We are faced daily with stories that heighten our awareness of the responsibility we have for our own personal safety and that of our loved ones.As that awareness grows, so does the number of people obtaining a permit-to-carry a firearm for personal safety. Reports from across the country show that record numbers of permits are being issued, and that the demographics of those purchasing firearms and obtaining permits is changing also.As the number of permit holders grows exponentially and they become more visible and prevalent in society, including right here in the Twin Cities, it’s more important than ever to share facts, information and education about Minnesota’s right-to-carry law and about who permit holders are to correct misconceptions and stereotypes. Permit holders are moms and dads, sons and daughters. Permit holders are your neighbors, co-workers, friends and relatives. Minnesota’s permit holders have received required training and have passed a criminal background check. Continue Reading
Farview Soccer Shout-Out: “Yeah Blong Yang!!”North Minneapolis Hmong soccer players have some special reasons to cheer the election of Blong Yang as Minneapolis’ first Hmong councilmember: not only is he their new alderman, he is also the founding league coach for their Farview Park soccer team.As the van picked up Farview soccer players Saturday for indoor soccer, they were asked what they thought of Blong Yang’s election.“I think Blong Yang will be a good councilmember, because he was a good coach,” says Ab Vue.Je Yang gives his thumbs up to Blong as councilmember “Because he is a Yang like me.”“Blong will have some new ideas,”, says Yeng Vang, “and he speaks Hmong, so he can talk with my parents.”Tou Wang Lee is proud that “Blong is the first Hmong elected in Minneapolis.”Coach Blong Yang with 2006 Farview Park 14u soccer teamIn 2006, Blong Yang coached the Farview Park 14u soccer team. This team literally came out of nowhere: 18 months before, all but one of the players were living in a Thai refugee camp. The players were small and scrawny, and the players from the other teams towered over them: But with Blong’s drive and guidance, they won their first game 6-1, and went on to an undefeated regular season and league championship in the Minneapolis Parks Soccer League. Coach Blong talks strategy with his soccer playersBlong coached Farview teams for three more years, and each year his team won the league championship. As their coach, Blong heard about the many problems his refugee players had in their schools: getting hit, lack of bilingual teachers, overcrowded classes. And he also heard about criminal attacks suffered by the refugee families: doors busted down while the families were inside, a robber pointing a gun at children in their house and threatening to blow their heads off, assaults on the street, thefts and car break-ins. Two Farview soccer players were hit with stray bullets – both survived. Blong also knew that these refugee families spoke very limited English and would face challenges getting their voices heard. Blong Helps refugee families explain to Minneapolis Public Schools officials that a 45 student classroom is too bigHe came to meetings and supported families when they said their 40+ student classes were overcrowded and needed to be cut. Continue Reading
The idea that America is heading into an all out revolution may be absurd and to some extent unthinkable to most of us. Never the less, the factors that could ignite such an event are quietly coming into place, and although not imminent, they are plausible. Especially if the trends that are creating them are not reversed. At any rate, the possibility is worth examining – along with hopeful reasons why such an event may be deterred.(Author’s note: Please be aware I am not proposing, advocating, suggesting, or encouraging the actions described below; this diary is designed for commentary and discussion)The causes of most revolutions are historical, well known, and provable. It virtually is always a rebellion against an elite, defined by excessive concentration of power and wealth. Continue Reading
A continuing resolution which re-opens the federal government was passed along with a debt ceiling increase that keeps everything hummin’ along until February. It’s good news, at least until the next manufactured crisis comes. We can’t be sure what kind of economic damaged was done in the 16 day shutdown until … well, until the workers in the government that tabulate this stuff get back to work. Continue Reading
So what if Congress and the president cannot reach an agreement to end the partial government shut-down or worse, extend the debt limit? Is the country hopelessly stuck in the middle of a political dispute? Not necessarily. Ignored in the entire dispute is one obvious resolution –the Supreme Court. While some may argue that budget and finance matters are no place for the courts to venture, the partial governmental shutdown and the pending debt limit extension both represent controversies that have a legal or constitutional basis that can be addressed by the courts. Continue Reading
Recent figures show that 2013 is turning out to be a banner year for the tireless workers who turn the fertile soil of American public opinion, planting seeds of doubt and raising the hackles and ire that feed our public discourse. Continue Reading
Amtrak, the National Passenger Railroad Corporation, could cease to be a “national” network if the federal government shutdown drags on. The company has said that it can ride out a short-term shutdown, on the order of “several weeks“, but it’s unclear what might happen beyond that point. The good news is that the company is in better financial health than they have been in a decade or more, somewhat extending the window of time they can operate without federal assistance. The bad news is that it would still be a extremely difficult task to find the $100 million or so per month they would need to keep running the company as it is today. Continue Reading
What does it take for international markets to panic? With the debt ceiling due to be hit in a little more than a week, the short answer is that the “full faith and credit of the United States” is still worth quite a lot. We’re only starting to see the first signs of a panic as an auction of 1-month TBills sold at a net rate of 0.355%. If that doesn’t impress you, it’s worth noting that it was one third that a week ago. Continue Reading
