Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/opinion/voices/page/5/)
I’d planned to go to DC for the inauguration, or at least I announced that intention to friends and family as we closed down the District 60 canvassing center in south Minneapolis on election night an Continue Reading
I sleep with Puter and Lator every night. Neither one of them initiate contact, I always do–but as a heterosexual male, that is a familiar role for me. It’s not that Puter is cold, she really runs hot, but she is not in the habit of reaching out. I am always touching her, in repetitive ways, I might add. I really don’t consider myself a bigamist and Puter and Lator get along quite well–they have what you might call a symbiotic relationship. Continue Reading
If you are like me, with deep roots in Africa, you probably have heard Americans say you have an accent. You might feel that having an accent is not a good thing. Many new immigrants in America are embarrassed about their foreign accents and struggle to learn to speak like Americans. I met a Somali youth in Faribault, Minnesota, who felt that way. I think all this is rather unfortunate. Continue Reading
On Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008, the Ramsey County Sheriff executed search warrants on three houses in the metro area. They arrested eight young people who had been associated with the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee: Luce Guillen-Givens, Max Specktor, Nathanael Secor, Ervy Trimmer, Monica Bicking, Erik Oseland, Robert Czernik and Garrett Fitzgerald. The RNC 8 are charged with Riot in the Second Degree, a felony. The Ramsey County Attorney alleges that between Nov. Continue Reading
Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the “State of the State is challenged.” If anything, that is an understatement.Pawlenty’s State of the State address was long on folksy rhetoric and short on real solutions. These are serious times. We need jobs, not jokes. We face a $5.2 billion state budget deficit and rising unemployment. Continue Reading
Virtually every day, in America, you are told to be a millionaire. Day and night, television peddles the dream that even you can be a millionaire, if only you work hard enough. Alternatively, you can be a millionaire by just winning the lottery. It all sounds like a fairy tale, but millions of people believe it. Maybe there is something wrong with me, for I have never tried to be a millionaire. Continue Reading
Sunday’s star-studded inaugural concert on the National Mall captured the enthusiasm and optimism of the incoming Obama presidency, but for me, one moment truly embodied the spirit of America. Throughout the program, speakers and musical artists – from Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder to U2 to Beyonce – wove together different strands of the American experience. In brief remarks, Vice President-elect Joe Biden extolled the virtues of the American worker. He was followed by John Mellencamp, whose rendition of the highly ironic “Pink Houses,” accompanied by photos of men and women in hard hats and standing on assembly lines, seemed an odd choice if the intent was to uplift the 2 million people who lost their jobs last year or the millions without health care. So I was astounded – and then brought to tears – when at the close of the program Springsteen introduced folk legend Pete Seeger and his grandson, Tao, and all three led the crowd in singing what Springsteen called “the best song ever written about our home” – Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” penned in 1940:
“This land is your land, this land is my landFrom California to the New York IslandFrom the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream watersThis land was made for you and me.” Continue Reading
If Minnesota’s economic recession were a 30-below zero cold snap, Governor Pawlenty’s solutions would start by turning off the furnace. In his January 15, 2009 State of the State address, Pawlenty outlined a policy vision that compounds the present disaster with another, greater one. Facing a $5.5 billion projected budget deficit and state infrastructure already overstressed, the Governor believes massive budget and tax cuts will improve our situation. If effect, we’re supposed to start breaking up and burning the furniture to stay warm. That’s no solution; it is a clear prescription for deepening, widening failure. Continue Reading
My 85-year-old father Arnie has rabbit ears. He can adjust them just fine with no help, which is important to him. But my dad is going to be losing his ears, when Congress has mandated all television signals switch to digital, making analog static and obsolete. While the world shudders from economic crisis, my elderly dad just wants a clear picture screen. In October, a Nielsen Company news release reported that 9.6 million U.S. TV households were still unprepared for the digital switch and would be unable to receive any television programming at all if the transition occurred at that time. Continue Reading
Every new year presents the opportunity for considered renewal, shedding our old coats, sporting new ones. This one should be no different even if it starts with particular difficulties. The continuing recession has left few unaffected, from large industries with global reach to our families and friends. Mshale will walk with you through the trying times, over the next several months, comforting our readership in the knowledge that you are not alone in your struggles and documenting your stories of courage and resilience. We begin this month, with a small business in Minneapolis whose owner is seeking creative ways to save money and attract customers to its tables—Tam Tam Restaurant. Continue Reading