The pillars of my civic faith are under fire
I have sympathy for my long-suffering civics teachers who had tried unsuccessfully to help me understand things like strong versus weak mayors or unicameral and bicameral (and no, that’s not one-hump or two-hump camels). But I have been able to distill my civics down to two unalterable truths that I depend on:
One, I have the right of the vote, and two, I trust in the protections of the Constitution.
Now we have had our share of scalawags and misfits in positions of power, but our institutions remain strong due to the guide rails of our Constitution and the corrective power of the ballot.
But these pillars of my civic faith are now under fire.
I see an unchecked masked militia operating with a total disregard of the Bill of Rights and I hear of a credible threat to our free and fair elections. The threat is of intimidation at polling sites by the same militia now violating our civil rights. All under the spurious guise of protecting us from voting fraud. I’m a worried man.
Bob Emery, Mendota Heights
We’ll not forget what we have seen
The recent article describing life in the Twin Cities two months into the federal immigration crackdown should unsettle every Minnesotan, regardless of political affiliation. What was being described is not simply a policy dispute — it is a humanitarian and civic crisis unfolding in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and places of worship.
As a longtime Minnesotan, I recognize the strain our state has carried before. But the fear, grief and hypervigilance voiced by residents in this article — including U.S. citizens, legal immigrants, and lifelong community members — signal a troubling breakdown of trust between government power and the people it serves. When parents are afraid to send children to school, when workers with legal status disappear from jobs, when neighbors organize warning systems just to feel safe leaving their homes, something fundamental has gone wrong.
Many Minnesotans hold nuanced views: Borders matter, laws matter, and violent crime must be addressed. But sweeping enforcement tactics that rely on fear, racial profiling and overwhelming force are neither just nor effective. Public safety is undermined, not strengthened, when enforcement itself becomes a source of trauma.
What struck me most was how widely this pain is felt — across race, class and political identity — and how familiar it feels to those who have lived through other moments when Minnesota was forced to confront the consequences of unchecked authority. We should not need another death, another vigil or another investigation to remember that human dignity and the rule of law are not opposing values.
Leadership is tested not by how forcefully it acts, but by whether it listens, corrects course and reduces harm while protecting communities. Minnesotans are paying close attention. And we will not forget what we have been witnessing.
Jane White Schneeweis, Mahtomedi
Hard to believe, this behavior
I commend the hard-hitting journalism of Jack Brook, Michael Blessecker, Jim Mustian and Cedar Attanasio in their article Sunday, Feb. 8, “His skull was broken…” presenting Alberto Castaneda Mondragon’s horrifying treatment at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I wept at this story because I cannot believe that members of our federal police would beat and permanently harm a man who, as it turned out, had no reason to be arrested in the first place.
One cannot turn away from the truth of what has been happening with some of our neighbors who have been traumatized, ill treated, beaten and even killed. I cannot believe that Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and Kash Patel would allow these atrocities against people in our country. We cannot turn away from what is happening in our America today, so tragically reminiscent of Germany during the rise of Hitler and the Nazis.
Donna Isaac, Inver Grove Heights
His legacy
At the annual National Prayer Breakfast keynote speaker Donald Trump exposed himself for his lack of Christian conviction. He chose to pass on sincere prayer for others and the country, choosing to use the forum for a political rally. He mocked individuals, told lies, minimized Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s religious conviction and made light of meal-time devotions. Though we might expect more of a president, one sincere prayer would be nice, we know Donald Trump as a narcissist who wishes to be served by religion rather than practice its principles. After all, he uses the Bible as a prop when convenient, sells them to grift Americans and has little understanding of the contents.
To the point, Donald Trump has proven through his words and actions to be the antithesis of the Good Samaritan by berating third-world countries, mercilessly trashing immigrants and eliminating humanitarian relief. His cuts to Medicaid and SNAP reduce essential benefits to millions. Sending 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota, Operation Metro Surge was simply his fulfilled promise of revenge and retribution, hateful and definitely un-Christian. This will be his legacy.
Pete Boelter, North Branch
Choices
The Minnesota Vikings got rid of QB Sam Darnold and kept play-by-play radio announcer Paul Allen. Huh?
M.L. Kluznik, Mendota Heights
Where has our decency gone?
Donald Trump makes a racial post about a former president and says, “I didn’t make a mistake.” Fifteen years ago (before the first Trump term), any person in any position anywhere in the country would get fired for such a public display.
Where has our decency gone? Trump has made this type of behavior acceptable in nearly all our society. He must be removed from office now, before our country degrades even further.
Mark Nelson, St. Croix Falls
Proud to have lived among you
As a journalism vagabond, I have lived in too many cities to mention. My 11-year stint as editor of the Pioneer Press during the ‘90s was my longest. My wife and I were native southerners who arrived in the Twin Cities with some trepidation. The Midwest was new territory.
Pretty quickly, we felt at home (except for the winter).
Twin Citizens were honest and open, friendly and, most important for an editor, well read. We didn’t know you were brave because there was no need. Life was normal.
As I have watched you on TV and the Internet these past few weeks, I have seen how brave you are. I am proud I once lived among you.
You should be aware America is watching and cheering. You are standing up to the most powerful man on Earth and you are winning. You, my former readers, are the best of America.
Walker Lundy, East Bay, California
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