I am my neighbor

When people ask me “why do you love your neighbor?” I answer, “because I am my neighbor.”

I am everything putrid, mean, evil, absurd, vile, lie, grotesque and disgusting. Just like my neighbor.

But I am also everything beautiful. Holy, sacred, pure, truth and heavenly just like my neighbor.

I am my neighbor.

Jerry Kressin, Lake Elmo

 

Congress is working on fraud because … of the fraud

On February 26, Gov. Walz announced a set of initiatives to reduce fraud in Minnesota. Perhaps having been on top of this in year one of his administration would have saved all of us hundreds of millions in loss to fraud. But we can applaud this new initiative all the same.

What is astonishing, however, if that he continues to blame the Trump administration, “calling the Medicaid pause ‘an incredibly damaging continuation of the reckoning and retribution campaign by the Trump administration,’ and ‘totally illegal and unprecedented.’”

We Minnesotans are in this position because of fraud, not because of President Trump. The federal government has a fiduciary obligation to manage our tax dollars. Congress is working on fraud because of the fraud.

Gov. Walz said it before; now he must say it again. This rash of fraud and theft of our tax dollars happened on his watch. Gov. Walz’s motive for aggressively pursuing measures to reduce fraud should be exactly this: “I am the Governor. It is my responsibility and that of the Legislature to fix this.” By pointing at President Trump, you simply make us believe that you would do nothing if not that your inaction has been painfully revealed to us.

Dave Racer, Woodbury

 

Some are accountable, some aren’t

In response to “Masks for some” (Feb. 26): The writer has tried to make the point that requiring federal agents to be unmasked is somehow unfair. I’ll note that we have all seen a lot of protesters, and few are masked. That aside, recall that all ordinary citizens – many of whom are protesters – are subject to accountability by means of arrest and prosecution, whether they are masked or not. Meanwhile, masked and unidentified federal agents are subject to no such accountability. The public is paying the salaries of these people. There must be a way to assure the public that they are doing their jobs properly and lawfully. Clearly visible identification and identifiability is the only way to ensure accountability.

D.E. Barnard, St. Paul

 

Shoveling is shoveling. Voting is voting

A letter in the Sunday opinion section suggested if New York City required two types of I.D. to shovel snow, why would needing an I.D. to vote be a problem? The answer is very simple. In order to work one must generally, at a minimum,  possess a valid Social Security number, Form W-4 and some type of identity verification. This is so the employees (shovelers) can be taxed on the pay they receive for their services. These taxes include, but are not limited to, federal income, New York state income, Medicare,  Social  Security and local taxes where applicable. This is not disenfranchising anyone, nor suggesting the same standards should be applied to voting, rather it is following longstanding taxation regulations.

The juxtaposition of snow shoveling and voting is absurd.

Earl Bailey, West St. Paul

 

Should have been bothered

I note in the Pioneer  Press sport section on March 2 that Bill Guerin, general manager of Minnesota Wild, said he was not surprised or bothered about the controversy over the locker room celebration of the USA men’s gold medal hockey win. Well, he should be bothered as he was the one who made the celebration political when he chose to invite FBI leader Kash Patel into the locker room. This celebration should have been solely about the accomplishment of the USA players. Instead the post-celebration conversation created days of discords about Patel’s presence in the locker room, and glory for the players’ accomplishments was lost in the shuffle.

Geri Minton, Roseville

 

The threat of proliferation

Since the beginning of 2026 there has been a disturbing trend that needs much more attention drawn to it, and that is the growing threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons among nations in the nuclear club. Consider the following over just the past two months of the new year:

In January, North Korea conducted ballistic and hypersonic missile tests.

In February, it was recently discovered, through an analysis of seismic data, (more likely than not) that China conducted a nuclear weapons explosives test in 2020. This despite China’s self-imposed pledge in 1996 not to conduct such tests. China’s test apparently used techniques intended to blunt seismic detection, which would be a violation of the spirit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This in turn suggests China is modernizing its nuclear forces.

Also in February, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the U.S. and Russia expired. This treaty capped deployed strategic warheads at 1,550 on each side. Some version of the START treaty had been in existence since 1991.

France just declared an intent to increase its nuclear arsenal, something it has not done in 34 years.

The current U.S. administration claims that one of its justifications for attacking Iran is to deprive that nation of being able to create nuclear weapons. Maybe yes, maybe no. However, its overall commitment to reducing the threat of a nuclear exchange between adversaries remains highly suspect as it allows the START treaty to lapse and has no response to China’s likely intent on modernizing and growing its stockpile, or France’s explicit promise to do so.

The U.S. has torn up the Western Alliance it had with Europe for 80 years and has offered nothing to replace it with. As observed in Politico, President Trump’s “America First worldview and contempt for Europe’s political establishment have increasingly relegated NATO’s charter, the 1949 accord forging the globe’s most powerful military alliance, to antique status.” In terms of nuclear diplomacy, this means the U.S. is forfeiting its ways and means for influencing other nuclear states to draw down its stockpiles.

It does not take a specialist in geopolitics (which I am not) to see from these unnerving developments that the world is entering a new and very frightening stage of competitive buildup of nuclear forces. It is incumbent on ordinary people to demonstrate and show our government leaders that this situation is unacceptable and must be curbed as soon as possible.

Phillip J. Trobaugh, St. Paul

 

All this winning

I have to admit, President Trump is right about one thing. In the State of the Union address, President Trump said there would be so much winning, we would get tired of all the winning. Dead soldiers, another war, stocks tumbling, gas prices rising — so much winning!  Yes, I am indeed tired of all this winning.

Gloria Zaiger, St. Paul

 

Sainted

We all know there are plenty of “Tainted” happenings going on today, so we should share a “Sainted” one when one comes along.

I am 83 years old, use a cane, am in fairly good health, and can still drive – so life is still pretty good for me. This particular story centers around one of my grocery purchasing visits to the Cub Food store located in West St. Paul where I live. I usually visit Cub Foods every couple of weeks, purchasing what I refer to as my usual daily eats.

However, the Cub Food visit which is the subject of this particular “Sainted” letter involves my ever-challenging four- to six-months visit, during which i have to restock my supply of staples – you know, food types that have to be stored for upcoming demands, such as flour, sugar, salt and pepper, cooking ingredients, etc. The challenge of this visit is the amount of food purchases which I have to locate, run through the checkout lane, package up, haul out to my car, load into the trunk, unload the trunk and carry into my home, and finally place everything on the appropriate storage shelving – all while using a cane. Luckily, this process is helped a bit because the store can usually supply someone to push my cart to my car and unload my purchases into the car trunk. But getting to this event involves my “Sainted” story.

After at least an hour of shopping for the staples at Cub Foods, I found myself at the checkout counter worrying about how long I would hold up the rest of the line behind me as I emptied both the top and the bottom of my cart. After all, I had to do this while using my cane for balance as I tried to keep a steady line of staples moving out of my card, past the cashier and to the bagging area. To my utter surprise, as I was in the middle of moving everything down the conveyor belt of the checkout counter, a young lady came up behind me and asked me, “would you like some help in bagging your purchased items?” I quickly said, “Yes, thank you so much for helping me – I seem to be buried in the food on the conveyor belt.”

The young lady was able to keep up with the pace of the cashier and quickly bagged my food the minute I could push it down the belt and to the bagging area. She kept up her pace while I paid for my food, and I ended up with 18 plastic bags of food, which she had also double-bagged for safety. It is my usual practice in any store to make a comment at the customer service counter about some employee going beyond to help me, so I quickly turned and asked the girl her name so I could “give her a pat on the back” for her help.

The young lady turned to me and said “I don’t think it can happen that way.” When i said “why,” she replied, “I don’t work at this store.” I must admit I initially started laughing at that, but by the time I looked up to thank her again, she had disappeared back between the two cashier counters from which she had appeared.

Carol B Slater, West St. Paul

Related Articles

Man pleads guilty in large meth case, agrees to be deported after he serves sentence

St. Paul City Council approves new rules for drive-throughs

St. Paul City Council weighs extending eviction notice to 60 days

St. Paul City Council: Nelsie Yang replaces HwaJeong Kim as vice president

Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy collides with vehicle, killing driver in St. Paul

By SEAN MURPHY

OKLAHOMA CITY — President Donald Trump’s plans to nominate Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to take over as Homeland Security secretary follow a notable political rise for the plumbing company owner who was first elected to Congress in 2012.

Mullin, 48, has become one of Trump’s fiercest defenders in the U.S. Senate and is now positioned to join his administration after the president on Thursday fired embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had come under mounting criticism over her leadership of the department.

A former mixed-martial arts fighter and collegiate wrestler, Mullin has earned a reputation as a fighter in the Senate and has grown friendlier with Trump since they attended an NCAA wrestling event together in Tulsa in 2023.

“Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

Mullin told reporters at the Capitol Thursday that he would get DHS “focused on protecting the homeland.”

“No matter if you support me, you don’t support me, I’m going to be laser-focused on getting that done,” he added.

Mullin’s rise to U.S. senator

A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin emerged from a crowded GOP field in 2022 to win Oklahoma’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. He was running a successful plumbing company in Oklahoma — known for its red vans with “The Red Rooter” logo on the side — when he first ran for the U.S. House and painted himself as a political outsider fed up with government regulations strangling businesses like his.

He ultimately won the seat representing Oklahoma’s sprawling 2nd District, a rural seat that was once a Democratic stronghold but has become increasingly conservative over the last decade.

FILE – Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma., speaks during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Defense secretary, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

A reputation as a fighter in Congress

His fiery exchanges in the Senate included a 2023 hearing with the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, when Mullin told the union leader to “stand your butt up,” before standing from his seat and appearing to take his ring off.

“If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults,” Mullin told Sean O’Brien, the union’s president, with whom Mullin had previously engaged in a back-and-forth on social media. “We can finish it here.”

Months after his confrontation with O’Brien, the two reconciled. Mullin called the union leader a “new friend.”

The interaction underscored how Mullin is one of Trump’s most aggressive defenders in Congress and often spars with people on social media, but also often is an affable presence in the Capitol. He’s known to walk the halls in a cowboy hat and boots, sometimes bouncing a rubber ball as he chats with reporters.

He’s also a conduit between the White House and Senate Republican leadership and maintains relationships from his days in the House. He still leads workout sessions sometimes in the House gym.

At the State of the Union last month, Mullin took a swipe at a sign held by Rep. Al Green that said “Black people aren’t apes”, a reference to a racist video the president posted that depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle.

During the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Mullin made headlines when he attempted to enter the country from multiple locations and was denied. Mullin said he was trying to help an American family flee Afghanistan.

Mullin has faced some criticisms

Mullin initially vowed to only serve three terms in Congress, a promise he later broke when he announced plans to run again, saying then that he “didn’t understand politics” when he originally made the initial pledge.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks to the press outside of the Capitol, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Mullin also has faced criticism for receiving at least $1.8 million from a federal rescue program designed to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from the U.S. Treasury Department showed four separate businesses owned by Mullin received a total of between $800,000 and $1.9 million from the Paycheck Protection Program. A Mullin spokeswoman said at the time the congressman was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the companies and referred questions to the companies’ chief financial officer.

Cherokee Nation leader praises Mullin

Mullin has supported legislation important to tribal citizens and advocated for tribal sovereignty, and he stumped for Trump in 2024, describing the president as strong on issues affecting Native communities.

“It is deeply encouraging to have someone with a keen understanding of federal Indian policy, law and justice elevated to such a critical leadership role within a powerful federal agency,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said Thursday.

As a tribal citizen, Mullin could address recent allegations that members of federally-recognized tribes have been targeted by ICE officers, including some documented cases of their detainments and arrests.

Associated Press reporter Graham Brewer in Norman, Okla., contributed to this report.

Related Articles

US Postal Service expects to run out of cash in a year without help from Congress, postmaster says

Gov. Tim Walz orders flags at half-staff in honor of WBL soldier who died

Cornyn goes on offense against Paxton as Republicans await Trump’s endorsement

Trump fires DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after mounting criticism over her leadership

On Iran, Trump officials say the US mission is ‘that simple.’ It depends who’s doing the talking

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that he brought dozens of homemade explosive devices to a Washington, D.C., church that was preparing for an annual Mass celebrating the start of the Supreme Court’s term, court records show.

Related Articles

US Postal Service expects to run out of cash in a year without help from Congress, postmaster says

Cornyn goes on offense against Paxton as Republicans await Trump’s endorsement

Trump fires DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after mounting criticism over her leadership

On Iran, Trump officials say the US mission is ‘that simple.’ It depends who’s doing the talking

House Republican leaders urge Gonzales to end reelection bid after he admitted to affair with aide

Louis Geri of Vineland is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27 by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss. Geri remains jailed until sentencing after pleading guilty to two felony counts: illegal possession of a destructive device and extortion by wrongful use of force, violence or fear.

Geri and the government agreed that a prison term ranging from five years and 10 months to seven years and three months would be appropriate. Moss isn’t bound by that recommendation, but Geri could withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposes a longer sentence.

Geri was arrested Oct. 5 outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral, where police officers were clearing the area before the annual Red Mass. Some justices usually attend the celebration, but none went to last year’s ceremony.

On the eve of the Red Mass, Geri set up a tent on steps leading into the church and spent the night inside it. He had more than 100 explosive devices inside the tent along with a nine-page “list of written demands,” according to a court filing accompanying his guilty plea.

“The defendant intended to use the threat of death or significant property damage from these explosive devices to coerce negotiations regarding his demands from the Federal Government, St. Matthew’s Church, the Supreme Court of the United States, and other groups and entities,” the filing says.

Geri told police that he had explosive devices and said “several of your people are gonna die from one of these” if his demands weren’t met, according to the filing. His written demands included requests for money, for an “expatriation flight” to Japan and for the Supreme Court to remove the state of Arizona from the U.S., the filing adds.

Police said they found paperwork in Geri’s possession that expressed “significant animosity” toward the Roman Catholic church, Jewish people, the Supreme Court and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Geri initially was charged in D.C. Superior Court, but he pleaded guilty in federal court.

An attorney for Geri didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

In Minnesota, the first 50-degree day isn’t weather.

It’s a declaration.

After months of windchills that feel personally insulting, the moment the thermometer blinks 5-0, the entire state stages a controlled emotional release. Fifty degrees hits and suddenly we’re a Mediterranean culture — if the Mediterranean had snowbanks taller than a third grader.

Every Minnesotan steps into the driveway, squints at the sun and says, “Welcome back, old friend,” as if the sun had just returned from a long sabbatical.

Shorts emerge from drawers like they’ve been waiting for parole. Legs so pale they could signal passing aircraft step boldly into the neighborhood. No transition period. Just knees. Everywhere.

Patios fill instantly. Restaurants and breweries throw open their doors like it’s the last helicopter out of winter. Are people still wearing gloves? Possibly. Is someone in a hoodie and knit cap? Absolutely. It doesn’t matter. You are outside, clutching a frosty mug of hope. This is not about comfort. This is principle.

Golf courses reopen in conditions best described as damp optimism. Fairways squish. Greens wobble. It does not matter. We are golfing because we have decided it is golf season.

Snowbanks shrink into gray, mysterious shapes, revealing lost mittens, rogue hockey pucks and items we quietly agree were never ours. Sunglasses reappear. Lawn chairs materialize in driveways. Someone grills in a sweatshirt like it’s an act of defiance.

And then, like a migratory bird with a soft-serve machine, Dairy Queen opens its window.

The line wraps around the building. The wind still has teeth. A child is visibly shivering while holding a Blizzard. No one questions this. We have waited too long.

Of course, we know better.

We know 50 degrees does not mean winter is finished. There is still a windchill hiding in the forecast. There is at least one heavy, wet snowstorm lurking — probably behind an innocent-looking state high school tournament, waiting for a full parking ramp and a statewide audience before making its entrance.

We’ve seen this before.

The tarp gets pulled off the lawnmower — the one tucked carefully into the corner of the garage last fall for a long winter’s nap. It blinks in the sunlight. We consider it. The lawn considers us.

“Not yet,” it says.

So we wait.

But for one afternoon — one glorious, slightly premature afternoon — we allow ourselves to believe.

Fifty degrees in Minnesota isn’t warm.

It’s permission.

Mark Glende, Rosemount, is an elementary school custodian. “I write about real-life stories with a slight twist of humor,” he says. “I’m not smart enough to make this stuff up.”

Related Articles

Mark Glende: How much do I love ‘I Love To Read Month’? Well …

Mark Glende: Somewhere along the way, restraint met a deep fryer

Mark Glende: Against the odds, this tipsy tree with the leaning star

Mark Glende: Just a simple dream, my dream of a birthday mow

Mark Glende: Rhythm and ritual — the annual awakening of the furnace