It's January 6th all over again.
I don't know about you, but I found out about the storming of the Capitol online, on some news site, whereupon I immediately switched to video and watched the riot play out. That's what it was, right? A riot?
Everyone agreed. Trump was kicked off of social media platforms, the media testified as to the dark day in America, and Donald was impeached, for the second time.
But not convicted.
All right... But they were going to get him, right, make him pay for his sins?
Well, the spin years later became that 1/6 was a peaceful protest. That if Mike Pence had just done the right thing, none of this would have happened. As for the perps... Trump had nothing to do with it and weren't they just patriots? Why should they be denigrated, incarcerated for their belief in this great nation of ours? Trump let them out of the jails immediately, wiped the slate clean, and Ashli Babbitt, like Charlie Kirk, has been elevated to the level of a deity.
As for all those elected officials who decried Trump's behavior? They all fell in line behind the man when he was elected president once again. As for the investigation into his so-called crimes...asking for more votes in Georgia, the classified documents in Mar-a-Lago... Let's not go tit for tat. It's unjust for Trump to be prosecuted, because the Democrats do the exact same thing. And if Trump were somehow held liable, it would be open season for the Democrats when they get back into power. Jovial John Kennedy said exactly this on Bill Maher's "Real Time" on Friday night...as if you say it folksily enough, people will believe it. And when asked if Trump lost the election, Kennedy obfuscated, because if you go against Trump the clock starts to tick, it's only a matter of time before you become a pariah, before you're excommunicated. And it's not only politicos, Jamie Dimon now too. Never mind law firms and news networks.
So now we watch video of a man who was a nurse whose efforts were to aid a downed protester, who was waving a phone, not a gun, whose hands were on the ground, shot in cold blood. Video, just like 1/6.
And Trump and his cronies are telling us not to believe what we see And even the Fox News website referenced the difference between the government's viewpoint and the people's...but that's gone now, replaced by a headline about an ICEman being maimed by a violent mob.
That's right, the narrative is already changing. The sides are lining up. And it's them against us, the government against the people.
However, those who are frustrated with the government's actions have been told to vote, just wait to the coming election, when wrongs will be righted, never mind the big election in 2028. The only people who believe this are the elected politicians and the media that reports upon them. Nobody I know has faith in coming elections to right the ship.
So, there have been protests in Minnesota. And this ain't L.A., it's been below zero, but people have been coming out.
Now in the sixties, protests like this ultimately turned the screw. We got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ultimately the winding down and ending of the Vietnam War. As for the Voting Rights Act of 1965...that's been undercut by the Supreme Court, since we supposedly no longer live in a racist society, never mind Citizens United. Meaning the deck is stacked even if you are not stricken from the voting rolls, the odds are against you.
So what happens now.
As we all know, it's Pretti's fault. He should have just stayed home, like a good American, a heritage American (but with that last name, I'm not sure he qualifies...). And while he's at it, if he leaves his home he should carry I.D. Because this is the way it goes in America...
Only it doesn't. You don't need papers and you have a right to assemble. As for leaving your house... Trump is winning here. Nobody with money will stand up to Trump for fear of losing it, now the hoi polloi won't stand up to Trump because they're afraid of losing their life. Really, are you going to go to a protest now?
The crisis has reached a boiling point.
What do we know? TACO. Trump always chickens out. If he doesn't let one of his minions take the blame, he squirms and equivocates, because after all there are good people on both sides. Trump may bend a bit here, as he distances himself from the ICEmen responsible for Pretti's death... Like Marjorie Taylor Greene talking about having her eyes opened once she got out of the right wing bubble and read the rest of the press, Trump will say he had no idea.
But shortly thereafter it will be just like that Talking Heads song, same as it ever was.
So...
This is not an Arab Spring moment. Because not enough Americans feel oppressed. However they're doing it, many still believe in the ICE mission...never mind the racist beliefs underpinning many of these beliefs.
As for military in the streets... And whether we call them this or not, that's what ICE is, they can enter at will, and seemingly shoot at will... Don't you know that those northern cities are hellholes of crime and if the mayors just did their jobs, which they're not, no one would be shot, peace would reign?
Yeah, right.
So there are some who still believe in Trump. Although that edifice is being chipped away. Because of what's happening in Minneapolis. However, if you think this will change the course of Trump's behavior...
What do we know... Trump does what he says he will and he never truly backs down. Hell, he never sleeps...he's up posting on Truth Social in the wee hours of the morning.
So if you're expecting change...
What did we learn in the wake of the protests against the killing of George Floyd? That today Blacks are even worse off. The prevailing narrative is the demonstrations disrupted the nation...nothing was ultimately gained. So I ask you, will something ultimately be gained by the protests in Minneapolis?
Not much. After all, Trump had mention of his impeachments removed from the Smithsonian, he has no problem rewriting history. And when the dust settles, he and his flock will say whatever happened in Minneapolis, it was ultimately the public's fault. Probably incited by outside agitators. Because no American in their right mind would stand up against the mission of ICE, right?
Having said that, at least those protesters are taking action. But it gets worse, it seems that the only thing that will cower Trump is violence. Unless Congress wakes up, which I doubt it will. As for NATO coming to rescue the citizens of America...good luck with that. As for the 2nd Amendment, those guns are for Republicans, Democrats can't be trusted with them, as Pretti proves.
If your head isn't spinning now...
This is authoritarianism, this is fascism, this is a dictatorship. The Republicans say to stop using the H-word, but the truth is America today resembles Nazi Germany, even down to the detention camps that cannot be investigated.
It's a slippery slope. And never forget, Hitler had supporters too.
And I beg of you to read David French's piece in the "New York Times." For the record, French comes from the right:
"An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good"
Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/opinion/renee-good-ice-immunity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVA.TRLI.qL4NRc5PToME&smid=url-share
People felt life was pretty good in Nazi Germany, as long as they didn't come up against the forces of the government... Read this, it might be from the "New York Times," but like I said, French is from the right.
So the bottom line is whatever happens here if you expect Trump to change, if you expect major change in our country, you're dreaming, that's never going to happen. It's not like if ICE even backs off a bit Trump is going to let up on the rest of his heinous policies that negatively impact the populace. Why should he? He's in control. And the military is on his side. As for legislative power... They have the equivalent of Congress in Russia and Hungary too, doesn't make a difference.
So if you're all riled-up about the death of Alex Pretti...I'm with you. But if you think it's going to foment major change, you're dreaming.
For that more people have to be pissed off and more people need to take action.
Even Robert Reich is now calling for a national strike. Which I believe is appropriate before there are guns in the street, before more citizens are cut down in cold blood.
This is just the start, the true resistance to Trump. Forget the kumbaya pussy hats and No Kings rallies, they were parties that Trump ignored when he wasn't laughing at them.
No, to evoke change you have to hit them where it hurts, financially.
Now if you're a Boomer, you remember that in the sixties if a TV network got calls about "controversial" programming, they killed it. Oftentimes, in a nation of hundreds of millions, there were fewer than twenty phone calls. But the networks were afraid.
Corporations live in fear. All those overpaid CEOs kissing Trump's butt, they've got to see their businesses challenged, their stocks drop, that's the only thing that will get them to change course, the only thing they care about is money.
It's what runs America, which is why Trump wants total control of the Fed.
I'm not advocating violence, not at all. But I am saying that when people are up against the wall and are pissed enough, it happens, like with the Arab Spring. But life in that area of the world was much worse in terms of standard of living and opportunity than it is over here. So what will get the public to turn?
Let's be clear, what is happening in Minneapolis has not only gained people's attention, it has peeled Trump supporters away from him. So that's a start. But if the public doesn't take further action Trump will circle the wagons, declare victory and march forward, tightening the rope on your rights all the while.
Yup, you're losing them as I write this. You can watch Netflix and say it doesn't affect you, or you can realize if it doesn't already, it ultimately will, and it then may be too late.
This is just the beginning.
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