One year later, crowd gathers at Wellstone crash site

[Judi Lynn]

One year later, crowd gathers at Wellstone crash site

Saturday, October 25, 2003

(10-25) 19:30 PDT EVELETH, Minn. (AP) --

Friends of Sen. Paul Wellstone and seven other people killed in a plane crash one year ago gathered to honor their memory at the crash site Saturday.

Some speakers found themselves thinking nearly as much about the future, as they promised to carry forward the causes championed by Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat, and his family.

Cars lined the roads near the St. Louis County Wellstone Historic Site, where Wellstone, his wife, and their daughter died.

"It's been a tough year. I miss them, so I focus on their life and keeping alive their passion," said Lisa Radosevich Pattni, Wellstone's former northern Minnesota director.

She praised the commitment of the senator and his wife, Sheila, to social justice, and Paul Wellstone's optimism and belief in "government, and that we as a society can do more than we could as individuals." (snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/10/25/national2230EDT0650.DTL

[UrbScotty]

1. Amen.

May he live on in Spirit.

[Nottingham]

2. I wish I could have gone such a tragedy!

and we got Coleman instead :puke:

[bluestateguy]

3. And this time the media will make sure they mourn "appropriately"

After all, Wellstone supporters should have to mourn in a way that will appease those people whose ideas Paul Wellstone was dedicated to fighting all his life. :eyes:

[Brucey]

4. Good point.

The bastards won't even let us mourn. The letters to the editor in the Minneapolis Star Tribune were disgraceful.

[bluestateguy]

5. Could you link those

The letters to the editor in the Minneapolis Star Tribune were disgraceful

[Brucey]

7. Here are some of the letters, and a link to Star Tribune.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/563/

In response to an Oct. 18 counterpoint suggesting that Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis be renamed "Lake Wellstone," I would remind the writer of two facts.

The first is that Paul Wellstone was not universally admired in this state. Some thought that he was a divisive exponent of class warfare and an opportunist. Many thought he would not be reelected to the Senate. Approximately half of Minnesota voters were solid for Norm Coleman.

The second is that Lake Calhoun already suffers from significant pollution. Why add to it?


Name a lake after the late Sen. Wellstone? Why not instead name an abortion clinic after this champion of choice? Let the inscription beneath his name read, "He stood up for the little guy."


In response to a Thursday letter, "Coleman hostile to women," I believe that Sen. Norm Coleman's support for the ban on partial-birth abortion does not demonstrate his hostility toward women. Rather, it demonstrates his love for life and children, and his belief that maybe only God should play God.


It sounds as though Gov. Tim Pawlenty is exactly what Minnesota and the country need -- someone who is willing to make unpopular decisions and fix problems regardless of his political affiliation. The fact is, the only people his decisions are unpopular with are extremists, political enemies and special interests.


A synthesis of the Star Tribune's Oct. 18 coverage of Paul Wellstone and Al Franken might suggest that, were Minneapolis to rename Lake Calhoun, a "fair and balanced" name might be "Lake Frankenstone."

Oh well, "Lake Calhoun" really isn't such a bad name.




After reading the Star Tribune's Oct. 19 article on Rick Kahn and the Wellstone memorial tribute, I too think that we should forgive and restore Rick Kahn for things which he said in the "heat of the moment."

After all, we had already forgiven Paul Wellstone himself for comments he made in the "heat of the moment" about his promise not to seek a third term.

We also need to forgive Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott for his "heat of the moment" comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party.

[0rganism]

6. but something touched me deep inside, the day the music died

I started singin',
bye bye Ms. American Pie


When Senator and Mrs. Wellstone died, the best hope for re-unifying the Democratic party and the leftward flotsam died with them. And the GOP spin machine wasn't satisfied with that gutshot, no, they had to gate-crash the memorial service, and later complain that it wasn't done right. They might as well have danced and pissed on his fresh-dug grave. And Minnesotans bought the bullshit, and installed a regime-favored puke in Wellstone's place.

I can't remember when Insult added itself to Injury quite so virulently as it did one year ago.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. As most Twin Cities DUers know

the monument to the Wellstones in Lakewood Cemetery is visible from the street that runs along the eastern side of Lake Calhoun.

I took the bus to Uptown yesterday, and as we passed the monument, I saw a group of five or six people standing near the monument and a bank of flowers and candles set up nearby.

On the return trip, I saw a solitary young man walk to the bank of flowers and candles, kneel on one knee, and put his hands over his face.