Tag Archives: #Immigration

America, Anger, Minnesconsin, Neighbors, Protests

In Solidarity with My Home State

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The shock and horror I feel about what is happening now in my home state of Minnesota cannot be adequately encapsulated in words today.

Nonetheless, I’ll try-from my perch just across the border in Wisconsin.

At 37, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were in the prime of their lives. They were, by all accounts, good people. Upstanding citizens who cared about their fellow humans. Who caused no harm while exercising their First Amendment rights, standing bravely against evil-doers fixing to harm their fellow Minnesotans and wreak havoc within the city of Minneapolis.

Alex was also exercising his Second Amendment rights. A good guy with a gun; how horrifically ironic. He was an ICU nurse at the VA. Think about that for a second. Every American reading this right now can easily come up with an image in their mind’s eye of a person they personally know who served in the U.S. military. Like my Dad, Babe, who served in the Korean War. If he were here in the flesh now, in January of 2026, he’d be livid. Absolutely wild with rage at these morally injurious times we have landed our American asses in. Alex cared for vets like my Dad.

And Renee. A mother of three and a poet. What a cutie. She was fresh-faced and appeared to be very kind. She even told her executioner, “hey man, I’m not mad at you”.

This is just so heartbreaking, and it sickens me that the federal agents who murdered these two have not been arrested. That is unacceptable.

From my lips to Karma’s ear, may justice be complete and swift for all of those responsible for these atrocities. Every last one of them.

I’ve always been proud to be from Minnesota. But these days, I’m even more proud because of the groundswell of support I’m seeing from Minnesotans for their neighbors in these horrifying times.

I’m proud that the people of my home state are simply not having it. Some are banging their drums outside in the frigid temps with anti-ICE signs propped up next to their drum kits. Some are marching in the streets, singing the songs of solidarity. Some are organizing food trains for their immigrant friends and neighbors who are too fearful to venture beyond their front doors.

A little cold air and ice (and now, ICE) isn’t keeping the hearty Minnesotans away from taking to the streets and standing up to the bullies in their midst. Minnesotans are nice, of course. Duh. But that goes hand-in-hand with being no-nonsense, gritty, honest, and hard-working. Minnesotans, by and large, take no crap. They do not hesitate to call out b.s. when they see it.

From Governor Tim Walz, to the police chiefs, to the mayors and the brave protesters in my home state, I say with sincerity, may God (or the Universe) bless you. Keep up the good fight and never lose hope.

A lot of us have your backs.

ICE OUT of Minnesota!

Hope, Politics, Voting

Hopes on Election Day

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Today is election day and I’ve made the decision to stop biting my writing tongue and speak my mind.
I’m grateful that I live in a state where the ballots are sent early, making voting extremely easy. I filled out and dropped off my ballot over a week ago. I did my civic duty, as I hope every single one of you reading this right now has done or will be doing at some point before the polls close in your state later today.
I believe that the United States of America is sick. We need healing. We need change that will benefit the masses. We need to right this ship. Or at least change it’s direction enough so that the momentum is too strong to avoid landing, eventually,  but not too far in the future, in a safer harbor.
Here is what I am hoping for as a result of today’s mid-term elections:
  1. That we as a collective vote for candidates who believe in fixing our health care system. The ones who will work tirelessly to ensure that when all is said and done, the days of our fellow Americans going bankrupt and losing their homes because they got sick and couldn’t pay their astronomical health care bills is over. The ones who will fight tooth and nail to ensure that those who don’t quite qualify for Medicaid but also don’t have the ability to afford to purchase health care on the exchanges, will have quality, affordable (free would be the ultimate goal) health care.
  2. That my fellow Americans will vote in the candidates who will make it a priority to draft and/or support common sense gun legislation. So that we no longer allow hateful, troubled, confused sociopaths to purchase guns to mow down innocent people for no good reason whatsoever.
  3. That we together, as proud Americans who are all here because our ancestors immigrated here btw,  will elect leaders who will work to fix our broken immigration system. The leaders who will protect the dreamers. The leaders who will have compassion and respect for those who are escaping ungodly horrors in their home countries, to come to a country that has the promise of turning their lives around for the better and gives their children a brighter future.
  4. That we vote in candidates that respect women and their reproductive rights. The candidates who are not willing to allow Roe vs. Wade to be overturned. The candidates who understand the importance of the health care and education provided by Planned Parenthood.
  5. That Americans vote for candidates who accept the fact that climate change is real. The ones who take it seriously and are not in any way beholden to the fossil fuel companies. The ones who will work to enact laws to protect our environment and save our planet before it’s really too late (and we are almost there from everything I’ve read).
  6. That we elect candidates who understand that there is a serious problem in this nation with both meth and opiod addiction. The candidates who will address these epidemics in a holistic, meaningful way through legislation, increasing access and funding for treatment, and supporting access and funding for mental health, which is often the underlying cause of these addictions.

Believe me when I say that I think there are other important issues we need our elected officials to address to set America onto a better, healthier path. This list of hopes I have for today’s election is by no means complete. My list, however, includes the issues that I feel need to be addressed first and foremost in order for real, positive, change to begin to occur.

Now I’m going to carry on with the rest of my day and try not to bite all my nails off worrying about what the election results might be.

I voted, and now I’ve purged. I invite you to do the same.

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