THE AMERICAN POSEIDON ADVENTURE

Today I watched the compilation of videos assembled by The New York Times. Their frame-by-frame analysis, slowed and synchronized across multiple angles, makes one thing unmistakably clear: this incident demands a serious, independent investigation.

What the videos reveal explains precisely why President Trump, Secretary Noem, and Attorney General Bondi have worked to block any comprehensive inquiry. The evidence shouts cover-up.

Any rational person, confronted with these facts, would insist on a full investigation to determine exactly what happened. Instead, Trump, Noem, and Bondi rushed to judgment. That haste has only deepened the widely held belief that the federal government is acting in bad faith and that its leadership is corrupting the investigative process itself.

The government released video footage claiming it showed Agent Jonathan Ross being “run over.” It does not. What it shows instead is Ross placing himself in a dangerous position in direct violation of training and protocol.

The government also claimed that Renee Good was blocking traffic. The video evidence clearly contradicts this. At least eleven vehicles pass her car both before and after the shooting. In fact, Good is seen waving vehicles around her car.

The footage shows Good backing away from Ross and then sharply turning her wheel to the right, away from him. The sound cited by the government as proof that Ross was struck by the vehicle is explained by the video: it is the sound of Ross’s phone hitting the hood as he stands aside, draws his weapon, and fires three shots.

At the same time, other agents can be heard shouting obscene and aggressive commands at Good. How distracted she may have been is unknown, but what is clear is that she made no intentional attempt to strike Ross with her vehicle, contrary to the President’s repeated claims. That assertion is simply false.

Refusing to insist on an investigation leads inexorably to the conclusion that Trump’s statements, echoed by Noem and Bondi, are deliberate lies intended to protect themselves and shield the results of their aggressive and violent enforcement tactics.

The facts are straightforward:

• Ross violated protocol.
• He was not in imminent danger.
• The shooting constitutes, at minimum, manslaughter.
• Good was not impeding any ICE enforcement action.

At worst, she may have committed a traffic violation, something entirely outside Ross’s authority or concern and utterly incapable of justifying lethal force.

Yes, had Good exited the vehicle, Ross likely would not have fired. That is not a legal or moral justification for what he did. Nor is it a justification for the federal government’s rush to judgment without facts or investigation.

What has further outraged the public is the government’s refusal to investigate, coupled with its “double-down” retaliation against Good’s wife. That combination has deeply offended people’s sense of justice. The government appears to be telling Americans to “take it on the chin” simply because they say so. That is not how a democracy functions.

All the public is asking for is a fair, factual investigation and a just outcome for all actions that resulted in Renee Good’s death.

Based on what we now see, people cannot have confidence in Trump or Noem’s leadership. They have corrupted the process by refusing to collaborate with local authorities. Trump dismisses local officials as “corrupt,” but offers no evidence, only accusations. That is his pattern: accusations without facts.

Trump’s threats of retaliation against the citizens of Minnesota constitute a dereliction of duty. He condemns Iran’s leaders for persecuting their own people yet appears unable or unwilling to recognize how his actions in Minnesota mirror the very abuses he claims to oppose.

People should not resort to violence. Civil disobedience is the proper response. But when even civil disobedience, like that practiced by Renee Good ends in death at the hands of the government, it is not difficult to understand why anger erupts.

The rhetoric must be toned down. The President is supposed to lead with the well-being of all Americans in mind. He has failed to do so. As a result, others will have to step forward and lead for the common good.

Justice will come when facts are allowed to matter and accountability is restored.

Is it any wonder that merit, integrity, and reason seem to be slipping away in America when its leader pines for awards meant for others and publicly revels in accepting unearned praise? No. It is entirely predictable. Greatness cannot be expected from someone who cannot demand it of himself.

We must remember Renee Good not as a statistic, but as an unintentional American martyr for the constitutional rights we all share.

Long live Renee Good. We all must:

RESIST!!! & EDUCATE!!!