Vang Pao and nine others were indicted this week on charges of violating the U.S. neutrality act by conspiring to invade and overthrow a foreign power.
[...]
Prosecutors said the plot would have resulted in a bloody battle that would have killed countless innocent people and turned the capital city into rubble.
– Strib
Of course, this is not a crime if you're The Decider and you actually do it.
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Gov. Pawlenty is on autopilot talking points.
He also said that the concept of autopilot will not work generally as Rochester and the state looks to the future.
Citing management guru Peter Drucker, he told the audience that "the things that got us here won't get us there. Stay the same is not an option."
Really, what the GOP is doing by recognizing inflation only on the revenue side has little to do with efficient government and a lot to do with politics. Ignoring rising costs in budgeting can put responsible legislators in the position of calling for "spending increases" whenever they show up for work.
Pawlenty's autopilot metaphor is off when he applies it to the budget. First, autopilots provide accurate position information, just as the State Finance Department is supposed to do for the governor and legislators. But an autopilot can only fly the plane if the pilot hands over that responsibility. If the plane crashes, the pilot dies. The autopilot doesn't care.
Pawlenty is right when he says government can't continue to operate in an automatic mode when it faces unpredictable and dangerous conditions. There's really no disagreement on the principle, but the crew members have different ideas about what to do and how to pay for it. If the argument doesn't ever get resolved wisely, a crash could be in Minnesota's future.
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How nice that those concealed gun permit holders are keeping the streets safe — from undercover cops.
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And Paris Hilton has finally done something worthwhile with her life — highlighting overcrowding in the LA County jail's "special needs" unit.
