To the Editor, Our long liberal democracy experiment that seeks to protect the interest of minorities is under assault. Two of Trump’s biggest supporting groups, white supremacists and white conservative evangelical Christians, are groups who seek male domination and would often prefer lesser civil rights not only for females, but also for LGBTQ, non-Christian, and other … [Read more...]
Celebrating a century of civic engagement
By Kay Spangler On September 8, 1919, the Minnesota Legislature voted YES to ratify the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the right to vote and ending the 72-year struggle for woman suffrage. The League of Women Voters Minnesota began with suffragist Ms. Clara Ueland as its first President to help carry out the new work of empowering voters and defending … [Read more...]
Trump was right
The fundamental questions: 1) Why were U.S. forces in Syria? 2) What was their job? They were there to fight ISIS. That’s why they were there. That’s it. They were not there to get in the middle of ancient and ongoing contest between the Kurds and Turkey even though the Kurds fought with us against ISIS. Besides it was very much in their interest to side with us … [Read more...]
Vaping: The hope that went horribly wrong to a national health crisis
Vaping. Big buzzword lately. What is it and why is it a big deal? For a quick introduction, we’ll go through the history. Back in 2007, a couple of design students on Stanford University’s campus were focusing on ways to help smokers to stop smoking; a noble mission. They wanted to create an alternative for “health conscious smokers.” Essentially, these two created an … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate…Community involvement
Volunteering your time, mind, and energy to accomplish the goals you believe in doesn’t merely satisfy a sense of civic duty; it is legitimately gratifying to work with others who share your passions. Have you ever seen those “Adopt a Highway” signs? Do you know what they’re for? Those signs tell us who has offered their time and energy cleaning up road ditches along the … [Read more...]