MN GOP: The Illegal Tapers' Party

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday March 17, 2006 · 11:53 PM PST

2006/03/17 · 23:53

Please act on this ASAP -- tonight, if at all possible.

Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson was asked leading questions at a private event recently regarding an anti-gay bill, and his comments were secretly recorded without his knowledge. Those comments are now being twisted around gleefully by the state Republicans and their well-funded allies, who are even now readying TV ads using carefully-edited snippets of the recording.

What is not being mentioned in the press is that since the recording was made without the knowledge or consent of the persons speaking at that function, it is therefore illegal under Minnesota state wiretapping law. Minnesota Statute § 626A.02 (http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/... /626A/02.html) allows recording conversations only if at least one of the parties is told in advance, or if one of the parties is doing the recording.

Neither of those conditions applied here. (More after the jump.)

Then again, it's not surprising to see Minnesota Republicans being involved with illegal wiretapping and illicit snooping. Just a few days ago, they were caught sending out CDs with "phone home" spyware on them to unsuspecting persons (http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/02/28/237

249.shtml) as part of their secretive data-mining and snooping efforts. And we all know how fiercely they are defending Bush's illegal wiretapping of America's telephone conversations, even as polls show most Americans are against them.

In short, the GOP is the Party of Sneaks and Snoops and Snitches and Stool Pigeons. But we already knew that.

Let's spread the word right away before the Snitch Party can get their ads out.

Here's some local media contact info. You know what to do!

opinion@startribune.com, letters@pioneerpress.com; 651-989-9226 (Don Shelby's Afternoon drive-time show on WCCO), KKMS AM 980: 651-289-4499; KSTP AM 1500: Twin Cities: 651-646-8255, Outstate: 877-615-1500; Minnesota Public Radio: Twin Cities: 651-227-6000, Outstate:800-242-2828; The Patriot AM 1280: 651-289-4488

This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member.

Make YOUR voice heard!

Comments are closed on this story.