http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/ Altura, MN News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/93a13de05096282c43fc46b4d7193d7b.html Primaries will be needed Tuesday in many races for county boards and at least one city in the region The top two voter getters in these races on Tuesday will face off in the Nov 4 general election http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/e421d199b78c8dbf7f3d07c694c099fd.html Gloria Steinem:Steinem was a member of Democratic Socialists of AmericaIn the runup to the 2004 election Steinem voiced fierce criticism of the Bush administration asserting There has never been an administration that has been more hostile to womens equality to reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right and he has acted on that hostility She went on to claim If he is elected in 2004 abortion will be criminalized in this country20 At a Planned Parenthood event in Boston Steinem declared Bush a danger to health and safety citing his antagonism to Clean Water Act reproductive freedom sex education and AIDS reliefSteinem has been an active political participant in the 2008 election She praised both the Democratic frontrunnersSteinem again drew attention for according to the New York Observer seeming to denigrate the importance of John McCains time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam Steinem's broader argument was that the media and the political world are too admiring of militarism in all its guisesAnd you wonder why she has negative feelings for PalinYa think it has anything to do with her hatred for RepublicansYa think http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/9bad1d33647515ea1d468d4d6e0c1e93.html Apparently we were watching two different programs http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/c96663aa4b6818260dac50934f8ebe79.html Heart tells GOP to take 'Barracuda'off play listBruce Springsteen did it to Ronald Reagan John Mellencamp and Jackson Browne did it to John McCain And now Heart is doing it to Sarah Palin The musicians all asked the politicians to stop using their hits to sell their Republican messages Palin the hockey mom who captured the nation's attention as McCain's VP pick was greeted at the Republican National Convention this week to the sounds of Heart's Barracudaa nod to her nickname her toughness and her soulless corporate nature Here's what Heart the band that sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson made famous for hard rocking in the 1970s had to say about Palin's use of the song: Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women We ask that our song 'Barracuda'no longer be used to promote her image The song 'Barracuda'was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless corporate nature of the music business particularly for women The 'barracuda'represented the business While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC there's irony in Republican strategists'choice to make use of it thereThe sisters have asked the campaign to stop using the tune and their label has slapped the campaign with a ceaseanddesist orderhttp:wwwtwincitiescomnewsci10389838sourcerncWidget http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/a0963d2e92e0458f93eb738358445a92.html Palin: wrong woman wrong messageSarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton She is Phyllis Schlafly only youngerBy Gloria SteinemSeptember 4 2008 Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the antifeminist right wing the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party are trying to appease the gender gap with a firstever female vice president We owe this to women and to many men too who have picketed gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote We owe it to Shirley Chisholm who first took the whitemaleonlysign off the White House and to Hillary Rodham Clinton who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votesBut here is even better news: It won't work This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman It's about making life more fair for women everywhere It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that It's about baking a new pieSelecting Sarah Palin who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh is no way to attract most women including diehard Clinton supporters Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton Her downhome divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for and that Barack Obama's still does To vote in protest for McCainPalin would be like saying Somebody stole my shoes so I'll amputate my legsThis is not to beat up on Palin I defend her right to be wrong even on issues that matter most to me I regret that people say she can't do the job because she has children in need of care especially if they wouldn't say the same about a father I get no pleasure from imagining her in the spotlight on national and foreign policy issues about which she has zero background with one month to learn to compete with Sen Joe Biden's 37 years'experiencePalin has been honest about what she doesn't know When asked last month about the vice presidency she said I still can't answer that question until someone answers for me: What is it exactly that the VP does every dayWhen asked about Iraq she said I haven't really focused much on the war in IraqShe was elected governor largely because the incumbent was unpopular and she's won over Alaskans mostly by using unprecedented oil wealth to give a 1200 rebate to every resident Now she is being praised by McCain's campaign as a tax cutter despite the fact that Alaska has no state income or sales tax Perhaps McCain has opposed affirmative action for so long that he doesn't know it's about inviting more people to meet standards not lowering them Or perhaps McCain is following the Bush administration habit as in the Justice Department of putting a job candidate's views on God guns and gaysahead of competence The difference is that McCain is filling a job one 72yearold heartbeat away from the presidencySo let's be clear: The culprit is John McCain He may have chosen Palin out of changeenvy or a belief that women can't tell the difference between form and content but the main motive was to please rightwing ideologues; the same ones who nixed anyone who is now or ever has been a supporter of reproductive freedom If that were not the case McCain could have chosen a woman who knows what a vice president does and who has thought about Iraq; someone like Texas Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison or Sen Olympia Snowe of Maine McCain could have taken a baby step away from rightwing patriarchs who determine his actions right down to opposing the Violence Against Women ActPalin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves abstinenceonlyprograms which increase unwanted births sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers'millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn't spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest highschool graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports 500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling She is Phyllis Schlafly only youngerI don't doubt her sincerity As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn she doesn't just support killing animals from helicopters she does it herself She doesn't just talk about increasing the use of fossil fuels but puts a coalburning power plant in her own small town She doesn't just echo McCain's pledge to criminalize abortion by overturning Roe vs Wade she says that if one of her daughters were impregnated by rape or incest she should bear the child She not only opposes reproductive freedom as a human right but implies that it dictates abortion without saying that it also protects the right to have a childSo far the major new McCain supporter that Palin has attracted is James Dobson of Focus on the Family Of course for Dobson women are merely waiting for their husbands to assume leadershipso he may be voting for Palin's husbandBeing a hopeaholic however I can see two longterm bipartisan gains from this contestRepublicans may learn they can't appeal to rightwing patriarchs and most women at the same time A loss in November could cause the centrist majority of Republicans to take back their party which was the first to support the Equal Rights Amendment and should be the last to want to invite government into the wombs of womenAnd American women who suffer more because of having two fulltime jobs than from any other single injustice finally have support on a national stage from male leaders who know that women can't be equal outside the home until men are equal in it Barack Obama and Joe Biden are campaigning on their belief that men should be can be and want to be at home for their childrenThis could be hugeGloria Steinem is an author feminist organizer and cofounder of the Women's Media Center She supported Hillary Clinton and is now supporting Barack Obamahttp:wwwlatimescomnewsopinioncommentarylaoesteinem42008sep04 http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/cf2f7f680193cd7fa59da1c4ce13ba98.html RNC Protestors cite insincere messageNearly 400 arrested downtown as the show goes on inside the XcelPioneer Press St Paul's wild week of worldclass protests ended Thursday with a flurry of demonstrations mass arrests and trafficstopping events But as the final protests of the week wound down Thursday night St Paul Police Chief John Harrington sighed with relief I'm glad this is almost overHarrington said during a mass arrest of about 300 people on the Marion Street bridge over Interstate 94 I would have loved to have people express their First Amendment rights But there were people who came here to disrupt not to protestHe said demonstrators wanted to rattle the Republican National Convention But even with the sitdown strikes chanting and a few cases of vandalism and assaults the show went on inside the Xcel Energy Center As of early this morning the total number of people arrested in RNCrelated incidents this week was 818 according to a preliminary tally from the Ramsey County sheriff's office That figure includes 716 arrests in Ramsey County and 102 arrests in Minneapolis On Thursday 396 people were arrested with 90 percent of them misdemeanors according to the Ramsey County sheriff's department However some of those arrested Thursday had guns or other weapons Harrington said On Thursday the antiwar demonstrators facing their last chance at a national audience before the elections in November finished with a flourish The day's events began with police closing the High Bridge at 9:45 am because of the high Advertisementvolume of traffic police saidEarly in the afternoon about 150 students from Youth Against the War and Racism marched to the Peace Island Picnic at Harriet Island The students conducted a mock trial for what they called war criminals: Vice President Cheney; Army Gen David Petraeus the US commander in Iraq; and Big Oil Bob all papiermache puppet heads worn by students Mike Baumhofer of St Paul said he came to support some of his grandchildren who were part of the student protest I'm a strong Democrathe said and I'm against this RNC being in townHeather Ilse of Minneapolis came to the event with her 7yearold son because it had been advertised as peaceful and nonpartisan For me peace is not politicalshe said Former FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley said she was dismayed by Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech Wednesday I think the main focus is on fake and phony and on who can give this great speech and look the partRowley said What are we doing We're voting like you would for a prom queen It's not just females it's males too The issues are irrelevantRowley said By midafternoon several businesses closed over concerns about evening protests Two Ramsey County buildings closed at 3 pm said county spokesman Art Coulson Dan Thomas chief operating officer of Twin Cities Public Television said staffers could leave at 3:30 pm with their managers'permission citing staff concernsabout the protests Matt Anfang president of the Greater St Paul Building Owners amp; Managers Association advised members there may be streets closed that may make it difficult to leavedowntown He likened it to warning of an impending tornado or severe weatherThe day's largest protest began at 4 pm with several hundred people at the State Capitol As the last speaker wrapped up her speech about 4:50 pm a police officer announced over the Alex Leary Pioneer Pressloudspeaker: Your permit will expire at 5 pm At that point you don't have a right to marchSome protesters sat down in the street chanting Whose war Their war Whose streets Our streetsSome drew slogans in chalk on the street: Arrest Cheneyand Another world is possibleThen the group began marching The crowd first walked into police officers gathered near the Peace and Police Officers memorial at 12th and Cedar streets Police in riot gear took the protesters'green banner and effigy of John McCain About 30 protesters sat in the intersection making peace signs with their fingers Police arrested more than a dozen of them Movable steel barricades and dump trucks blocked the intersection Several hundred other protesters looked on from the perimeter Police donned gas masks and appeared ready to spray the crowd with pepper spray The crowd turned onto Rice Street Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and a group of Guardian Angels were also on the scene Some in the crowd called the Angels selloutsbecause they were with the police As McCain prepared to speak inside the Xcel police arrested about 300 people on the Marion Street bridge over Interstate 94 About a dozen journalists were detained including Pioneer Press photographer Ben Garvin WCCOTV cameraman Tom Aviles and Associated Press reporter Amy Forliti Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion told reporters near the bridge Frankly I hope it's the end so everyone can go home We all thought there would be activity particularly the first night and last nightOn Thursday night another group of about 25 protesters was detained at St Anthony Avenue and Marion Street near the Sears parking lot hands on their heads as police searched their bags with flashlights Matthew Hurt a legal observer with the Minnesota Lawyers Guild was among them He yelled to reporters: We were told to disperse west This is west We are being arrestedSeveral protesters said police overreacted In one incident eight cops in riot gear gathered outside Mayor Chris Coleman's office as lawyers for demonstrators asked to meet with officials Mayoral spokesman Bob Hume escorted lawyers and activists from the building Chris Hermes of the National Lawyers Guild said he was shocked that riot police showed up On the Capitol grounds Wylie Stecklow a New York City attorney said he witnessed police arresting a couple nearby without cause About 70 police officers in riot gear arrived on the scene with another 16 on horses This is just poor decisionmaking by the policeStecklow said The rally was incredibly peacefulCompiled from reports by John Brewer Emma Carew Richard Chin Mara H Gottfried Jason Hoppin Michael Marchio Elizabeth Mohr Dave Orrick and Bob Shawhttp:wwwtwincitiescomci10385049sourcemostviewed http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/faac51201798141d8e1833eb015cf6fd.html TrooperGate Report Fast TrackedInvestigation into Palin Now on Fast TrackSources Tell ABC News that Report Will Be Released Almost Three Weeks EarlyABC News has exclusively learned that Alaska Senator Hollis French will announce today that he is moving up the release date of his investigation into whether Gov Sarah Palin abused her office to get the Alaska public safety commissioner Walt Monegan fired The results of the investigation were originally scheduled for release Oct 31 but will now come almost three weeks earlier according to sources Alaska state senator Hollis French who is running an investigation of Gov Sarah Palin says the McCain campaign is using stall tactics to prevent him from releasing his final report by Oct 31stThe Associated PressThe announcement is set for 9 am AKDT time Related'October Surprise'Over Palin InvestigationPalin Could Be Deposed in State Probe More From Brian Ross and the Investigative Team The Alaska state senator running an investigation of Gov Palin had accused the McCain campaign of using stall tactics to prevent him from releasing his final report by Oct 31 four days before the November election It's likely to be damaging to the Governor's administrationsaid Senator Hollis French a Democrat appointed the project manager for a bipartisan State Senate Legislative Counsel Committee investigation Palin who has denied any wrongdoing and has said she has nothing to hide has hired private lawyers to represent her in the matter http:wwwabcnewsgocomBlotterstoryid5734511amp;page1 http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/minnesota/altura/content/f0fae8ed3e8e0a463ca365618528c436.html Gloria Steinem:Steinem was a member of Democratic Socialists of AmericaIn the runup to the 2004 election Steinem voiced fierce criticism of the Bush administration asserting There has never been an administration that has been more hostile to womens equality to reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right and he has acted on that hostilityShe went on to claim If he is elected in 2004 abortion will be criminalized in this country20 At a Planned Parenthood event in Boston Steinem declared Bush a danger to health and safetyciting his antagonism to Clean Water Act reproductive freedom sex education and AIDS reliefSteinem has been an active political participant in the 2008 election She praised both the Democratic frontrunnersSteinem again drew attention for according to the New York Observer seeming to denigrate the importance of John McCains time as a prisoner of war in VietnamSteinem's broader argument was that the media and the political world are too admiring of militarism in all its guisesAnd you wonder why she has negative feelings for PalinYa think it has anything to do with her hatred for RepublicansYa think