Photo from Facebook page of One License, One State Coalition https://www.facebook.com/unestadounalicencia
Minnesota’s One State, One License coalition got an early start, rallying at the legislature on the session’s opening day. The coalition wants all Minnesota residents, regardless of immigration status, to be able to take the driver’s license test and qualify for a license. They also want all licenses to look the same, without special marking for immigrants’ licenses. Continue reading
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UAW mural at Ford Plant by Jonathan Haynes, used under Creative Commons license
The Ford plant’s departure leaves St. Paul with 125 acres of prime land on the Mississippi River. That’s an opportunity to build what St. Paul is calling a 21st Century Community, a “livable, mixed use neighborhood that looks to the future with clean technologies and high quality design for energy, buildings and infrastructure.” In an online forum, the city is asking for feedback as planning proceeds. The questions posed: Continue reading
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Photo by by Joroen Bosman, published under Creative Commons license
“But should they really publish such things?”
I want to say that’s the wrong question, but it’s not. I want to say that the question about Charlie Hebdo today is not whether they should publish such things, but whether they should be killed for publishing such things, or any things. The answer to the latter question, of course, is easy and clear.
My mother’s question, however is a different question, and the answer to her question is more complicated, bogged down in the distinctions between freedom and propriety and morality and legality, confused also by understanding what “things” Charlie Hebdo or any satirical publication has targets and why, past, present and future. Her question is worth serious consideration, especially by those of us who write, who publish, and who advocate for our political beliefs. Continue reading
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During the coldest week of the year, I’m looking at luscious red tomatoes on the cover of a recently-arrived 2015 seed catalog. Ever since I was a kid, seed catalogs have arrived in the depth of winter, filled with hope, promising that vegetables and fruit and flowers will roll around again. In deepest winter, a farmer’s fancy turns to spring. Continue reading
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Photo from Kopplin’s Coffee Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Kopplins
I’m writing this post at Kopplin’s Coffee, a local (St. Paul), family-owned business where the new year brought good news for workers:
“As of January 1, 2015, we will begin paying our employees not just a living but a livable wage. … As the owners, we are an integral part of Kopplin’s, but so too are our talented employees. … As we seek to create this alternative to standard ‘service industry’ chains, we choose to provide fair compensation (exceeding the “living wage” of $9.69 in Ramsey County). This validates the good work of our employees and creates a more stable and equitable pay environment for these people who bring beauty into our lives with the creation of their hands.”
Apart from Kopplin’s, where the coffee and the company are always good, here’s a round-up of the good, the bad and the ugly in labor-related news as 2015 begins. Continue reading
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Photo by photologue_np <https://www.flickr.com/photos/44313045@N08/>, published under Creative Commons license.
Racism pervades all of American society, not just police interactions with people on the street. Even when people are not consciously racist, their actions show bias and that bias affects Black Americans every single day. Yet many, maybe most, white Americans do not see or understand or believe in the constant and corrosive effects of racism. The January 4 New York Times Upshot section listed some of the many studies showing bias in action in employment, apartment rentals, cardiac care, graduate education, used car sales, jury verdicts and even eBay auctions. Nothing new there — but a powerful reminder of the need to keep on talking, writing and educating people. Continue reading
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Telamonia spider. Photo by Rushen, published under Creative Commons license.
Does a venomous, two-striped telamonia spider lurk under toilet seats in public restrooms? Is President Obama planning a run for a third term? Does China hold more than 50 percent of U.S. debt? The answers: No, no, and no. Continue reading
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“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – (Poem by Emily Dickinson) Photo by Finn Frode, Creative Commons license
A day before the new year begins, I’m looking hard for hope.
Way back in 1959, the Kingston Trio sang a song that began:
“They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls…”
Has anything changed? Where can we find any reasons for hope for 2015? Continue reading
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November 25 protest march
As one grand jury after another refuses to indict police who have killed black men, #BlackLivesMatter protests continue across the United States. I marched on November 25, missed Saturday’s MOA protest, and will probably march again. Like many people, I keep hearing the same questions on Facebook and from friends and family. Before the next family gathering, here’s my short question-and-answer. Continue reading
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Workers need humane working conditions and vigorous enforcement of laws protecting their rights
I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera.
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Bombing schools and hospitals is a war crime. Deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Yesterday’s fulminations from the Führer in the White House go beyond war crimes to announce that he intends genocide: the wiping out of an entire people and civilization.
ICE is only one of the federal agencies surveilling people. Federal surveillance reaches far beyond immigrants. Federal agents use massive databases, facial recognition, cell phone photos, and license plate records. Beyond surveillance, they target and threaten people involved in protests, bringing the full weight of federal power to bear on individuals. Their actions often remain […]
Five years after the violent attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, the attacks on democracy and on elected officials continue. Yesterday, two politicians currently under attack by the Trump administration spoke out with anger and eloquence.
The New York Times today has plenty of coverage of who, how, when, and where the United States illegally attacked Venezuela and abducted its president and first lady. But that’s far from the whole story. A few easily overlooked but essential facts: For informed insights on the consequences of Trump’s attack on Venezuela, see:
50 USC Ch. 33: WAR POWERS RESOLUTION §1541. Purpose and policy (a) Congressional declaration It is the purpose of this chapter to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United […]
Mary Turck