A Minnesota Voice On Senator Al Franken

Let me tell you how this looks from the progressive, social justice, anti-war and election integrity activists right here, you know, in Minnesota.

Al Franken for Senator is a sad pathetic joke. Big part of the story that has been missed was that there was another candidate who picked up 15% of the votes. Dean Barkley of the Independence Party, which is still a major party in Minnesota. I tried to be on the ballot but was unable to gain ballot access, which is an interesting, undemocratic story all by itself.

Anyway, back to Al Franken.

Mr Franken (like many Democrat leaders) supported the war on Iraq, when it started. He did so publicly. Franken also opposed Impeachment, Single Payer Healthcare and a host of other human rights and social justice issues. he was once asked, by one of the activists who was attempting to help me get the on the ballot, his position on Election Fraud and Voter Suppression. His answer says it all. Mr Franken said "I will not talk about that because then people will not vote for me." In other words, voting for Al Franken was more important than poor folks and black people having their rights to vote and the integrity of the democratic process itself. To Al Franken anyway.

Al Franken also had a challenger with fairly significant anti-war credentials. St Thomas University professor Jack Nelson Pallmyer.

Professor Pallmyer, who is part of the Social Justice Committee at St Thomas University has lectured on human rights, social justice and peace for years in Minnesota. As a side note, St Thomas University in St Paul gained notoriety last year for refusing to allow Nobel Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu speaking at the University because of his public positions and statements about the racist state of Israel.

Now, the corporate powers which own the DFL (the Minnesota Democratic Party) had already decided to throw their weight behind Al Franken. Right along with that was "progressive" media support of Big Al. Prime example is John Nichols, writer and editor for the "progressive" Nation magazine. Mr Nichols, whom I have met a number of times, wrote two separate articles on the Minnesota Senate race. In both articles, the "progressive" Nation wrote glowing reports on Al Franken, wrote literally one line about Franken's peace activist DFL opponent Professor Pallmyer and not one word about my campaign, which was desperately trying to gain Ballot Access. Needless to say, the same case can be made for self described "progressive" Air America radio.

It is the Democratic Party Endorsing Convention in Rochester, Minnesota that this story gets really interesting.

Jack Nelson Pallmyer, despite getting very little support from the well heeled and corporate friendly leadership of the Democrats had made some serious in-roads. He had amassed a significant number of Delegates.

Yet when it came to the time to start counting Delegates, suddenly Jack Nelson Pallmyer conceded, before the count could even start. The arm twisting, threats and back-room dealings had been apparent up until this point.

At this point, we can only conjecture as to why Professor Pallmyer suddenly decided to concede, before the counting could even begin. Had he been threatened, bribed, made a back-room deal or had Pallmyers campaign simply been part of a pre-planned bait and switch?

All of these questions have been asked by the activist communities in Minnesota. Perhaps we will never know the answer but the questions and possible implications remain.

Needless to say, this story and all the facts surrounding it have not been asked by the Nation, Air America or others holding the golden microphone. Which exists just as much in "progressive" media as the mainstream, corporate media.

You have to have the gold or speak out and support those who have the gold, to gain access to the golden microphone.

Thank God for Dissident Voice, KFAI radio (in Minneapolis/St Paul) and others who do not practice the rule of the golden microphone. Thank God for that rare breed, Editors and media outlets which maintain journalistic integrity.

The rest, well they are simply another version of Fox News.

Michael Cavlan RN
Minnesota