eva young
Eva Young is President of Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota and lives in Minneapolis with her cat, Kiddleleewink. You can also read her other blog here.
	latest posts   Anti-gay Rally in Minnesota   Brainerd Dispatch Forum on Koering coming out   Minnesota Gay Republican State Senator Comes Out   Voters Rally for Gay Equality at the Minnesota State Capitol

April 21, 2005

On Hitler's Birthday. Slideshow here.

Mike Triggs comments:

Well it appears Michelle and her group aren't the only Wing Nuts planning events for Hitler's Birthday

• National Knights of the KKK will celebrate the birthdays of both Hitler and Klan leader Ray Larsen with an April 16 event in Osceola, Indiana.
• The Northern Hammerskins will hold its annual hate music concert in Detroit, on April 23, dubbed the "6th Annual Adolf Hitler Birthday Bash."
• A variety of Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy theorists will be holding a two-day event, "OKC Bombing: A Day of Truth 10 Years Later," in Oklahoma City on April 19 – 20.
• Anti government extremists, including the Michigan Militia, have plans to hold events surrounding tax day on April 15.
• Additional events for white supremacists are in the planning stages in New Jersey and Florida.

Mike Triggs

Good point.

April 16, 2005

Here.

Some comments:

What's truly bizarre is that someone would vote for a politician whose personal behavior is destructive to society. What does it say about his ability to represent the public?

I don't think it says anything about his ability to represent the public.

Also, I don't believe that his behavior is destructive to society. Killers, r a p i s t s, thieves--maybe. Homosexuals--mmm not so much. While it is true that Sen. Koering may never "be fruitful and multiply," there are plenty of straight people that also choose never have kids. In fact, we're at over 6 billion right now--some people should consider slowing down their own baby factories and taking care of the kids that no one else will.

I don't think that Sen. Koering's issue is a moral one, but that is one of the primary issues on which I differ from the church. Koering is pro-gun and pro-life, but he's not a hardliner. He, in my opinion, has a knack for listening, is very personable, and is genuinely concerned with what is best for our area and the state in general. Perhaps that is why he supports Minnesotans voting on the issue.

The people on the forum are discussing the issue respectfully and intelligently. I assume the moderators would remove the "fudgepacker" and "new butt order" comments that are typical at Free Republic. Here's another post:

quote: I'm not happy about Senator Koering's vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, but I'm still supporting him because I agree with him on other issues that are more important to me and my family.

I feel the same.

quote: A person should be judged on who they are and what they stand for.

Since gay marriage is such a big issue at the moment, the fact that he would fight for it would be a credible reason to not vote for him. It would not be prejudice.

That having been said........

quote: I guess I have learned a lesson in all of this... To make sure I'm not voting for butt-lovers.

I’m not sure that this statement gives much of an impression that you will be voting on the issues not your personal prejudices.

quote: This is NOT a destructive behavior.

Perhaps you should do a little more research on the subject. But then again, we've been over this before I think.

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What exactly are we progressing towards?

April 15, 2005

So far, his Republican colleagues have been supportive. No comment from the hysterically anti-gay Senator Michele Bachmann.

After the brief legislative session, during which the first-term senator was nearly constantly the object of warm greetings, Koering joked: "Everybody loves me."

"If you liked Paul Koering on Wednesday, you should like Paul Koering on Thursday. Nothing has changed," he told a swarm of reporters and television photographers earlier.

His colleagues concurred.

"He is the same Sen. Koering he was yesterday," said Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville.

"The Paul Koering I know is a large teddy bear with a very big heart and he will always be the same," said Sen. Mady Reiter, R-Shoreview. Reiter said she didn't think any Senator's opinion would change simply because Koering talked about his sexual orientation to the news media.

Senate Minority Leader Dick Day, R-Owatonna, said Senate Republicans have long known Koering is gay and his caucus' support wouldn't evaporate.

"The reaction in his district is the most important part of this deal," said Day, who added that he hoped the Republican Party will not change its backing for Koering.

Koering said today he will run for re-election next year as a Republican.

"I feel like the Republican Party is big tent, and that there is a home for me in the Republican Party," said Koering. "I'm going to run, and I'm going to run damn hard."

The Party Chair in Crow Wing County isn't pleased, and calls for Koering's resignation.

Brian D. Lehman, Crow Wing County Republican Party chair, said Wednesday a lot of Crow Wing County residents are "very unhappy" with Sen. Paul Koering's break with the GOP on the Defense of Marriage Act and predicted his sexual orientation could cause political problems if it causes Koering to "vote the wrong way."

Koering, a first-term Republican senator from Fort Ripley, announced Wednesday he was gay. He voted no last week on a procedural motion that would have forced a floor vote on the Senate on the subject of same-sex marriage.

Lehman said it's too early to predict Koering's chances of gaining the Republican endorsement for another term.

"If his personal preference for the homosexual lifestyle sways his vote incorrectly and against the Republican Party platform, then I would take issue with that and I would think other people on the (county) executive committee might take issue with that and citizens in Crow Wing County and District 12," Lehman said.

The county chair said the Defense of Marriage Act was a top priority of the Republican Party and Koering would be advised to follow the Republican platform.

"We need him to be for DOMA," Lehman said.

Koering did the right thing and voted against putting the anti-gay amendment to the floor of the Senate. If people want to write him and thank him, he can be reached at: senator.paul.koering@senate.mn.

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April 07, 2005

Carson at Minnesota Liberal has photos.

Michele Bachmann predictably, made an effort to circumvent the committee process and bring this amendment to the floor. This effort lost. All DFLers, Sheila Kiscaden (I), and Paul Koering (R) voted against this effort. The rest of the Republicans voted for it.

I talked with Ann DeGroot and Monica Meyers at Outfront Minnesota (the Minnesota Statewide GLBT organization), and they expect that Bachmann will bring this up again Monday and Tuesday next week. After Tuesday, it will require two thirds vote to bring this amendment to the floor.