A New Episode Of DFL SD-42's "Democratic Visions"

There’s a new episode of “Democratic Visions”, produced by DFL SD-42 in the southwest ‘burbs – you can tune in Comcast Channel 15 in Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie on Wednesdays at 5:30pm and Sundays at 9 pm. This new episode features Janet Robert of AM-950 radio (“The Voice Of Minnesota!”), State Public Defender John Stuart, and a segment honoring the 10th anniversary of the death of state legislator Willard Munger – Minnesota’s “Mr. Environment.” Or, you can just watch, below the fold – let’s look!

AM950: Minnesota’s Progressive Talkers

Minnesota’s Public Defender Crisis

Willard Munger Legacy

Link here for previous episodes, featuring guests such as:

Steve Kelley
Amber Greves
Mark Dayton
Maria Ruud
Ron Case
John Marty
Paul Thissen
Terri Bonoff
Ahmed Tharwat
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer

“Democratic Visions” – watch it!

(originally published at <a href="http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/3913/a-new-episode-of-dfl-sd42s-democratic-visions&quot;MnProgressiveProject.com)

What I Said Last Night

Two weeks ago I wrote a post entitled “Protecting A Parking Lot” where Park Watch’s June 17th testimony to the Park Board was duly noted and dismissed as the junk it was. I was going to fisk that junk; but other things got in the way. So, I thought I’d attend last night’s Minneapolis Park Board meeting, and do some fisking there. Here’s what I wanted to say; I gave an abridged version as I thought I’d have three minutes but was only given two:

Mr. President, Ms. Vice President, Commissioners: My name is Tommy Johnson. Most of you know me as TwoPutt Tommy. I am a blogger at MNProgressiveProject. I am here to speak about blogging, ParkWatch, and a little bit about Crown Hydro.

MNProgressiveProject is a group of bloggers that speak for no one but ourselves. We cover issues all over the state of Minnesota. Like all reputable blogs, we try to follow something loosely called the Blogger’s Code of Ethics. There are two basic elements we go by.

First, be honest in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. This means checking facts. One of the tenets of this guideline is to distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information. Even advocacy writing and commentary should not misrepresent fact or context.
Second, be accountable. We admit our mistakes, and correct our posts.

In the course of my blogging, I covered the issue of Crown Hydro, and became aware of ParkWatch. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is covered extensively by the blog ParkWatch, and they are also activists against certain projects, such as Crown Hydro. On June 17th a blogger from ParkWatch addressed the Park Board and posted said comments on their blog.

I made a brief blog post about this on Friday, June 19th – I brefly touched on Park Watch’s comments, but didn’t get into specifics. Tonight, I’d like to.

On June 17th, a Park Watch member, Arlene Fried, made the following comments:

She said, and I quote: “We know that the public will lose control over St. Anthony Falls to a private developer and the FERC. No one can predict water flows over the next 50 to 100 years, and an EAW will not enlighten you on this topic. The FERC will have the authority to let the Falls run dry in order to produce energy.”

This is completely at odds with what the FERC License says. The FERC license Article 309 requires Crown Hydro to work with the other water users on a flow plan. (1) They did this. (2) There are 4 water users at this elevation, the City, the Army Corps and Xcel Energy. Crown Hydro has last use. First to turn off, last to turn on, and will never run at times of low flow. Article 404 (3) requires them to have a plan to implement this. And finally, the lease terms negotiated by the Park Board indicate the Park Board has control of water diversion when flows are at 1000 cfs or below. (4) This lease term becomes part of the FERC license, in essence, fully enforceable federal law. Some people might call what Ms. Fried said untrue; I’ll simply say the license contradicts what she said.

The second statement she made, and I quote: “We know that a FERC hydropower license will preempt local control of historic preservation issues.”

Again, completely at odds with everything I’ve read. This is local park land, on a federal waterway, in part of a national park. The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation office will work with the State Historic Preservation Office and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to create a Programmatic Agreement that addresses historic preservation issues. Some people might call what Ms. Fried said untrue; I’ll simply say the record contradicts what she said.

I hope the ParkWatch blog accepts these fact corrections and edits their blog accordingly.

***
1 – pages 10 and 17 of FERC License, 19 March 1999
2 – System-Wide Low-Flow Management Plan, Mississippi River above St. Paul, revised 11 March 2004
3 – pages 10 and 20 of FERC License, 19 March 1999
4 – Crown Hydro Proposed Lease Term Sheet

Quite frankly, the Park Watch people don’t source their work and for the most part their work is junk. When people have to make stuff up to make a point, their point isn’t worth making.

Recently, I mocked, ridiculed, and scorned the ParkWatch folk. Shortly thereafter, I recived an e-mail, notifying me of a new blog, Minneapolis Park Watch Watch, which is now mocking, ridiculing, and scorning the Park Watch folk.

FOR THE RECORD: I was not involved in forming the Minneapolis Park Watch Watch blog, I have not been invoved, nor am I now involved. But, I’d like to think that my mocking, ridiculing, and scorning of the Park Watch folk was part of the inspiration to the people that did. And who knows? Down the road, I might just make a post or three or more over there…

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Protecting A Parking Lot, or….

“Information? We don’t need no stinkin’ information.”

It’s important to note that after all their “due diligence” – according to them – the Sierra Club decided to oppose the Crown Hydro project on the basis that “a fifty year lease (of a parking lot) isn’t really a ‘lease’ – it’s a ‘sale’.”

Here’s the money quote from the Chapter’s State Director, Maragret Levin:

“After careful consideration, the Sierra Club is opposing the Crown Hydro project due to what amounts to, legally, as a “sale” of public parkland (the proposed 50-year lease, with a right to renew for an additional 50 years). The Sierra Club North Star Chapter has long expressed concern about the sale of public park land to a private enterprise.”

Now, one way to look at that opposition is this: since after all that “careful consideration” the only – ONLY – reason the Sierra Club opposes the project is the length of the lease, it must be a pretty dam(n) good project.

But, what did ParkWatch testify to the Minneapolis Park Board, just the other night? Let’s look!

Protecting Parkland

The following speech in opposition to Crown Hydro’s proposed hydropower project on park land was given at the June 17, 2009 Park Board meeting during Open Time.

June 17, 2009

Commissioners:

First I would like to thank you for your previous decisions not to spend any further time or resources on the Crown Hydro project. Now, Crown is back with a renewed request for environmental review of its proposal. Nothing material has changed, and I urge you reject this project once and for all.

On its face, an EAW may sound appealing. Why not support a fact-finding exercise? Well, there are many reasons, and the main one is that you already have more than enough information to make a decision on this proposal.

1. We know that the Park Board mission is to “permanently preserve, protect, maintain, improve and enhance its natural resources, parkland, and recreational opportunities for current and future generations.”

2. We know that the public will lose control over St. Anthony Falls to a private developer and the FERC. No one can predict water flows over the next 50 to 100 years, and an EAW will not enlighten you on this topic. The FERC will have the authority to let the Falls run dry in order to produce energy.

3. We know that a FERC hydropower license will preempt local control of historic preservation issues.

4. We know from experience that this particular developer is willing to breach agreements when it serves its interests.

While it’s true the DNR concluded that there are two mandatory EAW categories that could apply to this project, the DNR did not conclude that an EAW must be done. If there is no project, then there is no need for an EAW.

I urge you to stand by your earlier decisions and follow your mission: say no to Crown Hydro. Protect the Falls and this parkland for future generations.

Sincerely,

Arlene Fried Co-founder of Park Watch

Posted by Liz Wielinski on Thu, 06/18/2009 – 10:55pm

I can fisk this at great length, and will.

And I’ll do it on Monday; I got stuff to do today, such as attend the send-off ceremony for the Minnesota troops of Alpha Company 452nd Combat Support Hospital – they’re being deployed to Afghanistan.

For those interested, it starts at 10 in Building 505 at Fort Snelling.

Come Monday, though, it’ll be time to rip Parkwatch a new one.

And why will the ol’ TwoPutter rip ’em a new one?

The old-fashioned reason, Ladies and Gents: they’ve EARNED it.

For now, though, consider this, from the extremists at Parkwatch: They’re agitating to save a parking lot, and they claim, above, several times that: “we know….”

No, they DON’T know – and they don’t need no stinkin’ facts that an EAW would determine.

Actually, they don’t WANT facts.

The funniest/saddest thing about that ParkWatch post, on the ParkWatch website?

That “we don’t need no stinkin’ information” is just below this post:

Mprb Unalloted $2.5 Million For 2010 Budget

During the MPRB meeting of June 17th as part of the Superintendent’s budget wrap up for 2008 he discussed the expected LGA ( Local Government Aid) unallotment allocations for the MPRB for 2009 and 2010 based on the current plan proposed by the governor.

Posted by Liz Wielinski on Thu, 06/18/2009 – 11:21pm

For you Minneapolis voters, remember next November that Liz Wielinski is a candidate for Park Board. And perhaps you might want to ask her, why roughly $300,000 per year from Crown Hydro – for rent of a parking lot – is such a “bad thing” when Governor T-Bag is looking to cut the Park Board’s budget by $2,500,000?

Here’s Liz’s website:
http://www.lizforparks.com/Site/Home.html

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Caught Tellin' A Whopper, Paulsen Dances

Any decent PR Flack will tell you that if you have something you want to hide, release it on a Friday. And since Erik “The Hustler” Paulsen wants to hide who he really is, he held a press conference yesterday, on a Friday. And he told a whopper; a whopper that’s been told by other republiCons; and a whopper that’s been thoroughly and completely debunked. Asked to clarify that whopper, by the media, instead of acknowledging a mistake and trying to move on, Paulsen just danced. Mark Brunswick has the story, here, on his blog, in a story entitled ”Katrina oil spills and what the meaning of the word “is” is”.

In a passing reference to offshore drilling, Paulsen said this:

“We have seen even in tragedies like Hurricane Katrina where there have been environmentally sensitive areas that have been protected, where oil was not spilled and some of these catastrophic challenges that faced the United States. These are critical areas that we need to tap additional reserves and sources for our own energy sources here in the United States.”

… and with that Paulsen stepped into a potential political spill of his own, one that seems to have gummed up the works of several other candidates. Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain spoke out a townhall meeting on July 15, saying Katrina and Hurricane Rita “did not cause any real difficulties.” McCain’s senior policy advisors have said the same thing.

The talking point has been repeated and massaged. It all may come down to the Clintonian question of what the meaning of the word “is” is. But Paulsen is clearly stretching reality if you take away from his statement that no oil was spilled offshore as a result of Katrina or Rita.(StarTribune)

Ladies and Gentlemen, a Star Tribune reporter, any reporter, saying a politician “is clearly stretching reality” is Reporterese for “he flat-out told a whopper.”

And Paulsen telling this particular whopper is an appropriate time to point out Eden Prairie GOPer Mayor Maybe, er, ‘scuse me, “Phil Young”, had a similar problem with what the meaning of “help” is.

Both Paulsen and Young, elected GOPer officials, offer stark reasons why reasonable people no longer can reasonably trust elected Republicans to tell the truth. Both were caught telling whoppers; both refused to ‘fess up and move on.

Mayor Young survives his whopper for now; he’s not up for re-election for another two years and he’s hoping voter’s memories are short. Will Paulsen may survive his latest whopper? He told it on a Friday which PR Flacks would tell you is a good day to hide stuff. Not as good as a Sunday, but still pretty good. And I bring up “Sunday”, because it was on a Sunday, when very little coverage could be expected, that Paulsen announced his campaign for congress, and announced he was moderate candidate, like Frenzel and Ramstad. One thing Paulsen said that is true, is Paulsen promised in this race, he wouldn’t be out-hustled.

Ladies and Gentlemen, like Mayor Maybe in 2006, Erik Paulsen is trying to hustle the electorate. Thirty-four years ago today, Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon resigned, because he didn’t tell the truth. Thirty-four years later, Erik Paulsen has not learned that lesson, and hustles onward, hoping voters won’t notice a whopper told on a Friday.

(cross posted at The Eden Prairie News)

(originally published at MnBlue.com)