Unconventional politics

It is convention season. As I am homeless, I will not be attending the convention. (I have not applied for GA, MA, SSI, or other forms of assistance.) Nevertheless, it is time for a little reflection on some of the stories, I have covered. Most of these stories have recieved little reader interest.

At netroots, I begin with Rep. Tim Walz’s statement that people were being “warehoused” in mental health facilities without need or benefit. View the video response here.

Meanwhile, Gubenetorial candidate RT Rybak had some comments on violence in the shelters. His video respons is here.

If you spend time on this blog, you are aware of the deplorable conditions in the shelters.

This led to a few questions for Minnesota Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher regarding perverse funding incentives to maintain homeless populations. Another question she was asked was whether homeless people should be videotaped while sleeping in the shelters. You can view her responses here.

Recently, I obtained footage of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar speaking about the issue of Russian adoptions. Watch the event here.

There are so many more people we have run into at various times. For example, we ran into U.S. Senator Al Franken, State Senator Linda Berglin, and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events at Cavalry Church. Read about that here.

We have also seen County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin at several events including the opening of the downtown central library on Baseball Monday as well as the opening of the North Star Line.

Not to leave out people from the Republican camp, we have this unfulfilled promise from Republican Nathan Hansen who is currently campaigning for Minnesota House of Representatives in district 55A.

Promises...promises...

As you can see, Nathan Hansen claims he failed in his efforts to save Dollhouse and gave up. (I can’t find his signature on the e-petition, perhaps I missed it…)

We also have the footage of a chance encounter with Ralph Reed during the Palin/Bachmann rally. Watch the video here.

There are, of course, many many more political figures I have run into in various contexts and if you spend some time on the blog, you will realize this. There are also people like lawyer Galen Robinson who gave us a detailed overview of the unallotment issue currently pending before the Minnesota Supreme Court. A decision with potentially far reaching budget consequences is looming. You can watch the video of Galen Robinson here.

Of course, my goal is to save the television show Dollhouse. Most of the afformentioned politicians have by now been informed of my efforts to save Dollhouse.

Spend some time on the blog, and you may find other stories of interest- but most importantly please help save Dollhouse.

Please sign the e-petition.

Save Dollhouse by signing the TNT petition online to save Dollhouse.

Please send emails.

Save Dollhouse by sending TNT EMAILS to save Dollhouse.

Please sign the Twitition.

The twitition to save Dollhouse is here!

PLEASE!!!! Let other people know about the efforts to save the show.

MPLS MAYOR RT RYBAK DL QUESTION.

As many of you know, I am currently staying at Simpson shelter. I have stayed in many shelters so far, and there has been really no serious issues of violence that I have noticed. I did make a post about the story about TINA who was recently expelled from Branch for fighting. I have not personally witnessed any violence thankfully.

Here is Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak answering my questions about violence in the shelters. I want to thank Spotty for getting this video to me.

One small comment, dialing 9-1-1 is easier said than done. I personally do not have a cellphone. At the shelters, access to phones is uncertain. Many shelters do not provide people with phone access after lights out, for example. Therefore, it is unclear how this would happen for many people, who do not have cell phones, to respond as the mayor requested.

As for the next Drinking Liberally, this was in my inbox:

“New Year’s Eve is a Thursday, so that means there will be a meeting of Drinking Liberally, six to nine, at the 331 Club. There will be a couple of bands at the bar later, so you can make DL your first stop on New Year’s Eve or stay all evening!

And remember: Drink Liberally, but drink responsibly.

One more thing: Tom Rukavina will be our guest at the first DL in the New Year, January 7th. Rep. Rukavina is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and he is running for the DFL endorsement for governor. He’s always entertaining and candid; the 331 Club will be a great venue for him.

You won’t want to miss this one.”

Project Homeless Connect.

At Drinking Liberally, I asked Mayor Ryback about safety and dignity in homeless shelters in Minneapolis. He suggested people with safety concerns report safety concerns to the police or contact his office. He also mentioned an upcoming event.

Our next Project Homeless Connect will be held on Monday, December 7, 2009 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.