BY ED FELIEN The North Star Caucus of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has recently circulated, for discussion and approval, an outline of strategic objectives for 2022. They call for a United Front Against Fascism and the need to “jettison a growing tendency towards a ‘go it alone’ approach…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE A little over a year ago, I heard of an effort to launch a Democratic Socialist Caucus in the DFL. I have called myself a democratic socialist since about the mid-1980s. I made the transition from anarchist (because of Ursula K. Le Guin, Emma Goldman, and…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Owamni is everywhere The January issue of The Dish may strike a discordant note. Written, as per the iron deadlines of local journalism, in the dying days of a year too full of dying, it still strives to strike a note of hope for 2022, and…
BY ED FELIEN You survived a pretty rough first term of office. Standing up to the president of the United States, sending him a bill for the added security necessary to guarantee him a safe environment to hold a political rally, was the easy part. You were getting good marks…
BY ED FELIEN “When he comes out of the hole and sees his shadow, then it’s six more weeks of winter.” It makes sense. If the groundhog comes out of his hole on Feb. 2 in Minnesota, and he sees his shadow, that means there’s most likely still snow on…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The connection For the past decade or so, I have been thinking a lot, and acting – a bit less, but still acting – on ways to reduce my personal harm to the environment in the process of consumption. As the four “R”s tell us (reduce,…
BY TONY BOUZA The sitting (and I use the term advisedly) Chief of Police capped a distinguished police career with his greatest feat—the announcement of his departure. Mirabile dictu! In my insufferable hubris (“That Tony Bouza, he sure is full of himself, isn’t he?”—overheard one wag to another) I hasten…
The soldier and the peacenik I am a voracious reader and years ago when I read of the coming birth of a college in Marshall, Minn., where I was living, I decided to apply for the position of bookstore manager. Never mind that I had no experience in running a…
BY ED FELIEN Democrats are being seriously trolled by Republicans. Paul Gosar sent out a crudely modified anime cartoon depicting him cutting the head off Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Marjorie Taylor Greene, during the 2020 campaign, posted an image on her Facebook page of her holding an automatic rifle alongside photos…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The title of this article is meant to gently lead you into a dark place. If I had titled it “Dying During the Holidays” you probably would have skipped it, right? Sorry about that. But now that you’re here, let me explain. If you’re one of…
BY TONY BOUZA America is in the throes of an agonizing debate—police reform—and it has no answers. Yet that’s how the U.S. tackles its problems—and often solves them—through heated fulminations and some final distillations into changes. The biggest problems—today—are racism and income disparity. George Floyd launched the discussion on race…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Restaurant news Have you heard of Goldbelly? I first heard of it last week, when I did a search to find where I could get good latkes without having to make or cook them myself. Of course, I meant to be searching for a local deli…
BY STEPHANIE FOX Minnesotans can boast about being number one in a lot of positive categories, but having some of the largest educational disparities among minority and low-income students in the country is no reason to brag. One factor in this disparity is that where white parents have higher incomes…
BY ED FELIEN The huge and spontaneous outpouring of gratitude on the Seward Neighborhood Forum for Cam Gordon was begun by Jim Welna: Wanted to thank Cam Gordon for his service to our community and the City of Minneapolis as a member of the Minneapolis City Council since 2006. He…
BY ED FELIEN We were feeling so hopeful, so optimistic. We were congratulating ourselves on our great victory over ignorance. We lit a cigar to celebrate. And then it blew up in our faces. We made some terrible mistakes. The banner across the front of the stage in Powderhorn Park…
