Temporary Home of MNHockeyMama.com

Due to unfortunate malware attacks on MNHockeyMama.com, this site will be the "new" temporary home until the bugs and viruses get worked out on the official domain.

However, since there are so many issues and events occurring in MNHockeymama's World right now, it seemed a shame to allow some malware to shut down MNHockeymama's voice completely.  So.....

We're BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK.

Get ready...

IT'S HAPPENED: MNHOCKEYMAMA.COM!

MNHockeyMama is more than a person, it is an attitude.  As Sarah Palin said, “How can you tell the difference between a pitbull and a hockeymom? Lipstick.” This website aims to embody all that: tenacity, ferocity, an unquenchable thirst for truth, and above-all, a devotion to a small Constitutional government, free markets and fiscal responsibility.

As hockeymamas teach their hockey players to never give up, to fight fair, to protect their goalie, so will the contributors to this website never give up in the pursuit of truth and keeping government accountable, to endeavor to fight fair by presenting issues in a truthful manner (snark will sneak in), and do so in a way that protects the goal: a future for America that gives ALL a chance at the American Dream.

Please visit the new MNHockeyMama website at www.mnhockeymama.com.  We look forward to seeing you there!

UPDATED Jan. 12, 2014 11:13am

Levy Vote Yes Committee Campaign Violations Part II

It turns out that sometime after 3:15 on Friday, October 25, 2013, Committee for VOTE's co-Treasurer, Mary Scholz dashed into the South Washington County District Service Center and delivered the 10-day Campaign Finance Report.  After two emails to SWC833's Communications Director, Barb Brown, the CFR was emailed to me late Tuesday morning.

I also received notice from the Administrative Law Judge who is currently reviewing the case to decide if enough evidence has been given to move the matter to a Probable Cause hearing (via telephone).  Due to the fact that Committee for Vote miraculously filed the CFR at the last minute on Friday,  I have moved to withdraw two charges against Committee for Vote:

 "1.       Failure to file a Campaign Finance Report ten days prior to the general election. (211A.02)2.       Failure to report additional expenditures: print and online advertising (WoodburyPatch.com, Woodbury Bulletin, South Washington County Bulletin newspapers and WoodburyBulletin.com): approximate cost $1440.00.  (211A.02)"

However, I stand by the other charges.

A few items to note on the 10 Day report:

It would seem that Mary Scholz once again missed an important line - "Project Title or Description" is left blank.  Perhaps that was intentional because Ms. Scholz was confused about exactly what she reporting in this section (it's starting to look like Ms. Scholz wasn't given any training on CFRs)?  It looks like she may have been using this area to itemize donations over $100, but it's hard to tell for sure: "Name and Address of Recipient" leads one to believe that the Committee for Vote spent $2500 for Advertising with Kraus Anderson and $2500 for Promotion with the Principals Association.  However, given the amount of money listed in the "Contributions" section, it is more likely that these two organizations would have donated to Committee for Vote and Mary Scholz, in her hurry to file before the 4:30pm close of the DSC on Friday, October 25, 2013, failed to properly fill out the CFR. Again.

Looking closer at the contributions (if that is what these are) and the organizations, it is also important to note that Kraus-Anderson is one of the largest construction firms in the state, and is more than likely the company that will benefit the most by Question 3 - the bond levy - and part of Question 2 - "Safe Schools - passing because it is likely that Kraus-Anderson will be awarded the construction contracts, since it was the company that was awarded the last major construction contract in South Washington County - the $90 million East Ridge High School.

Furthermore, "Principals Assoc," probably is short for "South Washington County Principals Association" which is the formal way of saying "Principals' Union."  "DSC" stands for "District Service Center." Amazing! The Principals Assoc has the same address as the District Service Center.  No wonder the union would want to contribute $2500 to the levy campaign - they probably owe that much for their office space in the DSC...that is paid for by taxpayers...and who else will benefit by a levy passing?  That's right, the principals - when they go to negotiate their contracts they can point to the levy increase (which, by the way, all goes into the District's GENERAL FUND) and say, "We supported the levy increase! You got the levy increase! So give us raises!" Guess what else?  The school principals pay dues to the union.  It was union dues that paid the Committee for Vote $2500 to convince taxpayers that the district needs more of their hard-earned money.  Where does the principals' dues come from?  Out of their paychecks.  How are their paychecks funded? BY THE TAXPAYERS.  Any more questions?

In the Woodbury Bulletin article about the complaint against Committee For Vote, Winnie Williams is quoted:

"....she has talked to people involved in past pro-school levy campaigns and they don’t recall a similar level of scrutiny paid to their activities. 'I don’t know where it comes from,' Williams said."

Gee, Winnie, I wonder???

Updated 4:04pm October 30, 2013

"Leadership" at SWC 833????

The following is a video published on the South Washington County District 833 Schools website. It was filmed at the "Back to School Event" prior to the 2013-14 school year.  Included in the video is Superintendent Jacobus, several school board members and Dr. Jacobus's administrative cabinet, along with presumably the entire District 833 teaching staff attending teacher workshops prior to starting the school year.

This video leaves me shaking my head in dumbfounded disbelief that the very school district that had so many controversies last year would begin this new school year with this performance.  If the vision of the very short man surrounded by what is only to be assumed to be a group of...bodyguards? Secret Service? Thugs? Goon Squad? - isn't enough, three of the men are also sporting large Afro-style wigs, for absolutely no apparent reason. Ironically, or perhaps, intentionally, one of the Afro-wigged men also happens to be the East Ridge High School Principal, who was at the center of one of the major controversies last year when he failed to vet a school-wide presentation commemorating the Black Panthers on Valentine's Day.  But here he is, sportin' a huge wig, "protecting" his superintendent's walk into ERHS's gymnasium.

What exactly was the goal of this performance? What was the district leadership attempting to portray with this stunt? And how could the members of the school board sit there and watch this without serious concerns over the image or perception such an act was producing of the district and its leadership, especially when there are five school board seats opening up this fall, with thirteen challengers running against four incumbents, and the district is asking the voters for more money in a levy referendum as well? 

Controversial Black Panther Commemorating School District has 18 Filing for 5 Open Board Seats

Who says that the American people aren't invested in their government? In South Washington County School District 833 (Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Saint Paul Paul and Newport, MN), home to East Ridge High School and the controversial Black Panther Schoolwide Commemoration, an unprecedented EIGHTEEN (18) candidates are running for five open school board seats this year.  Of the eighteen, four are incumbents: Laurie Johnson, David Kemper, Katy McElwee-Stevens and Tracy Burnette.  Laurie Johnson is running for the only open two-year seat; the others are going for the open four year seat terms.  Marsha Adou is the only incumbent who declined to run again.

From Left-Right: Superintendent Dr. Keith Jacobus, Board Members Katy McElwee-Stevens, Jim Gelbmann, Tracy Brunette, David Kemper, Laurie Johnson, Chairman Ron Kath, and Marsha Adou

The four-year term challengers are: Frederick E. Hess (Woodbury), Katie Schwartz (St. Paul Park), John P. Griffin II (Woodbury), Molly Lutz (Woodbury), Leilani Holmstadt (Cottage Grove), Sharon H. Van Leer (Woodbury), Raj Gandhi (Woodbury), Mike Thissen (Woodbury), Wayne A Johnson (Cottage Grove), Michael P. Edman (Cottage Grove), and Safiyyah Cummings (Plymouth).

Three others have filed to challenge Laurie Johnson for the two-year term seat: Girma Dinssa (Woodbury), Susan Richardson (Woodbury) and David W. Firkus (Woodbury).

With a field this large, it will be hard for the challengers to overcome the name recognition advantage of the incumbents, but one can only hope that some of them do, since it is time for new faces on the school board. However, given that there is also a levy renewal and increase along with a new bond request going on this year's ballot, the voter turn-out should be higher than usual for off-year elections, which should play into the favor of the challengers.

Ironically, this spring the district released survey results that painted the general public's view of the job the school board and administration were doing as largely positive.  Somehow, it would seem that those results may have been misinterpreted when fourteen people file for school board; it is hard to believe that everyone sees the current board and administration as all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns.

Let the campaign season begin! It will be a very interesting ride between now and November.

Justice for Ray Widstrand

Ray Widstrand (borrowed from his Facebook photos)

Last Sunday night (August 4, 2013), 26 year old Ray Widstrand was attacked when he attempted to walk through a large group (reports of 30-50 people) of kids and adults involved in what appears to have been a gang fight on St. Paul, Minnesota's Eastside.  According to reports, Ray was knocked down, stomped on, kicked; his pants were ripped off so the participants could go through his pockets and steal his possessions and money.  He was then left on the street when the thugs heard sirens and dispersed.  According to The Pioneer Press:

Police found Widstrand lying on the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth, his pants removed and shirt torn, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Ramsey County attorney's office.
A witness said someone struck Widstrand in the head and knocked him to the ground; she said she saw blood coming from his head.
The witness said a second man then hit and stomped on Widstrand. A third man removed his pants.
The witness said the man was hit and beaten for no reason.
A second witness said Widstrand was assaulted when he walked into the area. When Widstrand went down, a "whole bunch of little East Side Boys" began to kick him, the complaint said.
When his pants were removed, they went through his pockets.
The second witness said the first person to hit Widstrand did it with a can in a sock. She tried to protect the man from people kicking and stomping him, while another witness said someone at the scene tried to use Mace to stop the attack, the complaint said.
A third witness identified Maiden as a man who stomped on Widstrand, based on a photo taken at the scene, the complaint said.

Three juvenile males and an adult male have been arrested in relation to this brutal assault and robbery.  The adult male is a 19 year old named Isaac Maiden.

According to the criminal complaint, Isaac Maiden has been charged with four felony counts, including aggravated assault and crime committed for the benefit of a gang.  

While Isaac Maiden was in court yesterday (Friday, August 9, 2013), Ray Widstrand was fighting for his life at Regions Hospital in St. Paul: 

"He's in the most difficult time right now, as far as swelling and cranial pressure. We're in that critical time," his father, Peter Widstrand, said. (Pioneer Press)

Ray Widstrand is a 26 year old producer for Suburban Community Channels and a graduate of Irondale High School.  A quick search revealed more than just those two items - Ray Widstrand is obviously a lover of comics, has a great sense of humor and is well-loved by his friends.  He also is an aspiring producer of films, as shown by the videos uploaded to his YouTube channel.

A few photos from his Facebook page: 

And finally, this photo captioned with: "It takes a certain kind of man to rock a poncho. Ask Clint Eastwood.

It takes a certain kind of man to rock a poncho with a giant stuffed banana with dreadlocks. Ask me."

Will there be justice for Ray Widstrand? Where are the people out yelling about this being a "hate crime"? This young man was out for a walk in his neighborhood - a place, according to his father, in which he was excited to be living.  Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time - or that is how it will be portrayed by the media - and was attacked.  But why should he have had to worry about being attacked? He wasn't part of the gangs and their fight.  He was brutally attacked, his pants ripped off so his attackers could ROB HIM and then left bleeding in the street.  A few good people tried to stop his beating by Macing his attackers but being MACED didn't make them quit.  Blood thirsty and angry, they beat him until he passed out.  Now his brain is swelling and chances are high that he will die. 

Some people say that Trayvon Martin was in the wrong place at the wrong time, walking home with Skittles and an iced tea when he decided to confront George Zimmerman by punching him in the nose.  Some people accuse George Zimmerman of profiling Trayvon Martin and "wanting" to kill him because Zimmerman was a racist.  The outrage over the Zimmerman acquittal bled into riots and protests across the country.  

In this case, Ray Widstrand was truly minding his own business.  By all reports, he did not confront his attackers by breaking their noses: he was out for a walk and was brutally attacked. Where is the outrage? Where are the protests? Or will we see no outrage because the man in the coma is part of the most hated of all American groups: a young, employed, white male?  If this man dies from his injuries, will there be protests and cries of justice for his attackers?  Or will the incident pass all but his family by as just another moment of violence in our increasingly violent world?

Please pray for Ray Widstrand and his family.

First Ever Hockey-themed Gubernatorial Race Ad?

A hockey-themed gubernatorial-race ad caught the eye of this Hockeymama - how could it not?  Made by the campaign for Jeff Johnson for Governor, it features some good stick-handling and nice shots on goal, and the message it conveys isn't so bad, either.

Jeff Johnson's website: JohnsonforGovernor.org, describes the candidate as focusing on three issues: "Jobs, Education and Making Government Work."  These are nice goals, but what specifically is Jeff Johnson promising to do for Minnesota if elected?

According to his website:

JOBS

My goal will be to make Minnesota the best place to start or expand a business – small or large – in the Upper Midwest. We will not roll over for South Dakota or Wisconsin any more.

Whether that means reducing the burden of government regulations on job creators, setting competitive tax levels, discouraging lawsuit abuse or avoiding corporate welfare that picks winners and losers, Minnesota needs to be a place where small businessmen and women and entrepreneurs actually choose to do business because it makes economic sense for them to be here.

EDUCATION

We have a proud history in Minnesota of providing a great education to most of our kids. It’s time we provided that great education to all of our kids.

There’s been enough handwringing over the years about the shameful achievement gap in Minnesota between white students and students of color; we must have the guts to take whatever actions are necessary to give every parent the chance to send their kids to a great school.

MAKING GOVERNMENT WORK

Minnesotans are very generous people and most of us are absolutely willing to pay taxes to help the less fortunate among us get on their feet. The problem is, many of the programs we fund don’t produce that result.

On my first day as Governor I will start the process of a top to bottom audit of every program funded by Minnesota taxpayers – starting with our human service programs. The ones that can show they change people’s lives for the better, we will celebrate and bolster. The ones that cannot, we will end.

Let’s make government work in Minnesota.

Looks like a pretty good plan, especially the idea to audit every taxpayer-funded program.  Hopefully that also includes all the school districts that accept millions of taxpayer dollars every year.

There are others running for governor as well, including Scott Honour, Kurt Zellers and Dave Thompson. More research on each of the candidates will be necessary before MNHockeyMama decides which one seems like the best choice for Minnesota.

A great place to check out all the candidates will be at tonight's MN Republican Gubernatorial Candidates' Forum held at The Mermaid Event Center from 7-9pm.

Former Senate candidate Kurt Bills has just endorsed businessman Scott Honour as his pick for Minnesota Governor; it seems a bit premature to be endorsing any of the candidates, but apparently Kurt Bills likes what he sees in Scott Honour's potential as a candidate against Governor Dayton.  The rest of us would be advised to attend tonight's Candidates' Forum and do a little more research before settling on one candidate as Bills already has; though so far for this HockeyMama, Jeff Johnson is leading the pack.

East Ridge High School, The New Black Panthers & The Zimmerman Trial ~ UPDATED

Back in February, East Ridge High School honored Bobby Seale and Huey Newton and The Black Panther Party during a school-wide announcement.  When ERHS parents cried foul over the honoring of a socialist militant cop-killing group like the Black Panthers, the district "leaders" brushed their concerns aside, opting instead to cave under the pressure by certain groups who insisted that the concerned parents were racist in their objection to the announcement.  The issue caused so many problems for some of the concerned parents that they have opted to remove their children - prior to their Senior year - from ERHS and place them in private schools rather than deal with an administration that refuses to listen to parents' concerns and adequately address the question that it seems that violent groups are being promoted by the ERHS administration and staff under the guise that the announcement was "student led."

A photo circulating (which apparently has since been scrubbed from the web) on Twitter about the George Zimmerman trial that is wrapping up in Florida sheds light on one of the many reasons why the concerned parents objected to the honoring of the Black Panthers.  Gee, Principal Harper and Superintendent Jacobus, do you still think that the commemoration of the Black Panthers was appropriate for ERHS? Will you continue to rationalize the announcement if the Black Panthers follow through with their threat to "burn down whitey's" neighborhoods? Or will you finally understand the reasons why parents objected to the announcement?

UPDATED 7/11/13 8:35a.m.
Updated 8/14/13 12:24pm

Sent to me by one of the concerned parents:

This is exactly why we had concerns about honoring ANY militant, violent, race baiting groups.
Despite some in the black community noisy objections, this was NEVER about race. This was, and is, about violence and hatred.

Why hatred is being excused because it is black on white is offensive to all Americans, but it is being excused by a segment of the black community, and much of the liberal community.

It would be interesting to hear if those same people, who objected to the ERHS parents concern, have the same elevated opinion of the Black Panthers today?

Do they condone this rhetoric? Do they stand side by side with a group that is obviously racist?
Racism comes in all colors and is not exclusive against the black community.

A country that elects a black man as president....TWICE....does not have a cultural problem with racism.
Does racism exist? Yes, and it will until the end of time, because humans are flawed and sinful. But is there mass racism being perpetrated on the black community? No.

As someone who is a governmental classified 'minority', I take offense to those who continue to divide this country along racial and sexual lines. I have always seen myself as an AMERICAN first, gender second, cultural heritage last.

Maybe if people started seeing themselves as Americans first- a delicious and harmonious melting pot, we might all come together; instead of being constantly pitted against each other, in a 'salad' bowl of warring ingredients, where someone gets to pick and choose what goes in the bowl.

Along with this letter, written to Al Sharpton  by Dr. Ken Hutcherson:

I was born in Anniston, Alabama, in the 50s and had to fight for my equality most of my life. You see, there were many who thought I should be treated like a second class citizen, drink from a different water fountain, sit in the back of the bus, be counted as three-quarters of a person, go to a different school, eat and sit in the black section of restaurants, use a different bathroom; you know, be separate but equal. Then came Dr. Martin Luther King and all that started to change and praise God! I became a Christian in 1969. Today, I find myself again being put in that same category as a second class citizen, and I am not going to have that same fight.

I did not become a Christian to live the 50s and 60s all over a second time. Muslims have more rights and freedom of religion than I do as a Christian. Tell a Muslim he can’t pray at school or at the airport or downtown when prayer time is called for, and see what happens. Tell a Muslim cleric serving as a chaplain in our brilliant military that he has to marry a same-sex couple, and see what happens. Some of you are saying “what is that about?” Well hold on to your hat, there is more to come.

But as a Christian, let me say Merry Christmas on a national holiday called Christmas and you’d think Satan incarnate himself just showed up. I’m sorry that is a bad example because if Satan did show up, he would get more respect than Christians, Jews, Tea Partiers, patriots and conservatives. Thus all the forenamed groups, and any like them, must stand and fight for their equal rights that are disappearing faster than San Antonio fans after game seven of the NBA championship in Miami. This brings me to the point of Al Sharpton’s recent comments about our movement of taking back our civil rights as conservatives.

You mocked Glenn Beck, thus all of us, with your insult on the tea party fighting for their equal rights. Do you think we are going to go find a hole and hide somewhere? Mr. Sharpton that is not going to happen anymore. We refuse to sit by and let you or anyone else mock, attack, demean or laugh at our beliefs, and think it is okay to push us to the back of the Capitol in DC assuming we will just shut up.

Let me see if I can explain something to you, Al, that it seems you have forgotten. When you and Dr. King fought for our civil rights, was it because no one else had their equal rights? Black people were the first to get their equal rights, right? I presume you think that is correct the way you are talking. We both know that the reason why Dr. King and thousands of others fought during the Civil rights movement was because someone else had their rights and liberties, and blacks didn’t. My question to you Mr. Sharpton is who had those rights when we as a black people didn’t? It is true then that equal rights existed first for us to want them. Seems to me it was the white race that enjoyed that freedom. We saw it, said we wanted some of that, and fought and died until we got it. So why is it that you think Judeo-Christian believers, the religious right, tea partiers, patriots and white people in general who are starting to feel like second class citizens and separate but equal; are being scrutinized by the IRS and spied on by the NSA. Why should they not stand up and demand equal treatment under the law and the Constitution of these United States of America? The greatest nation ever founded under the banner of freedom, one nation under God, gives its citizens certain inalienable rights and the promise that they have the right to pursue their happiness. I believe we are endowed with those rights Mr. Sharpton, and deep down you know we are too.

As a black man Al, who went through the Civil rights fight in the 60s just like you did, and saw the first freedom bus burn in my home town of Anniston, Alabama, on May 14, 1961; I hated Dr. King for his non-violent philosophy. That did not change until I became a Christian later in life. Then I understood God’s biblical truth of love your enemy and do good to those who hate and persecute you. I think I have the right to tell you this sir; I think the likes of you and Jesse Jackson have done more damage to the black race than any white man will ever accomplish. You see as long as you can produce an ethnicity with a victim mentality to keep them in poverty, as the two of you get richer – you know like poverty pimps – and convince them that it is the white man’s fault because he has his boot on their necks, and as long as you teach our beautiful black women that there is a government out there to be their baby’s daddy, the two of you win. You are the self-proclaimed, appointed leaders of the black people. How we as black people have swallowed the lie that we have to have certain black leaders to get on the government teat escapes me.

District 833 Ignoring the Voices of the People Again...

Back in March, South Washington School District 833 voted to eliminate 22 teaching positions, increase walking distances for middle/high schoolers and eliminate four administrative support positions in order to save $2.2 million from the budget.  They will vote on the final budget in June, after they see how much taxpayer money Governor Dayton and his DFL cronies will be giving to the insatiable school districts this year and next.  The district recently presented a survey to 400 residents that was meant to gauge the community's feelings about the district, the superintendent, the board, the teachers and whether or not the community would support a levy renewal this fall and/or an increased levy renewal this fall, as well as community support for providing all students with personal computing devices such as tablets or iPads.

Even though the survey revealed that only 6% of the people support individual computer devices for students in the district, the powers that be have just rolled out a new initiative: "T3=Transforming Thinking Through Technology."  This should be no surprise to anyone who attended Superintendent Keith Jacobus's "Parent University" forums, which basically are a sales pitch for balance balls and more "movement" in the classrooms (exercise miraculously increases test scores; active kids do better in school; if that's the case, my kids should all be geniuses, but I digress...) as well as how iPads will add to the children's learning experiences in the classroom.  Not only add to it, but also (not completely of course...) replace traditional teaching methods, like books, since everything can now be in digital formats and teachers will be able to add content as they please.

The concept, from an education standpoint is interesting, so it is unsurprising that the district is preparing to roll out this initiative, especially considering that Keith Jacobus, Ron Kath, Jeff Jorgensen and Randi Anderson enjoyed an all expense paid (by Apple) trip (except for airfare) to Apple, Inc. in March.  It makes one wonder - if the district agrees to purchase, say, MacBooks for all the teachers, then they get a trip to Apple, Inc. (in California) to learn "How to Bring Common Sense Back to Their District," then suddenly they roll out an initiative that will put iPads in the hands of students in 4K - as in the District's PRESCHOOLS - as well as in select elementary, middle and high schools, with the goal to eventually have iPads available to all 17k+ students in the district, how expensive to the district taxpayers that all-expense paid trip to Apple really was? It would seem that it would be to the tune of about $7 MILLION, which in the end, isn't really a free trip for four administrators, is it? And where does that include "bringing critical thinking back to the district"?

The irony is that if these four administrators were anything but part of a school district - say they were in any other public office - that all-expense paid trip would actually break the State's Gift Ban law, which makes it illegal for state officials to accept anything worth more than $5 from anyone.  Somehow, school officials are not included under that law even though Apple, Inc. is a registered lobbyist in the State of Minnesota.

Once again, our District is happily ignoring the people and what they want - remember the Budget battle where keeping teachers had the most support of the people and that was the first thing the Board and Administration decided to cut? - and are pushing forward with their plan for iPads for students regardless of the fact that 94% of the people in the community said they didn't support that initiative.

Not Going Anywhere

A quote by Winston Churchill has been ruminating in my brain these last couple of days.  It is one of my favorites in general, but lately, it has come to gain significance.

You have enemies?

Good.

That means you've stood up 

for something,

sometime in your life.

Judging by some recent comments made on previous blog posts, I've managed to stand up for something and have created some enemies by doing so.  This person, or these people, seem to think that by leveling personal attacks here on my blog and (GASP!) using my actual name, that they're helping whatever cause it is that they support and they see me as opposing.  Rather than having the intelligence to argue their own points in a logical and reasonable way, they've decided to attack me personally.

Ah yes, I do love the way some people's minds work - it's like a "I can't argue my point so I'm going to call you a name"-disease.  This disease usually manifests itself when the attacker has no ground on which to stand and/or no logical reasoning behind whatever their beliefs are, so instead of admitting they are wrong or don't have a clue about which they're talking, they go into six-year-old debate tactics: "Well...well...YOU'RE A BIG FAT LIAR STUPIDHEAD!" followed by a stomp of the foot and sticking out a tongue. And truthfully, no consequence will befall them if they choose to post here. On MY blog. Unless, you count my ability to edit certain comments to remove names of my friends, or those of private citizens of whom they are trying to discredit or insult or the names of my children from the comments, or even remove my own name if I so choose, a right of which I reserve to use when I feel it is necessary to do so. Or there's the consequences of my friends seeing me being personally attacked in a vicious way and then they decide to stand up for me by taking you down (I do LOVE my friends), usually using the same tactic you chose when you attacked me (that'd be called "Tit-4-Tat" debate-style, used by elementary students all over the world).  Otherwise, you know what? You are free to say whatever you want.  Also, if you look WAAAAAAAAAY up at the top of the page, underneath the bulldog with lipstick (I know, it's supposed to be a pitbull, but the bulldog was cuter), you'll see my very own disclaimer: "You've entered my world now; unless otherwise noted, all posts are my thoughts/opinions/musings; callin' it like I see it." That means exactly what it says - I take responsibility for my posts and if you don't like how I call it, well, I guess you'll just have to stop reading and move on to the next blog now, huh? Buh-Bye.

However if you choose to continue reading, you should know that I work hard to research and show factual documentation for the things I post here, and I would expect that since I work hard to research and logically argue whatever point I'm attempting to make, that the polite thing to do if you happen to disagree with me, would be to do your own research and find a way to civilly argue your point, either here in the comments (and take your chances that someone else will come in and disagree with you and expect you to explain your point - you know, a give-and-take of ideas might occur in which you might learn something new or else you might actually teach somebody something new).  That's how things should work here on MY blog and in the real world.

Unfortunately, that's not how they usually work.  What seems to happen instead is that as soon as one person disagrees with another person, the first thing out of the disagreeing person's mouth is some sort of name like "Hypocrite!" or "You have an Inferiority Complex?" or "Hateful!" or "Bi-Polar!" This tactic is used to shut down debate and discredit the speaker/writer.  If the debate is stopped, then whoever shut it down wins.  At least that's what they think.  But the problem is, no one wins when that happens.  People don't hear each other, they don't really listen to each other and the fights go on and on and on and on.  And pretty soon, we're spinning our wheels in the most divisive political climate the country has experienced in the last 100 years. Or that's what we're told.

Funny how I am trying to teach the etiquette of debate or civil disagreement; honestly, etiquette is not my strong suit as evidenced by Buttercup producing "armpit farts" at dinner on Mother's Day.  All I could do is choke back laughter and beg her to quit.  Granted, we were only at "Lenny's" (as the kids call it...what? Mama was craving some Chicken Fried Steak...It was MY day. What can I say? I'm pretty easy to please), and they put us in a far back corner, and Buttercup is still quite young, but....yeah, what I'm trying to say is: use your manners.  Don't come onto my blog and start trying to shut me down by insulting me or trying to intimidate me, because that's not going to work.  I'm not going anywhere.  If you disagree, please feel free to civilly argue your case, but remember, if you choose to do otherwise there could be consequences...after all, the name of the blog is:

A MNHockeyMama's World.  

More Questions re East Ridge High School Black Panther Announcement

Updated 5/6/2013 12:31pm
A new development on the East Ridge High School/Black Panther controversy.  According to Robert L. Stephens' blog, his mother, Marquita Stephens, was allowed to go into ERHS on March 21, 2013 and conduct a "training" for the teachers on how they're "processing" the controversy.  According to this infamous OWS protester, the teachers involved in the training had no problem with the Black Panther announcement on February 14, 2013.  This information was confirmed by the FOIA'd emails - it was discovered that there were a series of emails between Ms. Stephens (her information was redacted, but the email's content includes discussion about a presentation) and Principal Harper that included some sort of book, a teacher survey and a 25 minute presentation by Ms. Stephens.  The information referenced in the emails was not included in the FOIA'd emails (the link to the Google doc no longer works), so the concerned parents are very curious as to what was presented on the same day that Ms. Stephens went to the South Washington County School Board meeting and presented Robert L. Stephens' letter to the editor of the Woodbury Bulletin.

At the first school board meeting the concerned parents attended and presented their concerns to the board, Steve Ellenwood also offered to go into the school and discuss the history of the Black Panthers and the concerns of the parents to the teachers.  His offer was brushed aside by the board.  Why, then, was Ms. Stephens allowed to do a presentation? What are her qualifications for this honor?  She is a social worker working (or has worked) with a non-profit adoption agency; what part of that qualifies her to "train" teachers? What about the report by Robert L. Stephens regarding how the teachers expressed no issues with the announcement? Is it that they are all indoctrinated to believe that as long as it was done in the context of Black History month that honoring socialist, militant groups over the school PA system, without including any classroom discussion time, is the right thing to do? Or is it because they were afraid of being labeled "racists" if they spoke out as those concerned parents have been by the supporters of the announcement?  Isn't this a form of bullying by the administration? Or possibly the teachers were concerned about speaking out due to the fact that the district is planning to cut 22 teaching positions to save $1.6 million in the next budget?

There have been researchers investigating the Stephens' backgrounds over the last few days.  Some of what has been discovered requires further investigation, however, one discovery may explain how and why Robert L. Stephens is completely radicalized in his beliefs about America.  There has been some evidence discovered that seems to show that the late Reverend Dr. Robert L. Stephens, Sr. was a proponent of Black Liberation Theology - the same theology preached by Obama's controversial Reverend Wright.  More research is being conducted to verify this possibility, but from what has been unearthed so far it seems likely that it could be true.

So, how does that possibility relate to the ERHS Black Panther issue?  It would seem to make sense that if the Rev. Dr. Stephens ascribed to Black Liberation Theology, that his wife, Marquita, is also a proponent of the same belief system as would be their children.  In that belief system, the Black Panthers would not be viewed as the violent criminals they were, but as liberators of oppressed people.  Is that what Ms. Stephens "trained" the ERHS teachers to believe as well?

How are Marquita Stephens, Principal Harper and Tishanna Brown connected?  From Robert Stephens' LTE, it is known that he graduated not from East Ridge High School, since it was not open in 2006, but Woodbury High School.  Did his younger brother attend ERHS?  Or are the three mentioned above acquainted in another way?  It seems that according to the emails (see below) between Principal Harper and Ms. Stephens that they were working together on the teacher training presentation that Ms. Stephens performed on March 21, 2013.  What exactly was taught during that "training"?  Why weren't the concerned parents notified by the district that the "training" occurred or was planned?  If Ms. Stephens truly wants a "dialogue" between the various groups in the community, why was this training kept secret?  Why wouldn't the concerned parents also be invited to the "training"?

Last week, one of the concerned parents was strongly advised by a school board member (with witnesses) that the parents should remove their children from East Ridge High School due to the concerned parents' persistence in requesting that the school board investigate the Black Panther announcement.  The school board member obviously feels concern for the children, why doesn't it seem to concern the rest of the board?  Why isn't the board seeing the need to stand up and speak out about the possibility of harassment (or worse) of concerned parents' children at ERHS?  Is the school board afraid of the announcement supporters? And if so, why?  Is it the fear of being labeled, like the concerned parents have been, as "racist"? Or is there a more nefarious element at work? Are the administration and school board members being pressured to continue to try to sweep this issue under the rug and allow the concerned parents to receive the brunt of the accusations that their concerns are racially motivated? If that is the case, why are they caving to the pressure? Of what or whom might they be so afraid?

FOIA'd Emails

Minnesota: Land of Nanny-State Libs Gettin' All Up In Everyone Else's Business...

One of the reason we bought this house was the fact that this neighborhood has no HOA telling us how we must paint our house and whether our trampoline can or cannot be in our yard.  For the most part, my neighbors are pretty cool - we all tend to pretty much stay out of one another's business, and most of them understand when my kids decide to house-jump without telling me where they're playing, and I have to go from house to house to find out which child(ren) they've decided to play with.  My favorite neighbors are the ones to the south of us. I absolutely love them. Since my girls call out "Hey Mr.----" like Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wilson every time they see that particular neighbor, I'm going to call them "The Wilsons."

Mr. Wilson is one of my favorites in large part because he reminds me of my dad.  He has a variety of cool stuff and hobbies that keeps him entertained when he's not working.  Mrs. Wilson is a sweet woman, a little more reserved than Mr. Wilson, but always has a friendly wave and a smile and totally tolerates my little girls coming to visit their cat (and ferret when they still had him).  Another reason I love these neighbors is that when they have an issue with my family, they are willing to come discuss it with me - in person.  We have spent many an afternoon/evening, chitchatting over beers on the deck or in the yard.  They are kind, funny, down-to-earth people.

Recently, I noticed a city truck park on the street across from my house.  The driver climbed out and walked down the street toward my neighbors' house.  I found out from another neighbor that the city worker stood and took photos of my neighbors' yard and all the fun "toys" they have in the large driveway on the north-side of his almost full acre lot.  We talked to Mr. Wilson and told him what we saw that day.  A few days later, he went to City Hall to have a discussion with them.  When he returned, he was furious.

The City told Mr. Wilson that they do not proactively enforce these rules; rather, they are reactive with enforcement, meaning that they only will attempt to enforce the ordinances if someone complains about a property owner not following the "ordinances."  The fact that Mr. Wilson has lived in his house for almost fifteen years, and has kept his yard neat and tidy, has mowed the city-owned land adjacent to his property every summer (which the city only mows about twice a season), has invested in an asphalt driveway to his workshop, and Class 5 gravel for the area around his shop where he stored his large boat and various other items, including vintage wood-sided boats (one at a time) which he lovingly restored to absolute breathtaking beauty in his shop in the summers, doesn't matter to the city. He has been ordered to

  

Good Example of a Vintage Chris Craft Boat 

 remove all his recreational trailers but one and his small sheds (housing his lawn mowers and other yard equipment) at the back of his property in order for him to come into compliance with the ordinance.

We have lived next door to Mr. & Mrs. Wilson for almost five years.  At no time has any of their "stuff" bothered us.  The people on the other side of the Wilsons stay to themselves and are rarely seen; and none of the Wilson's "stuff" can be seen by them anyway as it is primarily located on our lot line.  There is a city-maintained walking path that borders the back edges of all our properties, so there is the possibility that someone walking by noticed Mr. Wilson's stuff and decided to report him, or possibly, there are some new-ish neighbors who have brought their "left-coast" nanny-state ideals with them to Minnesota (and who also tend to forgo talking directly to neighbors about issues) who may have decided that it is easier to call the city and report the so-called evil-doer for breaking city rules. (This is conjecture and is only my opinion based upon previous interactions with those particular neighbors, which includes the fact that they felt the need to call the city to report people legally goose hunting in a field a mile or more away from our neighborhood.) One of my fears is that the Wilsons were caught in the "cross-fire"; - that someone reported my yard for our "infractions*" - we have kept our garbage cans in front of our garage since we moved in five years ago; we seem to have somehow acquired a plethora of bikes; I have a stack of flower pots and other garden stuff along with my wheelbarrow and some other tools sitting around my backyard shed - and the city worker, while notating our infractions, also noticed the Wilson's infractions and decided to hit us both.  If that is the case, I am very sorry.


The real issue here is not the fact that there are city ordinances that need to be enforced.  The issue is that the city selectively enforces the ordinances based upon one report from one neighbor or passerby.  If the city feels the need to enforce the rules, then they should enforce the rules on everyone, not just on those of whom had meddling neighbors complain.  This represents a giant infringement on private property rights.


Another issue that stems from this comes from the on-going Second Amendment battles around the country. Minnesota fortunately has not enacted tougher gun control (not that our DFL controlled Legislature and extreme leftwing governor haven't tried) laws like other states like Colorado, New York and California recently have. However, if Minnesota's nanny-state libs have their way, extreme gun control laws are headed our way.  Recently, there have been cases in those states with the extreme gun control laws where people have not only had their 2nd Amendment Rights trampled, but also their 4th Amendment Rights ripped to shreds by the authorities.  Some of these cases involve meddling neighbors who have reported their neighbors for legally owning guns.  There are ad campaigns in some states encouraging people to turn in their neighbors for legally possessing a gun.  If a city is willing to only enforce ordinances based upon one complaint, what is to stop them from doing the same if/when Minnesota enacts strict gun control laws?

Personally, I don't want to live in a state that doesn't respect private property rights and the 2nd Amendment and that is willing to act on a "tip" from a disgruntled or jealous neighbor.  Like Mr. Wilson, we'll be looking for a new place to call home soon.

Example of an Anti-Second Amendment Ad

*Apparently, we all have been breaking certain City ordinances:

From the March 2013 Newsletter:

The city has a rule relating to the storage of trash/recycling bins – they may not be visible from adjoining properties. 

Trash, yard waste, and recycling containers may be placed at the end of your driveway after 6 p.m. the night before your scheduled pickup day; containers may remain at the curb throughout collection day. At all other times, the containers must be located indoors or be fully hidden from view behind a solid fence or wall not less than 5 feet in height.

Recreational equipment storage. Recreational vehicles up to 24 feet in length, such as trailers, campers, boats, snowmobiles and RVs, may be parked or stored outdoors as follows:
•              One piece of recreational equipment is allowed per dwelling unit. When recreational equipment is on a trailer, the trailer and piece of recreational equipment shall be considered as one. Measurement does not include tongue of trailer or motor (if applicable).
•              Equipment may be located on any rear or side lot not within 5 feet of the lot line; it must be on concrete or blacktop.
•              Equipment may be located in the front lot, on concrete or blacktop, and not within 15 feet of the curb.
•              Recreational equipment may not be parked or stored on a public street.

Exterior storage.All materials and equipment – such as lawn mowers, lumber, gardening tools, etc. – must be stored within a building or be fully hidden from adjoining properties. Other items including, but not limited to, play structures, clotheslines, and grills may be visible; however, setbacks may be required and some homeowner’s association covenants may restrict them.

Black Panther Honoring District's Superintendent Puts Gag Order on School Board

Black Panther Honoring School District Administration is Up To New Tricks!

What would possess a school district superintendent to "request" that the district's school board not respond to their constituent's inquiries about an issue? 

As has been previously reported on this blog, Crosswinds is a 6th-10th grade Arts and Sciences middle school run by the East Metro Integration District, which is comprised of about ten different metro school districts.  Late last year, EMID opted to let go of Crosswinds, and to give Perpich Center for the Arts the opportunity to acquire the school, but Perpich has to go through the State Legislature to do so.  If the Perpich bills fail in the State Legislature, then Crosswinds would go to South Washington County School District 833, since it is located within 833's boundaries.  Unlike Perpich, which plans to continue Crosswinds' current programming, District 833 has released only one plan: to move neighborhood children out of Woodbury Elementary into the Crosswinds building and move the Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion school into Woodbury Elementary.  

This plan obviously has the non-Spanish-Immersion community parents (comprising 98% of the district's population) quite upset, most especially the parents with children attending Woodbury Elementary. Parents have responded to this plan by emailing, calling and attending school board meetings to question the Board and Superintendent about the Crosswinds and budget issues.  Many of these questions have gone unanswered. Which brings us to the latest tricks this district's administration has pulled. 

The following is an excerpt from an email that Mr. Gelbmann has sent to his constituents over the last week, explaining his position on the Crosswinds issue and the silence of the other board members:

Thanks for sharing your well-articulated concerns regarding the ill-conceived proposal to relocate WE to the Crosswinds building.  As noted in the Woodbury Bulletin yesterday, I do not support the proposal to relocate WE to the Crosswinds building.  Dr. Jacobus had requested that Board members not respond to parents on this issue.  I agreed, noting that at some point I reserved my right to inform my constituents where I stand on this issue.  Since my position was made public in the Bulletin yesterday, I decided I should feel comfortable responding to parents and citizens on this issue...

I believe the District has repeatedly erred in dealing with this Crosswinds opportunity...

I hope this helps provide some insight into my thinking on this situation.

My best regards.

Sincerely,

Jim

What was Dr. Jacobus attempting to hide by "requesting" that the elected officials who hired him, the School Board, not respond to parents/taxpayers on the Crosswinds issue?  Does he not understand that it is the Board's duty to respond to community inquiries regarding anything that the district is engaging in?  According to the District 833 School Board Code of Ethics School Board members must:

•  Listen to the opinions and views of others (including, but not limited to, other School Board members, administration, staff, students and community members).
• Vote my conscience after informed discussion, unless I abstain because a conflict of interest exists.
• Consider myself a trustee of public education and do my best to protect, conserve, and advance its progress. 
• Insist that business transactions of the school district be ethical and open.
• Strive to uphold my responsibilities and accountability to the taxpayers in my school district. 

Furthermore, does Dr. Jacobus also not understand the Code of Ethics for Adminstrators as outlined by the District 833 Administrator Code of Ethics: 

• Makes the well-being of students the fundamental value of all decision making and actions.
• Fulfills professional responsibilities with honesty and integrity.
• Adheres to the code of ethics for administrators in Minnesota law.   Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 122A.14, Subd. 4 (Code of Ethics); Minn. Rules Part 3512.5200 (Code of Ethics for School Administrators)

A few weeks ago, Dr. Jacobus submitted a "Viewpoint" op-ed to the local newspaper titled, "Transparency and the Art of Decision-Making" in which he claimed, "While the work was being done (on the possible Crosswinds acquisition), it was not secretive. It was simply what we needed to do to be prepared to answer questions; to conduct research and prepare properly prior to entering into the discussion..."

"Not Secretive"? Many contradictions to that statement have come to light in recent months, including  representatives from Woodbury Elementary not being invited to the initial meetings with "the parent and staff groups who would be most affected by the proposed changes." The excuse for those Woodbury Elementary parents/staff not being invited?  The administration wanted to keep "emotions" down, so they didn't run into the same troubles they had a few years ago when Spanish Immersion attempted a neighborhood school grab at that time.  Gee, how did they expect parents to react when their kids are being shuffled into a school that is not properly designed for elementary students in order to benefit an elitist choice program that serves 2% of the district population? Did they expect them to pack Woodbury Elementary up themselves and give Nuevas Fronteras a "Welcome to Your New School" Party on their way out? 

Ironically, District 833 recently eliminated 22 FTE teaching positions and cut back middle/high school busing services to save $2M.  Their proposed Crosswinds plan will cost minimally $1million/year; they're estimating the modifications to Crosswinds at $375K, but have yet to seek bids from contractors to find the true costs to modifying a 6th-10th grade school into a school suitable for elementary students.  The District is expecting an increase in State funding over the next two years (totaling an approximate increase of $300/student) as well as proposing an increased levy referendum to the community this fall. In my opinion, it doesn't take a math wizard to figure out that the amount the district is "cutting" is about the same amount they're estimating they'll need to fulfill their Crosswinds/Spanish Immersion/Woodbury Elementary plans.  So, while over 800 middle/high school students freeze walking up to two miles (one way) to school every day, the elite Spanish Immersion students, who receive free busing from all over the district, will be warm and snug in their very own (stolen) neighborhood school.


Remember that South Washington County District 833 is the same Minnesota school district that determined that a presentation honoring the violent, socialist militant group The Black Panthers was acceptable to do over a high school P.A. system because it was done during Black History month and "student led." So acceptable, in fact, that the Superintendent, Dr. Keith Jacobus, contradicted his own board members in announcing during a board meeting that he had spoken with the East Ridge High School Principal, Aaron Harper, and based upon that discussion, there would be no investigation into the matter as the school board had indicated to the concerned parents attending the meeting. Then, a few weeks later, Dr. Jacobus announced that the Black Panther matter was closed, "the blog" was threatening and our children are watching.  Dr. Jacobus should take his own advice regarding  "observant children" given his recent actions surrounding the district's attempt to acquire Crosswinds school or somebody may hold him up to the kids as an example of how not to behave.

A related article (the comments are interesting) http://woodbury.patch.com/blog_posts/superintendent-requests-that-school-board-not-respond-to-parents-on-crosswinds-issue-37508909

~Updated 1:29pm, April 4, 2013~