The Art of Deception on the Prairie
Thursday, 11 February 2010 00:00 Last Updated on Friday, 12 February 2010 00:04
Prairie Home Living is an online magazine and creation of Vicki Pellar Price, Founder of Writers Rising Up. My sister did a guest blog on them last spring when I first noticed their website.
Pellar Price is a local liberal activist mostly known for leading the "Zero Expansion" Group who opposes any development at Flying Cloud Airport here in Eden Prairie.
Last year the Writer's Rising Up website called Prairie Home Living "our magazine", but they updated the site and there is no longer any connection listed between the group and the online magazine. But here's how it looked before they changed it:
Last May, I used their contact form after reading the fawning interview with Ron Case...I received an email back from Pellar Price:
PrairieHOMEliving is a brand new community web portal based in Eden Prairie.The PHL staff consists of metro area food stylists and writers who comprise our editorial board.Some of their pictures and bios will be online soon.
Isn't it interesting that PHL does such nice profiles of local Democrats like Kathy Nelson and Ron Case? The interview with Republican Mayor Phil Young was far less favorable.
Check out what they have to say about Congressman Paulsen on ObamaCare:
In an emailed newsletter to his constituents, Erik Paulsen (R) Eden Prairie explained why he voted against the Health Care Bill that represents a 100 year quest for universal health coverage voted on and passed in the House Saturday night.
The Affordable Health Care for America Act, or H.R. 3962, does some things everyone should be happy about: it restricts insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition or charging higher premiums based on gender or medical history. It also provides federal subsidies to those who cannot afford it and guarantees coverage for 96 percent of Americans, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Spin much?
On the home page today you can see a nice picture of DFL State Senate Candidate Ron Case, by his roaring hearth at his Christmas Party. I guess the Editor of PHL was invited! In fact PHL is the official "home" of Case's campaign.
Iam planning to run as an endorsed Democrat for the 42nd Senate District seat. Believing that sustainable funding for education, transportation, health care, alternative energy, and protecting the environment are not being currently addressed, it is my intention to run to represent the people of Eden Prairie and Minnetonka as a moderate, common sense problem solver who can work to build consensus for the benefit of all residents living within the 42nd District as well as the citizens of the State of Minnesota. In an effort to be creative and innovative, I am choosing to announce the formation of my campaign committee and its subsequent efforts to begin fund raising through the Prairie Home Living on-line magazine.
And isn't it interesting that Ron Case is a donor to Writer's Rising Up?
Let's break this on down: this would be like me having an "Eden Prairie Lifestyles" online magazine with shopping, fashion, and decorating tips, (except mine would be good ones.) I'd do favorable interviews with local Republicans, unfavorable interviews with local Democrats, but make no mention of the fact that I'm politically active and that the Republican candidates funded one of my "side projects". It's unethical.
Writer's Rising Up is filed as a 501c3 "Charitable Organization" with the Internal Revenue Service-- and released a press release to the Eden Prairie News to announce its tax-exempt status back in 2006. Interesting. Take tax-exempt donations from local politicians who get a little quid pro quo via favorable features in one of your other writing projects.
Local Republicans should not grant this website interviews and and treat them as credible, because they're not.
I wonder if any of Prairie Home Living's sponsors know that this is really just a local liberal propaganda website disguised as a community magazine? Hmmmm.....Stay tuned.
In the spirit of literary kinship may I offer this famous poetry quote to my fellow "writers"?
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive."- Sir Walter Scott
