News & Articles

It’s no secret we are living under
fascism: Part 1

Let me share a secret. Not unlike other authoritarian countries and governments, we in America now have a secret police.  The secret police are at the federal level. They are secret because unlike local and state police, they keep the organization they are representing a secret. Many if not most of the time the uniforms worn have no identifiable letter designations of law enforcement agencies. Unlike local and state police they do not share a common uniform, color, style, etc. adding to the secrecy. The vehicles they use are much like the average car, truck or SUV with no identifiable policing organization or agency logos, paint color or easily identifiable letters of an agency. They are secret because they have no badges displayed or badge numbers available for identification. They are secret because they hide their faces from the public by wearing masks and highly militarized protective gear that keeps their facial expressions hidden and a secret from the people they are “policing” and keeping their identity unknown, yup, they are secret police.  When an individual asks why they are being detained or questioned they give no answer just demand their directions be followed without question thus the reason(s) for being stopped, questioned or detained remain a secret, yup secret police. Where have the people who have been detained gone? That too is often a secret. What is not a secret is that citizens of the United States have been rounded up by this secret police force and have been denied their constitutional rights. What is not a secret is that  the actions of the Trump administration through Homeland Security, I.C.E., D.E.A. and U.S. Border Patrol are actions of an authoritarian government trampling on the very foundations of American democracy.
Bill Hermanson
Knife River, Minnesotas

It’s no secret we are living under
fascism: Part 2

The Jan. 7, 2026 killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis is still under investigation.  However, there is every indication that the Trump administration and FBI will whitewash the death of Good and exonerate Ross. In fact, Trump and several of his circle have already announced their verdicts, in advance of fact-finding or evidence.

We may anticipate the conclusions of the “investigation”: that agent Ross was simply “doing his duty.” This federal “investigation” of a federal agent killing an unarmed mother of 3 will conclude that the shooting was “in the line of duty” and that Ross is blameless.
The logic behind such an acquittal should be examined closely. The argument rests on the assumption that anything a federal agent does while on duty is acceptable. A simple thought experiment makes this assumption untenable.  If a child makes a face at an ICE agent, or calls him a name, would the agent be justified in killing the child?  Of course not. There must be rules of engagement and a high threshold for the use of lethal force. 

ICE is effectively a paramilitary force within our borders. Through Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security, ICE operates under the Executive Branch, and takes direct or indirect orders from Stephen Miller and President Trump. In theory, Congress provides oversight through inspections and budget control, but under Trump lawmakers’ access to detention facilities has been limited. And ICE’s budget has ballooned to $18.7 billion this year and $74.85 billion over the next four years.

ICE now operates as a private army for the administration. The usual chain of command for military units does not apply, nor does the training and discipline of our armed forces. The “rules of engagement” for this private army have not been made public.
Charles Gessert
Duluth, Minnesota

It’s no secret we are living under
fascism: Part 3

The Gestapo was a secret police force that operated outside the law while racially profiling people, abducting them, and sending them to concentration camps. Sound familiar? ICE is becoming Mad King Donald’s private army, which he uses to collectively punish entire cities, hoping to incite enough chaos to invoke the Insurrection Act and declare martial law, because ICE is not just about immigration and Steven Miller’s theatre of cruelty. It’s about forming a private army to enforce martial law - over all of us. And isn’t it ironic that the 2nd Amendment bros, who say they need guns to prevent government tyranny, are the first to sign up for a 50K bonus and a job with the Feds enforcing government-fucking-tyranny? There is more to the constitution than the 2nd amendment, and all those freedom-loving patriots out there should understand that Gestapo tactics in America will end well for no one. 

David A Sorensen
Duluth,  Minnesota

It’s no secret we are living under
fascism: Part 4

"They must be paid agitators because who else would stand by a neighbor so actively to the point of getting shot or pepper sprayed or beat up? I can’t understand why they would do that. It must be for money.”
This recently overheard conversation indicates that those who choose to live in fear can’t fully comprehend why another person could put their life on the line for a stranger or neighbor or any other sentient being.  Someone that lives with an open heart understands our connections with all beings. To not help another person when in need would be unthinkable to a person living from their heart. You can either live in fear or in love, but you can’t do both at the same time.

Ironically, the above conversation was being discussed by some who call themselves Christians. Those who claim to follow Jesus. However, they have either never understood his true teachings or chosen to ignore their prophet’s words, love your neighbor. Jesus taught a message of love and gave the ultimate sacrifice out of love while also being looked upon as an agitator. But, when your heart is open, you naturally do what is morally correct.

The peaceful protestors in the Twin Cities know what is morally right and they are acting on their convictions of love and decency. They are not paid protesters. They are practicing their constitutional right to protest. On the other hand, the Ice Agents are committing immoral unconstitutional acts strictly for the big bucks. And the “Christians” think that that is perfectly fine. Jesus would be standing with the protestors.

You can choose to see who is acting out of love and who is acting out of fear. It’s not a difficult choice if you open your eyes and believe what you see and not take someone else’s lies to be facts. Please stop your hate-filled conversations and gossiping and instead self-reflect on how you will help this nation heal. Love must be a huge part of the answer.
Barb Tacyshyn-Roth
Moose Lake

And now for something completely
different

Is a paradigm shift needed on Washburn’s lakefront development questions to break a decades-long impasse and allow the city to move ahead?
A question still in front of the Washburn community concerns the lakefront’s 16-acre center:
Is fronting our lakefront with more “development” really going to be a charm to bring folks here let alone add to local bank accounts? Or, would keeping that irreplaceable asset, our remaining lakefront, be an overall greater advantage in all ways to the community, to council members, and to the people who would visit here?

An important consideration to keep in front of us as we weigh this question regards compromise. To my knowledge, there has yet to arise even a single objection to expanding West End Park campground sites into the overflow area,” an open plateau just to the west of the Lakefront Property, and the compromise remains available.

Note:  What would New York City be without its 873-acre Central Park, which includes wooded areas? It will not allow one acre to be removed.
Chicago preserved the entire length of its lakefront as public open space. Chicago also saved as its Cook County Forest Preserve 70,000 acres along the Des Plaines River.
Roth Edwards
Washburn, Wisconsin