Today’s Good News: Remembering Paul Wellstone
Today marks five years since the tragic death of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. He was a hero to many within and outside of Minnesota. It’s rare that we see reminders of the fact that true, honest, dedicated public servants do exist. I was living in Chicago in 2002, and was just about to go campaign for Wellstone in Minnesota when he died. I watched his memorial service on C-Span 3 on my computer. Rick Kahn’s speech that night pushed me into becoming an activist, and whenever I’m not sure I can keep going, I remind myself of it. Sometimes I even listen to the tape I made of it, especially the part where he talks about the fact that none of us working alone can accomplish change, but that together we can and will win victories in Paul’s name.
It’s very important to me that Paul’s spirit lives on in all of us. As Holly Near once wrote about another martyred hero, Victor Jara: “You can kill a man, but not a song/When it’s sung the whole world round.” A few days ago, Common Dreams published a moving remembrance of Wellstone here.
Leave a Comment