Questioning Priorities : Sioux Gift and University of Minnesota Football

Like a Golden Gopher football game, you must look beyond the score.

The headline was that the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is donating $10 million for the Gophers' new $288 million football stadium.

It’s great that the monies dirived from Mystic Lake Casino are going to “benefit” a state resource.
But somehow it raises a number of questions.
-- In 2005, didn’t Governor Pawlenty demanded that tribes pay the state $350 million or risk losing their casino monopoly ? $10 million seems like small pocket-change.
-- If Mystic Lake Casino revenues are estimated to be between $600 million and $1 billion a year, once again doesn’t $10 million seem small ?
Remember the revenue is annual, but the donation is a one-time expense.
-- The first priority from the state Education Department for 2008 spending is $59.21 million for funding for the Red Lake School District for new facilities renovation and other investments. Since 1992, the Red Lake School District has received $51.6 million in state bonding for schools. source It should be recognized that the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has given $100 million to various charities in the past five years including $1 million dollars to the Red Lake Nation. Will this donation stymie any criticism from some legislators and Governor Pawlenty about the tribe not doing enough to share its wealth?

But hidden below the headline is the notation that another $2.5 million will be donated to develop a scholarship fund for Indian students. The university will match the $2.5 million.

That’s where the monies need to go … to scholarships and research … not to plazas and stadium construction.
Those scholarships will be an investment in the future and a better State of Minnesota.

It’s great to support a college football program, but that football program will produce few jobs and tax resources for the state.
The state needs to be cultivating strong engineering programs for the future ... for example to support fuel cell technology.
Fuel cell systems require sophisticated manufacturing in ceramics, polymers, metalworking, electrochemistry, electronics and other subsystems … and that means jobs.
That industry is still in its developmental stage and Minnesota seems to be far behind. The State of Ohio has proclaimed itself the leader. Yes, Ohio State has a good football team, but must they also lead in innovation?

Do a quick Google search on the terms “Pawlenty Fuel Cell” and you will be disappointed.
Yes, the Governor does have his Next Generation Energy Initiative but the NextGen Energy Board seems to be focused on agriculture and natural resource sustainability. This is sad not only for the University of Minnesota, but also for Minnesota State University – Mankato which has a strong Center for Automotive Research (CAR) program.

Just as congratulations are due when the Golden Gophers win a football game, the missed opportunities must also be recognized.
As the Gophers "won" a donation from the Sioux, it was not the largest donation awarded last week.
The University of Cincinnati on Thursday link announced that Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) would receive a donation valued at more than $420 million of computer software and hardware from a consortium of businesses. Earlier this month, it was announced that Wayne State University's engineering school stands to receive a contribution of sophisticated software and equipment, possibly worth more than $300 million link . To date, forty universities already are PACE institutions …and shouldn’t Minnesota colleges be striving for that ?


So as we THANK the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for their donation, we need to ASK the Governor to do more. Heck, it’s just about the State’s future … not a Bowl Game.

Norm Coleman & Betty McCollum should lead Desmond Tutu protest

The influence and financial power of the Israel lobby appears to be affecting all aspects of foreign policy and now potentially intimidating Free Speech here in Minnesota.

Just as concerning as their impact on foreign policy, the decision by the College of Saint Thomas to deny permission for Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu to give a speech is a surrender of the public desire to hear all viewpoints.
Archbishop Tutu's visit is being organized by youthrive, a nonprofit organization that provides youth with leadership and service-learning opportunities, especially around the concepts of peace building, social justice, anti-racism, human and environmental rights, and ethical leadership.
The topic of his visit is "Making friends out of enemies."
The Strib reports it : “was scuttled by university officials who did not want to offend the Jewish community over the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The Pioneer Press reports : that Julie Swiler, a spokeswoman for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas pointed to a 2002 speech Tutu made in Boston that was pointedly critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, including a passage where he referred to a "powerful" Jewish lobby in the U.S., which she said invoked a stereotype of Jewish power, and another where he asked aloud if Jews had forgotten that God cares about the downtrodden.”

The headline was that Tutu said “Israel is like Hitler and apartheid.”
But if you read the text of his speech, although Hitler’s name is mentioned, the context must be considered. link “ People are scared in this country [the U.S.] to say wrong is wrong because the Jewish lobby is powerful – very powerful. Well, so what? This is God’s world. For goodness sake, this is God’s world! We live in a moral universe. The apartheid government was very powerful, but today it no longer exists. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pinochet, Milosovic, and Idi Amin were all powerful, but in the end they bit the dust.
Injustice and oppression will never prevail. Those who are powerful have to remember the litmus test that God gives to the powerful: What is your treatment of the poor, the hungry, the voiceless? And on the basis of that, God passes judgment.
We should put out a clarion call to the government of the people of Israel, to the Palestinian people and say: peace is possible, peace based on justice is possible. We will do all we can to assist you to achieve this peace, because it is God’s dream, and you will be able to live amicably together as sisters and brothers.
My reading is that the challenge in his speech was the same as it would have been in the 2008 speech - "Making friends out of enemies."

When will people stop referencing Hitler in speeches ?
The Rochester Post-Bulletin criticized Norm Coleman for his comment concerning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being invited to Columbia University "I think it's terrible," Coleman said. "Would we be toasting and providing forums for Hitler?"
The P-B assessment is that “America can't boast of democracy, freedom of speech and freedom of the press while squelching the views of those who disagree with us. The rest of the world is watching, and there are those who will seize on any opportunity to shout "Hypocrites!" at the top of their lungs.
IF Tutu’s comments were as headlined, St. Thomas should have stilled allowed him to present his views and confront his critics. But after reading his complete speech and promotion of peace, it is obvious that St. Thomas errored.

So who should lead the charge to right this wrong. I nominate Senator Norm Coleman and Representative Betty McCollum.

Both Coleman and McCollum have had the opportunity to recognize Tutu’s efforts at the PSI/YouthAIDS Annual Gala Faces of Africa in 2005 … three years after his Boston speech. McCollum also knows first hand how words and threats can be used by the “powerful” Jewish lobby … despite having a solid pro-Israel voting record, since she opposed one bill in committee an AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) representative stated "McCollum's support for terrorists would not be tolerated". Hardball to say the least.

So how vocal will Coleman and McCollum support free speech ?
Time will tell.
Let us not worry about "offending the Jewish community" but instead reaching-out to all communities. After all, the theme is "peace building, social justice, anti-racism, human and environmental rights, and ethical leadership" ... a theme that needs constant preaching in today's turbulent world "where peace is possible, peace based on justice is possible."

Norm Coleman votes for Enragement – not Engagement – AGAIN !

On September 26, Senator Norm Coleman affirmative vote on Roll Call Vote 349 was a vote against diplomacy. The item was a Sense of the Senate Resolution offered by Senate radicals regarding Iran.

Was this resolution offered as a knee-jerk reaction to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visit to Columbia University (which Coleman criticized and the Rochester Post-Bulletin Editorial Department then criticized Coleman) ?
I would like to think that the delibrative body (that the Senate is supposed to be,) would have had this debated in the Foreign Relations Committee.
Coleman is a member of that Committee .
If so, that resolution may not even have made it out of committee.
When you see that 8 members voted against the resolution ( Biden, Boxer, Dodd, Feingold, Hagel, Kerry, Lugar and Webb ) including both the Ranking Democrat and Republican leaders, that tells me that people that know about diplomacy, question this action.

Coleman once again votes to enrage other countries and not use diplomacy to engage them.

This is sad.

Cooperation is possible.

As the Washington Post reported : Since al-Qaeda fighters began streaming into Iran from Afghanistan in the winter of 2001, Tehran had turned over hundreds of people to U.S. allies and provided U.S. intelligence with the names, photographs and fingerprints of those it held in custody, according to senior U.S. intelligence and administration officials.

But not if the Bush Administration is unwilling to respond when Iran has offered.
It has been reported that Iran in May 2003 sent word that it would consider far-reaching compromises on its nuclear program, relations with Hezbollah and Hamas and support for a Palestinian peace agreement with Israel, but Rove and Rice did not respond.

Bush’s Axis of Evil speech branded Iran -- but not bin Laden and al-Qaeda whom attacked America.

Iran may not be America’s ideal world partner, but Coleman’s own review of the Iraq Oil-for-Food program should prove that sanctions do not work. Iran’s President may be a “nut job”, but he is not the power … Iran is a theocracy which controls the military … and Ahmadinejad will be up for election in 2009 and the moderates may vote him out … unless America continues to make him a “rock star” in the Muslim world.

For Coleman who likes to project an image of someone who is committed “ to working across party lines to get things done", it’s time to put those words into action …. Heck, I just wish he would listen to Dick Lugar.

Lastly, a salute to Minnesota's junior Senator, Amy Klobuchar, who voted against this legislation.

Coleman, Dems wrong on Iraq Federation Vote

On Wednesday, September 26th, Senator Norm Coleman broke with the majority of his Republican collogues to vote on Senate Amendment 2997 to express the sense of Congress on federalism in Iraq.

The Democrats who supported this were wrong and so is Senator Coleman.

First, if Iraq is to be a sovereign nation, it should decide how it should be structured. How would America feel if a foreign country recommended that the United States be broken up ? Based on GDP, California and Texas would be in the top ten in the world, so what if they wanted to be there own country? Oh, don’t worry, we in Minnesota, being the equivalent of Norway, could be number 56 in world rankings. Should we disband and each become our own entity ? No more Red State –v- Blue State ?

Iraq’s political leaders have not appreciated the Senate’s vote. In fact, The Associated Press reports “U.S. Embassy rips Senate plan on Iraq”
In a highly unusual statement, the U.S. Embassy said resolution would seriously hamper Iraq's future stability. "Our goal in Iraq remains the same: a united, democratic, federal Iraq that can govern, defend, and sustain itself," the unsigned statement said. "Iraq's leaders must and will take the lead in determining how to achieve these national aspirations. ... attempts to partition or divide Iraq by intimidation, force or other means into three separate states would produce extraordinary suffering and bloodshed," it said. The statement came just hours after representatives of Iraq's major political parties denounced the Senate proposal. The Kurds in three northern Iraqi provinces are running a virtually independent country within Iraq while nominally maintaining relations with Baghdad. They support a formal division, but both Sunni and Shiite Muslims have denounced the proposal. At a news conference earlier in the day, at least nine Iraqi political parties and party blocs — both Shiite and Sunni — said the Senate resolution would diminish Iraq's sovereignty and said they would try to pass a law to ban any division of the country. "This proposal was based on the incorrect reading and unrealistic estimations of Iraq's past, present and future," according to a statement read at a news conference by Izzat al-Shahbandar, a representative of the secular Iraqi National List.
On Friday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press that "dividing Iraq is a problem, and a decision like that would be a catastrophe."

Second, breaking up the country made actually lead increases in the Iraqi Civil War.
The national government needs Senate support … not interference.
Al Qaeda is the “poster boy” enemy, but the real problem is corruption and division within the country.
LA Times reports : BAGHDAD -- Iraqi and U.S. special forces have arrested at least 59 army officers and enlisted men accused in killings, bombings and kidnappings in the latest case linking elements of the Iraqi army to sectarian militias and criminal gangs, authorities announced Wednesday. [SNIP] The U.S.-Iraqi raid Tuesday on the Defense Ministry's military academy in the east Baghdad neighborhood of Rustamiya provided the latest evidence of the Iraqi army's continuing struggle to weed out lawless elements. Authorities said the academic dean was the ringleader of a criminal gang on campus. The group was wanted in connection with killings, bombings and kidnappings, including the slaying two years ago of the school's director, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. [SNIP] This month, the U.S. military arrested an Iraqi commander suspected of expelling Sunnis from neighborhoods and ordering attacks on American soldiers. The officer had led the Baha Araji battalion, a special unit created by the Defense Ministry under pressure from Sadr loyalists in government.[SNIP] The leadership of one of the top-rated units in the Iraqi military, the 2-2 battalion, was arrested on charges of homicide and kidnapping in the spring. Its members were accused of working in tandem with the Mahdi Army in east Baghdad.

Earlier A/P reported on the killing by Al Qaeda of Sheik Abu Risha, the leader of the new Sunni alliance in Al Anbar: Lt. Col. Jubeir Rashid, an Iraqi police officer in Anbar, said Friday that “Abu Risha's security chief, Capt. Karim al-Barghothi, confessed al-Qaida in Iraq had offered him $1.5 million for the slaying but that he was arrested before he could collect the money.”

Based on these examples, if Iraq was broken up, these "gangs" would become mini-military powers.

Third, if Iraq is broken up, it will cause more havoc for the neighboring countries … notably the Sunnis in Saudi Arab, the Shiites in Iran, as well as Jordan and Syria (which are already overrun with refugees/immigrants).

IF the US Senate wants a stable Iraq, it needs to support engagement with Iraq’s neighbors and not enragement with Iraq’s Parliament.

Norm Coleman : ChickenHawk Iraq Re- Solution

News Alert :
Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman has become a Co-Sponsor of legislation ( Senate Amendment 3096 ) that would require that President Bush change the mission of U.S. troops and set a goal of completing such a mission. link

Why is this a ChickenHawk resolution ?
Generally a ChickenHawk is someone who advocates that others go to war while they are not directly involved.
So, what is the “mission compeletion date” ?
If it were enacted today, the date would be just after Coleman’s Senate term expires !

Mike Ciresi penned an editorial chastising Coleman for using General David Petraeus patriotism instead of debating ”policies that affect people's lives and our nation's future -- not advertisements. ”
Ciresi advocates the right policy : ”Support a comprehensive surge in diplomacy and the convening of an international peace conference under the auspices of the U.N. Security Council that should involve all regional governments.”
Ciresi seems to be embracing a key recommendation of the bi-partisian Iraq Study Group which called upon the United States to “embark on a robust diplomatic effort to establish an international support structure intended to stabilize Iraq and ease tensions in other countries in the region.”

Sadly, while Coleman is hiding behind an exclusively Republican sponsored amendment 3096, he should become a co-sponsor of Senate Amendment 2931 which is a bi-partisian effort being advanced by three of his fellow members on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This amendment is consistent with Ciresi’s outline.

I am not a supporter of Al Franken, yet somehow, he must be wondering if it’s time for an update on the chapter "Operation Chickenhawk" from his 1996 book Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. The story details the exploits of a fictional Vietnam War squad made up of Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Phil Gramm, Dan Quayle, Clarence Thomas, George Will and of course, Rush Limbaugh (all who were of draft age during the Vietnam era yet did not serve in the conflict.) In the story, the cowardly and incompetent squad ultimately extricates itself from the battle by killing its gung-ho lieutenant, Oliver North (a Vietnam war veteran). In the update, those Republican Senators such as Coleman who are now refusing to enact policy changes during their term, will no doubt blame Bush after he leaves office for the mismanagement of the Iraq Civil War.

Norm Coleman should heed lessons from Burma

President George Bush addressed the situation in Myanmar ( aka Burma ) at the United Nations link : “Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma, where a military junta has imposed a 19-year reign of fear. Basic freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship are severely restricted. Ethnic minorities are persecuted. Forced child labor, human trafficking, and rape are common. The regime is holding more than 1,000 political prisoners -- including Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party was elected overwhelmingly by the Burmese people in 1990.
The ruling junta remains unyielding, yet the people's desire for freedom is unmistakable. This morning, I'm announcing a series of steps to help bring peaceful change to Burma. The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers. We will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights, as well as their family members. We'll continue to support the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in Burma. And I urge the United Nations and all nations to use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom. ”

The lessons are woefully apparent yet President Bush is still trying the same approach.

Following the August 1988 massacre of demonstrators, President George H. W. Bush suspended all arms sales and foreign assistance, except humanitarian aid, to Burma. In September, 1996 President Clinton barred U.S. assistance to Burma except for relief aid and anti-narcotic purposes and calling for a moratorium on new American private investment . link

Sanctions were the message.

Bush was right -- “Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma" -- and some did try to force compliance … for example, Halliburton shareholders advanced an initiative after the Halliburton was involved in a 1997 Yadana pipeline project (NOTE : Halliburton’s CEO in 1997 was current US Vice-President Richard Cheney).
Halliburton’s response : “While the Board shares the Proponent's concern about human rights abuses in countries such as Myanmar, Halliburton has not engaged in, or condoned, such conduct. Thus, the requested report will serve only to increase administrative burdens and costs. Halliburton's Code of Business Conduct requires all employees and agents to practice honesty and integrity in every aspect of their dealings with other Halliburton employees, customers, suppliers and the public and to treat those persons with dignity and respect. As a company that operates in over 100 countries around the world, our customers, partners, suppliers and employees represent virtually every race or national origin and an associated multitude of religions, cultures, customs, political philosophies and languages.
We must, and do, respect this diversity and realize that neither the United States nor we can impose its values on the world. It is not our purpose to remake the world in the image of any particular political, moral or religious philosophy with which we are comfortable.
Rather, we hope to help improve the quality of life wherever we do business by serving as a developer of natural resources and infrastructures.
Regarding allegations of violations of human rights by the government of Myanmar, we believe that decisions as to the nature of such governments and their actions are better made by governmental authorities and international entities such as the United Nations as opposed to individual persons or companies. Where the United States government has mandated that United States companies refrain from commerce, we comply, often to the advantage of our international competitors. History has shown that single country, let alone corporate boycotts and sanctions, are ineffective, often injuring the economic interests of the boycotting entity.
We do not always agree with the policies or actions of governments in every place that we do business. Due to the long-term nature of our business and the inevitability of political and social change, however, it is neither prudent nor appropriate for Halliburton to establish its own country-by-country foreign policy. ”
Note : Emphasis added.

There’s the problem with sanctions … they don’t work. Halliburton’s response is similar to China which views the problems in Burma as “internal”. How can the US expect other countries to levy sanctions when US companies will not ?

While sanctions restricting foreign aid and investment may economically weaken a country, the reigning regime may retain, and even increase, its brute power. Dictators strengthen their control over reformers as contact with the outside world is restricted. Education and society advancements are restricted. The US is blamed for meddling and all difficulties that the people face. The only jobs are military jobs. The ruling power find “friendly partners” who will continue to provide what it wants ( Senator Coleman’s investigation of the Iraq Oil industry is an illustration).
The regime does not suffer … just the people.

This is not a rant on Cheney and Halliburton … but instead that sanctions don’t work. And that is why I address this commentary to Senator Coleman.

Senator Coleman sits on the Foreign Relations Committee. The committee has oversight over the foreign policy agencies of the U.S. government, including the State Department, USAID, and other agencies that implement international treaties, as well as legislation relating to U.S. foreign policy. That is the most important committee that Coleman is assigned.

Coleman has advocated sanctions against Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Laos, North Korea, and Syria … just to name a few.

As Baron de Montesquieu wrote in his 1748 work, The Spirit of the Laws, “Peace is the natural effect of trade. Two nations who traffic with each other become reciprocally dependent; for if one has an interest in buying, the other has an interest in selling: and thus their union is founded on their mutual necessities.”

It’s time for Senator Coleman to realize that sanctions do not work.
Nineteen years of US sanctions against Burma has not changed the regime.
Engaged diplomacy and trade is America’s best foreign policy.
Adhereing to his idealogy of sanctions actually hurts Minnesota businesses.

Tom Coburn : Dr. Death aims to kill Congress

Is there a Doctor in the House ?
Forget the House of Representatives, the problem is that there is a Doctor in the Senate.

Mark Kennedy tried to sell Minnesota voters that the Senate had too many attorneys and that it needed a Certified Public Accountant. Well, the problem is not the attorneys in the Senate, but instead it is the Accountant turned Doctor that is causing all the problems.

Polls of the approval of the 110th Congress performance are dismal. But who is to blame? I blame the stubborn Republican Senators who are slowing and stopping legislation. Some may argue that it is sound philosophical differences that prompts their actions. That is understandable, but there is probably a portion that is just political theatre.

The Founding Fathers created six year terms for members of the Senate and as such it is considered the more deliberative legislative body. But now, the Republicans are being more obstinate than deliberative.

First, most legislation is not voted upon until a vote in which 60 members agree to end a filibuster. The current Senate is balanced between Democrats (49) and Republicans (49) and two Independents. In the previous Congress, the threat of filibuster involving judicial appointments was resolved when 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats agreed to advance the confirmation vote on judicial nominees (except in "extraordinary circumstances"). Today, the Republicans do not seem to have the same inclination to overcome the filibuster rule. So often, we now see a handful of Republicans breaking with Party Managers on specific votes, but I suspect some (Norm Coleman, Gordan Smith, and John Sununu) are motivated by the 2008 election while others (Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe) were original members of the compromise group. It is reasonable to question whether Coleman / Smith / Sununu votes are really symbolic since they know that the 60 vote threshold will not be met.

But there are other “procedures” that Senators can use. For example, a “hold” can be placed on a piece of legislation. Let’s look at the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Olympia Snowe - a Republican from Maine - initiated this legislation in 2002 and with every session she starts a new bill with hope and optimism. For example, February 17, 2005 the Senate passed the bill 98-0 ... in most instances, that overwhelming support would mean quick passage ... sadly, it went to the Republican-controlled House ... where it never was addressed. Fast forward, to this year , ... now with a Democratic-controlled House ... it was passed with only three dissenting votes ... but when it went to the Senate, Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, put a HOLD on it. Now, why did Coburn vote for this bill in 2005 but now does not want it to be passed .... these are the games the Republicans are playing. Coburn has used the Hold procedure over 80 times.

And even when legislation is moving forward, the Republicans move into delay mode. Coburn frequently offers amendments to bills (over 80 times thus far) as they reach final vote. Some may be valid. And the outcome may even be easily forecasted before the vote. So how can that be delayed … simple require a Roll Call vote. For example, Coburn offered an amendment #2773 and required a recorded vote . Senator Leahy scoffed at the need and pleaded to have a voice vote … but the Republicans wanted a Roll Call. So the process is delayed while all the Senators come to the Clerk to announce their vote. The outcome of this vote – 92 in favor … and ONE opposed … the one Senator who voted against Coburn’s amendment was Richard Lugar – a Republican from Indiana. Reviewing the amendments offered by Coburn, if it is not approved by an overwhelming majority, they are rejected. His actions are largely to delay and impede passage.

It’s time for Norm Coleman and other Republican Senators to address Coburn. These antics are not productive and create voter dissatisfaction that Coleman and others will feel next November.

End this political theatre now !