Learning from the best schools, whatever we call them
By Joe Nathan

(Originally appeared in St Paul Pioneer Press, July 3, 2008

All kinds of students - eager, indifferent, bright and bored, suburban, urban and rural, will benefit from careful, nondefensive use of several recent reports about Minnesota's district and charter public schools.

The reports came from Minnesota's Legislative Auditor, the University of Minnesota/Minnesota State College/University System and the Center for School Change, where I work. Here are six lessons:

Well, if you go by what a handful of plutocrats think, Bush is still a fine president and Norm Coleman should be re-elected:

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) just simply cannot keep the truth straight from Republican talking points. In Mankato yesterday Norm repeated the lie about China drilling for oil off the coast of Cuba.

Sen. Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican in a tough race against Al Franken, made the claim yesterday when speaking to a local reporter at an event in Mankato, Minnesota. Here's the video made by the Minnesota Dems' tracker, provided to us by a national Democratic source:

"At the same time, we've got to be producing more -- outer continental shelf exploration," Coleman said. "The Chinese are able to begin operating 90 miles from our shore by working for Cubans. American companies should tap into those resources."

The Coleman campaign has not responded to our request for confirmation. The Mankato Free Press published an article yesterday about the event, featuring a photo of Coleman wearing the same outfit and standing next to what looks like the same green tractor -- making it all but certain this video was shot yesterday.
(TPM Election Central)

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776,

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united STATES of AMERICA,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained, and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops amoung us:
For protecting them by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare. That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Walt Disney was right about something: "It IS a small world after all". It just seems that Stanley Milgram's "six degrees of connectedness" theory is often proven to only be two or three degrees. Example: I just found out that Susan Cowsill and her husband, Russ Broussard, who are playing a benefit concert for our "Women Against Military Madness" group this Sunday (July 6) beginning at 5 pm at the Minnesota Music Cafe, also contributed after the Minneapolis I-35W bridge came down to this “Musicians for Minneapolis” 57 song CD, the proceeds of which went to the Bridge Disaster Relief Effort.

There are two developments to report in the 37B race between Sterner / Walter-Hansen. I previously reported that Dr. Walter-Hansen had not made a pledge to abide by the endorsement of the convention. I have new information today that indicates he had pledged to the SD party chair to abide, and that he is therefore breaking his pledge by entering the primary.

Next Monday Rep. John Kline (R-MN-02) is conducting an energy tour, I've been told. Don't worry, you're not invited. To avoid running into any constituents, only a select few are allowed to attend. You're not among the select few. He will stop at a park-n-ride, a wind turbine, a nuclear facility (Prairie Island?), an incinerator and an oil refinery (Koch refinery on Hwy 52?).

"I have a specific itinerary, not for public consumption, which is why Iʼm not issuing a press release," said Troy Young, Communications Director for Kline.

Incredibly, the Marines could have had life saving 'Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP)' vehicles that save US soldier lives two months after the first request in February 2005. Instead, it took until 2007 to get MRAP vehicles. It is a story of bureaucracy and corruption that Norm Colman as Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations could have been investigating and did not!

A Republican senator, Thad Cochran, describes Senator McCain grabbing and lifting a foreign official, when Senator McCain was acting in an official senate role.

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., told a Mississippi newspaper that he saw McCain, during a trip to Nicaragua led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., grab an Ortega associate by his shirt collar and lift him out of his chair.

For awhile Democrats forgot how to be Democrats. Democratic values had been so universal, that candidates forgot how to even say them. Then RepubliCON Neocons sold Democrats the big lie, the "moderate" lie, that being a Democrat was somehow "extreme" and "bad". That only Republican Lite Democrats could be elected! Since Democrats no longer spoke Democratic values, there was only silence on the Democratic side. Still many Democrats managed to still survive even in the silence, by running as Republican lite.

Ron Carey, as far as I can tell, has never taken any responsibility for any problem – it’s always an attack by “an enemy”, and sometimes even “Enemies Of The Party.” Doesn’t matter what the issue is, it’s always someone else’s fault. I asked a previous question about Ron Carey, Ron Carey: Pathetically Incompetent, or Criminally Culpable? concerning Carey’s atrocious ‘stewardship” and record of noncompliance with FEC Reporting Requirements (and other financial improprieties). Today, after the way republiCon Ron twisted and distorted the facts concerning C.R.E.W, the question must be asked: Is Ron Carey hopelessly delusional, or a pathological liar?

The filing period for public service began today, and so far, there are three confirmed contested primaries, all of them between DFLers.

It’s official – an Ethics Complaint has been filed against Senator Coleman. And it’s been filed for the old-fashioned reason – ol’ Smokescreen’s EARNED it. Just who does ol’ Smokescreen think he’s fooling?

And if he was, would it surprise anyone? Now, some people are going to wonder why the ol’ Twoputter might suggest such a thing, so I’ll say this right now: the online D.C. Property Tax Records indicates that Norm Coleman’s crash pad has the “Homestead” tax classification. But, wait – didn’t ol’ Smokescreen claim he’s renting the basement? And didn’t Larson claim he was renting out the top? So how exactly does this property qualify for a Homestead Exemption? Let’s look!!!

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) released another ad in his series of vomit-inducing get-to-know-what-a-decent-and-average- guy-Norm-is-and-not-one-of-those-in-the-pocket-of- corporate-donors-kind-of-politician ads. He's "deeply concerned about your problems. While he recognizes that times are tough, we all know that it's because of his cheerleading for Bush's invasion and occupation of Iraq while at the same time giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans that have gotten us in this economic mess.

There has never been a President in the history of the United States who has lowered taxes during wartime. And Norm Coleman went right along with all of it.

He wants you to forget that. He wants you to know that he "cares deeply" about your problems.

[Updated: see below]

Is Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-MN) sweetheart apartment deal a violation of Senate ethics? Brian Melendez, Chair of the MN DFL, thinks so.

“I have said that Senator Coleman is in bed with special interests. But now we know that he literally sleeps under the same roof that they do.

“Senator Coleman’s deal may violate the Senate’s clear ethics rules — and it definitely doesn’t pass the smell test.

“This cozy relationship between a United States senator and one of the most high-powered, well-connected operatives in Washington raises serious questions, not only about Norm Coleman’s ethics, but about his independence as an elected official and a legislator.

“Senator Coleman owes Minnesotans a full accounting of his sweetheart deal and at a minimum must provide a copy of his lease and any other written agreements he has made with Jeff Larson about this peculiar living situation. Minnesotans deserve nothing less.”
(dfl.org)

Here are some of the highlights of Melendez's case against Norm:

There is growing talk, and very much more serious talk of late, about an invasion of Iran. Some argue against this on moral grounds, and some cite practical considerations, such as how this would affect oil prices, security, etc. My view is that war is a form of addiction. Once you start, you can't get enough; and it infects children on down the generations.

In my childhood, my family lived in a small college town in the Eastern United States. Most of our parents worked at the college in one way or another. One winter a big kid who was a little older than most of this crowd, maybe he was twelve, had a growth spurt and began to torment the rest of us from his towering height. He would get us alone or in pairs and hit us with snowballs, chasing us all the way home from school. It was about a mile. This went on for weeks. The rest of us began to plot revenge. As I recall, we also began to cache weapons: piles of snowballs at strategic locations along the way home; in the shrubbery by the church, behind ancient trees on the campus, in the manicured patches of woods, all the way to our street.

Is anyone else out there wondering about the sanity of any decision making in the human race? I want to ask questions that no one wants to answer like

1) To Conservatives: How can you believe in fiscal responsibility and still support Republicans creating trillions of dollars of debt? How can you want "limited" government where Republicans invade two countries, are now planning on a third country? If you believed in fiscal responsibility and limited government why aren't you totally abandoning the Republican party?

Most people talk about the bi-partisan divide between Republicans and Democrats. This week has shown a stunning amount of bi-partisan cooperation to help the middle class, seniors, abused children, and fuel prices. Oddly, there is now what I call a "tri-partisan" divide, with reasonable Republicans and Democrats on one side, and extremists like John Kline and Michelle Bachmann on the other.

This week, those two voted against abused children, against more drilling of oil, against tax breaks for the middle class, and against protecting Medicare for Seniors. The most shameful thing, is that they did all this to protect tax breaks for the Oil companies and to protect inefficient private Medicare contractors bilking the taxpayers. We cannot get Sarvi and Tinklenburg in soon enough! You can read more and see the facts based on their actual voting records.

You see—conservatives have this garbage information network. It’s big; it has been since the rise of Rush Limbaugh in the early 1980s. In the last two decades it’s opened up countless Internet franchises. The result, in the swing state of Ohio:

In Flag City USA, False Obama Rumors Are Flying

By Eli Saslow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 30, 2008; A04

FINDLAY, Ohio –