Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
What's Up, Dox?
Until recently, “Masked and armed agents of the state have no place in a free society” seemed like a fairly unremarkable statement. Nothing about the recent invasion of Minnesota by the masked and armed agents of the state who brutalized, abducted, and killed our neighbors should have changed that fact.
There’s every reason to believe that people who can act anonymously feel less compunction to act responsibility. (Ever been on the internet?) Another reason we require law enforcement to identify themselves (I can’t believe I even have to say this) is so we know that they’re law enforcement. Less than a year ago, a masked man impersonating law enforcement shot House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband dead at their home.
And so, as Allison Kite reports for the Star Tribune, DFL legislators are, quite reasonably, sponsoring a bill to ban law enforcement from covering their faces or concealing their identities. (Yes, there are all the proper carve outs for health, religion, and undercover work.) Who could argue with that?
“ICE officers are being doxxed, assaulted, harassed,” whines malignant twerp Elliott Engen, the state rep who reps Lino Lakes and is currently running for state auditor.
House Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska (R-Anoka, of course) called the bill “political theater” before alliterating meaninglessly, “No one’s fooled by the party of defund, demonize, and dox.”
So, yes, the Republicans have so far blocked the bill from coming to the floor, upholding the right of federal goons (or maybe even state and local goons in the future—a party can dream right?) to maraud anonymously. If I'm following the GOP reasoning here correctly, the agents must be able to shield their identities because when they do so people try to uncover their identities.
Shitty Minnesotan Boss Gets Other Minnesotan Killed Overseas
Sgt. First Class Nicole Amor of White Bear Lake died at the age of 39 over the weekend during an Iranian drone strike on Kuwait because her bosses are cruel and inept monsters.
One of those bosses, Secretary of Defense/War/”Major Combat Operations” Pete Hegseth, also happens to be from Minnesota. He’s upset that only the bad parts of wars get reported. Says Hegseth:
When a few drones get through, or tragic things happen, it’s front page news. I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad. But try for once to report the reality.
Yeah, look on the bright side: U.S. and Israeli weaponry has already killed at least 700 Iranian civilians, including children at a girl’s elementary school in Minab.
Amor was a member of the Minnesota National Guard. She died two days before she was set to return to Minnesota.
“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, tells AP. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first—it hurts.”
Amor had two children—a son in high school and a daughter in fourth grade—and loved gardening.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” the president said of the first American casualties, evincing the typical warmth he has for people who are not Donald Trump.
Hegseth’s response? “War is hell and always will be.” We can only hope that someday he finds out what hell is really like.
ICE—Still Here, Still Sucks
No, ICE has not withdrawn from Minnesota completely. In fact, there were reports of an uptick in activity yesterday, with trucks and vans advertising fake businesses going after folks.
Here's what else is up on the ICE front:
- U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen had a rough day in court Tuesday trying to convince U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Bryan not to impose contempt sanctions. At issue: The feds’ refusal to promptly return belongings to illegally detained immigrants. Max Nesterak has more at the Minnesota Reformer.
- ICE raids have been especially hard on Shakopee, as anyone who has followed social media accounts for Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee) already knows. Today, Stephen Rodrick at Rolling Stone, who also wrote this excellent piece on the life and death of Melissa Hortman last year, gives the story the attention it deserves.
- The thing about impromptu public memorials, whether they’re for late pop stars or people killed by the state, is that so much stuff gathers that eventually someone has to decide what to do with it. Alicia Eler has a nice piece in the Strib on the volunteer who’s currently archiving the artifacts at the Renee Good memorial.
- And finally, read this typically excellent piece from Alex V. Cipolle of MPR news about “how protest songs shaped the anti-ICE movement in Minnesota.”
Dakota? More Like Dako-Two!
The Dakota is opening a new club in downtown Minneapolis on Ninth & Nicollet at the Young-Quinlan Building. The new joint will be called The Quinlan Room by Dakota. Sounds fancy!
According to a press release:
At almost 10,000 square feet, The Quinlan Room features a marble grand staircase, mezzanine, large arched windows, and proportions that evoke the style and ambiance of a grand ballroom. Its open, flexible layout can accommodate a wide range of events, including musical performances, weddings, corporate functions, and other private gatherings. Dakota anticipates it will be able to host parties ranging from 50 to 300.
In other Dakota-related news: I'm headed there tonight to see Slum Village.
