tagged w/ tom emmer
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"These kids are thrown to the wolves every day," says FOX 9 Minneapolis's Jason Matheson about the state's student bullying epidemic that's leaving suicides in its wake. Teased as a kid himself, Matheson knows first hand how "just awful" it is to be a young person taunted by your peers — and nobody, NOBODY, is stepping in to keep you safe. Tom Emmer might make fiscal conservatives happy, but as governor it's clear he will only help perpetuate the nightmare LGBT(http://www.queerty.com/mn-gov-hopeful-tom-emmer-doesnt-want-schools-telling-his-kids-not-to-taunt-gay-kids-20100910/) kids (and straight ones branded queer) face every fucking day."These kids are thrown to the wolves every day," says FOX 9... more
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It’s official: A Minnesota disclosure law, enacted in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, was upheld by a federal judge on Monday.
U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank for the District of Minnesota denied a temporary injunction in a lawsuit brought by supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, including an anti-abortion group and an anti-tax organization. They sued to overturn the law on free speech grounds and had asked Frank to suspend the disclosure requirements immediately.
Frank answered with a firm no.
“Invalidating the election laws at issue here would likely result in corporations making independent expenditures without any reporting or disclosure on the eve of the upcoming general election on November 2, 2010,” his ruling said. “This result so close to the election would clearly harm the state, Minnesota voters, and the general public interest.”
The lawsuit, brought by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life and Taxpayers League of Minnesota, argued that the disclosure law — which made possible the discovery of political donations made within the state by Target and other companies — was so burdensome that it infringed upon the groups’ first amendment rights. It’s an argument akin to what the National Organization for Marriage has been arguing in its lawsuits against the state of Maine and California — and the ruling today represents another blow to the logic of NOM’s case.
Even in its Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court upheld federal disclosure requirements as constitutional by a vote of 8-1. Some state laws are more rigorous (and therefore perhaps more burdensome), but none seem likely to be overturned wholesale on the grounds that they stifle free speech.It’s official: A Minnesota disclosure law, enacted in the wake of the Supreme... more
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Emmer’s Former Campaign Manager Arrested
JORDAN, Minn. - The Wright County Sheriff's office arrested a former campaign manager to Tom Emmer over the weekend. Six term representative Mark Buesgens of Jordan accused of driving drunk Saturday night.
Police say the 49-year-old's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
Buesgens is seeking reelection to a seat representing some of Scott County. He stopped working for the Emmer campaign on September 12.
Emmer's campaign released a statement, saying, "Mark made a serious mistake in judgment. I am thankful that he did not hurt others or himself. Driving under the influence is not acceptable. Mark is a friend. He is a good man. We will help him and his family in any way possible. They are in my thoughts and prayers."Emmer’s Former Campaign Manager Arrested
JORDAN, Minn. - The Wright County... more
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When you visit Tom Emmer’s Minnesota, remember to carry a little extra cash with you, especially when you’re going out to eat. Because waiters and waitresses earn less than minimum wage in Tom Emmer’s Minnesota, they desperately rely on the generosity of their customers in order to make a livable wage.
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This is too funny!When you visit Tom Emmer’s Minnesota, remember to carry a little extra cash with... more
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Cover your ears, because boy do we have a spoiler for you! Tom Emmer, the Republican who wants to be Minnesota's next governor, and who Target is throwing its weight behind, doesn't just want to keep marriage out of the hands of gays. Emmer also wants to keep bully protection from them too.
The Safe Schools for All bill, vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty last year and opposed by Emmer as a state rep, would also get the ax under an Emmer administration, the candidate told an audience(http://minnesotaindependent.com/64600/advocates-say-anti-bullying-laws-needed-emmer-says-no) at the Minnesota State Fair debate. But what about the three bullying-related student suicides in the Anoka-Hennepin School District alone? And all those allegations of even teachers participating in the ridicule of fey kids?(http://www.queerty.com/there-are-repercussions-when-teachers-make-fun-of-a-high-school-students-sexuality-20090813/)
While the other gubernatorial candidates, including Mark Dayton, said they'd sign it, Emmer insisted, "I would have to see what it looks like. I’ll tell you right now, bullying is a serious issue. You’re talking to the parent of seven kids — Jacquie and I have seven kids — we’re very, we’re very aware of what happens when a child is faced with an uncomfortable situation at school or out in a public place. But tell you what, it’s up to the parents, Jacquie and I, to educate our children, how they handle that situation. We’re the ones who have to be the front line of defense for our children. I don’t want the government doing that for us."
Yeah, pesky big brother! Get out of the way of parents teaching their kids whether or not pushing the faggot down the steps is okay.Cover your ears, because boy do we have a spoiler for you! Tom Emmer, the Republican... more
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Grass-roots activists have accused Facebook of anti-democratic behavior for disabling key features on corporate boycott pages.
Indeed, the popular social networking site recently locked-down sections of a page that been created to boycott Target until the company ceased funding [allegedly] anti-gay politicians, such as Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.
Jeffrey Henson - who runs the controversial group - told Politico(http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42364.html) that FB was banning new discussion threads, preventing members from posting videos and barring administrators from sending updates to boycott members.
"It slices the [virtual] vocal cords," claimed an angry Henson. "Our page [members] are now outraged over the website's actions."
Nicholas Lefevre, an avid promoter of the Target boycott, expressed similar sentiments.
"Facebook is interfering with the function of a page dedicated to individuals organizing in response to corporate action to which they object.
"With the limited avenues for such expression and organization and the importance of the Internet to that ability, anything that threatens that expression is dangerous."
However, a Facebook spokesperson told Politico the pages were restricted because they didn't comply with the site's (stringent) terms of service.
"Facebook Pages enable public figures, organizations, businesses, and brands to share information, interact with interested people, and maintain an engaging presence on Facebook.
"They're...optimized for official entities' needs to communicate, distribute content, engage people and capture new audiences. To protect people from spam and other unwanted content, we restrict Pages that represent ideas or positions - rather than discrete entities - from publishing stories to people's News Feeds."
But Ilyse Hogue of the liberal grassroots group Moveon.org said she believes democracy clearly "works best" when every single citizen's voice is weighed equally.
"[Unfortunately, it seems as if] the whole [FB] system is titled away from those individual voices," added Hogue.Grass-roots activists have accused Facebook of anti-democratic behavior for disabling... more
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The fallout from the revelation that Target, Best Buy, and other corporations made independent expenditures on behalf of Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer continues, this time in the courts. The Star Tribune reports that, in the wake of the Target scandal, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life and two other groups are seeking a preliminary injunction to block the state’s law requiring periodic reports on corporate spending for or against candidates:
http://www.refinery29.com/img/target-tom-emmer-1.jpgThe fallout from the revelation that Target, Best Buy, and other corporations made... more
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A few Target Corp. and Best Buy Co. institutional shareholders weighed in Thursday on the flap over the companies' political donations in Minnesota, urging the boards of both retailers to increase their oversight of campaign contributions.
Walden Asset Management and Trillium Asset Management Corp., both of Boston, and Bethesda, Md.-based Calvert Asset Management Co. filed shareholder resolutions with both companies. Together, the three firms control less than 1 percent of each company's outstanding shares - 1.1 million Target shares worth $57.5 million and 344,000 Best Buy shares worth $11.3 million - but they are moving the debate over the political giving to a new arena.
"A good corporate political contribution policy should prevent the kind of debacle Target and Best Buy walked into," said Trillium vice president Shelley Alpern. "We expect companies to evaluate candidates based upon the range of their positions - not simply one area - and assess whether they are in alignment with their core values. But these companies' policies are clearly lacking that."
The shareholders said the donations don't mesh with corporate values that include workplace protections for gay employees and risk harming the companies' brands. Walden senior vice president Tim Smith said such giving can have "a major negative impact on company reputations and business."
The Target resolution urges the board to review the effect of future political contributions on the company's public image, sales and profitability and to consider the cost of backing a candidate whose politics conflict with the company's public stances.
The three investment companies together submitted the resolution to Target, while Calvert and Trillium filed the Best Buy shareholder proposal. One of Trillium's clients, the Portland, Ore.-based Equity Foundation, divested a small Target holding of 170 shares on Wednesday.MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A few Target Corp. and Best Buy Co. institutional shareholders... more
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'_stealth_mission_to_sneak_jesus_into_our_public_schools/
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Fundamentalist evangelists are hiding their religious agenda to sneak into public schools and preach to a captive audience of students.
August 13, 2010 | United Methodist minister David Jenkins was meeting with fellow clergy last year in the small Kansas community of Sharon Springs when one of the pastors made what sounded like a routine request.
The clergyman noted that the Todd Becker Foundation was coming to town, and the evangelical Christian organization, which purports to warn youngsters about the dangers of drunk driving, wanted to line up local religious leaders to help with its presentation.
What struck Jenkins as odd was the venue: It was to take place at Wallace County High School.
Furthermore, the Becker Foundation had a very specific set of duties in mind for the ministers. They would swing into action after students had been offered a chance to become “born again.”
“Our task was to go forward when students came down to make their decision, and we would give them a Bible and some Christian material and talk with them about Christ,” Jenkins said.
He noted that one of the attendees at the meeting was the town’s former school superintendent, a man who never had much use for the separation of church and state.
“His comment was that they’d have to fly under the radar so they were not barred from giving a gospel presentation in school,” Jenkins said. “It was clear to me they were using this drunk-driving lecture as a vehicle to give an evangelizing presentation.”
Jenkins wanted no part of the scheme. In fact, he vowed to put a stop to it since he believed the Becker Foundation’s activities were legally dubious. He alerted Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“For me, it’s not appropriate for several reasons,” Jenkins told Church & State. “This is a public school. There are students in that school who are Catholic, and that is not their form of evangelism.
“These kids are forced to attend this program because it is a school function,” continued Jenkins. “If they don’t attend, they could be disciplined. They have a forced audience of people who are under age, whose parents in many cases would not be very happy to see their kids being exposed to this type of event.”
Americans United’s Legal Department investigated and took action, sending a letter to school officials warning them that allowing Becker Foundation representatives to proselytize students would violate church-state separation.
But AU didn’t stop there. Later, AU Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan and Staff Attorney Ian Smith drafted a letter to officials at the foundation itself, warning them that their activities were constitutionally problematic.
AU’s intervention in the issue is not new. In fact, AU attorneys have periodically done battle with groups just like the Becker Foundation – fundamentalist-oriented ministries that have proven adept at slipping into public schools under the cover of stealth, where they preach to students outright or pressure them to attend a revival later that evening.
AU’s dust-up with the Becker Foundation is not unique. Speakers from a range of organizations launch into evangelistic sermons in school. Others are more subtle, inviting students to what is described as a party that evening.
Young people may be lured with the promise of free food, games and even drawings for prizes. They may get those things – after they’ve sat through a fundamentalist sermon.
Sometimes dubbed “pizza evangelists” because of their predilection for offering free snacks to students, representatives from these ministries roam the nation, hitting public schools in one community and quickly moving on to the next.
Many of these organizations are adept at crafting messages that appeal to young people through the use of props, costumes and stunts.'_stealth_mission_to_sneak_jesus_into_our_public_schools/
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The contrast between Emmer's outspoken conservatism and Target's moderate image is striking. Emmer lauds Arizona's strict approach to illegal immigration and once advocated chemical castration for sex offenders.The contrast between Emmer's outspoken conservatism and Target's moderate... more
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Remove the hype and all the tenuous connections, and you'll find the straight facts: Target Corporation donated $150,000 to fund an anti-gay extreme right-wing candidate.
This is an open letter to Target regarding its support of anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, its statements about why supporting Emmer isn't against their policies, and a CALL TO ACTION to make Target change those policies so these donations never happen again.
http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/2010/07/on-open-letter-to-target/Remove the hype and all the tenuous connections, and you'll find the straight... more
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