Big day for Minnesotans. First, Governor Mark Dayton "siren.gif"-capitulated to the deadlock over the budget and offered to accept the GOP's pre-shutdown proposal. Except, now the Republicans are, like, "Uh, we didn't, you know, really mean that." (Probably because the GOP proposal is to borrow more money.) Ending the state shutdown would mean that the sheriffs who have been issuing concealed handgun permits through the shutdown will now again be able to do the mental health background checks that had been unavailable for two weeks. (Worse fates face the state.)

Meanwhile, one state to the south, Minnesotan presidential candidates are putting together their own revenue-raising [...]

On Thursday, October 21, Plymouth, Minnesota will play host to a movie premiere. The film, part one of a five-part documentary series, is billed as a look "at the heart of our nation to bring us back to our foundation to see what it was established upon-the blood and sacrifice of those who were willing to pay the ultimate price (their lives) for our freedom." Promotions for the film define it as "perfect for all ages" and "a night for the entire family!"

The film and accompanying book, titled "My War," is original; but for many, it may feel like a reboot of a well-known classic.

How done is former governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty with his own state? Today the candidate for the 2012 Republican nomination released an ad bragging about how, as governor, he shut down state government in 2005.

Pawlenty knows his own former Minnesota Republican party is screaming bloody murder because the Democratic governor elected to follow him just shut down state government, right? Yes, Pawlenty knows and doesn't care; as a GOP nominee he stands to accomplish the impossible in Minnesota.

Here's the cover for the new book by Minnesota governor/potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty. Let's see: Red? Yep! "American"? Yep. But wait a second… where is the goddamn flag pin? I think we have to give this round to Sarah Palin.

The airwaves have been flooded with pundits talking about all the ramifications, fallouts and consequences of a government shutdown. Is Michele Bachmann's posturing mostly in support of her 2012 ambitions? Are the Democrats using the threat of a shutdown as a fund-raising device? Is it true that Congress will hire scabs to keep the seats filled during negotiations? Yes. Yes. Sure! And yes, Christine O'Donnell is available!

But what do real people think will happen? Below, a tapestry of Twitter pundrity that sums up, as well as anyone really, what America faces should the government shut down.

"We should take a page out of her playbook and take a nine iron and smash the window out of big government." -Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty , speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, suggests that conservatives should behave in a manner similar to the wife of a Very Famous Person when she discovered that he had done several Very Bad Things. Pawlenty did not go on to suggest that conservatives "fly a plane into the building of big government," but he totally should have.