"Hammer And A Nail" Clearing webs from the hovel a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel I've been digging too deep, I always do. I see my face on the surface I look a lot like narcissus A dark abyss of an emptiness Standing on the edge of a drowning blue. I look behind my ears for the green Even my sweat smells clean Glare off the white hurts my eyes Gotta get out of bed get a hammer and a nail Learn how to use my hands, not just my head I think myself into jail Now I know a refuge never ...

A fine illustration of the inherent problems with depending on faith based social programs to provide a safety net. (Link) Church program won't care for woman who once was a man.... As far as the Rev. John Maxfield could tell, everything was fine between his church and Anoka County until that Friday the 13th. The county social services department was sending disabled seniors and other vulnerable adults needing care during the day to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Francis. Trinity's membe...

Have any of you read this? I thought it was an amazing story and an exciting read. It's about a man doing wonderful things to help the poor and displaced in Pakistan and to a lesser extent Afghanistan. Seeing life in poor rural villages first hand led him to want to help and to come to believe the best way to combat terrorism (he saw the money coming in from Saudi Arabia to build Madrassas) was to build secular schools. He does more than that. It was somewhat depressing to see what he is up a...

Almost everybody stood up: A mother's perspective on state's marriage debate By Nan Corliss Sometimes I get the impression people think that the proposed anti-gay Minnesota marriage amendment would only affect a small, fringe group of people. I know differently. The extent to which gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are integral to the social fabric of our communities was brought home vividly to me one Sunday morning a couple of years ago. I spent that morning at the Wayzata chu...

I'm going to try and say this nicely. This isn't all about me. It really isn't. It's about my best friend, who is poor and raising a child on her own. It's about other friends who are raising their twin 5 year old grandchildren while their daughter is narrowly missing being blown to smithereens by roadside bombs. And frankly it's about the Iraqis suffering, in and out of our interment centers. It's about the air we all breath and the water we drink, while he throws away the Kyoto treaty a...

WSJ: "Minnesota May Be Tip of Political Iceberg" Democrats See Chance to Gain Three House Seats as Republicans Fight Back By DAVID ROGERS Wall Street Journal; March 30, 2006; Page A4 ROCHESTER, Minn. -- From the governor's mansion to Congress, everything's up for grabs in Minnesota this year, and if a political tidal wave is coming in November it will surely be felt here. With the lakes still frozen white from winter, Republican and Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates already have begun ...

I can't say I'm disappointed. I'm not a big fan of folks who appear to be buying their office. Citing the stress of full-time campainging on his family and children, real estate developer Kelly Doran dropped out the race for the DFL gubernatorial nomination Friday. "I have decided to put the interests of my family first," Doran said, with running mate and state Sen. Sheila Kiscaden at his side. "This is very hard but I ask for understanding." Doran, who built a fortune developing suburb...

ya know... this really isn't about the Marriage Ammendment, it's all about getting out their vote this fall. Well IMO people are going to get sick of it. There is far too much to be done right now, and people will remember last Summer. Ethics complaint filed against Senate Majority Leader Rejecting calls to move on, Senate Republicans allege that Dean Johnson lied about conversations with Supreme Court members about Minnesota marriage laws. Senate Republican leaders filed an ethics compla...

how obsessed we are with materialism. We've sold our soul for the illusion of prosperity in our nation. Too few even have that, those not lucky enough to receive it are disposable, here and abroad. The fundimentalist Christians speak of our lack of sexual morals and harken back to the fall of Rome. I think they'd be better off focusing on other morals.

Editorial: Citizenship proof bill would limit many voters Tribune Opinion West Central Tribune Published Friday, March 17, 2006 A Minnesota House committee approved a bill Wednesday that would require proof of citizenship for voter registration in Minnesota. Under the proposed bill, all voters — new voters and longtime voters — who are registering to vote would be required to provide a birth certificate, a passport or naturalization papers. The House and Senate should both reject this bill as ...

was driving home from work today and they were replaying a Westiminster Town Hall Forum speech given by Marian Wright Edelman of the Childrens Defense Fund. Seems our friend John Kline got a 0 rating from them..... for a second year in a row. This was even before the budget fiasco. What really sad is "Almost one-third of the Senators and more than one-third of the House Members scored zero for 2005 in voting on legislation that will impact the lives of children in America." What is this co...

Well it was a busy day yesterday... we screened for Senate, Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Hennepin County Attorney, and ummm :crazy: I was on the screening panel for Governor, and I'll be honest, I was blown away by Becky Lourey. She reminded me of Paul Wellstone. I also liked Steve Kelley alot, we didn't discuss the war, as this was a screening for Governor, but he seems quite progressive. Mr Hatch didn't come, or send a representative as Kelly Doran did (he sent Sheila Kisca...