line of defense; it's hope for the future. This station is not only capable of preserving existing services, it actively seeks ways to improve and create new programming for even more audiences in multiple media, including radio and the Internet (and, one day, Smellovision). It's the invasion force that will one day land on the Corporate Continent and liberate the people.

Sorry ... I just watched Ken Burns "The War" and have Normandy on the brain.

I'll have my usual radio essay on the Saturday "Between You and Me" program with Heidi Holtan. This week's topic is advice for people in northern Minnesota. My piece will be entitled "What a Guy Ought to Do." Tune in 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday to hear the show and participate in yet another example of KAXE's air superiority.




Boondoggle 'good news' just another PR spin job

BROWN HQ (Oct. 8, 2007) -- Even I bit on Excelsior Energy's press release from last Friday harder than I should have. Excelsior reported that their Mesaba Energy Project (a proposed coal gas plant in Itasca County) had been recognized by the U.S. Energy Department for consideration for massive loan guarantees. They don't have the loan guarantees yet and won't unless they can show that carbon will be sequestered. Though coal gasification technology is capable of fully sequestering (burying) carbon from coal, Excelsior's plans do not include 100 percent sequestration. They never have. They can't sequester on site because the Iron Range's granite shelf would prevent deep burial. They'd have to add a $1 billion pipeline to North Dakota or Canada to bury the carbon there and the project's officials don't want to talk about that. Probably because they don't intend to actually sequester 100 percent of the carbon. The Friday DOE press release has the appearance of being another PR move to give the project artificial momentum as the PUC considers additional requests to force other utilities to buy the overpriced power this plant would produce. So, in summary: Excelsior's Mesaba project is still a boondoggle and public officials involved need to pull the plug on public financing and regulatory shortcuts. Let their "private investment" carry the load for awhile and we'll see what they're really made of.

On a related topic, Minnesota Power claimed in today's Duluth News-Tribune that their updated and cleaner-running Taconite Harbor power plant will be able to meet the power needs of east Range projects like Polymet and the new Hoyt Lakes iron nugget plant.

“Taconite Harbor will play an integral role in the future as we work to maintain a competitively priced and environmentally sensitive power supply,” said Dave McMillan, senior vice president of marketing, regulatory and public affairs for Allete Inc., Minnesota Power’s parent company.

"The plant probably will emerge as a key power supplier, should plans for several large industrial projects continue to march forward. McMillan pointed out that providing low-cost reliable electrical service could help keep the projects competitive and on track.

“If not for Taconite Harbor, we would really be scrambling to meet the needs of PolyMet and Mesabi Nugget,” said McMillan, referring to two East Range projects now in the works. PolyMet Mining Corp. aims to mine and exploit a variety of metals found in the region’s copper-nickel formations. And Mesabi Nugget proposes to process low-grade iron ore, turning it into iron-rich nuggets for the steel industry’s minimills."

If true, that would leave the new Essar Minnesota Steel plant in Nashwauk as the only major upcoming baseload challenge for northern Minnesota's energy grid. Logic dicates that you don't need a two-and-a-half billion dollar plant to produce the megawatts needed for the steel plant. A small natural gas peaking plant or a minor upgrade to MP's Clay Boswell or Rapids Energy plant would be adequate and put taxpayers, ratepayers and northern Minnesota businesses at far less risk. I hate to be the guy sticking up for utility companies and the business community (that's not a role I'm accustomed to) but I will when it's the right thing to do. We should use the money that the coal lobby wants to prop up its "clean coal" myth to study and develop energy for a zero carbon energy industry.

The officials of Excelsior Energy are trying to make money by selling us a product that does not fit our needs. Say no.




The freedom to read

(This is my weekly Hibbing Daily Tribune column for Sunday, Oct. 7).

Yesterday marked the end of Banned Books Week 2007, an annual call by the American Library Association to remain vigilant in protecting our freedom to read the books of our choice – even controversial ones.

I realize that by writing these words a good many people might be nodding off into their Sunday morning coffee right now, thus burning themselves and contemplating whether to sue the newspaper or me directly. (Hint: always sue the paper; they have inherent liability … shhhhh!) But those smart enough to read their local newspaper instead of mindlessly trusting the TV could use a little reminder about subtle threats to the First Amendment.

The ALA – one could assume to be a reserved, bookish lot – doesn’t hold Banned Books Week to force people to read offensive things. (That’s a job done better and faster by the scrolling marquee outside an “adult supply” store). Rather, they simply encourage people to seek first to understand literature before dismissing it. They cite a quote by Ray Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451,” one of the greatest books about censorship. Bradbury once said of censorship: “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” In other words, if you are offended say so and say why. Defend your values. But simply whisking unconventional or unpopular ideas off the shelves is contrary to one of the few remaining shared values we Americans have: the freedoms ensured in Constitution.

Did you nod off again? You’ve heard these arguments before, perhaps, but there’s a good reason why I repeat them. Like many of you I grew up here on the Range in a working class family. Every kid – every lucky kid – finds something they really like as they grow up that inspires them to keep going. Some kids like hockey. Some like hunting. Some wish you could carry guns while playing hockey and not have to make the choice. That’s what I like about the Range. For me and a lot of my friends, the thrills I got growing up came from reading books and stoking the fires of imagination.

In particular, I remember the awakening I felt reading “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger as a teenager. The first time I read that book I had checked it out from a library. “Catcher in the Rye” was at one time one of the most challenged books in public and school libraries. I can imagine how my world might be different if it hadn’t been on my library’s shelf, but I don’t like to. Now, to be fair, I understand that this book contains foul language and references to some adult themes. Maybe it’s not for younger kids. And, frankly, I just don’t enjoy that book the way I did when I was younger. But I’m glad it was there for me when I needed it.

There seems to be a natural human tendency to try to remove or destroy that which angers us. But understanding the source of our anger before responding is the only responsible way to defend our beliefs. Banning books that are controversial or offensive to some contradicts the very values our government hopes to spread to the world. In fact, I believe remaining true to our values in times of strife does more to advance democracy worldwide than any bomb or army ever could.

Kudos to the local libraries and educators who honored Banned Book Week. If you missed it, there’s always next year. More important is to visit your public libraries throughout the year and marvel at the freedoms you have and should protect.

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'Red Dirt and Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range'

BROWN HQ (Oct. 6, 2007) --  On Friday, we finally signed papers on the book I've been talking about for the last year and a half. Red Step Press of Duluth will publish "Red Dirt and Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" in October 2008. The book will feature original essays about life on the Iron Range and some of my better work from the Hibbing Daily Tribune and KAXE. The general theme is a look at Iron Range society in the past, present and future through the eyes of a new generation.

My friend Lindsy O'Brien founded Red Step Press this year and is now my editor/publisher. Her mission is to publish local nonfiction that celebrates life in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. You should check out her company's web site because any kind of good future for this area includes lots of people like her doing the homework and taking chances on small businesses of all kinds.

Anyway, I'll be sure to let you know how things progress on this book. I'm really excited about it.



Boondoggle gets more boondoggly

BROWN HQ (Oct. 6, 2007) -- The U.S. Energy Department announced Friday it will (consider granting) Excelsior Energy's Mesaba Energy Project loan guarantees for up to 80 percent of the construction costs for the project if it is built. In other words, if the project moves forward and financiers are dumb enough to invest, taxpayers (would) be harmed even more when the whole thing fails, as it probably will.

Why? This is a coal gasification plant. The Energy Department wants to encourage this kind of clean coal development so they're dumping treasure into the proposed project with the most political upside. This one, unlike others, has the backing of Democrats and Republicans and the appearance of a bipartisan wonder-project.

Naturally, Excelsior was on the horn right away making sure the local TV stations reported the good news. In truth, the loan guarantees don't do anything to help their problems with finding a customer to buy the overpriced electricity the company plans to sell. My biggest hope is that companies like Xcel and Minnesota Power succeed in arguing that this project is bad for customers in the region and that other alternatives for meeting the state's base load energy needs are cleaner and cheaper.

Name any other private development that gets the following:
I can't think of one. Once you strike down the gilding of "jobs, jobs, jobs," "clean coal," and "base load needs," this project becomes indefensible. There are cheaper and better ways to create jobs. There are cleaner ways to create energy. There are cheaper and cleaner ways to create base load energy. Why are we even entertaining this multi-billion dollar boondoggle?

Sens. Norm Coleman, Amy Klobuchar, Reps. Jim Oberstar, Jim Ramstad, and the many state legislators thanked in Excelsior's Friday press release should be embarrassed. They aren't. And probably won't be until this thing falls apart. But by then the money will be gone. The people will remember then, even if no one but a handful of locals and members of the political class care right now.

UPDATE (Oct. 8): Read my Oct. 8 post above for an update on this subject.
 


Can't you smell that smell: Brown on the air

BROWN HQ (Oct. 5, 2007) -- Another essay of mine will air sometime after 10 a.m. Saturday on KAXE's "Between You and Me" program. The topic this week is smells, specifically how smells trigger memories, create feelings and enhance the human experience. I know it sounds bizarre. Smells? Why smells? We're at war! That's the point of the show. Stop. Think about something unusual. Grow as a person. Are you against personal growth? Is that it? Shame.

Tune in to 91.7 KAXE or listen online between 10 a.m. and noon for the call-in, music and variety program hosted by Heidi Holtan. Check back here late Friday or over the weekend for my weekly column and big news about my book project.



Corner Gas

BROWN HQ (Oct. 2, 2007) -- Canadians will scoff at me for saying this, but there's this show that's been on in Canada for several years that just came to cable syndication on U.S. television and I love it. It's called "Corner Gas" and it's about a small town in the Canadian plains filled with colorful local characters. It's an ensemble comedy with sharp writing that both mocks and respects small town life. Actually, if it weren't for the deep family roots in northern Minnesota I could so fit in just over the border. Straight evening news without excessive fluff. Good beer. A strong dollar. Old school parliamentary politics. Provinces led by "premieres" instead of governors. Oh yeah, and Canada is about to smack down over the Northwest Passage which is a way better reason to start a war than anything we've come up with.*

They've been airing "Corner Gas" on WGN at 11 p.m. We've got the DVR (poor man's TiVo) and watch it during baby feedings. Totally awesome. Check it out.

* The show actually has nothing to do with any of the pro-Canada things I mentioned; it's just the little extra that reminded me of all the great things about Canada.


Minnesota preview for 2008

BROWN HQ (Oct. 1, 2007) -- Most political attention is now focused on the presidential race but here in Minnesota we could have quite an interesting batch of state and regional elections. Republicans will be playing defense, trying to keep Norm Coleman in the U.S. Senate and protect freshman Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN6) and the soon-to-be open seat held by retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN3). Their other U.S. Rep. John Kline (R-MN2) is probably safe, but Kline faces an interesting DFL challenge from a recently returned Iraq war veteran Steve Sarvi. The "run Democratic veterans in conservative seats" plan didn't work especially well across the country in 2006, but it did work in Minnesota for freshman Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN1). Thus, this is the kind of situation that could work in unseating Kline -- however much of a long shot that seems today. Bachmann and the open third district seat will see lively DFL endorsement and/or nomination fights, with moderate candidates likely to prevail in both cases. A moderate DFLer has to be considered a real contender in the 3rd. That district has been very Republican over time, but it is essentially a moderate district that has voted 50/50 the last several elections. The 6th has been established as conservative district with islands of DFL support. Recently former transportation commissioner, minister and mayor of Blaine El Tinklenberg announced he would run for the DFL nomination in the 6th. Tinklenberg is another moderate who served in the Ventura administration and holds some conservative views. He may be the kind of smart, reasonable candidate that could beat the outspoken social-issue-focused right-wing zeal of Bachmann. The real wrench in the gears are the lingering questions over who will head the DFL ticket for president and U.S. Senate. In both cases I think Democrats can win those races in Minnesota, but a less popular standard-bearer would hurt DFL chances in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th and make Walz's re-election in the 1st much closer.

Meantime, DFlers must defend their majorities in the state House and Senate. In both cases I think they will but the question is the size of those majorities when it's said and done. Democrats would like to win 2/3 majorities in the House and Senate (they would need to win in some hard red areas to do so) so they could override the troublesome vetoes of Tim Pawlenty (or Carol Molnau if T-Paw gets whisked away to the VP slot on the Republican national ticket). But they also face the task of defending more than 30 House seats they nabbed from the Republicans within just the last 3 years. If they overreach they risk losing ground; if they under reach they're stuck with the same lousy situation we had this year where the governor uses executive power to trump legislative action.

On the Range, it could be a quiet year. I am not aware of an open House or Senate seat at this time. With new twins and a toddler at home I hope it stays quiet. We always face the lingering threat of a Republican uprising in this traditionally DFL area, but I don't think 2008 will be the best of years for my conservative friends and neighbors. We had a doozy of a fight to get my friend Tom Anzelc elected as State Rep in 3A last year. He's developed a reasoned and admirable policy approach in his first term, but taking tough stands means angering some in power. So we'll see how things go next year as I return to run his '08 re-election campaign. We're getting ready.

 

Smoking ban starts Monday

BROWN HQ (Sept. 30, 2007) -- Minnesota's "Freedom to Breathe Act" takes effect tomorrow, Oct. 1, 2007. I am excited that Minnesota is joining the modern age of public health. Being part of the diverse cast of political players on the Iron Range, I am surrounded by many who loudly opposed the ban. There are some bars on the Range where I really wouldn't want to be when they pull up the ashtrays. But my original point remains; come back in a year and -- for the most part -- our region will be running just fine, bars and all, and people will be used to the changes. And people will be healthier. Not a single Range lawmaker supported the ban at the legislature but starting tomorrow we join the future nevertheless. I heard from one lawmaker that he got more calls from home opposing the smoking ban than he got on any other issue. That's disturbing to me. As a region we need to get our heads into the game ... the real game of modernizing the Iron Range. You have the freedom to smoke, but other people do not always have practical options when that smoke is released at indoor workplaces like bars, restaurants and others. Hence bans like this one happening across the country and world. Hello, future.


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