Bob CollinsPlaying politics, beemageddon, Jablonski goes pro, stories that make you want to call your mom, and pro athletes as role models redux.
The Minnesota House will debate the bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Thursday. The DFL leaders, mindful of being embarrassed, had refused to hold a floor debate on the bill if it didn’t already have enough votes for the bill to pass, which tells you everything you need to know about the value of Minnesota politicians spending time debating things on the House floor.
So, if you believe the House leaders, bill passage is a fait accompli, which means it’s all over except the bingo. So here:
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MARRIAGE BILL BINGO
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| "Activist judges" | Legislator who cares about the 2014 election proclaiming "I don’t care about the 2014 election." | "Think of the children" | "I am not homophobic." | Person unable to see partner in hospital story. |
| Draws parallel to slavery. | "The people of Minnesota have voted." | "Indoctrination" | Lawmaker acknowledges he/she’s gay. | Bill fails. |
| Rainbow tie. | Mention of any gay member of the military. |
FREE
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Citation of any poll. | Debate halted while legislator recognizes winner of a spelling bee in the gallery. |
| Any mention of marrying an animal | "Only love matters." | Mention of gay family member. | "The gay lobby." | "Erosion of the family unit." |
| Bill passes. | “The flavor of the month” | Legislator gets tongue-tied trying to say "L-G-B-T" | Any legislator changes his/her mind during debate. | "God" |
I’ll be live-blogging the debate in this space tomorrow. I hope you can join in.
An interesting letter from a landscape expert in yesterday’s Star Tribune presented a depressing fact: Saving the bees is out of our hands. We can plant all the Russian sage we want, but the problem of bees dying is bigger than mere homeowners can solve.
Parasites, bee-killing pesticides, the drought all are being blamed for the problem, which is pretty important if you expect to get food or anything else from plants.
NPR reported last evening that as the bee colonies get smaller, they’re getting weaker. And there are 31 percent fewer bees this spring than last fall.
What if this is the end of bees? Scientists already have begun to stockpile bee semen and germplasm, Huffington Post says.
Europe is banning pesticide use because of the die-off, but Europe doesn’t have any more information about what’s causing it than the U.S. does. At Time.com, Bryan Walsh says it shows the difference in how Europe and the U.S. think about these sorts of things.
This is a classic case of policymaking by the precautionary principle. The pesticides are considered guilty until proven innocent, and so they’re preventively banned, even before the scientific case is rock solid. That’s not unusual for European environmental regulation, especially in regard to chemicals. In the U.S. it’s the reverse — before the federal government is likely to take the step of banning a class of pesticides, and pissing off the multibillion-dollar chemical industry, you’re likely to see a lot more science done.
Related: And now we have to worry about deadly snails?
Jack Jablonski, the Minnesota high school hockey player paralyzed by a from-behind hit a couple of seasons ago, posted this on his Twitter feed on Monday.
Dear USHL teams, Just thought I’d let u know I am eligible for tomorrow’s draft. Sincerely Jack Jablonski
— Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13) May 7, 2013
And the Chicago Steel were listening. Using its final draft pick…
4) STORIES THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO CALL MOM
Bret Dunlap knows what people think when they see him running the streets of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. They think: homeless. When they hear him talk, they think: “stupid.”
He was in a terrible accident as a young boy. But he had a mother who wouldn’t give up on him.
(h/t: @saladgoddess)
Related: A man who lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombing tries to save the good leg. (Boston Globe)
5) PRO ATHLETES AS ROLE MODELS REDUX
Maybe Chris Kluwe’s release from the Vikings was inspired by his outspoken views on social issues as a “distraction” to the team, or maybe he just got too old and expensive to be of any use. But check out this interview with Jalen Rose on Grantland. There are already plenty of distractions for professional athletes aside from a political opinion. Like the possibility that their wives will run into their girlfriends at the game.
Classy stuff. Which sort of person would you rather have representing your city?
Bonus I: How we express ourselves when we no longer can. (h/t: Brent Olson)
Bonus II: You missed the first installment of Peter Sagal’s series on the Constitution? No problem.
Watch A More Perfect Union on PBS. See more from Constitution USA with Peter Sagal.
TODAY’S QUESTION
Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill that would force private employers to remove questions asking job applicants about their criminal history until the applicant has secured an interview. Today’s Question: Should felons be forced to identify their criminal history on job applications?
WHAT WE’RE DOING
Daily Circuit (9-12 p.m.) – First hour: Breast cancer.
Second hour: The language of news.
Third hour: Cheryl Strayed, author of, “Wild,” which chronicles her 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail and the personal problems that drove her to that journey
MPR News Presents (12-1 pm): Sasha Aslanian’s documentary, “The Deep Roots of the Marriage Debate.” The history goes back 40 years.
Talk of the Nation (1-2 p.m.) – The Political Junkie. Actual votes in South Carolina polls surprise in Massachusetts. The Heritage Foundation’s big number on the cost of immigration reform draws fire from both sides of the aisle. And everyone wants to know about Chris Christie’s lap band.
All Things Considered (3-6:30 p.m.) – Most of art that Nazis plundered from European Jews has found its way back to its owners. But 2,000 works of art have yet to be claimed. Now, French authorities are trying to return the art to its rightful owners and their descendants with the help of new technology and techniques. NPR looks at a renewed effort to repatriate stolen art.
In his pitch to state legislators for state money to help Mayo Clinic grow in Rochester, Mayo President and CEO Dr. John Noseworthy has said other states would be eager for Mayo to expand there if Minnesota does not provide a taxpayer subsidy. Two of the most logical places would be Florida and Arizona, existing Mayo campuses that are growing steadily. MPR’s Elizabeth Baier will have a profile.
