Posted 10/31/08

The day after Minnesota’s local state and national elections, imagine walking into the central business district of your community and finding this: “Tanks blocking streets, soldiers knocking down doors and shooting people,” and what a reporter describes as an “apocalyptic frenzy of rape, robbery and random killings.” Impossible? Inconceivable? So far, yes. But many of these things have happened within the last year, in European and African countries.

This is unheard of here. But regardless of who is elected, we may need clear, compassionate words from state and national leaders to help young people – and the rest of us - understand what is and is not acceptable in American politics.

You know who was elected. This column was written last week, so I didn’t know the results as I was writing.

But I AM sure we won’t see the kind of violence in Anoka, Rosemount, Little Falls or Lakeville that others have encountered around the world, within the last year, after elections. Here’s a sampling:

Just last month (October 21): (From Ohmy News) “Kenyan Ministers Guilty of Funding Post –Election Violence”

“A judicial commission of inquiry appointed by President Mwai Kibaki in May to investigate the causes of the violence that erupted soon after the Dec. 27, 2007 elections has compiled a damning report indicting prominent people among them ministers of planning and funding the violence in which 1,000 people were killed and 350,000 others displaced, with some still living in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps.

From Reuters, Reuters: April 10, 2008

Amnesty International Says Post-Election Violence in Zimbabwe Appears to be
Coordinated

NEW YORK, April 10 As leaders of Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC) states prepare for an emergency meeting on the political crisis in Zimbabwe, Amnesty International said today it was
disturbed by reports of widespread violent retribution against supporters of
opposition parties, including attacks reportedly orchestrated by soldiers and
police….
According to information received by Amnesty International, incidents of
post-election violence are widespread -- suggesting the existence of
coordinated retribution against known and suspected opposition supporters.

From the International Herald Tribune, March 2, 2008

Yerevan, Armenia Tanks blocked central streets in the capital of this tiny mountain country Sunday, a day after the Armenian authorities clashed with demonstrators in a violent confrontation that left at least 8 dead and more than 130 wounded.

12 years ago, in August, 1996, the following appeared a NY Times article
By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR. explained that before recent changes, Mogadishu, Somalia had descended “ into a post-apocalyptic frenzy of
rape, robbery and random killings, human-rights lawyers say. More
than 20 people were being killed on an average day by thugs
masquerading as militia members and women were frequently raped
and abused.”

We’re a long way from this. God has blessed America. But over the last two weeks in the US, people have thrown eggs pictures of one candidate, and some candidates have called others “anti-American.”

Americans have fought and died to protect free speech. I hope the next President and Governor Pawlenty, will remind us that we don’t want to go where too many countries are – making dissent and disagreement crimes punishable by death.