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 MORE »

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?MORE »

Far too many conflicts are crippling the world, yet too few people like Mel Duncan have dedicated their lives to do something about the strife. Fewer still get recognized for their efforts. But this week, a respected interfaith group awarded Duncan a peace prize for his efforts. The New York-based U.S. Fellowship for Reconciliation, or FOR, which promotes world peace through nonviolent means, announced today that Duncan, the executive director of Nonviolent Peaceforce, is the winner of this year's international Pfeffer Peace Prize. MORE »

Only days after he was ushered in as Britain's new prime Minister, Gordon Brown embarked on a fresh battle in the war of words against terrorists, instructing his cabinet to drop the use of such terms as "the war on terror" and "Muslim terrorists." In doing so Brown not only distinguished himself from his predecessor, Tony Blair, who was mocked in the British media as George Bush's "lapdog," but charted a new course in Britain's quest to win the hearts and minds of its burgeoning young Muslims. MORE »

In a Newsweek poll last week, 60 percent of Americans said they oppose mass detentions against Muslim-Americans if another 9/11 style attack were to occur. Twenty-five percent supported such a move. In an attempt to downplay the latter number--a quarter of Americans--Brian Briaker of Newsweek highlighted the majority by emphasizing the phrase. He called it "a solid majority." MORE »