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The Boundary Waters Just Can’t Catch a Break
Talk about kicking folks while they’re down. Recently Congress, spurred on by villainous mining über alles Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), ended the mining ban near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Now, as Northern News reports, the Minnesota Senate has voted to stop funding a program that takes kids on canoe trips in the Boundary Waters.
The money, which comes from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund bill, goes to Friends of the Boundary Waters and brings about 200 kids up north each year. GOP Sen. Keri Heintzeman (R-Nisswa—where else?) spearheaded the assault on the recreational program, calling the Friends an anti-mining lobbying group. The legislation now proceeds to the House.
"I’m thankful to the colleagues who stood with me in voting no, and I sure hope the people of Minnesota will send more courageous elected officials to the legislature next fall, to lend a hand," Sen. Jen McEwen (DFL-Duluth) said of Monday's 34-29 vote. "Please, hold your elected officials to account, and demand better, or we could lose the BWCA, and we’ll continue living under corporate rule."
Next in the War on Immigrants: Denaturalization
The Trump administration has moved on to its next battle in the war on immigration, and of course Minnesota is again in its crosshairs. Denaturalization is the legal term for stripping a foreign-born U.S. citizen of their citizenship, and it has traditionally been an extreme measure. The GOP goal is to make it appear less extreme, and to make foreign-born citizens seem more dangerous.
As Sarah Thamer reports for Sahan Journal, one of the 12 citizens that the administration is seeking to denaturalize, Osman Ahmed, is a Somali-born Minnesotan who was convicted of providing support to al-Shabab, a militant group classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Of course, we already have a remedy for naturalized citizens who break the law—the same one that we have for everyone else that breaks the law. Ahmed has served a three-year prison sentence for his crime. But that won't prevent a racist administration from attempting to malign all Somali-Americans as criminals by parading him around as a poster boy for "Somali terrorists."
Glückwunsch!
That means "congratulations!" in German, Google Translate tells me. So join me in bestowing a hearty "glückwunsch!" upon two very different local orgs, Unidos MN and Smitten Kitten, for sharing the 2026 Aachener Friedenspreis—a peace prize handed out by the people of Aachen, Germany.
Located in Mercado Central in south Minneapolis, Unidos MN is “a grassroots organization that builds power with Minnesota's working families to advance social, racial and economic justice.” Located in Lyn-Lake, Smitten Kitten sells sex toys. Both rose to support their communities in a heroic fashion when ICE goons were unleashed on Minnesota this past winter.
As the award-givers say, “Die Organisation Unidos MN und das Team des Community-Hubs/Ladenlokals The Smitten Kitten stehen beispielhaft für den gewaltfreien Widerstand der Zivilgesellschaft in Minneapolis gegen die im Jahr2025/26 massiv eskalierte staatliche Gewalt durch Bundesbehörden (ICE) und die sogenannte ‘Operation Metro Surge,’” I couldn’t say it better myself. Not in German, at least.
Wanna Keep Tabs on Your State Legislators?
Here’s a nifty little device from the folks at MPR News that tells you how any Minnesota lawmaker voted on specific bills. If, like me, your state rep is Aisha Gomez and your state senator is Omar Fateh, there aren’t a lot of surprises here. But if your electeds are a little less predictable, you might find it handy. And it’s also just a good way to see what the legislature has been voting on or to keep up with what other people's legislators are up to.
