You Won't Read It In The Strib

Power Line continues to be all over Keith Ellison's background, with their latest post What's so funny 'bout peace, love and cop-killers? noting that Roll Call has also now picked up on the story.

Upcoming activities

Following are events and volunteer opportunities for the upcoming week:

1) West Metro Alliance of Conservatives monthly breakfast meeting
Thursday, June 29th 7:00 am. Homesteader Restaurant
Highway 55 and Douglas Drive, 1/2 mile east of Hwy 100

2) Phone Bank Opportunities Next Week:

June 27 - Shingobee Bldrs., CEI*, Bennett Materials*

June 28 - SD 58 Door Knock*

June 29 - Xact! Resources*

* 6-9 p.m.: contact Bryan Humphreys: 651-842-0112 or bph@mngop.com

MN Dems vote against victory

The U. S. House of Representatives voted on Friday on a resolution affirming the committment to victory in the Global War on Terror.

As Triple A notes, three of the four Minnesota Democrats in the House got this vote wrong:

Petersen (D-MN) - Yay

McCollum (D-MN) - Nay

Oberstar (D-MN) - Nay

Sabo (D-MN) - Nay

All four Minnesota Republican representatives, of course, got it right, and the resolution did pass 256-153.

Below is the text of the resolution, courtesy of Hugh Hewitt. Read it to see what McCollum, Oberstar, and Sabo voted against, and remember when you go to the polls this November which party is serious about winning the war.

RESOLUTION

Declaring that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.

Whereas the United States and its allies are engaged in a Global War on Terror, a long and demanding struggle against an adversary that is driven by hatred of American values and that is committed to imposing, by the use of terror, its repressive ideology throughout the world;

Whereas for the past two decades, terrorists have used violence in a futile attempt to intimidate the United States;

Whereas it is essential to the security of the American people and to world security that the United States, together with its allies, take the battle to the terrorists and to those who provide them assistance;

Whereas the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other terrorists failed to stop free elections in Afghanistan and the first popularly-elected President in that nation's history has taken office;

Whereas the continued determination of Afghanistan, the United States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be required to sustain a sovereign, free, and secure Afghanistan;

Whereas the steadfast resolve of the United States and its partners since September 11, 2001, helped persuade the government of Libya to surrender its weapons of mass destruction;

Whereas by early 2003 Saddam Hussein and his criminal, Ba'athist regime in Iraq, which had supported terrorists, constituted a threat against global peace and security and was in violation of mandatory United Nations Security Council Resolutions;

Whereas the mission of the United States and its Coalition partners, having removed Saddam Hussein and his regime from power, is to establish a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq at peace with its neighbors;

Whereas the terrorists have declared Iraq to be the central front in their war against all who oppose their ideology;

Whereas the Iraqi people, with the help of the United States and other Coalition partners, have formed a permanent, representative government under a newly ratified constitution;

Whereas the terrorists seek to destroy the new unity government because it threatens the terrorists' aspirations for Iraq and the broader Middle East;

Whereas United States Armed Forces, in coordination with Iraqi security forces and Coalition and other friendly forces, have scored impressive victories in Iraq including finding and killing the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi;

Whereas Iraqi security forces are, over time, taking over from United States and Coalition forces a growing proportion of independent operations and increasingly lead the fight to secure Iraq;

Whereas the United States and Coalition servicemembers and civilians and the members of the Iraqi security forces and those assisting them who have made the ultimate sacrifice or been wounded in Iraq have done so nobly, in the cause of freedom; and

Whereas the United States and its Coalition partners will continue to support Iraq as part of the Global War on Terror: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the Global War on Terror, whether as first responders protecting the homeland, as servicemembers overseas, as diplomats and intelligence officers, or in other roles;
(2) honors the sacrifices of the United States Armed Forces and of partners in the Coalition, and of the Iraqis and Afghans who fight alongside them, especially those who have fallen or been wounded in the struggle, and honors as well the sacrifices of their families and of others who risk their lives to help defend freedom;
(3) declares that it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq;
(4) declares that the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq;
(5) congratulates Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and the Iraqi people on the courage they have shown by participating, in increasing millions, in the elections of 2005 and on the formation of the first government under Iraq's new constitution;
(6) calls upon the nations of the world to promote global peace and security by standing with the United States and other Coalition partners to support the efforts of the Iraqi and Afghan people to live in freedom; and
(7) declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.

The Whole Package

Power Line continues to examine the background of DFL endorsed 5th Congressional District candidate Keith Ellison with Part Eight in their on-going series:

With Ellison's support for Olson/Soliah and Assata Shakur, for the Symbionese Liberation Army and the Black Panther Party, with his respect for "Minister Farrakhan" and his prayer for Castro, one has, more or less, the whole package on Keith Ellison.

Read the whole thing.

Fine Dining

A personal message from Bob Huber & Rudy Boschwitz:

We have finally found a Republican candidate who can win the 5th District for the first time in 44 years: Alan Fine!

Martin Sabo is finishing his tenure in Congress in six months. Our opportunity to win this important district is now! Let's get behind Alan Fine to claim this seat. Alan needs your support.

Meet Alan at Cafe Europa on June 26th at 6:00pm to learn more about his goals, vision, and commitment. I’ll be there, with co-host Bill Nicklow and our special guest and campaign chairperson Rudy Boschwitz, to support Alan in his commitment to achievement in the 5th District.

If you can attend, please let us know at rsvp@fineforcongress.org.

Whether or not you can attend, please consider a financial contribution that is within your financial budget to this very important campaign. A minimum contribution of $250 is preferred. You can contribute using your credit card directly through Alan’s website (www.fineforcongress.org). Please note that the maximum amount any individual can contribute to a Congressional race is $2,100 for the Primary and $2,100 for the General.

Contributions can also be mailed. Please make checks payable to "Fine for Congress" and send it to:

FINE FOR CONGRESS
P.O. Box 24394
Minneapolis, MN 55424-0394

Sincerely,

Bob Huber
Campaign Finance Chair
ALAN FINE FOR CONGRESS

Statement from Party Chair

The following was released by MN GOP Chairman Ron Carey at the conclusion of the State Convention last weekend.

We leave our 2006 convention unified and energetic behind the common sense leadership of Governor Pawlenty, Congressman Kennedy and the rest of our Republican team.

This morning we completed our work by enthusiastically endorsing three constitutional officer candidates to protect our kids, protect the taxpayer and protect the ballot box.

Representative Jeff Johnson represents exactly what Minnesota needs in an Attorney General. He will chase criminals rather than headlines and continue to be a leader on issues of tougher penalties for Sex Offenders and on ridding Minnesota of the scourge of Meth.

State Auditor Pat Anderson is THE Taxpayers Watchdog. She will continue to shine a bright light on how our tax dollars are spent.

Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer has been a vigorous defender of the integrity of the ballot box while she has fought to increase voter turnout and civic participation in our electoral process.

With these three, Governor Pawlenty, Congressman Kennedy and our GOP candidates up and down the ballot, the voters of Minnesota have a team they can be proud of.

And the voters of Minnesota couldn’t have a clearer choice this November.

If voters are concerned about lower taxes and real spending restraint, they will choose this Republican team every time.

If voters are concerned about securing our borders and stopping Illegal Immigration, they will choose this Republican team every time.

If voters want real reform and accountability in education and health care rather than just more money, they will choose this Republican team every time.

If the voters want to be tough on crime, and unapologetic about efforts to keep Minnesotans safe, they will choose this Republican team every time.

And if voters want common sense Minnesota values like defense of life, liberty and the family, they will choose this Republican team every time.

Elections are about choices not sound bites, and as our party leaves Minneapolis to take our unified message to the voters, our Republican party could not be more enthusiastic about our prospects for success in November.

Heavy Baggage

Ellison letter addresses his past ties:

State Rep. Keith Ellison, the DFL endorsee in the Fifth Congressional District race, has sent a letter to the Jewish Community Relations Council in an attempt to quell concerns about his connections to a group viewed by many as anti-Semitic.

Ellison said that when he had ties to the Nation of Islam for about 18 months in the mid-1990s he failed to scrutinize the positions of the group and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, and "wrongly dismissed concerns that they were anti-Semitic. I should have come to that conclusion [that they were anti-Semitic] earlier than I did. I regret that I didn't."

Mark Rotenberg, head of Minnesotans Against Terrorism, general counsel of the University of Minnesota and a Jewish Minneapolis resident who is supporting Reichgott Junge, said, "folks are extra-concerned about his past association with known anti-Semites, anti-whites and anti-Catholic spokesmen. There are other strong, experienced, progressive Democrats in this race who don't have that kind of heavy baggage."

More on Ellison from Power Line:

Before Keith Ellison's past views and associations are excused, can we get them straight? Was Ellison "Keith Hakim"? Was he a member of the Nation of Islam? What were his associations with the group? Over what period of time? Has he terminated these associations? If so, when? I should think that these questions would be of great interest to Fifth District voters specifically and to Democrats generally.

Downtown

I'll be attending the 2006 GOP convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center as a delegate representin' SD44. If there are any noteworthy developments or if I figure out the best place to sneak away for happy hour on Friday afternoon, it shall be reported here.