ISAIAH Summit in Minnesota

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To know just how much Republican Tom Emmer cares about being governor and actually, you know, governing, just one word: ISAIAH.

The recount stall campaign now in progress in Minnesota has absolutely less than zero credibility when you look at Tom Emmer's reaction to ISAIAH.

He and Mark Dayton were both invited to the ISAIAH summit, Shining the Light, a Faith Gathering for Minnesota's Future. Inviting both to the Sunday, December 5 event was covering the bases, as one organizer put it.

Mark Dayton attended.

Tom Emmer never responded.

Meanwhile, the Republican-slanted Minnesota media types are still pretending this is a serious recount, not just more of the same ol' same ol' from the party of craven thuggery.
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h/t MPR news
crossposted at firedoglake/MyFDL

Global Warming? It's Already Here

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Those who pooh-pooh that global warming is a certainty in our future, take note.

It's already here.

In the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. The land of tall pines. A blowdown in 1999 took out huge swaths of those pines. And instead of growing back, trees like red maples are springing up.

The new north woods growing up to replace the millions of blown down trees isn't really a north woods at all but something more akin to the grassland savannahs farther south. Indeed, over the last decade or so, the blowdown has become a giant laboratory for measuring the ecological effects of a warming climate and the role humans are playing in accelerating the change.

Look around your own hometown. I'll bet you'll find changes there, already, too. Or keep your head in the sand and listen to Rush. Yeah, that'll work.
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crossposted at firedoglake's Seminal

Beaver

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Sometimes the headlines, they write themselves....

Some Bemidji beaver artists cloak their sculptures in show of solidarity with artist whose beaver was removed

Salut! Senator Franken

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Gosh darn it, that feels good to say. Somewhere out there, Senators Paul Wellstone, "Clean Gene" McCarthy and the original Happy Warrior, Hubert Humphrey, are smiling. Excellence has returned to the Minnesota Senate team in full.

This temporary Minnesotan joins the celebration to say Congratulations, Senator Franken.
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Stop the Stall, Norm

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At long last, Coleman, have the dignity to stop the stall, stop showing yourself as a conniving weasel, stop being a sore loser.

Minnesota has been more than fair to you. I know it's too much for you and Red Skull Ben Ginsberg to comprehend that it's time to pack up your dog-and-pony show, fold your tent, accept the facts.

You lost the election. But it's you, Norm, and your actions in the months since, denying Minnesota its much needed second U.S. Senator, that have put the stamp on you:

Loser.

There's still time to let go with some measure of your....ah, ferget it. That time's already past.

Now you and your Republican handlers are just further skewering the people of Minnesota.

Enough, Norm.
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette