Today in Enbridge Line 3. Says Dan Gunderson for MPR, “The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe was strongly critical of an administrative law judge’s recommendation to build a controversial pipeline project through the reservation, according to a statement released Tuesday. ‘This is a clear attack on sovereignty and Tribal communities. We hope people see this recommendation for what it truly is and stand with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and other tribal nations who have pipeline risks threatening their lands,’ the statement said.”
Like a scene from the movies. S.M. Chavey in the PiPress says, “As smoke filled the hallways of his 24-unit apartment complex on Sunday afternoon, a North St. Paul father began to panic. He needed to get out of the building with his 3-month-old daughter, but the hallways were too smoky. So he rushed to a second-floor balcony. Carrying his daughter, he caught the attention of a firefighter below. And then he let go. North St. Paul Assistant Fire Chief Dustin Kalis didn’t have much time to think before getting into position. ‘You could tell he was pretty panicked. He was ready to just get her down and get her out of the apartment,’ Kalis said. ‘I realized this was his only option. I didn’t really have any other option than to catch her.’”
Florida doesn’t go easy on (alleged) killer grannies. Says an AP story, “Lois Riess is in custody in Texas, awaiting transfer to Florida or Minnesota for trial. If the Florida charges against Riess are elevated to first-degree murder, she could face the death penalty. … Florida is a death penalty state, while Minnesota is not. The death penalty is currently not a factor with the charges Riess faces, but that could change. In order to seek the death penalty, Florida prosecutors must charge Riess with first-degree murder and that can only be done through a grand jury indictment.”
It’s not that great of a logo, anyway. From MPR’s Tim Pugmire: “Four Republican state lawmakers have formed an informal caucus to discuss rural issues, but the name and logo they’re using have seriously irked the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party, more commonly known as the DFL. The GOP lawmakers call their project the Republican Farmer Labor Caucus, or RFL. Their logo is strikingly similar to the DFL logo. Rep. Jeremy Munson, R-Lake Crystal, is one of the RFL instigators. … Munson, along with House colleagues Rep Jeff Backer, Rep. Jason Rarick and Rep. Tim Miller, received a cease and desist letter Monday from Charles Nauen, a lawyer representing the Minnesota DFL, who demanded they stop using the logo.”
Apparently, they’re not just saying no. The Forum News Service says, “The number of sexually transmitted diseases increased in Minnesota last year, continuing an unwelcome trend and giving health officials a reason to remind people at risk of infection to get tested at least once a year. ‘A lot of people assume they only need to get tested if they have symptoms’, Krissie Guerard, manager of the STD, HIV and TB section at the Minnesota Department of Health, said in a prepared statement. ‘The truth is that STDs, HIV and hepatitis C often have no symptoms. We urge people who are sexually active and people who inject drugs to get tested at least yearly’. All told, the state reported 30,981 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2017, a record high. That was up from the previous high of 28,631 cases in 2016 and from 25,986 in 2015.”
For the PiPress Sarah Horner reports, “Nicholas Lofquist-Sprangel didn’t have to go to great lengths to steal from John Nasseff while he worked as the late St. Paul philanthropist’s overnight caretaker. He just waited for the infirm man to shuffle into the bathroom with his walker. Then, moments alone, Lofquist-Sprangel rifled through the wealthy benefactor’s wallet and dresser drawers, pocketing cash, watches, cufflinks and other valuables. Over time, the 23-year-old stole more than $1.4 million in jewelry and cash from Nasseff, a former senior West Publishing executive and one of St. Paul’s most prolific donors.”
Bill Murray did what? Jocelyn Hale writes a Strib commentary about Murray’s recent show at the Orpheum: “Murray started reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway, George Plimpton, Billy Collins, James Thurber and Mark Twain. I enjoy these authors, but many of the segments Murray read were chosen as if to offend, as if Murray were snickering at us, saying, ‘I can say this stuff because I’m reading great literature!’ … Murray read not just any selection in ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’ but the most painful section in which Huck lightheartedly diverts the slave hunters away from Jim (submerged in the river at this point) with his tall tale. The scene that includes the N-word 10 or 12 times and portrays the child, Huck, coming across as the clever savior of his elder, Jim. As Murray read the passage to the 99.9 percent white audience, he seemed to relish the potential of offense.”
Trevor Squire of the Strib writes, “Murder and other charges were filed Tuesday against a machete-wielding domestic assault suspect accused of barreling down a St. Paul alley in a van at 80 mph before slamming into a sedan and killing the driver inside. Shawn M. Konder, 26, of St. Paul, faces charges for third-degree murder, two counts of criminal vehicular homicide (one for driving under the influence of alcohol) and a count for terroristic threats. If convicted, Konder could face a maximum 50 years in prison. He is the suspected driver of a white construction van that smashed into a sedan Lashay Whittaker was driving last Friday. The 41-year-old from Mounds View, who was a barber at the Grooming House on Selby Avenue, died minutes after the crash. He left behind his wife of 15 years, Ankquinet Whittaker, and two children, ages 8 and 14.”
That Hale couple
To paraphrase another Bill Murray line from Stripes “Jocelyn Hale, you are a madwoman. When you went to that show and got all offended? I want to party with you, cowboy. If the two of us together, forget it.” Those Hales must be a riot!
That Wacky Old Bill!
There are certain types who delight in reading or highlighting the offensive terms from classic literature. It’s as if they delight in the bigotry that could be expressed in a bygone era.
That said, I understand that words like that “were just how people talked in those days.” I also oppose censorship (Garrison Keillor’s public reading of The Great Gatsby was silly on several levels, not the least of which was the “performance decision” to expunge the anti-Semitic slurs). Nevertheless, reveling in the offensive language, and emphasizing it, is wrong. It’s the equivalent of a child using bathroom language to get a rise out of the grown-ups, except the offensiveness is significantly greater.
We overlook crass behavior in children. Adults shouldn’t get a pass.