When the new law left all these clauses out, Green Party council member Cam Gordon tried to add them back in amendments, and finally succeeded — at least partially — to pass them Friday. Now rubber bullets are again banned and all camera confiscation must hold up to the First and Fourth amendments of the Constitution.

Gordon was pleased with the final result. As for activists and future RNC protesters, many of whom followed the bill and were present at every vote, the response is more of a lukewarm relief. Michelle Gross, the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, recently e-mailed me her group’s thoughts on the reformed bill:

“[We’re] gratified that the Minneapolis City Council was forced by the
community to acknowledge their mistake in stripping away needed protections for
protesters contained in the 2000 resolution. We are especially pleased that
the City Council voted unanimously to reinstate the ban on rubber bullets.
However, we remain frustrated that other important protections from the 2000
resolution were not reinstated. We are striving to understand why the council
felt the need to overturn the 2000 resolution in the first place, along with
adding a burdensome permitting process for people who wish to protest in
Minneapolis.”

Right before an important vote concerning protest protection at the upcoming Republican National Convention, an early morning attempt to speak out at a Minneapolis City Council meeting against the resolution led to the forced removal of an activist from the council room Friday.

Jude Ortiz, a member of Coldsnap Legal Collective, stood in front of City Council members and read a “Reprobation for the City of Minneapolis” criticizing last week’s committee passing of a resolution promising to ban police use of rubber bullets and confiscation of recording devices at the upcoming Republican National Convention “except [when] the use of force is necessary.” Ortiz only got a few sentences in before police removed him outside the building and into a squad car. Council President Barb Johnson was first to jump on Ortiz, repeatedly telling him sit down, but Rybak’s attempt to do the same was more somber, as he wore an expression of sympathy — complete with puppy dog eyes —and politely asked Ortiz to stop whatever it was he was doing.

After the brief ruckus, the City Council voted in favor of the resolution, this time with more amendments from Ward 2 council member Cam Gordon tacked to it. They prohibit:

- Plastic and rubber bullets fired from “traditional firearms.”

- Camera confiscation that doesn’t meet “First and Fourth Amendment Constitutional protections.”

- Targeting “law abiding persons not engaged in demonstrating, including journalists, camera people, and legal observers, for enforcement actions.”

“I think we were successful in getting resolutions,” Gordon said. “The fact that we got this much passed should reconcile some folks that protection from the police is better.” Citing that the final bill doesn’t address protesters’ medical attention, Gordon admitted it has “probably fewer protections” for protesters than the laws put into place in 2000. But that won’t cut his optimism. Gordon contends that medical attention to protesters are “addressed in other ways” separate from legislation.

It can’t hurt to mention that each of Gordon’s added amendments begin with the clause, “In concurrence with MPD policies.”

Representatives from Coldsnap and Communities United Against Police Brutality — two organizations likely to oppose the final language of the bill —have not yet commented.

A handful of activists and future Republican National Convention protesters attended a Minneapolis City Council committee meeting Wednesday to support Green Party council member Cam Gordon’s June 20 proposal banning police use of rubber bullets at upcoming RNC protests this fall. Unfortunately for those planning to protest in St. Paul this September, Gordon’s reformed motion was vastly different from what he proposed last month, which, among barring rubber bullets, would have limited police use of pepper spray and prevented the targeting of activists.

Gordon’s June 20 proposal was supposed to be added to a resolution that set new rules for Minneapolis police to follow during public assemblies and mass demonstrations. These new policies superseded those made in 2000 after a protest at an International Society for Animal Genetics meeting that resulted in more than 65 arrests. Gordon’s added clauses were essentially the same as those that were already in law before June 20 but left out of the resolution that superseded them.

Last month, City Council sent Gordon’s proposal down to the Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee, where it was unanimously passed Wednesday.

But instead of sticking its original provisions, Gordon’s new resolution added three amendments:

— That MPD presence at public assemblies will be based on legitimate public safety concerns and not be based upon intent to chill First Amendment rights.

— In concurrence with state law, and city ordinance, MPD officers will not use pepper spray, tear gas, or similar substances, or projectiles except in situations where the use of force is necessary.

— That MPD officers shall not confiscate, destroy or tamper with cameras or other recording devices being used to document public assembly activities or MPD enforcement actions. This shall not apply to situations in which a) cameras or recording devices are to be used as evidence, or b) MPD officers arrest an individual in possession of cameras or recording devices.

When the committee moved to vote on it, the dozen or so activists attending the meeting — silent but stern and unable to speak out because of the closed public hearing — held up signs with various anti-brutality phrases (one of them read, “Youth Against a Police State”) and pictures of a woman covered with cuts and wounds from rubber bullets.

Future RNC protesters couldn’t describe the final product as a victory. In the words of one activist, the proposal was a “bullshit compromise that doesn’t even begin to address” the likely police brutality that will ensue in St. Paul this fall. “I’m really pissed,” added Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality. “That’s not the same as a ban – not even close.”

In a crowded hallway exchange with Gross and other activists after the vote, Gordon contended that his proposal wouldn’t have had any support without the added amendments. “It would have gotten voted down at committee, then it also would’ve gotten voted down at Council – I guarantee that,” he told Gross and the others. Gordon said that the best bet now is to get other council members to bring initiatives forward and “pick up some of the pieces that got dropped between now and next Friday (July 25),” when the full Council plans to vote on it.

“This is maybe the fifteenth time he’s pulled this shit,” Gross, who used to like Gordon, said of him. “He’s getting tired of being beat up by reactionaries on the committee, so he’s decided that he will just join them. If you can’t beat them, join them, right?”

Minneapolis police don’t use rubber bullets and aren’t planning to, according to a statement made by police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Garcia in a recent City Pages story. But this doesn’t calm the nerves of many future RNC protesters.

“Since the clauses protecting protestors were taken out of the law, there’s every reason to suspect that the police will start [using] those things to get us,” said Nathan Clough, a U of M geography graduate student. Clough, who’s concerned that the RNC is being used as an excuse to develop laws that “limit our ability to express ourselves,” agrees with Gross that Gordon’s final bill was watered down. “We should have these protections in place before the abuses happen again,” he said, citing the police brutality that occurred at the 2000 International Society for Animal Genetics protests. “The majority of the City Council is so firmly on the side of the police that they can’t see the flaws right in front of their faces.”

Many of the activists who attended the meeting plan to lobby council members to vote against the final resolution next Friday. “These are Democrats, they’re supposed to be for the people,” said Michael Lefkowitz, a member of Anti-War Committee, Minnesota and Youth Against War and Racism planning to lobby on behalf of his groups. “They let us down.”

This long-running debate is even more pertinent to students at our fair university, whose daily travels often take them within a stones’ throw of Riverside. For many U students, the area has long been a source of confusion and target of misguided derision. For those of you just entering the world of higher education here in Minneapolis, I guarantee you it won’t be long before you have to endure a long-winded
description of the many deadly faults of Cedar-Riverside. It will most likely be given by someone who has never spent more than five minutes there. It will most likely grate.

It’s unfortunate that it gets reduced to that, though, because the issue is immensely complex. Cedar-Riverside is an area in flux, an area with real issues relating to its identity and its ability to handle emerging social issues. It’s an area whose faults are often misrepresented by bigots, elitists and the ignorant.

First things first: The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is triangular-shaped area west of campus with three definitive boundaries: the Mississippi River to the west, Interstate 94 to the south and Interstate 35W to the west. It has long been a cultural center for artists, activists and students and now boasts the city’s largest immigrant population, according the City of Minneapolis’ website.

While the whole “artist/activist haven” torch seems to have been passed to Uptown (at least perceptually) in the past decade or so, that last point has been firmly entrenched in the mainstream perception of the area. Much like dive bars and monster truck arenas, Cedar-Riverside is an area that seems to bring out the worst in people. To wit: I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve heard people dismiss it as the “Somali ghetto” or fearfully avoid grocery stores because they’re staffed by people with dark skin. Much of the derision aimed at the area is not at all based in fact but in racist fantasies. These racist fantasies also infuse any incident with an unnecessary sense of gravitas, turning a mere snatch-and-grab into a denunciation of all Somalis, Muslims, Africans, etc.

I guess you could say that I’m tired of people trashing Cedar-Riverside without actually having lived there or even spent time there. It really is an interesting neighborhood that has its fair share of charms. With unique businesses like Mayday Books and the Hard Times Cafe that double as rallying points and performance spaces like The Cedar Cultural Center and Bedlam Theatre, the area has a lot to offer those curious enough to explore it. It also, as I mentioned earlier, is one of the most diverse areas in the city, which is refreshing after being submerged in thinly-veiled mega malls like our Campus or Hennepin Avenue. Given the gentrified nature of most Midwestern cities, I treasure any place that maintains a unique and diverse character in the face of corporate pressure.

That’s not to say that it’s some sort of ethnic wonderland. Cedar-Riverside is a real area with real problems, but simply ignoring them or glossing over the area as “beyond hope” only makes them worse. There are solutions, but the first step is accepting that most assumptions about the area are just plain wrong. Take, for example, the way that many citizens link the influx of east Africans to rising crime. This
perception currently focuses on rumors of Somali gangs roaming the streets of Cedar-Riverside, however, “most Somalis that we’ve arrested for violent crimes in the neighborhood did not live in [Cedar-Riverside], some did not even live in the city,” Luther Krueger, a crime prevention specialist for the Minneapolis Police Department said. This false perception has been problematic since Cedar-Riverside became a destination for the large influx of East African immigrants to the Twin Cities in the 1990s. The number of “Black or African American residents” increased more than 230 percent from 1990 to 2000 according to 2000 Census data, however the perceived crime associated with the group is largely unfounded.

A May 14th Cedar-Riverside public safety meeting also highlighted other issues facing the area. Gang violence, underage drinking and poor police response to recent murders in the area - including Somali teen Abdullahi Abdi and, more recently, Joseph Sodd III – were among the issues discussed, according to The Bridge. The conclusion reached by the end of the meeting was that more communication, collaboration
and education are needed to solve these problems.

Coincidentally, that’s exactly what the student population needs to do: let go of its misperceptions, do some research and take an interest in helping the community that they live in. Sure, you could argue that it’s not your community, but it’s an area that will always be linked to campus by proximity and shared interest.

When things go bad for Cedar-Riverside, things tend to go bad for campus and Dinkytown. Furthermore, it is no longer acceptable for students to live in the comfortable bubble that is campus and refuse to participate in city life. We are citizens first and students second and, as such, it is imperative that we do our part to make our city a better place. We’re paying hilariously large amounts of tuition money to feel like we’re the best and brightest, so why don’t we act like it? (I’ve already written about students and community action and blah blah blah before, so I’ll move on. Interested parties can check our archives online.)

Honestly, though, the main reason that I find myself frustrated with Cedar-Riverside’s bad reputation is not the racist stuff, (which is still awful, mind you, and will never fail to raise my proverbial hackles) but rather that it is causing people to abandon the area. With educated young folks - much like yourself, dear reader – ignoring the area completely, the people who are most likely to engage in community action and protect the area are leaving the fate of this vibrant community to the corporate interests and dispassionate
city planners.

You see, while the area has avoided rapacious commercial interest better than Dinkytown, (God rest her soul) a completely different kind of business has started to invade the area.

Within the past year, both the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College have both expanded their presence in the area in ways that are nothing short of intrusive. It seems like only yesterday I was awoken by the explosive sounds of industry that signaled the imminent arrival of the new Carlson building, the U’s enormous, phallic addition to an already overbearingly phallic building. It’s fitting, though, because it’s completely fucked the whole neighborhood.

Augsburg has done its fair share of damage with their newly built, all-purpose complex staking out a block or so of Riverside. They still have further plans to expand their recreational facilities and add a new center for Science, Business and Religion. When you add this to a proposed parking ramp behind Grandma’s, an expansion to Fairview’s Children’s Hospital and the new Light Rail Transit station to be placed beneath 19th avenue, you have to wonder where people are supposed to live, work, eat, exist, etc. When I remember how my old house was completely blocked out the shadows from Carlson’s new death star, I shudder to think what these new expansions will do to the area.

These projects may seem innocuous, but they pose a very real threat to the human and business traffic that sustains Cedar-Riverside. As the area is invaded by colleges and corporations, there will be less room for people to live and enjoy this great area. When you combine this with the crime problem, things get a lot more serious. My fear is that new development will decrease interest in the area and dehumanize that already struggling businesses and residents who call Cedar-Riverside home. This, in turn, will decrease public support for crime prevention measures and long-term plans to rejuvenate the area.

I don’t want the mainstream misperception of Cedar-Riverside to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I don’t want this area to become a thinly-veiled ghetto sandwiched between colleges and bus stops. Now is the time for students to take an interest in this area and do what we can to save it. It can be anything from going to meetings and writing letters, to simply taking the time to educate your friends on what this neighborhood really stands for. The moral of this story is that it’s up to us to stop this area from being completely erased by ignorance and negligence. If we don’t stop the deluge, Cedar-Riverside will be a hazy memory buried under parking ramps, college insignias, and empty promises, instead of a part of our shared heritage.

I applied this philosophy to my daily exchanges while living abroad in London, and it led to my amassing a totally scattered and diversified social circle. I was there for a mere four and a half months, but by the time I left, I had an entirely new life started. I was playing soccer and basketball for Imperial University. I had two internships: one for a top global music promotions company, and the other for a prominent rock n’ roll booking agency. Both led to great friendships, invaluable work experience, and loads of perks. I frequented all the cities museums, and played pickup soccer in each of the major parks several times a week. I made friends with vendors at popular street markets, partiers at all night clubs, bus riders on the way home from work. I

I was freelance writing for a website, whose editor I’d been fortunate enough to befriend. He hired me the same night we met at pub called the Oxford Arms in Camden. Marco Gandolfi was his name. An Italian born, London raised man in his late 30’s. We had similar taste in music and soccer. We were to get drunk together on many occasions. By writing for the website, I saved thousands in all the free gigs I was attending.

I forged another beneficial connection at the Oxford Arms, watching endless games of passionately followed English and International Football. A mid 30’s Nigerian man named Charles struck up a conversation with me. He did so on the grounds that I was a blatant American wearing a Tottenham jersey (Tottenham being the most commonly despised club in all of England.) Fortunately, he was wearing the same jersey, and therefore took no offense. He invited me to watch several games with his rowdy friends over the span of just two weeks. I eventually offered me job bartending at the venue where he worked in Camden, The Roundhouse. This turned out to be the ultimate resource for me. It allowed me to get to know dozens of other students and music lovers around my same age. It also allowed my to finance a month long trip through Europe I had planned for after the semester was out.

While my American flat mates were off traveling at least every other weekend, I opted to stay in the city, and immerse myself in the culture and lifestyle. I left the city only three times, once to Norwich for a rave, once to Bath and Stonehenge, and once to Brighton with some friends. I used this extra time to arrange places to stay during my trip, to save and earn money, and to find discount details and seek reliable advice on where to go. The scope of my journey was to head from Madrid to Oslo by train, spending significant time in 6 countries along the way. The first half of my trip I was to be accompanied by my brother. We were to travel from Madrid to Amsterdam, at which point he would fly back to London, and then back to Minneapolis.

Before we hit Europe though, I spent two nights showing him London. My brother flew in to London on April 19th. I picked him up at Paddington station, and we walked back to my flat in Kilburn. My six flat mates and I were drinking to commemorate our last night in town together. We finished off all our nearly empty bottles that had accumulated over the semester, and reminisced about our great times. My flatmate Jim, who hailed from New York City, went out with us at 1.00 am when all the rest had went off to bed. We found ourselves in a near skirmish, and then an old persons pub. We made the best of it, singing a long with the aging minstrel in the corner playing popular british rock songs from the 90’s. The next day we were forced to move out of our flats, so I arranged for my brother and I to stay the night with my friend Jack Case. I bartended with him at the Roundhouse. He let us borrow a couple of bikes, and led us on a bike tour that afternoon. We covered a lot of ground, making a full circle around the center of London, starting and ending in Highbury and Islington. Jack bid us farewell the next day, and I was finally off on my European adventure.

Our first destination was Madrid. We landed there on the evening of the 21st, and we stayed until the 28th. We were staying there with a family friend of ours. My Mom had attended university with a woman named Becky Prieto in Duluth. Becky moved to Germany after college and met her Spanish husband, who she know lives with outside Madrid. One of her three sons was close to my age. His name is Max, and he turned out to be a real fun guy to hang out with. He took us around his area and introduced us to his friends. He was sadly leaving on the 24th, so we didn’t get to hang out with for too long. However, he is heading to the US this summer to work in Sequoia National Park in California, and I fully intend to visit him.

One of his friends went by the name Dax Santos. He was one of the more interesting characters I’ve ever met. His parents were of the Opus Die sect of Catholicism, and raised him accordingly. There were no overt repercussions of this upbringing though when we talked. He was an alternative music fan, and we spent most of our time talking about bands like Vampire Weekend and Phoenix. After Max left on the 24th, his friends would come and pick me up and take me out to parties and raves. I spent a great deal of time with the youngest sibling, Eric, who was 13 years old. He shared an enthusiasm for soccer that I possess, and we watched many games in the evenings. My brother and I also spent a great deal of time in the Parque Rietiro, the biggest and most beautiful park in the city. On our last day, Eric took us to go see two of three biggest teams in Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Getafe. It was an epic battle that ended in a 1-1 tie.

From there, we hopped on the train headed towards Barcelona. We got there around 3.00 pm and I headed straight for the beach. Our hostel was just a few blocks away. While at the hostel, my brother and I met two girls from Quebec. They were staying at the same hostel as we were, and we met down in the bar area. They’re names were extremely unique. The eldest was named Iris Gagnon-Paradis, and the youngest Cassiopeia Paradis-Gagnon. They attributed the strangeness of these first names and the difference in their surnames to the fact that their mother was into astrology. They were 27 and 25, both working full time jobs in their home city of Montreal. They weren’t originally from the big city though. They had small town roots, just like we did. We went out to the courtyard and chatted that first night. We elected to all meet up the next morning and head for the beach.

The next morning we met for some breakfast and went down to the beach. It was a toasty 24 degrees Celsius that day, a perfect day for such leisurely activity. While we laid there chatting, I mixed the last of the hash I had purchased from in Madrid into some tobacco from a cut open cigarette. I attempted to roll this all into a joint for us to smoke. The resulting product was laughed at mercilessly by the veteran rollers from Montreal. Iris re-opened it, and with-in the minute had a tightly rolled J. She ended up purchasing 20 Euros of hash herself from one of the men strolling the beach in backpacks. After several hours in the sun, we headed out for some site seeing. We took in the ambitiously modeled, half constructed, world famous church, the Sagrada Familia. It’s been under construction since the turn of the 20th century. After that, Iris took us to a market and we bought some supplies for a picnic. We ate back at a café on the roof of our Hostel. That night we went out for some drinks on the west side of town. The next morning, we woke up early and hopped a train headed towards France.

Our first night in France was extraordinarily uneventful. We stopped in a small coastal town on the way to Montpellier, called Cerbere. We checked into a cheap hotel, left our bags, and went out on a mission to find a place that would be playing the champions league semi-final set to air that night. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single place in town that was playing this game. We headed back to our hotel to see if it was on there. It was, but right as the game started, the television went out. The people we encountered in the small town were very skeptical and distant when we talked to them. It was my first time in France, and it gave me an off impression of the people. In the restaurant we ate in, we received endless looks and were the subject of obvious French chatter. Needless to say, we were eager to take off towards Montpellier the next morning.

There were two reasons we were headed towards Montpellier. The first was that my roommate had studied abroad there last year, and knew some people we could hit the town with. The second reason was that I had a friend there named Pierre who’d been a student at the U of M twin cities in 06-07. He was as big a music nut as I was, and we met originally because kept seeing each other at the same shows in Minneapolis. It had been nearly a year since I had last seen him, but he was excited to see us, and took us on a tour of the city as soon as we got in. Montpellier is a beautiful city. Pierre is originally from Marseille, and claims it to be a slum in comparison. The same thing with Cannes and Niece he assured, “It’s a good thing you didn’t go there. There’s nothing to see or do. They are places for rich old people.” Pierre had a job working for an artist promotions company. He had gone to school in Montpellier, and seemed to be recognized everywhere we went. The first night, he took us out to a popular music venue called The Rock Store where he frequently DJ’s. He was putting on a show there the following evening. A band named Why? from California was coming in, and he was promoting the show.

On the second night we were there, we met up with some friends of my roommate who’d been studying there. I contacted them and my brother and I were invited over for some homemade Pizza. There was a dreadlocked man named Will Guyver, a student from Missoula, who was living with two girls. One was a gal named Agnus, a 20 year old from Sweden who’d started working straight out of high school. The other girl was a science student in University named Trini, who was originally from Berlin, Germany. The pizza was delicious, and we drank wine and talked for several hours. Will turned out to be a fascinating guy. We told him about our trip, and he told us about some of the traveling he had done. He introduced me to a website called, couchsurfing.com. The concept is, you create a profile, and you then have access to contacting other couch surfers from all over the world. You can either host a surfer, or become one yourself. After each exchange, you rate your counterpart and leave comments on his profile. I plan to utilize this site in the coming years as I travel the United States, and hopefully other parts of the world.

The next day, my brother and I went sight seeing. I partook largely as a formality of traveling with my older brother. As a graduate with one of his degrees in History, he desired a far more landmark and museum based agenda for our daily activities. I on the other hand, consider myself to be anthropological traveler, whose main interest is to meet and befriend as many people as possible. After the stomaching the sites for my brother, we headed off towards the beach. Later that night, I stopped by the restaurant where Agnus worked and dropped of a CD for her. It was of Minneapolis based band I work for named Radio On. She had expressed great interest after our discussions the night before. She was a tall and blonde, and possessed a confidence I had rarely witnessed in a girl her age. She had lived in several different cities around the world already, and still had no plans to attend college. Should found that “having” to attend University to further your education was an incredibly flawed notion, and she wanted no part in it. We went from there back to the Rock Store where Pierre was helping to set up for that night’s gig.

The band was good, and after their set, we went up to the artist area for the after party. My brother and I embarked upon numerous strange discussions while grazing on free snacks and free Jack Daniels. My most bizarre encounter was with a man from England. He was in the process of writing a four part radio series for the BBC. The story was about a time traveler who’d ended up in the time of fabled England. There were to be numerous run-ins with bridge guarding trolls and tree stomping giants. His personal life was equally as unbelievable. He claimed to have just returned from Barcelona, where he left his long time fiancée. He’d been staying there for a two week vacation with his fiancée, mother, and son. Things got sticky after his mother was beaten and robbed entering her hotel, and lost both she and her grandsons plane tickets and passports. To make matters worse, he was on the outs with his fiancée. “She’s back in London, but I came down here to get away. I’ve really got to start doing some major writing on this piece, and it was all too much of a distraction back there.” I talked later on with the bespectacled front man of the group. I passed along a Radio On CD to him as well. He said the last time they were in town, they’d played First Avenue, and the next time they were back touring, Radio On could open. We partied late into the evening, and took off the next morning on a 5 hour train headed towards Paris.

So what’s the point of impeaching a President who has only half a year left in office?

Perhaps it’s because the Bush administration is in the process of committing the US military to Iraq for the next administration - unconstitutionally and without congressional approval, of course - in a treaty that bleeds an all too real resemblance of the Platt Amendment - which passed in 1901 and gave our government the “right” to intervene in Cuban affairs at any given moment and establish military bases in Cuban soil (with all that the Cuban government has accomplished to reverse this law, Guantanamo Bay is still a vivid legacy of its lasting effect on Cuban affairs). Or maybe it’s because of statements he’s made in regard to the War in Iraq like, “I don’t care if I created more enemies.”

Either way, Kucinich is acting on what he thinks is best for protecting the Constitution. It’s too bad his Democratic peers - Barack Obama included - are sticking it out for the remainder of Bush’s term and focusing all their attention on January 2009. Although so many of them are in favor of ending the War in Iraq, they seem to forget that it’s difficult to stop an invasion when the last administration just forged a treaty that locks Iraq as our responsibility for the years to come.

*sniff* *sniff* Smells like another forced puppet government is here to stay.

It must be noted that this isn’t the first time Kucinich has tried to impeach the Bush administration. Last year he introduced a bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney, but his fellow majority Democrats weren’t having any of it.

*Update* - According to CSPAN, the House just voted to send Kucinich’s bill to their Judiciary Committee. We’ll have to just wait and see how they define “constitutional justice.”

Obama in St. Paul

It certainly was refreshing to see the never-ending Democratic Presidential candidate contest come to an end, but the most refreshing part of Obama’s Tuesday victory speech was seeing him declare it in such a localized fashion at the Xcel Energy Center. Best of all, he didn’t slip in referring to St. Paul as Minneapolis in the same way that so many Republicans are bound to this Fall.

Obama’s St. Paul Speech

Because he was acting on one of his greatest strengths, Obama’s victory speech was characteristic of the candidate at his best – echoing a stalwart voice that immediately went from praising Hillary (for doing “what no woman has done before”) to focusing on the positives of this long, dirty race for the Presidency (“Because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who have cast their ballot for the very first time”).

I couldn’t help but notice his careful mannerisms to reassure the audience that he knew who he was talking to and where he was talking at, from “That’s the change we need, Minnesota!” to “Maybe if John McCain spent some time in the schools of South Carolina, or St. Paul, Minnesota,” [crowd applause] “he’d understand that we can’t afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind”. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate this name representation of my hometown.

Hillary Steps Down

Although everyone’s been waiting beyond patience for Hillary to drop out of the race, I must say that after almost a year and a half, it’s sad see a woman go. Now the dream of seeing feminism come to its political conclusion in the U.S. capitalist system in 2008 won’t be realized. And we’ll no longer hear bites of a Hillary supporter like Jack Nicholson say, “There is nothing on this Earth sexier than a woman you have to salute in the morning.”

Hillary’s Concession Speech

But as sad as it is to see Hillary go, it’s sadder to see Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer drop out of the race for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Today, in spite of previous tax confusions and a reputation for a big mouth, Al Franken won the DFL endorsement as candidate for U.S. Senate. I only hope to see Jack continue to run for public office in the future.

Sometimes it seems like winos run the world; they even get better movies, à la Sideways. When you see beer in popular culture, it’s a bunch of frat boys doing keg stands or sad saps in sad bars. I don’t want a wine list longer than the Yellow Pages. Hand me a Surly, Fat Cat or Mothership and bring a few friends. That’s what makes me happy.

I’m from Cudahy, Wis., This little town lies in the shadows of one of the world’s largest breweries: Miller. That certainly isn’t an argument on beer’s side; in fact, it should probably have turned me off. But somehow, the aroma of hops and barley must have permeated my subconscious, because at some point I became a devotee to many a brew, just not Miller.

When I’ve told this story in the past I’ve claimed that God spoke to me, telling me to drink a wheat beer, or Weißbier as it is known in Germany. In reality, it was a good friend from my Milwaukee days whom pointed me to one of the world’s great brews, Weihenstephaner Weißbier. Ironically, I ran into him waiting for a tour while staying in Berlin. Later that day, we decided to head over to Prater Garten, the city’s oldest beer garden.

For the five days I stayed in Berlin, I ended up there. It was part park, part pub with rows of picnic benches under ancient trees, laced with big white Christmas lights. The Weißbier was light and airy, like an Italian soda for big boys.

Looking back, it probably didn’t matter what beer I was drinking, though it didn’t hurt that it was great. It was the atmosphere, the cool spring air and the conversations, not to mention the pretzels, brats and wiener schnitzels. There was no grandstanding or swishing of glasses. You could see and taste the beauty without pretense. We drank mug after mug. The night slowly faded, but I still remember it vividly. So next time you drink a beer, find a friend and start a conversation. That’s what really makes beer great.

They’ve done it again: MinnPost is raiding former Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch’s political image as a public servant for the down-trodden, or, to put it another way, reaffirming Hatch’s public reputation as a hot-tempered, hypocritical bastard.

Here are some excerpts from Eric Black’s old-fashioned investigative report that give us an idea of Hatch’s would-be DFL-minded personality:

Hatch took over an office that had been known, under his predecessors, as a national model among AG offices, for striking an appropriate balance between the political needs of the elected official and the obligation of public lawyers to do high-quality, non-partisan legal work, and turned it into an office driven by Hatch’s political ambitions.

Attorneys under Hatch (with Swanson as one of his top lieutenants) felt pressured to skate on ethical thin ice. They also felt that if they pushed back, they would face consequences from verbal abuse to a sudden loss of standing in the office, up to and including being forced out.

And, of course, my favorite part of Hatch’s demeanor:

Hatch used the f-word and the mother-f’er variation. He called the deputy and his entire division the “biggest bunch of [f’ing] losers” he’d ever seen.

All of this Hatch news comes in light of his protégée and current Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson’s similar top-down iron hand approach to her office. Like Hatch, Swanson continues to refuse the unionization of her staffers and pit them in unethical positions.

Sure, if Nick Coleman is calling Gov. Pawlenty “Tim the Terrible,” then Pawlenty’s certainly not Minnesota’s ideal leader. But a Gov. Hatch would have been worse than a Gov. Pawlenty in the same way that a Hubert Humphrey Presidency would have been worse than a Richard Nixon Presidency in ‘68. Hatch and Humphrey are very similar in the two-edged sword retrospect. One minute Humphrey’s speaking against the Viet Nam War to a rally of college kids, the next minute he’s talking about “staying on course” in front of Big Labor leaders. One minute Hatch and Swanson are running pro-labor campaigns, the next minute they’re refusing labor support for their own staffers. But fuggit - life’s a bitch and soon we’ll all be dead.

As for Hatch’s response to Black’s report, he blames the current controversies on a “small cabal of attorneys” who are trying to unionize the office. According to Hatch, these attorneys hide behind anonymity to “throw mud at their bosses and look for any scribner to serve as their hand maiden.” Bravo, buddy, bravo.

[Note a young, sleazy Bill O’Reilly at the 1:00 minute mark]

After the bar closed, we went down to a Shisha Bar (or Hookah bar in the states) and ordered up some Strawberry flavored product. Along with that, we ordered 4 cherry and banana juices. Delicious enough on their own, they became even tastier upon Radek suggesting I empty the rest of our large carton of screwdriver into the each glass, forming an orange/cherry/banana juice and vodka hybrid. I call it The Berlin Experience, and I highly recommend trying it.

The bar was filled with mostly Turks according to Lukosh and Radek. They spoke in hushed voices, “In case any of them speak English,” he explained. They were wholly distrustful of all the other customers there.

We parted ways around 3.30am, and exchanged emails, “Incase I ever make it out to Poland,” and I told them to consider visiting the United States. They found this notion comical.

The Japanese doctor and I woke up early the next morning for breakfast. We sat down at a table with an old Australian man . His name was Aurthur. He was an avid traveler. He’d been just about everywhere, “Everywhere but China and Antarctica” he explained. He hailed from Sydney, and had been to the United States thirteen times, his first in 1971. After breakfast, we parted ways. I bumped into him again later, and asked if he’d be interested in hitting up a free tour of Berlin with me. He was, and so we reconvened later on at the Brandenburg Gate. The tour was beyond fascinating. Our lively tour guide, an American no less, relayed the complex and controversial histories of WWII and the Berlin Wall. We hit numerous landmarks along the way. My favorite stop was Humboldt College, where Lenin had attended University, and Einstein had taught. They had a book sale going on outside, and I purchased a few centuries’ old books for cheap.

After the tour, Aurthur and I headed back towards the hostel. He was great to have on the tour, because he talked to literally everyone else in the group, so we made several friends. We walked back with the tour guide, a 28 year old American from Maine. He’d been a successful advertising exec in NYC for 5 years, but he left it behind to pursue painting and photography in Berlin, giving daily tours to keep financially afloat.

Aurthur and I then hit up a pastry and coffee joint spot near Potsdamer Platz. I meant to stay for only an hour, as I had a train to catch, but we ended up chatting for over 3 hours, well hyped on caffeine by the end of it. He taught me a great deal about Australia I hadn’t known. He informed me of how voting is compulsory in Australia. I found this most impressive. He also told me about how Australia switched all their road signs to the metric system, across the entire country, on just one day. The U.S. could learn a lot from these guys. I also learned how their former Prime Minister had held office for 12 years before their current one. His approval rating was always low just before elections, but he twice found a means to scare voters into reelecting him. The first time, he’d used to fear of Muslim immigrants following the rape and murder of an Australian girl in a park by a few Muslim men. It all sounded very similar to GW using 9/11 and the threat of “organized” terrorism to get us into Iraq, pass the Patriot Act, and get himself reelected. We discussed these maters al length. He was an Obama supporter, as am I. He told me about his time in US during the race riots, and about his brother’s work with MLK. Aurthur was a cancer survivor; he’d had a tumor removed from the front of his brain just 4 years ago. I learned a great deal from him, and he told me to visit whenever.

Corpus:
Where exploring the interior of the battle scared tree
in the park near Franklin Avenue
injects life after the lightning strike.

Where highways do not
lead to my city’s heart.
They pump madness
molasses
leaving soupy trails
of purple and red through the drain pipes
and stick
with the road searing sunlight.

These river flats are not just scenery,
but a landscape where homes used to be
denied
the fertile soil from the Spring
floods to feed the gardens for the Bohemian families
flattened via eminent domain circa
May 24th, 1923.

And every steaming automobile and crane
rolls over our front yard—
the buried tricycle
once a sandbox now a barge landing.
What arteries and veins could carry the nourishment
of a stomach
when each pathway slices
a little more of the heart?

Palimpsest:
How many lie here
[There rest in the sleep of the ages 46
soldiers of the grand army of the Republic]
tangled within the roots of the octopus trees
just feet from the wading pool in
Beltrami
[Maple Hill
Cemetery]

Park?

The children
make their way to the baseball diamond
dusted in red. How many hearts lie over here?
beneath the sun-quenched concrete
inches from the busy blacktop side streets.
If I could dig my toes into the top soil
and sink down into the warm loam
would I find smooth white shutters
with faces behind coffin text and
window panes I cannot open?
How long will they remain
in these caskets without markers?

I hope I’m not in the way

Sink! Sink!
Your sacred skin is hidden now
And banished to below.
Let the land layer away
with the tombs of history.

And above these steppes brings you nowhere.
Climb with me.
The view from here
is perfect.

No Exit
No Exit
No Exit
Do not try to cross here
The entrance ramp
No Exit.

Oscar award-winning documentarian Errol Morris sits down with The Wake to discuss his new documentary on the photos from Abu Ghraib.

WAKE: You must be pretty passionate about the events at Abu Ghraib to have made a documentary like “Standard Operating Procedure.”

Errol Morris: Well, I think these people have been scapegoated…I can’t begin to tell you how many people have asked me questions: How come he doesn’t say he’s sorry, how come he doesn’t express remorse…I don’t think they express remorse because they’re really angry. They feel that they have been blamed for everything, that they have been framed, that they have been blamed for everything inappropriately and that their story is unknown. They’re angry.

WAKE: What was it about the Abu Ghraib photos that made you think, “This will make a great documentary,” or “I need to do something about this?”

EM: There’s the realization that these are the most famous war photographs of all time. It’s an amazing thing to say, but it’s true. [These are] photographs that everyone had seen, but very few people really understood or knew anything about. I don’t know why I thought it would make a good movie, I think it is a good movie - but I must be crazy.

WAKE: We all saw the photos plastered across our TVs, but what was your initial reaction to them?

EM: What in God’s name is this? They were so bizarre and perverse, but I didn’t have the thoughts that I have now… I wasn’t understanding the picture correctly…I didn’t really know what was going on. But I just remember everybody had opinions: left, right and center, about all of this with very little evidence to back it up.

WAKE: It seemed that there was a bipartisan taking the pictures as face value, whereas the right saw it as a few bad apples as it was portrayed in the media, and the left saw it as the fault of the higher-ups.

EM: And of course the common denominator, they’re both evil. There’s someone to blame in the story. One of the biggest and most unappetizing stories of this war is that …it becomes this war that is tolerated…I don’t even know what you’re supposed to do about it. It’s not like I have some magic answer, but I do know that it’s not a good thing just to pretend its not happening. Because it is happening, and it does involve young people, most of these people you see in the movie were destroyed by this…and I think the whole country has been damaged by it. We’ve gone mad, the things that supposedly are our deepest values have been put by the way side. I don’t remember this in Vietnam, and that was the war when I was coming of age. This will be your war…Endless posturing, lies, recycling one political opinion after another, very little research, very little journalism…I think that the White House created policies and pressures that made things like Abu Ghraib inevitable…I do believe that Bush should be impeached, that’s what we have impeachment for.

WAKE: Your son is 21 years old, and so also being around that age, I was wondering what his view on the film was?

EM: Well a lot of young people are just plain bored by all of it. I don’t know how better to describe it. Most people go to their news source- The Colbert Report, John Stewart. Because that is news, actually, it’s people saying something, and taking a position and thinking about stuff. There’s more there, more than I believe is ingenuous…than in any of the standard news shows, which I’ve stopped watching. I think it’s weird to be a young person in this country at the moment, I think it really is…I think young people might like this movie. I don’t know, what do I know?

While some open mic nights may be as painful as a trip to the dentist, ACME’s format allows only three minutes to all newcomers. This means more comedians, more laughs, and less awkward silences. The lineup is also organized so that first-timers perform at the beginning, leaving the more experienced comedians for the end. With a never-ending supply of wannabe comics and a lengthy list of reoccurring acts, the night is filled with both unexpected laughs and the well-rehearsed performances of more experienced comedians.

Though there are dozens of comedians who perform on a given Monday night, stage time at ACME is still difficult to obtain.

“It’s really competitive,” said Andy Erikson. Erikson is a junior at the University of Minnesota, and first performed at open mic night on August 27th, 2007. Like all first timers, she was guaranteed a spot on stage the moment she signed up. Unlike most, however, her act was good enough to land her a spot in the following week’s show.

“I was so nervous,” she said. “Everyone said I was really awkward, but they all thought it was a character.”

Erikson’s done the open mic night at ACME every week since. Over the last nine months, Erikson says her comedy has turned into “a part time job,” filling 6 nights of her week. She performs at many different venues across the Twin Cities area, including Grumpy’s Bar and Grill, Brave New Workshop, and at the Melrose apartment complex on campus every Thursday.

While Erikson is now an expected act at open mic night, she is also one of the youngest comics performing. Comedians with more experience take the stage later in the evening, and are given a timeslot longer than three minutes.

Steffen Steffen started at ACME’s open mic night five and a half years ago. Before ever setting foot on stage as a comic, he had already been involved in other forms of show business - acting and doing radio in the 80s. After seeing some of his fellow cast members perform comedy, Steffen thought that it was something he should try. Like Erikson, Steffen impressed the crowd enough to perform again.

“I’ve always been a writer, and I’ve always been a performer,” he said. “The reason I love stand-up is because it allows me to do both.”
Though he hasn’t yet quit his day job, by networking and gaining experience with other comedians through ACME, Steffen was able to take his routine on the road.

“It’s fun going to new places, it’s fun going to different venues. I’m having a blast,” he said. “Unforuntately, the comedy scene here just isn’t big enough to make a living off of.”

Steffen adds that he’s planning to move to New York City next year.

“It’s not that I think I’m going to make it big or anything, I just want to live there before I’m too old to enjoy it,” he said. “And in a new city it’s like starting over. New open mic nights, new people to impress. It’s very exciting.”

With Steffen’s career looking ahead, and Erikson’s just beginning, it may be hard to believe that all this started from a little club in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. Erikson and Steffen aren’t ACME’s the only success stories – it seems that all it takes is a little guts and creativity to get started as a comic.

When separately asked what advice they’d give to any aspiring comedian, both Erikson and Steffen said the exact same thing: “Write, write, write. Stage time, stage time, stage time.” Erikson said she recommends carrying a notebook and pen everywhere, and Steffen said the greatest way to get a feel for comedy is to attend open mic nights.

So how does one become involved in an ACME open mic night? It is as easy as arriving a couple of hours before the show starts and signing up. People completely new to ACME are ensured a spot, but returning comics are only allowed on stage based upon prior performances, so it is important to come prepared.

“You just gotta do it,” said Erikson. “You gotta go up there and and get your first set done. After that, you’ll be addicted.”

The cosmetics industry is possibly one of the most unregulated industries. Major loopholes in federal law allows chemicals to be put into personal care products without any monitoring of health effects, almost no labeling requirements and no required testing.

According to the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, “the regulatory requirements governing the sale of cosmetics are not as stringent as those that apply to other FDA-regulated products… manufacturers may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, to market a product without a government review or approval.”

It then becomes the responsibility of the manufacturers to voluntarily validate the safety of their
products. Unfortunately, the decision between safety and profit doesn’t seem to register for many manufacturers, leaving many personal care product ingredients completely untested.

A report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an environmental watchdog agency, revealed that 89 percent of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products had not been evaluated for safety by the FDA. Furthermore, the FDA does not enforce recalls of products found to be hazardous or defective, leaving it in the hands of manufacturers to take dangerous products off of the market.

The chemicals in any one product alone are unlikely to cause harm, but daily exposure to the industrial chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products can take its toll. According to the Good Housekeeping Institute, 60 percent of what you put on your skin is absorbed into the bloodstream, and some of these products’ chemicals are linked to birth defects, cancer and other health problems that are increasing in the human population.

Health risks posed by cosmetics can include anything from allergic reactions to cancer, and the lack of safety standards allows manufacturers to use some very harmful ingredients, including coal tar and paraben preservatives.

Parabens are common preservatives that appear in a wide array of toiletries. Parabens break down in the body into p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which has estrogenic activity in human breast-cancer cell cultures. Nine out of ten liquid foundations sold at Target contain parabens, including most name brands and several claiming to be “natural” products. Revlon, Cover Girl, Mineral Wear, and Botanics all contain parabens.

You can also find carcinogenic coal tar, used in artificial dyes such as FD&C Blue 1 and FD&C Green 3, in your everyday moisturizers. “Fragrance,” which is usually a conglomeration of chemicals, is another common ingredient in moisturizers and personal care products. Fragrance masks chemical smells, but may also mask phthalates. Scientists have shown that phthalates can damage the female reproductive system, but it is the male reproductive system that appears to be more sensitive.

Phthalate exposure damages the testes, prostate gland, epididymus, penis, and seminal vesicles in laboratory animals, according to a report done by EWG in 2002. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota, published in the May 2005 Environmental Health Perspectives, found a connection between phthalates and genital abnormalities in baby boys.

Neurotoxic lead may appear in personal care products as a naturally occurring contaminant of hydrated silica, one of the ingredients in toothpaste. Every brand of toothpaste sold at Target that The Wake examined, including Aquafresh, Colgate, and Crest, had hydrated silica listed as an ingredient.

Possible human carcinogens, petroleum distillates, (often labeled as “liquid paraffin”) are prohibited or restricted for use in cosmetics in Europe but are found in several U.S. brands of mascara. Five out of eight mascara labels read “liquid paraffin” at Target, including Rimmel and Cover Girl.

Many conventional bath and shower products contain the foaming agent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and propylene glycol - ingredients also found in anti-freeze, engine degreasers and solvents. According to the American College of Toxicology, SLS is a “potent class of carcinogen.” About 60 percent of soaps sold at Target contained SLS, including name brands Aveno, Dial, Pure and Natural, and Old Spice.

With so many harmful chemicals being used in personal care products today, it comes as no surprise that there has been increasing interest in organic alternatives. Sales of organic personal care products in the U.S. increased by 15 percent annually to almost $9 billion in 2007, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.

“If it falls under the organic umbrella it must be certified by the organic certification organization,” said Kathryn Lawrence, the manager of personal care products at the Seward Co-op, an organic grocery and deli located on 2111 East Franklin Avenue. Certech Registration Inc. is the independent accredited certifying body that has developed North America’s first system certification standard for organic and natural cosmetics.

In order to be certified as “natural” under the IOS Cosmetics Standard, a minimum of 95 percent of the product must be of natural origin and must also use certified organic ingredients which have been grown, cultivated, and stored without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fumigants or other toxins, according to the Certech Registration Web site.

Yet many of the self-proclaimed “pure” products lining the Target shelves, such as Tom’s, Pure and Natural, Botanics and Mineral Wear, all contain chemicals such as hydrated silica, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfate.

While newfound standards allow personal care products to be certified organic, they have not set any regulations against the use of the word “organic” on product labels. Many manufacturers still use the term in the product’s name or on the labeling. Products with at least one organic ingredient can be deemed “organic,” in spite of the other ingredients used.

“Regulation is just starting to filter into the cosmetics and personal care industry, but Europe has been doing it for years,” Lawrence said. “I think the FDA is going to jump on the band wagon and realize that organics is a big money making industry.”

Lawrence said she hopes for a future of organic personal care products that “keep true to their course,” and are not falsely labeled.

But organic products also pose a conundrum. What exactly are “organic” cosmetics? Do they work as well as their chemical laden counterparts? And why do they cost so much more?

Organic products are made exclusively from organically grown plant material without industrial chemicals, pesticides, or genetic manipulation. They replace chemical substances with natural equivalents, for example preservatives such as rose extract for parabens, or jojoba oil for liquid paraffin. These natural ingredients are much more expensive, hence the high cost of organic products.

But scientific purists claim that natural products aren’t necessarily safer. Some organic products can become toxic when they degrade “Products that contain natural preservatives have much shorter shelve lives,” said Lawrence. “Just like with food, you can usually tell they have molded by the smell.”

“If you are someone who likes to keep a tube of mascara for two years, which is bad anyway, organic products may not be the best for you,” she said.

But do they work? Research on the efficacy and safety of organic products has been minimal. Small studies have been conducted into the effects of certain ingredients. Pine bark and blueberry, for example, have shown that they may combat skin ageing, and chamomile and aloe vera have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. But the combination of these ingredients in a product is seldom tested.

However, Lawrence says that organic products are the way to go. “They are so much better in so many ways,” she said. “You use these products so close to your mouth, eyes, and on your skin, and organic personal care products are not going to have chemicals like parabens, which are known to cause cancer.”

Awareness is the key. The Safe Cosmetics Act, passed in California in 2005, and companies like Certech are some of the first steps being taken in the U.S. against poor regulation and safety evaluation in the beauty industry. But consumers can take the issue into their own hands as well.

“Lately there are so many different Web sites that tell you how clean a certain product is,” Lawrence said. “Consumers are becoming educated and more aware of what they are putting on their skin.”

With Web sites like National Geographic’s Green Guide and the campaign for safe cosmetics, consumers can have lists of hazardous chemicals, scientific studies and shopping tips right at their fingertips. Some sites even give recipes for consumers to create their own personal care products, chemical-free. As the FDA sits on the decision on whether or not to regulate the cosmetics industry, our health is at risk, and it is up to consumers to make the choice between a cheap chemical bath and their well being.

All glibness aside, the Chinese government’s human-rights violations aren’t just a cause célèbre to activists like those who gathered in front of Coffman Union on April 16. The rally, staged by local politicians, professors, students and other activists, was part of the Human Rights Torch Relay, an international movement designed to raise awareness about China’s abuses in light of the upcoming Olympics. The day began with a relay of groups and individuals traveling from the Capitol to Coffman, continued with speeches from representatives of various organizations and causes, and culminated in a march across the Washington Avenue bridge with flags and banners.

The charges against the Chinese Communist Party center around three major issues. Most prominent at the rally and in news coverage is China’s control of Tibet, whose people desire independence. The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has been in exile since 1959, when the putdown of a rebellion forced him and other leaders to flee to Tibet. The situation flared earlier this year when protests by Buddhist monks in Tibet prompted the Chinese government to crack down harshly on supporters of Tibet independence.

China has also come under fire for its ties to Sudan. Most of Sudan’s oil goes to China, so the Chinese government plays a large role in financing the Sudanese government. That government, in turn, finances the Janjaweed militia responsible for carrying out atrocities against the people of Darfur. As Sudan’s biggest investor, China is funding the genocide when it could be using its leverage to help the situation, University of St. Thomas student Ben Nebo said. Instead, the Chinese government has not acknowledged the situation in Darfur as genocide.
Nebo, who studied six months in China, noted that the slogan of this year’s Olympics is “One World, One Dream,” which he calls ironic. “People in Darfur are not having their dream of accomplishment, they’re having a nightmare,” he said. “Whose dream are we pursuing?”

Perhaps less well known than the situations in Tibet and Darfur is the persecution by the Chinese government of practitioners of Falun Gong. The spiritual meditation practice, which became popular in China during the 1990s, follows the three principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. The Chinese government banned Falun Gong in 1999 and has since imprisoned and tortured many of its followers. A 2006 investigative report by Canadian politicians and activists David Matas and David Kilgour published an investigative report which told of the Chinese government illegally harvesting organs from imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners. The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong was one of the major organizers of the April 16 rally.
A counter-protest led by supporters of China, mostly Chinese students, was just as visible and vocal during the event as the anti-China demonstrators. While representatives of local government and various human rights groups spoke, many of the pro-China demonstrators cried “Lies, lies,” and at one point the group broke out in singing the Chinese national anthem.

Most of the Chinese students said they support the Chinese government and do not want protests to disrupt China’s chance to shine this summer.

“Being Chinese, I have the responsibility to support my country,” medical school researcher Nan Zhang said. “China should be united. We cannot tolerate any separation.” Zhang agreed that China needs to improve its human rights record, but said, “Without a peaceful, united China, we cannot achieve that. If you look at the history, our government is better than in the past. I know it’s not perfect, but we still need to support it.”

Most of the pro-China protestors wore shirts and carried signs with the slogan “Go Olympics—No Olympolitics.” The Olympics are about sports, not political issues, said Yan Zhang, a university staff member and Chinese immigrant to the United States who held a sign reading, “Stop playing the human rights card.”
Many of the speakers, however, said that protesting China’s violations is not political or intended to dishonor the Olympics, but a simple call for human rights to be respected.

“We want to send the message that we’re sympathetic to the athletes who have trained for years to get to this one special moment,” Mei Ling Lee, the Minnesota representative for the Human Rights Torch Relay, said. “But we can’t turn a blind eye to the fact that the Communist regime in China has broken its promise of improving human rights.”

The International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the honor of hosting the Olympics in 2001 in the hope that the attention of the world would prompt the Chinese government to improve its policies, Lee said. Since then, however, the Chinese government has increased surveillance and clamped down on Internet use, she said. Persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, human rights advocates, and other groups has also increased.

The Chinese Communist Party is using the Olympics as “a public display of its own legitimacy,” to validate its regime—just as the Nazis did when Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympics, said Ben Grinberg, an American student and Falun Gong practitioner.

After the formal part of the rally, the protesters both supporting and criticizing China clustered in front of Coffman, crossing the lines between the two groups to discuss the issues at hand. Circles of people knotted around those who argued with raised voices and jabbing fingers, but many people spoke quietly and respectfully, urgent with the fervor of their causes but open to other opinions.

Several of the pro-China protestors questioned the validity of the claims against the Chinese government, saying that the supporters of Tibet and Falun Gong have not seen firsthand the violence of which they speak. Actually living in China shows a different story, they said.

Yajin Wang, a student whose father is a teacher in China, said that her own experience has shown that the Chinese system protects rather than persecutes minorities. Tibetans, for example, are exempt from the one-child policy to which most Chinese citizens must adhere, Wang said.

Those protesting China’s human-rights violations, however, said that they don’t have to see crimes against humanity being committed to know that they happen.

“How can you deny the killing of your own people?” asked one pro-Tibet protestor, who asked that his name be withheld. “You were alive when Tiananmen Square happened. You saw it, your parents saw it, the whole world saw it.”

Ben Grinberg said that students from China who are able to study here tend to be from the upper and middle class. But millions in China live in poverty, and there is “an enormous amount of discontent and resentment of the Communist government,” he said.

Westerners tend to focus on China’s economic success at the expense of criticizing its human-rights violations, Grinberg said. But the Chinese government, he said, is less powerful and stable than people might think. He said that the Soviet Union crumbled quickly despite being seen by the rest of the world as very powerful, and that the same upheaval is inevitable for the Communist government in China.

“As more pressure is put on the Chinese Communist Party to give people freedom, they will be less able to stifle dissent,” Grinberg said.

Student Nan Zhang is hopeful that reform and openness can happen in China. He said that China can use the United States as a model for improvement, pointing out that many people from China come here to study. “The current politicians [in China] learned from the former USSR. The next generation will learn from the U.S.,” he said. “That’s a good trend.”

The U of M’s EXCO chapter has “a principal of offering free education to the Twin Cities community,” according to Amy Pason, a U of M grad student who helps organize the U of M EXCO chapter. Anyone can take a class through EXCO and there are no tuition costs.

Experimental colleges are nothing new. EXCO is retro in its origins, which lie in the people power of the 60s. Oberlin College, which is generally considered to be the model for experimental colleges, began offering experimental classes in 1968. Oberlin is a highly selective private school in a smallish suburb just outside of Cleveland, OH. There, students started the experimental college as a vehicle for civic engagement within the community. The idea was to grant residents of the town more access to the happenings in the college. Eventually the experimental college was integrated into Oberlin’s regular curriculum.

At the time, EXCOs started popping up around the country. Unfortunately, within ten years, most had shut down their experiments.
In 2006, however, there was marked new growth in the movement as an experimental college sprouted out of a student group at Macalester. It all started after a significant raise in the cost of tuition. According to the EXCO Web site, the students started the organization “as an alternative to the inequalities and injustices of higher education…to offer the Twin Cities community the opportunity to teach or learn in a space open to alternative education.”

Currently, all chapters of EXCO in the Twin Cities are associated with a college or university. The U of M chapter is a bonafide student group, which means they have a bit of money and the ability to hold classes in campus buildings. Students who take and teach classes through EXCO may be able to get credits for their efforts.

However, there is a discussion among present EXCO organizers over how involved EXCO should be with the institutionalized university. “One of the reasons that we started EXCO is to recognize that the University of Minnesota as a state-public institution, it’s not necessarily that public,” Pason said.

What happens at the U of M, and most public universities, often stays there. The research rarely makes it into the public sphere. Every now and then a newspaper headline may grab hold of a charismatic research finding, but more often, benefits of academic endeavor remain largely inside the academic community.

Much of the U of M campus is designed so a student would never need to leave. Many people attending the U of M, especially undergraduates, never make it outside of campus and its surrounding student housing areas (think Dinkytown). Opening up the U of M would open resources to many community members, and open the real world to those stuck on campus.

“Even if we are a university-based official student organization and most of the people that take the classes are students, that’s not necessarily our long-term political goal,” said Arnoldas Blumberg, a U of M undergrad who also helps organize the U of M’s EXCO chapter. “We really want to sort of bridge the gaps between various communities around the Twin Cities.”

In the future, Twin Cities’ EXCOs have the potential to exist much more outside of institutions like the U of M.
Imagine an entire educational system organized by people in communities. Say you want to learn Spanish - rather than paying a grand to attend a university you could sign up for the EXCO Spanish class where you would meet other members from your community who speak the language. “We also are really working now on expanding the sort of community base,” Blumberg said, “seeing how EXCO can serve different community centers or grassroots organizations.”

Ali Jaafar

The word “publication” has the word “public” embedded in it for a reason: publishing is a statement to the general population about what sorts of issues are important and relevant. It is precisely that concept, relevancy, which has led me take a very strong stand against Mr. Stone’s article. To put it bluntly, I do not believe that publishing an article as self-involved as “Cult of Praise” would benefit the Wake’s readership.

True, it is only natural for people to write about their lives and experiences, but there has to be a point. For example, Deniz Rudin’s article “An Elegy for ‘Art Porn’” started as a funny anecdote but blossomed into an article about guilty pleasures and ironic detachment, issues that resonate with the self-hating hipsters who write/read the Wake.

I was looking for something similar in “Cult of Praise” but found nothing. The point of the article is, “I got suckered into joining a cult.” It contains no real moral or message for the wider, non-cult-joining population. People of Praise may be weird, but they pose no threat to 99.99% of the population. They do not engage in prostitution, the production of meth, illegal gambling rings, slave labor cartels, etc. They don’t even have a funny sign.

Furthermore, joining a religious group is such an incredibly personal thing that one article really won’t dissuade anyone from joining. You either possess the specific combination of belief and naiveté to find the idea appealing or you don’t.

In this light, Mr. Stone’s article reads as the airing of one man’s personal grievances. This is where social responsibility comes into play. In the wake of another recent article on religion (“Religion and the U” by Carl Carpenter) whose false accusations angered many, it would be insensitive and misguided to publish another article that denounces religion without any clear or noble purpose.

This is the difference between a magazine and a personal blog: we are representative of a wide variety of people and opinions and must carefully consider the statements we make. I’m all for publishing controversial articles, but if they lack relevancy and purpose, they can only serve to spread hatred and division rather than peace and knowledge.

Alice Vislova

I believe that Eric Stone’s article, “Cult of Praise,” should be published in an upcoming issue of The Wake.

Stone’s article is a first hand account of his experience with People of Praise: a religious group that operates out of a house on frat row. Stone shamelessly tells his story – from his initial encounter to, well, I don’t want to spoil all the surprises. The important thing is that his story is worth telling.

Firstly, the article is well written. In my opinion, editorial writing, by nature, often lacks color. Stone’s article is full of concrete anecdotes, as opposed to the floating abstractions that often comprise editorial pages (see: this column).

Stone’s article is also interesting because it tells a story you don’t hear everyday, in a heartfelt manner. One of the missions of The Wake is to provide a forum for students to express their ideas. As a magazine by students, for students, we do not have the right to stand in the way of somebody’s story.

In addition to not having the right to stand in the way of stories, I feel that - in a way - we are obligated to publish some of them. The quality of the writing may be a boundary to publication – but a boundary that can be overcome. The opinion held by the writer should never be a boundary.

I had never heard of the People of Praise before reading Stone’s article and I couldn’t believe what I read. I think that people have a right to know about wacky religious cults operating in their neighborhood. I realize that Stone’s article is an opinion piece and therefore may or may not be an accurate description of the People of Praise, but, as usual, I encourage people with dissenting opinions about the subject matter to write an article as well.

We must continue to give voice to those who wish to speak regardless of whether or not we agree with their opinion. We must remember that The Wake would be nothing without people like Stone who take the initiative to tell their stories. Keep the dream alive!

Alex Amend

First off, three cheers for Mr. Stone’s own personal-spiritual liberation, and his effort to put into words the machinations of a local bed-bunking religious co-op otherwise known as People of Praise (POP). His story should be told, if only to avoid shying away from controversy, and for purposes of giving this collective the attention it deserves–which is very little.

I am of the opinion that the actions of such fantastic student groups with utopian and/or religious-derived goals and criticisms are of little consequence within the broader student community. The demonstration last week outside of Coffman was such an instance where a group made explicit their irrelevance by showcasing a unique perversity of historical perspective. That these people offered gleeful smiles from in front of their useless statement only condemned them further in their own ignorance.

A concern must be raised if a group like POP conducted unlawful or abusive behavior within its collective, akin in some shape to the pending case involving a Mormon compound in Texas. However, to assume that POP’s silly practices call for alarm or a singular account of the group by an ex-member facilitated by a college magazine would be granting them too much legitimacy. To my mind, this is simply a collective of unimaginative and harmless human beings in a modern and cultureless college town.

While it is unfortunate, fundamental religious movements are part of our country’s DNA. In short, it’s not such a surprise.

Though Mr. Stone’s account could be considered necessary by those who like to analyze and re-analyze religion’s role on campus, I’m rather unmoved. An interesting read? Slightly. Revelatory insight? I think not. Instead, I believe it is morally imperative that we turn our investigative lens on a rampant and much more horrifying phenomenon around campus: that fucking bean bag game.

Introducing the People of Praise

I never thought I could fall victim to a religious cult on the campus of the University of Minnesota. I like to think of myself as intelligent, knowledgeable and critically minded. These traits echo the values of our campus. Some have called the U of M the dustbowl of empiricism because of its heavy reliance on the scientific method and evidence based practices. So how is it that one can fall into the traps of superstition and dogmatism in such a seemingly enlightened environment? About two years ago, shortly after moving to Minneapolis to attend the U of M, I fell right into a trap.

There are many Christian groups and fellowships on campus. The major ones that we all have heard of include: Campus Crusade for Christ, or CRU for short; Maranatha, with their sign proclaiming “Jesus Christ is Lord of the University of Minnesota” and Mars Hill. But my guess is that very few of you have heard of the People of Praise. Because the group is actively engaged in evangelizing and recruiting members of the U of M community, I think it is important to inform people about the side of the POP that they probably will not share with you upfront. Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back I wish I would have had the resources available to help me make an informed decision concerning the group I was about to commit most of my time and energy to.

The POP is an “ecumenical charismatic Christian community” that was founded in 1971 in South Bend, IN. The formation of the group followed the Catholic Church renewal of the early 60’s known as Vatican II. The POP is ecumenical in the sense that they accept members from all Christian faiths; although over 90% of the current members attend Roman Catholic Church’s. They are charismatic in the sense that they believe in, and employ, such things as speaking in tongues, prophecy and faith healing. The POP has had some trouble with growth – while being in existence for over thirty years they currently only have approximately 2,900 adult members. Some of you may be familiar with Trinity Schools. The POP owns and administers three private Christian High Schools, one of which is located in Eagan, MN. A few years ago, the POP received word from God to set-up shop in Dinkytown and create there own city here.

Life in the People of Praise

I first heard of the POP while working as a parking attendant for the wicked witch of Dinkytown. Anyone who has ever tried to park momentarily in, by or near the parking lot behind the Dinkydome – without paying or having correct change has encountered the explosive rage of this seemingly innocent and lovely old women. I once saw her demand a quarter from some poor student who accidentally made a wrong turn into the parking lot. There are no free u-turns at this lot. It was here I met T.J., who told me about the revolutionary life he was living with Jesus Christ and the POP. He invited me over to one of the POP houses on frat row for a Lord’s Day supper.

I soon found out that the Lord’s Day supper was a weekly dinner gathering of about twenty to fifty POP members and guests that takes place every Saturday night in Dinkytown. The dinner begins with everyone gathering in a circle while the leader prays and passes some bread and juice – representing the body and blood of Christ. After this is finished, the group begins praying. Most pray in plain everyday sensical English, but some pray by making weird noises and strange utterances. For the first time, I heard someone speak in tongues – which are recognized by Pentecostal Christians as a secret prayer language. I remember thinking this was different from the way I learned how to pray and I made a point to talk with T.J. about this experience after dinner. He graciously showed me in the Bible where the apostles spoke in the same tongues the POP members spoke in. If it’s in the Bible, it must be ok, I thought.

That Lord’s Day night I met a young guy named Mike. He was the leader of what the POP calls the campus division. Mike is an intelligent Notre Dame Alumnus in his late 20’s who teaches math and scripture at Trinity High School in Eagan, MN. Mike shook my hand and we shared casual conversation throughout the social gathering that followed the dinner. During this time I inquired to find out as much as I could about the campus division. One member shared with me that sexual temptation was rather easy to deny because no women were allowed on the second and third floors where their study area and sleeping room was located. Yes, that’s right – sleeping room. All sixteen male members of the campus division slept in one room containing six or seven triple bunk beds hand crafted by members of the community. This seemed odd to me at first. A few hours later I noticed the women were all starting to leave. I found out that all the female members lived in a separate house just down the street. Before I left, Mike asked if I would be willing to meet for coffee sometime. I said sure. We agreed to meet the next day and talk more about the POP.

At this time in my spiritual journey I was a young and very naïve Christian – I had just recently undergone a ‘born-again’ experience shortly after moving to Minneapolis. The next day I met Mike at a coffee house in Dinkytown. I ordered my favorite espresso, but Mike curiously sat down without ordering anything. I soon found out that some members of the POP had made a commitment to only spend forty dollars a month on personal expenses, and being that it was towards the end of the month Mike was getting close to his cutoff. I shared with Mike my personal story and how I had just recently move