I've seen a few posts about a database of ICE agents - names, priors, addresses, pictures.
Imagine, going to work knowing that the person working with you had just murdered someone in cold blood. Defund ICE for a couple of weeks and let these low-life thugs work 12 hour days without a paycheck like Trump forced most of the Federal employees to do in the last shutdown.
Someone informed me yesterday that Homan was a palm-greaser? Fixer? profiting from the ICE detention centers being set up. There is always a grifting motive behind their evil.
No they are not. Jonathon Ross (who is a Minnesotan himself) and his family were swiftly moved to a new home by DHS after his identity was revealed. The agents who murdered Alex Pretti were simply moved to another location in the state. They are not being held accountable in any way!
"An accessory after the fact is someone who, knowing a felony has occurred, helps the perpetrator escape arrest, trial, or punishment, by hiding them, destroying evidence, lying, or providing other aid, but without being involved in the original crime itself, making it a separate, less severe offense than being an accomplice, ..."
It looks like some other people in DHS need to be charged with crimes.
Sue the bastards! Sue them for big money and at any level or quarter of the Justice/“Justice” system where people will be treated honestly and responsibly.
There is a big red DONATE button at the top. It looks like they could use help as the incidents and agents haven't been updated since December 11.(Renee Good murder, Alex Pretti murder are not listed. Need to search for Jonathan Ross page)
It is "fun" that people can go and look up addresses from people working at DHS? Possibly threatening them and their family, maybe do worse? How is that helpful?
They were there because a majority (OK debatable) of US people voted for Mr. Trump and his promise to remove the illegal immigrants. How do you think that was going to happen? These ICE/CBP officers are doing what in this Democratic Republic they were ordered to do by their Government.
The oligarchs who claimed to be "conservative patriots", who have sat by silently while Trump destroyed the US, and everything the "conservatives" claimed to value, are the ones that need to be held to account. These "dogs that didn't bark" have shown who they really are, traitors who actually only value money.
The Republican Party has been devoid of any conservatives for many years. They just added $2.5 trillion to the national debt in one year. That is far from the definition of conservative.
If I knew that one (or two) of my co-workers had shot and killed someone in cold blood multiple times, I certainly wouldn't trust them especially knowing that they weren't going to be charged with any crime.
What happens if an ICE agent shoots and kills another ICE agent. Do they have absolute immunity for the killing? Asking for a friend.
Before this many of the ICE officers were in the army, deployed for tours of duty in Aghanistan and/or Iraq. They probably shot enemy combatants there or what they thought were enemies. These men should never have been put on the streets in US cities. But they were and that is on their DHS/ICE/CBP superiors, on Congress, on the US goverment. But always the lowest rank has to do the job and when things go wrong, they are thrown under the proverbial bus.
That can change at any moment. Similar to what Prez Bush Sr. did with the two policemen who savagely beat Rodney King in CA. A jury - that saw the whole altercation, not just the snippet shown by the media - exonerated them from using excessive force. (A bystander had shot the footage from his balcony.) The verdict lead to riots in LA, many Asian-owned businesses were being looted and went up in flames. Prez H. Bush responded by bringing Federal charges. That trial led to a prison sentence for the two officers.
I think the perps were Border Patrol. Border Patrol has had a problem with toxic employees killing kids for throwing rocks, etc. Usually, they stick a couple of sane guys on the idiot to keep him in check, and normally, he's transferred, not prosecuted. I'm not condoning it; it's just that it's been like that for a long time, and every time Trump comes along, he puts the idiots in charge. I suppose you can intuit why. I don't think ICE was involved with this murder, and probably manslaughter is all that will stick eventually, because the word "gun" was probably uttered by the old guy who took it off Mr Pretti's waistband. Every time Dems compromise on immigration, it includes more Border Patrol. I've long felt we have had a few more of those guys than we need, also. And as for the musical coda, wasn't Prince from Saint Paul? Sort of a native son, but it's not the same place across the river. I'm all for an Orange Revolution, but would like to keep it real. The truth does not detract from the fact that Mr Pretti was a fine person, and what a shitshow that was...
It's because of the Somali federal fraud cases and Trump saw that as a way to rile his knuckle-dragging base while getting back at the opponent (Tim Walz & democrats). This is dumb on so many levels on his part because Mark Kelly, Newsome, & Pritzker are more competitive threats than Walz for him.
Just stating Minnesota is a border state. I have no idea how much drugs arrive from Canada, no idea if and how migrants will possibly find a new way to get to the US. Currently about 200 million people are looking for a better place to live, fleeing war, gang violence, hunger, lack of a chance to live a proper life.
Are you telling me I cannot be here? That I have no right to an opinion? That I cannot ask questions?
Over the last thirty some years there are occasionally documented instances of the San Diego, El Centro, and Tucson Sectors of the Border Patrol responding with lethal force against teenagers rock throwing from across the border and prior to construction of tRump’s border wall, BP agents crossing the border through fence gaps and hauling the rock throwers to the U.S. side. As it’s been awhile since the last account I’ve read, I cannot say what level of discipline was brought upon the agents involved.
In the mid to late 1990’s I once had the opportunity (it was work related) to visit a Border Patrol detention facility run by the San Diego Sector. These were old facilities dating from the 1950’s and 1960’s. We were not originally scheduled to go inside the buildings, so this part was unplanned; but as I recall there were chain link enclosures with low concrete block walls (unoccupied), maybe each six by eight feet. It reminded me of dog kennels.
And what about the people who put them in the streets of US cities - not properly trained for the job but armed? Their superiors at DHS/ICE/CBP that gave them the order, Congress that put the legislation in place they are trying to enforce, the US government which created this mess? How come you only want the foot-soldiers sent to prison?
Who said I only want the "foot soldiers," who are actually KKK-like troopers, to be the only ones in prison? I want the whole gang of them, starting with the rapist felon-in-chief and his cabinet of horrors to go to prison.
I'm not sure exposing ICE agents online is a good idea. It could encourage violent vigilantism which is exactly what the regime want. Agents should be held to account through proper judicial process.
there is no justice process in the federal sector while the fascists control it....I think the best avenue is through the city/county attorneys general under state murder statutes but it won't be easy
Exactly - bring them to justice through the justice system - ideally, as you point out, states' justice systems, to avoid pardons by federal officials. Although, depending on the state, I think state governors are also able to issue pardons - I could definitely see some Republican governors doing so (cough, Ron DeSantis, cough...).
All conspiracy theories are like this: you attribute your own behavior to your enemies in the hopes that people will look at the fake conspiracy instead of the real one. Been that way ever since nineteenth century monarchists - you know, the actual Shady Transnational Elite tied together by shared bloodlines and culture that ruled Europe - started talking about the Jewish conspiracy ruling the world from the shadows.
Even if not purposely, that's who's applying and being hired without any vetting! They want the worst thugs to be hired, including all of the J6 rioters!
They are hiring people who were in the Army and did tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. No doubt some have (some) PTSD. And also there, the soldiers were not responsible for the fact that afterwards US people started to wonder why these wars happened. They went to defend - their country.
No one takes a job, leaves their houses in the morning, with the intent to kill one or more fellow citizens.
Chris is exactly correct (see his second post, at the end). tRump’s accusations against his opponents tells you what he is doing or what his immediate plans are!
The irony is perfect. Those decrying agitators have imported actual professional agitators with federal badges. Projection remains the most reliable tell in authoritarian playbooks.
MAGA are not the only oppressed group so far. Documented immigrants and women have been oppressed by white males. They are fighting against Trump. Look at those who have won major elections so far.
Most work-bound documented (legal) immigrants and non-immigrants are white males - wih a (large) number of them originating from India. The lengthy processes they have to go through are extremely stressful. I could tell about the misery H-4 women have to endure, but no one cares. ("They should have known better than to come here - why did they.")
Legal immigrants who arrive thanks to being an Immediate Relative (of a US Citizen) are male as well as female, and they have the right to live and work here fom the day they arrive. Why would they they "fight against Trump"? Unless they feel solidarity with the potential immigrants who are now dis-allowed based on country of origin.
Most illegal immigrants living here, were they allowed to vote, would vote Republican.
Presumably you’d classify Mr Pretti as a “white male.” Dismissal of people classified by race, sex, ethnicity, etc, rather than by their behavior, is a line that I try not to cross, and hope you would, too.
Yeah that seems appropriate...nazis take over the country... protest as a silly frog...seems proportionate or childish? Y'all are just acting childish.
Prof. Krugman can nominate the peope of Minnesota for the Nobel Peace Prize, both as a previous Nobel laureate and as a university professor. He will need to be quick, though, because the nominations close on Jan. 31. If we all put this in the comment section maybe it will reach him.
Not how I saw it. I thought the prize was awarded in the hope he would steer the US away from invading other countries - which it is prone to do. Why would the US be deserving for voting a good-looking very intelligent male with excellent speaking skills into the highest office? Voting for a woman is what has not (yet?) been achieved in the US.
Perhaps I am overestimating the significance of Obama's election in American history (and how the Norwegian Nobel committee might have viewed it).
In my opinion, almost any so-so qualified person should have won against Trump, and the fact that Kamala Harris, a very qualified person, did not win, supports the thinking that Obama's win 16 years earlier was significant.
Hillary Clinton, an utterly competent woman experienced in national as well as international politics, lost the election against Trump in 2016. So I do not agreee with your assertion. Kamala Harris had no chance for a number of reasons one of them being a female. Had Mr. Obama been a women she would have lost.
Many expected Prez Obama to tackle immigration. But he chose to take on health care, leading to the ACA. Which was a logical choice as it pertained to a lot more people and had been coming for a long time.
Kamala didn't even get a single primary vote she was just tossed in. If the Democrats wanted to win they should of let someone who actually got primary votes run like Bernie Sanders
Mr. Obama was not a long-time US politician. He was a lawyer and became a member of the IL legislature. Some called him "just a community organizer". Maybe the N. prize committe saw him as a polician not yet beholden to big interests? Someone still able to make up his own mind. Si se puede - yes we can.
Prez Obama created DACA but the program was limited in elegibility and time frame. He probably intended it to be expanded, which did not happen.
The Pretti Good murders were a bridge too far. The November elections will be a landslide. Bigger than Reagan/Carter. Finally, 47 and his lot will face criminal charges here and at ICC and the end of this global nightmare will be in sight. My country, G_d willing, will formally address the following (only a partial list and in no particular order). I just hope and pray that we’ve learned enough to make better decisions and that we don’t require additional teachable moments. I believe that these must be mandatory planks in November. It’s a moral imperative, imho.
1. Medicare for all
2. Running water for all
3. Safe, affordable, adequate housing for all
4. Climate change course correction
5. National “Annual Yearly Progress” educational standards that apply to all students: public schools, private school, home school.
6. Nutrition and pesticides. There’s a reason why US wheat imports are banned in EU.
7. Paths to citizenship
8. Metric system instead of imperial measurements
9. Reading and math literacy
10. Maternal and infant survival
11. Restore DEI. My disability requires electronic communication (email, chat with a transcript) but legal teams don’t like written records. I have to surrender agency and assign a proxy to manage a credit card issue or schedule a mammogram.
12. Zero tolerance of corruption
13. Child care. Montessori is Head Start in Italy. That’s what it was designed for. We’ve made it an unaffordable luxury for those who need it most.
14. Amend the 2nd amendment. Texas and FL are responsible for more than 17% of the 40,000 annual gun deaths in the US. The UK has 28. Not 28,000. Not 2800. 28. Their cops are unarmed. Everyone wins.
15. FOIA restored without the loopholes.
16. Enforcement of the laws, regs and court decisions that are on the books but ignored
17. Abortion rights enshrinement
18. Marriage equality enshrinement
19. Infrastructure investment
20. Internet for all
21. We need to stop flushing drinking-quality water. We’re running out.
22. Return the Black Hills
23. Reparations
24. Liveable wages in decent working conditions, ideally in a union environment
25. End citizens united
26. Inheritance reform
27. Enshrine social security
28. Reform SCOTUS and court system
29. Campaign finance reform
30. Tax reform
31. Commitment to ethical conduct
32. Commitment to “truthfulness, transparency, and accountability.”
33. Enshrine voting rights.
34. Outlaw NDAs. They were meant to protect secret formulas, not to silence the voices of victims.
YES! I’m adding those right now! 🙏 Many thanks. We can demand that these reforms are planks in November. IMHO, this year, it’s the platform, not the person.
As long as you’re collecting ideas, add these: Increase the number of appellate courts to 15 and the number of justices on SCOTUS to match. Weight new justices away from the Yale-Harvard cabal and give us some of the great justices in the west, midwest, and south. Stagger appointments so no President can appoint more than two justices, and limit each justice to a term of 20 years.
I was thinking of my fraught experiences in the 1960s. “The "New Math" was a U.S. educational reform movement to modernize math teaching by emphasizing abstract concepts like set theory, logic, and different number bases (e.g., base-2, base-5) over rote memorization, aiming to foster deeper understanding after the Sputnik launch spurred scientific education. It introduced new terminology, symbols, and approaches (like using number lines for fractions and "frames" for unknowns) to teach the "why" behind math, though it proved confusing for many parents and teachers and was largely abandoned by the 1970s.” Google AI.
My guess? American exceptionalism. I was there. The Metric Conversion Act of 1975, signed by President Gerald Ford failed “because it was voluntary, lacked a deadline, and faced significant public resistance.” Google AI.
There's a fair amount of evidence that the Department of Education killed it. They put all sort of ads out showing people how to convert from inches to centimeters and mph to kph. What that did was convince the basic citizen that he would have to be constantly doing these conversions. In fact, of course, the basic citizen would pretty rapidly adjust, but these ads drove the nails into the coffin. I remember someone saying that, if you ask a European how big a centimeter is, he would hold his fingers about 1/3" apart and say "about that much." That would've been most of us by 1980.
I was working in construction at the time. We realized that our measuring tools would have to change, but a carpenter's tape isn't going to break the bank. We cracked jokes about what the new name for a 2x4 would be. That was about it.
The British fought about the decimal monetary system for years. Terry Pratchett said this about that - “It helps ... if you know the original British monetary system: Two farthings = One Ha'penny. Two ha'pennies = One Penny. Three pennies = A Thrupenny Bit. Two Thrupences = A Sixpence. Two Sixpences = One Shilling, or Bob. Two Bob = A Florin. One Florin and One Sixpence = Half a Crown. Four Half Crowns = Ten Bob Note. Two Ten Bob Notes = One Pound (or 240 pennies). One Pound and One Shilling = One Guinea. The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.”
That last sentence sums up the attitude to the metric system in the U.S.
It was just too expensive at the time for industry to make the change to metric. My guess is now it would be more. I love metric, but I’m afraid the US is stuck for now.
You’re right. But this is a moral imperative, not the cola wars. My ancestors were on the Mayflower and at Jamestown. I have a significant karmic debt that I work to reduce each day. Meanwhile, promises have been broken in this country for 400 years. It’s time for the US to grow up. I remember that with the pneumonic device PACT: Put Away Childish Things.
Apropos of your first wish: BTW, Medicare is set to be cut indirectly in 2027 by the regime limiting Advantage plans to less than 1% inflation. The regime’s chaos is working - this hasn’t made the news and will surprise seniors next year.
Social Security has already been cut. The payments increase every year, and this took place as usual in 2026, but the Big Ugly Bill increased the Medicare tax deduction about the same amount. My SS check is about $15 less this year.
I have rather disappointing experiences in contacting representatives. The only office where I found some empathy and willingness to help was that of Republican Congressman David Nunes. Others I contacted, mostly Democratic Representatives and Senators, their reactions ranged from unwilling to outright hostile.
I’m ashamed of their conduct, and also unsurprised. I’ve had similar experiences advocating for disability access. But they’re the ones who write the laws. If we don’t demand these planks, they will insert their own. And that’s what got us here, imho. Not red rage. Blue corruption.
We must elect those who are willing to DO these things and DO THEM NOW. Along with paths to citizenship, we need to hire many immigration judges to process the backlog and have comprehensive immigration reform.
Illegal immigrants count on having a number of years before their case comes up. You want to take away the only chance they have to earn back some of the money they paid to the cartel trafficking them. A very large number of migrants does not qualify for asylum under the current rules.
Congress has for the last 30 years been unable, or unwilling, to reform the US immigration system. Change it from a family-reunion based system (at absurdum) to a system based on the economic needs of the US.
You talk about a path to citizenship. Hundreds of H-1B workers from India would be happy with just a Green Card, if the waiting time could be brought back from the 100 years it is now. People who came here to start or take over a business (E-2) would love to be issued Green Cards too. It woulld mean their eldest, non-US born, child would not be kicked out the day after their 21 birthday.
Professor Krugman: when i was bingwatching WW2 in color, several commenters stated that americans are too selfish, too apathetic and too cowardly to fight a dictator, relying instead on technology to do their fighting. however, minnesota is a clarion call to those who will fight and lay down their bodies and, if necessary, their LIVES to protect We The People and the nation. although a lot of europeans are currently yelling about how "no one is doing anything", i am seeing people who ARE doing "something". but this is just a start: we must continue this fight all the way to nuremberg.
whilst i'm here, i must also state: RELEASE THE COMPLETE UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES NOW
Europeans like me were yelling that when it seemed to be true. But make no mistake, there’s worldwide admiration for the people of Minnesota and their courage. Please God there’s more to come. ✊
i've glimpsed the epstein files and i have to admit that NO, NO WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S IN THEM! oligarchs and famous men are there (along with a few oligarch and famous women). but we are reading the names of supreme court justices and the orange rapist's regime, along with international celebrities, sports figures and their coaches, and international royalty. not only are rapes in there, but brutal tortures, dismemberments, murders and even cannibalism are in the epstein files. and some of the children's bodies are buried at Mar-a-lardo.
i've been ill all morning from reading this small glimpse of the files, knowing there are literally MILLIONS MORE to yet be released. nevertheless, despite my powerful reaction, i think we all MUST read these files because it is our DUTY to bear witness to these horrific crimes.
Doesn’t feel like it from here. What happens in the US is going to matter to us, like it or not. We can’t affect the outcome, only rely on your courage.
Raise your voice. Be LOUD. We deserve and demand better 💔🤍💙
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Goodtrouble) to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Purple is good also because it underlines that this is for everybody, not just big-D Democrats - right vs wrong, not left vs right, no matter how much T tries to demonize us.
In the 1970s the football's fearsome defensive line was so tough the players were named the Purple People Eaters. One of them. Alan Page, became a respected judge in Minnesota.
All-time great defensive tackle and Minnesota Vikings legend Alan Page denied a social media claim that he was attending a Minneapolis protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend. The 1988 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee posted a photo of himself braving the harsh winter conditions on Friday, but on Saturday, someone used the photo to make the aforementioned accusation. He was both displeased and perplexed.
“Why would somebody make that up?” Page said, per The Athletic’s Dan Pompei. “I don’t know what it is in the human condition that makes us want to say things that are demonstrably false.”
The 1969 NFL champion, 1971 MVP and five-time First-Team All-Pro was not present for the ICE protests, but he says he understands why social unrest and outrage is filling the city.
“People are in the streets because they are frustrated, in my opinion,” Page said following the recent shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. “And they are frustrated because of this gratuitous violence that isn’t necessary to accomplish whatever the stated goal may be. If the issue is immigration, you don’t need the gratuitous violence. People are upset about it and are sending a message that they think it’s unacceptable.”
Boycott the corporate enablers now. We don’t have to wait for two months for a planned protest. People are out in the cold protesting regularly, sometimes just one or a few people with their signs in some little town. Robert Hubble’s Substack shows them at the end of his posts every day if you need some inspiration.
Teri, I am working with a group of people Indivisible Abroad to organize boycotts here in our countries against US businesses. We are done with the Spotify campaign, but the one against Starbucks is ongoing. We are putting together a letter which has to be voted on by the membership and then organizing what we will be boycotting. I am keeping a list of recommended businesses to boycott.
I am currently working on disentangling myself from Big Tech. That is the cry here. Sunday the Chaos Computer Clubs of Germany are organizing the monthly boycott of US Big Tech products. My local city's club will be organizing people to learn different non Big Tech search engines this coming Sunday, and the pros and cons of each and how to download them to one's laptop. Substack is currently the only social media I am on. Next steps to migrate my US email contacts to my non-US email. I am also, needing to move files from my US documents to my non-US document creator. My family is also going to get a non US platformed messaging system. We just have not made time to do this, which has been in the works for a year.
I guess I would have to check all companies because it is not that up to date. For example Avilos airlines is no longer transporting people for ICE, whereas Delta is supporting ICE.
There are many ways to get out of the clutches of the large corporations, big tech, and box stores. Find a farmers’ market, a food co-op, or if you live in the country, a farm store. Eat seasonally. Go to your library for books and films. They can find you stuff from their whole network. Buy clothes and household items at concession stores or Goodwill. The more you do, the easier it gets. The first step is the hardest. To coin a phrase, just do it!
I do not use any of the box stores because I am living in Germany. I don't shop at Aldi's which is parent to Trader Joes. We have farmers markets at least once a week in every neighborhood in our city and the central one is open Monday-Saturday. I cannot get books in English in our local library, and I like supporting authors. Some of my friends write books. We hardly buy clothing but we thrift when we can. We are not buying a lot of things, just groceries, entertainment and books.
What is harder, and what we are dealing with is getting off of our phones and laptops and transferring all of our data over to non-US platformed tech.
Wonderful! Getting off tech would mean for me giving up Substack, which would be very hard. Plus of course the US post office takes weeks to deliver a package or letter that has a hand-written address. I think it is easier to get away from large corporations in European cities where the infrastructure for living has not been destroyed so much. But maybe that’s only because I’m over here in the US
General Strike, I withdrew a maturing Jumbo CD from Goldman Sachs. When asked why, I said, General Strike against the lawless Trump Administration. I contacted Indivisible to see if we can get baby boomers across the nation to join me.
Reminds me of when I closed my bank account during Occupy and heard the account rep as she walked away “another one” in a very nervous way. We have power with our $, and we need to use it before it’s all bled away by the billionaires.
The hardest truth. No institution will rescue what citizens refuse to defend. The Constitution is not a magic spell; it's a social contract that requires constant enforcement by those it protects.
“Trumpists insist that the thousands of ordinary people opposing ICE in Minneapolis are all, as Trump has said, “paid professional agitators”. They must know how absurd their claim is. Yet behind the absurdity lies a genuine sense of bafflement.”
As for Trump actually believing this? Definitely not; he knows it’s BS; however, he’s a master of projection. He accuses everyone else of paying protesters because he and republicans have done it before.
They did it during the 2000 contested elections when Yuppy Brownshirts stormed the Miami-Dade election offices, and again when Trump rode down his gaudy golden escalator in Trump Tower in 2015, when he first ran for office. The entire audience were paid models and actors—I mean “stiffed” models and actors; Trump never paid!
And remember last week when we had counter protesters in Minnesota, how much you want to bet that they were paid to?
Throughout Trump’s career, he has become a master of three psychological defense mechanisms: Deny, deflect, and project! All the result of a fascist father who didn’t show Trump enough love! IMHO…:)
Is it a coincidence that Denmark and the Danes' principle destination in the United States--Minnesota--have been the most successful at standing up to Trump?
I think not!
Scandanavians present themselves as calm, level-headed people, but their Viking warrior blood runs deep.
My 100% Norwegian American North Dakota-Minnesota ex’s family took hardship in stride, bolstered by their Lutheran faith. Which brings me to wonder why no one has pointed out the role Lutheran churches played in diversifying the Twin Cities demographics. Those churches were practicing their deeply-held Christian faith when they helped refugees from war torn Vietnam and Somalia. Seems like the MAGA “Christians” and especially the SCOTUS Six should have to confront the hypocrisy of assaulting a community built on the practice of Christian faith. If the Lutherans can’t practice their faith as they see fit, which other Christian sects will be next and what remains of the Bill of Rights? The regime has already called the 2nd Amendment into question with its rhetoric about Alex Pretti, and the rest of the Bill was already tossed under their boots. The two issues MAGA claimed to hold most dear, guns and Christian religious practice, are being lost. MAGA needs to have this continuously brought to their attention.
They have their own definition of which denominations are actually "Christian." The evangelicals with whom I used to work usually felt that Catholics were not "true" Christians.
Our country is run by "The Ayatollah Trump." He is making sure that peaceful protest is met with violent policing action by his Border (CBP)and Immigration forces (ICE). I think we should call him the Ayatollah Trump so that we illustrate where his tactics hail from and to irritate his base. Connecting him with a Muslim regime points out what the White Christian Nationalists want us to become here, only with their twisted religious views in place of the Ayatollahs twisted view of Islam. It will highlight that they have more in common with Iran then with the Constitutional US.
I don’t think Trump is in charge.His dementia is too advanced. I think Miller and Vaughn are running the show. Vance is the puppet up front and Thiel is his puppet master. After Trump is out of the game, there’s a big struggle that is now under the surface but will erupt publicly IF WE CANNOT STOP THE SHOW NOW.
Miller and OMB director Russel Vought, who is a religious zealot and relatively recently divorced man (meaning he has no home life to distract him from his campaign against humanity). In some ways Vought is in an even better position than Miller to act destructively because he is so low profile, kind of like termites and carpenter ants. By the time you see them you’ve got serious damage.
We cannot let these mullahs get away with running things. Ayatollah Trump is agreeing to these things so he still gets to be the one whose removal we call for. Will Miller and Vaughn be in control with a different leader. If we can remove the Ayatollah and his VP, then get a blue wave and take back the House, the 3rd in line would be a Democrat. That is what I am hoping for although Hakeen Jeffries is too weak to be the leader. I hope they replace him with someone like Jasmine or AOC or Frost.
He is still the gangs boss, even if he is losing his mind, because he can still always play his favorite role and just yell “you’re fired” at any one of them; plus maga extremists are loyal to him personally.
He can’t fire Vance but he can probably throw him under some kind of bus.
One of the problems of this stage of dementia is how to manage meds. Even responsible physicians have difficulty, and my guess is Trump’s med managers are more concerned with his public appearance than his health. Tranquilizers like Valium and Ativan are typical meds given to calm down a dementia patient. They work, and one of the benefits is they make the patient susceptible to suggestion so the patient will eat, go to sleep, walk down the hall, etc. as needed. I’m sure you can see the danger in this for the president of the United States. Take a look at the video of the end of his conversation with the mayor of New York City. Note how friendly and compliant Trump seems to be; how unlike the Trump who screamed, “Quiet, piggy!“ Without a doubt, his complacency was due to medication. Now just imagine how a manipulator like Vance or Miller can use this to their advantage.
I'll summarize the similarity between Iran's supreme leader and the current US president like this: Strong Man administration makes for brittle government.
Like the clerics in Iran, the MAGA crew knew that the majority of voters would not support the direction they wanted their country to go. But having perverted the checks and balances so as to enable their leader to override the interests of the majority, they are now unable to replace him when he became too ravaged by age to function competently.
So now the world has two men in control of nuclear weapons who don't have the competency to get a drivers license.
“Ukrainian democracy has had its ups and downs since then, but it’s still standing — and still standing up to Russia’s brutal attempts at conquest.”
The fundamental difference is that Ukrainians still have memory what it’s like to live under Russian rule, even if the youngest generations never experienced it. They know without doubt that it’s better to die fighting than submit.
As optimistic as this blog always is, it’s still far from clear the US population will truly stand up for itself. You see it in Minnesota when the brown shirts are actually there shooting people but ICE still operates in the rest of the country pretty much unopposed. And the state government of Minnesota has basically rolled over…they had jurisdiction to investigate Good’s murder, not the Feds. They should have forcibly asserted it.
True, but the courage of Minnesotans is emboldening other parts of the country. Different strategies will have to be identified in low population areas where ICE swoops down on a business or farm and those folks who might have resisted are too few and too far away to act.
Trump ordered massive numbers of ICE to Minnesota after right wing activist Nick Shirley released a report alleging fraud. Trump went nuts at that point.
I 100% agree. I still don’t understand why there is capitulation by local authorities to clearly unconstitutional actions by the federal government. I understand that Minneapolis police force was too small to confront the new American gestapo, but where are the state police. The New York City police force are 30,000+. They stood by and watched. I know LA has a smaller police force, but where were their state police when their citizens were being brutalized. Somewhere in this country that scumbag who murdered Alex Pretti is hiding. I know the FBI is useless. Are local and state police just going to sit by and do nothing? I am rapidly losing respect
This was a great article (as usual), and it reminded me of something that is perhaps petty but is something that I find especially irritating about Trump: he is actually his own worst enemy and yet he constantly plays the victim card.
Your statement about Orban and the “salami” approach prompted me to think about this. In so many ways, Trump takes incredible luck or a position that is working in his favor and screws it up. Consider being born super wealthy and being able to bully contractors and etc. and yet somehow bankrupting six? companies. Winning the presidency — twice — when no one expects it (especially after Jan. 6) and surrounding himself with the worst buffoons and psychopaths to implement his plans. Serving as president with the benefit of a Supreme Court that has an unprecedented view of the power of the executive branch, etc.
If things do go south for him, I’m sure Trump and MAGA will insist it’s because of some unseen network of corrupt liberal agitators. But the truth is this guy has terrible judgment and can’t get out of his own way. I will be thankful for that of course, but it still will prompt me to hold my nose at the stench of MAGA’s/Trump’s claims of victimhood.
Thank you for that boost of confidence. With apologies for the crassness, I read an interesting observation on sending Homan into Minneapolis, which was compared to “shitting your pants and then changing your shirt.” True.
Prof. Krugman — It is not too late to nominate the people of Minneapolis for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a university professor and a previous Nobel laureate, you are eligible to do this. Would you? Most of us can’t because we aren’t eligible. Thanks for considering it and acting swiftly, as the nominations close on January 31.
Maybe the diversity in Minnesota is its strength. Maybe the economic impact on Minnesota centered on multicultural neighborhoods is its strength. Maybe clearly stated and calmly spoken opposition to authoritarian policies, not authority is its strength. And maybe lying, ridiculous appearances, and absurd rhetoric is not a strength.
MN is actually (along with ME) one of the whitest states in our union. I think the irony is that the Black-led mobilization around the George Floyd murder taught white Minnesotans what to do (and not do) when attacked. Because the dragons defending their wealth imagine everyone as being as money-motivated as they are, they underestimate the power of simple neighborliness and care for those around you (NOT just those in your family or who look like you as Vance believes).
I think we need to keep the list of policy goals short and focused on democratic principles like ending Citizens United, limiting corporate donations, gerrymandering, and presidential immunity, and re-enacting the Voting Rights Act, affirming with state laws the specific punishments the federal government faces for constitutional violations.
This has to be a “purple revolution” driven not by a Dem wish list but by a popular revulsion against tyranny.
Homan said, "We’re going to let their employers, in their neighborhoods, in their schools, know who these people are."
Homan, we know who the protestors are. I live in a senior building in Mpls and a busload - a busload - of 70 and 80 year old women from here went to the protest in sub-zero weather. We know who they are because they are our neighbors, our friends, our families. It is the people of Minneapolis who are protesting in the streets. The last information I have seen is that over 60,000 persons have now attended training sessions to be school watchers, food deliverers, incident filmers, trackers and perform other anti-ICE activities. What ICE is doing is not what you and Trump and his costume puppets are saying. You are invading an American city with a military force - armored vehicles, costumes, weaponry - and terrorizing it.
The coffee shop where I like to stop once a week or so now keeps the door locked - the staff has to recognize me and let me in.. in a white, middle-class American neighborhood.
Get these people out of here. Send them to Texas or Florida or some other state where people apparently applaud being pushed around.
It was such an insane comment. But it's fascist projection: we know who these people are you f#%k wit, they are us! We actually want to know who these masked thugs are. Publish that!
Reassigning Bovino isn’t much of a concession or necessarily even punishment. It is political cover, and don’t expect a big change in the mission, only slightly modified tactics. Congress would have to act, either through new statutes, departmental reorganizations or impeachments for real change.
Border patrol agents in interior cities was inevitably going to cause problems. Different culture, rules of engagement and personnel. Minneapolis is not a border city.
What it does however is reveal to all of us the culture of brutality and impunity we have allowed to develop “on the border” where those who are being abused have fewer of the privileges of whiteness and are thus less accustomed to being abused rather than protected. I expect to see Mainers also get mad, though they don’t have the infrastructure that MInnesotans developed to keep protests going peacefully and win support for their demands for change in their state.
Another excellent post; thank you.
It occurs that the "“paid professional agitators” fighting against democracy in the US are the ICE agents. No?
I've seen a few posts about a database of ICE agents - names, priors, addresses, pictures.
Imagine, going to work knowing that the person working with you had just murdered someone in cold blood. Defund ICE for a couple of weeks and let these low-life thugs work 12 hour days without a paycheck like Trump forced most of the Federal employees to do in the last shutdown.
Where is this database? put it on social media.
Homan is another despicable cognitive in Trump's machine. A data base? More evidence of just why Elon Musk and DOGE were unleashed.
Agreed- hOman is a Zero away from hUman!
Exactly right about Elon and his hackers, bbb.
Someone informed me yesterday that Homan was a palm-greaser? Fixer? profiting from the ICE detention centers being set up. There is always a grifting motive behind their evil.
Are the ice agents who murdered Mr. Pretti even being questioned?! Why isn’t their identity being shown?
No they are not. Jonathon Ross (who is a Minnesotan himself) and his family were swiftly moved to a new home by DHS after his identity was revealed. The agents who murdered Alex Pretti were simply moved to another location in the state. They are not being held accountable in any way!
"An accessory after the fact is someone who, knowing a felony has occurred, helps the perpetrator escape arrest, trial, or punishment, by hiding them, destroying evidence, lying, or providing other aid, but without being involved in the original crime itself, making it a separate, less severe offense than being an accomplice, ..."
It looks like some other people in DHS need to be charged with crimes.
Oh my gosh. This makes my heart feel so heavy and I’m not even there.
Fortunately, there is no statute of limitations on murder.
I have no idea. I saw a Substack meme yesterday talking about it, but I saw no additional info. If I see any I will post it.
https://wiki.icelist.is/index.php/Main_Page
Wired magazine's top story in its daily bulletin today is that Facebook/Meta is blocking its users' access to that database of ICE employees.
https://www.wired.com/story/meta-is-blocking-links-to-ice-list-on-facebook-instagram-and-threads/
They can just log out of FB to access it. And I thought I was cyber-challenged.
Sue the bastards! Sue them for big money and at any level or quarter of the Justice/“Justice” system where people will be treated honestly and responsibly.
It's secret we can't see it only for gestapo and fascist eyes
There is a big red DONATE button at the top. It looks like they could use help as the incidents and agents haven't been updated since December 11.(Renee Good murder, Alex Pretti murder are not listed. Need to search for Jonathan Ross page)
Also volunteer to do data entry, news tracking research, and other roles that can help: https://wiki.icelist.is/index.php/ICE_List_Wiki:Volunteer
More details about icelist and its operating methodology: https://slate.com/technology/2026/01/ice-killing-minneapolis-ai-doxing-icelist.html
All I get is a website of Icelandic chihuahuas and women with a dog.
https://wiki.icelist.is/index.php/Main_Page
It is "fun" that people can go and look up addresses from people working at DHS? Possibly threatening them and their family, maybe do worse? How is that helpful?
They were there because a majority (OK debatable) of US people voted for Mr. Trump and his promise to remove the illegal immigrants. How do you think that was going to happen? These ICE/CBP officers are doing what in this Democratic Republic they were ordered to do by their Government.
I am worried about the data base the Trump regime and ice agents are creating of anyone who dares to speak out and protest .
The whole city should stand up and have their pictures taken. All 3 million of them.
I worry about it but then again… it’s kinda useless if we’re all in it
The data base is identical with the 2024 voter lists minus the ones who voted for the orange dictator.
How do you know this for a fact?
Maybe I should have added this smiley 😉...
It's no fact, more an assumption based on logic and humor.
Yes! Expose these thugs whenever possible …. Assuming that they’re still capable of shame
Hitler’s SS had immunity until he was gone. Then they were hanged. We must hold Trump’s secret police to account!
The oligarchs who claimed to be "conservative patriots", who have sat by silently while Trump destroyed the US, and everything the "conservatives" claimed to value, are the ones that need to be held to account. These "dogs that didn't bark" have shown who they really are, traitors who actually only value money.
The Republican Party has been devoid of any conservatives for many years. They just added $2.5 trillion to the national debt in one year. That is far from the definition of conservative.
They are radical fascists, not conservative by any stretch.
And this week’s headlines explain how we got here:
“How ICE is using far-right subculture to recruit”
“ICE recruiters are using neo-Nazi memes and seeking out extremists at gun shows”
“ICE nodding to far-right extremists in recruitment posts, experts say”
“Homeland Security deploys white nationalist, anti-immigrant graphics to recruit”
Here’s one link:
https://youtu.be/TNh_jl3QePI?si=pTcQ9PDVRiQqLGdw
It’s from CBC, the Canadian broadcaster.
They're incapable of shame - it's the superpower of Chump, his goons and MAGAts/Republicans in general. It's been their superpower for decades.
If I knew that one (or two) of my co-workers had shot and killed someone in cold blood multiple times, I certainly wouldn't trust them especially knowing that they weren't going to be charged with any crime.
What happens if an ICE agent shoots and kills another ICE agent. Do they have absolute immunity for the killing? Asking for a friend.
Before this many of the ICE officers were in the army, deployed for tours of duty in Aghanistan and/or Iraq. They probably shot enemy combatants there or what they thought were enemies. These men should never have been put on the streets in US cities. But they were and that is on their DHS/ICE/CBP superiors, on Congress, on the US goverment. But always the lowest rank has to do the job and when things go wrong, they are thrown under the proverbial bus.
So far they've been completely protected, not thrown under any bus. Why are you at this site?
That can change at any moment. Similar to what Prez Bush Sr. did with the two policemen who savagely beat Rodney King in CA. A jury - that saw the whole altercation, not just the snippet shown by the media - exonerated them from using excessive force. (A bystander had shot the footage from his balcony.) The verdict lead to riots in LA, many Asian-owned businesses were being looted and went up in flames. Prez H. Bush responded by bringing Federal charges. That trial led to a prison sentence for the two officers.
https://wiki.icelist.is/index.php/Main_Page
I think the perps were Border Patrol. Border Patrol has had a problem with toxic employees killing kids for throwing rocks, etc. Usually, they stick a couple of sane guys on the idiot to keep him in check, and normally, he's transferred, not prosecuted. I'm not condoning it; it's just that it's been like that for a long time, and every time Trump comes along, he puts the idiots in charge. I suppose you can intuit why. I don't think ICE was involved with this murder, and probably manslaughter is all that will stick eventually, because the word "gun" was probably uttered by the old guy who took it off Mr Pretti's waistband. Every time Dems compromise on immigration, it includes more Border Patrol. I've long felt we have had a few more of those guys than we need, also. And as for the musical coda, wasn't Prince from Saint Paul? Sort of a native son, but it's not the same place across the river. I'm all for an Orange Revolution, but would like to keep it real. The truth does not detract from the fact that Mr Pretti was a fine person, and what a shitshow that was...
I feel like Minneapolis is far enough from the Border that these guys shouldn't be there at all.
It's because of the Somali federal fraud cases and Trump saw that as a way to rile his knuckle-dragging base while getting back at the opponent (Tim Walz & democrats). This is dumb on so many levels on his part because Mark Kelly, Newsome, & Pritzker are more competitive threats than Walz for him.
It borders Canada.
Yeah, we've had lots of immigrants coming over from Canada. What are you doing at this site?
Just stating Minnesota is a border state. I have no idea how much drugs arrive from Canada, no idea if and how migrants will possibly find a new way to get to the US. Currently about 200 million people are looking for a better place to live, fleeing war, gang violence, hunger, lack of a chance to live a proper life.
Are you telling me I cannot be here? That I have no right to an opinion? That I cannot ask questions?
Over the last thirty some years there are occasionally documented instances of the San Diego, El Centro, and Tucson Sectors of the Border Patrol responding with lethal force against teenagers rock throwing from across the border and prior to construction of tRump’s border wall, BP agents crossing the border through fence gaps and hauling the rock throwers to the U.S. side. As it’s been awhile since the last account I’ve read, I cannot say what level of discipline was brought upon the agents involved.
In the mid to late 1990’s I once had the opportunity (it was work related) to visit a Border Patrol detention facility run by the San Diego Sector. These were old facilities dating from the 1950’s and 1960’s. We were not originally scheduled to go inside the buildings, so this part was unplanned; but as I recall there were chain link enclosures with low concrete block walls (unoccupied), maybe each six by eight feet. It reminded me of dog kennels.
Rather, bring them to trial, convict them, and send them to prison.
Don't try them on Federal charges. The next MAGAT who wins the Presidency will pardon them all.
Murder is usually a state charge.
Also, Google "accessory-after-the-fact" for additional charges for ICE/DHS people that destroy or hide evidence or hide the perpetrators.
True, but we should have learned, for at least the next 250 years if the nation and the planet survive, never to elect another.
And what about the people who put them in the streets of US cities - not properly trained for the job but armed? Their superiors at DHS/ICE/CBP that gave them the order, Congress that put the legislation in place they are trying to enforce, the US government which created this mess? How come you only want the foot-soldiers sent to prison?
Who said I only want the "foot soldiers," who are actually KKK-like troopers, to be the only ones in prison? I want the whole gang of them, starting with the rapist felon-in-chief and his cabinet of horrors to go to prison.
I'm not sure exposing ICE agents online is a good idea. It could encourage violent vigilantism which is exactly what the regime want. Agents should be held to account through proper judicial process.
there is no justice process in the federal sector while the fascists control it....I think the best avenue is through the city/county attorneys general under state murder statutes but it won't be easy
Exactly - bring them to justice through the justice system - ideally, as you point out, states' justice systems, to avoid pardons by federal officials. Although, depending on the state, I think state governors are also able to issue pardons - I could definitely see some Republican governors doing so (cough, Ron DeSantis, cough...).
the fascists are targeting blue states at this point
Or stiff them altogether, the way Trump does everyone else who works for him.
may not matter to someone if the next guy is on meth or captagon
Them and the talking heads on fux newz
GIFT LINK to the latest NYT video analysis of Alex Pretti's death.
https://kathleenweber.substack.com/p/gift-link-to-nyt-analysis-of-alex
Every accusation an admission!
Oh, of course.
All conspiracy theories are like this: you attribute your own behavior to your enemies in the hopes that people will look at the fake conspiracy instead of the real one. Been that way ever since nineteenth century monarchists - you know, the actual Shady Transnational Elite tied together by shared bloodlines and culture that ruled Europe - started talking about the Jewish conspiracy ruling the world from the shadows.
I’m convinced that they’re hiring people with criminal records
Even if not purposely, that's who's applying and being hired without any vetting! They want the worst thugs to be hired, including all of the J6 rioters!
They are hiring people who were in the Army and did tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. No doubt some have (some) PTSD. And also there, the soldiers were not responsible for the fact that afterwards US people started to wonder why these wars happened. They went to defend - their country.
No one takes a job, leaves their houses in the morning, with the intent to kill one or more fellow citizens.
Chris is exactly correct (see his second post, at the end). tRump’s accusations against his opponents tells you what he is doing or what his immediate plans are!
So true, Chris, except for the word “professional”
Semi-professional
The best-paid professional agitators fighting against democracy are the talking heads at Fox News and the like.
Yes. Every accusation is a confession
Yes.
Yes great point
Yes!
The irony is perfect. Those decrying agitators have imported actual professional agitators with federal badges. Projection remains the most reliable tell in authoritarian playbooks.
How many ICE deportations were there during Obama? Answer: 3.1 million
For sure! George Soros never sent me a check.
MAGA are not the only oppressed group so far. Documented immigrants and women have been oppressed by white males. They are fighting against Trump. Look at those who have won major elections so far.
Most work-bound documented (legal) immigrants and non-immigrants are white males - wih a (large) number of them originating from India. The lengthy processes they have to go through are extremely stressful. I could tell about the misery H-4 women have to endure, but no one cares. ("They should have known better than to come here - why did they.")
Legal immigrants who arrive thanks to being an Immediate Relative (of a US Citizen) are male as well as female, and they have the right to live and work here fom the day they arrive. Why would they they "fight against Trump"? Unless they feel solidarity with the potential immigrants who are now dis-allowed based on country of origin.
Most illegal immigrants living here, were they allowed to vote, would vote Republican.
Presumably you’d classify Mr Pretti as a “white male.” Dismissal of people classified by race, sex, ethnicity, etc, rather than by their behavior, is a line that I try not to cross, and hope you would, too.
I think we are referring to the behavior of a majority of any particular class ofpeople.
Go Minnesota! 👍👍👍
This year's Nobel Peace prize should be awarded to the people of Minnesota.
Yeah… Trump will love it! 😂😂😂
And please let’s not forget my favourite: Portland, OR frogs!!! 🐸 🐸 🐸 ❤️❤️❤️
And LA, DC.
Yeah that seems appropriate...nazis take over the country... protest as a silly frog...seems proportionate or childish? Y'all are just acting childish.
Prof. Krugman can nominate the peope of Minnesota for the Nobel Peace Prize, both as a previous Nobel laureate and as a university professor. He will need to be quick, though, because the nominations close on Jan. 31. If we all put this in the comment section maybe it will reach him.
Second choice: The People of Greenland.
Or cancel the nobel altogether in their honor…. It’s become a joke
Very true
Laura power!! Take the name back from looney loomer
It'll get under 47's orange skin and turn it green!
I've been thinking that for 2 or 3 weeks and I heard Gov. Walz say that on a podcast yesterday. We love you, Twin Cities!!!
Great idea!! Let's keep that thought in the air!
Wonderful idea!
Obama's prize was not for him, but for the people of the USA, those who overcame racism to select a black guy
Aaron is a paid troll.
I doubt he’s paid. Just a right wing ideologue.
The correct term for Aaron is RWNJ - right wing nut job. "Idealogue" is way too respectful.
Not how I saw it. I thought the prize was awarded in the hope he would steer the US away from invading other countries - which it is prone to do. Why would the US be deserving for voting a good-looking very intelligent male with excellent speaking skills into the highest office? Voting for a woman is what has not (yet?) been achieved in the US.
Perhaps I am overestimating the significance of Obama's election in American history (and how the Norwegian Nobel committee might have viewed it).
In my opinion, almost any so-so qualified person should have won against Trump, and the fact that Kamala Harris, a very qualified person, did not win, supports the thinking that Obama's win 16 years earlier was significant.
Hillary Clinton, an utterly competent woman experienced in national as well as international politics, lost the election against Trump in 2016. So I do not agreee with your assertion. Kamala Harris had no chance for a number of reasons one of them being a female. Had Mr. Obama been a women she would have lost.
Many expected Prez Obama to tackle immigration. But he chose to take on health care, leading to the ACA. Which was a logical choice as it pertained to a lot more people and had been coming for a long time.
Kamala didn't even get a single primary vote she was just tossed in. If the Democrats wanted to win they should of let someone who actually got primary votes run like Bernie Sanders
What lol that's funny
Mr. Obama was not a long-time US politician. He was a lawyer and became a member of the IL legislature. Some called him "just a community organizer". Maybe the N. prize committe saw him as a polician not yet beholden to big interests? Someone still able to make up his own mind. Si se puede - yes we can.
Prez Obama created DACA but the program was limited in elegibility and time frame. He probably intended it to be expanded, which did not happen.
Of course in the rest of the world no one comes close to being deserving of this prize at this time.
The Pretti Good murders were a bridge too far. The November elections will be a landslide. Bigger than Reagan/Carter. Finally, 47 and his lot will face criminal charges here and at ICC and the end of this global nightmare will be in sight. My country, G_d willing, will formally address the following (only a partial list and in no particular order). I just hope and pray that we’ve learned enough to make better decisions and that we don’t require additional teachable moments. I believe that these must be mandatory planks in November. It’s a moral imperative, imho.
1. Medicare for all
2. Running water for all
3. Safe, affordable, adequate housing for all
4. Climate change course correction
5. National “Annual Yearly Progress” educational standards that apply to all students: public schools, private school, home school.
6. Nutrition and pesticides. There’s a reason why US wheat imports are banned in EU.
7. Paths to citizenship
8. Metric system instead of imperial measurements
9. Reading and math literacy
10. Maternal and infant survival
11. Restore DEI. My disability requires electronic communication (email, chat with a transcript) but legal teams don’t like written records. I have to surrender agency and assign a proxy to manage a credit card issue or schedule a mammogram.
12. Zero tolerance of corruption
13. Child care. Montessori is Head Start in Italy. That’s what it was designed for. We’ve made it an unaffordable luxury for those who need it most.
14. Amend the 2nd amendment. Texas and FL are responsible for more than 17% of the 40,000 annual gun deaths in the US. The UK has 28. Not 28,000. Not 2800. 28. Their cops are unarmed. Everyone wins.
15. FOIA restored without the loopholes.
16. Enforcement of the laws, regs and court decisions that are on the books but ignored
17. Abortion rights enshrinement
18. Marriage equality enshrinement
19. Infrastructure investment
20. Internet for all
21. We need to stop flushing drinking-quality water. We’re running out.
22. Return the Black Hills
23. Reparations
24. Liveable wages in decent working conditions, ideally in a union environment
25. End citizens united
26. Inheritance reform
27. Enshrine social security
28. Reform SCOTUS and court system
29. Campaign finance reform
30. Tax reform
31. Commitment to ethical conduct
32. Commitment to “truthfulness, transparency, and accountability.”
33. Enshrine voting rights.
34. Outlaw NDAs. They were meant to protect secret formulas, not to silence the voices of victims.
35. Other unmet needs?
I agree with you on all of them, But the metric system? Republicans will never accept the metric system. /s
Restore the postal service to pre-Trump 1 levels.
Imagine a world where the only issue that divides red from blue is inches vs centimeters?
And where red didn't automatically disagree with blue on every single issue.
I would also add, no additional billionaires and no inheritance greater than say $500 million in the US.
Also, end Citizens United and dark money PACS, so the oligarchs can't buy as many elections.
YES! I’m adding those right now! 🙏 Many thanks. We can demand that these reforms are planks in November. IMHO, this year, it’s the platform, not the person.
As long as you’re collecting ideas, add these: Increase the number of appellate courts to 15 and the number of justices on SCOTUS to match. Weight new justices away from the Yale-Harvard cabal and give us some of the great justices in the west, midwest, and south. Stagger appointments so no President can appoint more than two justices, and limit each justice to a term of 20 years.
Thanks. Nice list. Mind if I share it with my local Democratic chapter?
Keep the list going, and please keep posting it!
Next protesters be demanding we teach Arabic numerals. What is this world coming to?
Some MAGAts have been very upset by this idea (re Arabic numerals)... Do you work for ISIS, or something??? /s
You mean like King DonOld 1? /s
Better - fund the Postal Service the way it was funded before 1971.
That's because base 10 is too hard for MAGA.
Ouch! I think I need a trigger alert when it comes to “the new math.”
I'm with you. Moving all those decimal points is hard work.
I was thinking of my fraught experiences in the 1960s. “The "New Math" was a U.S. educational reform movement to modernize math teaching by emphasizing abstract concepts like set theory, logic, and different number bases (e.g., base-2, base-5) over rote memorization, aiming to foster deeper understanding after the Sputnik launch spurred scientific education. It introduced new terminology, symbols, and approaches (like using number lines for fractions and "frames" for unknowns) to teach the "why" behind math, though it proved confusing for many parents and teachers and was largely abandoned by the 1970s.” Google AI.
Lots of them only have 8 or 9 fingers or toes, inbreeding you know, so getting to 10 is tricky.
The metric system is so simple. The whole world except the US uses it. Why the resistance?
I remember in 1968, 69 my mother saying you will have to help me with this metric system thing. Never came to pass. LOL
My guess? American exceptionalism. I was there. The Metric Conversion Act of 1975, signed by President Gerald Ford failed “because it was voluntary, lacked a deadline, and faced significant public resistance.” Google AI.
Base 10 is too hard for Magastanis.
There's a fair amount of evidence that the Department of Education killed it. They put all sort of ads out showing people how to convert from inches to centimeters and mph to kph. What that did was convince the basic citizen that he would have to be constantly doing these conversions. In fact, of course, the basic citizen would pretty rapidly adjust, but these ads drove the nails into the coffin. I remember someone saying that, if you ask a European how big a centimeter is, he would hold his fingers about 1/3" apart and say "about that much." That would've been most of us by 1980.
I was working in construction at the time. We realized that our measuring tools would have to change, but a carpenter's tape isn't going to break the bank. We cracked jokes about what the new name for a 2x4 would be. That was about it.
The British fought about the decimal monetary system for years. Terry Pratchett said this about that - “It helps ... if you know the original British monetary system: Two farthings = One Ha'penny. Two ha'pennies = One Penny. Three pennies = A Thrupenny Bit. Two Thrupences = A Sixpence. Two Sixpences = One Shilling, or Bob. Two Bob = A Florin. One Florin and One Sixpence = Half a Crown. Four Half Crowns = Ten Bob Note. Two Ten Bob Notes = One Pound (or 240 pennies). One Pound and One Shilling = One Guinea. The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.”
That last sentence sums up the attitude to the metric system in the U.S.
It was just too expensive at the time for industry to make the change to metric. My guess is now it would be more. I love metric, but I’m afraid the US is stuck for now.
Metric system is a foolish hill to die on.
:)
In the 1950s we kids were told the U.S. would soon transition to the metric system.
Agree bigly about the USPS!
Clearly a list of stretch goals! But we can but try!
I’m a social worker. We’re hard-wired optimists. We have to be.
Retired social worker, I agree!
🙋🏼♀️
You know he will pardon all of them before he leaves…if he ever does.
Given his obvious health problems, I don't expect him to live to complete his term.
We can hope.
Presidential pardons only impact federal charges, not state.
Yes, so where are the state charges?
Ethics in politics needs to be reaffirmed.
I hope too, and I wish you all the best ❤️
🙏 Likewise!
The Dems lose elections because they have 35 point lists. The average voter barely makes it to the end of a bumper sticker.
You’re right. But this is a moral imperative, not the cola wars. My ancestors were on the Mayflower and at Jamestown. I have a significant karmic debt that I work to reduce each day. Meanwhile, promises have been broken in this country for 400 years. It’s time for the US to grow up. I remember that with the pneumonic device PACT: Put Away Childish Things.
Apropos of your first wish: BTW, Medicare is set to be cut indirectly in 2027 by the regime limiting Advantage plans to less than 1% inflation. The regime’s chaos is working - this hasn’t made the news and will surprise seniors next year.
Social Security has already been cut. The payments increase every year, and this took place as usual in 2026, but the Big Ugly Bill increased the Medicare tax deduction about the same amount. My SS check is about $15 less this year.
So you're saying there will be no limits to the premiums paid in--just limits on what's covered?
28. Don't drive on the railroad tracks
Dear sister, re. your list. Can I ask for 1. the right to work in the US for anyone legally admitted to this country (tourists excluded)?
2. a (timely) path to a Green Card for every legal immigrant?
Please consider forwarding any planks you support to your elected representatives. We need to give them their marching orders.
I have rather disappointing experiences in contacting representatives. The only office where I found some empathy and willingness to help was that of Republican Congressman David Nunes. Others I contacted, mostly Democratic Representatives and Senators, their reactions ranged from unwilling to outright hostile.
I’m ashamed of their conduct, and also unsurprised. I’ve had similar experiences advocating for disability access. But they’re the ones who write the laws. If we don’t demand these planks, they will insert their own. And that’s what got us here, imho. Not red rage. Blue corruption.
Agreed.
We must elect those who are willing to DO these things and DO THEM NOW. Along with paths to citizenship, we need to hire many immigration judges to process the backlog and have comprehensive immigration reform.
Illegal immigrants count on having a number of years before their case comes up. You want to take away the only chance they have to earn back some of the money they paid to the cartel trafficking them. A very large number of migrants does not qualify for asylum under the current rules.
Congress has for the last 30 years been unable, or unwilling, to reform the US immigration system. Change it from a family-reunion based system (at absurdum) to a system based on the economic needs of the US.
You talk about a path to citizenship. Hundreds of H-1B workers from India would be happy with just a Green Card, if the waiting time could be brought back from the 100 years it is now. People who came here to start or take over a business (E-2) would love to be issued Green Cards too. It woulld mean their eldest, non-US born, child would not be kicked out the day after their 21 birthday.
Update: I just read that The Nation Magazine is formally nominating Minneapolis for the Nobel Peace Prize. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/the-nation-nominates-minneapolis-for-the-nobel-peace-prize/
And 49 other states to boot!
Professor Krugman: when i was bingwatching WW2 in color, several commenters stated that americans are too selfish, too apathetic and too cowardly to fight a dictator, relying instead on technology to do their fighting. however, minnesota is a clarion call to those who will fight and lay down their bodies and, if necessary, their LIVES to protect We The People and the nation. although a lot of europeans are currently yelling about how "no one is doing anything", i am seeing people who ARE doing "something". but this is just a start: we must continue this fight all the way to nuremberg.
whilst i'm here, i must also state: RELEASE THE COMPLETE UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES NOW
Europeans like me were yelling that when it seemed to be true. But make no mistake, there’s worldwide admiration for the people of Minnesota and their courage. Please God there’s more to come. ✊
People here were yelling too. They simply were not listened to.
We know what’s in the files. Release them with his tax returns. Still waiting….
i've glimpsed the epstein files and i have to admit that NO, NO WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S IN THEM! oligarchs and famous men are there (along with a few oligarch and famous women). but we are reading the names of supreme court justices and the orange rapist's regime, along with international celebrities, sports figures and their coaches, and international royalty. not only are rapes in there, but brutal tortures, dismemberments, murders and even cannibalism are in the epstein files. and some of the children's bodies are buried at Mar-a-lardo.
i've been ill all morning from reading this small glimpse of the files, knowing there are literally MILLIONS MORE to yet be released. nevertheless, despite my powerful reaction, i think we all MUST read these files because it is our DUTY to bear witness to these horrific crimes.
Re the Epstein files - too late. They are being actively and very professionally altered.
Shredding millions of files takes a long time and easier than altering or redacting
It's easier to be an observer than a participant.
Doesn’t feel like it from here. What happens in the US is going to matter to us, like it or not. We can’t affect the outcome, only rely on your courage.
Observers like Pretti are being targeted and attacked.
By observer, I mean people outside of the US. Perhaps there's a better term?
An observer is a participant with a camera
Did the commenters watch the D-Day and Okinawa battles?
And we are the children of Americans who stood up at Okinawa and died on Omaha Beach. We’ll do what’s necessary.
Raise your voice. Be LOUD. We deserve and demand better 💔🤍💙
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Goodtrouble) to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Comments/reactions help keep this bumped ✊
The color of this revolution should indeed be purple, in honor of the late Prince.
Purple is good also because it underlines that this is for everybody, not just big-D Democrats - right vs wrong, not left vs right, no matter how much T tries to demonize us.
Plus the Minnesota Vikings! :)
In the 1970s the football's fearsome defensive line was so tough the players were named the Purple People Eaters. One of them. Alan Page, became a respected judge in Minnesota.
The moral: Don't mess with Minnesota!
And Alan Page is out with the protesters at age 85.
Awesome!
I'm afraid I have to retract upon further review.
All-time great defensive tackle and Minnesota Vikings legend Alan Page denied a social media claim that he was attending a Minneapolis protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend. The 1988 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee posted a photo of himself braving the harsh winter conditions on Friday, but on Saturday, someone used the photo to make the aforementioned accusation. He was both displeased and perplexed.
“Why would somebody make that up?” Page said, per The Athletic’s Dan Pompei. “I don’t know what it is in the human condition that makes us want to say things that are demonstrably false.”
The 1969 NFL champion, 1971 MVP and five-time First-Team All-Pro was not present for the ICE protests, but he says he understands why social unrest and outrage is filling the city.
“People are in the streets because they are frustrated, in my opinion,” Page said following the recent shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. “And they are frustrated because of this gratuitous violence that isn’t necessary to accomplish whatever the stated goal may be. If the issue is immigration, you don’t need the gratuitous violence. People are upset about it and are sending a message that they think it’s unacceptable.”
Thanks for the clarification. At least his spirit is there. He is, after all, 85.
From this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jV-E09efRE
Funny :)
or Romanians and recall Nicolae Ceauşescu
White as the snow in Minnesota, mu suggestion
Nice thought, but maybe White Revolution is too racially loaded.
Love this idea. We need a Purple Reign. Blue and red mixing together. And everyone knows the words to the song.
That’s it exactly! Love that so much.
I like that Idea. I would go for Blue too, to make clear it is a democratic revolution!
Well, blue mixed with red makes purple. Red just needs to get its head screwed on straight.
Next No Kings March is March 28. Spread the word.
Boycott the corporate enablers now. We don’t have to wait for two months for a planned protest. People are out in the cold protesting regularly, sometimes just one or a few people with their signs in some little town. Robert Hubble’s Substack shows them at the end of his posts every day if you need some inspiration.
Teri, I am working with a group of people Indivisible Abroad to organize boycotts here in our countries against US businesses. We are done with the Spotify campaign, but the one against Starbucks is ongoing. We are putting together a letter which has to be voted on by the membership and then organizing what we will be boycotting. I am keeping a list of recommended businesses to boycott.
I am currently working on disentangling myself from Big Tech. That is the cry here. Sunday the Chaos Computer Clubs of Germany are organizing the monthly boycott of US Big Tech products. My local city's club will be organizing people to learn different non Big Tech search engines this coming Sunday, and the pros and cons of each and how to download them to one's laptop. Substack is currently the only social media I am on. Next steps to migrate my US email contacts to my non-US email. I am also, needing to move files from my US documents to my non-US document creator. My family is also going to get a non US platformed messaging system. We just have not made time to do this, which has been in the works for a year.
Some info on boycotting ICE specifically
https://wiki.icelist.is/index.php?title=Category:Boycott
I guess I would have to check all companies because it is not that up to date. For example Avilos airlines is no longer transporting people for ICE, whereas Delta is supporting ICE.
There are many ways to get out of the clutches of the large corporations, big tech, and box stores. Find a farmers’ market, a food co-op, or if you live in the country, a farm store. Eat seasonally. Go to your library for books and films. They can find you stuff from their whole network. Buy clothes and household items at concession stores or Goodwill. The more you do, the easier it gets. The first step is the hardest. To coin a phrase, just do it!
I do not use any of the box stores because I am living in Germany. I don't shop at Aldi's which is parent to Trader Joes. We have farmers markets at least once a week in every neighborhood in our city and the central one is open Monday-Saturday. I cannot get books in English in our local library, and I like supporting authors. Some of my friends write books. We hardly buy clothing but we thrift when we can. We are not buying a lot of things, just groceries, entertainment and books.
What is harder, and what we are dealing with is getting off of our phones and laptops and transferring all of our data over to non-US platformed tech.
Wonderful! Getting off tech would mean for me giving up Substack, which would be very hard. Plus of course the US post office takes weeks to deliver a package or letter that has a hand-written address. I think it is easier to get away from large corporations in European cities where the infrastructure for living has not been destroyed so much. But maybe that’s only because I’m over here in the US
Yes, Robert Hubbell’s articles are very inspiring. His Substack is well worth subscribing to. He gives info and hope.
Will do!
General Strike, I withdrew a maturing Jumbo CD from Goldman Sachs. When asked why, I said, General Strike against the lawless Trump Administration. I contacted Indivisible to see if we can get baby boomers across the nation to join me.
Reminds me of when I closed my bank account during Occupy and heard the account rep as she walked away “another one” in a very nervous way. We have power with our $, and we need to use it before it’s all bled away by the billionaires.
I signed up for a general strike back in the summer! Link is on the spreadsheet. I haven’t checked to see what count it’s at
bump away!
Thank you! ✊
A fuzzball revolution ! C'mon Phil time to wake up and tear down the walls, my man went back to sleep. 😽🌊
Thank you. No one is coming to save the United States of America. It’s just us.
Many many many in the world are working to protect themselves from the US. We didn't even get a vote.
So sad
Don't mistake the world is holding its breath to see what comes after Trump, for lack of interest.
The hardest truth. No institution will rescue what citizens refuse to defend. The Constitution is not a magic spell; it's a social contract that requires constant enforcement by those it protects.
“Trumpists insist that the thousands of ordinary people opposing ICE in Minneapolis are all, as Trump has said, “paid professional agitators”. They must know how absurd their claim is. Yet behind the absurdity lies a genuine sense of bafflement.”
As for Trump actually believing this? Definitely not; he knows it’s BS; however, he’s a master of projection. He accuses everyone else of paying protesters because he and republicans have done it before.
They did it during the 2000 contested elections when Yuppy Brownshirts stormed the Miami-Dade election offices, and again when Trump rode down his gaudy golden escalator in Trump Tower in 2015, when he first ran for office. The entire audience were paid models and actors—I mean “stiffed” models and actors; Trump never paid!
And remember last week when we had counter protesters in Minnesota, how much you want to bet that they were paid to?
Throughout Trump’s career, he has become a master of three psychological defense mechanisms: Deny, deflect, and project! All the result of a fascist father who didn’t show Trump enough love! IMHO…:)
Is it a coincidence that Denmark and the Danes' principle destination in the United States--Minnesota--have been the most successful at standing up to Trump?
I think not!
Scandanavians present themselves as calm, level-headed people, but their Viking warrior blood runs deep.
My 100% Norwegian American North Dakota-Minnesota ex’s family took hardship in stride, bolstered by their Lutheran faith. Which brings me to wonder why no one has pointed out the role Lutheran churches played in diversifying the Twin Cities demographics. Those churches were practicing their deeply-held Christian faith when they helped refugees from war torn Vietnam and Somalia. Seems like the MAGA “Christians” and especially the SCOTUS Six should have to confront the hypocrisy of assaulting a community built on the practice of Christian faith. If the Lutherans can’t practice their faith as they see fit, which other Christian sects will be next and what remains of the Bill of Rights? The regime has already called the 2nd Amendment into question with its rhetoric about Alex Pretti, and the rest of the Bill was already tossed under their boots. The two issues MAGA claimed to hold most dear, guns and Christian religious practice, are being lost. MAGA needs to have this continuously brought to their attention.
They have their own definition of which denominations are actually "Christian." The evangelicals with whom I used to work usually felt that Catholics were not "true" Christians.
They lie and pretend, and people believe them! Hopefully, fewer and fewer....
In general, floods and maybe extreme cold tend to unite people and heat and drought/fire tend to divide people, might be a link.
Grew up in the Lake Erie Snowbelt, not MN, but I concur. Looking out for and helping your neighbor was a way of life.
Sounds like a pretty good theory!
Thanks.
They are ALL rock-star patriots!
Our country is run by "The Ayatollah Trump." He is making sure that peaceful protest is met with violent policing action by his Border (CBP)and Immigration forces (ICE). I think we should call him the Ayatollah Trump so that we illustrate where his tactics hail from and to irritate his base. Connecting him with a Muslim regime points out what the White Christian Nationalists want us to become here, only with their twisted religious views in place of the Ayatollahs twisted view of Islam. It will highlight that they have more in common with Iran then with the Constitutional US.
I don’t think Trump is in charge.His dementia is too advanced. I think Miller and Vaughn are running the show. Vance is the puppet up front and Thiel is his puppet master. After Trump is out of the game, there’s a big struggle that is now under the surface but will erupt publicly IF WE CANNOT STOP THE SHOW NOW.
Miller and OMB director Russel Vought, who is a religious zealot and relatively recently divorced man (meaning he has no home life to distract him from his campaign against humanity). In some ways Vought is in an even better position than Miller to act destructively because he is so low profile, kind of like termites and carpenter ants. By the time you see them you’ve got serious damage.
We cannot let these mullahs get away with running things. Ayatollah Trump is agreeing to these things so he still gets to be the one whose removal we call for. Will Miller and Vaughn be in control with a different leader. If we can remove the Ayatollah and his VP, then get a blue wave and take back the House, the 3rd in line would be a Democrat. That is what I am hoping for although Hakeen Jeffries is too weak to be the leader. I hope they replace him with someone like Jasmine or AOC or Frost.
Miller and Vought, I think you mean.
Thanks. Meant all three. Vought, Miller, or Vance (Who is trying very hard to be presidential)
Definitely, Vance is horrid.
I agree with you--it's his puppet masters running the show.
He is still the gangs boss, even if he is losing his mind, because he can still always play his favorite role and just yell “you’re fired” at any one of them; plus maga extremists are loyal to him personally.
He can’t fire Vance but he can probably throw him under some kind of bus.
One of the problems of this stage of dementia is how to manage meds. Even responsible physicians have difficulty, and my guess is Trump’s med managers are more concerned with his public appearance than his health. Tranquilizers like Valium and Ativan are typical meds given to calm down a dementia patient. They work, and one of the benefits is they make the patient susceptible to suggestion so the patient will eat, go to sleep, walk down the hall, etc. as needed. I’m sure you can see the danger in this for the president of the United States. Take a look at the video of the end of his conversation with the mayor of New York City. Note how friendly and compliant Trump seems to be; how unlike the Trump who screamed, “Quiet, piggy!“ Without a doubt, his complacency was due to medication. Now just imagine how a manipulator like Vance or Miller can use this to their advantage.
Just call them Nazis … they’ve been trolling us with obvious references to the third reich for years now
I'll summarize the similarity between Iran's supreme leader and the current US president like this: Strong Man administration makes for brittle government.
Like the clerics in Iran, the MAGA crew knew that the majority of voters would not support the direction they wanted their country to go. But having perverted the checks and balances so as to enable their leader to override the interests of the majority, they are now unable to replace him when he became too ravaged by age to function competently.
So now the world has two men in control of nuclear weapons who don't have the competency to get a drivers license.
“Ukrainian democracy has had its ups and downs since then, but it’s still standing — and still standing up to Russia’s brutal attempts at conquest.”
The fundamental difference is that Ukrainians still have memory what it’s like to live under Russian rule, even if the youngest generations never experienced it. They know without doubt that it’s better to die fighting than submit.
As optimistic as this blog always is, it’s still far from clear the US population will truly stand up for itself. You see it in Minnesota when the brown shirts are actually there shooting people but ICE still operates in the rest of the country pretty much unopposed. And the state government of Minnesota has basically rolled over…they had jurisdiction to investigate Good’s murder, not the Feds. They should have forcibly asserted it.
True, but the courage of Minnesotans is emboldening other parts of the country. Different strategies will have to be identified in low population areas where ICE swoops down on a business or farm and those folks who might have resisted are too few and too far away to act.
Trump ordered massive numbers of ICE to Minnesota after right wing activist Nick Shirley released a report alleging fraud. Trump went nuts at that point.
I 100% agree. I still don’t understand why there is capitulation by local authorities to clearly unconstitutional actions by the federal government. I understand that Minneapolis police force was too small to confront the new American gestapo, but where are the state police. The New York City police force are 30,000+. They stood by and watched. I know LA has a smaller police force, but where were their state police when their citizens were being brutalized. Somewhere in this country that scumbag who murdered Alex Pretti is hiding. I know the FBI is useless. Are local and state police just going to sit by and do nothing? I am rapidly losing respect
This was a great article (as usual), and it reminded me of something that is perhaps petty but is something that I find especially irritating about Trump: he is actually his own worst enemy and yet he constantly plays the victim card.
Your statement about Orban and the “salami” approach prompted me to think about this. In so many ways, Trump takes incredible luck or a position that is working in his favor and screws it up. Consider being born super wealthy and being able to bully contractors and etc. and yet somehow bankrupting six? companies. Winning the presidency — twice — when no one expects it (especially after Jan. 6) and surrounding himself with the worst buffoons and psychopaths to implement his plans. Serving as president with the benefit of a Supreme Court that has an unprecedented view of the power of the executive branch, etc.
If things do go south for him, I’m sure Trump and MAGA will insist it’s because of some unseen network of corrupt liberal agitators. But the truth is this guy has terrible judgment and can’t get out of his own way. I will be thankful for that of course, but it still will prompt me to hold my nose at the stench of MAGA’s/Trump’s claims of victimhood.
It would be much worse if everyone didn't have a camera.
Exactly. What’s going on the detention camps, where no one can see them? People have died in murky circumstances.
Thank you for that boost of confidence. With apologies for the crassness, I read an interesting observation on sending Homan into Minneapolis, which was compared to “shitting your pants and then changing your shirt.” True.
Thanks, I needed the laugh
In the battle of freedom, crassness works 😉
Prof. Krugman — It is not too late to nominate the people of Minneapolis for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a university professor and a previous Nobel laureate, you are eligible to do this. Would you? Most of us can’t because we aren’t eligible. Thanks for considering it and acting swiftly, as the nominations close on January 31.
Also, the next Time Magazine person of the year: Minnesotans!
Also the next Time Magazine Person of the Year: Minnesotans!
Maybe the diversity in Minnesota is its strength. Maybe the economic impact on Minnesota centered on multicultural neighborhoods is its strength. Maybe clearly stated and calmly spoken opposition to authoritarian policies, not authority is its strength. And maybe lying, ridiculous appearances, and absurd rhetoric is not a strength.
MN is actually (along with ME) one of the whitest states in our union. I think the irony is that the Black-led mobilization around the George Floyd murder taught white Minnesotans what to do (and not do) when attacked. Because the dragons defending their wealth imagine everyone as being as money-motivated as they are, they underestimate the power of simple neighborliness and care for those around you (NOT just those in your family or who look like you as Vance believes).
I think we need to keep the list of policy goals short and focused on democratic principles like ending Citizens United, limiting corporate donations, gerrymandering, and presidential immunity, and re-enacting the Voting Rights Act, affirming with state laws the specific punishments the federal government faces for constitutional violations.
This has to be a “purple revolution” driven not by a Dem wish list but by a popular revulsion against tyranny.
Homan said, "We’re going to let their employers, in their neighborhoods, in their schools, know who these people are."
Homan, we know who the protestors are. I live in a senior building in Mpls and a busload - a busload - of 70 and 80 year old women from here went to the protest in sub-zero weather. We know who they are because they are our neighbors, our friends, our families. It is the people of Minneapolis who are protesting in the streets. The last information I have seen is that over 60,000 persons have now attended training sessions to be school watchers, food deliverers, incident filmers, trackers and perform other anti-ICE activities. What ICE is doing is not what you and Trump and his costume puppets are saying. You are invading an American city with a military force - armored vehicles, costumes, weaponry - and terrorizing it.
The coffee shop where I like to stop once a week or so now keeps the door locked - the staff has to recognize me and let me in.. in a white, middle-class American neighborhood.
Get these people out of here. Send them to Texas or Florida or some other state where people apparently applaud being pushed around.
It was such an insane comment. But it's fascist projection: we know who these people are you f#%k wit, they are us! We actually want to know who these masked thugs are. Publish that!
Reassigning Bovino isn’t much of a concession or necessarily even punishment. It is political cover, and don’t expect a big change in the mission, only slightly modified tactics. Congress would have to act, either through new statutes, departmental reorganizations or impeachments for real change.
Border patrol agents in interior cities was inevitably going to cause problems. Different culture, rules of engagement and personnel. Minneapolis is not a border city.
What it does however is reveal to all of us the culture of brutality and impunity we have allowed to develop “on the border” where those who are being abused have fewer of the privileges of whiteness and are thus less accustomed to being abused rather than protected. I expect to see Mainers also get mad, though they don’t have the infrastructure that MInnesotans developed to keep protests going peacefully and win support for their demands for change in their state.