Back in the U.S.S.R.

In Soviet Russia, the government covers the press.

"You agree that your work is to tape a full committee hearing, and not individual members," which evidently presumes that the hearings must only be released in complete, unedited form. [It also suggests that individual members aren't to be taped, thus perhaps they should be blurred out, like alleged criminals on COPS?]

Second, "You agree that you are not videotaping audience members." While it's indeed worth addressing that there's sort of an expectation that you won't get taped much in the audience, we're watching live TPT-MN coverage in the PIM office right now and we can certainly see audience members behind the speakers. With the geometry of the rooms, it's quite difficult, if not impossible, to get angles without any audience in the background.

Nothing like a Politburo full of Democrats to straighten out all us little people and keep the secrets of the People's Central Committee.

UPDATE: Maybe enough people found out about this jive shit late today that those who know NOTHING of the law may not be allowed to pathetically twist it further.

THERE'S MORE:

I was trying to take a photo of Rep. Paul Marquart of Dilworth presenting a bill to a House committee. A page approached and asked to see my credentials before she would allow me to take photos. Recalling Wittenborg's assurances that no credentials were needed, I told her that I had just been told I did not need to present credentials (which, by the way, hung in plain sight from a lanyard around my neck) and I continued to photograph Marquart.

Soon after I returned to my seat in the back of the room, two state troopers approached me after the page had called them, apparently to kick out this photographer.

This is one of those inside stories we often don't report, but the public should know because whatever is going on could affect what Minnesotans know about legislative business. And it is a story in progress since we still don't know why the rules were proposed, who proposed them or what their future may be. Stay tuned.

This DFL hocus pocus isn't over by a long shot, son.