One of the groups sure to be commemorated on Saturday at the commemoration ceremony at the State Capitol grounds will be the group of Minnesotans that fired the first American shots at Pearl Harbor. 

They were part of a group of 40-odd Navy Reservists from Minnesota who made up about a quarter of the crew of the U.S.S. Ward, an obsolete Word War I destroyer that had been saved from the scrapper’s torch by the outbreak of World War II, refitted, and sent to Pearl Harbor less than a year earlier after nearly twenty years in mothballs.

Their story:

It was just after 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941. The U.S. was not at war — yet — but the Ward had orders to intercept anything that was not supposed to be there.

The order was given to fire, and the first round sailed high. A second shot put a 4-inch shell through the conning tower. Depth charges were dropped, and Lehner watched the sub glide into oblivion.

“We didn’t know whose it was,” said Lehner, one of five USS Ward veterans invited in by the Navy League for the 64th anniversary of the attack. “In fact, the skipper said later: ‘God, I hope it wasn’t one of ours.’ “

The gun in the photo above is on the frontage road south of the Capitol Mall toward the Policeman’s Memorial.  It has stood there since the Navy (which had removed the gun from the Ward when they converted it into a long range escort and refitted it with lighter anti-aircraft guns after the war started) gave it to the state in 1958.  The Ward was sunk by a kamikaze in 1945.

Stop by Saturday and see a piece of history.

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I think I speak for the rest of the NARN when I say we’re honored to be allowed to participate in this coming Saturday’s dedication of Minnesota’s new World War II memorial.

Some events rise way, way above politics – as, indeed, World War II did for Americans sixty-five years ago.  It will be an honor beyond words to be there to see, and in our own way record, what will likely be the last, greatest gathering of Minnesota’s surviving World War II veterans.

Upwards of 20,000 people are expected to gather Saturday on the Capitol Mall in St. Paul to dedicate the new state memorial to World War II veterans. State Veterans Affairs Commissioner Clark Dyrud said it could be one of the largest gatherings ever of WWII veterans in Minnesota.

“We have waited 62 years for this,” said Michael Horan, an 82-year-old World War II veteran from St. Paul, who served on the memorial’s advisory board. “With the way that veterans are dying off, this could be our last chance to be honored.”…

It’s going to be big:

Dedication organizer Pat Turgeon said: “This is a really big deal. I’m getting calls every day from guys who say they’ll be here Saturday come hell or high water.”

A similar dedication event in South Dakota several years ago attracted about 25,000 people, said Turgeon, who works for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. She is estimating that about 5,000 of the state’s 50,000 living WWII veterans will attend.

“I won’t be surprised if we get 50,000 [total attendees] if the weather is good,” Turgeon said.

The state of Minnesota is going all-out to make sure that every veteran who can possibly attend, does:

The state will reimburse mileage at 48.5 cents a mile for WWII vets or drivers carrying them. Submit a transportation reimbursement form to the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs by June 30.

Forms will be available at the registration tent or online at www.startribune.com/a2865.

If you know a WWII vet who needs a ride, please help out.  We’d like to see everyone there that can possibly make it.

Today on the NARN and elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Mitch:

• Breakfast at an undisclosed location with some of the NARN crew
• Tuning in to NARN Volume I (“The Opening Act”), where Brian, John and Chad will be talking about politics and stuff.
• Then, Ed and I will do NARN II (“The Headliner”); we’ll be talking about Ed’s Excellent Edventure in Iowa with Mitt Romney, as well as interviewing some prominent bar owners about Minnesota’s “War on Hospitality”.
• Then, tuning in to NARN III (“The Final Word”), as King and Michael talk inside state political baseball. 
• Then, off to a big party at an undisclosed location.

Tune in tomorrow on AM1280, either on the air or via the web. 

Volume I (Chad, Brian and John) and Volume II (Ed and I) are taking tomorrow off from the show.  We haven’t had a weekend off in a while; it sounds like fun.

Volume III “The Final Word”, however, has just too much material from the end of the session; King and Michael will be on the air, on schedule, tomorrow from 3-5 on AM1280 (and on the web).  They really can’t help it.

So tune in!

It’s going to be a big day on NARN II.

We’ll be interviewing Roger Rapoport, author of the book Citizen Moore.  The timing is pretty dang good! 

So tune in to Volume I (11-1), Volume III (The Final Word, 3-5), and of course Ed and I on the Headliner from 1-3.  It’s going to be a fun weekend!

 UPDATE!  And kudos to producer Matt Reynolds, who booked Troy Scheffler, the student suspended by Hamline University for advocating concealed carry on campus, at 1:30 PM tomorrow!

Volume I from 11 to 1 (John, Brian and Chad), Volume III from 3-5 (King and Michael) and Volume II (Ed and I, 1-3) will be talking about…

…stuff. No clue what.

Tune in!

The NARN guys – John, Brian and Chad with Volume I (“The Opening Act”), King and Michael with Volume III (“The Final World”) and Ed and I (Volume II, “The Headliner”),  along with David Strom and Margaret Martin of Taxpayers’ League Live, and our producers Matt Reynolds and Irina Malanina – are taking one of our three breaks we ever take during the broadcast year, for Easter.

Oh, there’ll be “best of” broadcasts of all the shows.  Tune in if you’ve got nothing else going on.  I will!

But on behalf of all the guys and gals, I’d like to wish you all a blessed and happy Easter. 

And we’ll look forward to y’all tuning in next week.  Because there’ll be plenty of news to talk about…

Flying solo today – Ed’s home with the First Mate.

First hour – Connecting Reagan with the British sailors’ controversy.

Second – more Saint Paul school banning recruiters!

On Volume II, Ed and I will be talking about the Democrats’ pork-laden political whoopie cushion “Defense Appropriations” bill.  We’ll also be talking with St. Paul School Board member Tom Conlon about the move to exclude military recruiters from Saint Paul schools.

The Volume I guys – Chad, John and Brian – have a guest, while the “Final Word” guys will no doubt talk about the complaint filed against Secretary of State Ritchie.

Many of us in the counterprotest noted the absence of regular commenter “Doug”, who last week fantasized about bringing his “veteran” “friends” to “bitch-slap” me for exercising my First Amendment right to free speech.

Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Tune in today for the Northern Alliance Radio Network.

11-1, it’s Volume 1 – John, Paul and Ringo Brian and Chad.

1-3, it’s Ed and I, on Volume II. You might assume we may mention “Cut And Run 3.0” and the tossing of the DC gun ban.

3-5, it’s the Final Word, with King and Michael. I’m thinking there juuuuuuuust might be some legal talk.

JB Doubtless, by way of commenting about those shock-jock morons whose dimbulb stunt killed a woman, notes:

The NARN boys have been known to do some pretty damn stupid things–that time they had Mitch read the Eagan phone book to kill an hour comes to mind–but this contest was one for the ages.

Indeed, while nobody has died as a result of NARN activities, there’ve been some doozies anyway. The bottom 12 moments in the history of the Northern Alliance Radio Network:

12. King, Michael and Eva Young’s group hug.

11. Hinderaker challenging the Marines to a pull-up contest – against Ed.
10. Brian “Ozzy” Ward biting the head off a moonbat.

9. JB Doubtless licking a Vox Day action figure

8. Scott Johnson pimp-slapping short-lived lefty counterpoint host Greta Grimes-Dypczynski.

7. Me, having an argument with myself – and losing.

6. Brian Ward setting the Wellstone school directory to music.
5. Chad the Elder trading nail-care tips with Michele Bachmann.

4. Me, reading the Eagan phone book. For an hour.
3. Brodkorb to Michelle Malkin: “Boxers or briefs?”
2. Getting bleeped as Hinderaker yells “we don’t need no M______g snakes on no m_____g talk show!”
1. JB and Captain Ed’s soulful duet version of “Afternoon Delight”.

Anyway, today is the third anniversary of the first NARN broadcast.

And miscues aside, I’d like to thank the audience – and, let me hasten to add, Chad, Brian, King, Ed, John, Michael, Scott, JB, and even Atomizer – for three very fun years.

Learned Foot throws down on Rocketman.

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I’ll be at the Patriot’s Oscar broadcast tomorrow evening at the St. Paul Hotel.

And according to Nikki Finkke, we could be there mighty late:

Sunday nights Academy Awards telecast could end up the longest on record. Thats the prediction Ive been given by one VIP who helps oversee this 79th Oscars and is therefore in a position to know.

We’ll be there with  Michael Medved, talking about the event as it happens.

Which is just about the only way you can get me to watch the Oscars – at the St. Paul with a couple hundred of my closest friends!

I’m on the air right now with my radio pal Ed Morrissey, talking about the run to the right:

Call 646 652 2923.

Lars Walker was nonplussed by Ed’s choice of music last Saturday on the NARN:

On the Northern Alliance Radio Network show on Saturday the second act, featuring Mitch Berg from Shot In the Dark and Captain Ed from Captain’s Quarters, they used up valuable radio time playing Frankie Valli’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice,” in its entirety. I’m still not sure why. I think it might have been an oblique comment on something Nancy Pelosi said. [Actually, it was a commentary on Amanda Marcotte]

In any case, it’s been my off-and-on earworm all week, and it’s a weird one. Strangely fascinating, though repellant, like seeing Mickey Mouse in a Tennessee Williams play, or watching a man dancing the tango in clown shoes.

Yow. Now I have a brainworm…

The wages of frivolity are lunacy.  Minnesota is starting to pay the piper for our neighbors’ little brainfart last November. 

If you missed NARN III “The Final Word” last Saturday, the first (3-4PM) hour was one of the best hours of radio that the NARN has ever done (Podcast should be available shortly).

Michael and King spent most of the hour running down a list of some of the worst bills our newly-DFL-dominated legislature has on the docket.  They range from the ridiculous (Phyllis Kahn wants the state to force De La Salle High to shield light from their new football field from the neighbors; Phillis Kahn, as it happens, is one of the neighbors) to the chilling (sex ed for kindergartners, sending state bureaucrats to visit new parents to check up on things and start addicting them orient them to available state programs).

They’re taking a straw poll for the Most Ridiculous Bill.  Follow the link, and vote.

And then call your legislator and tell him/her that you are not amused.

Join Chad in supporting the Misericordia Orphanage.

It’s his regular project.  Please pitch in.  Leaving aside the good it does the kids, it makes Chad…er, a lot easier to deal with when the fundraiser goes well, let’s just say.

I lost the schedule for today . Let’s see if I can remember:

On NARN I, John, Brian and Chad will be talking about politics and drinking, from 11-1.

Ed and I will argue about something or another on NARNII from 1-3.

And King and Micheal will make some Democrat look and feel like a monkey from 3-5.

I know I’m missing something.  Tune in to AM1280 to find out what – or check out the web stream

Update and Bump II:  It’s tomorrow! 

Our producer on the NARN, Matt Reynolds, and his wife Amber are currently busy trying to adopt a child from Guatemala. This is not an inexpensive proposition – so they’re holding a bit of a fundraiser:

Fundraising Fiesta for Hezekiah is on Feb 10th from 6-9 pm with a silent auction and a Mexican dinner. If people are interested in attending or donating they can check out our website at www.kiahskapers.8k.com or email us at kiahskapers@gmail.com. Or if they prefer they can make a tax deductible donation online through Life International at http://www.lifeintl.org/donation.html, then click the “make donation” button and it goes to PayPal. For a donation to go to our specific account, they need it to say “Mathew and Amber Reynolds” in the “payment for” box. Thanks for your support and help.

I’m planning on being there on Saturday. I invite you and yours can spare a bit of help for the Reynolds’.  Oooh – and the food is from Chipotle!

The event is being held at the Maple Grove Evangelical Free Church from 6-9PM Saturday night. Email them at kiahskapers@gmail.com to reserve a spot!

Ed writes about the event today, too.

Weekend talk show needs new producer:

Mitch I thought this story might have been about you after the Bears game!

Man arrested for ATM urination
Drunk man arrested for urine attack on cashpoint.

Must know when to refocus on things like “two weeks until pitchers and catchers report for spring training”.

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Chad the Elder:

When one is suffering the ill effects of a serious cold, it can be a veritable hell. How bad was my return home yesterday?

So bad that I passed on my traditional layover beer at Narita.

So bad that the kindly Northwest flight attendant who brought me cups of hot tea throughout the Tokyo to Minneapolis flight was moved to ask, “Are you as miserable as you look?”

Inspecting myself later in the planes bathroom mirror, I had to agree with her assessment.

Get well soon, Chad.  We need to talk epidemiology on Saturday.

Before I get started, let me just point out that these are the kinds of pansies I have to share a studio with:

Never fear, the subzero Twin Cities temperatures will not affect the broadcast. We scoff at the bitterly cold weather and will recognize it only for evidence that perhaps Al Gore is not qualified for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Cold? In NoDak, we would consider wearing shirts in this weather.

Sheesh.

But the Volume I team redeem themselves a bit:

The highlight of todays show promises to be our guest in the noon hour. The eminent historian Max Boot joins us. He is foreign affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a contributing editor to the Weekly Standard, occasional verbal sparring partner with VDH, and the author of a fascinating new book: War Made New – Technology, Warfare and the Course of History 1500 to Today. Insightful book review here. Well discuss the effect of revolutions in warfare on world history and what that may mean for us in the future as we progress further into and beyond the Information Age.

Now that – as long as they don’t sit and mewl like frightened kittens about the weather – will be worth a listen!

On Volume II, Ed and I will talk about the news of the week, while the Final Word guys will, I’m sure, be interviewing Al Franken or someone.

UPDATE:  Oh, say it isn’t so, Ed…

I listen, occasionally, to Michael Savage for about the same reasons I occasionally listen to Steve Vai.  The material itself bores me stiff, but the sheer technique is fascinating.

Savage has mastered the art of pushing listeners’ buttons; he is a virtuoso of manipulative talk-radio technique.  And, like any virtuoso, watching them riffing can get pretty dull after you watch the same arpeggio for a while.

So I don’t listen much anymore.

But this view into life behind the scenes on the Savage show…:

 Kicking off hour three of last night’s live broadcast, Savage dropped the “F-bomb” onto unsuspecting affiliates from coast- to- coast.

While some sharp- eared station board operators may have kept the offending words from reaching the airwaves, it’s highly likely that most were unable to catch it.

…is interesting, if only because it’s so much like a day at the NARN with Chad, Brian and King.

(And you can tell Brian Maloney’s been in the bigs too long; he thinks most of Savage’s stations have actual live board operators…)

Big day on the NARN today.

First: Mitt Romney  will join us in the first hour.   We’ll talk about dog breeding and curling.  No, actually, we’ll talk about his candidacy for President.

Then, in the second hour, Bill from INDC Journal will talk about his recent embed in Iraq.

Join us!