Last Saturday on the Northern Alliance Radio Network we had a lot of fun singing (if you could call it that) the lyrics to the insipid official song of the Paul and Shelia Wellstone Elementary School in St. Paul. It was the brainchild of our own Saint Paul and he provided background on the school and its song lyrics in this post.
Today in the Star Tribune we learn that Minneapolis has joined its twin city with its own Wellstone School:
Sheikh, 20, is one of the many faces of Wellstone International High School, a Minneapolis public school that focuses on bringing recent immigrants up to speed in their new country. While the school existed before, the class of 2004 is the first to graduate under the school's new name, taken last year in honor of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.
A Minneapolis PUBLIC school. Keep that in mind.
Last week, as the school year came to a close, Sheikh and his fellow students took their seats in American history class while teacher Carol Dallman popped in a video detailing the Vietnam War.
While they secretly passed around a thank you card for her, Dallman paused to elaborate and answer questions. "They always have so many questions," she joked. She never gets past the Vietnam War each year because of it.
A fair and balanced presentation of the Vietnam War no doubt.
The school is true to the Wellstone mission, said Bill Lofy, communications director of Wellstone Action and one of the speakers at Monday's graduation. Wellstone Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to continuing the work for economic- and social-justice causes embraced by Wellstone and his wife, Sheila.
A public school that is "true to the mission" of one of the most partisan, ideologically driven Minnesota politicians in recent memory? Another public school that is.
On Monday, Sheikh and 25 other seniors in shiny green caps and gowns marched toward their seats to the sound of family and friends' applause heard over the traditional "Pomp and Circumstance" graduation march. Wellstone's face was projected on a large screen behind them.
Smiling broadly, Sheikh took home a leadership award and was recognized for his role as a peer mediator for the school of 180. He also was among six students who have college scholarships that total about $25,000. He plans to attend Normandale Community College in Bloomington in the fall. And then? Back to Somalia.
"After college I will go back with my education and help teach," he said. "The benefit is ... to teach how to be a better person, be nonviolent."
Okay naming the school after Wellstone is one thing. Having the school embrace his "mission" is really pushing it. But a gigantic, iconic Wellstone visage staring down at the kids as they receive their diplomas? The Cult of Wellstone is definitely getting out of hand.
After his untimely death in 2002, it was obvious that his supporters would need time to grieve and honor Wellstone. The refusal to take down the lawn signs, the still ubiquitous green Wellstone! bumper stickers, the WWWD (what would Wellstone do?) t-shirts, the memorializing of the green bus, the unending speculation about how things would have been different if Wellstone was still alive, heck even the pieces of bizarre tribute art are understandable, if increasingly annoying, ways for Wellstone's faithful to remember their departed hero.
But lately if seems as if the efforts have moved from remembrance to a disturbing, religious-like sanctification even approaching deification of Wellstone. This is a bit ironic considering the way that most Wellstone supporters probably feel about mixing religion and politics, to say nothing of religion and public education. Over the years conservative commentators have often observed that one of the reasons that many leftists become so passionate about their politics is that they are trying to compensate for the absence of religion in their lives. At the end of the day you have to believe in something. And if it's not going to be God then maybe socialism is where you place your faith.
Now it appears that some of these folks in Minnesota have found a new altar to worship at. And their god is Wellstone. If you think I'm making much ado about nothing consider what the reaction might be if a few names and words were changed in the story from today's Strib:
Sheikh, 20, is one of the many faces of Reagan International High School, a Minneapolis public school that focuses on bringing recent immigrants up to speed in their new country. While the school existed before, the class of 2004 is the first to graduate under the school's new name, taken last year in honor of the late President Ronald Reagan.
Last week, as the school year came to a close, Sheikh and his fellow students took their seats in American history class while teacher Carol Dallman popped in a video detailing the Cold War.
While they secretly passed around a thank you card for her, Dallman paused to elaborate and answer questions.
"They always have so many questions," she joked. She never gets past the Cold War each year because of it.
The school is true to the Reagan mission, said Peter Robinson, communications director of Reagan Renewal and one of the speakers at Monday's graduation. Reagan Renewal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to continuing the work for economic- and political-freedom causes embraced by Reagan and his wife, Nancy.
On Monday, Sheikh and 25 other seniors in shiny green caps and gowns marched toward their seats to the sound of family and friends' applause heard over the traditional "Pomp and Circumstance" graduation march. Reagan's face was projected on a large screen behind them.
Smiling broadly, Sheikh took home a leadership award and was recognized for his role as a peer mediator for the school of 180. He also was among six students who have college scholarships that total about $25,000. He plans to attend Normandale Community College in Bloomington in the fall. And then? Back to Somalia.
"After college I will go back with my education and help liberate," he said. "The benefit is ... to teach how to be a better person, be free."
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