Minnesota

Seen in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Sen. Norm Coleman is leading Democratic challenger Al Franken in one of the most bitter U.S. Senate races in Minnesota history.  

With 100 percent of the 4,130  precincts reporting, Coleman had an unofficial margin of  601 votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast.  Recounts are required in races with a winning margin of less than one half of 1 percent.

Franken said this morning that he intends to exercise his right to a recount.[…]

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat, said today that a recount wouldn’t begin until mid-November at the earliest and would probably stretch into December, the Associated Press reported.

You know, folks, protesting is arguably a healthy thing to see in a republic.   You vent some steam, you get alternative views out there for others to think about (although they should be welcome to disagree), and it’s a sign that every citizen is a stakeholder.

However, the right to protest does not, and should not, extend to interfering with lawful gatherings…and assault is right out.

A RedState diary links to a post at the (as of this writing) Everyday Republican blog, which reports:

When Chairman Healy’s mother Lila was spat upon by a protester, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons stepped between the elder Healy and the crowd. He was doused with a liquid substance that was later determined to be a mix of clorox and water. At least 10 other delegates also were hit with liquid.

Folks, such disgusting behavior really casts a negative light on those whose views you might support, and that tends to add credibility to those whom you disagree with.

You may think that the Bush administration and its supporters are guilty (directly or indirectly) of some pretty heinous acts.  However, the correct response to that does not involve physically or verbally assaulting them.

Getting your message out, and supporting attempts to replace incumbent officeholders don’t require you to forget politeness and civility.

It occurs to me that Dem conventions are like celebrity shindigs, while GOP conventions are like large mega-church services.

Dem conventions are exciting, flashy, but a little rough and chaotic around the edges, while GOP conventions seem extremely well-run, orderly…but a tad boring and stodgy.

The comparison might be unfair tonight, given that the first session of the GOP convention was toned down and cut back due to events on the Gulf Coast…but it’s an impression since I developed my taste for political drama.

Anyhow, as advertised today’s GOP session saw primarily just “necessary business”, with a minimum of speechifying.  It looks like questions such as what to do with the competing  delegations from Nevada (answer: seat the one ramrodded through by party faithful, rather than the arguably more legitimate Ron Paul loyalist slate).

I was impressed that the delegations seemed fully in attendance for this largely business-oriented session (as opposed to the Dems’ business sessions where a bare quorum was present and there was much milling around).  However, I’m not sure whether that was due to the “church versus celebrity” phenomenon noted above…or if it was a consequence of the short session and Mrs. Bush’s presence.

Also, I heard (while running fetching my wife from the airport) on POTUS ‘08 a blogger from Redstate mention that the so-called “RNC Welcoming Committee” sought to attempt to block access to the convention site.  Presumably this would be the same, or similar, individuals as were subjects of the gestapo-like raids over the weekend.   Folks, if you’re upset about having your freedom of assembly and freedom of speech blocked by the police, isn’t it hypocritical to block others’?

It sounds like Twin Cities stormtroopers might not have gotten the memo about demonstrating “Minnesota Nice” to visitors for the GOP convention. 

From Salon:

Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff’s department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations," and early this morning, the Sheriff’s department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying. […]

In the house that had just been raided, those inside described how a team of roughly 25 officers had barged into their homes with masks and black swat gear, holding large semi-automatic rifles, and ordered them to lie on the floor, where they were handcuffed and ordered not to move. The officers refused to state why they were there and, until the very end, refused to show whether they had a search warrant. They were forced to remain on the floor for 45 minutes while the officers took away the laptops, computers, individual journals, and political materials kept in the house.

And, from the New York Times:

Attorneys for the National Lawyers Guild said the people who were detained and photographed included local residents as well as visitors in town to demonstrate at the convention.

Bruce Nestor, a lawyer at one house, said three people there were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit a riot.

“In my mind it’s a classic preventive detention charge,” Mr. Nestor said.

He said the authorities were permitted to hold those they arrested without charging them for up to 36 hours — excluding weekends or holidays — in essence detaining them for the length of the convention.

In fairness, it should be noted that the group mentioned in the NYT article was reportedly planning to block streets, and another article mentions five gallon drums of urine (ick!) having been seized, neither of which falls cleanly within the bounds of peaceful protest.

Still, one wonders if Minnesotan peace officers have been getting lessons from the President’s friend, Putin.