RIP: Capitol City Cacophony?

When I left my job with District 2 Community Council in 1991 I decided to reclaim those first amendment rights which I had surrendered for my employment. So I started an irregularly published newsletter which I labeled Capitol City Cacophony. It was a one-man project using [at first] publishing software fit for a Commodore 64 which I personally financed, printed, and distributed to people who might have an interest in the topic[s] the newsletter was covering.

In 2001 I moved Capitol City Cacophony to a GeoCities web site. It was less expensive but allowed Yahoo to put ads on it. And I lost the ability to control the distribution.

Capitol City Cacophony went fine for a few years, but it seemed as if the software needed to use it kept becoming more averse to my computer and its dialup modem, so I replaced it with Capitol City Musings on Blogspot.

Yahoo will be eliminating all GeoCities sites in the next few days. While I have done little to maintain the site, there is still some stuff on the Capitol City Cacophony pages and it will be gone.

Some of the material will likely reappear here or in Ray’s Leaky Pen or someplace else, but I am not sure where or when. Most of the Jefferson Hill stuff has never made it even to CCC, but I do hope to have a lot of Jefferson Hill content up somewhere sometime.

If anybody wishes to see CCC content you might wish to do so this week.

Two years of Capitol City Musings

Today is the second anniversary of my first posting here at Capitol City Musings. I have posted at an average very close to one every other day and received a non-SPAM, usable comment on the average of one every three days, although the number seems to have dropped off quite a bit lately. [I have not had a comment in almost three months.] The first frequent commenter was somebody using the name “Midway Barb” and I have not heard from her in a year.

I have had comments come from some famous [?] people. Dick Tuck wrote me early on and I have heard from one legislator. The “Dick Tuck” who wrote me is likely not the real Dick Tuck. The legislator was verified as legitimate. I even received [with a quickness which amazed me] a stern lecture from somebody more knowledgeable about Roman Catholic procedures [a brother (in the religious sense, I think)] who corrected me on the difference between a feast day and a holy day.

I have done three “treasure hunts” with limited result. D.N. Berg won two, but the winner of the third chose to stay anonymous which gives some kind of message when the only award to the winner is the limited public recognition this forum can give. I might do a fourth this winter.

Recently I have added “The Muser’s shared items” which features my short comments on things for which I am not doing full posts and providing the URL to the article upon which I am commenting. I cannot say that I have heard much about this new feature whether good or ill.

It is good that this was never designed to be one of those places that people just had to visit, because it certainly has not been one. But I still run into people who tell me that they noted and maybe even liked something they saw in CCM. So I guess I will continue this longer. Feel free to continue reading or to tell your friends/enemies of this site and to send me comments as desired. [I really don’t censor much. I have probably deleted no more than half a dozen or so for objectionable – racist in every case, I believe – content and maybe a dozen or two for being SPAM.]

After all, your comments may make year three our best ever.

1006 Summit on view

I have not been in the governor’s mansion since 1974 when I was [along with about 80 others] the guest of Wendell Anderson for supper.

I do not know how much it has changed. I do suspect that they no longer have ash trays with special commemorative match books any longer.

But in the spirit of announcing upcoming public events, I should note that the place [located at 1006 Summit, for those who may not know] will be open to free public tours from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. the first three Tuesdays of the next three months.

Photo ID is required for admittance. Somehow I suspect that Marty Seifert must be chuckling.

June 13 -- Viet Nam vet day

Saturday, June 13, has been designated as the day for Minnesota to honor Viet Nam veterans. Venues are Central Presbyterian Church and the Capitol complex. Details can be found at http://www.mnhonorsvietnamvets.org/program/index.htm.

As I have noted before Viet Nam vets and those who did not return have been ignored like no other group of United States veterans. We seem to forget that they did not choose the ridiculously dreamed up event to which they were summoned or the coercion called Selective Service which put so many of them there.

Last year we had a similar day in March. I am not sure why the difference, but what I posted then can be seen at http://ccmusings.blogspot.com/2008/03/in-honor-of-viet-nam-veterans.html.

FYI: 1006 Summit

The last time I was in the Governor’s mansion was in 1974 when Wendell Anderson was governor where with about 100 other people. I had a light supper and talked with a lot of other people who were [or thought they were] some of the movers and shakers of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party and/or the state of Minnesota.

I don’t know when or if I will ever get back to that building, but I will pass on that the mansion will be open for public tours [with no apparent political connection required] on the first three December Thursdays, from 1 to 3 in the afternoons.

NOTICE: District Council annual meeting approaching. [D5, 4/22/08]

Payne/Phalen District Five Planning Council’s annual meeting is April 22 at John A. Johnson Elementary School [740 York].

Ten Directors will be elected and three bylaws amendments considered.

Details are at PaynePhalen.org.

Semianniversary

Today marks six months since the first post on this blog. [Not enough for a birthday cake, but maybe it warrants a piece of pie, so and get yourself one if you wish -- at your own expense of course since I am cheap.]

I have posted with about the frequency I had thought I would, but have not stuck to local topics as much as I had figured on. [Had you suggested that I would find it handy to have a label for “Marty Seifert” I probably would not have agreed.]

A few people have added comments, some often. I don’t think I actually know most of them, but the way comments are taken provides for enough anonymity that I really cannot tell.

I have run into several people around town who tell me that they look at the site but have never commented. I understand. I almost never comment on anybody else’s site myself, although I do make occasional comments on Saint Paul Issues Forum.

I assume that this forum has served some positive role in promoting civil discourse on public issues, but certainly cannot say that the role has been large.

Feel free to use the comment space for this post to give general feedback on Capitol City Musings.

RS

Annoncement -- Treasure Hunt [sort of]

Even if you had not read any of the previous clues, today's would tell you that the Boreas medallion must be in Mounds Park. It will be found any time now.

After it has been over for a few days, we will start the first Capitol City Musings treasure hunt. The reward is up to $10000 less than the DPP and Carnival offer, but you don’t have to get out into the cold.

It is really a ripoff of the old Capitol City Cacophony treasure hunt, but I feel free to rip it off from there.

Rules and details will be published later. In the meantime look at this picture.