What did Stauber know and when?

  U.S. Representative Pete Stauber was not in  the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection. According to local Fox News 21, he was locked down in his office, having left the House floor with other Republicans who walked out after objections were raised about Arizona’s electoral college results. fox21online.com/2021/01/06/rep-pete-stauber-reacts-to-u-s-capitol-violence-while-on-lockdown-in-office.

The objections to Arizona’s electoral count were raised in a truly demented speech by AZ Rep Paul Gosar, who ranted and squirmed like a deranged meth-head. His performance must be seen to be believed: c-span.org/video/?507672-102/house-debate-arizona-electoral-challenge-part-2 
It would be bad enough if Stauber left the House floor in solidarity with Gosar and his demented objections, but his decision to leave the Capitol just before the historic violence of that day seems suspiciously fortunate for Stauber. Maybe it was just a lucky coincidence. What did Stauber know, and when did he know it? 

David A Sorensen
Duluth, Minnesota

Crockett must be stopped

In November, Minnesotans’ must defeat the MAGA-backed candidate for secretary of state, Kim Crockett, to protect open and fair elections. Crockett has proven herself to be one of Trump’s most loyal soldiers by enthusiastically spouting misinformation and falsely claiming that Minnesota has “the least amount of integrity” in voting.

If elected, Crockett won’t lift a finger to protect our democracy or our freedom to vote. She has already told us that she wants to stifle Minnesotans’ voices by restricting vote by mail and limiting early voting. Crockett has gone as far as questioning the need for voting language assistance and protections for voters with disabilities, even suggesting that non-English speakers shouldn’t be allowed to vote.

Minnesota’s secretary of state is a critical position that oversees statewide elections and operates the voter registration system. Failing to stop MAGA Republicans hellbent on taking away our freedom to vote will have devastating consequences for future elections in Minnesota and across the country.

That’s why we must instead re-elect Steve Simon, Minnesota’s current Secretary of State, who has long defended the voting rights of people of color and people with disabilities and will make sure our democracy continues to thrive.
William Brennan
Virginia, Minnesota

Ron Johnson is soft on thought

Ron Johnson isn’t soft on crime. He is all for it. He committed crimes by using his office to attempt to submit fraudulent votes from false electors in support of the Jan. 6 Insurrection Donald Trump and his cronies instigated. Johnson supported Trump’s lies about the election.
Johnson chose Trump over democracy. Johnson thinks wealth equals power while his oath to protect and defend the Constitution means nothing.
Other candidates like Tim Michels also support Trump over democracy.
Check the stand of many Republican candidates for office at all levels of government and one discovers they have chosen Trump over democracy.
The vast majority of Democrats running for office in all levels of government support the rule of law and the will of the people; they support our democracy.
The election this November is a referendum on democracy. We can choose candidates who serve the people, or we can elect candidates who will serve Donald Trump and other authoritarians who believe only in amassing more wealth and power for themselves while they force us to bend to their will.
To find out where candidates stand on issues visit the League of Women
Voters Election Information Website at vote411.org.
Jason Maloney
Washburn, Wisconsin

Veterans for Tim Walz

Fellow Minnesotans,
We are a group of veterans from the U.S. military. Many of us have served in leadership positions and worked extensively to assist veterans and soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines return to civilian life.
Our service informs everything we do and at this moment, we feel compelled to take a public stance with Governor Tim Walz in support of his 24-years of military service. His exemplary service in the Army National Guard is matched by his relentless work to champion veterans’ issues both in Congress and as governor.

Governor Walz signed up to join the Nebraska National Guard when he was just 17-years-old. Over the course of his years of service, he was deployed to missions in several different states, to the Arctic Circle, and an active duty deployment overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He requested retirement after 24-years of service. Gov. Walz decided to continue his service to military members and veterans in a different way: by running for Congress.

As the highest-ranking enlisted service member to ever serve in Congress, Gov. Walz continued to fight for veterans by becoming the Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and helping to pass legislation to support veterans.
As governor, he continues to make supporting Minnesota veterans a top priority. He and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan made ending veteran homelessness an administration priority, including by investing in affordable housing specifically for veterans. Under Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan’s leadership, Minnesota effectively ended veteran homelessness in Greater Minnesota. He also signed the Veterans Restorative Justice Act into law, which allows veterans who have committed low-level offenses linked to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other service-related injuries to be treated with more compassion and understanding by our criminal justice system.

Gov. Walz secured additional funding for new veterans homes. In his first term, Minnesota was one of just seven states initially selected by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to participate in the “Governor’s Challenge” to eliminate veteran deaths by suicide.
The Walz-Flanagan Administration has made significant investments in
suicide prevention and expanded resources to connect veterans with greater education opportunities, housing, employment, and mental health services, demonstrating a dedication to veterans’ issues that is sorely needed from elected leaders.
Gov. Walz’s unwavering dedication to veterans reflects the values that he learned and practiced as part of his exemplary leadership in the National Guard. His service rises above partisan politics. We stand with him today, just as he always stands with veterans.
Signed by Bob Malecki, Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army, and 38 other veterans.

Who are the real victims?

To hear Republicans talk, is to hear a list of political talking points designed to portray unethical Dems as those who not only “stole’ the 2020 elections but who are also using the power of the FBI to persecute Trump. Nothing is further from the truth!
Government agencies like the FBI have followed every legal step perfectly, and have, for many months, asked Trump to politely return vital government documents that he never owned in the first place – (some containing our nuclear secrets)! However, after obtaining a legal search warrant from FISA, and conducting a search – which was nothing like a “raid!” – agents were politely respectful of Trump’s constitutional rights, (which didn’t require his presence during a lawful search)! Isn’t It absurd to think that a billionaire who owns a private jet could never grab boxes of potential evidence and then fly away to parts unknown? Yet every step of the way, Trump has portrayed himself as the victim of a witch hunt, a routine way that Republicans portray themselves as the victims of government abuse, when in fact, the FBI followed every legal path perfectly to take back what Trump never owned, to begin with.

Who are the real antagonists, the real victims and perpetrators, the ones taking advantage of our gullibility and replacing it with lies? They include Alex Jones, and other conspiracy theorists who scream insanely rather than admitting that real children were killed at Sandy Hook, and at the Parkland school district! They are the people who are really suppressing our votes and truly “gaming the system!”

Each election many Americans vote with their pocketbooks, but the Federal Reserve has been following a well-established practice of raising interest rates to prevent runaway inflation, (caused by Covid and our broken supply chain), as well as by trillions in prior spending approved of by Trump! We are all Americans, and we all need to ask who the man behind the curtain is!

Peter W. Johnson
Superior, Wisconsin