Dear Neighbor,
We have a couple of developing news items to address today. One involves a satanic display and the other involves a developing story which impacts the balance of power in the House. Here’s more:
House race thrown out
We learned today a residency challenge of Democrat Curtis Johnson, who won election to House District 40B last November, was successful in district court. The court ruled Johnson didn’t meet residency requirement, is ineligible to serve, and prohibited him from being sworn into office when the House convenes Jan. 14 for the 2025 session.
The implications are extensive, but here’s what we know right now:
A special election may need to take place to fill the vacant seat in Roseville/Shoreview, but that won’t happen before the House convenes. In that case, Republicans would gain a 67-66 majority to start the session, pending the date of a special election and the results of that race.
If Johnson were to appeal the lower court’s ruling, resolution could be further delayed.
If the higher court supported a Johnson appeal between now and Jan. 14, this all becomes moot, and we head into the session 67-67 as it were.
For now, let’s applaud the district court’s decision to uphold election integrity and ensure the people of District 40B have a valid State Representative. Keep an eye on this developing situation and we may have more to report soon.
Satanic display
You may recall, during the recent election, from his position as a candidate for vice president of the United States, Gov. Tim Walz said, “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech” on national television. It was a hot take from someone who has taken multiple oaths to uphold the state and federal constitutions. Had he and Kamala Harris won, we can be assured that they would have wielded a heavy hand against any speech they arbitrarily defined as “misinformation or hate speech.” But when it comes to a satanic display recently placed in our state capitol during the holidays to thumb a nose at our most sacred traditions, suddenly Walz has become a “free speech” absolutist. He told Fox 9 that “the First Amendment means that he does not police speech it the State Capitol.” Yet he was obviously eager to police your speech had he been elected as vice president, and he has signed laws violating First Amendment rights of conscience throughout his term.
Recall the “snitch line” he set up at the Department of Human Rights to report non-criminal “incidents of bias.” Recall the changes to the Human Rights Act he signed into law which encroached upon the association rights of religious organizations when it came to “gender identity.” This is obviously not a guy who is big fan of the First Amendment, unless – apparently – it defends satanists.
Seems noteworthy.
Of course, all that is beside the more relevant point. The argument against this display is not fundamentally about free expression but about discernment. While the First Amendment ensures the right to diverse expressions of belief, it does not obligate the state to tolerate the obscene or the profane. The state Capitol is a place for unity, a reflection of shared civic values, not a stage for symbols that say – quite literally – to hell with the sacred.
The satanic holiday display at the Minnesota State Capitol is not merely an alternative viewpoint but a symbol that spits in the face of our prevailing cultural and spiritual ethos, especially in this season. The entire premise upon which our capital was built is that we can and should discern what is right and what is wrong. That implies a standard by which such discernment is possible. The satanic creed “do what thou wilt” flies in the face of that and should be broadly condemned across party lines.
Yet, for some reason, it’s not.
Sincerely,
Walter