Books, movies, etc.

A few things I'm reading...

Dead Centre: Hope, Possibility, and Unity for Canadian Progressives
Jamey Heath
Interesting, especially for one who doesn't (yet) understand a lot of the details of Canadian politics.

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
Chris Hedges
Recommended by another soon-to-be expat. Compelling. Reminds me of the Huey Long quote, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the American flag.''

Differences That Matter: Social Policy And the Working Poor in the United States And Canada
Dan Zuberi
Nice piece of scholarship, but readable for the non-academic interested in the issues.

Mercy Among the Children
David Adams Richards
Recommended by a guy in New Brunswick - Richards, now living in Toronto, has set many, if not all of his fiction in New Brunswick - this is truly the most depressing book I've ever read. I don't know if I'll finish it.

The Birth House
Ami McKay
I don't read much fiction, but I couldn't put this one down. One of my favorite books ever, and that's saying a lot. As an aside, I was fascinated by the choice of covers, Canadian vs. US. Check the links. The Canadian hardcover had the woman holding her belly. The US hardcover was a bench in front of a house. Found that curious. Again, I loved this book!

Aside from the kids' flicks (e.g., Flushed Away, Charlotte's Web...) that I see, I don't often get to see movies. Over break I made a point, encouraged by l-girl's post, to see The US vs. John Lennon. I highly recommend it. I also saw All the King's Men (Sean Penn) which was okay. Yesterday I tried to watch The Battle of Algiers, but turned it off after about 45 minutes. It was fascinating. The parallels to today, as many of you no doubt have thought about, are more than striking. But, I just couldn't watch any more of it. Which reminds me, I had the same reaction to last week's issue of Newsweek, "Voices of the Fallen." I am just so sickened by the course of events it leaves me both outraged and hopeless.

In a word: r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n

Travel, travel!

It's that time of the semester where things get crazy busy and one starts counting the days until Commencement. In particular, I'm thinking about travels. A few things have come up in that regard and I'm just thrilled.

As some of you know, I travel to Seattle and Victoria beginning on 8 April. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of you in real time and to just being in places I enjoy so much. On 2 June I leave for Trier, Germany to teach a two week seminar (Social Inequality: The United States) with one of my colleagues. I've booked a ticket to Luxembourg - it's closer than Frankfurt - via a 9 hour layover in London. I fly back on 16 June, via a 7 hour layover in Amsterdam. Enough time, barring the unexpected, to run into town(s) for a bit. I really wanted to return via Amsterdam so that I could bring back a stash of old Gouda. Hmmm, maybe stash is the wrong word to use in this context!

While I've known about the trip to Trier for a while, the real unexpected aspect is that I decided to go to Stockholm for the middle weekend. I got a ticket on Ryan Air - an adventure in itself - for 74 euro. I was even able to book reasonable accommodations - no small feat. I have two students who just returned from a semester in Sweden so they're giving me their tips on prioritizing what to do. And, although it's hardly "tourism," I don't know that I can resist going to IKEA just to have been in one in Sweden. Lame, I know...

I get back on 16 June and two weeks later we fly into Halifax! We'll spend a couple of days there - including going to the Tattoo on Canada Day! Then, we spend a few days near Wolfville/Port Williams. Later that week we're going to Fredericton, NB to check things out. We return to Halifax on the 10th and fly out on the 12th. Can't wait!

The only "glitch" in the plans, thus far, is that, apparently, flying in and out of Great Britain they permit you only to carry your wallet, ID, and meds on board. Everything else is to be checked. Thus, I won't be bringing my laptop on that trip. Since I'm not only changing planes, but carriers, I just don't want to risk checking it. I'll have to rely on Internet cafes - generally not a problem in Europe - to post now and again.

So, that's the latest. Right now it's dreadfully cool and rainy here. But, summer is coming! I've got more to post that's less upbeat, but I think I'll save that for later. Nothing personal, just the dreadful state of current affairs. Hope all is well with you!

Friday Evening

Not much news. A week ago we had just landed. Can't top that.

Looking forward to meeting up with folks in Seattle and Victoria in early April. I have a feeling that the next few months will just fly. And, that's great because I can't wait for our trip to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in July. Can't wait. Did I mention that I can't wait?

I'm thrilled beyond words to have landed and to be one step closer to getting to Canada, but I wish that there was more I could actually be doing! I can't really do much regarding the move, etc. until it's closer. If anything I should be working on the house every day, but can't do that very easily with 6YO under foot. Summer projects, summer projects. Unfortunately, the housing market has really taken a hit. I'm not terribly confident, given the state of affairs in this country, that things will pick up much in the next year either. Oh, well, easy come, easy go...

Well, that's it from sunny Saint Paul where it was 65 degrees today. Hallelujah!

The Wolf

This is one of the coolest things ever...

Last Saturday, we had just come through the border, back into Minnesota. We were listening to one of our favorite CDs; one we picked up in Winnipeg a couple of years ago. It's Aaron Burnett's "Call of the Wild," a CD really meant for kids, but very fun. The song, "I'm a Wolf Hear My Howl" was playing. We were "howling" along. All of a sudden, a wolf loped across the road about 40-50m in front of us. I've seen lots of coyotes, lots of deer, and even several bears, but I've never seen a wolf in the wild. I could see clearly that it was definitely a wolf. It was truly one of the coolest things ever.

I think we'll have to adopt the wolf as our family totem. Check this out: "Because wolf is a teacher and pathfinder, he comes when we need guidance in our lives. . . . Wolf teaches us to develop strength and confidence in our decisions." I thought that was oddly appropriate to having just landed.

Welcome to Canada, have fun!

Greetings from Thunder Bay, Ontario! Here's an account of yesterday...

We left the house around 8 am. After picking up bagels we were on our way. Since we had 6YO and our dog with us, we stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock State Park, and Grand Portage State Park along the way. You turn into Grand Portage about 100 m in front of the border. We were walking the trail back to the falls when I promptly fell. As I was going down I was thinking, "NOTHING is going to keep me from being able to land today!" That is, land in Canada, not on my ass. Short of some sore body parts this morning and a strawberry on my knee, all is well.

We approached customs, gave the fellow (who looked about 12) our passports and explained that we were landing. He was a bit confused, but then got the idea, did his thing, and directed us to parking. We went inside, told them what we were doing and they directed us to the Immigration window. A nice officer took our paperwork and he, too, was confused. Our paperwork indicates our original destination of Vancouver and we were providing a Nova Scotia address. That lead to a few questions. I was, being neurotic anyway, really nervous! He checked every detail on the COPR and then gave all the other paperwork back and said to go to the Customs window. The guy there was very nice, though he did look closely at the Goods to Follow list and asked a few questions about the B4. He then said, "Few people are this prepared" and seemed pleased. After that, which took about five minutes, we had to wait. And wait. And wait. And my blood pressure went, I'm sure, higher and higher.

With all the posters about traveling with children, missing children, etc. we both thought that maybe they were running a variety of searches. Even though we all have the same names we hadn't thought to bring the birth certificate showing that we are both, in fact, 6YO's moms. We waited. 6YO whined. And we waited. At one point he called me up and asked for a phone number he could put down. After almost an hour - and I was getting very anxious having read about those who breeze through the process - he called us up. He asked, in a friendly way, if we were legally married. I said, "Yes, in Canada." He replied that "a lot of folks were doing that." We initialled that we hadn't ever been convicted of a crime, signed that above statements were truthful, and signed the COPR. He showed us how our passports were stamped indicating permanent resident status and gave us the carbon of the COPR. He THEN said that we were the first people he had ever landed and that that's why it had taken so long, adding that he had to do some reading! Whew! I was thinking, ya' know, it would have been okay if you had told me that to begin with! He then said, "Welcome to Canada, have fun!" Rock on!

So, over an hour after crossing the border, we were on our way! I would have liked to have been able to "enjoy" it more, but after all that time on the road and the wait I was just relieved.

We went on up the road to Thunder Bay and checked into the hotel. Lo' and behold, our dear and sneaky friends, G & D, had called ahead and paid for our room. Is that sweet!?! We ordered multi-grain pizza for delivery - do we know how to party or what - and ate in the room. We had planned to go in the pool, but 6YO was content watching a DVD and we were exhausted. But, I wasn't too exhausted to make a quick run to Chapters to feed my habit.

I got back around 10:30 and crashed.

BTW, just about every single person I've passed in the hallway says, "Hello." As P said, that may take some getting used to...

6YO and P are in the pool now. I'm going to get us packed up. We plan to get breakfast, stop at the Canadian Superstore (which I confess to loving so don't tell me anything bad about them) stop at the cheese farm outside of town and head back. I have to be ready at 8 am tomorrow as I've volunteered - way before I knew we'd be landing - to help with a school event.

That's it. We're permanent residents. I can't quite believe it. It's still sinking in that we got through all the hoops and did it!

More soon!

Tomorrow, tomorrow...

Early tomorrow we will pile into our rental car and head north about 300 miles to Pigeon River. The hotel we're staying at is supposed to have wireless so I'll post an update when I can. Hopefully the next time I post we will have landed!

Regarding Landing

Seems like for 10 people there are 10 different experiences, but...

The instructions for landing suggest that one should have everything like marriage certificate, birth certificates, diplomas, kitchen sink, etc. on hand. BUT, I've never seen anyone's description of landing mention having to drag out anything of the kind. Anyone out there care to share their thoughts.

Similarly, did anyone run into issues with Goods to Follow such as being asked for photos of jewelry, etc?

I'm typically obsessive about following instructions to the letter, but I don't want to go digging through things unnecessarily, taking and printing photos unnecessarily, etc.

We have, at the ready, passports with visas, COPR, proof of funds, and (soon) Goods to Follow lists. Anyone think we should have other stuff on hand?

Thanks!

The Eagle has Landed

Sitting right here, on the dining room table, are three US passports each containing a Canadian immigrant visa that is good until 5 January 2008. Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. Hard to believe! I stayed home this morning because I had a feeling they would arrive. I heard the mail carrier, saw the brown envelope, saw "Canada" in the font I know so well... I can't quite believe it. 647 days from filing the application. As one acquaintance said, you wait and wait and wait, and wait some more and then, whoosh, you've got 'em! Okay, back to breathing and off to work!

Later: So, being one of the most risk averse people I know... we're thinking that rather than wait until our summer vacation to land we'll drive up to the border and "land" so that it's done. Ironically, the only free weekend we have coming up happens also to be the weekend closest to the second anniversary of our Canadian marriage. So, that's fun, too.

Question - I seem to recall reading that there is some form to get if you anticipate having to re-enter Canada before your PR card arrives. Does that ring true to anyone out there?

Thanks - now back to gazing at my visa... -)

Decision Made

One might be inclined to find it anti-climactic, but not me! I had heard, for ages, that CIC e-client was updated on Mondays. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. But, I checked this morning anyway and, whaddya know, it reads...

"We started processing your application on June 13, 2005.

We transferred your application to the Detroit office on June 13, 2006. The Detroit office may contact you.

Medical results have been received.

A decision has been made on your application. The office will contact you concerning this decision."

We, of course, already sent our passports and they are on their way back to us. But, it is still VERY cool to actually SEE the above on the CIC site. Last week is still said, "The Detroit office may contact you." Woo-hoo!!!

Have a fab day!

Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" now!

If you read one thing from here in the next year, please read this. And, be sure to go here, too.

Though I've not yet seen any coverage in the press, yesterday, Marty Meehan (D-MA) was scheduled to reintroduce legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Regardless of what you think about the military or military service, this is bad law. Bad, bad, bad.

This photo, from the second link above, is priceless - shrub visiting and honoring a war veteran, not knowing that the man he is visiting is gay.

Thanks!

From the New York Times, 27 Feb 2007:

"The United States was not the only country to respond to the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with policies that went much too far in curtailing basic rights and civil liberties in the name of public safety. Now we see that a nation can regain its senses after calm reflection and begin to rein back such excesses, but that heartening news comes from Canada and not the United States.

Canada’s Supreme Court has struck down a law that the government used to detain foreign-born terrorism suspects indefinitely — employing secret evidence and not filing charges — while orders to deport them were reviewed. The law was actually passed in 1978, but was primarily employed to detain and deport foreign spies. After the 2001 attacks, the Canadian government began using it aggressively to hold terrorism suspects, claiming that it was an important tool for keeping Canada safe.

That is just the sort of argument the Bush administration used to ram the excesses of the Patriot Act and the 2006 Military Commissions Act through Congress, and offered as an excuse for other abusive policies, like President Bush’s illegal wiretapping of international calls and e-mail.

The Canadian justices rejected their government’s specious national security claim with a forceful 9-to-0 ruling that upheld every person’s right to fair treatment. “The overarching principle of fundamental justice that applies here is this: before the state can detain people for significant periods of time, it must accord them a fair judicial process,” Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote.

The contrast with the United States could not be more disturbing. The Canadian court ruling came just days after a federal appeals court in Washington ruled that Congress could deny inmates of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp the ancient right to challenge their confinement in court. The 2006 military tribunals law revoked that right for a select group who had been designated “illegal enemy combatants” without a semblance of judicial process.

In late January, Canada created another unflattering contrast with United States policy when it offered a formal apology and financial compensation to Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was a victim of Mr. Bush’s decision to approve open-ended detentions, summary deportations and even torture after 9/11. Mr. Arar was detained in the United States and deported to Syria, where he was held for nearly a year and tortured.

Instead of apologizing to Mr. Arar, who was cleared of any connection to terrorism by a Canadian investigatory panel, Justice Department lawyers are fighting a lawsuit he has brought in this country, using their usual flimsy claim of state secrets. The Bush administration still refuses to remove Mr. Arar from its terrorist watch list.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled twice in favor of Guantánamo detainees on statutory grounds, but it has yet to address the profound constitutional issues presented by American practices, including the abuses Congress authorized when it passed the Military Commissions Act. Such a showdown does not seem far off, but Congress also has a duty to revoke or rewrite the laws that have been abused in the name of national security, starting with the 2006 tribunals law.

Lawmakers have only to look to the Canadian court for easy-to-follow directions back to the high ground on basic human rights and civil liberties."

Miscellany

From the New York Times: "The overarching principle of fundamental justice that applies here is this: before the state can detain people for significant periods of time, it must accord them a fair judicial process." Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, of Canada, in a ruling striking down a law that allowed the indefinite detention of terrorism suspects.

What an interesting 24 hours. Yesterday morning I put our passports in the mail. Then I met with one of our U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's (D-MN) aides about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Then I heard, for the first time, about conditions at Walter Reed. If you haven't heard, just visit the Washington Post. Then, we watched the first half of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. No wonder I'm tired... But, how nice to see the Times piece above. Unfortunate that there existed such a law to strike down, but a move in the right direction nonetheless.

BTW, for those of you who read about 16 year old blogger and videographer, Ava Lowery, over at We Move to Canada, the current issue of Mother Jones tells her story. I just don't know what to think when I read about someone feeling so threatened that they have to suggest violence toward a teenage peace activist.

Back to family movie night and watching the snow fall.

News flash, news flash!

Okay, yesterday I said, "I have a feeling we'll hear something this week." Then, ten minutes ago, as I was leaving class, I said to myself, "I'm anxious to get back and check e-mail. I just have a feeling..." meaning, that we would hear something regarding immigration. I am not kidding! Talk about having internalized the timelines...

I get back to my office and [drum roll, please] there it was - THE e-mail... "Excellent news! We have received communication from the Canadian Consulate General in Detroit regarding your application for Canadian Permanent Residence, stating that the processing of your application is complete, and you are now asked to submit your passports to the Consulate for visa issuance. Congratulations!"

Heart be still. Okay, I have to start breathing, but I wanted you to be among the first to know. More as it happens!

My, how time flies!

So, I've worked almost every Saturday and Sunday since the new year, trying to complete this manuscript. The original delivery date was 1 February. My editor said he could give me "a couple of weeks," so I was ready to send it off today, knowing that I want/need to give it a thorough read. In our exchange of e-mails this morning he said, "With regards to reading the work, you have a few weeks before the ms is actually due." Huh? I wrote back to clarify and he replied, "I have you down for a 1 March delivery. I gave you an extra couple of weeks since I am familiar with the fun of teaching and writing at the same time." Woo-hoo. I'm glad I didn't know that and now I have a couple of weeks to read through it at a sane pace. I'll be glad to never see it again, but I'm really glad to have that cushion!

In other news, Saturday we had eight little boys at the house for 6YO's party. It was crazy, but fine. I am particularly pleased that we managed a party without the participation of any "licensed characters." We went with bright primary colors, made an activity of coloring their gift bags, etc. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of kids' parties, it's become insanity and a good number of folks are fighting back. But, yes, by "gift bags" I mean the "parting gifts" for the little guests. We got each of them a wooden letter of their first initial that they decorated, a punch balloon, a box of sour candy hearts, and little "Wooly Willy" thingies. We were going for the "old fashioned birthday party" theme. And, in really big news - this is the first year that P didn't bake a cake that I would decorate using the bag, tips, etc. No playing Martha this year. But, we'd better start planning for February '08... Just kidding.

Yet in other news, we're broadening the scope of possibilities for our initial home in Canada. For a variety of reasons (e.g., law school and contacts), we're now also looking at Fredericton, NB. Not the big immigration destination - which is and of itself is somewhat of a draw - but appealing for a number of reasons. Anyway, when in NS, instead of touring Cape Breton we're going to visit NB and see what we think. We'll end up someplace!

I suppose I should get back to work. Just thought that I should take a few moments, while I could, to post a bit o' update. As I like to say, more as it happens!

Oh, but... how 'bout those Dixie Chicks!?!?!?!

Blah, blah, blah...

Haven't had much to say lately. Crazy busy with work. Yesterday "5YO" became "6YO." THAT was a big day! And, tomorrow we'll be hosting 8 little boys, ages 4, 5, and 6 for THE party.

No news from CIC. Ottawa should have received our medicals by now, but there's no telling if they're preparing the brown envelope or sending things on to Detroit. The husband of an acquaintance here got THE envelope. I know that we have plenty of time to get our visas before our 30 June trip to Nova Scotia, but I'm just ready for some "closure" on this part of the process. Not telling anyone anything you don't already know!

In other news -
Check out: http://www.democracynow.org/static/IMIATOW.shtml
If you haven't already, you need to see "Independent Media in a Time of War."

Off to meet the bus!

Whoosh!

So goes the month of January. I've not posted lately because there isn't anything happening on the immigration front and I've been insanely busy with teaching, writing, and prepping for a course overload in Spring. Then there's the matter of 5YO being on the verge of being 6YO. Yes, it's true. I'm not sure how that happened, but six he will be!

The good news is that it looks as though I'm going to get to take a trip to Seattle in April. The even better news is that it's for a consulting gig (read: $$) and I get to visit with a friend I rarely have the opportunity to see. But, wait, it gets even better. If things work out I'll tag on a quick trip to Victoria. So, for those of you who have agreed to talk with me about your immigration plans, experiences, etc., once plans are set I'll be in touch.

Meanwhile, back in MN... yesterday morning it was 0. Right now it's 15 with a wind chill of -1. Yes, those are Fahrenheit. I'll wait until we move to make the switch to C.

That's about it. Just waiting for the next communique from Detroit! As always, you'll be among the first to hear!

Same-Sex Marriage?

Hillary Clinton? No.
John Edwards? "Not there yet."
Tom Vilsack? Nope.
Barack Obama? Nah.
Dennis Kucinich? Yup.

Then there's John McCain playing kissy-face (or was that kiss up?) to James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Oh, this is going to be fun. Not.

My tag line may be:
"Barack Obama - Apparently he thinks Brown v. Board was wrongly decided. Long live Plessy and separate but equal, says Obama."

Democrats? No, thanks!

These two snippets just happened to catch my eye - both appeared within the last 24 hours. Just more evidence of why the Democrats, IMHO, aren't any more appealing to me than the others. Also, see Tom's recent posts at Canadian Hope.

From the Stonewall Dems:
"Former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. (TN) will soon assume the Chairmanship of the Democratic Leadership Council - the centrist organization which seeks to influence the policy and politics of the Democratic Party. Ford is a strong supporter of amendments to both the Tennessee and U.S. Constitutions that bar domestic partnerships, civil unions and civil marriage for same-sex couples. In Fact, Ford aggressively campaigned on that support during his failed Senate campaign last year (earning the dubious distinction of being the only major Democratic senate candidate in 2006 to wind up a loser). Ford's position puts him at odds with the stated policy of the Democratic Leadership Council, which opposes such amendments. Stonewall has called on the DLC to reaffirm their position and for Congressman Ford to rejoin the majority of Democrats and Americans in supporting the policy of the DLC by opposing the federal anti-marriage amendment."

From The New York Times
January 16, 2007
Democrats Seek the Middle on Social Issues
By Robin Toner
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 — The promise may not outlast their political honeymoon, but Democratic Congressional leaders say they are committed to governing from the center, and not just on bread-and-butter issues like raising the minimum wage or increasing aid for education. They also hope to bring that philosophy to bear on some of the most divisive social issues in politics, like abortion.

In their first days in session, Senate Democratic leaders reintroduced a bill that they said was indicative of their new approach: the Prevention First Act, which seeks to reduce the number of abortions by expanding access to birth control, family planning and sex education.

In the House last week, Democrats showcased a vote on expanding federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, which, despite fierce opposition from many conservatives, has won bipartisan support among lawmakers — and voters — who are otherwise divided on abortion.

The mantra, for many Democrats, is the search for common ground. On gay rights, lawmakers and advocates said the most likely legislation in the new Congress would focus on hate crimes and employment discrimination, issues expected to be much less polarizing than the debate over same-sex marriage that was front and center in the Republican Congress....

In the mail...

Today, just before noon, an envelope containing: FBI cards, police certificate from Germany, proof of funds, proof of medical examinations, and a check for $890 went in the mail. Now we just wait to see what comes next - mystery brown envelope, PPR, or perhaps a request for some additional documentation? You will be among the first to know!

This is great!

You may recall my comments about Michele Bachmann, the incredibly hateful and ignorant GOP conservative who got, incredibly, elected to Congress in the MN Sixth. This editorial appeared in today's Minneapolis paper - it's fabulous!!!!

Bachmann: Our secret weapon for Baghdad
By Nick Coleman, Star Tribune

Praise the Lord and send Bachmann to Iraq. And make it snappy.

Michele Bachmann is the freshman congresswoman who raised eyebrows last fall when she claimed God had "called" her to run for Congress. I know the Lord moves in mysterious ways, and I am open to the possibility that divine intervention helped Republican Bachmann move up from the state Senate to Washington so that she might stop smiting Minnesota's gays and lesbians and start solving some real problems.

Anything is possible.

So I am glad that Bachmann apparently believes she will know what we should do about that pesky Iraq thing when she can get there and take a look-see.

This is fabulous news. After almost four years of a war that has cost thousands of lives and seems to be getting worse by the moment, we have overlooked the obvious solution:

Drop Bachmann on Baghdad!

I pray she won't waste another minute booking a flight.

"I don't believe we have all of the information in front of us," she recently said. "As a member of Congress, that's why I want to go to Iraq as quickly as I can. I want to get the best information in front of me."

The thanks of a grateful nation to Michele Bachmann!

All that nonsense about the Iraq Study Group was a waste of time, as was the 2006 election, in which Americans thought they were expressing disapproval of the war.

As it turns out, all we needed was to get Baghdad Bachmann into the fray to find out what to do. I don't know why we didn't think of it long ago: Michele goes to Mesopotamia and we get a solution! She is very sweet to offer, and she should be deployed as soon as possible, so we can get this thing wrapped up.

Or perhaps Bachmann should just give fellow Republican Norm Coleman a call.

Sen. Coleman already has been to Iraq, twice (he made his second visit last month). He may not know what to do about Iraq, yet. But he knows what not to do: He says the answer is not to send 20,000 more troops and extend the tour of 2,600 Minnesota Guard soldiers who thought they were coming home in March.

In this, he is ably representing the thousands of Minnesotans whose lives have been disrupted by an ill-conceived and unnecessary war that has gone off the tracks. Norm voted to authorize that war, like many Republicans and Democrats in Congress. But unlike Newbie Bachmann, who believes she might know the solution once she sees Baghdad, Norm says we have seen enough already.

On the day we learned that another Minnesota soldier had died in Iraq, the troops heard from a cable TV channel that their tours had been extended.

Sen. Coleman didn't have to go to Iraq to find out what he should do about that disgrace.

He wrote an angry letter to the secretary of defense, saying that announcing extended war tours on cable TV was an "unacceptable way to treat our nation's citizen soldiers." He also opposed the president's face-saving plans to gamble more lives on a failed policy in Iraq.

A "troop surge" in Iraq, Norm said in a Senate speech, will "put more American troops at risk" trying to fix a problem -- sectarian violence -- that is Iraq's, not America's.

Give Norm credit. Sure, he's running for reelection in 2008, but Bachmann will be, too. At least Norm is smart enough to start backing away from the Kool-Aid vat. And by abandoning the president's line, he is speaking up for the troops and their families, who are expected to remain silent.

More politicians should listen to the people (61 percent disapproved of a troop surge in a poll taken after President Bush proposed it). And more, like Gov. Tim Pawlenty, should serve their constituents before their ambitions. Although our governor spoke up on behalf of the Minnesota Guard members Thursday, he has spent months playing buddy-buddy with presidential prospect and surge proponent John McCain.

Still, if Michele Bachmann or others think they can enlighten us by going to Baghdad, I say, by all means. Go. Get a move on.

Nick Coleman • ncoleman@startribune.com