Almanac: At the Capitol

MEXICO CITY — After four months of failed talks and false hopes, is the Honduran crisis finally coming to an end?

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite predictions by House Democrats that they will pass their new health-care reform legislation as early as next week, Minnesota's House delegation is giving the massive bill mixed reviews and at least one of its Democrats is strongly considering voting against the proposal.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Next Tuesday, follow the turnout. That’s the word from Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Democratic House campaign chief, as he heads into a tough 2010 election cycle.

State Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha, is holding a get-together tomorrow in Rochester to announce his support for House colleague Tom Emmer’s run for governor.

In a release, Drazkowski lauded Emmer:

“Tom Emmer respects the Constitution and is devoted to God, his family, and the freedom that Minnesotans have died to protect.”

Emmer, R-Delano, plans to be on hand for the event at Rochester’s National Guard Armory.

Given the importance of fundraising in the formative stages of the 2010 gubernatorial race, will there be some campaign trick-or-treating at the Halloween event?

Matthew Hoh: Please refute what I'm saying, we are stuck in the Afghan civil war

Energy is great. Health Care is important. Taxes matter. But the 2010 governor's race has to be about jobs.

On Nov. 9, the Citizens Council on Health Care will host a fundraiser with a woman who says Obama’s policies are similar to those that brought the rise of Nazi Germany and that Obama could be paving the way for the Antichrist. On Thursday, Rep. Michele Bachmann taped a glowing endorsement of the fundraiser.

CCHC’s fundraiser will feature Maria Anne Hirschmann. Hirschmann compared President Obama’s administration to the rise of Hilter’s Nazi Germany. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Hirschmann has said, “Obama, like Hitler, is ‘a charismatic leader who promises full pocketbooks.’ Obama’s pro-choice stands, she writes, resembles those of Hitler, who ‘brought abortion to a systematic level and declared the killing of unborn babies a national duty.’”

Hirschmann also told the Gazette, “He could pave the way for a future Antichrist. Obama scares me because he has no record and people flock to him. Hitler also had no record, people flocked to him and both wrote a book. Christians laid flat and Hitler came to power, just like with Obama.”

Lawsuit Day often comes before Halloween and Election Day (ask Norm Coleman). Sure enough, Thursday saw a federal judge give President Obama a treat, confirming his U.S. citizenship in throwing out a “birther” suit. In Minnesota, six citizens filed suit (pdf) against Gov. Pawlenty and a trio of commissioners over unallotment cuts. And in Minneapolis, a development firm defied its name (Bluff Street), filing suit against three council members and a planning commissioner.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

ST. PAUL: T-Paw references Goethe on Fox. Pawlenty called health care reform a shiny fishing lure and a Faustian bargain (hmm, is he familiar with those?). [Fox News via YouTube]

METRO AREA: Jets scrambled too late, says general. Military planes should have been in the air to protect the Twin Cities when an errant jet with preoccupied pilots passed by this month. [MPR News Cut]

MINNEAPOLIS: Fake folk? A local donor gave the Weisman Art Museum five paintings by folk artist Clementine Hunter that the FBI suspects are forgeries. [Associated Press]

WOODBURY: Dog bites man, hard. A retired cop lost an ear and much of his face. [Associated Press]

ST. CLOUD: Bridge open. The Granite City Crossing replaces the old DeSoto bridge found unsafe in post-I-35W collapse inspections. [St. Cloud Times]

STATEWIDE: Schools go begging. The 57 districts asking voters to approve new tax levies next week are among the 90 percent in Minnesota now levy-dependent to cover operating costs. [ECM Publishers]

JERUSALEM — Human-rights reports condemning Israel's dealings with the Palestinians have become so frequent of late they're like the dripping of Chinese water torture. In the last few months, there have been reports on the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza, on restrictions on medical supplies and food entering Gaza and the necessity for a boycott of Israeli products and people. This week Amnesty International made its latest contribution with a report on water itself.

In education news: The feds make public this afternoon the first quarterly reports on how states and school districts are using their $100 billion education slice of the stimulus pie. Also, why don't women want to be engineers?