Edwin's City of Lakes Blog

I see that Minnesota Senator Wes Skoglund has endorsed Peter McLaughlin in the upcoming mayoral election. I am glad to see that. I don't think that Mayor Rybak has lived up to his promise, so I voted for McLaughlin in the primary and will support him in the general election, assuming he doesn't come out and oppose the smoking ban. In that case, I will cast a write-in for for Don Fraser or something.

Today I am working on a paper for my sociology of gender class on the book Egalia's Daughters. It is an interesting book that shows, depending on your opinion, either a utopian or dystopian society where women (or woms) are completely dominant and men (or manwoms) are completely oppressed by the matriarchy of the society. It's a book that can really spark some good conversation and reflective looks at our society.

DecorahNews.com has posted information on this Saturday's mayoral candidates appearing on my program. The article is linked to here.

I am very excited as I am scheduled to host both Decorah mayoral candidates on this Saturday's "Community Conversations" program. Don Arendt is a city council member and Paul Scott is a local businessperson. It should be some interesting discussion and I hope we get some phone in questions. Be sure to listen in!

I have had the distinct pleasure of reconnecting with a friend from when I was at Luther in 2001, Helene. It has been so good talking with her and getting her European perspective on what's been going on in the United States. Whenever I talk with Europeans I realize that I am NOT crazy, that there is a better way that includes everyone and strives for an equitable and just society. It is hard work to be an American with a social conscience sometimes, it's like banging your head against a brick wall talking to many Americans. That's my pro-European, anti-American rant for the month.

This one is especially for Joseph Glazebrook: "Hard work is damn near as overrated as monogamy." --Huey Long

A minor brouhaha is erupting in Decorah over a long dormant portion of the Decorah Municipal Code that bans the sale or distribution of contraception. Mr Bob Ulrich is upset because the City is not enforcing this aspect of the Code. I think the City should enforce it if they don't have the guts to repeal it. It is a obscene law (pardon the pun). A city has no business regulating the personal health decisions of its residents, as this is not the proper role of municipalities. This is the same reason I opposed the ridiculous Minneapolis medical marijuana charter amendment (I love how the MPP call the Minnesota Supreme Court's decision "outrageous" when in fact it is reasoned and careful in its reading.)

You can read the contraception code story on DecorahNews.com here. Mr Ulrich's letter to the City is here. My letter to Council Member Jim Dale regarding this issue is here, and my proposed ordinance for the City Council to adopt is here.

Well, the Monday greys are gone completely now. I just left the Union to find that it is bright, sunny and sticky out. It is a much better day.

What I thought would be a grey and awful day was rescued by Prof Bob
Shedinger's homily in chapel today. The text was the destruction of Sodom
from Genesis. He conveyed that we must be responsible for the way we read
a text and not shy away from the implications that a text has. If we are
ashamed of what our reading means, then perhaps we should evaluate our
reading and consider another. It was great. I don't have Sociology today
so I have lots of free time...I'm not quite sure what to do with it all. I
have American Political Thought at 14:45. That class is frustrating to me
because I feel that we are spending a lot of time on Hannah Arendt and her
Continental thoughts and beliefs and not studying actual American
political thought. With any luck it will soon improve.

So on Friday I stayed up very late working on material for my Saturday morning program. I was up till four a.m. writing copy and figuring out what to talk about since my guest canceled. I had some great stuff and was prepared. I awoke again at seven and prepared and took my medicine. WHOA! I had a horrible reaction and threw up. A lot. I ended up having to stay in bed and it was a big mess. Now my sleep cycle is all off and I am racing to get it fixed before Monday. The lesson here: Go to bed!

Currently I am sitting in F W Olin Hall with Aaron Murphy-God-of-the-Gays and we are having a great time leaving bizzare messages on voicemail using the AT&T Relay Service. It is wrong, I know, but it is soo funny! Anyway, I am pretty upset as the ICLU canceled out on me and left me scrambling to find something for my show tomorrow morning. We'll see...

By the way, "The 40 Year Old Virgin" is not the cinematic achievement that Micah Clemens claims it is. The film is ok with a few pretty funny parts, but the emphasis on bodily function humor (an erection of the hero is a frequent visual gag) really detracts from the film. Catherine Keener, however, did her standard excellent supporting performance, so that's a plus. I haven't seen much in the way of film however as the Viking 3 leaves much to be desired in the way of selection and the Student Activities Council has mediocre and predictable taste. Frustrating...

So I am headed back to Minneapolis tonight to fufill my obligations
tomorrow as an election judge. It is a municipal primary so turnout will
be nothing like the general election last year. The City of Minneapolis
facing serious issues however, and I hope that turnout at the very least hits
double digits. We'll see.

Tomorrow morning at 08:30 CDT I will be returning to the airwaves of KWLC.
We will be having a discussion panel on GLBT issues in the media including
California and same-sex marriage, John Roberts, etc. Listen in it should
be exciting! You can listen at kwlc.luther.edu.

The City Council of Decorah today started the process of giving an incredible gift to the city today. They approved a Decorah Civil Rights Ordinance at it's first of three required readings that includes protections for GLBT persons. What a wonderful, progressive thing this small town in Iowa has done. I am so hopeful about the future of our nation when I see communities taking actions such as this. Once more, the vote was unanimous! The full text of the proposal is here.

Micah sent me a link to a great episode of "This American Life". The episode is here.

Hurricane Katrina has made me so angry. Wait, let me be more specific. A hurricane is a natural event, not something humanity can do much about. However, we can control our response to human suffering that results from things like hurricanes. The Bush Administration really blew it. No, seriously. Really blew it.

I expect so much more from a party that has portrayed itself as a "law and order", leadership-for-a-crisis organization. Yet they can't provide quick and decisive leadership that could've saved lives. They demand more and more appropriations for defense and play on our fears. Yet the billions of dollars that we've dumped into the US Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon doesn't buy FEMA emergency communications capabilities. To me this serious lack of ability is an indication that this nation is not adequtely prepared for the possibility of another strike by terrorists. Assuming that the Feds had only 24 hours of warning (and some say they had more), they STILL couldn't get equipment and personnel to New Orleans quickly in the aftermath.

Enough complaining about the Bush Administration's failures. I could be here for days...

I encourage people who want to help to contribute to Lutheran Disaster Response, a joint ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. You can give online at this link. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of all gifts will go to relief. That's right, 100%. That's better than the Red Cross, frankly. Please help.