An e-mail from Brian Melendez the head of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party.
Mr. Melendez who is the head of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party sent me this e-mail:
Mr. Maki,
Enough already.
Give Gaza a rest. Just let us enjoy our victory in electing Barack Obama.
You take up a cause and you try to push that cause down our throats. What don't you understand? We don't care about your diatribes about Gaza.
You started out demanding justice for casino workers claiming a little smoke is harmful to their health. Let them get another job if they don't like the opportunity we have given them. With you it is always demanding. Your list of demands is never ending.
You started with your casino workers. From there you went to demanding single-payer health care and this has turned into your demand for socialized health care because we didn't give you and your casino workers single-payer as soon as you demanded it.
You harp endlessly about Iraq.
Now you have taken up the cause of Palestinians and you are bashing our best friend and ally, Israel.
No, you aren't satisfied with taking up one of your issues at a time. Now you put them all together like they are related in some way and shove then all down our throats.
We are getting fed up with you. We have a big tent. Apparently our tent is not big enough for you and all your causes. Please pack up your tent and move elsewhere. Might I suggest you take your tent to Gaza.
Just leave us alone and give President Obama a chance.
Brian Melendez,Chair, MNDFL
My response:
Mr. Melendez,
Too many "causes: for you eh?
Well, how many different promises does the Democratic Party make to voters to get elected, which you conveniently ignore once elected.
For your information, all the "causes" I am involved in are related. These problems, you call them "causes," all stem from this rotten capitalist system.
Might I suggest that you move on... perhaps find yourself a job working in one of your beloved smoke-filled casinos.
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Now the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party is denying this e-mail came from Brian Melendez but Melendez is silent; why?
Statement from the Minnesota DFL Party
The message above that supposedly came from Minnesota DFL Party Chair Brian Melendez is fictitious. Chair Melendez had no knowledge of it until a recipient called it to our attention. It does not reflect his views.
Please feel free to contact me via email at efought@dfl.org should you need more information.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Eric Fought
Associate Communications Director
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Well, if this is not the position of Brian Melendez as he stated his position in this e-mail to me, then, what are Melendez' position and the MNDFL's positions on the issues in question?
In fact, Brian Melendez has been engaged in a long-running series of attacks on me well documented even in the minutes of the DFL State Central Committee and other DFL memos and statements.
In fact, Melendez took it upon himself to lead what can only be described as a hate campaign against me which included harassing my Internet Service Provider and successfully got Yahoo to disable several of my e-mail accounts because I was "spamming." Melendez was fully aware at the time that not one thing I sent out was "spam."
Time and time again Melendez has targeted me with his arrogant and vicious attacks on me and then he turns around and claims, through his party hacks, he was not involved. I am not the only person Melendez plays these types of games with. This is the kind of politics Melendez thinks is so "cute."
This is all very easy and simple to clear up... the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party merely has to issue a statement as to where it stands on each of the issues Melendez brought forward in his letter to me.
Either Melendez was reflecting the official positions of the Minnesota DFL or he wasn't.
No one needs to speculate about anything... it is just as easy for the Minnesota DFL to simply state its positions on these issues as it is for Melendez to deny through another party hack that these are his positions.
So to Brian Melendez and the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party hacks my response to them is very simple: State your positions.
For the record; I would encourage Brian Melendez to make public everything referencing me that has been posted on the Minnesota DFL State Central Committee List Serve from which I was banned when I was an elected member of the MNDFL SCC for simply suggesting that there take place a discussion concerning Israel's behavior when it conducted its killing spree and rampage in Lebanon for the purpose of establishing a clear MNDFL position regarding U.S. military support to Israel. Melendez refused to place the issue for discussion at the State Central Committee meeting.
We have seen the same behavior towards many other people as we now see from Melendez towards me; time and time again over many years when the question of Israel comes up in the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party.
Again, no one wants to hear from a Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party hack the denial of Melendez' and the DFL's positions; we want to know what those positions are on the issues in question and it was to find out these answers that I publicly posted the letter from Brian Melendez clearly indicating the e-mail was to me... in fact, the e-mail is to all Minnesotans who now want to hear Melendez' positions on these issues... starting with the Israeli pogrom in Gaza.
It is interesting to me that Brian Melendez has conveniently ignored taking any firm stand on these issues and then chooses to play these kinds of games with people.
These issues clearly are easy to provide positions on... had the DFL had clear positions on these issues there would not be all this confusion now... very convenient for a person like Melendez who thinks he can say whatever he wants to someone and then hide behind the position, "This is not my position or the DFL's position."
Come on Brian, don't deny these are your positions... tell us what your positions are on these issues.
I am simply the wrong person for you to try "denying" you sent this e-mail to since there is now a long, long list of such e-mails to me and about me from you to many other people besides me; all written along similar lines in a similar bigoted vein and temper. Not to mention your similar person to person and phone calls and other e-mails you have made to many other people across the state and across the country about me.