Very chilling Rick. But I can see it happening so clearly. As it has done in so many countries, so many times. I heard a first hand story of the Russians firing into the crowd at the Maidan in Kyiv in 2014, which backfired on them, but left 100 Ukrainians dead. ICE is itching for a reason to take out a crowd. The Minnesota Guard is now out on the street in Minneapolis. Trying to deescalate. I moved to the Rochester area in October and even we have had people pulled out of cars. Police won't help. Went to a zoom meeting lead by Pramila Jayapal today to see what I can do to help. Not physically strong, but my brain still works. I did get a whistle in case I run into any incidents. Alex's death has lit a fire. The meeting room was packed and a large number of us were first timers. Scared but I can't just sit back and watch.
As a college freshman in 1969, I had my 15 minutes of fame when a school newspaper photographer snapped a picture of me confronting several anti-war protestors who wanted to haul down the American flag. My Dad had just returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam and I believed we were fighting for a righteous cause. The protestors and I had a civil conversation but they did not change my mind about the war (nor did they haul down the flag). What did change my mind about the war was the Kent State massacre.
The (lower case gop) gutless obsequious puppets of Trump's Republican party have already sold their souls, as have the apparatchiki of the Trump regime. Our military leaders have shown a remarkable lack of courage (or if you will, warrior ethos) in standing up to the way Trump has threatened our national security with attacks on Venezuela and threats against NATO, so it's questionable if they can be relied upon to refuse an insurrection act command, much less stand up to Trump's ICE militia.
But I do draw hope from the revulsion that I and millions of others experienced after Kent State, from the horror and heartbreak of seeing the picture of that young woman kneeling over the body of a dead student and screaming at the troops who murdered him, and the way the image helped to turn the tide against Nixon and the war. I have to hope that videos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti being murdered by ICE will be written into Rick's "Future History of ICE's First Mass Attack" as having had the same sort of galvanizing impact on the resistance that John Filo's photo had in 1970.
I am so angry and enraged by the actions of the Trump administration, but not surprised by it.
All one had to do was listen to Miller as a teenager and realize that he’s a sociopath.
They think they can rewrite the Constitution between Fox commercials.
We need a willing militia in Minnesota. Or someone either excellent sniper skills.
The National Guard has to be given the power to arrest these ICE agents and throw them in jail and then quickly send them to places out of the state. Much like they did to the immigrants they rounded up.
No due process, no lawyers. No bail!
Nothing but a damp cell in the middle of nowhere!
Trump wants voting rolls! Why?
Because he lost Minnesota 3 times.
He is going after all Blue states that didn’t vote for him in any of his elections!
He’s gearing up to control the midterms. He wants to be able to say that he won every state!
They think this will scare us into staying at home, shutting up, not protesting. We can’t be silent. People bled and died for a free country; from 1776, to MLK, to Vietnam war protesters, to…now. The people on the streets of Minneapolis fill me with awe and profound gratitude. Our protests mean something. Silence is not an option.
Historian Timothy Snyder said it (in On Tyranny, 2017) :
“When the pro-leader paramilitary, and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.”
The scariest part for me is how many Americans are defending these murders, repeating the lies of Noem, Vance, Patel & Trump, willing to suspend the Constitutional rights of American citizens, giving ICE agents "absolute immunity" that puts them above the law, beyond the Constitution.
Remember the old saying “the fish rots from the head down”? It’s time to cut the head off and stop the rotting. Impeachment, the 25th amendment, whatever it takes he has to be stopped. Our children and grandchildren shouldn’t have to suffer for his sins.
Rick, your essay is golden. Thank you. Our nerves are raw here in MN. We try to distract ourselves with basketball and football games on tv to avoid being plunged again into the searing pain of what’s happening outside our doors. We fear for our adult children living in or near south Mpls just going out on a Sunday morning to a coffee shop and encountering masked armored helmeted ICE goons. We pray and hope for the safety of children in our neighborhoods. We are exhausted, especially the dedicated peaceful protesters who faithfully brave sub zero temps to bear witness to this current siege. But we are not defeated. We are reminded and inspired by Ukrainians that are constantly assaulted. Hopefully Minnesota will prevail peacefully. Pray for Minnesota as we have prayed for Chicago, LA, DC, and places where tyranny marches in uninvited.
I'm thinking of Alexeï Navalny a lot these days...“We must do what they fear – tell the truth, spread the truth. This is the most powerful weapon against this regime of liars, thieves, and hypocrites. Everyone has this weapon. So make use of it"
I am in lock step with you, Rick. Bravo to the courageous Minneapolans. I hope they shame the AG and DA offices into making arrests. I wish someone would hack into Sinclair and Murdoch news shows with video footage and powerful wake the fuck up messaging. I am writing governors about soft secession and mailing them Chris Armitage's literature. Keep it up and tell it like it is, brother.
This is the scariest of scenarios and I fervently hope will not come to pass. But sadly, with these trigger happy goons it easily could. We are teetering on the brink of disaster and collapse of our nation. It is imperative that Congress act immediately to stop Ice, defund it and end it pushing it into out of existence to restore our safety within our communities. How many citizens in their cities worry about when they are next to be invaded by this SSS. It has to be stopped before it is too late and this prediction becomes our reality.
Ya know, Rick, I just finished reading all of your post. Wow, dawg. Thursday my wife and I attended a talk given by the historical filmmaker Ken Burns. He was fabulous, but, as I’m thinking about your scenario that you’ve just laid out, I have to wonder what kind of rendering he would even attempt to give it, it’s so horrifying. I’ve excerpted and linked your post on my blog. https://khit.org. I’m fixin’ to turn 80 in two weeks. Were it not for my kids and grandkids I don’t know how strong my remaining will to live would be, given all this shit. I was born nine months after World War II victory in Europe Day. My late father left a leg behind in Italy in 1944 for THIS crap?
Very chilling Rick. But I can see it happening so clearly. As it has done in so many countries, so many times. I heard a first hand story of the Russians firing into the crowd at the Maidan in Kyiv in 2014, which backfired on them, but left 100 Ukrainians dead. ICE is itching for a reason to take out a crowd. The Minnesota Guard is now out on the street in Minneapolis. Trying to deescalate. I moved to the Rochester area in October and even we have had people pulled out of cars. Police won't help. Went to a zoom meeting lead by Pramila Jayapal today to see what I can do to help. Not physically strong, but my brain still works. I did get a whistle in case I run into any incidents. Alex's death has lit a fire. The meeting room was packed and a large number of us were first timers. Scared but I can't just sit back and watch.
As a college freshman in 1969, I had my 15 minutes of fame when a school newspaper photographer snapped a picture of me confronting several anti-war protestors who wanted to haul down the American flag. My Dad had just returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam and I believed we were fighting for a righteous cause. The protestors and I had a civil conversation but they did not change my mind about the war (nor did they haul down the flag). What did change my mind about the war was the Kent State massacre.
The (lower case gop) gutless obsequious puppets of Trump's Republican party have already sold their souls, as have the apparatchiki of the Trump regime. Our military leaders have shown a remarkable lack of courage (or if you will, warrior ethos) in standing up to the way Trump has threatened our national security with attacks on Venezuela and threats against NATO, so it's questionable if they can be relied upon to refuse an insurrection act command, much less stand up to Trump's ICE militia.
But I do draw hope from the revulsion that I and millions of others experienced after Kent State, from the horror and heartbreak of seeing the picture of that young woman kneeling over the body of a dead student and screaming at the troops who murdered him, and the way the image helped to turn the tide against Nixon and the war. I have to hope that videos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti being murdered by ICE will be written into Rick's "Future History of ICE's First Mass Attack" as having had the same sort of galvanizing impact on the resistance that John Filo's photo had in 1970.
I hate to be picky, but the Brown Bess was a smoothbore musket, not a rifle.
I am so angry and enraged by the actions of the Trump administration, but not surprised by it.
All one had to do was listen to Miller as a teenager and realize that he’s a sociopath.
They think they can rewrite the Constitution between Fox commercials.
We need a willing militia in Minnesota. Or someone either excellent sniper skills.
The National Guard has to be given the power to arrest these ICE agents and throw them in jail and then quickly send them to places out of the state. Much like they did to the immigrants they rounded up.
No due process, no lawyers. No bail!
Nothing but a damp cell in the middle of nowhere!
Trump wants voting rolls! Why?
Because he lost Minnesota 3 times.
He is going after all Blue states that didn’t vote for him in any of his elections!
He’s gearing up to control the midterms. He wants to be able to say that he won every state!
They think this will scare us into staying at home, shutting up, not protesting. We can’t be silent. People bled and died for a free country; from 1776, to MLK, to Vietnam war protesters, to…now. The people on the streets of Minneapolis fill me with awe and profound gratitude. Our protests mean something. Silence is not an option.
Historian Timothy Snyder said it (in On Tyranny, 2017) :
“When the pro-leader paramilitary, and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.”
The scariest part for me is how many Americans are defending these murders, repeating the lies of Noem, Vance, Patel & Trump, willing to suspend the Constitutional rights of American citizens, giving ICE agents "absolute immunity" that puts them above the law, beyond the Constitution.
American Gestapo:
https://kamala4prez.substack.com/p/american-gestapo
The one factor that immediately came to mind while reading the scenario is the amount of firearms owned and possessed by Americans of all persuasions.
Remember the old saying “the fish rots from the head down”? It’s time to cut the head off and stop the rotting. Impeachment, the 25th amendment, whatever it takes he has to be stopped. Our children and grandchildren shouldn’t have to suffer for his sins.
Hello Rick. Will you please explain the last sentence in your post? I'm confused.
"The Minneapolis Massacre, January 30, 2025."
2025?
Rick, your essay is golden. Thank you. Our nerves are raw here in MN. We try to distract ourselves with basketball and football games on tv to avoid being plunged again into the searing pain of what’s happening outside our doors. We fear for our adult children living in or near south Mpls just going out on a Sunday morning to a coffee shop and encountering masked armored helmeted ICE goons. We pray and hope for the safety of children in our neighborhoods. We are exhausted, especially the dedicated peaceful protesters who faithfully brave sub zero temps to bear witness to this current siege. But we are not defeated. We are reminded and inspired by Ukrainians that are constantly assaulted. Hopefully Minnesota will prevail peacefully. Pray for Minnesota as we have prayed for Chicago, LA, DC, and places where tyranny marches in uninvited.
I'm thinking of Alexeï Navalny a lot these days...“We must do what they fear – tell the truth, spread the truth. This is the most powerful weapon against this regime of liars, thieves, and hypocrites. Everyone has this weapon. So make use of it"
Be safe everyone.
Being safe and opposing Fascism are not compatible.
I am in lock step with you, Rick. Bravo to the courageous Minneapolans. I hope they shame the AG and DA offices into making arrests. I wish someone would hack into Sinclair and Murdoch news shows with video footage and powerful wake the fuck up messaging. I am writing governors about soft secession and mailing them Chris Armitage's literature. Keep it up and tell it like it is, brother.
Brilliant, searing, & so tragically likely. It is incredible how they lie and propagandize in the face of multiple position videos.
This is the scariest of scenarios and I fervently hope will not come to pass. But sadly, with these trigger happy goons it easily could. We are teetering on the brink of disaster and collapse of our nation. It is imperative that Congress act immediately to stop Ice, defund it and end it pushing it into out of existence to restore our safety within our communities. How many citizens in their cities worry about when they are next to be invaded by this SSS. It has to be stopped before it is too late and this prediction becomes our reality.
Ya know, Rick, I just finished reading all of your post. Wow, dawg. Thursday my wife and I attended a talk given by the historical filmmaker Ken Burns. He was fabulous, but, as I’m thinking about your scenario that you’ve just laid out, I have to wonder what kind of rendering he would even attempt to give it, it’s so horrifying. I’ve excerpted and linked your post on my blog. https://khit.org. I’m fixin’ to turn 80 in two weeks. Were it not for my kids and grandkids I don’t know how strong my remaining will to live would be, given all this shit. I was born nine months after World War II victory in Europe Day. My late father left a leg behind in Italy in 1944 for THIS crap?