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Chris Johnson

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
4 years 30 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/29/09 at 04:36 pm in response to Roxana Saberi: Not a spy but ... [Update]

I'm wondering just what everyone's definition of spy is here.

If you come from a another nation to the USA and you copy documents labeled as classified, there's a good chance you'll be called a spy by the U.S. government. It may hinge on just who called the documents "classified" perhaps. In the U.S. Department of Defense, "classified" is one of the levels of secrecy and restricted access. Copying those documents for non-official use is a federal crime, even if you are not a...

Posted on 05/04/09 at 04:28 pm in response to Does the local media overcover Michele Bachmann?

Perhaps the downside of Bachmann coverage is that it does suck the air out of the room, pushing more deserving stories out of print. On the other hand, it's hard to deny the bang for the buck of the two-fer one gets from it: entertainment and news in one story.

Posted on 05/06/09 at 12:49 pm in response to Daily Glean: Hamthrax closes Minneapolis, Orono schools

Despite protestations from the pork industry, this really is swine flu. The H1N1 virus is one of the influenza viruses most common among swine.

Next thing you know, the chicken industry will want to rename chicken pox, and the dairy industry will want to rewrite history to eliminate cow pox.

Posted on 04/29/09 at 01:25 pm in response to Daily Glean: Swine flu is coming! Swine flu is coming!

Closing schools for one kid with flu-like symptoms? I think we must already be in full panic.

Posted on 04/24/09 at 01:33 pm in response to Daily Glean: St. Paul's unreality show

I think MIA should buy the Polaroid collection.

Posted on 04/24/09 at 10:34 pm in response to Fox9's Van Pilsum: Edina officials, media critics got 'cruising' story wrong

As a parent, and as someone who has used "new media" longer than anybody in this conversation, I'm in agreement with Tom Horner, David Hanner and Jim Camery.

Van Pilsum's story idea (if it were hers originally) was bad from the get-go. Any parent who would think this a good idea needs to have their head examined. Several people pointed out how useless this story is both from a news point of view, as well as from being good for the parents and children. It really has no redeeming...

Posted on 04/17/09 at 03:31 pm in response to Norm versus the Star Tribune: Replaying the tape

Nicely put, Mr. Hamilton.

Posted on 04/16/09 at 03:02 pm in response to Pioneer Press corrects Soucheray; Star Tribune resists same for Bachmann

The Star Tribune's reluctance to publish a correction or editorial critical of Bachmann makes it sound like they've become a right-wing mouthpiece like Faux News. What a shame.

Posted on 04/16/09 at 03:29 pm in response to Daily Glean: No parties, tea or otherwise, at Best Buy

I'm pretty sure "the Gunderson's demanded" should read "the Gundersons demanded" but as a non-professional writer, what do I know about modern grammar? However, that rush-hour-in-Lagos was a clever turn of phrase -- and pretty much fits what traffic would be like if one added any kind of major store to Franklin and Lyndale where it's already congested.

Posted on 04/15/09 at 03:17 pm in response to It ain't so, Joe: Soucheray's bizarre recount timeline

I have to wonder how Soucheray managed to get the job he has, when he can't even get the basic facts close to correct.