Bachmann’s oil claims are totally disingenuous

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Michele Bachmann’s assertions that opening offshore drilling would “push gas prices back to $2.00 per gallon” in the Star Trib article on June 17, are totally disingenuous, misleading, and highly inaccurate. And now she has been joined in similar claims by President Bush and John McCain. Since she wrote that, numerous articles have appeared which denounce the idea that opening these regions to new drilling would have such an effect of that magnitude, and that quickly. Additionally, Bachmann, and the others trivialize the environmental ramifications of such an action. How quickly we forget. Continue Reading

Who is responsible for public safety?

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Jimmy Johnson is arrested for burglary; it turns out he has broken into several homes and garages, taking residents’ valuables and crippling their sense of safety and security. Common reactions are: “Where were the police?” “Don’t we need more frequent police patrol?” and “Why didn’t the police catch him during the first burglary?”
Jimmy Johnson grew up without discipline or boundaries in a “well-to-do” family; his parents frequently left him alone. He was often truant from school and didn’t learn to read well. He got into trouble with other kids and started stealing small items from stores. He eventually became a burglar. Continue Reading

A ticket to Cairo

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As a college student living in Cairo for the past four and a half months, I’ve had a lot of little life lessons drilled into me: always hoard small change, make sure to have a written will before crossing streets, and when it comes to food, you get what you pay for. But my experiences here – both as a student of a foreign language and culture, and as a volunteer English teacher – have also driven home a more fundamental point: education is opportunity. I attended Mahtomedi High School when it still had the resources to offer a full education. I participated in varsity sports, joined the drama club, and played in the jazz band. I had motivated, well-qualified teachers in math, science, English, and history. Continue Reading

The courage of our collections

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As I child, I kept everything. Every toy, every birthday card, every outgrown t-shirt, every brochure from every tourist attraction my family ever visited. Continue Reading

Does the ‘perfect job’ exist?

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Well-meaning people often ask me, “So what are you doing now?” to which I sheepishly reply, “Oh, uh, well, I’m still trying to figure that out, really.” Each year that passes by makes answering this question a little harder. The gap between college graduation and my unconventional work history is growing wider and potentially more embarrassing at a panic-inducing pace. I’m getting older. Continue Reading

Yellow flagging reading rest results

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Earlier this week, the Minnesota Department of Education gleefully released the state’s sophomore graduation reading standard test results. 75% met the requirement, a fact that the department fell all over itself announcing. Clearly, it was victory lap moment for Commissioner Alice Seagren and the department. “These reading results show that if we increase rigor and we raise expectations, our students can and will rise up to meet the challenge,” Seagren says in the press release. “Minnesota students and educators deserve credit and praise for their outstanding effort.” Continue Reading

Why do we settle for less?

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Usually in this column you see ways to take action like how to recycle plastic bags and a list of peace vigils. In this issue of the Women’s Press, I’m asking some simple but tough questions and asking us all to do some reflecting. I’ve been reminded recently that there can be a lot of disagreement in a group of passionate, committed, intelligent, well-intentioned changemakers with the same vision in mind. Good examples of this were found at the recent state DFL convention and the endorsement of candidate Al Franken. Franken has been in the news in recent weeks for a variety of reasons. Continue Reading

People in need

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Do you ever think about that pair of shoes that you saw at the store the other day? Or those designer jeans? You wanted them so badly but mom said, “No.” You were upset the rest of the day, moping around the house. I have succumbed many times to the wanting of new things, and I am sure I will again. However, something I experienced the other day will make me think twice about those designer jeans at the mall. Continue Reading

Dream deferred, dream denied

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Saying goodbye to Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and to an old friend–Amazon Bookstore. As I write this, Hillary Clinton has just acknowledged Barack Obama’s position as the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, and she’s thrown him her support. There is much rejoicing by chauvinists who are pleased that Clinton is, for all intents and purposes, out of the race-the well-earned victory cheers of Barack Obama’s supporters, and the mourning of her candidacy by some Clinton supporters. I count myself among Clinton’s supporters but not among the mourners. I have been amazed at the sexism, vitriolic at times, that Sen. Clinton has endured. Continue Reading