Two congressmen — Democratic Rep. Tim Walz and Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen — joined leaders of labor unions and the state Chamber of Commerce in seeking the repeal of Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium.

Their public backing could put pressure on legislators from their areas considered swing votes in the debate. In April, a bid to lift the ban fell eight votes short in the House after convincingly winning approval in the Senate

Walz, who represents much of southern Minnesota, said he doesn’t discount concerns over long-term waste storage. But he said there are environmental consequences to keeping the nuclear ban in place, too.

“Without a baseload of other alternatives here in Minnesota, quite honestly we’ve encouraged people and forced them into the coal business,” he said. “We want to give them other options.”

I have no questions that ending this law and building nuclear is the right thing to do. I believe that newer nuclear technology is safer and more efficient than the plants of the past. (See Also: Wind vs. Nuclear Power: Which Is Safer?
) And it’s my understanding that we are now able to get more power due to recycling nuclear waste.

Still, that’s just like, my opinion man.

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

I ran across this video around 9am yesterday morning and chose not to post it for two reasons.

1) I felt it would bring out the racial trolls and create a hostile environment.
2) There is a chance it could be staged.

That said, Citypages posted the video under the inflammatory title City Pages hosts video yanked by punks who assaulted bystanders

Which I guess in and of itself is fine, but the comments that followed spill into several racially charged uses of the “N” word and several threats of violence and gun talk.

I can understand not filtering comments to allow free speech, but all speech has a limit.

I have to admit, I was bothered by the comments to the point that I had a hard time falling asleep last night and almost got out of bed to write this post, but I thought that maybe Citypages would clean them up by morning.

So tell me, has Citypages crossed the line?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Reflection

SOTC has NEMAA Fall Fine Arts Show and an interesting conversation about the light rail, Gentrification Via Light Rail.

Minnpost has a must read with the judges talking – Small-fee case explodes: Minnesota justices direct judicial anger at Pawlenty and Legislature

the most remarkable piece of the package is raucous, angry concurrence by Justice Paul Anderson. Anderson sides with Magnuson, which makes his the deciding vote in favor of the deal. The license fee is necessary for the maintenance of “a civilized society,” Anderson says. But the price he exacts for his vote is a fierce lecture about how government ought to function. He ratifies the deal, then denounces it as necessitated by the “unfortunate impasse” between Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the DFL Legislature. But “unfortunate impasse” is pale language compared to what happens when Anderson gets warmed up.

Seriously, read the entire article and the links.

Derusha has a great read on What is and what isn’t terrorism. Did you know there are 109 kinds?

Though, I don’t think cancelling interviews is one of the 109, nor is Friday the 13th, but Sanden of InTheLoop fame doesn’t need Friday the 13th or terrorism to feel the effects of a tough week.

Can we reschedule?

Well, it looks like today isn’t that unlucky for the IntheLoop’ers after all as they have a Joa Cao song going viral in Louisiana

What are you talking about?

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The city of Minneapolis has to cut $1.4 million from its snow removal fun this winter because of constant state aid to local governments.

They must reduce the number of fulltime plow from 134 drivers to 80 drivers. The other 54 will either be laid off or be put on reserve.

City officials say residence will not notice much of a difference.

So many questions, like how can cutting over a third of the cities snowplows not make much of a difference?

Is the city admitting something we’ve know all along, that the City of Minneapolis has long done a crappy job of plowing the streets?

Is this really a case of misplaced priorities?

And why does this get the Ghostbusters theme stuck in my head?
(Just replace ghost with snow)

What do you think?

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The Minneapolis Police Department is looking for some fans.

That is, the department has just launched a Facebook page,following the lead of countless law enforcement agencies across the country.

These departments are scrambling, like many big institutions, to connect with people who are abandoning legacy communications media in favor of social networking sites.

“It’s just another way to reach out to people and capture the ones we’re missing — kids, college students,” said department spokesman Jesse Garcia.

You have to love the double entendre of “and capture the ones we’re missing — kids, college students”

A strib comment:

I can’t wait to see the updates

MPD . . . is tasing an non resisting thug
MPD . . . is settling a lawsuit
MPD . . . is getting sued again
MPD . . . just really kicked some butt
MPD . . . is shooting first and letting god sort them out

So instead I”ll point you to this little nugget over joy over at Roadguy: What’s up with 35E? Don’t ask your GPS

Learn to Drive the Speed Limit as Posted
I-35 E, it gave nagivite feed Trap, 40 m.p.h.. been he pale wills weat pating natience office, that was turn no trave, it of somethis quietus makes, 40 m.p.h. good perhaps insolence of discove, I-35 E had those bodkin? Who worst and point. It comments. oppressor’s could fard that unworst as it was West 7th Stop Light himself might himself might, and sweath, the nagiving afteritive, it giving nating cowards of action is a weary life, that than fly to bear thing commenterit of regardelay.
posted by qajariaq

It starts out wonderfully with a meaningful title, but by the end I couldn’t help wonder if it was a joke.

Now comment away you nating cowards.

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I think this next item is really cool, Bob Collins and Mary Lucia have put their 5:15 segment online. I know with many folk Bob and Mary can inspire a love’em or hate’em situation, well you can put me in the love’em camp.
MPR News Cut: Fresh Eye on the Radio
Give it a listen.

*Update*Speaking of MPR,if you haven’t seen David Brauer’s, of Minnpost, piece on MPR Executive Pay check it out, especially the comments.

While Secrets of the City has art The Affair
AND
scandalOnline Protest Promotes Viewer Interaction

Citypages trys to help out Snoop, who was in town last night, with Advice for Snoop Dogg on getting high in the Twin Cities

My only advice to the Snoop Dogg would be don’t exhale, but I’ll bet he knows that already.

Since Crazy stays crazy

I’ll close it out with: Smart went crazy

It’s a constant message on Election Day: get out and vote. It’s generally accepted that the more voters, the better. The higher turnout, the better. But what about people who admit they don’t know anything about the issues or the candidates in a given race? Is an uninformed vote better than not voting at all?

A number of people chimed in with thoughtful response and many took the safe road saying they abstain if they are uninformed.

Now it’s honest time, at some point in our voting life we’ve all voted for someone that we didn’t know much about.

Hey, we’re all friends here, I’m not judging.

@howwastheshow ponied up some truth that inspired this post:

@justacoolcat @DeRushaJ’s GQ tonight was awesome. Seriously thought about it today. Was only informed on 50% of ballot, but voted on 75%.

When I was 18 I was known for picking based on a funny name or using the infinite-naughty-possibility-generator the write-in box. ( I know write-in isn’t exactly an uninformed vote, but for all practical purposes it’s a wasteful vote)

So here’s my question:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

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It’s a magical realm,but even with all this glory and happiness it can be a sad land. You see, there just aren’t enough real issues to be legislated. So the important government representatives have to occasionally shake off their hookers, wipe the pixie dust from their clothes, and have a congressional hearing.

The pioneerpress reports House subcommittee chairman: We’re here to help NFL, Vikings’ Kevin and Pat Williams resolve differences

‘It is in all of our best interests for these parties to reach an agreement on this enormously important matter.”

Isn’t that nice? Those important lawmakers want to help those big fat rich men get along with their big fat rich bosses.

Thank God, there isn’t a war going on, or an economy that is in shambles, or a kitten caught in a tree.

It’d be terrible if our esteemed Representatives were to get distracted from the important business of the NFL.

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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said today that the violations by Bushmills Ethanol Inc. of Atwater stretched from 2006 to 2009. They included producing ethanol beyond the facility’s permitted capacity, failure to inspect and maintain production and pollution-control equipment, and exceeding allowable wastewater discharge limits.

Because of Bushmill’s violations, the MPCA said in a statement, the cooperative of more than 400 farmers “created a situation where the facility could potentially emit more regulated air pollutants than allowed by its permit.”

I just want to know when we start to get holding the flaks, that push the BS as “green”, responsible for the damage?

This line really strikes me as interesting “could potentially emit more regulated air pollutants than allowed by its permit”

Hmmm, if only Minnesota had a group that was constantly harping about any air pollutants being bad air pollutants.

… that is if only they weren’t in bed with the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. . .