Aaynte's blog

A report by the Census Bureau two weeks ago revealed that Minnesota’s major immigrant groups — Hmong and Africans — are climbing the educational and economic ladder faster than anyone thought likely.

A subset of the report particularly riveted my attention: An immigrant is more likely to have an advanced degree than a native-born Minnesotan. This revelation should not only be celebrated, but should inspire legislators to go back to the drawing table and pass the Minnesota Dream Act in the next session.
Abdi Aynte :: Immigrants’ Success a Good Case for Dream Act Revival

Four leading Republican presidential candidates snubbed next week’s debate at a historically black university in Maryland. Earlier this month all but one Republican presidential hopeful declined to participate in Univision TV’s Spanish-language debate.

Candidates aside, the Republican Party not only turned down an invitation to speak at the annual Muslim convention over the Labor Day weekend, but two congressmen blasted the Justice Department for sending representatives to a “radical jihadists” convention.

Rush Limbaugh is known for uttering creepy stuff, but what the nationally syndicated radio host said last week about the genocide-stricken Darfur region of Sudan was categorically bigoted and once again proved his disqualification to weigh in on foreign affairs.

Democrats, he said, “want to get us out of Iraq but they can’t wait to get us into Darfur.”

What he said next, however, was brazenly out of context. “There are two reasons. What color is the skin of the people in Darfur? It’s black. And who do the Democrats really need to keep voting for them?

You don’t appreciate what you have until you meet the have-nots. That’s how I felt Thursday when I visited a Lake Street shopping complex known for its bustling Latino businesses. In addition to seeking a comment for a story about immigration raids during the 2010 census, I grabbed a burrito while I looked for someone to talk to me.