Minnesota — a state that has given America outstanding personages like movie legend Judy Garland, authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis, 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Joe Mauer, Charles Schulz the creator of Peanuts and influential vice presidents and senators Hubert Humphry and Walter Mondale — has descended into a clown show marked by corruption and continuous demonstrations, headed by Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that must have Hubert and Walter spinning in their graves.

Leaders of The Democratic, Farm, Labor Party had apparently both ignored and hushed up the corruption scandal to avoid upsetting the large Somali community that helps keep them in power. was until Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old self-described ”independent YouTube journalist,” posted the 42-minute video on X and YouTube the day after Christmas.

Minnesota is now facing massive, ongoing federal investigations into the theft of taxpayer funds intended for social services. More than 85 individuals have been charged, with dozens convicted, including in the Feeding Our Future case. Reports indicate at least $1 billion, and potentially up to $9 billion, in taxpayer funds were stolen via sham businesses, with fraud occurring between 2020 and 2023.

While so far no evidence links Walz directly to committing fraud, his administration faces severe criticism and a U.S. House investigation for oversight failures. Critics, including state auditors and federal investigators, cite a lack of financial controls and failure to act on warnings about fraud. The scandal forced Walz to drop his reelection bid saying that he had to be focused on cleaning up the clown show that he should have been aware of in the first place.

Walz’s first move was to blame President Trump and Washington for the mess but that apparently did not work well. Then a gift one they probably saw as coming from heaven (certainly not from God’s heaven) fell into their hands. ICE came to town implementing Operation Metro Surge and began to round up the worst of the worst of the illegal aliens. This raised the ire of many residents of Minneapolis who for reasons I will never understand must like hardened criminals roaming their streets.

After the shootings by ICE agents of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti when both attempted to interfere with ICE operations with Perretti bringing a gun to at least two demonstrations, protests escalated. Had they been friends of mine I would have advised Renee to go home and have a cup of coffee first and I would have advised Al to leave his gun at home because law enforcement is a little skittish about armed civilians at a protest.

Then politicians on both sides forget that words have real power. Noem quickly labeled both incidents ”acts of domestic terrorism” claiming Pretti arrived at the scene with a 9 mm handgun and dozens of rounds of ammunition to “inflict maximum damage” and kill law enforcement. However neither could be said to have been domestic terrorists but normal protestors who sadly were not exercising normal common sense.

Democrats both at the local, state and in Congress continued to use inflammatory language to demonize ICE, the Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security personnel by calling them Nazis, fascists, and the Gestapo. Politicians that include Walz, Frey, Gavin Newsom and Brandon Johnson labeled agents “Gestapo,” a “paramilitary force” a “terror force” or just “thugs”.

In doing so these leaders have branded American citizens, employees of the federal government as an enemy occupation force seemingly forgetting that these personnel risk injury and even death to remove rapists, murderers, pedophiles and drug traffickers from the streets of the communities.

Unfortunately it seems to me that it is the anti ICE protestors who are bringing fascism to the streets of Minneapolis. Around Jan. 31 checkpoints began appearing on Minneapolis streets manned by self-appointed individuals with the purpose of stopping vehicles that might contain ICE agents to identify them and who knows what else. This of course is absolutely illegal but brings to mind motion pictures taken on the streets of Berlin on the night of Nov. 9 and 10, 1938, Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass when the Nazi regime declared war on German Jews and Nazi Brown shirts roamed the streets beating and killing those they suspected of being Jews

Then there was the case of group of engineers from out of town who were swarmed at a Minneapolis deli by whistle blowing left wing protestors demanding with no legal authority that the men show ID because in their words “They looked like ******* ICE agents.”

The most egregious incident of fascist like mobs getting out of hand was when they interrupted the Sunday morning services of a St. Paul Church heckling and shouting at parishioners that included young children accusing them of being white supremacists and the pastor of working for ICE. The protesters action were in direct violation of The federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994 (18 U.S.C. § 248). It covers reproductive health clinics, hospitals, and places of religious worship. It prohibits Intentionally injuring, intimidating, or interfering with staff, patients, or worshippers. It also prohibits property damage to these facilities. A number of protestors, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon have already been indicted for their alleged actions.

Fortunately with the arrival of “Border Czar” Tom Homan cooler heads have prevailed with the withdrawal of 700 ICE agents from Minnesota based on the agreement by state and local officials to increase cooperation regarding the turning over of arrested illegals. It seems to be working because Minneapolis police are now arresting protestors attacking ICE agents and also removing illegal checkpoints. Cooler heads seem to be prevailing now. We should all hope it lasts.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com