State Representative David Bly, District 25B

Thursday I represented the nominating committee at the Cannon Valley Girl Scouts annual meeting and read the names of the new slate of officers and directors.  This year’s dinner and meeting were held at the Country Joe Garage in Lakeville.  Proprietor Joe Miller has been an active supporter of Scouting in general, earlier this year they hosted a Cub Scout pinewood derby. 

I made it back to Northfield just in time to see the last documentary at the NDDC Documentary Film Festival.  It was the story of Northfield native Ole E. Rolvaag, author of Giants in The Earth and Boat of Longing.  The film was called,  Letters from America:The Life and Times of O. E. Rolvaag.  I was struck by Rolvaag’s insight about how the early immigrants had lost that sense of their cultural traditions so valuable to him and seemed lost in a downward spiral of consumerism.  Much like the social critic Veblen offered in his critique of the leisure class.  

Friday night, after taking in the Cannon River Watershed open house where I learned about the importance of conserving rain water with a rain garden, I visited with a writers’ group to talk about the possibility of future projects promoting the work of local writers.  Then I made my way to Buntrock Commons for the 2nd Annual Wellstone dinner, where Al Franken was speaking.  It was a great evening. I had the privilege of welcoming everyone to Paul Wellstone’s home town.  What I wish I had said and meant to say was, how hard that last year was and how much Sheila meant to Paul and meant to people in Northfield.  Many who knew them had an equal attachment if not more to Sheila and Paul knew how much she meant to people and his campaign. 

I also reminded visitors that this was the home district of Thorstein Veblen who influenced the generation of New Deal economists that worked with FDR.  “Where did Veblen get his ideas?” I asked the crowd and then answered, “From the Prairie progressives that shaped our party at the turn of the century.” I also thanked Al for his speaking out about the Republican roll back of FDR’s legacy.  We were also treated to great speeches by Matt Entenza, Amy Klobuchar, Coleen Rowley and a host of other state legislative candidates.  Franken’s speech began with some comments about religion and the values of our founding fathers, which led him to comment on his father’s death.  He described his father who was not particularly religious being asked if he minded if the Rabbi would come to his bedside to chat with him.  Al’s father apparently replied, “I don’t really see the point but if he thinks it would make him feel better I can’t see the harm.”  To which the young Al replied with a laugh.  The rest of the evening was filled with cutting satire and Al’s heart felt expression of his belief in the values of the Democratic party, values that are about people caring about each other and the future we all hope to share.