Siouxsie Law

A Minnesota budget debate on the future of cultural funds resulted in an attack on Neil Gaiman, the best-selling author of Coraline, The Sandman, and American Gods

Minnesota Representative Matt Dean, for some reason, focused on $33,600 worth of state funds paid to Newbery award-winning author Neil Gaiman for a four-hour speaking appearance. Dean said that Gaiman, “who I hate,” was a “pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota.”

Mr. Gaiman responded with the most charming blog post  ever, and explained –

I’m not a particularly political animal — if there was a party whose main platform was being nice to people, freedom of speech and supporting libraries I’d sign up for it, but mostly I try and vote, when I vote, which is in the UK by postal ballot, for the person whose politics I dislike the least, and who does the most good for the area s/he represents.

***

So it was with a certain amount of surprise I discovered this morning that I’m on the majority leader of the Minnesota Republicans’s Hate List. His name is Matt Dean, and he has a thing about my neck.

Anyway, as  reported in Salon

[] Gaiman explained at length, at the time the library story “broke,” he was offered that much money — his regular speaking fee — by a Stillwater, Minnesota, library that had to use the Legacy money (which is meant to do things like bring famous authors to suburban libraries) by the end of the month, or else lose it.  Gaiman gave the money to charity.

Salon also points out that Representative Dean’s rant not only was in poor taste, but it was unwise because “there are a lot of teenaged goth girls (and women who were once teenaged goth girls) in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, and Rep. Dean will surely regret crossing them.”  Apparently, Representative Dean’s own mother is one of those angry goth girls alluded to by Salon.

Just read Representative  Dean’s response to the incident –

‘My mom is staying with us right now because my wife’s out of town,’ Dean said. ‘She was very angry this morning . . . .’ [I] shouldn’t have done it, and I apologize.’

Siouxsie hopes that this whole incident starts a movement to draft Neil Gaiman to run for governor.  It could happen.  Minnesota elected Jesse Ventura and Al Franken.  Governor Gaiman has a certain ring to it.

[N.B.  -- There is, of course, the whole issue of Mr. Gaiman not wanting U.S. citizenship, and having no desire to enter politics, but a gal can dream can't she?]

Tiny top hat tip:  Goth Law

Photo courtesy of Jutta.

~ by siouxsielaw on May 6, 2011.

Posted in Animals, Free Speech, Goth
Tags: Matt Dean, Neil Gaiman