Pope Francis, decades late, better than never.

Strib publishing an AP feed online:

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has reinstated a Nicaraguan priest suspended by the Vatican in the 1980s for participating in Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista government.

The 81-year-old Rev. Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, Nicaragua's foreign minister from 1979-1990, recently wrote to Francis asking to be allowed to celebrate Mass again before he died. [...]

The Vatican suspended D'Escoto and three other dissident priests in 1985 for defying a church ban on clergy holding government jobs. The sanction was also a reflection of St. John Paul II's broader crackdown on liberation theology in Latin America.

The Sandinistas, who supported the "popular church" of liberation theology, overthrew the pro-American regime of Anastasio Somoza in 1979.

Francis, who was a young Jesuit provincial in Argentina at the time, shared John Paul's opposition to the perceived Marxist excesses of liberation theology. But as pope, he has also called for a more merciful church and has indicated that another symbol of liberation theology, slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, will soon be beatified.

Chamber of Commerce endorsement of The McFadden.

Probably it is covered elsewhere too, but Strib here. In line with Vin, Norm, now the Chamber. NRA next?

GOP US Senate Primary - Strib endorses Abeler over McFadden.

This link. It speaks for itself. No excerpt or commentary here. Read Strib.

UPDATE: Strib gives campaign website links:

http://jimabeler.com/

http://www.mikemcfadden.com/

Earlier Strib endorsed Sivarajah for the GOP primary contest; CD6 House seat; Crabgrass link (giving the Strib link).

Regarding Ramsey, in the GOP State House District 35A contest Strib has not to my knowledge offered an endorsement for either Boals or Whelan.

FURTHER UPDATE: Giving 2 to 1 odds, your nickle my dime, that a Jenifer Loon GOP primary election endorsement comes through. Any Kihne supporters out there to take the other side of such a bet?

No stakes on Kahn-Noor, DFL side of the ballot.

3 to 1, Otto endorsed, not Entenza.

With Medtronic having a tax avoidance motive in their "Irish Sweepstakes," mergers -&- acquisitions planning, this Irish Times item is relevant.

Headlined, "Obama may act on tax inversions without waiting for agreement from Congress - Law from 1969 could be used to tackle issue, says Harvard Law School professor," the item expands on that theme. Detail there is for the reader to examine.

Bloomberg riffs the same theme, but sounding it quite differently, their item headlined, "Obama Wants Tax-Avoiding Companies to Pay Up, Starting Yesterday."

So far it has been bully pulpit per Teddy Roosevelt's penchant, more than executive orders which peaked in usage under George W. Bush.

A simple Google = inversions Obama Republicans

yields an extended hit parade.

ABC Newspapers has, as of Aug.1, begun posting candidate related letters to the editor. In earnest.

This link. Of the bunch, the one about McFadden strikes me as most insightful and incisive. [UPDATE: Publishing was started June 25, online here, with two letters in favor of the Sivarajah GOP candidacy. FURTHER UPDATE: July 23, here, some candidate related commentary; Dan Kohler within the three links having letters posted at least twice. A leading July 16 letter negative toward a DFL supporter and candidate, which among other things states, "Anoka High School and University of Minnesota graduate Abigail Whelan believes all government levels should support faith and family values – not enact laws that promote libertine non-values." Unsure of intent, but "liberty values" would fit better than "libertine non-values." Whelan is not a Liberty Republican, she is far from it. FURTHER UPDATE: July 11, the second letter is the one of which the July 16 letter is critical. Reading each may prove helpful.]

SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - Strib endorses Sivarajah over Emmer.

This link.

Readers are encouraged to leave comments of other known endorsements between now and Aug. 12.

In part, Strib reasons:

[GOP] Primary voters on Aug. 12 will choose between two candidates whose positions on taxes, government size and spending, the Affordable Care Act, gun rights, abortion, regulations, and other key issues generally have been in line with Bachmann’s through their years of public service.

Tom Emmer, who has the Republican party’s endorsement, is a 53-year-old attorney, former gubernatorial candidate and former state legislator from Delano who has spent the past few years as a talk radio host.

Rhonda Sivarajah, 48, of Lino Lakes, is the current chairwoman of the Anoka County Board and a former candidate for lieutenant governor. She has served on the County Board since 2003. She previously worked for the county and was a small-business owner.

The difference between the two is less about policy than style. While Emmer’s voice is a familiar one for Minnesota voters, Sivarajah’s is fresher, more energetic and more welcoming. That, plus her strong and recent record of turning conservative principles into policy on the County Board, gives her an edge over her better-known opponent.

A closer look at the candidates’ campaign websites is illustrative. Emmer’s offers mostly feel-good messages about bringing Main Street to Washington, with videos featuring gauzy images of Emmer and flag-waving supporters in small-town settings. Policy details are scant, as they were in an Editorial Board interview.

Sivarajah’s website is a substantive contrast. “Here’s what I’ve done and here’s what I’ll do” is the theme.

[italics added] There is more, including follow-up to the last quoted sentence; and links in the above quote were omitted. Again, this link.

No further commentary here. Other than to note [GOP] was added at the beginning above, because those voting the DFL ballot column, especially the State Auditor race, will not be voting between Sivarajah and Emmer.

So - Read what Strib says, and why.

“All good Marines, we comply with our orders and our regulations,” Ogg said.

The headline is but one piece of explaining by a Texas Corps. official, per this Stars and Stripes item.

Consider; why is the trademark of the U.S. Marine Corps protected by Pentagon officials?

Well it's pretty clear; the same military published item notes:

Whether or not former Marines may use the Eagle, Globe and Anchor in campaign materials is a specific question in the frequently asked questions section of the U.S. Marine Corps Division of Public Affairs’ website.

“No, you may not use the official Marine Corps Seal, Eagle, Globe and Anchor (EGA), or any other USMC insignia or trademark in this manner, since it might create the impression that your candidacy is endorsed by or affiliated with the USMC in some way, or that the USMC has chosen your candidacy over other candidates.”

It's like they, the Corps officials, don't want false misunderstandings to arise by implication. By intentional creation of some false or ambiguous impression, beyond a simple, "I served," which is unambiguous and correct. As is, "I served in Vietnam." [UPDATE: Buchholz stating that on his campaign website is a true statement of fact and as such it is perfectly proper and creates no problem by implication or as a direct statement. Adding years of service, rank attained, decorations, and duty stations would only lead to better understanding, though Buchholz has every right to decline to provide further detail. I recall former mayor Bob Ramsey in campaigning noting, if I recall correctly, over twenty years of army service and a Bronze Star for service during the Balkan Wars. Pride of service is a good thing, and is not being criticized. This link.]

BOTTOM LINE: The Corps does not endorse politicians, and politicians should honor what the Corps commands of its alumni.

Consider after somebody does that, if winning while intentionally abusing the protected trademark, disrespecting the rule of law and military command, knowingly, then that person takes an oath to uphold the laws of the land. What weight does such an oath carry after knowing of the problem and blowing criticism off?

Doesn't that make the oath hollow? Harder to trust, if I like the law I will uphold it, but its my personal judgment; that's not how the oath goes.

Another related item, here.

Wrapping up in the flag is bad enough, but implying some official permission/endorsement/sponsorship/goodwill license by a branch of the military when that's pure fiction, the skating is on real thin ice, and unwise as a practice.

Hubris lacking respect that the Corps owns the goodwill, not an individual who served, is questionable at best. The Corps makes its rules, not former members who served a stint.

And like the headline I posted, quoting from that article says, ...

______________UPDATE________________
This has to be said.

In being critical, it is recognized that Buchholz, if elected, would be honest, dedicated, and hard working. Which is something to be said for each of the three candidates who so far have campaigned seriously.

So, how really should use of the Corps badging be viewed, given that Buchholz now well knows it is against the rules but defies them? The question that such conduct causes is whether a "stand your ground" mentality is at play, too quickly and too entrenched, without any willingness to then concede the opposite view has merit and that this might not be the wisest time and set of circumstances for standing your ground.

Intransigence is not a quality that goes well with the give and take of elected public service. In elective office as a representative of others, a diverse pool of people are represented by a board or council where each individual representative in turn has diverse experience and skill sets and points of view, and with that the entire group must come together and reason so that a consensus will be reached - on each and every vote a town council faces.

Intransigence can get in the way. Towns facing normal short and long term needs do not gain in having governing people with too inflexible and entrenched a perspective together with a personal agenda that likely is not universally shared.

Beyond representatives having to face each question with an experienced but open mind, agendas can get in the way. Especially if intransigence accompanies agenda-based thinking and decision making.

Representatives must be mindful of the rights and expectations of an entire community, where others have diverse views which must be wisely balanced, and where an agenda and intransigence together can have negative impacts. We have seen that problem in governance, already, locally.

Sometimes, like the candidate in the Stars and Stripes reporting, it is a positive and sound sign to see a person having a willingness to say, "Yes, I was wrong," and change accordingly. Office holders or candidates lacking that grace to a fair degree, can think in ways that are contrary to sound case-by-case reasonableness.

Put in a nutshell, I really am troubled by the back of that kid's tee shirt, and would not want to be represented by any like minded person. In particular if such a like minded person were to appear inflexible or unwilling to promptly admit to being wrong, on some unrelated point, such as use of trademarked Corps badging. With three candidates all showing signs of honesty, hard work, and willingness to serve the public, looking beyond those prerequisites to other aspects of the three candidacies suggests to me that Buchholz is the weaker of the three.

Favoring Hendriksen admittedly is colored by a personal friendship, but that is how I got to understand his judgment and appreciate that where our minds disagree there is a basic reasonableness I respect greatly.

Hendriksen is the only candidate who already served on council, at a time when gung-ho Town Center enthusiasms were first forming, and he was the one saying even the best cars have brakes. Another long-time council member even accused Hendriksen then of being "a negative thinker," thus putting him in a class with the insurance industry people doing crashworthiness testing. Not that you want the crash, but what's the story were it to happen was an outlook that did not then carry the day, but looking back, it should have.

Kris Williams appears to have a sound railroad real estate background, and a few years of experience on the EDA, where the council is already disproportionately represented, and where it might be better to elect a successful small business owner-operator who survived market cycles in a field, computers and communication, where obsolete thinking or unwise investment, or not holding to a budget while meeting a payroll could end things abruptly; yet that person, Hendriksen, steered the shoals and positioned the firm to where a planned sale and retirement were achieved. Finally, in moving decades ago to Ramsey after finding a fairly priced home and acreage where he could build a barn and keep horses which was a personal goal, Hendriksen has said, "I never bought a thing without knowing what it would cost."

We need that. Where civic goals and dreams may conflict with budget constraints, someone who successfully faced that decision making task year in and year out in the private sector by weighing benefits and risks dispassionately in deciding what to do or avoid, has much to offer when willing to reenter public service and bring that skill set to the council table.

Last, during about two decades of planning commission service in Ramsey prior to being on council, Hendriksen should be remembered as the initiator and strongest advocate of density transition, the concept that where residents of an existing neighborhood with a shared local character are faced with development proposals on adjacent vacant land, those people should be entitled to a density gradient at the edge of the new housing, to not lose property value, or quality of the character of the established neighborhood. That was not being against growth per se, but wanting sound expansion decisions in town, which is true smart growth despite how that term has been cheapened now by over use and inappropriate use. Call it "fair growth" instead. It was a principle Hendriksen never abandoned.

___________FURTHER UPDATE___________
The thing I should add about Terry Hendriksen as a candidate, his vision for Ramsey has always been wanting to encourage the build-out of industrial and commercial projects, with high-paying job opportunities so people could move here and live close to where they worked. His own business location has varied but was consistently in Anoka County and he saw Ramsey as a place that could, with careful growth, provide the rental rates and customer proximity other sites provided him while being closer to his home.

An objection he had to the entire Town Center process was putting the cart before the horse; where he would have been building jobs first and then seeing the housing growth expand to meet the good employment opportunities that were always his aim.

Recent talk of another Big Mac fast food outlet with one already down the highway in Anoka and a gas station-quick shop at Town Center was not within his view of the employment-opportunity business strata toward which to aim. And to the extent rail proximity might matter to a high-skills industrial employer, he has always favored caution in siting development of the right kind along the BNSF rail line. Besides the expense and risks of the Town Center dream, he was critical of "housing now" by the rail line when other use opportunities might later arise.

Living close to a busy noisy rail line was never in his mind something desirable which many would want, when the pattern had been over the years that people moved to Ramsey to find large lot single family housing at affordable cost. As he did.

Demographics change, but the rush hour traffic just gets worse and worse. Workers without downtown jobs entailing absolutely fixed rush-hour working hours find a commuter rail of little to no use to them, and Northstar has continued to be a burden with meager usage insufficient to pay the costs.

While some reach of the views Hendriksen holds has been foreclosed or constrained by how development has been managed, the jobs-first outlook Hendriksen has always held has always made sense.