[Rhodes22-list] Slim - Hold The Phone - Politics

[Brad Haslett]

Slim,

Here's an article that will appear in tomorrow's Strib -

Another that one that appeared today follows.

This guy smells worse than my car.  If Fine is a dumbass, what is the
alternative?

Brad,



 [image: StarTribune.com] <http://www.startribune.com/> KERSTEN091806
>
> Last update: September 17, 2006 – 6:10 PM
> The excuses keep on coming for Ellison's behavior
>
> *Katherine Kersten,* Star Tribune
> Keith Ellison's Excuse Brigade -- the "don't touch Keith" crowd in the
> DFL, the media and the blogosphere -- has gone into overdrive for the man
> who is the DFL's choice to represent Minnesota's Fifth Congressional
> District in our nation's capital.
>
> The Brigade cut its teeth on Ellison's 40 or so unpaid parking tickets,
> and his nine moving violations since 2000. Its candidate hit the campaign
> trail in June with a suspended driver's license, thanks to his failure to
> pay his fines. This was nothing new for Ellison, who seemed unfazed. "I
> don't know how many prior suspensions I've had," he told the Star Tribune.
> "I don't keep count."
>
> In dismissing Ellison's irresponsibility, the Excuse Brigade didn't even
> break a sweat. What's a suspended driver's license when you're an attorney
> fighting for social justice? Sometimes your great work can't wait (speeding
> ticket), and sometimes you've got to fight for the oppressed no matter how
> long it takes (expired meter).
>
> Ellison's defenders brushed off their candidate's $25,000 in unpaid back
> taxes -- incurred some years ago and later paid -- in a similar spirit.
> Let's face it: When you're on a crusade to right big wrongs, you've got
> little time for the petty details of personal life -- license suspensions or
> tax liens. Anyway, this stuff has nothing to do with running the people's
> business, right?
>
> Ellison's lengthy history of campaign-finance disclosure violations posed
> a greater challenge. The state attorney general sued him twice over filings,
> and his record includes numerous warnings, a default judgment and a
> collection agency. When Ellison accepted the DFL nomination in May, he faced
> fines of over $2,500, including $1,500 for a "willful" violation that could
> have been charged as a criminal gross misdemeanor.
>
> But it's Ellison's history of support for Louis Farrakhan -- and the
> notoriously anti-white, anti-Semitic Nation of Islam -- that has set the
> Excuse Brigade scrambling. Ellison says that his association with the Nation
> of Islam was limited to 18 months in the mid-1990s -- a claim that the
> Brigade has repeated.
>
> He also says that he failed to scrutinize Farrakhan's positions
> sufficiently. Today, Ellison proclaims brotherly love, and all is forgiven.
>
> But facts are stubborn things.
>
> Ellison's support for Farrakhan dates from at least 1989, when he wrote an
> article defending "Minister Farrakhan" for the Minnesota Daily. In 1995, he
> was a Minnesota organizer for the Million Man March, which the Nation of
> Islam convened. In 1997, Ellison publicly supported the executive director
> of the Minneapolis Initiative Against Racism when she allegedly called Jews
> "among the most racist white people." The Star Tribune described Ellison as
> a "representative" of the Nation of Islam in an article about the incident.
> In 1998, when Ellison made his first run for the Minnesota House of
> Representatives, the paper described him as "well-known in the black
> community as ... a supporter of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam."
>
> The Excuse Brigade has sought to counter these inconvenient facts by
> falling back on the nuclear option -- the B word. Folks who draw attention
> to Ellison's support for Farrakhan are bigots, they say. Case closed.
>
> So far, the Excuse Brigade has said little about the latest Ellison
> revelation. A few weeks ago, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council
> on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, appeared at an Ellison
> fundraiser, and he and at least one other CAIR employee have donated to
> Ellison's campaign. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) described CAIR as an
> organization "which we know has ties to terrorism."
>
> Mike Erlandson, an Ellison opponent in the primary election, criticized
> Ellison for appearing with Awad, whom Erlandson described as a supporter of
> the Palestinian group Hamas.
>
> Why is the Excuse Brigade pouring so much energy into Ellison's defense?
> Any other candidate with half this record would likely be persona non grata
> in any political party.
>
> The truth is plain, if unpalatable. Many are willing to overlook Ellison's
> record because they are breathless with excitement at the chance to send the
> first Muslim -- and the first black Minnesotan -- to Congress.
>
> Ellison's candidacy may be a defining moment for the DFL. Is this the new
> face of the party of Hubert Humphrey? Heavy hitters such as Walter Mondale
> and Mayor R.T. Rybak have endorsed Ellison, and DFL fundraisers
> extraordinaire Sam and Sylvia Kaplan have raised big bucks for him.
>
> The question of the hour is this: Is Ellison's DFL also the party of Amy
> Klobuchar and Mike Hatch? We have six weeks to find out.
>
> Katherine Kersten • kkersten at startribune.com
>
> (c)2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
>


-----------------------------

 [image: StarTribune.com] <http://www.startribune.com/> CAIR091706

Last update: September 16, 2006 – 11:23 PM
GOP's attack on Ellison focuses on U.S. Muslim Nihad Awad is head of the
Council of American-Islamic Relations. Conservatives say it is rooted in
Hamas and secretly supports Hezbollah in Lebanon.

*Sharon Schmickle <sschmickle at startribune.com>,* Star Tribune
When Nihad Awad flew to Minneapolis to attend a fundraiser for state Rep.
Keith Ellison in August, following him was a simmering debate in American
politics: What constitutes support for terrorism?

Last week, Minnesota Republicans thrust that issue to the forefront after
Ellison won the DFL primary in the Fifth Congressional District. In a letter
to Republicans statewide afterward, state GOP chairman Ron Carey accused
Ellison of trying to hide his backing from "a self-identified supporter" of
the Palestinian group Hamas.

Carey was referring to Awad, a former Minnesotan and executive director of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington, one of the
nation's most prominent Muslim groups. Awad has been a frequent commentator
on national television and appeared with President Bush after the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks.

But many conservatives and Jewish groups say that CAIR is rooted in the
Hamas movement and that its leaders also secretly support Hezbollah in
Lebanon. The United States counts Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist
organizations.

Awad donated $2,000 to Ellison's campaign in July, and at least one other
CAIR employee gave $1,000. The donations are listed on Ellison's campaign
finance reports, and he said he has nothing to hide.

"The Republicans are in a tough situation," Ellison said. "Iraq is a failed
policy."

Ellison added, "They haven't done much for homeland security. We still have
a health care crisis. The Earth is warming up, and they're not doing
anything about it. What are they going to do? They have to try to engage in
smear politics."

If he wins, Ellison will be the first Muslim elected to Congress. He called
Awad an "acquaintance," saying he has known the CAIR leader for many years
but not well enough to be able to "account for everything he has ever done,
everybody he knows or everything he has ever said."

But after Awad attended the Ellison fundraiser on Aug. 25, conservative
blogs, some Jewish groups and some Democrats objected.

Awad dismissed the attacks as an effort to crush Ellison with unfounded
guilt-by-association innuendo. He predicted that it will backfire. "The Twin
Cities has broken the historical ice of stereotypes and fear that American
Muslims cannot make it," Awad said.

But some observers neutral-to-supportive on Ellison said it's valid for
voters to examine a candidate's associations.

Jewish voters, for example, are concerned about Israel's security, and they
scrutinize all candidate positions as they relate to Hamas and Hezbollah,
said Julie Swiler, a spokeswoman for the Jewish Community Relations Council
of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Many Jewish voters apparently were satisfied with Ellison even after Awad
stepped forth to support him. Prominent Jewish politicians continued to
campaign for him, and an influential newspaper, the American Jewish World,
endorsed him.

The debate goes back to the late 1980s, when Awad, a Palestinian refugee,
left Jordan to study at the University of Minnesota, where he was active in
Muslim student groups. That's where he met Ellison, a law student at the
time.

Awad frequently accepted invitations to explain Islam at Twin Cities area
schools and churches, sometimes collaborating with another Minnesotan,
Ibrahim Hooper. In 1994 they took their outreach nationwide, with money
raised by Omar Ahmad, president of the Islamic Association for Palestine,
where Awad worked as public relations director.

The organization that Awad and Hooper opened in a two-room office in
Washington that year now has 32 chapters and affiliates in the United States
and Canada. Its stated mission is to enhance understanding of Islam and
defend civil liberties. But its leaders also have criticized U.S. policy in
the Middle East.

Controversy began even before the doors opened to CAIR's first office.

In March 1994, Awad said at Barry University in Florida, "I am in support of
the Hamas movement more than the PLO," a reference to the Palestine
Liberation Organization, which was widely seen as corrupt. Awad went on to
say that Hamas and other Islamic movements were gaining popularity in the
Middle East in part because they "respond to the daily needs of the people."
He added, "There are radicals in every movement and every sect, but we have
to look at the moderate side."

The statement came before Hamas had set off its first car bomb in Israel and
more than a year before the United States designated it as a terrorist
organization. Since then, CAIR has issued dozens of statements condemning
terrorism.

But critics continue to cite the phrase "I am in support of the Hamas
movement" as evidence that Awad supports a terrorist organization. He
reiterated last week, "I don't support any organization that is designated
by the State Department on the list of terrorism, and we respect the law."

Awad's original statement reflected a nuanced view common in the Middle
East, said Prof. J. Andrew Overman of Macalester College, who leads study
groups to the region.

A typical response from a Palestinian voter, Overman said, is "this suicide
bomber stuff is insane, and I am scared to death that my 14-year-old son is
going to be talked into being one. But the only way I can get penicillin for
my son is from Hamas. So do I support Hamas? I do, but I do not support
suicide bombing."

CAIR's critics cite other worries, though. One is that groups associated
with it have been linked to terrorism-related activity. For example, after
the Sept. 11 attacks, CAIR invited visitors to its website to help victims
by contributing to a charity called the Holy Land Foundation. In December
2001 the United States blocked Holy Land's assets, saying it supported
Hamas.

And the Islamic Association for Palestine, instrumental in launching CAIR,
was found liable in a 2004 lawsuit in Chicago for contributing to the
terrorist killing of a U.S. citizen by providing support to Hamas. Further,
former CAIR employees and volunteers have been convicted on
terrorism-related charges in Virginia and Texas.

Debate over CAIR has raged through Congress and courts. Voters in the Fifth
District, which includes Minneapolis and nearby suburbs, are unlikely to
resolve it.

Instead, their challenge will be to distinguish between issues and hardball
politics, said John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life in Washington.

"It would be legitimate for someone to say, 'I don't want to vote for Mr.
Ellison because he gets support from CAIR, and I don't agree with CAIR,' "
Green said. "But it would be quite another thing to say, "Because CAIR
supports Ellison, then there's somehow a tie to terrorists.' That involves
taking several steps for which there is probably no evidence."

Sharon Schmickle • 612-673-4432 • sschmickle at startribune.com

(c)2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.


> Last night I listened to the debate among the candidates for the 5CD,
> Fine,
> Ellison and Tammy Lee, the independent.  I thought Ellison was fine and
> Fine
> was hopelessly parroting what the party wants him to say and nothing more.
> Ellison and Lee kept trying to redirect the discussion to the
> issues--taxes,
> health care, education, etc. and all Fine could say is that "..Um,
> character
> is an issue and um, I think um, joining a hate group that wants to destroy
> our country shows the wrong character..."  The guy's desperate and all he
> can do is sling the mud.
>
> Ellison, on the other hand kept saying he would rather talk about the
> issues
> but if he has to be dragged through this, fine.  He coolly said he never
> was
> a member of the Nation of Islam and he never even met Louis Farrakhan.  He
> helped organize the Million Man March, which he said was simply about
> empowering the African-American male and he was proud to be a part of it.
> Fine had no response.  Fine brought up Ellison's writings back in law
> school
> and Ellison said it was just something he wrote about Affirmative Action
> while he was a student at the U of M.  The moderator pressed Fine on what
> exactly in the writings he objected to and Fine had no response.  And
> this:
> "Mr. Fine, do you think Mr. Ellison is a racist?"  Fine hemmed and hawed
> and
> said, "Um, it's um, more complicated than that.  Um, I don't think he's
> fit
> for the office."  Then, "Exactly what is it that makes Mr. Ellison unfit?"
> More hemming and hawing and non-answering.
>
> This whole attack won't do much damage--it's too obvious this is a smear
> campaign.  Especially since Ellison's been in the MN House for the last
> four
> years and none of that (racist or anti-semite) has ever actually showed up
> on the radar.
>
> As of today I'm so ready to make our deal.
>
> Slim
>
> On 9/15/06 11:07 AM, "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Slim,
> >
> > Would be Senator Jr. passed the test yesterday.  He voted in favor of
> the
> > earmark bill.  Why he rattled his sabre before the vote is beyond me -
> musta
> > got some money from somewhere headed toward Memphis.  Let's table the
> > discussion until the day before the vote.  Both of us will have a better
> > idea who we trust by then.
> >
> > Brad
> >
> >
> > On 9/14/06, Slim <salm at mn.rr.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Brad,
> >>
> >> I think the racist, anti-semite thing might be a little
> over-blown.  Alan
> >> Fine came down hard at Ellison's win but when pressed if those were HIS
> >> words he balked and didn't answer the question.  He might be a good
> >> pianist
> >> but I think he's also good at towing the party line--perhaps a puppet.
> >>
> >> I've always liked the when-in-doubt-vote-against-the-incumbent strategy
> >> but
> >> this is different.  If you want to break our deal, that's OK.  Frankly,
> my
> >> vote is still up for grabs.
> >>
> >> Slim
> >>
> >> On 9/14/06 6:20 PM, "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Slim,
> >>>
> >>> I like Jr. but I'll donate to his opponent over this!  Ford, Jr.
> >> indicated
> >>> his opposition today to 'earmark transparancy rules'.  What does that
> >> mean?
> >>> Business as usual - I use my power to get Federal money (someone elses
> >> but
> >>> ours) for my district in exchange for you getting some for your
> >>> re-election.  That's a deal breaker for me.  You (Slim) vote for a
> >> racist,
> >>> anti-semite for the house and I'll vote for a real-estate developer
> who
> >> I
> >>> don't know squat about for the Senate. Where the hell is a new party?
> >>> *All*these bums need to be thrown out!
> >>>
> >>> Brad
> >>> __________________________________________________
> >>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >> __________________________________________________
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> >>
> > __________________________________________________
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