Monday, September 30, 2019

Box Score of the Week

Since we just wrapped up the regular season, let's look back at a finale from years past.

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals -- September 29, 1963.

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This was the final game in the illustrious career of Stan "The Man" Musial. In collecting 2 hits, Musial finished his career with 3,630 - 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road. 

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Sunday, September 29, 2019

See the stone set in your eyes.......

Since the Vikings game doesn't start until 3:25, your Sunday is set up perfectly to indulge in this week's edition of my radio program The Closer. We'll get the 2-hour bonanza started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

In the first hour, I'll add my two cents in on House Dems looking to impeach President Trump. Also, progs once again shamelessly use children to push an agenda they themselves can't sell.

Then for the 2:00 hour I will welcome to the Patriot bunker former KSTP and KARE sportscaster Tom Ryther. This is a thrill for me as I vividly remember Tom's time in the Twin Cities during the 1970s and '80s. He'll be on to discuss his memoir entitled The Hummelsheim Kid. I've had an opportunity to read Tom's book and I can tell you he pulls no punches when sharing his thoughts on those with whom he's interacted as well as how the news is being reported today.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Quick Hits: Volume CXCIX

- As promised, President Donald Trump approved the release of the transcript documenting his recent conversation with the president of Ukraine. This was in response to a "whistle blower" alleging Trump offered U.S. aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigating former VP (and current Dem presidential candidate) Joe Biden's involvement in his son Hunter's questionable business dealings in the country. The Dem leadership in the House didn't care to wait for the transcript as Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated on Tuesday evening that an impeachment inquiry would begin regardless.

Upon the transcript being released, most individuals, as expected, viewed it through their own political prism. But Washington Examiner writer Philip Klein didn't toe the right wing line in his assessment of the call.

The defense of Trump is that yes, he may have asked a foreign leader to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, but that there was "no quid pro quo." While at no point did Trump explicitly say, "investigate Biden or else," Trump does state quite clearly all of the great things that the United States does for Ukraine before transitioning into his asks, among which are that Zelensky investigate Biden.

Reading the full transcript, and understanding the broader context, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that Trump was using the power and influence of the U.S. to advance his own political interests rather than the national security interests of the nation. There was not much talk about what Ukraine could do for America's interests in the region, and a lot more talk about what he could do for Trump personally that would benefit him politically.

You can read the full transcript for yourself here...

As my friend David Strom says, impeachment isn't so much dealing with the legalese as the politics, so I'm skeptical this will be a fatal wound in Trump's re-election prospects. However, this may unwittingly torpedo Biden's campaign which, come to think of it, would be fine by the "progressives" in the Dem caucus.


- Young person enjoys success in an endeavor he's passionate about.

Old social media posts where young person said objectionable things as a teen are dug up.

The individual exhuming those old posts was also found to have said offensive things on social media. 

Rinse. Repeat.


- I'm sure most of you have seen the U.N. speech of 16-year old Greta Thunberg slamming world leaders over their perceived inaction on climate change. While I feel it's perfectly legitimate to scrutinize young Greta's words, I draw the line at attacking her personally. As with the gun-grabber students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S., adults are knowingly propping up kids like Greta as proverbial human shields in order to justify policy stances. After all, only a soulless ghoul would denigrate the concerns of children, right?

Unfortunately, as Jon Gabriel of Ricochet points out, such tactics by these manipulative adults do much more harm than good. 


The young, unfortunately, don’t have our luxury of perspective. And it’s destroying their emotional health.

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly one-third of all 13- to 18-year olds will experience an anxiety disorder. The numbers continue to go up; between 2007 and 2012, anxiety in children and teens rose 20 percent.

The suicide rate for young Americans is now the highest ever recorded. Between 2000 and 2017, the number of suicides has doubled for females aged 15 to 24. Males between 15 and 19 killed themselves at a rate of 17.9 per 100,000, up from 13 per 100,000 in 2000.

Our increasingly anxious kids deserve better. Daily prophecies of global annihilation are deeply unhealthy, not to mention unsupported by the vast majority of research. Even if you accept that human activity is heating the globe, relatively few scientists are predicting the end of the world in 12 years or 17 months.

What Thunberg’s parents are doing to her borders on child abuse. Hyping increasingly apocalyptic claims is spreading that abuse to every other young person.

I'm all for teenagers becoming engaged in the serious issues our country (and the entire world for that matter) faces. But I believe it's healthier and much more productive to allow them to engage in critical thinking (thus leading to serious inquiries) as opposed to sheer indoctrination.

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Monday, September 23, 2019

Box Score of the Week

Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals - May 26, 2004.

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The Pirates' Daryle Ward hit for the cycle in this game. In 1980, Daryle's father Gary hit for the cycle as a member of the Minnesota Twins, which means they were the first father-son duo in MLB history to accomplish such a feat.

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Sunday, September 22, 2019

On assignment

I am out on assignment today, so my radio show The Closer will be in the more than capable hands of my friend and valued Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg. It'll be the usual 1-3 PM Central time slot.


You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Quick Hits: Volume CXCVIII

- I've often said that it appeared President Donald Trump's 2016 electoral victory broke some people mentally. Just look at leftist Twitter or #NeverTrump Republicans' social media posts and judge for yourself.

For obvious reasons, the person having perhaps the most difficult time coping is Trump's 2016 Democrat opponent Shrill Hill Hillary Clinton. So much so that her speeches have become downright delusional and self-pitying.

“You can run the best campaign and have the best plans and get the nomination and win the popular vote and you can lose the Electoral College and therefore the election,” she added

Translation: It would have been me on Inauguration Day 2-1/2 years ago taking an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution had it not been for an election format established by the...uh....Constitution.



- When looking ahead to the 2020 MN legislative session, Gov. Tim Walz omits one of the most egregious examples of incompetence at the state level: The multiple scandals within the Dept. of Human Services. Sure, he gave an obligatory mention to giving more scrutiny to each state agency. However, when it's the DHS (the largest department in terms state funding) wasting tens of millions of taxpayers dollars through waste, fraud and abuse, it demands more than just a cursory mention.

Look for high ranking GOP senators like Michelle Benson and Jim Abeler to keep applying the pressure.


- A common refrain among leftists the past two decades or so is that today's GOP has become sooooooo extreme that a political candidate in the motif of Ronald Reagan couldn't make hay in the party. It's bull pucky of course, evidenced by the fact that the two GOP presidential candidates prior to Trump were not exactly staunch conservatives.

But one thing we can seemingly say for certain about today's Democrat party is a candidate with John F. Kennedy's policy stances likely would be frowned upon. Don't believe me? Well, ask Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who is being taken to task over, among other things, her belief in (GASP!) border security. Meanwhile in Illinois, U.S. House member Dan Lipinski (a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage Dem - talk about an endangered species) is going to receive yet another primary challenge in 2020 from prog Marie Newman (endorsed by Alexandria "Tide Pod Evita" Ocasio-Cortez), whom he barely defeated in 2018.

So the next time a proggie chides the Republican party as being too fringe, just know they are (as Mitch Berg likes to remind us) engaging in classic projection.

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Monday, September 16, 2019

Box Score of the Week

New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks - April 30, 2002.

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Mets' pitcher Al Leiter earned the victory in this game, thus becoming the first pitcher to defeat all 30 MLB teams since the league expanded to that number in 1998. 

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Sunday, September 15, 2019

Take me back to the day when I was still your golden boy...

Yes, I know it's Vikings-Packers today at Noon. And yes, I will still be live on the Northern Alliance Radio Network for this week's edition of The Closer. The 2-hour broadcast kicks off at 1:00 PM Central Time.

For the first hour, we will reflect on the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil given the 18th anniversary of that event was this past Wednesday. Peter Johnson of Archway Defense, whose life today was shaped by that harrowing day, will join me in studio at 1:15.

In the second hour I will look back at this past week's Democrat presidential debate and how candidate Beto O'Rourke accidentally told the truth regarding leftists' desires on guns in America.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Friday, September 13, 2019

Circling the drain?

After a 9-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on April 27, the Minnesota Twins took over sole possession of first place in the American League Central Division. They would win 25 of their next 34 games, opening up a whopping 11-1/2 game over the Cleveland Indians on June 2.

However, the Indians rode a ridiculously hot streak over the next two months (due in large part to playing the AL's bottom feeders) to not only catch the Twins but take over first place for exactly one day (August 12 to be precise). The very next day, the Twins reclaimed first place where they have been ever since.

It appeared the Twins weathered the worst of the storm this season and thus would cruise to the AL Central title and automatic postseason berth after an 8-2 road trip from August 27 thru September 5. That impressive showing gave them a 6-1/2 game lead over the Indians. Unfortunately, a 2-4 home stand over the past week has trimmed that cushion to 3-1/2 games with a 3-game series in Cleveland occurring this weekend. That means if a once again resurgent Indians club sweeps the Twins, all bets are off for their first division title since 2010.

I would feel pretty good about the prospects of the Twins winning, minimum, one game of this weekend, maybe even 2 of 3 were it not for a suddenly decimated roster.

But (Ehire) Adrianza is only the latest Twins player to enter athletic trainer Tony Leo’s realm.

Outfielder Jake Cave strained a groin Friday night and hasn’t played since. Michael Pineda was suspended Saturday for 60 games for a violation of the performance-enhancing drug policy — the same day Miguel Sanó, who has been dealing with a sore back, last played. Max Kepler exited Sunday’s game with inflammation in a scap muscle and is yet to return.

Prior to the series opener against Washington on Tuesday, the Twins announced Byron Buxton wouldn’t return this season after he had surgery to repair a torn labrum. Buxton’s recovery is expected to take five to six months.

Reliever Sam Dyson left Boston early to have his right arm reevaluated earlier this month; his second MRI since joining the Twins showed only inflammation. Marwin Gonzalez injured an oblique in Chicago in late August.

The Twins don’t have any timelines for the returns of Dyson, Gonzalez or Cave, though veteran Nelson Cruz suggested several players, perhaps Sanó and Kepler, could return to the lineup Friday.

With Pineda and Buxton gone for the rest of the season, several others out indefinitely and a few playing banged up, the margin for error is as tiny as it has been all season.

If the Twins can get through the series in Cleveland without getting swept, their final 13 regular season games are against the bottom three teams (Chicago, Kansas City and Detroit) in their division. That would likely result in their sealing the division championship the final week of the season. But then the big question mark is how they'd fare in the playoffs. Even if the Twins were at full strength as well as starting pitcher Jose Berrios resembling the guy who was lights out in June and July, I had a difficult time seeing them overtaking the Houston Astros or New York Yankees. That said, it sure would have been nice to gauge where they are in terms of being a legit World Series contender.

Since I consider myself a relative optimist, I will say that I'm incredibly grateful that this entire summer of Twins baseball has been relevant, even exhilarating at times (unlike six of the previous eight seasons). At least that's how I'm consoling myself right now.

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Wednesday, September 11, 2019

9/11/2001: How the NFL played a role

There's no doubt there will be many TV viewing options today when it comes to commemorating the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

As a sports junkie, I would highly recommend an NFL Films broadcast from The Timeline series entitled simply September 11. 

 
Here are a couple of teaser clips:








We often cite sports as a "welcome distraction," an escape from real world issues that can bog us down. But in one particular instance, sports fandom literally saved the life of one New York Giants fan.

Among them is the story of Tony Sichenzio, a passionate Giants fan who attended their game in Denver on Monday night, Sept. 10, 2001. As a result, Sichenzio wasn't at his Cantor Fitzgerald office on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center the following morning. He watched in agony as his co-workers and friends died on that day.

In the days following the attack, Sichenzio left then-Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi a voicemail message. He talked about his love for the team, saying, "My children still have a father because of the Giants."

When the message later was played for the players, there wasn't a dry eye in the Giants' locker room, Accorsi said.

Given the Giants headquarters in East Rutherford, NJ was in the shadows of Manhattan, players and front office staff alike were deeply impacted. The thick smoke arising from the collapsed WTC buildings could be seen from Giants Stadium. Also, there was a parking lot adjacent to the stadium which served as a park and ride for people who worked in NYC. In the subsequent days after 9/11, there were cars that were parked in that lot that fateful Tuesday morning but sat unclaimed. As such, when Giants' executives and employees came to work, they no doubt were haunted by the sight of vehicles owned by those who perished in the attacks.

May we never forget how we all felt that day.

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Monday, September 09, 2019

Box Score of the Week

Going really old school with a 1933 contest pitting the Philadelphia Athletics against the New York Yankees.

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The Yanks were shutout 7-0 this game, which is the first time they were blanked in 308 games. The 308 consecutive games scoring at least one run still stands today as an all-time MLB record. 

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Sunday, September 08, 2019

We're living in repetition, content in the same old shtick again....

Amazing to think that there will not be another Sunday without NFL football until early February. Despite that, I hope you'll still take some time to tune into the Northern Alliance Radio Network each Sunday (including this afternoon) from 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central for my weekly show The Closer. 

Regarding national news, I'll weigh in on the utter lunacy that was the Climate Change Townhall put on by Democrat presidential candidates. On the local level, Minnesota's Congressional District 7 may actually turn red in 2020 after coming relatively close the past two election cycles. 

At 1:45, Salem Communications-Twin Cities GM Nic Anderson will join the broadcast to promote a huge Patriot coming up in a little more than two weeks. Then at 2:15 I will be joined by Twila Brase, founder of the organization Citizens' Council for Health Freedom. Twila will be on to promote the group's annual dinner as well as discuss the latest in healthcare news. 


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Thursday, September 05, 2019

They had one job

I believe more than half of the Democrat candidates currently in the 2020 presidential race could defeat President Trump in a head-to-head matchup. All they have to do is not come off as bat sh*t crazy.

Alas, even that criteria appears too high a bar.









That's not to say those loony Dem positions guarantee Trump's re-election. However, these leftists are making the prospects of unseating the President wayyyyyy more difficult than it should be.

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Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Game changer?

When a 15-term incumbent Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives has his seat go from "Leans Dem" to "Toss Up" for 2020, something earth shattering has taken place.

Former state senator and lieutenant governor Michelle Fischbach announced Monday that she will challenge a Democrat stalwart, U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, for the Congressional seat in Minnesota’s western Seventh District.

Fischbach will be a formidable opponent for Peterson, a 15-term congressman who has defeated a string of poorly funded Republican candidates even as his district has grown more conservative, said Sam Winter, a spokesman for Fischbach’s campaign.

“It is the most pro-Trump district in the country held by a Democrat,” said Winter, noting that Peterson won re-election in 2018 even though the Republican president carried his district by 31 points in 2016.


It's been assumed that once Peterson moves on, the 7th would likely be a GOP stronghold for years to come given it registered as a R+12 district in 2017. However, a Fischbach candidacy could result in Peterson being pushed out via the ballot box as opposed to him leaving on his own.

As I write this, I have yet to hear any reaction from Dave Hughes, who was the GOP nominee in CD7 each of the previous two election cycles. Hughes announced last month that he would seek to oppose Peterson in 2020 as well. But given he fell just short in 2016 (lost by 5%) and 2018 (4.2%), I would imagine the CD7 Republicans may decide on a fresh face. And given the national GOP's quest to elect more women to Congress, Fischbach would also have that to her advantage. Her background will also resonate with CD7 voters.

Fischbach lives in Paynesville with her husband, Scott Fischbach, executive director of the anti-abortion organization Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. Fischbach built a strongly conservative and anti-abortion track record in her long career in state politics, starting with her election to the Minnesota Senate in 1996, and her selection as the state’s first female Senate president in 2011.

I'm skeptical that the GOP will be able to regain control of the U.S. House in 2020. However, the best place to begin is putting up solid GOP candidates against any "blue dog Democrats" who remain (granted, there aren't a plethora of them). This is a definitely great start.

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Tuesday, September 03, 2019

Quick Hits: Volume CXCVII

- For the first time in nearly 20 years, Mrs. Carlson and I did not attend the Minnesota State Fair. Given one of our favorite resting spots is the patio behind the Republican Party of MN booth, there was a decent shot we would have been met with some hostility from anti-GOP elements given they like to troll the area.

Sadly, this year's Fair was pretty rancorous on both sides of the political aisle.

The heads of Minnesota’s two major political parties say they’ve been targeted over the 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair, leading both parties to install security cameras inside their booths for the first time as the political discourse frequently turned ugly.

Amid the hyper-charged national political atmosphere, Republican and Democratic party leaders said the incidents happened almost daily. Party officials said fairgoers have hurled items at volunteers, while the head of the state GOP said someone dumped trash on her at the Republican booth last week.

“This fair is supposed to represent the best of Minnesota, not the worst,” Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota DFL, said in an interview outside his booth. “We just have to find a way to de-escalate this. It’s sad that this is where our politics have gotten to.”

Beyond the Aug. 23 sexual assault, neither party has filed any additional police reports, said Brooke Blakely, a spokeswoman for the State Fair Police.

Martin said Democrats decided to install surveillance cameras inside their booth for 2019 because of incidents in previous years. GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said her party also put cameras inside its booth for the first time, after installing them on the outside of the booth years ago.

“Every day at our booth, (things happen),” Carnahan said. “People will spit on our volunteers in their faces, people will take beer and dump it over our merchandise. I had a woman take garbage and throw it in my face last Wednesday and tell me I was trash.”

Naturally many will blame Donald Trump's rhetoric and personality for the increase in toxic politics. However, that would be extremely disingenuous given that Trump is merely a byproduct of the rhetorical garbage the political left has been spewing for years. Don't believe me? Just go back and look at what leftists were saying about President George W. Bush from about 2003 until 2008. It pales in comparison to what MAGA-land is offering up.


- Lefty journo Aaron Rupar wrote for Twin Cities rag City Pages for quite some time. He had the reputation of being merely a transcript service for the DFL metrocrats.

Now that Rupar is employed by lefty site Vox.com, folks on a national level get to see what we in the Twin Cities witnessed firsthand for years: that he is a vacuous, insufferable and dishonest hack.


- In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Odessa, TX over the weekend, the war on guns ramped up on Twitter once more.

Here's a tweet which got a lotta play:




A quick aside: typing the same statement multiple times within a tweet doesn't make it any more factual.

Anyhow, in this context, "need" is irrelevant. We American are guaranteed civil liberties in accordance to the U.S. Constitution. For example, kook leftists don't "need" to wear crocheted lady parts atop their heads when an engaging in protest. However, the First Amendment guarantees one's ability to express oneself, even it means looking like a complete loon.

As someone who is a Second Amendment advocate, I may not ever be inclined to purchase an AR-15. But if a government official or a supporter of expanded government tells me I *don't* need one? That's only going to incentivize me to look into it.

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Monday, September 02, 2019

Box Score of the Week

Houston Astros at Cincinnati Reds - September 28, 1969.

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Astros starting pitcher Tom Griffin recorded his 200th strikeout of the 1969 season, joining teammates Larry Dierker and Don Wilson with 200 or more Ks that year. It marked the first time in National League history that three pitchers on the same team accomplished that feat. 

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Sunday, September 01, 2019

Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong.....

Hard to believe we've reached September already. Regardless of the season, the Northern Alliance Radio Network is rarin' to go. Today's 2-hour edition of The Closer gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

On the local scene, I'll weigh in on yet another bad week for Rep. Ilhan Omar as well as the continuing debacle that is the MN Dept. of Human Services. Then on the national front we'll discuss "progressive" journalists decrying their own tactics being used against them.

In the 2:00 hour, I will be joined by my pal Mark "Mr. Dilettante" Heuring for our annual NFC Preview, which is back from a 3-year hiatus! Given that Mark is a Packers fan and I am a Vikings enthusiast, it's the only division in the NFL which matters to us.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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