Coleman and Oscar Trivia

Took part in a conference call with Senator Norm Coleman and about 15 other journalists on Monday. It was pretty hard to get a word in edgewise.

Coleman talked of preserving ag spending which doesn't really do much for me as it is generally the richest of the farmers that soak up most of the subsidies.

He also talked at length about the methamphetamine provision in the Patriot Act, which made the Drudge Report today.

...the bill takes aim at the production of methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug that cannot be manufactured without a key ingredient of everyday cold and allergy medicines. The bill would impose new limits next month for how much relief a person can buy over the counter.

And beginning Sept. 30, it'll take a flash of ID to buy that medication.

I applaud Senator's Feinstein and Talent for putting it in there. While I am not sure the Patriot Act is the appropriate place, any measure that has the possibility of ceasing production of the most destructive drug in the midwest is welcome.

In fact, our own sheriff credits meth as the driving force behind his newly formed SWAT team. If anybody is wondering what has kept me from posting this week, it was this rather lengthy feature piece on the team. A thanks to operational commander Juneau and Sheriff Rivard for letting me tag along for training exercises and for being so candid about the squad. Writing about and photographing the SWAT team was a real treat.

I did not get a chance to ask Coleman's thoughts on Minnesota DFL party chair Brian Melendez' characterization of veterans and families speech as "un-American lies." Maybe next time.

Now. Trivia.

What's the one thing viewers didn't get to see at the Oscars?

Curiously missing from Oscar night's festivities was any reference, even in passing, to the 150,000 brave Americans currently risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let me be the second in red state America to say "screw you Hollywood," and thanks Ann, for pointing that out.