Amy Klobuchar, Michele Bachmann and Teen Challenge - Oh My!

Commenter Holly writes: Klobuchar's father had issues with substance abuse, I read or heard someplace. Although he's a great man and super writer... When didn't she address the legitimacy of such a program? Hmm, she's pretty level headed. Are you trying to drag her down with Bachmann? I'm uncomfortable with that... she's petty amazing, I think. Holly Cairns This site is about exposing Michele Bachmann. Michele Bachmann's donation of Vennes tainted money to Teen Challenge (who took financial advice from Vennes) stinks. The Teen Challenge site includes a testimonial from Michele Bachmann. However, Amy Klobuchar isn't immune from criticism. Why does she work for an earmark for a program that is clearly a religious program, and isn't open to all people? Public funding for Teen Challenge is clearly establishment of religion. Klobuchar has gotten a huge amount of financial support from gays during her campaign. She certainly should be confronted on why she supports a program that states that students must avoid "homosexual behavior". I hope Klobuchar gets asked about this the next time she shows up at a Human Rights Campaign dinner. It's worth noting that Amy Klobuchar is improving on her constituent response. She responded to this email within a month. In the past, she has either - not responded to my correspondance or only responded AFTER I sent an angry response to her campaign's fundraising pitch.

Michele Bachmann and the Ex-Gay Scam

Excellent video from IN THE LIFE about ex-gay ministries: It's been reported that Marcus Bachmann's clinic does the "pray-away-the-gay"... this is from the City Pages: Last November, the Bachmanns attended a "Minnesota Pastors' Summit" at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. Some 300 religious leaders participated in the event, which was organized by the conservative, antigay Minnesota Family Council. Michele Bachmann was there to lead a session on the gay marriage amendment, while Marcus offered a presentation titled "The Truth About the Homosexual Agenda." For Marcus Bachmann's session, [Curt] Prins says there were more than 100 people crammed in a room at Grace, and most of the presentation involved stereotypes of gays. "He was saying how homosexuality was a choice, that it was not genetics," Prins says. "He was claiming there was a high predominance of sexual abuse in the GLBT community. There was no research to back any of this up." (Marcus Bachmann refused to answer questions about the seminar.) The climax of the presentation was when, according to Prins, Bachmann brought up "three ex-gays, like part of a PowerPoint presentation." The trio, two white men and a black woman, all testified that they had renounced their homosexuality. "One of them said, 'If I was born gay, then I'll have to be born again,'" Prins recalls. "The crowd went crazy." .. Here's Marcus: And then there's Janet Boynes, Michele Bachmann's ex-lesbian minister friend... Here's some photos (by Michele M) from the 2006 CD GOP convention showing the Bachmanns and Janet Boynes;

Is Bachmann Really Against All Earmarks?

The Strib has an article on John Kline's so-called "anti-pork effort". The article correctly points out that Kline became an anti-pork crusader only after the 2006 elections gave control of the Congress to the Democrats. A commenter: Kline came to congress with G.W.Bush as pres. in 2000. We had a 400 mil.dollar budget surplus and a 1.3 tril.dollar national debt. Under Bush/Kline/& the Republicans, we now have a 400 Billlion $$$ buget imbalance and over 11 TRILLION $$ NATIONAL DEBT. Not a word from Kline as the republicans and he spent like drunken sailers for 8 years. KLINE never said a word about pork or other spending until the republicans lost the house in 2006. Now he's a watchdog?? Where was he in 2004? Helping Bush and the repulicans spend!!! .... and who else supports Kline's effort to starve Minnesota of Federal funding in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Michele Bachmann is the only other member of the current Minnesota delegation on board. But is Bachmann really on board against all earmarks? There's an interesting letter from Senator Amy Klobuchar about her $500,000 earmark for Minnesota Teen Challenge at Lloydletta's Nooz: Dear Ms. Young: Thank you for contacting my office with your thoughts on federal funding for Minnesota Teen Challenge. I appreciate hearing from you. As you know, I joined with several members of Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation, including Representatives Keith Ellison and Jim Ramstad, in submitting Minnesota Teen Challenge’s request for Fiscal Year 2009 federal funding for a drug abuse prevention program. These projects are submitted for consideration upon the request of constituents, and funding is then determined by the Senate Appropriations Committee. As the prosecutor for Minnesota’s largest county, I regularly witnessed the impact that drug abuse can have on individuals and neighborhoods, and I worked with a wide variety of institutions and organizations in fighting this problem. Moving forward, I will work with local leaders, government officials and families on new approaches and practices that will help us reduce drug abuse. Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. One of the most important parts of my job is listening to what the people of Minnesota have to say to me. I am here in our nation’s capital to do the public’s business and to serve the people of our state. With that in mind, please do not hesitate to contact me again about matters of concern to you. Sincerely, Amy Klobuchar United States Senator Eva asks: Who are the rest of the "several members" of the Minnesota Delegation? Does Bachmann support Klobuchar's earmark? Why is it important to know? If Bachmann supports Kobuchar's earmark for MNTC, she's a hypocrite not only on the issue of earmarks, but on the issue of pork (wasteful spending) and bailouts (public $$$ to prop up businesses that lose money). This earmark is for MN Teen Challenge's drug prevention program for the public schools called Know the Truth. Problem... Know the Truth cannot bring their message to the MInneapolis Public Schools, one of the biggest school districts in the state because they are not a certified Community Partner. So, it's a waste of money. It's unlikley that MNTC would get that certification since MNTC uses a faith-based approach to drug treatment and prevention. This is from the 2007 MNTC website Know the Truth info page (archived): Know the Truth is a drug and alcohol prevention program of Minnesota Teen Challenge. We work with teenagers, parents and teachers, educating them in the dangers of substance use and offering help to those that seek it. We aren’t counselors or doctors, just simply individuals who have struggled with substance addiction and who now want to share with you our stories about our choices and our recovery. Personal testimonials like this are unlikely to convince the Minneapolis Public Schools that MNTC is a worthwhile Community Partner: Different moons require different sacrifices. One Halloween, we received a letter from the head church in San Diego with blood and a crow’s foot on it. This meant that there had to be a human sacrifice. The leader of our group walked over to an older, unimportant man and handed him a knife, saying: ‘You know what you need to do.’ The man took the knife and split his stomach open, letting his intestines spill out on the ground. He screamed in agony, and as he fell to his knees he cried out, ‘Satan, take me home!’ We would never sacrifice a Christian, because that would bring glory to God. It would be disgusting. Satan was our God, and we wanted all the glory to go to him.... ...I began to question Satan’s power when our plans would be wrecked by my Christian mom. We would plan something for months, then my mom would find out about it and somehow stop it with her prayers. I couldn’t understand how this tiny woman could stop the whole Satanic church. Then when people started dying, I really wanted out. The suicide rate in our town went out of control, and kids began killing their parents. I was haunted by images of that Halloween when Satan required one of his own to die. I couldn’t understand why Satan would want to kill his own people.” ...and there are other drug-education programs like D.A.R.E. that don't use religion in their program. "Know the Truth" is a total waste of taxpayers' money... classic pork barrel. ... and there is every indication that this earmark may actually be a bailout for MNTC which recently gambled away $27 million chasing after double-digit interest in Tom Petters' Ponzi scheme. Bachmann doesn't think auto companies and banks should be bailed out because they made mistakes... does she think we should make an exception for MNTC? Reporters and her constituents in the 6th District need to ask her whether she supports Klobuchar's earmark for MNTC.

PARDONGATE: More Frank Vennes Jr. Property Goes Into Receivership

Duluth News Tribune: The multibillion-dollar investment fraud scheme that imploded in late 2008 around Twin Cities businessman Tom Petters may have dashed plans to reinvent the former Nopeming nursing home in Midway Township. Twin Cities-based developer Frank Vennes Jr. bought the Nopeming property from St. Louis County for $1,050,000 in 2005, with visions of remodeling the facility to help troubled youth. But in September, federal agents raided Vennes’ Shorewood, Minn., home and froze his assets on suspicions that he profited by funneling investors to Petters’ businesses. Vennes has not been charged in the alleged Petters fraud, but he is linked to it in federal documents related to the case. Now much of the Nopeming property is in receivership. The foundation to which Vennes deeded the building doesn’t want to keep it, and locals who still hold strong connections to Nopeming aren’t sure what comes next. --snip-- Rauschenfels said Vennes wanted the property to benefit Minnesota Teen Challenge, the statewide Christian alcohol and drug recovery program. But when Vennes offered the site to the Duluth-area program, they were unable to accept it, Rauschenfels said. --snip-- As Petters’ alleged Ponzi scheme fell apart, Vennes’ own investments in the Petters Co. took a nosedive. In December 2007, Vennes gave the Nopeming property to another faith-based nonprofit, the Plymouth-based Fidelis Foundation. Vennes had long been a supporter of the foundation, which had large assets invested in Petters’ companies, according to the Associated Press. Fidelis President Joseph Smith said his agency is open to several options for the Nopeming property, from selling it to donating it to another agency. “Our mission is not to hold property,” Smith said. St. Louis County property tax records show that the “FedelisFoundation” owns nearly 40 acres and a building in Midway Township valued at $286,200 total. Vennes, meanwhile, kept about 170 acres in multiple parcels in Midway Township under the name “Metro Development Properties LLC,” based in Tequesta, Fla. The property, valued at about $793,000, is now being handled by Minneapolis attorney and Vennes’ court-appointed receiver, Gary Hansen. Hansen said he is selling several of Vennes’ properties, including multimillion-dollar homes in Tequesta and Shorewood. In fraud cases, the federal government wants proceeds from liquidated assets distributed to the fraud victims, Hansen said. But since Vennes has not been charged with anything yet, the proceeds will be held in an account. If the government decides not to bring any charges against Vennes, the money will go back to him. Hansen said that there are no immediate plans to offer the Nopeming property for sale. Petters remains in federal prison awaiting trial in February. Our regular readers will remember that Michele Bachmann and Norm Coleman wrote letters to George Bush asking the President to pardon Frank Vennes for a 1987 conviction for money laundering, cocaine and gun trafficking. This article leaves open the possibility that Frank Vennes will NOT be indicted. Which begs the question... what information does Michele Bachmann have about Frank Vennes Jr. that would cause her to tear up her pardon request for Vennes?. Here's Bachmann throwing Vennes under the bus on WCCO:

Is Michele Bachmann Still a Big Fan of YCRBYCH?

We're looking at another two years of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann... Expect more of the same wacky, wingnut behavior. Speaking of wacky wingnut behavior... "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide" is the wacky faith-based, rock horror show that had public school kids fleeing from auditoriums in tears... and of course Bachmann was a big fan of YCRBYCH. Listen to Bachmann say a prayer for YCRBYCH. Here's a quote from an old Pulse article (PDF) I found about YCRBYCH: “Another thing that he mentioned was that they talked about the government, that there is planes that are going to be spraying chemicals to make kids sick, that there are towers up and that people are tracking us and that there is going to be police everywhere,” she continued. “A lot of these kids came home and were real upset or offended. Some were really scared about what was going to happen.” Here's a couple of fan letters to YCRBYCH.... The first letter is from Bachmann's district office manager, Julie Quist. The other fan letter is from Minnesota Teen Challenge, The MNTC fan letter has names of kids - a likely violation of confidentiality (I blurred the names of the "students" who signed the letter). Speaking of Bachmann's favorite charity ... read about Minnesota Teen Challenge at Pandagon and Truth Wins Out and Lez Get Real... does Bachmann support Klobuchar's earmark?