Mark Olson Gloated About the 16b Election Before His Arrest for Domestic Assault

The Bible says "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

It is ironic that Rep. Mark Olson didn't heed that advice when he bragged about defeating DFLer Jim Huhtala at the polls in the interview in an Sherburne County Citizen.

Olson tells reporter Ken Francis why he thinks he won:

“I don’t fit the mold,” Olson said, referring to the partisan politics that has pitted Republicans against Democrats. “I set out (years ago) to not participate in the things people don’t like about politics and politicians.”

...The reporter fails to ask what "things" Olson is talking about... but, on to Olson's opposition to Northstar:

“Even people who didn’t agree with me on Northstar liked what I was saying on other issues,” he says. “I follow through on what I say.”

... Even when Mark Olson was proven wrong about rail transit and nearly legislator including the leadership in Olson's own party says he was wrong about Northstar, Olson stubbornly sticks to "Stay the course!"...

[Olson] said people appreciated his candid and informative responses to letters to the editor, many of which he says were based on half-truths and misinformation.

“I’m encouraged that people in this area are paying attention to the issues and not on political rhetoric,” he said.

Rep. Olson must be referring to these letters he posted on his campaign website.

In this letter Olson said the following:

Dear Editor,
Thank you for providing a good service in support of some important political debate.  I appreciate that Ms. Joyce LeClair has stated her concerns about how my time is being spent as well as Mr. Ken Avidor and his PRT points.  Given the nature of their statements, a public discussion is very important.

 

Mark Olson had several opportunities to debate me over the years, but he ran from me every time. Mark Olson got elected because he lied about PRT and the media never investigated his lies. If the voters of 16b knew the truth about Mark Olson and Gary Dean Zimmermann's PRT scam, I doubt that the election would have turned out the way it did.

Here's another Bible quote for Mark Olson:

Better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior, and one who controls his temper is better than one who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32)

Sherburne Citizen Newspaper: "Olson Reflects On Assault Charges"

Don't you love that headline? It conjures up a benign image of a calm and contemplative Mark Olson "reflecting" on his arrest for assaulting his wife. It's far from the account I heard of a wild-eyed and incoherent Mark Olson revealed in this mugshot:



Here's the article in the Sherburne County Citizen Newspaper:

Sunday, November 19, 2006
By Jennifer Edwards

Rep. Mark Olson this week was charged with two counts of domestic abuse five days after being re-elected for the eighth time to the Minnesota House of Representatives with 58% of the vote.

“I cannot comment further on the case,” Olson said Thursday. “One thing I realized the first time I ran for re-election is that when I take a hit, my supporters take a hit too. I have never felt so unworthy of support in my life, yet they have still been supporting me. I can’t tell you how much that means, how much I appreciate that.”

Heidi Olson said she has no comment on her husband Mark’s arrest on domestic assault charges but that she may choose to issue a public statement once the case is settled.

“As the wife of a public figure, I know I have to deal with the media,” she said Wednesday. “But I was totally unprepared for the invasion that followed once the story came out.”

Olson, a public health nurse for Wright County and mother of five, said she and her children were forced to leave their home because media representatives from the Twin Cities invaded her Big Lake Township property.

“I find it disturbing that my right to privacy was not respected,” she said. “My address and pictures of my house were everywhere at a time when people now know I am here alone. I find that very scary. We have been locking things up tightly around here but it does make me nervous and it worries my children.”

Heidi Olson did the right thing and she and her children are the ones paying the penalty. Mark Olson, by contrast has gotten the kid-glove treatment by the major media. As I've pointed out in another post, The Star Tribune and the Minnesota Daily editorial boards called for the resignation of Chris Stewart, just-elected to the to the Minneapolis School Board, but has not called for Mark Olson's resignation. What was Chris Stewart's "crime"? He authored a satirical website.

Olson was arrested Sunday at a church school in Blaine. He was taken to Sherburne County Court House and spent two nights in jail before appearing in court Tuesday morning. Olson appeared before the judge clutching a Bible.

A court appointed attorney said Olson preferred not to enter a plea to the charges.

A court-appointed attorney? That's ironic. Mark Olson cannot afford his own lawyer? I should note that Olson's PRT pal Gary Dean Zimmmermann was also defended by a lawyer provided by the taxpayers even though he owned hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property.

A guilty plea would not be appropriate, but a not-guilty plea might suggest he was avoiding responsibility, he said.

...No,"avoiding responsibility" means leaving the decision up to the judge...

According to the criminal complaint, the police were called to Olson’s home late Sunday afternoon after Olson pushed his wife, Heidi, to the ground three times during the course of an argument. The impact was sufficient to leave her bruised. Olson told investigators he grabbed his wife and “placed her” on the ground.

...like an inanimate object... a piece of furniture...

Olson, 51, left the courtroom, asking for forgiveness from God, his wife and family and the public.

“I want to do everything I can to make that right, as right as I can,” he said. “I have failed and I want to be responsible for that. I ask for everyone’s forgiveness in my wrong, and that will be defined more clearly as we go through the process.”

Olson was released without bail and ordered to stay away from his home, his wife and children. He will return to court Dec. 12. The maximum penalty for each of the two misdemeanor charges is 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

This incident is not Olson’s first offense. Eight years ago, he was charged with throwing a typewriter at his secretary and attended anger management classes.

...actually that was the first of two reported incidents of Olson abusing staff. Legislative aides complained about Mark Olson's abusive behavior in 1997 (see yesterday's posts).

Olson has said it is not his intent to resign his position at the legislature. Only a felony charge would result in his being automatically removed from office.

...that's the standard now for Mark Olson?... a felony? This is what he ran on a few years ago:

However Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum has said he will ask for Olson’s resignation if he is found guilty of the charges.

... Sviggum has known about and enabled Olson's violent behavior for many years. He should be demanding Olson's resignation now.

Olson could also be subject to recall by voters under state law. If an ethics complaint is filed against Olson and found to be warranted, the House has broad powers to discipline him further.

...will the Republican leadership continue to allow Mark Olson's mugshot to be the face of their party?

Citizen Newspaper Readers respond to Olson's arrest. A citizen of Big Lake writes this letter to the editor:

To The Editor,

Spousal abuse is a terrible crime. In the case of Rep. Olson, his victim is twice hurt, once by him and again by having this issue brought into the public light.

I pray that God gives her the courage to understand that the shame this crime has caused is entirely his and is no reflection on her. It takes incredible courage to report this crime and is a credit to her that she has the integrity and strength to put a stop to this abuse.

I pray that her friends and family and this community come to her support and praise her for her actions that protected her and her children. I hope that her actions will encourage others who suffer from this terrible crime to come forth and report abuse.

I hope that this high profile case will be used as a message to those who abuse that this type of behavior has serious consequences and that Rep. Olson is made an example of. We need to be able to say that spousal abuse means that you will go to jail. He has lost his credibility and can no longer represent this district.

Jill Anderson

Big Lake, MN

Another citizen of Big Lake writes:

To The Editor,

I am disappointed by the actions of Rep. Mark Olson. His statements to the press after his release from jail on Tuesday show that he is not ready to accept responsibility for his actions.

Mark knocked his wife to the ground three times and left bruises on his victim. Mark said that he “placed her on the ground”. Rep. Olson is a home builder and comes from a family that is hardly impoverished yet he made the taxpayers of Sherburne County pick up his bill for attorney’s fees by using a court appointed lawyer.

Rep. Olson said a guilty plea was “inappropriate”. Spousal abuse is a serious crime. It’s an act of terror and power that humiliates its victims and teaches the wrong lessons to children exposed to it.

Rep. Olson and other law makers need to understand this. I expect those that make the laws to plead guilty when they break them. Only a coward terrorizes his wife and children. It should be noted that Rep. Olson was one of the few members of the house that voted against increased funding for battered women’s shelters. His abuse of those who he perceives him self to have power over goes back to his first term when he assaulted his legislative assistant and was ordered by the speaker of the house to take anger management classes.

Rep. Olson attended only two classes. We are now represented by a man who will be forever known by his mug shot and arrest for wife beating. He is no longer a role model for children or an example of what a Representative should be.

Rachel Bye

Big Lake, MN

The Twin Cities media needs to do a better job of covering this story and not leave it up to local, right-wing newspaper. They need to demand that Mark Olson talk directly to the citizens who pay his salary, benefits and legal fees. He should no longer be allowed to hide behind the law. The major media also needs to ask why the Republican leadership continues to support Mark Olson.

Is Mary Kiffmeyer Planning to Run in 16b Special Election?

The rumor is former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer is planning to run in a special election following the resignation of Rep. Mark Olson.

UPDATE: The next blog: Huhtala Vs. Kiffmeyer

Mark Olson: Articles and Brochure Clippings Reveal a Pattern of Abuse and Denial

Scroll down and read these newspaper articles and clippings from Mark Olson's campaign brochures.

1/20/97 Strib on Mark Olson's staff abuse:

"Legislator slapped for Staff Abuse"

Here's a copy of that article:

Mark Olson Survey Response: "Harmful to a child to not receive discipline..."

A strange statement from a guy who was a bachelor for most of his life:



Larger sized scan HERE.

Mark Olson 1996 Brochure Said He Supported "Holding Legislators Accountable for Unethical/Illegal Activities"

Mark Olson's 1996 brochure also asks for "Tougher Penalties for Crime".

Monticello Times: Steve Sviggum Makes Excuses for Mark Olson's Abuse

January 23, Monticello Times:

"Mark Olson is very much a perfectionist and has high expectations that some people don't live up to," Sviggum told the Times, "It's not an abusive situation, but he's had higher expectations than what others were able to provide."

Scan of complete article HERE.

"Olson Refutes Allegations of Abuse..."

January '97 Big Lake newspaper articlereveals Mark Olson's paranoid concerns about working with legislative aides:

Larger sized scan HERE.

Olson Supporter Blames Teenagers and Criticizes Homosexuals

A comment on the MN PUBLIUS blog:

Written by: Em
Posted on: November 15, 2006 at 10:09 pm

This comment is to Offred… I know Mark Olson personally. You are being judgemental and critical without knowing the facts of his marriage or situation. I do know the facts. Raising teenagers and in particular teenagers that are not your own is a very difficult job. You all make me very sick. You sound very hateful and vengeful and I am disgusted. I hope you will all have to eat your words someday. Don’t judge others when you don’t walk in their shoes. Isn’t that what you homosexuals are asking of others…You don’t want others passing judgement on you so why do you do it to others, you hypocrites.

Is this a preview of what Mark Olson's defense will be at his trial?

Why Pistol-Packing, Wife-Beating Rep. Mark Olson Must Resign Now

If Mark Olson had been arrested for smoking crack cocaine, it's safe to say that he'd have resigned by now. Instead Mark Olson's been arrested for domestic assault... for Steve Sviggum and Republicans that's not enough to ask Olson to resign. Sviggum requires a conviction.

Why is an arrest for beating a woman a wait-and-see offence as opposed to being arrested for smoking crack?

In Minneapolis, the Star Tribune and the Minnesota Daily called for a school board member to resign because he authored a satirical website. The Minneapolis Star Tribune has not asked for Olson to resign.

Why the double standard?

It's racism, sexism... and politics.

It's clear that Sviggum and the Republicans are stalling for time so they can find a candidate to run in a special election that is almost a certainty. and that is disgusting. What kind of message does that send?

From the Truth Surfer blog:

October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. What's that you say, you missed it? So did most of us because for the most part, the media chose to ignore the issue. That makes the media coverage of Minnesota's Rep. Mark Olson arrest this week for domestic abuse even more ironic.

Mark Olson, a Big Lake-area legislator recently reelected to his eighth term, was charged with fifth-degree domestic assault for hitting his wife (forcing her to the floor). Instead of using it as an opportunity to educate the public on the epidemic level of abuse in America (and Minnesota), the media has instead made it into just a problem for Olson his political party.

But it’s a lot more than just another story. Not when domestic violence accounts for over 25% of the crimes reported in Minnesota yet we know that 80% of all domestic abuse goes unreported. The story of Mark Olson is played out everyday over and over again in Minnesota’s homes.

Given Olson’s past aggression against a women and his refusal of treatment, his current punishment should be the maximum that can be given by both the court system and his legislative peers.

A while ago someone told me that Rep Mark Olson wore a concealed handgun on the floor of the legislature. I asked somebody in Sherburne County and he said that it was true that Olson used to carry a gun on the floor but a new law was passed that stopped him from doing it last year.

It is important to know whether the arrest report done by the Blaine Police Department mentioned whether Mark Olson was carrying a handgun when he was arrested in the church. If so, then this would be a much more serious crime; having a hand gun while commiting a violent crime.

Olson apparently has a permit and is known for always having it with him.

My sources say that Mark Olson was having a "nervous breakdown" and was rambling and quoting the bible and "making no sense" after his arrest.

Contact Governor Pawlenty and Steve Sviggum and tell them that Mark Olson must resign now.

A Letter From Sherburne County

I received this e-mail today:

Hi.

I have been asked by many of you for my thoughts in regards to Rep. Olson’s arrest. The State DFL party has chosen (correctly) to stay out of this. This is a matter between Rep. Olson and those he represents; and, of course, the Republican caucus and Rep. Olson.

The matter is if we will accept an abuser having our voice in the State House. I would hope that our elected officials hold themselves to the same standard that they hold the rest of us to. His actions and words after the fact are clear indications that he does not. There are laws on the books which exclude persons convicted of domestic violence from working as police officers, nurses, social workers, school bus drivers and other positions of public trust. State Representatives are expected to be role models for our community and of course our children.

This is not the first time Olson has used violence over those whom he perceives to have power over. During his first term in office he abused his aid and was ordered by House Speaker Sviggum to attend anger management courses. He attended only two. He has been openly hostile to constituents who bring him concerns that differ from his own view of the world.

Domestic violence is a very serious crime. It is the type of behavior that is often passed from generation to generation. For too many years this crime has been taken lightly by police, lawmakers and society in general. This is not an issue between husband and wife but rather an issue between those who think violence is an acceptable form of expression and those of use who don’t. For 40 years women’s groups have been fighting to end the cycle of violence against women. To allow an elected official to get away with it would be unforgivable.

Rep. Olson’s refusal to enter a plea and downplay the actions he inflicted on his wife (“I placed her on the ground”) show that he is in denial and does not take this issue with the seriousness it deserves. Rep Olson has been one of the few members of the house to vote against funding for battered women’s shelters.

I think we all need to commend Mark’s wife Heidi for her remarkable courage in reporting this crime. Heidi must have known that this would put her and her family in the public spotlight. Yet she stood up for herself and her children by saying “No more”. Time and time again I am amazed at the strength that women like Heidi Olson and others in her position show. Indeed I hope she is used as an example to others who may be suffering in silence. They can break the cycle of abuse, and we all need to recognize and praise her efforts. To beat your wife is the act of a coward. To report it is the act of a hero.

I ask all of you to consider voicing your opinions on this matter. I ask you to do so publicly. Rep. Sviggum, Olson, Erickson and others need to hear your voice. Our newspapers the Elk River Star, The Sherburne County Citizen, The West Sherburne Tribune, The Princeton Union Eagle, The St. Cloud Times, The Minneapolis Star and Tribune and Pioneer Press.

I am also asking you to do something positive.

“Rivers of Hope” Is a shelter that helps victims of abuse.

I would like everyone who reads this to send a donation to this fine non profit group.

Last year over 1700 people applied for help at this shelter. They also send counselors to schools to help children who may be at risk.

The address to send your donation is:

PO box 511
Monticello, MN
55326

Thank you,

Tom Beckfeld

You can learn more about Rivers of Hope at the Rivers of Hope web site.

12 Days Ago Steve Sviggum Called Mark Olson "The Conscience of the Legislature"

From The Sherburne County Citizen:

Sunday, November 05, 2006

To The Editor,

I often refer to your state representative, Mark Olson, as the "conscience of the Legislature." Mark is one of the most principled and thoughtful persons I know - certainly one of the most principled legislators I've ever had the opportunity to work with.

Mark makes a positive difference for governing at the State Capitol. He is a person who gets results and that you can work with, but you better have your facts and information correct and supported. For instance, Mark led the repeal of the Profile of Learning before it was the popular thing to do. In the middle 1990's he stood almost alone gathering support every year until in 2003 the repeal passed the Legislature almost unanimously.

Yes, the State Legislature needs a whole lot more people like Mark Olson. At times his standards and expectations are difficult to meet, but Mark's makes me, the Legislature, and the State of Minnesota so much better.

Steve Sviggum

Speaker of the House

St. Paul, MN

Minnesota DFL Responds to Mark Olson's Arrest

From MN Publius:

To: Interested Parties
From: Jess McIntosh, Communications Director, Minnesota DFL
Re: Rep. Olson
Date: 11/14/06

I’ve received a number of queries asking for our response on the arrest of Republican Rep. Mark Olson.

I’m answering with this instead:

The campaign is over. If it doesn’t move the democratic (small d) agenda forward, we aren’t going to deal with it. The DFL Party gained power with an overwhelming victory last Tuesday. But as Congressman-elect Tim Walz says, “This is not a Democratic mandate. It’s an American mandate.”

We won because we focused on the bread-and-butter issues that matter to Minnesota. No matter what kitchen appliances the opposition ripped up and flung at us, we stuck to the issues. We ran the kind of campaign that paved the way for governing. It was a campaign of inclusiveness and civility. It was everything the Republican Party abandoned when they decided political power was the most important force in government.

So Ron Carey can call on Brian to apologize for the behavior of DFL Rep. Dittrich’s husband, who allegedly removed GOP lawn signs at a homeowner’s request, and the media can pick up that quote and run with it [matt’s note: turns out Dittrich’s husband did nothing wrong, for the record]. And the very next week, when we have the chance to paint Ron Carey and all Republicans with the same flawed brush that was used to create Rep. Olson, we will pass. It is not weakness or passivity.

It was wrong when Carey did it. Just because he set a bad precedent, it doesn’t make it right that Brian follows.

Ron Carey does not need to apologize for Rep. Olson’s behavior. That’s between Rep. Olson, his wife, and God. It is not reflective of the Republican Party and not relevant to the political discourse.

We won last week because this country is sick to death of the depths to which our failed leaders have sunk us. We won because we made America remember how good – how hopeful – things can be. We can have – and, in fact, deserve – effective, responsible, accountable government that works in our best interests tirelessly, with courage and integrity.

The campaign is over. We won. Now it’s time to show everyone what we were fighting for.

Jess McIntosh
Communications Director
Minnesota DFL Party

Then it’s up to the citizens of Minnesota .

Please call and write newspapers and elected officials and ask that Rep. Mark Olson be removed from the Minnesota legislature.

Sviggum Says Olson Should Resign if he's Found Guilty

Saint Cloud Times:

Minnesota House Speaker Steve Sviggum said he will recommend Mark Olson resign his seat in the House if he is found guilty of assaulting his wife.

Olson, a Big Lake Republican who was elected to an eighth term Nov. 7, was charged Tuesday with domestic assault after an incident involving his wife, Heidi, on Sunday.

Sviggum, who will end his eight-year tenure as speaker in December, in a statement, called the allegations against Olson very serious and will be treated as such.

“If Rep. Mark Olson is found guilty of these... charges, I will personally recommend he resign from the Minnesota House of Representatives.”

Sviggum also said the House sits in judgment of its own members and has an ethics committee process for dealing with matters of this importance.

Saint Cloud Times readers comment:

Deminn from Minnesota
Posted: Nov. 15, at 8:17 AM

"after spending two nights in jail. He did not offer a plea and was released without bail."
Is this the standard treatment anyone could be expecting for a similar offense?

============

MASTER OF rePUPPETlicanS from Wherever I May Roam
Posted: Nov. 15, at 8:36 AM

Even if Olson's seat were to turn DFL (which it won't) I can understand why Steve Sviggum wouldn't be too excited about going to bat for Olson.
12 years ago when Olson chucked a typewriter at his secretary's head, Mr. Sviggum offered to go to anger management with Olson... but Olson refused to go.
Mark Olson needs professional help... and his wife needs a divorce before he screws up her kids.
JMHO

============

mom to several from stearns county
Posted: Nov. 15, at 8:51 AM

Mark Olson should be given a leave of absence and be put in treatment for anger management to see if he can be helped. This should be part of his sentence. We should be there to help this person abandon him. We are all you compassionate left wingers? Isn't this somthing you live for? We should feel bad for everyone and try to help all. No one should be left behind....right?

============

MASTER OF rePUPPETlicanS from Wherever I May Roam
Posted: Nov. 15, at 9:08 AM

W(h)e(re) are all you compassionate left wingers?
Advising Mrs. Olson to get a divorce before he (Mark Olson) screws up the 5 kids she had with her late husband.
... and advising Mr. Olson to get professional help.
Abusers rarely change... as is evident by Mr. Olson's "history".

============

auntiGustaGene from St. Cloud
Posted: Nov. 15, at 9:27 AM

I believe i read yesterday that if a defendent does not offer a plea the judge is obligated to list his plea as "not guilty." So, in essence, Olson pled, not guilty, despite his rhetoric.
Olson was elected to office. HE has abandoned the standard we ALL should live by. He should take his personal inadequacies to a personal place and get out of the public's policy writing and the public pocketbook.
This isn't about party line - It's about a man who has demonstrated abusive/control tendencies in the past and likely will again.
Good advice: IF you have an abusive partner, NEVER give another chance. IF s/he claims the ability to change, let him prove it with some other poor sap. You won't be missing anything except waiting for the other shoe to drop......'cause it most likely will.......and you're the one who will bruise and bleed.

============

peepers from cheeseland
Posted: Nov. 15, at 9:35 AM

If you listen very carefully you can hear the “Family Value" hypocrisy alarm going off, someplace other than Washington. What a shock!

============
Rush from Spin City
Posted: Nov. 15, at 10:37 AM

Unbelievable, GOP family values, they just gave senate leadership back to Mr. family values--Trent Lott. Truelly unbeleivable. Wake Up!

I urge readers to get in touch with their legislators and let them know whether you think Rep. Mark Olson should be asked to resign.

The Complaint Against Rep. Mark Olson

The Pioneer Press summarizes the complaint:

According to a criminal complaint, sheriff's deputies arrived at Olson's home at 20945 County Road 43 in Big Lake Township on Sunday and spoke with his wife, Heidi Olson. She said she and her husband had gotten in an argument and that he had pushed her to the ground three times.

An examination of Heidi Olson revealed a "fresh bruise," the complaint added.

Mark Olson was picked up several hours later at the private Calvin Christian School in Blaine. When questioned Monday by authorities, Mark Olson "admitted to grabbing his wife by the shoulders and placing her to the ground," the complaint stated.

The article adds the following:

Court officials said Olson was ordered to have no contact with his wife; he was allowed to return to his home, accompanied by authorities, to pick up his belongings.

Olson walked out of jail, a Bible in hand, and told several broadcast outlets he would seek forgiveness from a variety of parties.

"I first of all need God's forgiveness, and I need my wife's forgiveness, and my family's … and then I need the public's," he said.

According to his campaign Web site, Olson has been a "carpenter and log home builder" for 25 years. Since 1999, the site adds, Olson has sat on the Monticello-Big Lake Hospital Ethics committee.

Mark Olson is slated to be arraigned Dec. 12 in Sherburne County District Court. The charges against him each carry a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

You can view copies of the complaint here:

1st Page

2nd Page.

3rd Page.

Audio of Mark Olson Begging for Forgiveness

After his court appearance after being charged with an assault on his wife, Mark Olson begs for forgiveness... Star Tribune audio here.

From the comments:

Ken, you might want to let your readers know that Mark Olson is listed in the Minnesota Young Republicans' Hall of Fame.

Mark Olson Cried in Court

From the A.P. and KARE 11 News:

A tearful state Rep. Mark Olson on Tuesday made his first court appearance after his arrest for alleged domestic abuse, and was released without bail on the condition that he stay away from his wife and her five children.

Through his court-appointed attorney, the Republican from Big Lake said he would not enter a plea in the case. He said a guilty plea would be inappropriate and a not guilty plea would suggest he was "avoiding responsibility."

The judge allowed Olson to return to his house once to retrieve his personal belongings. Olson told reporters Tuesday that he had no intention of resigning from the Legislature.

The criminal complaint filed in the case said Olson's wife, Heidi, told sheriff's deputies that Olson pushed her to the ground three times during an argument Sunday at their home in Big Lake. Deputies noted that she had a "fresh bruise."

After Olson was arrested Sunday night, he told deputies on Monday that he grabbed his wife by the shoulders "placing her on the ground," according to the criminal complaint.

Olson, who was handcuffed and wearing jail orange, told reporters Tuesday "I first of all need God's forgiveness. And I need my wife's forgiveness and my family's. And then I need the public's forgiveness."

The article concludes by saying Mark Olson's next court date was set for Dec. 12.

Mark Olson: "Wife-Beating Politican of the Day"

From Wonkette

Today’s violent Republican is Mark Olson of the Minnesota State House. And yes, there are fifty other guys named “Mark Olson” in the Minnesota State House, but this is the crazy-eyed one.

Showing typical midwestern politeness, he waited until after the elections to beat up on his wife, bruising her on Sunday and appearing in court this morning to not answer the charges. Olson refused to enter a plea, because he did it, but it would inappropriate to say as much.

Olson’s wife says he “pushed her to the ground three times,” while Olson admits only to “placing her to the ground.” As we said, they’re very polite up there.

Yes, we as posting this mostly for the crazy eyes.

Like his pal Michele Bachmann, Mark Olson is making Minnesota look bad.

Patience....

I'm just catching up with all the news.

More Local Television News Cover Rep. Mark Olson's Arrest

News reports said that Mark Olson will appear before in court today... I hope to have a lot more about that after 5 PM.

Several local television news programs covered the arrest of Mark Olson. The local Fox station's report had a brief shot of a Dump Mark Olson video posted on You Tube.



You can find all three videos on my You Tube site.

Here's more screenshots from the Fox 9 broadcast. You can watch that segment on the My Fox Twin Cities Site.

Rep. Mark Olson Arrested

Here are the mug shots:



The Pioneer Press has the story:

ELK RIVER, Minn. - State Rep. Mark Olson has been arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic abuse, a Sherburne County sheriff's official said Monday.

Chief Deputy Scott Gudmundson said on Monday that Olson, R-Big Lake, would remain in the county jail until he makes his first court appearance, possibly Tuesday.

The arrest was made at a private school in Blaine at 7:45 p.m. Sunday, almost three hours after authorities were called to the Big Lake home Olson shares with his wife, Heidi. The couple has five children.

Blaine Police Chief Dave Johnson said two officers checked Calvin Christian School as a possible location for Olson. He was arrested without incident, handcuffed and transferred to Sherburne County authorities.

Olson is being held on allegations of fifth-degree domestic assault. Gudmundson wouldn't release details of the incident.

The St. Cloud Times first reported the arrest on its Web site.

Here's a few comments on that Saint Cloud Times story:

------

boatman from St. Cloud
Posted: Nov. 13, at 2:39 PM

Is this the guy that worked closely with Representative Elect Mrs. Marcus Bachmann on the Personal Transit System, which I believe is currently being investigated ?

------

John Ellenbecker from St. Cloud
Posted: Nov. 13, at 5:15 PM

If convicted he will lose his right to bear arms for the rest of his life - by federal law. I wonder if the NRA will still endorse him?

------
sciguy from Happyland
Posted: Nov. 13, at 5:18 PM

This story was just on the 5:00 news. They showed a clip of him speaking out against gay marriage. My wife wondered if the reason he was against gay marriage was because he wouldn't be able to smack around another man quite as easily!
------

KARE 11 video HERE

Stay tuned.

Beard Contest and PRT Cram Highlight WVU's Mountaineer Week

This news from Morgantown, West Virginia:

MORGANTOWN - West Virginia University's celebrated Mountaineer Week with the annual PRT cram and beard shaving competition.

In the PRT cram, students had 5 minutes to get as many people as they could in the car from the university's Personal Rapid Transit monorail system.

A final tally for the winning team was not available, but the previous record was set back in 2000 with 97 students.

In the beard growing contest, the guys had three weeks to grow their beards.

The winner was senior Jason Gross. He said before this competition, he's never even grown a beard before.

A source tells me Sherburne County's most prominent PRT promoter may be in the process of losing his beard too.

Larry Fabian Says He Isn't Gloating...

Larry Fabian, the Treasurer for ATRA, a group that promotes Personal Rapid Transit sent me another e-mail;

Who's gloating?

I simply pity your dismal attitude that is so determined to block progress. Do you somehow think the current urban transport situation is sustainable? Your intelligence and talent shouldn't allow such obvious short-sightedness.

Larry Fabian

Happy that a 30-year cycle of technological stagnation -- spanning both of our main political parties -- is over.

Although Olson sponsored a PRT amendment in the last legislative session, it is unlikely that he will mention PRT again at the legislature. The House leader, Margaret Keliher spoke against PRT in 2004 and she won't allow a PRT bill to go anywhere as long as she's in charge.

In Minnesota, it's all over for PRT... 'nuff said.

Look Who is Gloating About Bachmann and Olson Winning

Just received this e-mail:

How is that you haven't posted the results of Tuesday's elections yet?

Bucking the Democrat thumping, Minnesota's two PRTistias were reelected, I see. Wouldn't honesty urge you to post that on your lovely website?

Larry Fabian
The One Who You So Kindly Told to %#$@ Off

Larry Fabian is Treasurer for ATRA, a group that promotes Personal Rapid Transit.

It's a shame that the media never asked Mark Olson why he and Gary Dean Zimmermann's sponsored legislation for PRT and promoted their PRT boondoggle in the media.

UPDATE: Also gloating, Seattle PRT promoter David Gow.

Better Luck Next time!

Have You Had Enough of the "Crazy Cooter"?

Steve Sviggum has a letter in support for Rep. Mark Olson in the Sherburne County Citizen. Sviggum strains to think of a way to praise Mark Olson:

Yes, the State Legislature needs a whole lot more people like Mark Olson. At times his standards and expectations are difficult to meet, but Mark's makes me, the Legislature, and the State of Minnesota so much better.

Flashback to 2005.... Minnesota Politics:

Even though nothing is getting done, the legislature continues to meet to fulfill its obligations under the state constitution. Usually, they meet for a few minutes, staying just long enough to adjourn until the next meeting three days hence. Lately, crazy cooter Mark Olson has tried repeatedly to take up budget issues, but he is rebuffed.

A couple of Mark Olson's political pals give two thumbs up to Olson's fantasy-based PRT while knocking reality-based transit:

Perhaps people have forgotten that the much-praised light rail between downtown Minneapolis and the MOA is kept viable by subsidies.

LRT is much-praised... even by Republicans Tim Pawlenty and Steve Sviggum. Few legislators have patience anymore for Olson's PRT shennanigans.

A year ago, the good citizens of the 6th Ward of Minneapolis voted Gary Dean Zimmermann out of office. Tomorrow, I hope the good citizens of Sherburne County will vote Zimmmermann's PRT pod pal Mark Olson out of office too.

Learn more about the PRT scam at the PRT is a Joke web site.

Video of Rep. Mark Olson Making a Fool of Himself (Again)

In this video of a House floor debate in 2005, Rep. Mark Olson blurs the line between church and state when he argues against same sex marriage:



Contrast Mark Olson's rambling and confused speech with Rep. Keith Ellison's eloquent defense of the rights of minorities against a bigoted majority:



I have a wife and two children and I agree with Keith Ellison.. my marriage has not been effected by the marriage of same sex couples.

Rep. Mark Olson Versus The Hiawatha LRT Line

The thought occurred to me today that many voters in 16b may not have seen the new Hiawatha LRT. They would not know how convenient, fast, quiet and dependable the LRT is. They may not know how beautiful the stations are.

I made this video so people can see for themselves what and other anti-transit politicians like Rep. Mark Olson, Michele Bachmann, Rep. Vandeveer and former Minneapolis Councilman Dean Zimmermann have opposed all these years.

Personal Rapid Transit: "...computers are not the magic bullet that will save us."

From the Minneapolis Issues:

Ignoring all of the problems with actually building the [PRT]
infrastructure, I will focus in on the area of my professional
expertise: large-scale computing systems.

The idea that computers can automatically control a distributed
network of machines that by their nature have a human interaction
component and that this system will work at peak efficiency
with vehicles traveling inches behind one another is absurd.

We have plenty of examples of much smaller and less complex
systems have taken years to get right, if at all. A few that
come to mind:

- Denver airport's baggage handling system

- MSP airport's trams (which only go from one single, fixed point
to another!)

- Metro Transit's GoTo card system

As a computer professional, I can state with utter certainty that
computers are not the magic bullet that will save us. At one
level they are extremely simple machines. But at another level,
they are incredibly complex. Debugging distributed software is
no easy task. Programs will always have bugs. The question is,
can the developer get rid of enough of the critical ones to make
the system mostly functional? Is mostly functional good enough?

In technical terms, the problem of optimally scheduling a
distributed network of traveling objects is likely NP-complete
(I haven't done the formal analysis). That means that the
computer will have to make guesses and I can guarantee that
it will guess wrong in some cases. That doesn't mean the
system will break down, but it won't always achieve the peak
efficiency that its promoters proclaim.

A system like PRT will need many layers of redundancy, and that
adds cost. I just don't buy the claim that private companies
will pay for it and make a profit. If that were the case, why
does PRT need any subsidy at all?

I work in the supercomputing industry developing the software
that users need to develop their applications. I also do some
high-level hardware architecture work. A system like PRT will
need something equivalent to a low-end supercomputer to work.
I know how difficult it is to get these systems to function.

The claims made by PRT proponents are pie-in-the-sky nonsense.
They are made by people who have no real understanding of the
underlying technology needs and complexities.

David Greene
The Wedge

"AHS TO HIPPIES: PRT is American and you are not"

This from American Hot Sausage:

AHS TO HIPPIES: PRT is American and you are not

A local Minnesota inventor created the "J-Pod," or at least a low-tech prototype of what PRT would look like. It would require 140 miles of track to carry 100,000 pods, but the savings would be $600,000 per day. Wow. Also, it's considered a moving internet. You search it's computer for your destination and it takes you there. It's like a taxi, except you can carry alcohol and eat pork.

As you might guess, Mr. Avidor is against JPods too. He has plenty bad to say about them. However, this only masks his anti-Americanism. AHS is pretty sharp and we can spot a phony a mile away. Sure, he tries to make it about creating rational public policy, but his sinister intentions are made clear by inspecting the picture of the JPod. Look closely and you'll see what really has Mr. Avidor and his liberal band of kook-aid drinkers hot.

That's right, look to the right door panel, just below the tinted window, and you'll see what really has PRT critics up in arms. It's the support our troops sticker with American colors. Yes, we're on to you liberal wackos and your hatred for the innovation of this country. Left up to you Saddam would still lead Iraq and we'd all be riding bicycles to the unemployment office. No, way buddy. We're Americans. We're right and your not.

Mr. Sausage must be talking about these PRT-promoting Americans (Green Party's Gary Dean Zimmermann and Dave Bicking):

Bad Hair Day for Rep. Mark Olson

Today, the Saint Cloud Times editorial board endorsed Jim Huhtala. The SC Times editors also scolded Mark Olson for not responding to their request for an interview and for promoting PRT:

...Olson, who in 14 years of legislative service has cast more than his share of truly confusing votes and taken some bizarre stands on issue. Tops on the list: He opposes Northstar but supports personal rapid transit, a yet-unproven transit system involving individual cars on yet-to-be-built tracks.

.

Here is a short clip of Mark Olson trying to bamboozle a weary legislature into voting for his ridiculous PRT amendment during the 2006 session:

Saint Cloud Times: "Huhtala pushes for bipartisan solutions"

The Saint Cloud Times editorial board endorsed Jim Huhtala today.The SC Times editors also scold Mark Olson for declining to respond to the editorial board's survey and for promoting PRT.

Published: October 24. 2006 1:00AM

This is part of a series of endorsements from the Times Editorial Board regarding the Nov. 7 elections. Our View represents the majority viewpoint of the board and is based on information gleaned from interviews, surveys and media coverage.

Today's endorsements cover legislative District 16.

To read unedited responses from these candidates to an editorial board questionnaire, go to www.sctimes.com/opinion and click on the icon accompanying this Our View.

Voters in legislative District 16 have interesting, difficult and even extreme choices to make on Election Day.

But there is one choice that's easy. It's voting for Jim Huhtala in the House District 16B race.

Why? For starters, Huhtala, a DFLer, embraces moderate stances on issues such as education funding and fair and reasonable tax policies.
More so, though, we believe he is the candidate most in touch with constituent needs in the fast-growing district, which includes Clear Lake, Becker, Big Lake and Zimmerman. For example, he supports the Northstar Corridor commuter rail line. He also says he is willing to put aside partisan bickering to make progress at the Legislature.

Which brings us to his opponent, seven-term Republican Mark Olson. He declined to respond to this editorial board's survey, noting that he didn't believe it was important to his re-election.

The relevancy of this board's endorsements is certainly subjective. What's not, though, is any candidate for public office refusing requests from constituents for information on what they stand for and how they might vote.

That's especially true for Olson, who in 14 years of legislative service has cast more than his share of truly confusing votes and taken some bizarre stands on issue. Tops on the list: He opposes Northstar but supports personal rapid transit, a yet-unproven transit system involving individual cars on yet-to-be-built tracks.

Transit issues aside, whether it's arrogance or incumbency or both, any time a politician adopts the attitude of being unwilling to share views with constituents, it's time for a change.

Mark Olson in His Own Words...

You can also see this movie at You Tube.

Mark Olson Throws "Personal Rapid Transit" Under the Bus

After years of fighting rail transit, Mark Olson now says he supports Northstar in his campaign literature:



I could find no mention of PRT in Olson's campaign literature. The voters shouldn't be fooled. Olson is still a PRTista... he said so in this letter to the Sherburne County Citizen a few weeks back. What's changed is that he knows that Northstar is very popular now with voters.

I hope the voters in 16b remember that Olson wasted many years in office promoting a bogus transportation concept:



Here's a few other interesting pictures in Olson's weird and mostly incoherent campaign literature:



That's a hilarious photo... Rep. Frank Hornstein was PRT's biggest foe in the Minnesota Legislature. Rep. Hornstein should get a medal for saving the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars that would have been wasted on Olson and Bachmann's PRT bills... speaking of God's "Chosen One" for the 6th Congressional District...



...Bachmann didn't show up for the forum last night in Princeton, but people at the forum were still talking about her bizarre performance at the Living Word Church. Links and transcripts of Bachmann's wacky antics HERE..

Forum in Princeton

I'll have something on the forum later in the week... stay tuned.

Personal Rapid Transit: Perfect for Mark Olson Because it "...will never be built."

An excellent letter in the Sherburne County Citizen:

To The Editor,

I have to say that Mark Swanson’s Letter to the Editor pointed out some great facts. Building the PRT is easy; just get off the drawing board and onto the street. Private companies will build it and maintain it and the only people who will pay for it will be those who actually use it. It’s already designed so all we need is someone to build a working model, test it for a few years then we find an investor who will underwrite it, acquire the land, get an ok from all the towns, cities, county’s etc.

To get the ball rolling we will give some tax breaks to the investors. I’m amazed no other town has done it. It shouldn’t take more than twenty or thirty years to get this up and running in some areas. But how does this help us? The PRT was never meant to be used for our area. It will do nothing to relieve the congestion on Hwy. 10 or I94 the area Olson represents. Comparing the PRT to the NorthStar is apples to oranges. They are used for different purposes. And that’s the point. Mark Olson knew this.

He knew PRT was decades away from maybe being useful. He knows building a 20 foot high rail system around the metro area would never pass all the hurdles one would have to jump through. He knows no one will ever be able or willing to raise the mega bucks required. And if you think that the ridership alone will pay for this then I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you.

Yet he still voted to spend our money on this. Rep. Olson is not naive. He knew that PRT was the perfect mass transit system for him, one that will never be built.

Tom Beckfeld

Campaign Manager, Jim Huhtala for 16B

Big Lake, MN

Here is another letter from Olson's opponent, DFL-endorsed Jim Huhtala:

To The Editor,

It’s great to see all the lively debate going on in these pages the last few weeks. I have been called on to explain my position on several issues. I am limited to using 300 words so I’ll cut right to the point.

I’m for the NorthStar. It’s the quickest, cheapest and best plan we have to relieve our traffic congestion. Of course I’m for the Hwy. 10 bypass through Anoka and Elk River but let’s face it, most of us will be dead and gone before this project is undertaken. The NorthStar is a good start but it’s just the first of many steps we will need to take.

I will not be satisfied with our education system until we are once again the best in the nation and the world. I am against the federal mandates. I’m against the state telling local school districts how to spend their recourses. I am in favor of more state funding to relieve the dependence on local property tax.

I am appalled that here in Minnesota we have 400,000 people without health care, 80,000 of those are children. The head of a “non-profit” health insurance company being paid 1.6 billion dollars is obscene. From 2000 - 2004 health insurance premiums in Minnesota increased by 73%. At this rate by 2010 the average cost of family health insurance will be $22,000 per year. I’m for: allowing small employers to purchase coverage through MinnesotaCare, expanding MinnesotaCare not cutting it, establishing a bulk purchasing program for prescription drugs to lower their cost.

There is much more to discuss but my space here is limited. Please feel free to contact me at (320) 260-6830 or visit my web page and e-mail me any questions.

Jim Huhtala

Clear Lake, MN

Wow! A candidate who talks about real issues instead of wedge issues like gay marriage and PRT!

Olson Tries to Defend His Personal Rapid Transit Boondoggle

There was a couple letters in the October 14 Sherburne Citizen Newspaper from Rep. Mark Olson and Mark Swanson who called me a "left wing author" in his last letter. I think Mark Swanson is Mark Olson's old campaign manager.

I'll respond to Olson's letter first;

OLSON: Mr. Avidor called PRT an “imaginary transportation concept”. This is puzzling because PRT has been developed entirely from existing technologies.

AVIDOR: Horns, wings and hoofs exist on different animals yet nobody has seen a flying unicorn... or a working PRT system.

OLSON: There is also one being built at the Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom...

AVIDOR: Sorry, last I heard, ULTra has a few development hurdles to jump before construction begins. Anyways, what relevance does a battery-powered buggy that cannot operate in snow or ice have for Minnesota? The other would-be PRT company he mentions, Vectus is yet another sham PRT "testing facility" project. For forty years, PRT was always on the verge of some breakthrough that never happened. Here's a long list of PRT projects that never happened and never will.

OLSON: ...but none as advanced as ours: www.skywebexpress.com.

AVIDOR: Skyweb Express/Taxi 2000 never advanced beyond the shiny red pod prototype. Taxi 2000 has failed to update its news page on its website since 2004... when Olson's bills failed in the legislature. A dead website usually means a dead company.

OLSON: The travesty is that we are falling behind the world technologically.

AVIDOR: There is no technology. When Taxi 2000 sued J. Edward Anderson in 2005, Anderson claimed there were no PRT patents.

OLSON: Our U of M technology is by far the most advanced in the world

AVIDOR: The U of M is no longer interested in PRT.

OLSON: ...and it may soon be taken overseas for us to watch its development there, after we spent $30 plus million to develop it.

AVIDOR: Where have we heard that pitch before? "...and if you don't buy that used car right now, I can't guarantee that it will be on the lot tomorrow."

OLSON: Mr. Avidor also raised some good concerns with our Local Government Committee hearings on my PRT bill.

AVIDOR: No I didn't. Mark Olson scratched the bill the two occasions I showed up to speak against his bills at his committee.

OLSON: I have checked the record and am aware of Mr. Avidor being scheduled to testify once on my PRT bill. As the chair, I have however taken steps to avoid my position from being used to push my bills inappropriately. My bill was put on the agenda as a time permitting item a couple times. It is very likely that this was not communicated to Mr. Avidor. I would like to apologize for my failure to make sure proper communications occurred when setting tentative agenda items.

AVIDOR: What a lot of jargon! Mark Olson was not the chairman of the House Transportation Finance Committee on April 12th when I was scheduled to testify.The meeting began at 12:30. My name was on the agenda posted outside and copies of my statement were sitting on a table. Mark Olson walked in at 2:00 and whispered in the ear of the Chairperson Liz Holberg, then he walked out. At 3:00, the meeting adjourned. When I asked Liz Holberg why I didn't get a chance to testify, she told me "Sometimes things get ugly up here at the Capitol".

I should add that Gary Dean Zimmermann, now a convicted felon had no trouble testifying for Olson's PRT bills... you can hear Zimmermann testifying at Olson's committee HERE.

On to Mark Swanson's letter;

SWANSON I am writing to agree with Mr. Avidor. It is not about right vs. left, it is about what makes sense for the taxpayers of Minnesota.

That’s where our agreement ends. According to his letter last week, we should not be using our imagination to come up with innovational ways to solve our transportation issues. That old train will get us there...using that kind of thinking, maybe we should just go back to the horse and buggy.

AVIDOR: Mr. Swanson obviously hasn't ridden the Hiawatha LRT... LRT is a completely modern, state-of-art technology. PRT on the other hand has not advanced further than the concept stage which is hardly different than the 1960's concept of PRT.

SWANSON The technology to run the PRT is hardly imaginary, just bringing the pieces together and the programming a system to run it is yet to be developed.

AVIDOR: Which hasn't been done for three reasons because nobody can figure out how to do it, nobody wants to pay the cost o developing it and nobody wants a transportation system that requires communities to cut down half the trees on their streets for a monorail with a clear view into their bedroom windows.

SWANSON That is why we should be supporting it with a test track at the fair grounds.

AVIDOR: And which would-be PRT vendor is proposing that "test track"? Some PRT scam artists tried to hoodwink the Saint Paul City Council into approving a PRT test track in Falcon Heights last year... read about that here.

SWANSON In fact, the University of Minnesota holds several of the patents on the technology and stands to make millions in royalties when it is implemented

AVIDOR: Wrong. J. Edward Anderson said no PRT patents exist at Taxi 2000.

SWANSON: The other great part about PRT is that it would be put together by private industry, no tax dollars for continued operation and maintenance like the train will have.

AVIDOR: This is one of the big lies of the PRT disinformation campaign. No transit system can be built and operated without subsidy. PRTistas like Swanson claim that PRT is so cool that people would pay any price to ride it. The ridership figures for monorails, the closest thing to PRT falls far short of rail transit. The Morgantown "PRT" (which isn't a true PRT system) went way over budget during construction and is loathed by its passengers.

SWANSON: A final point is that a bill to give tax breaks for the private development of PRT passed in both legislative bodies (i.e. was actually approved) but removed by legislative leadership, e.g. senate majority leader Dean Johnson (DFL)

AVIDOR: It wasn't just Johnson. PRT had little support anywhere in the legislature. In 2005, Mark Olson's PRT amendment was voted down 26 to 107.

Here's a blog sums up what most transporation professionals think of PRT:

Putting the PRT myth to rest for good

"Like gold standard crazies, intelligent design ideologues and cold-fusion enthusiasts, Personal Rapid Transit nuts see something the rest of the world doesn't see and think they are visionaries as a result. Since there is no "true" PRT system anywhere in the world for these people to spend all day riding around in, they spend their time comment-spamming blogs like ours. A similar blog, publictransit.us, had enough of it and decided to fact-check the PRT claims. They found claims of systems that don't exist and studies that were never conducted.

I think that pretty much ends the discussion."

Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.

Open Letter to the Star Tribune About Personal Rapid Transit

Here we go again... the Strib's Laurie Blake has another puff piece about PRT. Fox news also ran a puff piece about J-Pods featuring a clueless Minneapolis Council President Barbara Johnson... and you can watch it here. The "inventor" of J-Pods, Bill James claims that his wacky invention will be the "dominant form of transportation in 15 years". Of course, Fox reports that J-Pods can be built for "4 million a mile" compared to "$70 million a mile" for LRT... geeee, which candidates do you think that bit of disinformation is going to help?

Unlike the shiny red Taxi 2000 prototype, the J-Pod is obviously a joke. I don't expect Fox News to be able to sort fact from fiction, but it's disapointing to to read yet another PRT puff piece that repeats the same anti-LRT disinformation from the Strib's transportation reporter, Laurie Blake.

Here's my letter to the Strib about Laurie Blake's article:

Date: October 13, 2006 11:46:31 PM CDT
To: readerrep@startribune.com
Cc: Laurie Blake , sberg@startribune.com, Eric Black
Subject: J-Pods: " $4 million a mile "?

Kate Parry (Reader Representative),

I have written to you about this before.

This article is the fourth or fifth article by Laurie Blake about PRT. I think it's time to take a more skeptical look at PRT.

The "J-Pod" she is referring to is model made by a PRT hobbyist using plywood, metal tubing, carpet remnants and duct tape.

PRT is an issue in several elections this year. PRT is a stalking horse for anti-transit individuals and groups who claim LRT is too expensive. Several candidates have promoted PRT including Michele Bachmann, Mark Olson, Alan Fine, Alan Shilepsky, Ray Vandeveer and Michael Cavlan.

Please assign future PRT stories to an investigative or political reporter.

If you would prefer, I could write an opinion piece about PRT for the Star Tribune. I have had opinion pieces about PRT published in several newspapers. Here's one I wrote for the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/237556_antiprtop.html

Thank you.

-Ken Avidor

Here's Laurie Blake's article:

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/709182.html

Inventor shows off way to go

Inventor Bill James of Burnsville demonstrated his elevated people mover, the JPod, to Minneapolis City Council President Barbara Johnson on Thursday in downtown Minneapolis. Johnson tried the cab of the JPod, which is powered by electricity as an alternative to the car and other oil-dependent forms of transportation. James is looking for private investors to help him build the first network of the gondola-like pods in Minnesota. Each weighs about 240 pounds and carries four people using standard roller-coaster technology. As the inventor envisions it, a network of JPods could take the place of cars in an area downtown, at a college or business center. The cost would be $4 million a mile, compared with about $70 million a mile for light rail, James said.-LAURIE BLAKE

16b Debate in Princeton October 23rd

Princeton Union Eagle:

Posted: 10/11/06

Candidates forum scheduled Oct. 23

A candidates forum for state District 16, Princeton School Board and Congressional District 6 is scheduled Monday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Princeton Middle School.

The state legislative candidates who have confirmed they will attend are Sen. Betsy Wergin, R – Princeton, and her opponent DFLer Glenn Resman of Milaca; Rep. Sondra Erickson, R – Princeton, and her DFL opponent, Gail Kulick Jackson of Milaca; Rep. Mark Olson, R – Big Lake, and Jim Huhtala, the DFL candidate from Clear Lake.

Mark Olson's Personal Rapid Transit Fantasy

A letter appeared in the Sherburne County Citizen on September 30th that carried this attack on yours truly :

"As I read the letter in last week’s paper from Joyce LeClaire, I couldn’t help but wonder how our priorities got so messed up. On top of which she has numerous factual errors...probably from the false “expert” Ken Avidor (left wing author of numerousblogs..."

My October 8th response:

To The Editor,

The Citizen published a letter from Mark Swanson that states that I am a "false expert". Mr. Swanson is attacking the messenger instead of responding to the message. Mr. Swanson then goes on to denounce me as a "left wing author" even though Mark Olson worked very closely alongside the Green Party’s Dean Zimmermann (recently convicted of bribery) to promote PRT.

This is not about right versus left. This is about reality versus fantasy.

For many years Rep. Olson promoted an imaginary transportation concept that doesn't exist anywhere in the world. Olson has claimed for years that his PRT fantasy was better than light rail and commuter rail.

When Mark Olson attempted to attach his PRT amendment to this year's Capital Investment bill, it was voted down 26 to 107.

In 2005 I went three times to Mark Olson's committee at the Capital to testify against Mark Olson’s PRT bills and at all three hearings, Olson scratched his PRT bill from the agenda so I wouldn't be able to testify. I welcome an opportunity to share what I know about PRT with the citizens and voters of Sherburne County in a forum or debate.

Ken Avidor
Minneapolis, MN

Bachmann Supported Funding For Transportation System That Does Not Exist.

From the Wetterling Campaign website:

Bachmann supported incentives to help with funding for personal rapid transit, a futuristic idea where transit pods “whisk travelers along on elevated tracks.” Incentives included asking the state to borrow as much as $12 million, giving tax breaks to companies that operate the system, and allowing local governments to borrow money so that they could build systems of their own. According to a column in the St. Croix Valley Press, PRT “was little more than a stalking horse for the highway construction industry and individuals belonging to anti-rail transit groups.” Plans for the PRT never evolved past computer designs and online simulations. [ Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 2/11/2004; Saint Croix Valley Press, 5/25/2006]

"Mark Olson in Trouble Over Wacky Transportation Policies"

Eva Young at Lloydletta has the story:

Mark Olson in Trouble Over Wacky Transportation Policies

Here's the election results.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 16B
Republican Candidate Totals Pct
MARK OLSON 933 100.00
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 16B
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Candidate Totals Pct
BRUNO S GAD 199 17.18
JIM HUHTALA 959 82.82

Mark Olson should be worried.

Northstar has a lot of support from leaders in the Republican party... that's a big problem for Olson.

Mark Olson's October Surprise?

A year ago, during one of the debates between Gary Dean Zimmermann and Robert Lilligren, Zimmermann announced that ULTra had two big contracts to build PRT systems, one in Dubai and the other in one of Heathrow Airport's parking lots. Since then I've seen no evidence of actual construction on either of these projects. Like every PRT project in the last thirty years, Heathrow and Dubai will likely be flops or fakes.

So, I've been expecting that the PRTistas would try to help Mark Olson by announcing some phony projects like they did a year ago for Zimmermann.... some happy PRT news so Olson can say that PRT is alive and well. Well it's been announced that there will be an Advanced Transit Association (ATRA) conference in Santa Cruz hosted by Green Party-endorsed Santa Cruz Councilman Ed Porter in November (You can always count on the Greens to help the right-wingers).

Last session, Olson proposed that ATRA be involved in planning the Central Corridor. His suggestion was denounced by Representative Ron Abrams and it was voted down.

It's interesting that J. Edward Anderson isn't appearing at ATRA's conference.

The last time I saw Ed Anderson, he was sitting in the back of Mark Olson's committee at the Capital. Olson scratched his PRT bill from the hearing so I wouldn't be able to testify. Olson rescheduled those hearings and I returned for those hearings two more times and Olson took his bill off the committee agenda on those occasions also. The first time he removed his bill from the agenda, a lobbyist sitting next to me turned to me and whispered "Olson's afraid of you".

I'd like to know if Anderson is supporting Bachmann, Vandeveer and Olson in this election. I'm sure his liberal friends at his Universalist Church would have a few questions about why Ed Anderson supported these right-wingers.

Let's see who is appearing at the ATRA conference...

Jeral Poskey . He worked alongside convicted felon Gary Dean Zimmermann lobbying the City of Minneapolis to buy Taxi 2000's testing facility. Poskey also played a key role in the Taxi 2000 lawsuit against J. Edward Anderson. Jeral Poskey discovered that Anderson had tampered with the hard drive of the company computer. Poskey's retrieval of Ed Anderson's nasty e-mails led to the lawsuit. Taxi 2000 hasn't had anything new added to its website's news page since 2004. A dead company website means a dead company.

Bill James . James is a rising star in the PRT firmament. He seems to be the only PRT entrepreneur these days willing to exhibit a PRT prototype. Of course, he built his J-Pods out of metal tubing, plywood, industrial carpets and black duct tape sealing the plastic windows... and a "support the troops" yellow ribbon.

Larens Imanyuel . Now there's an interesting fellow:

Larens Imanyuel, a Berkeley assistant physics professor who has studied the bombing, is one such advocate. Imanyuel's analysis, which appeared in Veritas newsletter, indicates that the wide extent of the collateral damage was not consistent with a conventional explosion. As Imanyuel writes:
There was some very sophisticated bomb that was capable of causing a tremendous blast atmospheric pressure wave that blew out windows in so many of the surrounding buildings. This had to be some sort of very high-tech dust explosive-like bomb — one that creates a widely dispersed explosive mixture in the very air and then detonates it with a secondary charge. This last spectacular high-tech bomb served the purpose of convincing the general public that the alleged solitary truck-bomb was powerful and "devastating" enough that it could wipe out and collapse a nearby building.

Dick Gronning . He's a "Founding member of the Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit". The CPRT no longer has a website. I heard the CPRT had some problems with the IRS after they committed some flagrant electioneering on behalf of convicted felon Gary Dean Zimmermann.

Skytran PRT Representatives . Skytran has got to be the silliest PRT concept. It's supposed to be 15 times cheaper than LRT because it is built by robots.

What I want to know is where do these fools get the money to hold a conference?

*****UPDATE*****

The Seattle PRTista Dennis Manning has a post on the Seattle Yahoo list:

(Note: This is a temporary web site set up due the ATRA web server being out of service for an unknown period)

EXTRAORDINARY SHIFTS ARE TAKING PLACE IN CALIFORNIA AND AROUND THE WORLD. CONCERN FOR OIL SECURITY, GLOBAL WARMING, CONGESTION, AND SECURITY IS MAKING PRT ATTRACTIVE TO POLICY MAKERS. THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES.

All ATRA members are encouraged to attend this unique gathering. In order to foster "Next Steps" for PRT development, this conference will bring together national and international PRT experts, Santa Cruz officials, and engaged citizens. The aim is to create an exchange between PRT advocates and Santa Cruz locals on ways to overcome the barriers to PRT deployment. The focus is on the "Next Steps for PRT".

Remembering the famous word's of Tip O'Neill, "All politics are local." So too with PRT deployments. Even though of modest size, Santa Cruz’s mobility issues are relevant to most communities. Exploring them in Santa Cruz will benefit all.

It's ironic that these ATRA PRTistas claim to be on the cutting edge of technology, but can't seem to fix their website.

If the Santa Cruz "officials, and engaged citizens" have any sense, they'll pack these ATRA hucksters into a J-Pod and run them out of town.

Another Personal Rapid Transit Corporate Shake-up?

This announcement reminds me of when Taxi 2000 gave J. Edward Anderson the ol' heave-ho prior to their nasty lawsuit in 2005.

ATS, the would-be vendor for the British PRT "system" ULTra is looking for a new CEO:

Founder Martin Lowson has steered the strategic development of the company to this point, assisted by his fellow executive and non executive directors.

Now however, with the emphasis moving from R&D to operations, corporate development and worldwide sales, he and the Board wish to appoint a seasoned CEO with experience of these activities.

There's the usual PRT nonsense on this site, but this caught my eye:

The Board is chaired by Trevor Smallwood who has 34 years of public transport experience and was co-founder of First Group Plc. Trevor has been chairman for 6 years.

First Group doesn't seem to have a very good reputation among transit riders in the U.K.:

Around 300 people marched through Sheffield last Saturday to protest against First’s bus fares rise. As one woman put it, “I only want to ride on the bus, not buy it!”

First seems to be one of the the worst when it comes to privatizing transit:

In 1999, First defended its profits rise despite being the operator of one of the trains involved in the Paddington rail crash of that year, insisting that profits were not being prioritised above safety.

More about First in this BBC story. Interesting that First operates a fleet of school buses in America. The potential for growth in the corporate school bus business lies mainly in the creation of suburban sprawl rather than transit-oriented communities. Can't have those kids walking or taking transit to school... bad for the bottom line.

As it is in the USA, PRT in the UK seems to be a stalking-horse for individuals and organizations that want to do something nasty to public transit.

For more about ULTra go to the PRT is a Joke website.

Alan Fine, Republican 5th District Candidate Promotes PRT

Alan Fine... new member of the PRT Pod Squad.

Read more at Lloydletta.

4 Black Holes in Personal Rapid Transit's Cyberspace Dream

As this excellent Light Rail Now article explains, PRT only exists in computer graphics on the many PRT websites all linked to one another. But the cyber-illusion is starting to fall apart. Dead links are starting to spread like varicose veins as the websites for dead and moribund PRT projects like E.D.I.C.T. blink off. Here's four examples:

1) The Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit website featuring convicted felon Dean Zimmermann's bizarre PRT plan for South Minneapolis has been down for a week or more:

www.cprt.org

I heard the CPRT had a little trouble with the IRS after they violated their non-profit status by electioneering for Zimmermann and other PRT-promoting candidates in the 2005 election. You can still view archived pages from the cprt.org website at the Wayback Machine.

2)Years ago, the city council of Cardiff, Wales was hoodwinked into supporting the phony PRT project called ULTra. When ULTra turned out to be a tortoise-slow, battery-powered, magnet-guided, gussied-up golf cart, they apparently pulled the plug on the web page heralding the ominous-sounding program they called E.D.I.C.T.

www.cardiff.gov.uk/edict

Here's what happened to E.D.I.C.T.:

The lead partner in EDICT was the Welsh capital Cardiff which has been planning an ULTra system for several years. The city is home to ULTra's 1 km-long test track, which opened in 2002, and the council originally hoped to have a commercial system running by 2004. Progress slowed, however, after political disagreements and the withdrawal of funding by the Welsh Assembly in 2003.

Translation: another failed PRT project flushed down the memory hole.

3) Skyweb Express (the Taxi 2000 Corporation) still rides the cyber-waves, but the would-be PRT vendor is manned by a ghostly crew and hasn't posted any news on its website's news page since 2004. Mark Olson links to Taxi 2000's website on his campaign website.

4) Skyloop has been dead as a doornail since 2001. Skyloop's website is a relic from PRT's go-go years in the late 1990's... hilarious stuff.

"Personal Rapid Transit"... Mark Olson Dares Not Speak Its Name

You can read Rep. Mark Olson's weasel-worded letter to the Sherburne County Citizen HERE.

In two previous campaigns, the Olson Volunteer Committee raised money and spent thousands of dollars to publish many reasons why we should not support Northstar and inform people about the misleading taxpayer funded publications that pushed the train. After proposing a better, more comprehensive solution to address Metro congestion and hearing from more people who contacted me to oppose Northstar, shouldn’t I keep faith with my words? I certainly hope so.

So what is that "better, more comprehensive solution"? Why can't Mark Olson even utter the letters "PRT" anymore?

Maybe it was the Taxi 2000 lawsuit last year.

Maybe it was the humiliation of having his idiotic PRT amendment to the 2006 bonding bill voted down 107 to 26.

Maybe it was his pod-pal Zimmermann's bribery conviction last month.

How long will the media allow Mark Olson to hide the truth from the voters of 16b?

The Shrinking Circle: 3 Candidates Reject Personal Rapid Transit

The circle is getting smaller... Olson may soon be the only politician in Minnesota who promotes PRT... at least the only politician not searving time in a Federal penitentiary.

Senate District 41 Julie Risser, the Green Party candidate says:

After researching PRT, reading the Sierra Club's position and the Transit for Livable Communities' website, I have come to the conclusion that PRT is not viable for Minnesota. Minnesota has made a committment to lightrail. We need to continue this committment. The Southwest Corridor is a logical continuation of the lightrail network. We also need to continue our committments to bike paths, side walks, and buses. The Twin Cities is decades behind other metro areas in terms of transit.

also:

Independence Party Candidates distance themselves from the IP platform's PRT plank:

"Lighter moment: Fitzgerald said he opposed government subsidization of personal rapid transit, when asked to cite a major difference with his party."

John Binkowski, the IP candidate in the Sixth Congressional District also rejected PRT.

I would like to see the media investigate why Bachmann, Olson, Vandeveer and Zimmermann promoted PRT instead of treating the issue as a "lighter moment".

A few years ago, there was nothing "light" about the disruptive tactics PRT supporters used to stop rail transit in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Many rail transit advocates remember when PRT promoters used to disrupt meetings about transit. In one memorable encounter, a deranged man interrupted an art workshop my wife and I were giving at Macalester College, shouting that PRT is the “only transportation solution", threw a dozen Taxi 2000 Corporation brochures at us and stormed out.

That's probably what Mark Olson and Ed Anderson really meant when they said that said that PRT was a "disruptive technology" in this article.

Learn more about the PRT scam at the PRT is a Joke web site.

Jim Huhtala Wins DFL Primary

Looking forward to November...

Bachmann to Appear at Mark Olson (16b) Fundraiser

See the invite HERE.

He and Michele Bachmann promoted the PRT boondoggle with convicted felon Dean Zimmermann.

Pulse Editor and Publisher Ed Felein Says Personal Rapid Transit "Was Idiotic"

Ed Felein is the Editor and Publisher of Pulse and a former Green Party candidate.

In a cover story in this week's Pulse, Felein defends his friend and fellow Green Dean Zimmermann who was recently convicted of bribery.

On the Minneapolis Issues List, The Greens rallied to Zimmermann's fallen standard. Senate candidate and PRT promoter Michael Cavlan accused the Star Tribune (which has always given Zimmermann favorable coverage) of being... get ready to laugh... "corporate". Another list member, Chris Johnson accuses "special interests" of being "out to get Zimmermann".

David Greene responds:

You're kidding, right? This is why the Green party is difficult to take seriously. It's not about what other people have done. It's about what DEAN did. If all of our other councilmembers were members of the mafia, it wouldn't change the fact that what Dean did was wrong.

Now, I was no fan of Dean, I'll freely admit that. His work for PRT set back getting real transit going in the metro area quite a few years. In the end, he was a fairly ineffective councilmember but he did just enough damage to transit by diverting resources to pie-in-the-sky vaporware that has not a chance of succeeding. He simultaneously encouraged anti-transit legislators to gum up the conversation using calculated efforts to sell PRT as "real transit" in order to kill systems like LRT that are proven to work. This did not, in my mind, serve the community.

Then Ed Felein weighs in...

I find myself in the curious position of agreeing with David Greene at the same time I disagree with him. I agree that PRT was idiotic and that our energies should be directed toward making LRT as safe, fast, non-polluting and economical as possible.

Are the Greens throwing PRT overboard to save their sinking ship?

Will the Media Ask Risser, Bachmann, Olson and Vandeveer About PRT?

UPDATE: Julie Risser no longer promotes PRT.

Spot at The Cucking Stool blog gets right to the heart of the issue:

"....it sure looks like the Republicans are using the Greens to oppose legitimate transit solutions."

With the recent bribery conviction of Dean Zimmermann, the media needs to take another look at the bogus transportation scheme Zimmermann spent so much time promoting.

The stockholders in the Taxi 2000 Corporation could have made big profits if Zimmermann, Olson and Bachmann had been successful in passing legislation that would benefit Taxi 2000.

The media needs to get a list of everyone who held shares in Taxi 2000.

Contact the media and insist that their political reporters ask Risser, Olson, Bachmann and Vandeveer, why they promoted Dean Zimmermann's PRT boondoggle.

Julie Risser - Another Green PRTista Helping to Elect Republicans

UPDATE: Julie Risser no longer promotes PRT.


UPDATE: Julie Risser no longer promotes PRT.