Bob CollinsIt doesn’t take much to be characterized as an “extremist” anymore; you pretty much just have to have a different position on a civic or political issue.
Take the ad that greeted readers of the Star Tribune today, for example. Purchased by a group called Save Lake Calhoun, it objects to efforts to rename Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska, an effort that started a few years ago and has been waged peacefully through the political process. If John C. Calhoun had shown as much respect to Native Americans, he’d likely still have a lake named after him in a state he never visited.
But, they’re “extremists”, the Calhoun fans say in their ad.
The ad blames 80% of Minnesotans for the likely name change next week by Hennepin County commissioners.
“We the silent majority stayed silent,” it reads. “How many of us attended the public hearing to protest? How many of us wrote a personal letter, or called our county commissioner to voice our opinion?”
Not many, apparently, which might indicate that the alleged silent majority is very much in a minority.
On the website for the group, no names of any organizers or members are listed. It was created only last Wednesday, its owner was masked in WHOIS records.
Related Calhoun Bde Maka Ska: Park Board Committee Approves Lease For Lola’s Cafe At Lake Calhoun (WCCO)
