THE AMERICAN POSEIDON ADVENTURE

We have all been shocked and saddened by the murders in Minneapolis carried out by agents of our own government. We have seen similar jackbooted behavior by federal forces in Los Angeles and Chicago, assaulting women and children, dragging elderly men, American citizens, from their homes in freezing temperatures, dressed only in their underwear. Many believed the murder of Renee Good would finally spark some measure of justice in the federal response, particularly from the Department of Justice. But no, nothing. Nada.

While some independent law-enforcement professionals initially questioned whether the video evidence in Renee Good’s case was conclusive, there is now broad and unequivocal agreement that Alex Pretti was executed, murdered by federal agents. Even members of the president’s own party have begun to reach their limit with this sustained assault on constitutional rights, including the most fundamental of all: the right to life.

Trump and his inner circle now appear to be reeling, not from the moral weight of these killings, but from the optics (even FOX is appalled) of government agents murdering citizens in the streets of America. They are under pressure to “change the look” and pivot back to a positive message. The president now claims he wants an “honorable and complete investigation.” We know the worth of his promises, and we are already witnessing federal obstruction. That the Department of Justice has refused even to investigate the civil-rights violations surrounding Mr. Pretti’s death tells us all we need to know about Trump’s definition of “honorable.”

Are optics really the issue here? Shouldn’t morality, justice, and leadership with integrity be the focus?

250 years ago, the people of thirteen fledgling colonies chose to rebel against a tyrannical despot. That rebellion grew into a movement that produced a remarkable nation, one grounded in the belief that power flows from the governed, not the ruler, and that individual rights must be protected from the state. Over those 250 years, the American experiment has unfolded and matured, imperfectly and often painfully, but always striving toward that ideal of a “shining city on a hill.” We have stumbled, through McCarthyism, repression, and fear, but each time we struggled, climbed out of the ditch, and moved forward.

America has never been perfect. It has always been a work in progress. One of the great engines of that progress has been the First Amendment, the guarantee of free speech, including the right to protest. Any movement that claims to “make America great” while attempting to suppress speech and dissent through gaslighting and brute force will ultimately fail. The American spirit may lie dormant in comfortable times, but it cannot be strangled into silence.

The people of Minnesota are a unique American community. There is a tangible spirit of decency and friendliness ‘Minnesota nice’ that one can actually feel. That spirit has now hardened into resolve, into ‘Minnesota Ice’, echoing the solid defiance of those original colonies that stood up to an empire. While the murders in Minnesota have horrified and saddened us all, the backbone of Minnesotans has become a source of inspiration. They are standing tall for the American character, the courage and commitment Patrick Henry captured when he said, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”

Minnesotans have seen and felt oppression, and they have rejected the soulless agenda of the Trump administration. They recognized it in 2016, 2020, and again in 2024. They are now resolute in their belief that Trump’s vision of America was not and is not what was fought for in 1776, and it’s not acceptable in 2026.

Friends in Minnesota have described to me the fear, repression, and disgust that now permeate daily life. One told me over dinner about an “underground” grocery network, neighbors quietly donating and delivering food to families being targeted by federal agents. These are not criminals. They are longtime neighbors who followed the very rules the federal government established, contributed to their communities, and embodied American values far more fully than Trump and his associates ever could, or would.

Minnesota has become the bulwark for what all of us believe in. Minnesota is bearing the brunt of the fascist, brown-shirted tactics deployed by a self-styled “strongman.” We should be proud of our sisters and brothers there, for their courage, their humanity, and their refusal to submit.

If you believe in the American dream, then today, you are a Minnesotan.
And now, more than ever, we must stand together.

RESIST!!! & EDUCATE!!!