Book I - Minnesota on the Map
“Stephanus! Surge!"
“Qu-quid?,” titubat Stephanus e somnio veniens.
"Excita!"
"Quis es?" quaesivit.
"Spiritus sum. Et ego hic tibi futurum ostendo,” responsum est.
“Sed quid? Et quomodo dabis mihi futurum?
Respondit Spiritus: “Volo,” inquit.
"Lorem. Quid vis mihi ostendere?"
"Volo ostendere tibi terram longinquam in litore longinquo."
"Lora? Nostram Mare Nostrum aut lacum aliquem mediterraneum vis?"
Stephanus sciebat Mediterraneum (quod Mare Nostrum Latine appellabatur) valde magnum esse, et fabulas antiquarum locorum longe ab urbe sua audivisse.
"Non Mare Nostrum."
"Sed quid tum?" Stcphanus confusus erat.
"Nonne meministi somnium tuum cum te experrectus sim?"
Somnium adhuc in eius memoria et Stephanus ausi sunt revocare.
“Locum longeque memini quasi in alio orbe, cum multis lacubus. nomen erat in lingua aliena. Et sonabat sicut echo, vel carmen. Nomen puto fuisse Minnesotum... Minnesotum, Mare Clarum.
"An hoc sensu? Est, nunc mihi non liquet."
"Ius est!" dixit spiritus. Non patet Mare Nostrum, sed corpora longinqua aquarum patebunt. Aquae dulces erunt.
"Nova aqua? Vis de fontibus et fluminibus?"
"Minime, haec aqua dulcis e magno mundi fragmine glaciei veniet."
Iam Stephani caput ut gigas planeta volabat. "Gigantes pieces glaciei? Ego non possum imaginari!
“Licet,” responsum est. "Non opus est tibi. Faciam ita."
Vita in Athenaeo
Stephanus primis annis Domini nostri 5 A.D. Athenis vixit, Graeca iuventus Stephanus Latine loquebatur, quod Athenae iam erant Romanae rei publicae pars — et per CL annos.
Iam autem Spiritus loquebatur. Mundus quidem celeriter mutabatur. Stephanus habitat in oikos Atheniensis a patre constructo, cui nomen Nikias Graece Victoria interpretatur.
De Excidium et Surge Reipublicae
Sed miserabiliter Athenienses imperium Romanum amiserunt et ab alia re publica nunc gubernati sunt, quae rursus a potentioribus ducibus, qui Romanum imperium praedicaverunt, eversa fuerat. Somnia libertatis amissa.
The Romans defeated at the Battle of Corinth in 150 B.C. (Ante Christum, qui paulo ante quinque annos natus erat et iam terram ambulabat, multum attendit). Hoc tamen tempore familia habet servum, Theronem nomine, in servum venumdatum a principe Romano.
Familia Nikias prope Aegaeum Mare habitat, et mater Theano parvam familiam domesticam administrat, incluso omni aqua quae indigent.
Nikias miles non est, magister est. Novam mathemiam in schola privata Graeca docet.
Civitas eius Athenae, dux totius Graeciae, bellum Romanis propulsare constituit. Etsi illis male evenit, ab ipsis Romanis ita habita est res publica.
Profecto Theron, servus familiae docuerat Stephanum, cum puer esset. Theron Stephanum elementa legendi et scribendi docuit — tam Latinis quam Graecis et arithmeticis (tres R') et cum eo quaestiones morales et ethicae disputavit. Theron creditus est familiae socius.
Sicque factum est ut Stephanus Theroni somnium suum de Minnesotum, Mare Clarum ad Theronem narraret, et uterque paulisper sedit, mirantes….
Pars Altera
Novus Orbis
Longe et ignota Stephano vel patri, vel ut nemini videtur, longinqua litora, et locus proprius. Locus magicus in centro quo fieret Americae Septentrionalis. Locata dicta Minnesotum, Mare Clarum--plena clara et dulci aqua, ut Americani eam describerent.
Et quid fuit.
Minnesotum
Initium finis erat.
Non solum mundus hominum, sed omnis vita inclementer exstinguitur, attritus ac detrusus, et in corpora aquarum.
Per saeculorum decursum multa miliaria grandia glaciei et nivis inviserunt centra incolarum quae hodie Minnesotae sunt et omnia evulsa sunt, flumina et rivos vagantes, regionem Hennepin/Anoka Comitatus, Minneapolis domicilium; Ramsey/Dakota comitatus, domus Sancti Pauli (inclita navicula urbs fluminis Mississippi); Comitatus Washington, domi qualis esset Stillwater in St. Croix, ortus Territorii Minnesotae. Stearns comitatus St. Cloud et comitatus S. Ludovici, patria maritimae urbis Duluth mediterranei.
Duluth super Magnum lacum Superiorem poneretur (aquae tam immanis et infinitae visibilem exit praesagia, tacita praesentia, si noctu contigerit, si possessorem esse contigerit. in Minnesotum Mare Clarum ab molibus informatum fuerat. Sed prius, omnes homines et vita finienda fuit — ingentem polarem perveniunt de culmine mundi.
Dum procul a terribili vita a saevientibus gerebatur, omnia quae supererant nefandis nivibus et glacie, deformata est terra, et lacus magni magni (lacus Superioris et ad orientem, lacum Michigan, lacum Huron, lacum Erie- tendentem. usque ad Novum Eboracum et lacum Ontario).
Hae aquae magnae lacus non erant tantum ut collectio novorum oceanorum coniungens Oceanum Atlanticum cum nova hac aqua gigantea. et usque in Minnesotum Mare Clarum descendens. Sed non prius ubertas elapsa est ab nefanda glacie.
Minnesota Mare Clarum, visitatores nivei lacus et flumina reliquerunt.
Vita Somnii et Novae Fellowship
Vetus somnium Stephani, multo ante conceptum natum, aeternum manet. Ahenum in quod cecidit Roma, secuta est Hesperidum certamina, et somnia rerum, Quae transmarina venturi sunt trans aequora venturi.
Spiritus terram magni fluminis Mississippi dixerat, Minnesota molibus relicta. Et, per longum et flexuosum iter cataclysmicum nivibus et molibus, homines tandem ad terram visum, Minnesotum Mare Clarum reversi sunt. Medium huius terrae fabulosum erat flumen, Mississippi appellatum, generationibus notum ut flumen luscum.
Itaque gloriosus expeditio, anno MDCCCXXXII A.D., societas fontis quaerentium, arduum iter fecit ad originem vasti illius glacialis, qui aquam et potentiam colligeret, ac sinum Mexici repleret. Ad immensum illum sinum, ex quo futurae navigationes e veteri mundo Stepbani venturi sunt, Minnesota Mare Clarum, et de novo mundo Stephanus aliquando somniaverat.
In Indian School
Scholae nomen erat magistri. Hodie Indiana Jones eum appellare possumus. Dux, et magister sicut pater Stephani Nikia, et verus explorator. Cum eum indigenae Indiani Americani, post multa saecula, altae notae notae, systematis vitae, et facultatum naturalium Regionis Mississippi fuerunt. Clavis erant ad Commenium Minnesota inclusis exploratoribus Americanis sicut Schoolcraft et Ioseph Nicollet.
Hoc inclusit dux inquisitionis Scholae Ozawindib, dux Ojibway (Chippewa) qui locutus est Ojibway. Secundum viam Schoolcraft et eius exploratores cum omnibus aliis tribus Americanis Indianis occurrerunt, inter Dakota in Minnesota et Ho-Chunk in Wisconsin (Winnebago).
Anno 1832 A.D. Scholae Societas Scholae Itasca sita est et fontes repperit huius operis fabulosi naturae, flumen Quattuor-Eyed. Minnesota lacum Itascam tamquam fontem fluminis verum identificat. Scholastica campum habuit in studiis classicis - ipsum Latinum et Graecum servus comprehendens Theronem Stephanum et familiam docuerat. Callidus doctus etiam notam novum nomen invenit pro Magno Flumine Source, 'Itasca.' Fons Mississippi ab "veritate" (veritas) et "caput" (caput) significat, "verum caput". Magnum flumen. Minnesota nuntiatum est mundo antequam vel territorium essemus vel in Congressu suffragium ferre possemus.
Haec inventio Scholae Scholae custodivit scientiam somnii veteris amissi spei Mediterranei - libertatem quaesivit Stephanus et Theron.
Per eam omnem linguam Latinam — universalem, saeculo XIX adhuc adhibitam! Nam cum Italus homo Columbus nominetur, ab alio mediterraneo commercii mediterreo, sicut Stephano, adhuc latine loquebatur, dum ad Indiam persequeretur. Anno 1477, antequam 1492 in Americam centralem navigasset, villam Ingjaldshvöll in terra Islandiae visitavit. Adhuc in Stephano nova lingua Latina est. MD centesimo anno post Stephanum, Columbus in illo fundo hiemavit priusquam celebrem navigationem ad Indos Americae Septentrionalis occurrendum curavit.
Book II – The Voice of God>
Και άκουσα φωνή από τον ουρανό, σαν τον ήχο πολλών υδάτων
"And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters
και σαν τον ήχο μιας δυνατής βροντής». Αποκάλυψη 14:2
and like the sound of loud thunder." Revelation 14:2.
Stephanus et Theron inceperunt classem unam serenum diem Graecum sub imperio Romano. Sol in Aegaei maris superficiem e fenestra elavit. Aer mare liberum videbatur, si parum facete.
Theron servus familias suum studiosum Stephanum interrogavit si essent argumenta moralia quae hodie disputare vellet.
“Somnium illud memini me habere, ubi mihi spiritus ostendit Minnesotum, Mare Clarum,” Stephanus cogitans respondit.
"Estne locus moralis?" quaesivit Theronem.
“Spiritus bene de aquis limpidis loquebatur, non salsae aquae, sed ingentes glaciales cursus limpidarum aquarum relinquuntur, caelumque altum. Et ego miror si liberum servitutis orbem significare potuisset, et ubique horum Romanorum,” Theron respondit, circumspiciens fenestras.
Theron paulisper tacuit. Servitus raro aliquid loquebatur aut cogitabat. Romani se iactabant in mundo humano, humano, humano ac libero quaerendo. et quod opus erat, cognoverat illustriore servitute occupatos.
Sed de hoc somnio Minnesotum, Mare Clarum, ignoravit. "Nescio," respondit. “Nescio an talis mundus possit esse. Novus mundus vere liber esse potest? Sine servitute?"
"Somnium futurum videre non possum," dixit Stephanus perpensis quaestionis. Audivi quæ ventura sunt de Juda in Capharnaum. Atrox adortus liberis principum. Incredibilis barbaria a Romanis ad opprimendos seditiones a Judaeis, qui jam seipsos regent. “Ius, ut Graeci iam domi nostrae non imperant” Theronem sibi putavit.
"Aliud est pro civibus Romanis, aliud nobis, Graeci," Theron. Et de Iudaeis eadem ratio est. Nam ex quo victi sunt ab Alexandro, suis legibus vivere non potuerunt. Et nunc a Romanis regnant Herodes Antipas Iudaeus, tetrarcha Galilaeae, quae lege XXXX Romae constituta est.
"Sed nunc provocatio est ad istum ordinem et ad omnes infantes sub biennio ductus est caedis. timebat enim prophetiam Iudaeam quod ibi in Bethleem nasceretur pacificus et salvator.
“Somnium tuum, Stephane, videtur optimum esse spem. Sed quomodo fieri potest?
Spiritus dixit, "Quia est voluntas mea."
Eadem nocte in cena Stephanus Nikea patrem suum quaesivit. “Quid habemus servos, pater? Cur enim tot Graeci servos habent? Et nunc cur tam multi Graeci servi sunt? Si servi possent suffragia differre?"
Communiter Nikea et Theano tales in mensa cenae noluerunt. Sed Stephanus his diebus vexatus apparuerat et Theano nonnullas lectiones Theronis audiverat. Ita tandem pater Stephani Nikea locutus est.
Bene, fili, sicut in electionibus ecclesiasticis suffragium ferre nondum potes, servi suffragium ferre non possunt, quia suffragatio certa cognitionis et educationis et industriae gradu innititur. Ipse solus suffragari permittitur Ecclesia, nostra principalis concio Athenarum, et hoc est quod masculus sum et disciplina militaris Atheniensis perficitur. Sed hoc ultra suffragium ferre non possum.
"Er servus cum sit, suffragium ferre non potest, quia suffragii ius est ad bene esse et ad bonum civitatis nostrae regimen, magnas res ad bonum totius".
"Estne Theron de servitute tecum locutus?" Commovit Stephanus.
Silentium incommodum fuit. Stephanus aliter patrem vidit quodammodo. Tunc Theano dixit "liberus erat pater Theronis cum in Iudaea vivebat."
Stephanus respondit, “Bene, alteram noctem hoc somnium vidi ubi spiritus alium vivendi modum mihi ostendit. Erat in terra longinqua Minnesotum Mare Clarum magnis laminis glacialium et iuncorum aquarum exsculptum. Et mirabar quid simile esset, et de moralibus et ethicis rebus in genere meo cum Therone loqueretur.
Nikea ad Theano conversus eam interrogavit "Quid dixisti de patre Theroni?"
Captus est servus in [maccab tumultu?]
Question 1 - The Farm Bill is being debated, discussed, not passed. Continuing safety nets for farmers is critical. What types of safety nets should be added?> 13:17
Well I understand the kind of insurance programs which are traditional. One thing we've learned during the confrontation with China which we're still kind of navigating past, is that we need safety nets for international trade for dealing with not only China but any alternate countries.
And so I think that, I'm challenging Amy Klobuchar who has written many farm bills. One of the reasons is that the Farm Bill's inadequate. we've left out any protection against these kinds of crises. And so we need to start to decide how to reflect that. Do we need a policy of tariffs and other ways to deal with these situations? Some people have said well, we'll just trade with other countries, maybe we'll just research other countries, I think that's kind of frivolous, I think that we've got to seriously focus on this in additional to the traditional insurance.
Now on the disaster relief, I find it incredible that Tim Walz, having sat on the Ag Committee and living in Mankato, would neglect the obviously dangerous Rapidan Dam in the Mankato area which has caused so much damage that a special disaster relief piece is needed to offset the damage to Minnesota farmers. And just because someone wanted a family business.
This is one of a number of areas in which the State of Minnesota, which ran a great surplus in some years, should have been doing something. I’m not aware of the full scope of the state Ag Dept, but it makes sense that the State Legislature do serious planning for shifting some Ag functions to the State. After all Human Services and social programs are a big part of the State Budget.
Including now feeging school lunch to everybody. Some part of the state food surplus should be wired into Human Services and food programs, planning and facilitating some payments to our growers for food. Amy Klobuchar’s faild to incorporate trade conflicts with China, into a Farm Bill.
Question 2 - What is the level of importance and funding needed from the federal govt when it comes to preventing and mitigating animal disease?> 19:38>
As far as level if you're talking about dollars I don't have that figure. Animal disease obviously is something that has hurt farming, it's always a great risk. It's a disaster really in many cases, people's whole livestock have been wiped out. Obviously when there's this transmission to human COVID that's a big risk to people because we just liquidate whole bunches of turkeys or chickens because of the perceived danger to humans, so I think we need to learn a lot more about this. Somehow we need to prevent this COVID from always coming around. We see where it came from. It came from laboratories, okay? We need to stop doing things like this, kind of biological warfare things and return to the basics and fundamentals that made this country great.
Question 3 - Renewable fuels are critical and valued for MN farmers. How would you support the growth of biofuels> 33:24>
Well, farming is in a crisis. We do face a crisis and we've tried to solve it various ways so what I would say I would stress the limits on the role of Congress. Congress cannot do everything. It must set some limits. There's a projected deficit of $32 billion in agricultural goods, they were talking about it yesterday and I’ve verified that. So furthermore, we have overregulation and crazy ideas from the Democratic Senate including I believe Amy Klobuchar that heavily burden and oppress Minnesota farmers. So in my opinion we can no longer continue business as usual in the Ag Committees or the Farm Bill and farm trade.
Moreover, I believe the farm bill is inadequate to address the impact of trade conflict on our farmers as I've said. Contrary to what Amy Klobuchar said, Trump did not treat farmers like poker chips in a failed casino in the confrontation with China. The tool of farm trade tariffs will likely be necessary to maintain trade in agricultural goods with China and other countries. Some suggest funding research of what other countries than China Minnesota’s farmers can trade with. I consider this ludicrous and a waste of money. I understand that with no tools in place to protect Minnesota farmers from Chinese tariffs, farmers will look to other sources.
Another danger for the American food consumer is deviation into the energy sector. When farms are producing food just for energy that is not food production, that is production for the energy market.
It’s highly unlikely we can meet our energy needs in this way, and it detracts from food production with additional risks. I do not agree with the idea that the Farm Bill should help everybody.
Now if we are indeed headed to war, and I have heard of food rationing and everything rationing in World War II, but that is very dire. In that case food production will be subsumed under defense, and the farm bill will assume an all hands on deck program for every conceivable farm product.
Now we get into the area of moral hazards. So there's a danger when we deviate into the energy sector. If it's not used for food production you're deviating into the energy sector.
Question 4 - There have not been significant new trade agreements in recent years. What should be done to expand markets for Minnesota farmers.> 39:44>
Well I hope everybody here has heard of James J Hill, I'm sure you all have and what James J Hill said was that with the modern political economy people are not looking at the organic whole how everything is interrelated, they're looking at little pieces. Now we have Amy Klobuchar and she said that Donald Trump was treating the farmers like poker chips in a defunct casino during the China confrontation. The truth is that Amy Klobuchar has failed to incorporate trade conflicts, such as the confrontation with China into a Farm Bill.
So what really happened in China? Well I was actually involved. I have been an editor for the Asian American press and I happened to be on MPR when they interviewed and heard from the Chinese ambassador. Now this is the Chinese ambassador who came throughout the Midwest and told people that could have deals with China, but when we got there what did they do? We were holding the bag because they put the tariffs in. So all these little field trips into international trade are not the way to go. You need a much broader path.
I was involved as a reporter when the Chinese Ambassador visited Minnesota and I discussed on MPR with him our conflicting ideas of human rights. His idea was that human rights means “everyone has a right to eat.” That’s an alien concept in our system of liberty. Of course it is the role of government to provide for the general welfare, but not by establishing absolute rights which the government then has to carry out.
Our farming is based on freedom. It’s not a tool for Amy Klobuchar or Kamala Harris to impose their ideas about environmentalism and green house gases, no. Or control of farmers’ water quality or onerous regulations.
Well that Chinese Ambassador went about the Midwest making promises for orders of American food products which when they were fulfilled seemed to run up against Chinese domestic producers who turned to the government for tariffs, leaving our farmers holding the bag. We are extremely fortunate we had Donald Trump to impose tariffs tdo make our farmers whole. This approach is necessary to deal with the behemoth like China, who is not food independent. Our top goal should be as James J Hill to maintain food independence. Any kind of program or policy that detracts from this should not be in the Farm Bill. The purpose of the Farm Bill is not to help everyone but protect farm independence.
Question 1 - The Farm Bill is being debated, discussed, not passed. Continuing safety nets for farmers is critical. What types of safety nets should be added? 13:17
Well I understand the kind of insurance programs which are traditional. One thing we've learned during the confrontation with china which we're kind of navigating past is that we need safety nets for international trade for dealing with not only china but any alternate country.
And so I'm challenging Amy Klobuchar who has written many farm bills. One of the reasons is that it's inadequate. we've left out any protection against these kinds of crises. And so we need to start to decide how to reflect that. Do we need a policy of tariffs and other ways to deal with these situations? Some people have said well we'll just trade with other countries, maybe we'll just research other countries, i think that's kind of frivolous, I think that we've got to seriously focus on this in additional to the traditional insurance.
Question 2 - What is the level of importance and funding needed form the federal govt when it 19:38>
As far as level if you're talking about dollars I don't have have that figure. Animal disease is something that has hurt farming, it's always a great risk. it's a disaster really in many cases, people's whole livestock have been wiped out. obviously when there's this transmission to human covid that's a big risk to people because we just liquidate whole bunches of turkeys or chickens because of the perceived danger to humans so i think we need to learn a lot more about this. somehow we need to prevent this covid from always coming around. we see where it came from. It came form laboratories. We need to stop doing things like this, kind of biological warfare things and return to the basics and fundamentals that made this country great.
Question 3 - Renewable fuels are critical and valued for MN farmers. How would you support the growth of biofuels 33:24>
Well farming is in a crisis. We do face a crisis and we've tried to solve it various ways so what I would say I would stress the limits on the role of Congress. Congress cannot do everything. It needs to set some limits. There's a projected deficit of $32 billion in agricultural goods. So furthermore, we have overregulation and crazy ideas from the Democratic Senate including I believe Amy Klobuchar that heavily burden and oppress Minnesota farmers. So in my opinion we can no longer continue business as usual in the Ag committees or the farm bill or the farm trade.
Moreover, I believe the farm bill is inadequate to address the impact of trade conflict on farmers as I've said. Wow we get into the area of moral hazards. So there's a danger when we deviate into the energy sector. If it's not used for food projects you're deviating.
Question 4 - There have not been significant new trade agreements in recent years. What should be done to expand markets for Minnesota farmers. 39:44>
Well I hope everybody here has heard of James J Hill, I'm sure you all have and what James J Hill said was that with the modern political economy people are not looking at the organic whole how everything is interrelated, they're looking at little pieces. now we have Amy Klobuchar and she said that Donald Trump was treating the farmers like poker chips in a defunct casino. So what really happened in China? Well I was actually involved. I have been an editor for the Asian American press and I happened to be on MPR when they interviewed and heard from the Chinese ambassador. now this is the Chinese ambassador who came throughout the Midwest and told people that could have deals with China but when we got there what did they do? we were holding the bag because they put the tariffs in. so all these little field trips into international trade are not the way to go. You need a much broader path.
Question 5 - >
