Gap Stories #1

[Sleuthing With Shina: Of Banquets and Bills]

Log Date: 4/7/12764

Data Sources: Sleuthing With Shina

MPR (Myrrdicato Public Radio)

Program: Sleuthing With Shina

Timeslot: Fridays @7pm-8pm SGT

“Hello all, and welcome back to another episode of Sleuthing With Shina. I’m Shina Sothsby, head investigative reporter for Myrrdicato Public Radio. We’re glad to have you with us tonight, whether you’re joining us from open space or dark space. A note to our viewers: this episode may not be suited for children, so if you’ve got little ones at home, feel free to watch the episode later on our Utube channel, where we’ll be uploading it after the broadcast.

“With that out of the way, let’s move onto tonight’s topic: blood banquets. For many of you, this may be your first time hearing the term; however, the vampires in the audience very likely know what we’re talking about. In the Confederacy of Original Systems, a bill has been introduced in the lower House of the Confederacy that would outlaw blood banquets. Despite the limited reach of this legislation, it has sent faint tremors through the galaxy’s astropolitics, so tonight we’ll be delving into the world of blood banquets — what they are, why they exist, and the role they play in our galactic society.”

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“For millennia, vampires have been a part of societies across the galaxy. Some societies have been more accepting, while others less so; but in our modern day and age, they are afforded the rights and civil liberties that the Colloquium has decreed for all sapient species. However, in the Confederacy of Original Systems, the introduction of a new bill in the lower House carries the risk of infringing on those rights and civil liberties — at least according to the Dodakatheon, the ruling body of the twelve vampire Families.

“The bill, named HB-LH-12764-057, seeks to outlaw blood banquets and blood buffets, which it claims are predatory practices and enable the trafficking and prostitution of sapient beings. Blood banquets are the vampire practice of holding parties where vampires mix and mingle with live donors for an evening of conversation, socializing, and eventually, what is called a live sacrament, which is when a vampire feeds on a live donor. The practice is not a new one, and has been around for millennia, but was typically a closed, discrete affair, intended for the upper class of vampire society. In recent centuries, however, the practice has trickled down into the lower classes of vampire society, manifesting as a more commercialized version of the experience, referred to as blood buffets. Unlike banquets, which usually take place at a private residence, buffets operate from a public establishment, much like a business or restaurant, typically charging an entry fee in exchange for access to the establishment and the services offered therein.

“To dig a bit deeper into this story, we decided to visit Coreolis, in the Kenterbain System, where the legislation originated. With a large population that is mostly composed of ‘Riginal humans, Coreolis carries considerable influence within the COS. Over the past decade, the planet’s leaders have drifted towards Traditionalist policies and rhetoric, despite the fact that a slight majority of the planet’s population identifies as Futurist. One of those Traditionalist leaders, Morrick Wilgard, authored and introduced the Banquet Ban Bill, and agreed to sit for an interview with us.”

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Shina Sothsby: So, Representative Wilgard, you recently introduced the Banquet Ban Bill, abbreviated as BBB, in the Lower House of the COS Congress. It’s kicked up quite a fuss, not just in the Confederacy, but also across the galaxy.

Wilgard: I’m sure it did. It’s probably upset a good many powerful people in the vampire financial complex.

SS: Well, it’s more than just powerful people. There are everyday vampires that are livid about this bill, which they see as taking away one of their food sources.

W: They will still be able to get their sacraments at the hemopharmacist; it’s not like we’re starving them. We’re just moving to constrain a problematic industry that has been historically involved in trafficking and prostitution. From its earliest days, vampire banquets and buffets have been known to prey on vulnerable individuals in order to turn a profit. It’s time we do something about it, because that’s not the kind of society we want in the COS.

SS: There’s been claims by popular vampires in the entertainment industry that this law would institutionalize discrimination against the vampire population in the COS. Anja Tadarida has been particularly vocal about it, urging COS citizens to pressure their representatives to vote the bill down in the Lower House.

W: It’s not discrimination if it’s in the service of protecting another vulnerable population. That comes first and foremost in my mind; that is the priority that we have with this bill.

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“While bills regulating an industry or market are the bread and butter of many governments, the Banquet Ban Bill is unique in that it does not propose to regulate the banquet or buffet markets, but to get rid of them altogether. For many economists across the galaxy, this was an alarming move, and we spoke to our very own Dan Splainsworthy for some insight on why this bill has concerned so many economists.”

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Shina Sothsby: Hey Dan, it’s good to be speaking to you again.

Dan Splainsworthy: And you too, Shina.

SS: We’re covering the Banquet Ban Bill, and the ripples it’s sent across the galaxy, particularly in the economist community. Can you tell us why they’re so unsettled?

DS: Well, I know it seems like an odd thing for economists to be worried over, unless those economists are vampires themselves, right? But it’s not so much the issues as it is the economic principles underlying it. Our galaxy largely functions off of regulated capitalism: people create a product or offer a service, and other people pay for that product or service. In this system, we have regulation, to varying degrees, to ensure that businesses are dealing fairly with customers. If we have a problem with a business or an industry, government usually moves to regulate it, curtail the problem, and protect customers. But when you move to ban or outlaw an industry or market altogether, people start to get a little jittery — because that’s a step towards communism.

SS: If I may — in capitalism the government is the referee. They determine the rules of the game and make judgement calls, but otherwise they remain on the sidelines and let the system run itself.

DS: Yes, more or less, in an ideal system. Most systems are not ideal, and the rules are very often not fair. But even if the game is not perfect, almost anybody can participate in it. There are some rules that might make it harder for you to play, but you can still play if you follow them. It is very rare that the referee will ban a player, or a certain type of player, from the game altogether. That’s what this is, in this metaphor: the COS isn’t slapping extra rules or regulations on vampire banquets and buffets. This bill would straight-up kick them out of the game and criminalize their businesses.

SS: Governments do have to do that sometimes, correct? To protect their citizens and their societies. I cannot, for example, go out on the street and start selling neuranium. That’s drug dealing, which is a crime, and for good reason — it’s an economic activity that often kills the customer or ruins their life.

DS: Yes, but generally speaking, governments are terribly inconsistent about what industries should be criminalized. Ideally, the criteria would be measured on an objective standard of harm done to individuals and society at large. Yet we see that in many systems in the Venusian Monarchy, regional leaders are laser-focused on the destruction of the pornography industry — while refusing to ban, much less regulate, the weapons industry, which is responsible for putting millions of military-grade weapons in the hands of civilians, which in turn contributes to the stratospheric homicide and suicide rate within Monarchy systems.

SS: So what you’re saying is that even though the mechanism exists, it is rarely used properly.

DS: It is used properly, by some nations. I will say it varies on a case-by-case basis, but in this particular case, for this particular bill, I have my doubts about whether this is the correct application of the government’s power to shut down a specific industry. Personally? I would recommend that you go speak to the people that work within that industry, and get their perspective on it — both from the employees, business owners, and customers.

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“Armed with Dan’s recommendation, we visited one of the existing blood buffets in Coreolis’s capitol. There, we spoke to the customers, the employees, and the business’s owner to get their take on the pending bill, and how the buffet business actually works.”

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Shina Sothsby: So what do you think about the Banquet Ban Bill?

Customer #1: Do you really want to know what I think? ‘Cause it’s not gonna be pretty.

SS: Can you express it in a way that doesn’t involve profanity?

C1: I don’t think I can. Sorry. You might want to try that guy over there, he’s a little more levelheaded than me.

…

SS: So what do you think about the Banquet Ban Bill?

Customer #2: How would you feel if your government outlawed your favorite pizza place and told you that you could only eat frozen pizzas from the grocery store?

SS: Well, if I was a pizza lover, I figure that would be pretty upsetting.

C2: Exactly. Look, I can do it, and it ain’t gonna kill me, but I ain’t gonna be happy about it. You ask anyone else around here, they’ll tell you they’re pretty pissed about it. And that’s not just the vamps, that’s the donors, too.

SS: The donors are the employees that work at the buffet, right? The ‘main course’, as it were.

C2: Yup.

SS: Why would they be upset?

C2: Being a donor is their job. For some of them, it’s a part-time gig, but for a lot of them, it is their full-time job. That is how they support their families. A lot of them are single parents trying to support kids. You take this away from them, they’ll have to find a worse-paying job that doesn’t give them the time they need to watch their kids.

…

SS: So does this job pay well?

Employee #1: Are you kidding me? I only work sixteen hours a week and I make a hell of a lot more than I would as a cashier.

SS: How much do you make every year?

E1: About thirty-five thousand credits a year? I mean, that’s before taxes, but it’s still pretty good for part-time work.

SS: What do you think of the Banquet Ban Bill?

E1: I’m all for passing it if Wilgard wants to give me his job.

SS: So you don’t want to see it passed.

E1: Wilgard’s never worked a day in his life, and he’s never talked to anyone that works at a buffet. If he had, he’d know that none of us want this. He’s just doing this to score points with the morality police. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Anayans put him up to this.

…

SS: Can I ask — do you like your job?

Employee #2: Eh, I mean, it’s a job. You do what you gotta to pay the bills, you know? It’s got some good parts, it’s got some bad parts, just like every job.

SS: How would you feel if the Banquet Ban Bill was passed?

E2: I’d be pissed.

SS: So you like your job enough to keep it?

E2: It’s not that I like my job. I mean, I like my job, I suppose I don’t love it, but I like it enough to keep doing it. I mean, it’s not even really about liking a job, it’s about the fact that I have a job, and I don’t want it taken away from me. Like, do you think cashiers or warehouse workers like their jobs? Hell no. But if you take their jobs away from them, they’re gonna be pissed because then they have to go find another job, and hope that they find it before their savings run out. If they even have savings at all. It’s not about liking the job; it’s about yanking the rug out from under working-class people. I know Wilgard’s talking a big game about prostitution and trafficking, but there’s nobody that works here that didn’t choose to work here. He’s not helping anybody with that bill. It’s not gonna fix anything, and it’s just gonna add a shit ton of people to unemployment.

…

SS: So you’re Brandy?

Brandy: Owner of Brandy’s Bar and Buffet, yeah.

SS: A pleasure to meet you.

Brandy: You as well.

SS: As you know, we’re here to talk about the Banquet Ban Bill, which is obviously a big concern for your business.

Brandy [chuckling]: ‘Big concern’ is a bit of an understatement. More like ‘existential threat’.

SS: Can you tell us more about what your business does?

B: Well, as you know, vampires need blood to survive. We provide that, but we also provide a social setting for them to get it, and a live experience. Instead of just cracking open a bottle from the hemopharmacist, you get to mix and mingle, socialize with donors, and sample different ones. We provide an experience that can be difficult for vampires to find on their own in the modern galaxy.

SS: And you don’t participate in trafficking or prostitution.

B: Goodness, no.

SS: Can you tell us a little more about your employees?

B: In the general, yes. We tend to employ a fair number of socially or economically disadvantaged individuals — single parents, college students, people that already have a job but need a part-time gig to make ends meet. Blood buffets often provide some economic mobility and stability to employees that need it, so long as they do what’s needed to stay in this line of work.

SS: And what’s needed in this line of work?

B: Well, if we’re being blunt, buffet work is hospitality and service. There are first the physical requirements — not a lot of people realize this, but there are very strict requirements on who can become a donor, and you’re expect to adhere to those the entire time you’re employed here. The first one, which often disqualifies most candidates, is that you’ve gotta be clean — no drugs, no current medications, with only a few exceptions. What you put into your body is a big deal, because vampires can taste it in your blood, and it can affect them.

SS: Yes, I seem to recall that donors that do exchanges at blood banks are held to similar standards.

B: Exactly. Our standards are pretty similar to the ones used by bloodbanks. Second, you have to be healthy in the physical and dietary sense, since a healthy donor means a healthy meal. Third, you have to know how to socialize and entertain — our clients are paying not just for access to a variety of donors, but also for an evening of conversation and engagement. If a vampire just wants a meal, they go to the blood bank or the hemopharmacist. If they want an experience, they come to a blood buffet.

SS: I hope this doesn’t offend you, but can you see why people might draw parallels between blood buffets and professional escort services? And from there, make a leap to the association of prostitution, and the trafficking that sometimes accompanies it?

B: I can see why they might make the comparison. However, I would also say that if they would take the time to come and learn about the industry, they’d realize that almost all of their assumptions about it are misplaced.

SS: It seems that Rep. Wilgard has made these assumptions, but he has, on multiple occasions, cited anecdotes from donors who claim to have escaped coercive buffet businesses. These anecdotes form the core of his claim that buffets, and banquets, engage in trafficking and prostitution.

B: While I can’t speak for other buffets in the specific, I feel comfortable speaking for the industry at large when I say that respect for the donor is one of the cornerstones of modern buffets — and that it actually extends to banquets and the blood banks as well. We recognize that donors provide a necessary and critical service to our species, and that is why they are paid to donate or be donors. We compensate our donors for their time and blood because it has value.

SS: So you’re not denying that the anecdotes told by Wilgard may be true?

B: I’m not in a position to say whether they’re true or not, because I don’t know those stories and their sources. But I can say that none of those stories originate from my buffet, or any other respectable buffet. There are measures in place to protect the donors we employ, and they’re fairly standard across the industry.

SS: Can you enumerate on those measures?

B: The ones that are public knowledge, yes. You’ve probably noticed that we have bouncers roaming through the buffet now again, and we’ve got a few on standby. Those are what we fondly refer to as our Molossus boys. They’re here to keep an eye on things, and make sure that donors remain safe and comfortable. If things ever escalate between a customer and a donor, then one of them will step in and break it up. Donors also have portable panic buttons that they carry with them to call a bouncer if they need help. And for customers who cannot behave, we have the blacklist. If you misbehave and make a fuss at a buffet, or mistreat a donor, you’re given a strike. Three strikes and you’re out. You can never come back to that buffet again, and if you go to other buffets, they’ll get a warning about you when they do your ID check at the door.

SS: Really? All buffets are able to access that information?

B: It’s an extension of the Dodakatheon database. The infrastructure was already there, so the industry figured all they had to do was create a program that could work with it. It’s been a very effective solution for punishing bad actors and repeat offenders.

SS: Do you imagine that Wilgard would change his bill if any, or all of this information, was brought to his attention?

B: No.

SS: No? Why do you say that?

B: Because the bill wasn’t drafted on the merits. It wasn’t drafted with knowledge or facts; it was drafted with ideology. Responsible legislation would’ve had research to back it up, and would’ve sought to address points of failure in the system. Wilgard’s bill has none of this. It contains no science, fixes no problems. Its only practical effect is to destroy an industry and deprive people of employment.

SS: Wilgard claims that his legislation exists to protect vulnerable populations.

B: If the sky is blue and a politician tells you it’s red, are you going to believe him?

SS: So if the purpose of Wilgard’s bill is not protecting vulnerable populations, what do you think its purpose is?

B: I don’t know. I can’t read the man’s mind, and I don’t think I’d want to. I can think of a number of reasons; he might be pandering to the base, or revving up his voters before the election, or following through on a backroom promise. He was forced to disclose that he’d taken a large donation from the Church of Anaya in one of his campaign filings, and we all know where the Anayans stand on vampires.

SS: So you think this bill might’ve been at the behest of Anayans?

B: Even if they weren’t the ones that pushed for it, they’re giving it their support. They gave the bill a glowing five-star review, which is to be expected, since they take the stance that vampires are an affront to the natural order.

SS: And so you think this bill, even if it’s not successful, may be a way for Wilgard to secure the Anayan vote?

B: More than just the Anayans. Anyone that’s got an axe to grind with vampires, really. The Christlings aren’t exactly fond of us either, but they don’t say that part out loud the way the Anayans do.

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“The Church of Anaya, and their adherents, called Anayans, are well-known across the galaxy. You’ve probably heard a joke or two about them — the practices of their faith are frequently ridiculed for their anachronistic traditions and values, typically regarded as misguided but well-meaning. Generally speaking, the Anayan community is known to be benevolent and quick to help neighbors in times of need, but historians say that this was not always the case — and that they see the Anayan faith starting to trend back towards the militaristic and hardline stances of their past, when the faith was more isolationist and disposed towards conflict and violence.

“Given the donation that Wilgard received from the Church of Anaya, and the potential influence it may have had on the drafting of the Banquet Ban Bill, we reached out to the Church of Anaya to request an interview on the topic. Thomas Aberdini, one of the Church’s mid-level leaders known as an Ecclesiarch, agreed to meet with us to discuss his faith and the Church’s involvement in the Banquet Ban Bill.”

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Shina Sothsby: So you don’t deny that the Church made this donation to Representative Wilgard.

Thomas Aberdini: The laws of the Confederacy allow religious organizations to make donations to political candidates or causes, and Morrick Wilgard is a leader whose values and principles closely align with those of the Church. We believe he would be a good leader that would move the Confederacy in a good direction, so it was only natural to give him our financial support.

SS: There are some who have said that this bill that’s currently in the Lower House, the Banquet Ban, is a result of the donation that the Church made to Wilgard’s campaign.

TA: While we approve of the bill’s contents, we were not involved in the bill’s drafting, I can assure you that. The Confederacy allows religious organizations to donate to political causes — it does not allow them to ghostwrite legislation to be pushed by their preferred candidate.

SS: You seem to be very well versed on the laws of the Confederacy.

TA: Anayans pride themselves on being good citizens in the nations they reside in. That involves civic engagement, and following the laws of the nation — even the ones we do not agree with. And, acting as good citizens to change or add laws through the legislative process available to us.

SS: And one of those laws is the Banquet Ban which the Church has shown their support for.

TA: Correct. We believe this bill will improve the Confederacy and make it a better nation to live in, for many of the same reasons that Wilgard has already articulated.

SS: We have spoken to individuals in the buffet industry that say that the problems that this bill claims to address are isolated incidents that are not representative of the industry as a whole, and that on the whole, the bill would harm more people than it claims to protect. What would you say to this allegation?

TA: I’d say that it sounds like handwaving. That is typically what you hear a business or industry say when they want to deflect a hard look at their practices or the harm they are bringing to a community. If they can convince you that the problem is a small one, or that it isn’t actually there, then they can continue business as usual, and keep turning a profit with no accountability.

SS: We’ve spoken to people that work in the industry — not just business owners and leaders, but the donors and customers at the ground level. There seems to be a general consensus from both sides that this bill will do more harm than good. As a matter of fact, it was the donors themselves that spoke strongest against it — for vampires, the bill merely represents an inconvenience, but for those that work within the buffet industry, this will represent a loss of income and employment. This is what disadvantaged individuals use to support themselves and their families; it’s what got some of them through college and into better careers. If this bill passes, many people that currently work as donors may find themselves falling into poverty, or having to work jobs that no longer support their family needs. Would the Church still support this bill, knowing the effect that it may have on those that currently work in the industry?

TA: Of course we would. Those that find themselves out of jobs are still able to seek employment in an industry that does not require the prostitution of blood or body. And if they have difficulty with supporting themselves or their families, there are an array of social services available to them, provided by the Confederacy. As a matter of fact, if they are needing occupational or trade training, the Church has a program called Roads of Anaya. It provides training, free of charge, for individuals that want to find employment in a number of industries. Those that work in the banquet and the buffet industry have options — this bill and its passage will not be as dramatic, nor as cruel, as the critics claim it will be. It will shut down a problematic industry — and that is good for the Confederacy and its citizens.

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“Having heard from almost all parties that had a vested interest in this bill, we decided to reach out, at last, to the Dodakatheon — the ruling body of the twelve vampires Families across the galaxy. As the representation for the vampire population, and a powerful force in the finance and banking sector, the Dodakatheon wields uniquely extensive influence on the astropolitical stage. Countless pieces of legislation in nations throughout the galaxy have been passed or defeated by their endorsement or disapproval, and a bill like this, so blatantly targeting a hallmark of vampire society, undoubtedly would’ve caught their attention.”

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Shina Sothsby: Hello there. Shina Sothsby.

Coril Corynorhinus: Coril Corynorhinus, but you can simply call me Coril. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sothsby. Let’s sit.

SS: Thank you for taking the time, Coril. I presume your aides told you why I was here?

CC: You would like to hear the Dodakatheon’s opinion on the Banquet Ban Bill currently passing through the Confederacy’s Lower House.

SS: We’ve spoken to many sides while putting together this report, but we figured it’d be important to hear from the vampire government itself. After all, the Families speak for their vampires, and the Dodakatheon speaks for the Families.

CC: Well, we feel that it is a misguided piece of legislation that revives old and ugly misperceptions about our race; that it is racism thinly veiled as benevolence. But I suspect you, and any person with a functioning brain, could easily deduce that.

SS: Yes, which brings us to our next question: what does the Dodakatheon intend to do about it?

CC: I am not in a position to disclose specifics. I can only say that we will respond appropriately if the bill passes, and until then, we are appealing to the common decency of the representatives within the Confederacy’s Lower House. It is our hope that common decency prevails, and we will not have to contemplate a regression to less civilized times within the Confederacy of Original Systems.

SS: All very dry and political, it seems.

CC: The Dodakatheon does not make a habit of speaking boldly when diplomacy is still an option. We would prefer to resolve things civilly and cordially.

SS: By that, do you mean that the Dodakatheon is considering an uncivil response if the bill ends up passing?

CC: We would never consider violence as an answer, except as a response to violence directed towards us. There are many other responses we are considering which we feel would adequately express our displeasure without rising to the level of incivility or disrespect.

SS: And I presume you are not allowed to disclose those.

CC: In the interest of ongoing talks, no, I would not disclose them. But I can say that our preferred outcome is that Wilgard’s bill is downvoted into oblivion, the topic never comes up again, and the Confederacy can continue progressing towards a fairer and more equitable society.

SS: In the course of this report, we found that the bill does have support from a number of religious groups, one of which is the Church of Anaya. We spoke with one of their Ecclesiarchs, Thomas Aberdini, about the Church’s support of the bill, and he claims that the Church supports the bill on the basis of the anecdotes that Wilgard cited when he first put the bill on the floor for debate — namely, that the bill was drafted to curtail trafficking and prostitution with the buffet and banquet industry, and that any attempt to dismiss the anecdotes amounted to handwaving meant to deflect attention to misdeeds. What would you say to this assertion?

CC: The Church of Anaya, mm?

SS: Yes.

CC: Mmm. If I recall correctly, that’s the denomination that’s had a rash of molestation and sexual assault cases, perpetrated by clergy, come to light over the last few years.

SS: There have been some high-profile reports about institutional abuses within the Church of Anaya, yes.

CC: You’ll forgive me for observing that the Anayan Church does not have the moral high ground required to prosecute the purported failings of other organizations.

SS: But you do not deny that there might be trafficking or prostitution occurring in the industry?

CC: I am not naïve enough to say that there isn’t. The benefit of living as long as I have is that you come to learn, by experience, that no matter what you do, where you work, and what safeguards you put in place, there are bad apples in every industry, in every community and every demographic. Vampires are not an exception, as much as we would like to imagine we are. But what you can do — and what the Dodakatheon and the heads of the Families do — is sift the bushel, find the bad apples, and punish them. Is there misconduct in the banquet and buffet industry? Undoubtedly there is. Does it rise to the scale of needing to dismantle a cherished part of vampire culture? Not by a wide margin, and this is because we police ourselves and stamp out problems where we find them. If there is a problem, show us where it is and bring us the proof. Give us the chance to fix it, instead of playing gotcha games. Unless, of course, your concern over the so-called problem is merely a convenient vehicle for your racial animosity — which, in the case of the Anayan support for Wilgard’s bill, I suspect it is.

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“And so where does that leave the Banquet Ban Bill?

“Some observers say that though there is a path to passage in the Lower House, the bill faces longer odds in the Upper House. There is also the matter of the courts — if the bill passes through both Houses of Congress to become law, it is guaranteed to almost immediately be challenged in court by the trade group representing buffet businesses and their employees. Pundits that have been watching this battle brew say that the bill’s chances of survival are in the single digits — on the unlikely chance that it becomes law, it will likely be eviscerated in the courts afterwards. The Traditionalist Party of the COS likely knows this.

“Perhaps the point of the bill, then, is not to actually bring down the buffet industry. Rather, the bill itself is a symptom of the forces that have been growing in many nations during and after the collapse of the Challenger program. The ascendancy of nativist and nationalistic agendas is not isolated to the COS — these same groups and forces have been making inroads in legislative chambers across the galaxy, from the Venusian Monarchy all the way to the Marshy Prelatory. What is happening in the Confederacy’s Congress is not an isolated incident, nor is it the most egregious example; there are other political groups who do not bother to mask the prejudice that motivates them, who openly profess their bids for racial and dogmatic supremacy. We have documented many of those examples on this very program.

“And so the question becomes: what does this mean for the galaxy, and the wider society, that we live in? It has been said that the path of progress is not a straight arrow; it twists and winds, bends and wanders, and often moves backwards before it continues forwards again. Are we currently living through one of those regressions — and will we find our way forward again? Let us know what you think in the comments on our Utube channel and in our inbox at [email protected].

“For MPR, this is Shina Sothsby, signing off.”