The featured video of the day on MN Stories is an interview with Rep. Keith Ellison on Al-Jazeera English, which for some unknown reason will not embed itself into this entry.

As Al Franken’s lead expands past 250 as of this writing, watch as Norm Coleman supporters begin downplaying the importance of the unofficial margin that they have been trumpeting for a month and a half now. Not an observation, but a prediction. You don’t need to source predictions.

I will source, however, the evidence against Ann Coulter’s claims made in her articles about the Minnesota Recount (12/15, 12/17). Specifically, she’s dubiously cited the following instances as evidence of vote fraud, when indeed it’s just shit that happens after elections: 100 mystery ballots in Mt. Iron, 133 missing Dinkytown ballots, 100 typo’d ballots, and 32 absentee ballots left in a car. None of these instances were vote fraud, and anyone who tells you that they are is lying or has something to sell.

Indeed, Coulter and her ilk are trying to sell you on the idea that any post-election fluctuations are unlikely, that recounts are dangerous because it only gives the Democrats a second chance to steal the election, and that Secretary of State Mark Richie has been bought and paid for by George Soros. But worst of all, she wishes you to believe that Minnesota’s electoral process is as corrupt as Illinois and as broken as Florida. For her to say any of this with a straight face, she’d have to be completely ignorant of the multipartisan State Canvassing Board that has been running the recount, of the armies of observers who watched every single vote get recounted, and of the fact that Minnesota has gone so far as to scan and publish online every single challenged ballot.

And you know what? She probably is.

It appears that money is becoming a hot topic in keeping the Saint Paul Police in town. The police union is even mockingly threatening a mass exodus of cops to other towns.

This from TwinCities.com

Will St. Paul be suffering an exodus of police officers to the suburbs, where they can get paid more?  That’s the specter presented by the police union in a radio ad being released today.  “It’s a short drive to Eden Prairie and Edina’s next door,” the ad begins with a man singing. “Cops from St. Paul can move to either and make thousands more.”

The sticking point for the union, which represents nearly 700 people, has been salary. The city has offered an annual 3.25 percent pay increase for 2008, 2009 and 2010, which is what the city’s other bargaining units accepted, city officials have said. The union is seeking an extra 2.37 percent boost in the final six months of the contract

The cities suggested raises translates to the following,

“The city’s proposal would have St. Paul officers with five years of experience making $66,866, compared with $79,064 for Eden Prairie and $70,459 for Edina, Shannon said. “

 I think the Saint Paul police do a great job, but it seems to me that almost 70k before overtime is a pretty nice salary. Is it fair for the police union to demand more money when everyone else is getting paltry raise or,as is often the case these days in the private sector, no raise at all?

What do you think?

First Minnesota outlaws smoking in private businesses, then text messaging in private vehicles — heck, legislation was even proposed to ban walking down alleys.

After watching this video — featuring the handiwork of a couple treacherous rocks in Uptown — I propose we create legislation to ban the possession and use of rocks (in the name of public safety).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUvj_2WaH-c[/youtube]

A rock ban is really the only way the government can truly protect us all. These rocks must be stopped.

Remember, people don’t hurt cars. Rocks do.

Barack and Michelle Obama pound fists. Originally uploaded by chad davis.

More flickr photos from Barack Obama’s appearance in St Paul last night, by Minnesotans and by the Obama Campaign. Bob Collins posits that the almost-two-mile-long line outside the X was the real story.