News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Thursday June 11th 2026
Minnesotans Can Feel Confident in the Safety of Our Elections!
By LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
“As I said before the right to vote is the crown jewel of American Liberties, and we will not see its luster diminished.”
These were the words of President Ronald Reagan speaking to the nation on June 29, 1982 upon his signing of the 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act. This act first became law in 1965 and required states to follow the 14th and 15th Amendments’ guarantee that the right to vote not be denied because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Our democracy is at its best when citizens across the United States cast their ballots during election season. Whether the vote is for a school board member, state senator, or President of the United States, voting is our power to have our voices heard. We the people have the power to elect representatives to enact laws that match our needs and values.
State Laws Regulate Elections
Article 1, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution gives states the power to regulate “the times, places and manners of elections, though Congress can make or alter these regulations”… This means that the states run elections. When you cast your ballot at a polling place, the people working there are local government officials, your neighbors, friends, and family members hired to ensure a free, fair, and secure election where only registered U.S.… Read the rest “Minnesotans Can Feel Confident in the Safety of Our Elections!”
Project Hail Mary
from the series Movie Corner…
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
4.5 Stars
2026
Science Fiction/Adventure/Mystery
MGM
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller co-directed Project Hail Mary, a fabulous science fiction film starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher who reluctantly takes on a life-giving mission for the Earth and beyond. The film convincingly creates a real sense of urgency for Earth when microorganisms known as astrophage are capable of consuming the energy not only of our sun, but stars throughout the universe.
Ryland Grace woke up on the spaceship Project Hail Mary in space only to find his two comrades dead. When he releases his two comrades into space it also releases one of the most notable emotions in the film.
However, the backstory shows Grace perfectly happy being a middle school science teacher in spite of encouragement by Eva Stratt to have him take on the mission. Stratt is played by Sandra Huller from Anatomy of a Fall (2023) and Zone of Interest (2023). She’s presented as a constant motivator, not a rigid bureaucrat nor a hardline tactician, who believes in Grace. Grace tells his colleagues repeatedly he doesn’t want to be a hero.
While Grace is on the spaceship he meets a friendly alien who’s the only survivor from his alien clan with the same mission as Grace: to save his world.… Read the rest “Project Hail Mary”
On Defending Democracy
from the series Raise Your Voice…
By PETER MOLENAAR
‘Democracy’ is derived from the Greek words: demos (people) and kratos (rule). In short, democracy is a system of government where significant power is vested in the people. Imagine: political equality, voting rights and majority rule. Whereas ‘fascism’ (when fully fledged) is an open dictatorship of the most reactionary sector of monopoly-capital. Indeed, such dictatorships have historically emerged incrementally. Naturally then, we applaud our NO KINGS MOVEMENT for having mobilized hundreds of thousands in the here and now!
Meanwhile, some from our community don’t even bother to vote… presumably because, under our existing economic system, democracy is distorted and diminished by the force of capital and the associated political opportunism. That said: a bourgeois-democratic republic is preferable to a fascist regime!
Therefore, we will continue to deploy our developing united-front of Labor in conjunction with a multi-class popular-front, in opposition to the MAGA threat to all forms of life.
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