Call up your brothers, sisters & cousins and thank them for being who they are.
We are continuing the #ProLifeSunday celebration of the family by recognizing where Brothers, Sisters, and Cousins fit into the family. Every part of a family is an important piece of the total picture of happiness and prosperity that God wants for us.
Sometimes things don’t go swimmingly well and usually it stems from sibling rivalries, sibling jealousies, and sibling covetousness of each other. In these cases the parents and other elders of the family have to smooth things out. If they don’t these rumblings turn into deep divides between Brothers & Sisters that drive them away from each other when they become adults.
Learning how to make peace with your brothers, sisters and even your cousins is a microcosm on how to heal the world outside of your home.
Growing up one learns from the lessons, trials and errors learned of dealing with your sisters and brothers.
Brothers, Sisters and Cousins still are interested in you because you have a shared history together. You’ve learned about life together years apart or in the backseat of a Chevy Suburban going to California on a summer vacation. They sent letters and cookies to you when you were at summer camp or when you were in the military. They beat up a bully at school for you. Taught you to bowl at the local bowling alley, or taught you to play pool in the basement of the Moose lodge before you learned to read.
If you’re unsure of where you stand with your Brothers, Sisters, and Cousins, call them up this Sunday or some time during the week to get back on better terms with them. Go on, they’ll be glad you were thinking of them.
American Legion Post 577, 1129 Arcade St, St Paul MN 55106
What:Legislative Update from Elected Republican Legislators
Hear from our Republican State Legislators regarding what happened at this last legislative session, and have the opportunity to ask them questions.
When:June 11, 2024. 6:30 to 8:00 pm Where: American Legion Post 577, 1129 Arcade St, St Paul MN 55106Map Cost: At Will Donation (Suggested Donation $10) Misc:A light dinner will be served. Bottled water will be provided, but other drinks are available for purchase at the American Legion bar. Featured Speakers Senator Mark Koran, Endorsed CD4 Republican Candidate May Lor Xiong, and others
Hosted by House District 66B Republicans
The last week of the Minnesota Legislative Session brought out all sorts of last minute “gotcha” bills that pass on party line votes usually. There was one “garbage” bill that was 2800 pages long dropped on the legislature about 90 minutes to the End of Session on May 19th. It could have been the last week of the DFL Trifecta, where they control both Bodies of the Legislature, plus the Governor’s Office. Frankly they also control the State Supreme Court as well. The last Republican leaning Justice is Barry Anderson who just retired.
Please honor our event host site by keeping politics out of the bar area outside of the event room. Thank you
This event and this post were not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee, the CD4 Republicans, nor the MN GOP. If you would like to check out who our current endorsed candidates are check out the top menu for our Candidates Page or go directly to it by typing in mnhd66brepublicans.org/candidates. — admin
If you watch the end of the Minnesota Legislative Session drama on public tv or some streaming website, you’ll see a lot of last minute debates, some last minute trickery, and a lot of “gotcha” politicking. No matter what party is in the majority there is sometimes a lot of unnecessary drama and demonstrating in the hallways of the State Capitol.
This can be very stressful on all parties involved in the end of session marathon. In passed years some groups have brought their party’s legislators treats and comfort food for the breaks they have in these marathon sessions. This is where the idea of a Cookie Drop started.
Our last chair, Tom Polachek (2017-23), commented to Rep Pam Altendorf a week prior to May 17th of the ability to make a bunch of cookies from the recipes on our website posted some years ago during the lockdown conventions of 2020. Since he and our current Chair, Donna Liew weren’t attending the State Convention occurring at the same time, they decided to bring a bunch of cookies to both the MN House Republicans and the MN Senate Republicans. That’s a total of 97 Legislators to bake cookies for.
Peanut Butter with Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips CookiesHealthified Chocolate Chip Cookies have less fat, and have whole wheat flour instead of regular white flour. Tastes like a Chips Ahoy cookieChewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip CookiesOatmeal Raisin with Molasses Cookies
Chair Donna Liew made some Gingerbread Cookies, and Blueberry Crumble Bars.
Chair Donna Liew made Gingerbread Cookies on the left and Blueberry Crumble Bars on the right of the tray
Distribution of the 6 kinds of Cookies to the MN House Republicans took place first with the help of Rep Pam Altendorf of Red Wing MN. She left the House Chambers and met Donna & Tom in the Capitol Rotunda and then escorted them to a room the MN House Republicans use for recesses, or breaks just off the floor of the House Chambers. Afterwards they went to the MN Senate Office Building just north of the State Capitol Building and met with a Legislative Assistant in the MN Senate Republicans Wing of the building.
Baking for just 33 Senators was a lot easier and the cookies were put into an old candy box in rows of 3 and an over flow of the Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie into an old Folgers Jar.
An old Folgers Jar can contain quite a few dozen cookies.
Why did we do this?
There was a need and because we still live in a society that free will reigns. Americans can still rise to a challenge and say I CAN.
In December 2023 I had the chance to visit a Charitable Veterans Resource near the VA Minneapolis Hospital, called Every Third Saturday. I had enrolled in Yoga at the VA’s Center for Integrative Health & Healing (an article for another day). I had a need for some sweatpants so I took the bus to the Blue Line and got off at the VA Hospital Station at 1 Veterans Drive in Minneapolis. I walked through the acres of the parking lot there and walked down 54th Avenue to 43rd St, 5402 43rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55417, Map
Upon arrival there was a main desk with a man seated behind it. I had been told to bring some form of Veteran ID and I showed him my VA Identification Card (VIC) and he proceeded to make an Every Third Saturday Membership Card. It was completely free. I was photographed in my Packers Winter Jacket. On the card there is the US Army Seal on it indicating my branch of service.
I was given a ticket by the man behind the desk. Then a tall gentleman who came by (as seen in the video above), ripped the ticket in half and gave me the other half. I followed him to a room full of clothes and donated stuff. I mentioned to him I need some sweatpants for the Yoga class I signed up for.
He gave me a black garbage bag and we proceeded around the room stopping at different stages. He would ask me if I needed something. I said yes or no depending on what it was. I got a pair of sweatpants, but upon closer inspection they are warm-up pants for the MN Gophers Basketball team. At the knees they have a zipper that runs down to the ankle. After about 20 minutes of saying yes to this and occasionally saying no I had a full garbage bag of stuff I needed and some stuff I didn’t know I needed.
The US Military Active Duty and Veterans make up 1% of the US Population. Serving in the military can be hard on a single Soldier, Airman, Marine, or Sailor as they are far from home facing challenges that are difficult physically, mentally, and often emotionally. A different set of circumstances are faced for those who serve who are married and have children on base. Many combat arms jobs can lead to high divorce rates.
Most civilians can’t relate to military service members as the culture and living conditions are quite divergent. Imagine living with your co-workers and bosses in the same building on base and even closer in the field. One doesn’t enjoy the same freedoms as civilians do. Your job doesn’t have finite hours like the civilian world either. You don’t have freedom of speech, nor the option of wearing something different than the uniform of the day.
After separation from the military, also known as End Tour of Service (ETS), Vets can find it difficult to readjust to civilian life and find a job, housing, and operate as an individual. In Basic Training your individuality is stripped from you and replaced with a concern for the team and to complete missions.
Just thanking a Veteran for their service is not enough. you should ask them how they are doing and also if you can help them out. I say this because according to the Shawn Ryan Show Podcast, 44 Vets commit suicide every day. Your brief encounter with a Vet is important because you might be the last person they run into before they go and plan to kill themselves.
My name is Tom Polachek, and I’m a US Army Veteran from the Reagan Era.
Minnesota House District 66B Republicans 