Senator Franken off limits in StarTribune

One of my StarTribune blogs (February 17th,2012)got deleted by the editors without reasoning. For those that missed it, here is the text. Maybe lobby the editors to not censor a subject so close to their readers? Please get this out on your facebook pages etc. And ask the Senator yourself by sending a copy of this to him? Thanks!

“Senator Franken Where are You?”

February 17th, 2012

“The big bail out statement our Mn. DNR always runs to when challenged about Tribal harvest at Lake Mille Lacs, is “it’s Federal. It’s out of our hands and control? Go figure……

So if it is, exclusively, a Federal issue, let’s call out our own Senator Al Franken on this one. After all, he is quoted as saying, ” I will continue to fight to prevent the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes, and I’ll do everything I can to help protect the ecosystem and fisheries of Minnesota from this invasive fish.”

With that honorable viewpoint and effort on behalf of Mn. fishermen and fisheries regarding carp, where do you stand, Senator, on 70 tons of walleyes being gill-netted during the spawning season at Lake Mille Lacs? Do you endorse, on behalf of protecting the ecosystem and Lake Mille Lacs fishery, the use of gill-nets taking 70 tons of walleyes while they spawn? Exclusively allowed by ONE race?

Senator? Over a million voting Mn. anglers want to hear and see how you view the Mn. crown jewel, Lake Mille Lacs.

Will you side on the Mn. DNR fisheries management history, that has closed walleye harvest during the spawning season for numerous decades? Fisheries management that has banned the use of gill-nets for game fish harvest for numerous decades in Mn.?

Or, Senator Franken, will you ignore common sense and Mn. DNR history, to allow a racially motivated demise of Lake Mille Lacs walleyes and the local economy that thrives on the lure of the walleye to countless Mn. voters ?

Governor Dayton, 99 percent of the Mn. state reps and Mn. Senators and the Mn. DNR ALL ignore this subject. Hiding behind the guise of “it’s federal”.

Senator Franken? Will you also turn down media to address this issue upfront and publicly? As 70 tons, in a two week period, of walleyes in your own Lake Mille Lacs, get strangled to death in gill-net mesh while they attempt to spawn this spring? The TV camera’s await your answer. Carp but not walleyes?

contact Steve Fellegy at [email protected] or 651-270-3383″

If you are able to get him to stand up…..send him to WI.

nah, we don’t want him…

That’s messed up!

Here are the page links:

http://www.startribune.com/contactus/

http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=email_al

-J.

Email Sent. Everyone here should try posting this on Al’s facebook page, I posted the link here in each of his comment lines, I guess Al does not want to hear from us MN fishermen each one of my replies got deleted and I am now banned from posting on his page.

i refuse to “like” his facebook page, just to post a comment.

He is a real d-bag, all we can hope for is him to be voted out at next election.

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i refuse to “like” his facebook page

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Same here I just posted the link in the Write a comment line in the topic at the top of his page. Give it a try and see how fast it gets deleted. Pretty sad if he only has topics on his page that he wants to talk about and not what the people of MN want to talk about.

Yep, he’s a stand up guy looking out for us “citizens”.

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Al Franken
Thanks to Al, Congress is moving to settle an 1800s land transaction that took land from Chippewa reservations
Pine Journal: Six Chippewa bands to split $28 million federal payout |…

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i got so PO’d just reading his facebook page…

This is the danger of electing a carpetbagger to office who truly only started living in MN once elected. He has no loyalty to MN or to our state’s issues, only to the party who got him elected.

Hence why he is referred to as California’s third senator…

I am not defending the guy, obviously, but he grew up in Saint Louis Park I believe.

I guess it wasn’t until he was enlightened by living in California and New York that he realized he had to come fix us backwards folks.

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This is the danger of electing a carpetbagger to office who truly only started living in MN once elected. He has no loyalty to MN or to our state’s issues, only to the party who got him elected.

Hence why he is referred to as California’s third senator…

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Question for you tech guys. How many e-mails would it take to crash his system? Would that get his attention or would we be peeing against the wind?

Most likely you won’t gain any ground this route either. He’s obviously instructed his interns to delete anything relating to this subject. Unless you have access to a SPAM server….

My comment used to post immediately after hitting the Ok button. No more. The Strib feels the need to review anything I post now. F-ers!

If you can’t read this, it says:

thanks for contributing

your comment is being reviewed for inclusion on the site.

Real meaning. We don’t like what you write. We may post your comments if we agree. Kiss my

-J.

There’s a reason why I stay on my side of the river.

Mpls and AF deserve each other. The rest of us do not.

It would be interesting to see if the tribes were major contributors to his campaign like Wellstone…

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It would be interesting to see if the tribes were major contributors to his campaign like Wellstone…

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I just looked at his PAC and donor list and where his money and support come from and the Minnesota Sportsman and woman does not stand a chance while he is in office.

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It would be interesting to see if the tribes were major contributors to his campaign like Wellstone…

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I just looked at his PAC and donor list and where his money and support come from and the Minnesota Sportsman and woman does not stand a chance while he is in office.

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He is a 1 term guy.

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My comment used to post immediately after hitting the Ok button. No more. The Strib feels the need to review anything I post now. F-ers!

If you can’t read this, it says:

thanks for contributing
your comment is being reviewed for inclusion on the site.

Real meaning. We don’t like what you write. We may post your comments if we agree. Kiss my

-J.

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It must be just you. I post comments quite a bit and have never seen this message.

All of these politicians come to Game Fair every election year talking about how they will stand up against the tribal netting, but once they get elected they won’t touch the subject.

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He is a 1 term guy.

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We can only hope, but to be honest the same people who put him in office the last time will do it again…

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My comment used to post immediately after hitting the Ok button. No more. The Strib feels the need to review anything I post now. F-ers!

If you can’t read this, it says:

thanks for contributing
your comment is being reviewed for inclusion on the site.

Real meaning. We don’t like what you write. We may post your comments if we agree. Kiss my

-J.

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It must be just you. I post comments quite a bit and have never seen this message.

All of these politicians come to Game Fair every election year talking about how they will stand up against the tribal netting, but once they get elected they won’t touch the subject.

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They must first flag you as a non conformist user that need re-education.

We may have a sympathetic ear with Rep Denny McNamara though.. But he is a State and not Fed guy…Had some good conversations with him in the past.

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We may have a sympathetic ear with Rep Denny McNamara though.. But he is a State and not Fed guy…Had some good conversations with him in the past.

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In the end it is a Federal issue–big picture involving the treaty itself. But in fact, the courts gave the state (Mn.DNR) power to change things IF they see a problem in how the harvest is being done relative to the overall health of the resource. So, in fact, the state reps could put pressure on the DNR to take action–based on how the DNR has in the past and presently views things like harvesting spawning walleyes and the harm of using gill-nets on sport fish is.

So, put the pressure on and force your state reps to take action. Ask them to challenge the DNR on this. Ask them to answer “how are Lake Mille Lacs walleyes different than ALL other walleyes in state waters? How can you, a state rep and the DNR, close state waters due to late ice-outs to protect congregated, vulnerable walleyes while they spawn (NE lakes), and not Lake Mille Lacs walleyes? Ask them…..if this Lake Mille Lacs scenario, contrary to the DNR Commishes own words, is a “conservation issue”.

Who knows, your state reps might not know the DNR has this power–allowed by the courts in this treaty case.

Steve I could be wrong here, But im almost One hundred percent sure that the MNDNR actually has no legal over site over tribal netting The bands that have these treaty rights choose to work with the MNDNR, the last supreme court ruling on tribal netting in MN has acknowledged that state government has no authority on this issue. Neither does congress. The supreme court will continue to rule in favor of the bands treaty rights, and Im sure any move in congress to change this would be futile. The treaty issue is complicated, but Native Bands are unique within the American legal system, they are like internal countries, sovereign to a degree but not completly. This has to do with the history of territorial expansion in the United States, and from a legal standpoint it really doesn’t matter that it happened in the 19th century. Basically what I’m saying is that every year a bunch of people get excited about stopping tribal netting, and waste their time, because they are dealing with a complex legal framework, rooted in the historic foreign policy of the United States. Changing this is not a matter of lobbying congress and getting something tacked on to a bill, but instead making changes that may go as far as constitutional issues. Im not a legal scholar, so i really cant give specifics, but treaty rights and tribal sovereignty are complex things. Basically it seems that this is a waste of energy. No coalition of fishermen and politicians is going to stop tribal netting. You are all wasting your energy and resources on an issue you can’t win. The only options are to build goodwill with the native bands involved to get voluntary reductions in netting, or to focus time and energy on improving other walleye waters in the state.Sorry guys, this is just the way it is, whether it is right or not.

mahmood,
you are not from around here are you??? steve is very eduacated in the area of treaty rights. if you want to get enlightened, he will be more than happy to give you a ear full.
contact Steve Fellegy at [email protected] or 651-270-3383 “

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But im almost One hundred percent sure that the MNDNR actually has no legal over site over tribal netting The bands that have these treaty rights choose to work with the MNDNR, the last supreme court ruling on tribal netting in MN has acknowledged that state government has no authority on this issue

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That’s exactly what I thought, until chatting with Steve last night.

I’m very uneducated about the treaties as I think the average Joe Minnesota is.

I’ll wait for Steve to respond.

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Sorry guys, this is just the way it is, whether it is right or not.

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I have to add, the issue isn’t the native americans.

Change does not come to those that don’t try.

quote] Sorry guys, this is just the way it is, whether it is right or not.

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Sad but true, until the lakes they spear are fished out and they come begging back to the state, or financial presssure can be brought to the situation, they have zero incentive to change what they are doing.

We have no friends in the courts, legislature, or executive branch’s of this country, there is just no political will to take on a change or even have a conversation. Just follow the money if you are wondering why that is the case…

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quote] Sorry guys, this is just the way it is, whether it is right or not.

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Sad but true, until the lakes they spear are fished out and they come begging back to the state, or financial presssure can be brought to the situation, they have zero incentive to change what they are doing.

We have no friends in the courts, legislature, or executive branch’s of this country, there is just no political will to take on a change or even have a conversation. Just follow the money if you are wondering why that is the case…

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you need to chang your attitude on this issue. this is a race issue, having to sit in the back of the bus so to speak. all i want to see is equal rights for ALL, and no gill nets for ANYBODY

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Steve I could be wrong here, But im almost One hundred percent sure that the MNDNR actually has no legal over site over tribal netting The bands that have these treaty rights choose to work with the MNDNR, the last supreme court ruling on tribal netting in MN has acknowledged that state government has no authority on this issue. Neither does congress. The supreme court will continue to rule in favor of the bands treaty rights, and Im sure any move in congress to change this would be futile. The treaty issue is complicated, but Native Bands are unique within the American legal system, they are like internal countries, sovereign to a degree but not completly. This has to do with the history of territorial expansion in the United States, and from a legal standpoint it really doesn’t matter that it happened in the 19th century. Basically what I’m saying is that every year a bunch of people get excited about stopping tribal netting, and waste their time, because they are dealing with a complex legal framework, rooted in the historic foreign policy of the United States. Changing this is not a matter of lobbying congress and getting something tacked on to a bill, but instead making changes that may go as far as constitutional issues. Im not a legal scholar, so i really cant give specifics, but treaty rights and tribal sovereignty are complex things. Basically it seems that this is a waste of energy. No coalition of fishermen and politicians is going to stop tribal netting. You are all wasting your energy and resources on an issue you can’t win. The only options are to build goodwill with the native bands involved to get voluntary reductions in netting, or to focus time and energy on improving other walleye waters in the state.Sorry guys, this is just the way it is, whether it is right or not.

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Just seeing this now, and short on time, my short answer to you is… YOU are wrong.

In fact, the court gave the MN. DNR the power to bring this treaty harvest scenario back to court for possilbe changes IF it becomes a “conservation issue”, among several other criteria as well.

So–as of now, the gill-netting of spawning walleyes, even during a time when population surveys show a problem, the DNR says there is not a conservation issue ongoing at Lake Mille Lacs. Go figure…

On the subject of treaties being able to be changed or the like…is a daunting task, no doubt. But, in 2012, the majority of voters in this country, if they knew the facts, would surely say the merits of Native American Sovereignty, based on a culture 200 years ago in this country, and relative treaties, needs to be done away with. It doesn’t fit modern day U.S. culture in any form or fashion. Native Amercian modern day culture or anyone elses…..

My/our effort is to expose the whole “selective sovereignty” issues and allow the voters to speak–via the voting booth, when putting future state and federal reps in office.

Don’t think it can happen? I and countless voters will prove YOU wrong! No doubt in my mind.