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Paul Wellstone

Links to Facts & Commentaries about the plane crash of Senator Paul Wellstone and his family

Remembering Paul Wellstone

Everyone devoted to greater social justice suffered a deep loss when the plane carrying Sen. Paul Wellstone 
and members of his family and campaign staff crashed in northern Minnesota. Paul—to nearly everyone, he was 
Paul, not Senator Wellstone—was an energetic, joyful, good-humored crusader whose passions triggered hope 
and commitment in others. While he showed unwavering dedication to empowering average citizens and using 
government to improve their lives, he maintained an open-minded, respectful dialogue with both his constituents
and the social movements with which he proudly identified.  But he was also a doggedly tough fighter against his
antagonists, whatever the odds.

It understates his virtue to say that he had a common touch. He had unmistakable empathy for “ordinary people,” 
especially those most in need of the compassion of others, but he also treated them with the dignity they 
deserved.  He was a fundamentally decent, likeable, and trustworthy individual with a great talent to
communicate persuasively his arguments for justice, equality, democracy, and solidarity.  His loss is a
reminder that individuals, with their distinct personal attributes, make a big difference in the struggle for a
better world, despite the importance of movements, organizations, ideas, and broader forces of social change.

But Paul would want his legacy to be not just an appreciation of his own contributions or personal
merits, but a call to arms. He was above all an organizer. He worked with grassroots movements in
Minnesota, while writing about them and encouraging his students at Carleton College to participate
(to the consternation of administrators). But his distinctive accomplishment was linking the movements
of workers, farmers, environmentalists, feminists and many others with each other and with electoral politics.
Paul worked to frame issues and policies that would realize the aims of these movement constituencies and
also create a basis for unity among them, forging not just a “blue-green” coalition, but a broader, more unified
progressive movement.

At the same time, he transformed electoral politics with his reliance on a modernized version of the vanishing
political tradition of person-to-person mobilization by an army of volunteers. While he used TV ads (often cleverly)
and could raise money, his margin of victory—despite theoretical vulnerability for his progressive stands—came
from the troops on the ground. By linking electoral and non-electoral politics, he strengthened both.

As an organizer, he was interested in changing people’s ideas, not in being a weathervane of public opinion.
After his death, Paul was widely praised for his principled politics. He showed that most famously in his solitary
vote against a harsh version of welfare reform and in opposition to new war powers for Bush, but he was also a
lonely fighter against a draconian, bipartisan bankruptcy bill that he persistently delayed. Equally important,
however, he demonstrated to the mass of timid and calculating politicians, whose ambition is mainly getting
themselves elected, that it was possible to be principled and win.

People do respect leaders who have the courage of their convictions, but the great majority of people also
respected Paul, even if they disagreed with some of his votes, because of what those principles were. Phil Gramm
and Dick Armey might also be principled, as the Wall Street Journal editorialized in its perverse appreciation of
Wellstone, but their devotion to free markets, private property and the rights of the rich doesn’t resonate with the
great majority of citizens as deeply as Paul’s aspirations for fairness, compassion, equality and a peaceful world,
where the well-being of both nature and humans, in all their variation, are nurtured and protected. Paul inspired
not just because he was principled, but because of the nature of his principles, which appealed to the
transcendent dimensions of human nature.

Paul could lash out fervently against corporate greed and political misdeeds, and he was one of the Senate’s
harshest critics of the way corporate globalization has reshaped our lives. But he always brought a hopeful
message, based on the belief that politics could be ennobling, that most people really cared about their
neighbors (even those on the other side of the globe) and that a new world could be born out of this flawed but
still vital nation. It will be hard to find messengers that will match him. It is imperative to keep his message alive.

From - Remembering Paul Wellstone - Very good reading from 'In These Times' online magazine

(3 Comments from angrydems.com)

Someone here said it, "Paul Wellstone was assassinated!" Don't you think it's odd that 2 key Democrats were 
killed in mysterious plane crashes--Carnahan last election and Wellstone this time. Not only are Republipuppies 
buying elections, they are rigging them with murder. This is what were up against--the end of the American Bill of 
Rights and the rest of the Constitution.

KENNEDY, KING, KENNEDY WITH BULLETS- CARNAHAN WITH A PLANE, ATTEMPT ON LEAHY AND DASCHLE 
WITH ANTHRAX, WELLSTONE AND WIFE WITH A PLANE.... WHO'S NEXT? 

May God have mercy on what little is left of this American democracy. The people of Florida prefer a criminal; the 
people of Colorado, a racist; the people of Minnesota, the opposing candidate to an assassinated (let's be honest 
folks, it was assassination) senator and hero.


Updated Nov. 21, 2002

*The Co-incidence Theory - The strongest article yet by R B Ham on Print Think at Truth & Consequences

*Assassinated by Covert US Terror Group - Heavy duty article on voxnyc.com, 121 Viewer Commentaries

*Paul Wellstone Murder - Good summary, remote control takeover and simultaneous radio blackout

*How Very Convenient - Good Commentary by John Bottoms on strike the root.com

*Terror on the Hill - Very Good November 10 online article by Marc Ash of Truthout.com

*Jackson Thoreau Commentary - Did the CIA or the Right-Wing tamper with the plane?

*How the assassin did it - Also 'Plane gave no indication of trouble' on Rense.com

*Do Not Let the Murder of Paul Wellstone be the Murder of America - By Cheryl Seal, Nov. 1 News Insider.org

*Wellstone plane crash media survey  good summary from Scoop in New Zealand, Nov. 7        

*Some of the best Analyses of the Plane Crash and possibilities

Was Wellstone Assassinated? - Very thorough article, many details, Center for an Informed America   

Connecting the Dots - By David Spring on Liberal Slant (archives)

Why Wellstone? - By David Spring on Liberal Slant (archives)

The Reverberating Mystery of Paul Wellstone's Death - By Lisa Walsh Thomas on Liberal Slant (archives)
 

Good commentary by Dr. Michael I. Niman on Alternet

Good commentary by Jackson Thoreau on Liberal Slant

Was Wellstone Murdered? - Commentary by Kellia Ramares on Online Journal.com

Assassinations, Phony Wars, Stolen Elections - Article by Bev Conover in Online Journal

Brief statement by Marc Ash of Truthout.com 

Media Survey by Scoop of New Zealand - Several good articles

Commentary by Cheryl Seals on Unknown News

Commentary by Ted Rall on Yahoo! News

*Cirisi's law firm looking into Wellstone plane crash - Star Tribune story on Nov. 14

Possible Assassination of Wellstone - Thorough article on the latest evidence at Twin Cities Indymedia

Short article about NTSB findings 

Initial Crash Facts - An eye witness to the crash said he heard "a loud gunshot".

Plane Pointing Away from Airport - Story of Oct. 26 on CNN.com

Wellstone's Co-Pilot - Michael Guess played minor role in Moussaoui involvement -His link to Flying School

Details of pilot's felony record - Message on wnyc.com forum


Wellstone Pilot Exaggerated His Airline Experience - Story in Nov. 10 Star-Tribune

Wellstone Pilot had Felony Record - Served time for mail fraud, Story in Nov. 1 issue of Star-Tribune