Author Archives: D Jeanne

Action, External Organizations, Politics and Policy, Posts & News

“ICE Out of Minnesota” on Friday, January 23rd, Is a General Strike. And Message from SD31

Posted on by D Jeanne

As reported by the Minnesota Reformer, January 23, 2026:

“Citing the killing of Renee Good by federal agent Jonathan Ross, the “ICE Out” day organizers say the general strike is intended to be a day of nonviolent reflection.

“’It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in Minnesota, accountability for federal agents who have caused loss of life and abuse to Minnesota residents and call for Congress to immediately intervene,” the website states.

“Demonstrators will march and rally in downtown Minneapolis Friday starting at 2 p.m.

“Over 100 businesses, restaurants and co-ops in the Twin Cities have announced plans to close Friday, according to Bring Me The News, which is keeping a running list.

“Minneapolis was home to a landmark general strike nearly 100 years ago that was organized by truck drivers with the Teamsters Local 574. Minneapolis then was a non-union town thanks to a business advocacy group called the Citizens Alliance.”

Day of Action and Reflection in Minnesota

Message from SD31

DFL Friends— 

While we are heading toward Caucus Night, so much else is going on.  But one of the most important events is the planned Day of Action and Reflection, sometimes called a general Strike, tomorrow— in support of immigrants and refugees, and in resistance to ICE and their cruelty and violence.  Many businesses will close, and people are asked to avoid shopping and other activities if they are able.  Despite the cold, there will also be peaceful demonstrations.

The statement below came yesterday from the American Swedish Institute, and is one of the best explanations of what is behind this Day of Action and Reflection.  My grandfather came to the US from Sweden at age 8, in 1902.  By age 23 he was fighting for the US in WWI.  And most of us have similar stories in our heritage.  So let’s spend some time remembering how our own family stories connect us with our good neighbors— people who have joined us from other places such as Somalia— and support them.  Here is the ASI message:

ASI Will Be Closed on Friday, Jan 23

For nearly 100 years, ASI has welcomed, celebrated, and studied immigration. ASI is a place created by immigrants and has transformed into a welcoming place that inspires curiosity, embraces creativity, and grows community by exploring the past, present, and future.

We are a safe space for learning and connection, especially in moments like these, when our neighborhood needs it most. ASI stands with our community in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and Minnesota, now and always. 

On Friday, January 23, ASI will join organizations in Minneapolis and beyond who are participating in a day of action and reflection in response to increased ICE activity in our community by closing for the day. ASI staff are encouraged to participate in whatever ways feel most meaningful to them.  

We invite you to join us in supporting our local community. If we can answer any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Best wishes, 

Molly Steenson 

CEO & President, American Swedish Institute 

Observe Friday in any way you are able.  Many places of work will stay open and employees cannot all just stay home.  But please avoid any unnecessary business activities— and take this time to reflect on our mutual connections and mutual history— and the importance of keeping the real America alive in these dark times.

AND REMEMBER: Be careful out there…Stay safe and warm!

Peter

Communications Director

SD31 DFL

Action, Political Ideas, Posts & News

Op-Ed by Keith Ellison in Post Bulletin

Posted on by D Jeanne

The Minnesota DFL.org website recommends reading and sharing this current op-ed by Attorney General Keith Ellison.

www.postbulletin.com

Keith Ellison: MLK’s warnings about injustice have urgency here today

By Keith Ellison
4-5 minutes

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. He knew the gravest dangers to democracy came through normalizing cruelty, political retaliation, and abuses of power.

Today, his warning has never felt more urgent. For months, Minnesotans have faced escalating threats, intimidation, and violence from the Trump administration’s federal invasion of our communities.

As the President tries to goad our people into escalation, we’ve instead chosen peaceful protest, mutual aid, and to protect each other from the terror we’re living through at the hands of violent, masked forces.

This month, the violence turned deadly when a Department of Homeland Security agent took the life of our neighbor, Renee Nicole Good — a mother, a wife, and a U.S. citizen doing her part to fight injustice by legally observing and looking out for her neighbors.

The truth is, what’s happening to Minnesota isn’t accidental. It’s not about public safety, fraud, or even immigration enforcement. It’s the latest in a campaign of retribution by President Donald Trump towards a state that has never voted for him, with no regard for the people who live here. Trump’s own chief of staff described it as “score settling” and admitted, “when there’s an opportunity, he will go for it.”

She’s right — President Trump has rarely missed an opportunity to abuse his power in service of callous retribution.

Spreading conspiracies after the tragedy of my friend Melissa Hortman’s assassination is retribution by Donald Trump.

Cutting 12,000 Minnesota families off from child care is retribution by Donald Trump.

Trying to cut Minnesota off from the SNAP, harming almost half a million people, is retribution by Donald Trump

And surging a reported 2,000 ICE agents into our neighborhoods — their self-proclaimed “largest operation ever” — is retribution by Donald Trump. Retribution that left a mother dead.

These are not only policy choices — these are deliberate acts that punish families, destabilize communities, and put lives at risk.

That’s why I am challenging Trump and Noem’s federal invasion of our state in court and fighting to protect Minnesota’s access to Medicaid, SNAP and child care from a federal government that cares only about settling scores. Minnesotans know that as long as I am their attorney general, I will never stop fighting for them.

And as we fight for our neighbors, Minnesota’s Republican elected officials have co-signed these actions. Every elected leader in Minnesota must now decide: Stand up for Minnesotans or stand with President Trump and his attacks on our neighbors, our budgets, and our values. In moments of crisis, Minnesotans have always chosen to stand up for one another. We should demand the same of our leaders.

To our friends watching around the country, know this: Trump’s assault on the American people will not stop with Minnesota. We’re the beta test for his campaign of violent retaliation against his perceived enemies.

Here’s what the rest of America can learn from us: We will not roll over. If compliance means Minnesotans losing access to child care, or the most vulnerable losing access to food, or neighbors losing their lives while standing up for each other, our answer is simple: We will not comply.

Instead, we’ll keep protesting peacefully, volunteering, donating, and protecting our neighbors from harm, no matter where they were born.

Dr. King taught us that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice, but only when we pull it. We need all hands on that arc to preserve our democracy, and recommit our nation to the goal of living up to our lofty ideals.

Democracy does not defend itself. That’s our job.

Keith Ellison has been Minnesota’s attorney general since 2019. He previously represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District from 2007 to 2019.

External Organizations, Politics and Policy, Posts & News

Minnesota Federal Attorneys Resign over DOJ ICE Shooting Investigation

Posted on by D Jeanne

Six attorneys have reportedly resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota, with the New York Times reporting the departures are tied to the Justice Department’s approach to investigating the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good.

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/report-federal-attorneys-including-minnesotas-top-fraud-prosecutor-resign-over-ice-shooting-probe

Action, Candidates, Politics and Policy, Posts & News, Volunteer

Caucus Night, Tuesday, February 3rd

Posted on by D Jeanne

Why go to Caucus?

Caucuses are the first major events of what will prove to be a very historic election year. Yes, there is some party business to do, but mainly it is a chance to meet DFL friends and get recharged for the coming campaign year. We need to do everything we can to prevent the GOP and ICE from taking over in Minnesota, and instead to strengthen our progressive influence on state and national politics.

Caucuses are the place and time where you can:

  • meet your DFL neighbors— there are lots of us!
  • start to get involved
  • enhance your current involvement
  • write a resolution to guide DFL policies and platform
  • join a committee or local group to work at the grassroots level
  • meet candidates
  • become a delegate to upcoming conventions
  • even consider running for a DFL position or as a candidate for office!
  • OR: JUST COME TO MEET FRIENDS AND LEARN MORE!

This is our first reminder— please mark your calendars and plan to attend Caucus info events in January AND the Caucuses themselves on Feb 3. Read on for specifics.

Caucus Night clip art
Jaw-dropping, Politics and Policy, Posts & News

Venezuela and Cuba?

Posted on by D Jeanne

Venezuela and Cuba?

Lawrence O’Donnell gave an enlightening explanation of the military action in Venezuela on his MSNOW show this evening (Jan 5, 2026). I’m discussing it because it surprised me, and yet, the scenario sounds truer than any other explanation.

The key point: Venezuela is a dry run for a planned takeover of Cuba. Think back to the Bay of Pigs, a CIA operation that was initiated under President Eisenhower. It was and remains the dream (“the fever dream” in O’Donnell’s words) of then Cuban refugees from Fidel Castro’s Revolution, who are now influential Cuban-Americans, to topple the Castro Revolution. These refugees were not impoverished. Many were wealthy and had just lost their business profits to Communism. The Bay of Pigs invasion wasn’t about U.S. national defense or the preservation of democracy. Not then, not now. It was an effort to reverse the Revolution and bring back capitalism.

The Missile Crisis confrontation with Russia came later. It was a wild year of headlines. As time went by, memories were conflated, confusing in the public mind the motivations of the earlier Bay of Pigs with a Cold War nuclear crisis instigated by Khrushchev who saw a huge advantage of a Soviet-influenced foothold so close to the U.S. During those months of strife over Cuba — its form of economy and its resources — the two actions were not the same. The Bay of Pigs was not a defensive action. The Cuban Missile Crisis, which Kennedy defused with a last moment private negotiation, could have been. (If that is not what you remember, check out the many new histories on the subject or Thirteen Days: A Memoir Of The Cuban Missile Crisis, with foreword by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., an account by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy).

Likewise, Venezuela is not a defensive action against drug traffickers, as we all know. Trump told us. It is about oil. Despite the dirty crude reported to come from Venezuela, multinational oil corporations are already entering the country. O’Donnell noted that Chevron (which never quite left Venezuela) is already reorganizing. Undoubtedly, Exxon is taking action, too, as well as others. They were part of the plan. Or were they? Do Chevron and Exxon believe that this arrangement will survive succeeding White House administrations in the U.S.? I’m not going there.

But why Cuba? O’Donnell points out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the Administration’s advocate and organizer of the Venezuela affair — is a Cuban-American. How likely is he also an advocate for regime change in Cuba? Very. Well, he’s already said it: “Cuba is next.” O’Donnell speculated that that Rubio might even hope to be the one put in charge of “running” Cuba. This administration will never understand that governing is not the same thing as running a business.

But according to O’Donnell, Denmark might take hope. O’Donnell is convinced that Trump’s threat to go after Greenland is just another Trump diversion so that we won’t pay attention to Cuba.

UPDATE (1/11/2026): https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-issues-takeover-warning-to-neighboring-country-in-morning-rant/

Posts & News

The Dangerous AI Overvaluation

Posted on by D Jeanne

Not much needs to be said here. Compare the stock values and revenues of AI companies such as Nvidia, OpenAI, and Anthropic with retailers and industries such as Amazon, Walmart, Exxon, McDonald’s, and Lockheed Martin. In all cases, AI companies currently have greater values than revenues. The retailers and industries, especially Walmart and Exxon, exhibit the opposite trend.

Revenues are the total income generated by the sale of goods or services, indicating a company’s operational success.

Stock values reflect the market’s perception of a company’s future growth potential and profitability. They are influenced by various factors beyond just current revenues.

Clearly, the markets see AI companies as having exceptional future growth potentional. But remember the Tech Bubble from 1995 to 2002? We should know by now that the markets are notoriously hopeful.

This is the market crash danger that you are hearing and reading about in the media.

AI Companies are wildly overvalued

Chart published at DailyKos

Posts & News

The Wishful Thinking of Voter Turnout

Posted on by D Jeanne

CAN THIS MEME BE TRUE?

Sadly, the answer is no. Although recurring often, this text and its variants (there is no known source) implies that (discounting ranked-choice voting) the more voters who vote in the U.S. two-party system, the greater the chance of a Democratic win. It sounds very encouraging, but consider the logic. The corollary assertion must be that most voters who don’t vote, are Democrats. It is impossible to collect any data on voters who don’t vote, and even if it could be done, the percentage of Democrats in that group would vary from region to region and from election to election.

Clearly, the inspiration for this meme comes from contrasting party policies. Democrats support voter inclusiveness while Republicans generally push for voter exclusion, under the assumption that those who would get excluded are Democrats. Although we may have a good intuitive idea of micro-voting patterns and voting lethargy on a local area basis, just about every state or national election holds big surprises after the final count. Simply put, both parties make too many assumptions about voter groups.

Turnout is great, but voter education, combined with reducing the unwise control of elections by party leaders, is what counts. If Democrats want more voters, they need to permit candidates to run who the voters want.

For more information, see: “Does High Voter Turnout Help One Party?”

Action, Candidates, External Organizations, Posts & News

EMERGENCY PROTEST ON OCTOBER 28TH

Posted on by D Jeanne
Wide Paint It Blue logo

Emergency Protest Tonight!

This is the message sent by email to our members yesterday. If you didn’t hear about it, you can learn more below.
 
As many of you are aware, our school board race in Anoka-Hennepin is seeing a huge amount of outside spending by groups who want to privatize our schools and turn them into culture war battlegrounds. Our friends at Indivisible are organizing an emergency protest tonight at the Coon Rapids Civic Center over a horrible speaker that the Parents Alliance has invited. Please see below and come support!
 
 
 

EMERGENCY POP-UP PROTEST TONIGHT – Tuesday, 10/28

 

Protest AGAINST dark money/FOR social studies as a necessity in education

 

WHERE: Coon Rapids Civic Center, 1387 111th Ave NW, Coon Rapids, MN

WHEN: Please plan on being there by 6:15 PM with the protest starting at 6:30 PM

PARKING: Park in the Civic Center parking lot & look for the people with signs!

The Parents Alliance, the group backing A-H school board candidates Audette, Strabala, and Coan has received an large donation of $157,000 for the candidates’ campaigns. This money has been traced back to the Center for the American Experiment, the Heritage Foundation, and ALEC, whose written mission statement is to destroy public education and replace it with voucher systems for private schools.

The Parents Alliance and their backers are having a speaker at the Coon Rapids Civic Center tonight at 7PM. The speaker is employed by the Center for the American Experiment and formerly by the Heritage Foundation, which are extreme right-wing think tanks/lobbyists. This speaker will be speaking AGAINST the teaching of social studies and ethnic studies in Anoka-Hennepin schools!

Background – current A-H Board members Audette, Arco, and Hoekman have blocked the adoption of new social studies materials and curriculum as required by the MN state curriculum standards. This raises the concern that Anoka-Hennepin students would not be able to graduate, as they would fail to meet  MN graduation standards.

This donation of $157K is a blatant attempt to buy the largest school district in MN. We cannot let them win!

Sign Ideas:

OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT FOR SALE

DON’T WHITEWASH HISTORY

A-H BOARD MUST FOLLOW STATE GUIDELINES

SOCIAL STUDIES ARE IMPORTANT

Jaw-dropping, Posts & News, Unusual

A Triumphal Arch

Posted on by D Jeanne

Found in Mary L. Trump’s Substack column today (10/22/25). “There’s also been a lot of talk about the obscene, opulent, almost certainly to-be-gaudy ballroom that will be erected in place of the East Wing; a 90-thousand-square-foot monstrosity that will dwarf the rest of the White House. We were initially told that the project was going to cost $200 million, then $250 million; now it’s estimated to be $300 million. Donald has already told us he’s going to use some of the excess funds that have been raised from corporations like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (you get the idea) to build a triumphal arch in his own honor.”

I didn’t post the above quote because of the ballroom “renovation” and its reported cost (i.e., the East Wing demolition), which are disturbing in themselves. Instead, I posted it because the highlighted words in the last sentence enough to choke on. Apparently, the first mentions of this arch came out about a week ago (at the New York Times website and Syracuse.com, among other internet sources), but I had not noticed the story. Just in case you are likewise uninformed, you will find sufficient information in the above column and via any quick internet search. Perhaps he now thinks he is Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Maybe the arch is a substitute for the Nobel Peace Prize. Either way, readers here should know about this plan. After what we have already seen, there is no reason the arch wouldn’t happen.