Political Matters – July 2021
By Mordecai Specktor Louise Erdrich wins the Pulitzer I’ll admit that Love Medicine is the only Louise Erdrich novel that I’ve read. Anyway, Mazel Tov! to Erdrich for winning the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, for her novel The Night Watchman. I bought a copy for my wife’s birthday last year, and I intend to […]
Political Matters – June 2021
By Mordecai Specktor Santorum is cancelled In late May, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum was fired by CNN from his senior political commentator job after making some benighted remarks about Native people. Santorum spoke at an April event for the Young Americans Foundation, a conservative youth group, and said that there was “nothing” in the […]
Political Matters – January 2021
By Mordecai Specktor Cancelling Henry Sibley As I mentioned in the December issue of The Circle, I attended Sibley High School. In gym class, we wore jerseys that were adorned with the image of an American Indian in a full-feather bonnet. The school nickname was Warriors and, in the late ’60s, it clearly referred to […]
Political Matters – December 2020
By Mordecai Specktor Reflections on Turkey Day My family moved up the Thanksgiving festivities by a week, so our son Max, who was visiting from Copenhagen, could enjoy the traditional turkey and side dishes before his return to Denmark. Over recent years, the National Day of Mourning has been observed by many Native people who […]
Political Matters – October 2020
By Mordecia Specktor Election chaos Did you watch the Sept. 29 presidential debate? Why are people surprised that a debate involving the Orange Hitler would descend into vituperation and chaos? Didn’t folks know going in that Trump would lie about everything? He’s an ignoramus in every area of public policy; and his record as president […]
Political Matters – September 2020
By Mordecai Specktor Minneapolis erupts, again On Aug. 26, rumors started flying around about the cops shooting a Black man on the Nicollet Mall. In reality, a homicide suspect used his gun on himself, committed suicide, as the police closed in around 6 p.m. on a Wednesday. A crowd gathered and tensions flared –angry outbursts […]
Political Matters – August 2020
By Mordecai Specktor Winning in Indian Country In a departure from the usual “Political Matters” fare, this month’s column will feature good news. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic collapse, homeless camps in Minneapolis city parks, and skirmishes between racial justice protesters and the cops (and the GesTrumpo in Portland, Ore.), the Supreme […]
Political Matters – July 2020
By Mordecai Specktor Columbus has fallen We’re halfway through 2020 and the hits keep coming. I’ve generally kept away from the protests seeking justice for George Floyd (because COVID-19); but I joined the June 7 Native march for racial justice. There was a rally with some speeches at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, then the […]
Political Matters – June 2020
By Mordecai Specktor The police murder of George Floyd “Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The COVID-19 pandemic is still on our minds; but […]
Political Matters – May 2020
By Mordecai Specktor Coronavirus in Indian Country Are readers of The Circle taking precautions against the deadly onslaught of the coronavirus? Washing your hands frequently? Wearing a face mask when out in public? I hope that you’re listening to directives from medical experts, and not the inane blathering from Trump, who recently recommended injecting Lysol, […]
Political Matters – April 2020
By Mordecai Specktor Rampaging microbes In my column last month, I talked with filmmaker and curator Missy Whiteman about the third installment of the INDIgenesis film series at the Walker Art Center. The series of adventuresome and topical Native films was set to screen at the end of March. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic changed […]
Political Matters – February 2020
By Mordecai Specktor More mining monkey business In my January column, I wrote about the formal announcement of the Twin Metals Minnesota copper-nickel mining scheme, a mammoth extraction project that has created an uproar among environmentalists over its proximity to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). In that column, I also mentioned that the […]