FREE SPEECH ZONE | A Somali-American activist on Eden Prairie Schools

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Ahmed Jama is a Somali-American advocate for educational equity and an activist in closing the educational achievement gap between the haves and have nots.  In 2011, the Eden Prairie School District implemented plans to accommodate the high profile suburb’s large population of Somali immigrants; close the learning gap; deal with budget challenges and prevent increasing levels of segregation in one of its elementary schools.  But the changes were strongly opposed by a highly politicized group of parents sporting various handles including “Yes for Neighborhood Schools.” and “Eden Prairie School Board Accountability.”  They claimed they didn’t want their kids bussed to school outside their neighborhoods and pressured school superintendent Dr. Melissa Krull to leave and elected four candidates to Eden Prairie’s School Board. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Oil Dump and Tar Sand Oil Pollution

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Clean water and air advocate Dr. Maureen Hackett discusses ongoing environmental issues prompted by the British Petroleum, Gulf of Mexico oil spill and issues sparked by Canadian tar sand oil on the current edition of Democratic Visions.  Appearing on the current edition of Democratic Visions with producer Jeff Strate, Dr.

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FREE SPEECH ZONE | They Live Among Us

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About six weeks ago I discovered sewers of caustic gossip, conjecture, stereotyping, scapegoating and mud slinging targeting the elementary school boundary changes in Eden Prairie.  The stuff flowed though the mostly unmanaged Star Tribune, on-line reader comment trenches and two citizen groups: one calling itself “Yes for Neighborhood Schools” (website) and the other calling itself “Eden Prairie School Board Accountability” (Facebook).There are numbers of good, respectful and reasoned parents in these groups, but their collectives have provided a safe harbor and stage for bullies who lob insults, misinformation and rumor at school officials, consultants and parents who support school boundary changes and our Spanish emersion school.   They’re like adolescents who pout and scream when they don’t get their way.  They want to flip the school board during Tuesday’s vote and then bully the new board to roll back the clock to the days when Eden Prairie didn’t have so many immigrants.  The scary thing is, these folks live down the block, shop at the same grocery stores and cheer for the Vikes and Twins just like I do. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | “Political Poppycock in Eden Prairie” Reviewed

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Minnesota Progressive Project Blogger Tommy Johnson has posted his review of our live presentation “Political Poppycock in Eden Prairie.” nee “Prairie Poppycock: The Dark Side of School Politics in Eden Prairie.” The presentation consists of live, verbatim readings taken directly from the reader comments to articles in the Star Tribune, the Eden Prairie News, Eden Prairie Sun Current and the facebook venue of something called “Eden Prairie School Board Accountability” and the right wing blog site “The Activist Next Door.”  The local school district has re-drawn school boundaries to meet the challenge of a growing number of Somali immigrants and the learning gap.Doug Lind and I do an encore of the presentation this Sunday November 6th at Eden Wood Center 6350 Indian Chief Road, Eden Prairie.    Tommy Johnson, a life-long resident of Eden Prairie and liked the presentation. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Eden Prairie Political Poppycock

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A group calling itself “Eden Prairie School Board Accountability,” unsuccessfully opposed school boundary changes that will now be phased in.  The locally controversial change will help our school district narrow the learning gap and continue meeting the challenge of fewer dollars and a large population of immigrants from Somalia.

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FREE SPEECH ZONE | Tribute: Melissa Krull, embattled School Superintendent

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Recently retired Eden Prairie Schools Superintendent Melissa Krull was honored by scores of parents and professional colleagues on Saturday October 15th for her support of educational equity and integration. A small band of vocal parents — The Braxton Bullies — have opposed the EP School district’s re-alignment of grade school districts and other reforms. Some of them have been caustic, mean and anonymous in local newspapers; facebook presentations like “The Eden Prairie School Board Accountability” and bloggers like “The Activist Next Door.”But Dr. Krull remains highly admired by a large majority of residents including Eden Prairie’s large Somali Community.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading

Jim Klobuchar On Amy & American Politics

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Author, columnist, adventurer and father of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Jim Klobuchar offers his personal, sometimes moving takes on campaigning with his daughter and the state of American politics.  Jim and host Tim O’Brien recently met on the Democratic Visions set at South West Community TV for the September edition the public issues series produced by DFL Senate District 42.   Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. Continue Reading

The Junk Yard Democrats rebound with L.K. Hanson cartoons in the DFL Botanical Garden

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L.K. Hanson’s satirical cartoons, Mozart and contemplation refresh burned-out Minnesota Democrats in the beautiful DFL Botanical Garden in the Minneapolis suburbs.  This Timid Video Theater production for DFL Senate District 42’s public issues CableTV series, Democratic Visions, restores whimsy to the harsh sparks that characterize American Politics.  L.K.Hanson is the Star Tribune’s celebrated social and political cartoonist.  Hanson, a shy man with a liberal arts degree, does not appear in the video, but his marvelous sketches and cryptic appreciation of irony certainly do.  Hanson’s cartoons are joined by Doug Lind (former joke writer for Jackie Vernon), “Two Putt” Tommy Johnson (former paratroop trainer) and Norb Gernes (former Catholic Priest).The four reference Mark Twain, Michele Bachmann, Vladimir Nabokov, Gertrude Stein, and J.P. Morgan. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | African Santus BelAhdan

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The late composer and music anthropologist David Fanshawe found and celebrated the core soul of our diverse and fractured species in Egypt, East Africa and Europe. His signature work, African Sanctus, resonates with hope as Ramadan reaches its midpoint.  Mr. Fanshawe traveled with a Nagra audio tape recorder down the Nile River through Sudan to Uganda with visits to Kenya as the 1960’s became the 1970’s.  He joined Islamic, African ethnic and European sacred musical traditions into a stirring mass that has had hundreds and hundreds of performances around the world.   “Call to Prayer” in African Sanctus is haunting, meditative, stirring and universal. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Seamus Dolan’s Obama Summer

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President Barack Obama turned 50 years old recently; his hair is turning grey and his popularity is slipping.  But it will bounce back before the summer has ended because of thousands of youthful campaigners around the nation.  Normandale Community College student Seamus Dolan is the Obama Campaign’s summer advance man in Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. Seamus visited Democratic Visions in July and he’s primed and pumping for Barack.  The program can be seen in Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie on Channel 15 Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. The series is also carried on Bloomington Cable Access Television Channel 16 on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., and Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. as well as TN Channel 17- Minneapolis Sundays at 7 p.m.Democratic Visions is produced by volunteers through DFL Senate District 42 for the entire metro region. Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. Continue Reading