Katie Lentsch

Katie Lentsch is a MintPress editorial assistant and community manager. Her work has appeared in the Twin Cities Daily Planet & MintPress. Her desire to expose awareness of national and global issues began while backpacking through western Europe where she gained international perspectives on politics and culture, as well as from her experiences residing in an abandoned school in volunteering for Hurricane Katrina relief in New Orleans. Her reports include coverage on the social and legislative debates between Second Amendment rights and gun control, and has profiled various stories of people facing struggles such as homelessness, addiction and violations of their human rights.

A Whistleblower, A 16-Year-Old Girl, A President: And The Prize Goes To…

A look at three leading contenders for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch

“Peace is its own reward” are the words of Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most resounding symbols of peace, human rights and social justice. Every year the efforts of extraordinary individuals who changed the world are acknowledged. Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has promoted the virtues of peace and the selfless acts of individuals for the good of

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Does Open Carry Apply In State Capitols?

In Minnesota, that’s the latest question being discussed in the debate over gun control.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch

A stirring discussion about the legal carrying of firearms hit the tip of numerous targets Wednesday at the Minnesota state capitol. Minnesota is a state where open carry is allowed with a permit, but concerns have been raised about open carry on government complex premises. According to an analysis by Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St.Paul, about 13

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Open Carry Supporters Demonstrate At Starbucks

Starbucks is a company that allows customers to openly carry handguns in states that permit it.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch

“I Love Guns & Coffee” was the slogan for the Starbucks Appreciation Day open carry event, supported by thousands of people all over the country who visited their local Starbucks Friday. Starbucks is a company that allows customers to openly carry handguns in states that permit it. However, anti-gun groups such as Connecticut's Newtown Action

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France Escalates Its Push Against Religious Clothing Amid Rising Islamophobia

The French government is planning to extend laws restricting religious expression in universities.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch

France is waging war on religious freedom, and the next target is banning students from wearing traditional sacred clothing in universities. Based on research findings from the High Council of Integration (HIC) report, the French government is currently planning to implement an extension of existing laws passed in 2004 restricting religious

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Lawmakers Urge Obama To Address Religion-Motivated Hate Crimes

A year after a Sikh temple was attacked by a white supremacist, advocates say the problem hasn’t been adequately addressed.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch

One year ago, a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis. was attacked by a single white supremacist, who killed six worshippers and injured several more. Pardeep Kaleka, a Sikh temple board member recalls the events that day. “I was on my way to the temple with my kids,” Kaleka said. “On my way there I was seeing police squad cars drive past me as I was

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Phishing Schemes, Feds Demanding Passwords Make For A Scary Internet

Privacy invasion on the web has reached a new level.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch

Privacy invasion on the web has reached a new level. The federal government has demanded web firms provide access to user passwords, and phishing emails have been filling email inboxes at an ever-increasing rate -- making Internet security even more shaky in the wake of the leak of details about National Security Agency surveillance

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Bipartisan Bill Targets Drug Company Pay-Offs That Inflate Price Of Medication

Some brand-name drug makers have paid their generic competitors to delay the introduction of cheaper drugs.

Katie Lentsch
Por Katie Lentsch
Anti-depressant drugs produced by Eli Lilly are shown here. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, file)

Consumers have been kept in the dark about a secret deal between brand-name pharmaceutical companies and their generic competition. Since 2005, some brand-name drug makers have paid their generic competitors to delay the introduction of cheaper drugs, extending their monopoly and forcing consumers to pay higher prices for life-saving

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