Results are in from the Straw Polls taken at Precinct Caucuses for the MN GOP and DFL. I decided to go to the DFL caucus despite the case made for caucusing with the GOP by a few people at the Campaign for Full Legalization MN event I recorded last month at New Rules in North MPLS. The argument was that the DFL candidates are largely on-board or at least not actively opposing legal access to cannabis for adult use, while the GOP Governor hopefuls are against it, but to varying degrees. Introjecting the idea into the GOP at the local level may be a step toward normalizing the issue and identifying potential GOP allies when crafting legislation and voting. I just couldn’t do it. It would be a more blatant lie than my caucusing with the DFL. In 2018, I’m an issues Delegate and voter. That’s right, I’m a Delegate again. This time to the District 63B convention on March 24th, 2018 and maybe the State Convention in June. There were no elections for Delegates. All I had to do was raise my hand and give valid contact information. The final straw to get me involved again, was learning that the endorsement race for House 63B has become a 5 way contest for a seat held by the 20 year incumbent. This could be interesting.

I am undecided as to endorsement for MN House and Governor. I have no real problem with Jean Wagenius, but do not recall any real reason to let her have another term. Maybe its time to change it up. As of the caucus, Wagenius faces 4 challengers. Emily Antin, Husniyah Bradley-Dent, Leili Fateh, and Brenda Johnson. ( Five women is 1 race!) I could not find an announced GOP candidate for MN House 63B, so the election will effectively be held this Spring at the nominating convention on Saturday March 24, 2018. I’ll be there to Caucus for Cannabis. I will also advocate for Declaring Minnesota a Sanctuary State. I stand up for my fellow human beings that have left or been forced from their homes by economic, political, or environmental crises promulgated by colonial powers and unfettered predatory capitalism. It is only fair. My way of life was built upon and is fed by the theft, legally or otherwise, of resources and labor from people made desperate by the wildly unjust distribution of the fruits from those resources and labor, so the least I can do is make room for them here in the society we built with their sweat and blood. It is long passed time to enact an Equal Rights Amendment in the MN and US Constitutions. A quick scroll through any news site will underscore the result of decades without an ERA. So, if you are a candidate for State House in District 63B or Governor, look me up. Its time to talk issues and nomination. WARNING: Interaction may result in video clips and associated blog posts. 

Back in the days of making The Temple Tapes, Neil Levy used to say that we were trying to “correct what had gone awry” in our nation, world, and culture. The problem was, of course, that so much had “gone awry” that it was near impossible to correct it all. We were just two breaths facing gale force winds. That was almost 20 years ago. I lived in a Bunker sunken beyond the reach of the Bunker Busters into the prairie of Northwest Minnesota. Slowly, I began to understand more about the nature of what had gone awry and another way to try to correct it. It starts with the absurd irony that someone who has been explicit about wanting to end the Two Party Tyranny ends up going to political party caucuses and conventions on a regular basis. But, they leave the door wide open, so I walk in. A big part of what has “gone awry” was never correct because so much injustice was baked into this nation from the get go. When I boil it all down in my mind or distill it from my belly through my heart, the common element is justice. I will be a Delegate for Justice in 2018.