There are many loose ends that need tying. This is one. Signing onto the same bill with the likes of Mary Kiffmeyer, a very vocal choice hater throughout her political career. Then confronted at gun point by police, at that Planned Parenthood clinic location; and involving conduct causing security concerns and having police disarm Hackbarth and impound his firearm. And it now clearly is conduct by one having established, on record, a staunch, hostile, anti-choice animus; and then going about a pro-choice clinic parking lot in an armed, suspicious and dangerous manner, explaining himself to police as not having hostile intent toward the clinic or its people, but instead stalking a woman he had met only one day earlier for coffee.
It raises several red flags.
Another red flag-raiser item - how might someone ticketed for disrespecting game law - caught by enforcement authorities transporting untagged big game in a motor vehicle in 2008 - perform in heading the Conservation and Natural Resources Policy Committee (which has a major role in setting Minnesota game law and policy for the rest of us to respect and adhere to).
Whatever it is called now, it is Willard Munger's committee, and Willard Munger, I am certain, would never have stooped so low or been so imprudently incautious to have been found transporting hunted game improperly at any time or place within his lifetime.
Hackbarth's disrespect for the environment arguably does not stop there; given the following early reader comment to this STRIB report:
This is GREAT news for the environment! Hackbarth was quoted in a state newspaper as saying that it doesn't hurt anything to ride ATVs in wetlands. He has no business being anywhere near environmental legislation.posted by fish60 on Nov. 24, 10 at 1:06 PM |
__________UPDATE__________
I have sometimes wondered what manner and kind of an inconsiderate and absolutely amoral and arrogant lowlife Scrooge of a creep would park wrongly in a handicapped parking space, on Christmas Eve. Now, I admit I may be reading the record wrong, so readers please correct me if this is so, but consider:
For those liking to know what a statute says:
169.346 DISABILITY PARKING AREAS; CRITERIA, ENFORCEMENT.
Subdivision 1.Disability parking space prohibitions.
A person shall not:
(1) park a motor vehicle in or obstruct access to a parking space or associated access aisle designated and reserved for the physically disabled, on either private or public property;
[...]
Subd. 3.Misdemeanor; enforcement.
A person who violates subdivision 1 is guilty of a misdemeanor and must be fined not less than $100 and not more than $200. This subdivision must be enforced in the same manner as parking ordinances or regulations in the governmental subdivision in which the violation occurs. Law enforcement officers may tag motor vehicles parked on either private or public property in violation of subdivision 1. Parking enforcement employees or agents of statutory or home rule charter cities or towns may tag or otherwise issue citations for motor vehicles parked on public property in violation of subdivision 1. [...]
What we may be seeing here is personality trending, what with the stalking excuse for being in the Planned Parenthood lot packing heat, the game law violation, and other charges such as blowing the one stop sign, and the several speeding tickets including a 50 in a 30, as part of an entire Gestalt of a human being I most certainly would never associate with or vote for, were I living in HD 48A instead of HD 48B, where Jim Abeler, despite whatever imperfections you might allege such as voting to override the Pawlenty veto, does not wrongly park in a handicapped space on Christmas Eve in the county where he runs repeatedly for public office.
Am I taking offense too readily? Am I too quick to mix the words stupid and arrogant, and say "stupidly arrogant" (or is it "arrogantly stupid") in judgment?
Is this a time to be thankful we have folks like Tom Hackbarth in the legislature? Or should we wait for GOP leadership to tire of things and throw Hackbarth under the same bus they threw Mark Olson under, and then be thankful?