Sunday, January 25, 2026
Sunday Reflection: I'm ok. Our country is not.
Yesterday I was getting ready to go to the gym and listening to reports about the killing of Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, by federal agents who held him down and then shot him several times.
It made me mad, something that had been building in me-- a righteous anger at what is being done to my city. I decided to go down to the scene of the killing and observe what was happening.
The federal agents had blocked off an intersection at 26th and Nicollet and were massed at the far end. At the other end protesters were chanting and waving signs behind police tape. I walked past several police officers to get there on the sidewalk and wasn't stopped-- I did not cross a perimeter or anything, and there was no apparent effort to clear that area.
About a minute after I arrived and as I stood towards the back of that crowd, a canister of tear gas/chemical irritant landed very close to me and a toxic cloud enveloped me and those around me. Everyone began to run to get out from the cloud. I could barely see and couldn't breathe, which made it hard to run. It was like drowning. I finally turned a corner and fell into a snowbank to recover as people ran past.
It was a peaceful protest, taking place on the other side of the line that the authorities had established. The ICE officers were dozens of yards away, on the other side of the intersection.
The gas was terrifying, but I suffered nothing compared to many others.
But... how is this not a spiritual crisis, not about the way we treat our neighbors?
And the original, with lyrics:
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Sgt. Jack Frakes of the MN National Guard, was put on standby yesterday. He happens to been up in Crookston, MN for his monthly drill. This time of year is reserved for classroom training and maintenance of equipment. So he had left his tactical gear at his home, in Ankeny, Iowa, 9 hours drive from Crookston. "Dad, can you drive down to Ankeny and pick up my gear? I'll retrieve it from you when we get sent to Minneapolis."
Gina and I had lots to think and talk about on your drive south. We passed mile after mile after mile of barren snow-covered farmland, while we listened to updates and press conferences on the radio. Eventually, the Twin Cities MPR station reception began to fade. So, we tuned out As we crossed the bridge spanning Albert Lea Lake and beheld the vista across the expanse of ice in the evening light, I felt an ease from the tension of the entire situation. It was fleeting, as I was also overcome with the impression that we are isolated. I doubted that any of the lakeside homes were attuned to the plight of our city. They have their peaceful beautiful view. If they are paying any attention at all, it is likely, they are swallowing Noem's shameless press briefing as plausible.
The gear is waiting for Jack in the living room.
Some good news this morning - if protests remain peaceful over the next 24 hours, his unit might not be deployed.
Gina and I had lots to think and talk about on your drive south. We passed mile after mile after mile of barren snow-covered farmland, while we listened to updates and press conferences on the radio. Eventually, the Twin Cities MPR station reception began to fade. So, we tuned out As we crossed the bridge spanning Albert Lea Lake and beheld the vista across the expanse of ice in the evening light, I felt an ease from the tension of the entire situation. It was fleeting, as I was also overcome with the impression that we are isolated. I doubted that any of the lakeside homes were attuned to the plight of our city. They have their peaceful beautiful view. If they are paying any attention at all, it is likely, they are swallowing Noem's shameless press briefing as plausible.
The gear is waiting for Jack in the living room.
Some good news this morning - if protests remain peaceful over the next 24 hours, his unit might not be deployed.
Thank you for bearing witness for those of us who live far removed from the chaos and terror Minnesotan are enduring.
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