OK, that’s been cleared up.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz misspoke when in 2018, he said this: “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at.”
He was never in war. The closest he got to war was when his artillery unit was sent to Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, but was not part of the Operation, according to what a spokeswoman for the Harris-Walz campaign told The New York Times.
It was not the only cleanup on military aisle four.
The Harris-Walz website claimed he retired with the rank of command sergeant major. Walz did achieve that rank on an interim basis, but he did not complete the required paperwork and retired as a master sergeant.
Then there was the brouhaha initiated by some men who served with him, that he quit the Guard to avoid being sent to a combat zone. While there were rumors for a long time about his unit being sent to Iraq, Walz retired before those orders were cut.
The Washington Post offered an extensive fact check.
I salute him for his service. Full stop.
Since only 1% of Americans serve in the military, that might be considered “weird” by some, 😁 but it is not the most weird thing about the former teacher and football coach.
How about this?
He has been to China 30 times and was on his way to teach there even as the Chinese government was throttling pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.
I am not kidding you. And he married his teacher wife Gwen on the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, so, he would have a date he could always remember, Gwen was quoted as saying. They honeymooned in China.
Choosing June 4 for your wedding day, to keep it memorable, is like choosing 9/11.
Weird.
Maybe as weird as Tim shaking Gwen’s hand when she came out on the stage after his introductory speech at Temple University. She took the handshake but pulled him in for a smooch.
The couple operated educational trips to China for years through their own travel company, which apparently was not a huge financial success.
I say that because despite an online “report” that Walz is worth $128 million, Forbes reports his net worth as less than half a million, making him less well-of than the average American of 60, his age. His salary as governor of Minnesota, $127,629, is less than Philly pays City Council members, $158,949.
He and Gwen have been married 30 years, and she must be a great match for him. During the devastating 2020 riots — more of that in a moment — Gwen said she kept the windows open. “I could smell the burning tires, and that was a very real thing. I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening.”
She kept the windows open so she could smell the burning tires. The revolution was televised, and it could be smelled.
Not to mention $500 million in damage, 164 incidents of arson, and two riot-related deaths.
In a news conference explaining the destruction, Walz pretty much gave a progressive pass to the rioters by saying, “Minneapolis and St. Paul are on fire. The fire is still smoldering in our streets. The ashes are symbolic of decades and generations of pain, of anguish unheard.”
A little later, perhaps choking on the smell of burning tires, Walz said the rioters disgraced George Floyd’s memory.
The riots began on a Tuesday night, the Minnesota National Guard was not fully mobilized until Saturday, was partially mobilized earlier, but the hometown newspaper is unclear who called them out. However, only the governor can mobilize a state’s guard units.
It seems like a delay on Walz’s part, but I am not certain.
As I researched this, I saw many stories reporting that in retrospect, Donald J. Trump criticized Walz’s actions, but at the time, Trump praised him. True, but Trump’s praise came after Walz called out the Guard. Trump’s offer of federal troops was rejected by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The mayor had criticized the governor for being tardy in sending troops, but later reversed himself.
The woke mayor was slow to request the National Guard because, well, who the hell knows why? The riots were as predictable as snow in Minnesota.
In a related note, woke Mayor Jim Kenney also declined to ask for the National Guard, even after riots had broken out in other cities. Only after Chestnut and Walnut streets were trashed, and police cars were set ablaze, did the lunkhead request help.
We can’t close without talking about Tampon Tim, as the Right has labeled him.
Why?
Because he signed a bill that required products for all students who menstruate be put in school bathrooms, including the boys bathroom. What did you say? Boys don’t menstruate. True, so the bill protects the infinitesimal number of girls who have transitioned into boys and apparently have no girl friends from whom to borrow a Tampon.
It would have made more sense, and less costly, to have Tampons in medical offices.
To wrap it up, and to be fair because that’s how I roll, here are some of Walz’s progressive accomplishments as governor. How much you like them depends on which team you root for — red or blue.
He acted to provide low-cost or free health care for illegals, and driver’s licenses for them to get to jobs (that are illegal for them to hold). Minnesota is a sanctuary state, not just for illegals, but also for minors who want sexual mutilation “gender affirming” surgery without parental approval.
Minnesota’s school children get free meals, K-12, irrespective of ability to pay, and free college tuition for kids in families with under $80,000 income. There’s paid family and medical leave for up to 20 weeks. And a $1,750 tax credit per child. Abortions are available upon demand through nine months, and they don’t have to be performed in a hospital or by a doctor.
Plus even more. Check this link.
If all of the above makes you wonder what kind of people Minnesotans elect for governor, remember they elected wrestler Jesse Ventura.
And, in case you are wondering, yes, I’ll be writing about JD Vance next.
The democrats and the mostly one sided newspapers in today’s world, wouldn’t write a column like this Stu. You need to get back on the job so people know the truth of what is going on in our country today. You just raised Will Bunch’s blood pressure for sure.
There is no chance the Inquirer would hire me back, nor be interested in anything I have to say. My time there was a hostile work environment.
The issue is not Walz’s quirks or peculiarities, of which all of us have to one degree or another, and the other side has in spades. They are a proxy for dissecting his actions during the Floyd protests.
Walz did as well as he could under very difficult circumstances. If a few behavioral idiosyncrasies came out at this time, so what?
The protests against the George Floyd death were a cry of anguish against a clear case of police brutality and racism and against decades of the same. Throwing MORE police into the mix almost certainly would have led to more injuries and death on both sides. Sometimes it’s better to let things run their course -without- throwing more gasoline on the fire. I’m sure this will always be something that haunts Walz and will likely be dredged up by Republicans repeatedly.
Perhaps sending in troops earlier would have saved a few businesses. But some of us remember Kent State. Nothing makes news like turning a protest into a live-fire exercise. Dead kids on the ground is worse than looted businesses and burned buildings.
Any criticism of Governor Walz from Republicans is laughable and pathetic. These are the people who are supporting a sociopath to represent them in this election.
Trump is the man who sat in front of the White House television watching his cult members storm the Capital, the seat of our national government and threw ketchup like a toddler venting his frustration with advisors. Trump did NOTHING for over three hours as his MAGA minions tried to prevent the Constitutional transfer of power.
Quirks, idiosyncrasies, foibles, we all have them. This is not what we should be focusing on in lieu of actions. The Republicans are living in glass houses. The would do well to avoid throwing stones and trying to come up with some actual policies to sell.
By the way if a male transitions to female they don’t get menstrual periods. This tampon thing seems to me to be a bureaucratic screw up.
🎯👏
Indeed, many of us do remember Kent State very well. But you’re comparing two completely different set of dynamics. A dangerous & crazed mob rioting, looting and burning is not the same as non-threatening college students gunned down in what was perhaps one of America’s most shameful exercises in misappropriation of military action in history. Your logic is convoluted. And by the way, the tampons were place in boys restrooms for biological females transitioning to or adopting a male identity. Their internal mechanisms remained intact and were following the rules of nature regardless of what they believed themselves to be. The school districts have permission for all students to use the bathroom of whatever gender with which they identified.
They stop having periods when they transition. Hormone blockers. No ovulation, no period.
You’re not up to speed with this. Not all transgender or trans presenting or non-binary youngsters go through the entire procedure and to involve surgical removal of internal female organs. Consequently, there are biologically female youngsters presenting in the other gender who still menstruate. And if you think about it, that’s why this government action mandated tampons in the boys restrooms. By the way, this in no way means I endorse this action.
The national guard would have been in over its head even more than Kent State.
That’s pure conjecture on your part.
You are speculating as well RL. Get over yourself and deal with the REAL issues: A GOP with no platform except for 2025 and a convicted felon versus sane and rational individuals.
I will disagree on the application of force. Example, in Philly. When the Guard arrived, the riots stopped, even though the Guard was unarmed.
The secret sauce is overwhelming numbers of law enforcement.
Kent State was a totally different situation.
Excellent commentary, Wanda.
I believe the reference was a girl transitioning to a boy.
See above comment. Either way male to female or female to male — no periods.
Maybe you should look above. I understand you have spoken and are an expert, but maybe you should listen.
Not every person that identifies opposite of their sex have transitioned in the context of medical treatment.
Girls dressed like boys and vice versa, using the bathroom they identify with.
Harris and Walz are 2 peas in a pod. Why would you vote for them. They are more far left than Will Bunch who a lot of you think is crazy progressive. Hopefully Stu opened some of your eyes and you will see the road to socialism the democrats are leading us to.
Thank you, Stu. Am looking forward to your thoughts about Vance. I saw the movie. Noted that Ron Howard directed it and Glenn Close starred in it. To me, that made it unlikely to be a political puff piece. Frankly, I thought the story was compelling even if it was not about Vance. Of course, certain elements are out to tear down Vance and will do anything to accomplish their goal of defeating Trump. I look forward to what I know will be a thoughtful and fair analysis of Vance.
I expect to publish Vance on Thursday. I saw Hillbilly Elegy, and thought it was powerful. I trust Ron Howard’s work, and some of the film makes that clan look VERY bad, JD included. I have just ordered the book, to judge for myself.
Agree, a mostly fair and balanced summary above, thank you, refreshing to read yet it is amazing how some incorrect information gets repeated. Who knows what else will be told about Walz and Harris, Trump and Vance? I recommend reading the “Hillbilly Elegy” book by Vance.
Please view the video, “The Fall of Minneapolis” to learn that George Floyd died from swallowing the drugs he had in his pocket before he was handcuffed. He was not murdered by the police. You will learn, too, how thoroughly corrupted the trial of those policemen was in Minneapolis, by the judge and by the black police chief, too, who lied under oath against his own policemen.
I suppose this incorrect information about Floyd will never die, like the JFK story of heroism when he allowed his PT boat to be run over by a much slower, less maneuverable, noisy Japanese destroyer, an occurance almost impossible to happen anywhere on earth. He ought to have been court marshaled and drummed out of the Navy except his father, an Ambassador, had it turned around and made his son a hero, when he and his crew were drunk on duty in their PT boat, according to other PT boat skippers and other Naval officers in the same battle zone.
The Fall of Minneapolis was cherry picked propaganda at its finest. Floyd’s death was classical positional asphyxia — my medico-legal specialty. I watched the videos repeatedly and whether or not Floyd had drugs in his system, the force put on the bellows actions of his lungs for as long as it was caused respiratory failure and death by asphyxia. Read:
https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/01/11/i-watched-the-fall-of-minneapolis-so-you-dont-have-to/
You don’t have to believe me.
Is he weird? He’s Will Bunch weird. Bottom line, he’s a Democrat. An anti-American lunatic. That’s all I need to know.
Leaders have to make decisions at critical times. Sometimes those decisions can hurt people’s feelings. During an emergency Governor Tim acted like Neville Chamberlain by failing to act. His actions of appeasement toward the rioters and anarchists led to the destruction of Minneapolis. History has shown when riots destroy a business area, that city’s ability to rebuild is extremely difficult. Governor Tim Waltz failed this leadership moment. I believe he may not have the determination and guts to make critical decisions at times of crises.
Your piece, though factually accurate, seems to me a “hit piece” by KNIT-PICKING every “woke” action or “sloppy” words of Walz, while completely omitting anything positive. That bothers me because it feeds the the right-wing twisted perception of the man.
A few points. Walz may have been SLOW to act to quell the riots. I’m betting he has learned from this poor judgement. Very different from Trump’s REFUSAL to act to quell the January 6 riots. And now vowing to pardon all the rioters and referring to them as patriots.
When he said (I’m paraphrasing) “I carried weapons of war”… it is SOOO taken out of context. He was not bragging. He was actually making a point about GUN CONTROL, and trying to make our Country safer from the Gun epidemic which kills and injures thousands EVERY DAY. An issue the Repugs refuse to address. In fact, other than the border crisis, Repugs refuse to address ANY issue that benefits our citizens.
Walz served bravely and honorably in our Military for 24 years. That is a LONG time! (More than half of JD Vance’s entire life). He made a life changing decision to choose a different path, while still serving our great Country. His entire life has been dedicated to Service. Not money. Not fame or celebrity. Service. A few men [Republicans] he served with have berated him for years. From what I’ve read, they seem to have a personal vendetta. And the Repugs, who are now DESPERATE, have jumped on their misguided opinions and spread them. I believe ANYONE that seeks to trash his a man like Walz’s Military service is beyond despicable. Least of all a self-serving opportunist punk like Vance.
Thank you Naomi. Spot on.
I was stating my opinion concerning the Minneapolis Riots. I appreciate Tim Waltz’s Military Service. I could never defend Donald Trump actions on January 6, 2020. I was heartbroken by the injuries incurred by Capitol Police Officers. Donald Trump was contacted and asked to make a statement to his followers to go home. His chief of staff, minority leader of the house, majority leader of the senate, his legal counsel along with other leaders requested he call off this fanatical group. He refused and let the riot and assaults on police continue for over three hours. Trump’s action on that day was also a leadership failure. Both Democrats and Republicans have to take ownership of their leadership breakdowns in the last couple years. Hopefully our leaders will make the correct ethical choices instead of pandering to their political base.
Factually accurate, but a hit piece. Hmm. So FACTS are harmful to his image. Knit-picking is reporting facts you don’t like.
Had you bothered to read my piece to the end, you would have seen a list of “Positive” (to you) things he has done.
Go look. I will wait.
And I scrupulously examined his military career and reported factually and fairly.
If you disagree, point to the flaws.
I did read to the end and still, no positives, or positives cloaked in judgement. (Yes, I believe providing Tampons is a positive, and so WHAT if some went into the boys bathrooms! Take a well intentioned action and twist it. Tacktics the Right is relentless at. That’s what I mean by knit picking. ) Except one line about his service. We’ve had this debate before. You never admit to throwing red meat to the ignorant MAGA’S ( I’m certainly NOT accusing you of being a MAGA). I don’t want to go back and forth, maybe let’s wait until your piece on the little flip flopping weasle is published.
Walz is weird. So what, who cares if he is weird. I would guess that Stu chose this term in his headline because Walz used it to describe the Republican Party.
Question is what is Harris’s stand on the many real issues facing each of us. I could care less if Harris, Walz or Trump are weird. What would their policies mean to me, that is how I will vote.
Daniel, please do not tell me how to vote or tell me I am stupid so I do not have to tell you to go yourself.
You are correct. I chose “weird” because Walz put it in play.
As to POLICY… Kamala has yet to set them, and Walz is obliged to sell them, but my column lists what HIS policies had been as governor.
I don’t tell anyone how to vote. If you want to continue the destruction of this country you will know who to vote for. I’m voting for the party that puts Americans first.