Minnesota ICE Out - "a bleak midwinter's day"

 "For the citizen observer reporting data, ice out occurs when the lake is completely free of ice. Or it may be when it is possible to navigate from Point A to Point B." - publicly accepted definition as stated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Those of you expecting something different here, it's possible that you've earned 5 bonus points in Social Studies for paying attention to current events. They'll be added to your end of 2nd quarter grade. But first... - 

        A)   You have to Cite Your Sources. : Facebook doesn't count & TikTok is frowned upon. You should have read from the printed word and critically evaluated the creditability, accuracy and bias of such.

        B)   Written opinions are accepted but must be validated with facts. As stated: those facts should be vetted for relevance and accuracy, recognizing that we all have had different life experiences shaping those personal feelings. Don't forget to check your spelling.

        C)   In order to earn your bonus points, students must be humble enough to admit that few of us are experts on international law, constitutional law and/or the law of the common man. 

Those of you that have been hidden under a rock for sometime, consider yourself lucky. Presently, the state of affairs in Minnesota is bleak. In current lingo, "ICE Out" refers to something so dramatically removed from it's historical and cultural meaning here. Minnesota is under the national microscope once again. Cold and miserable as the temperatures outside plummet in another polar vortex, it may actually be our only saving grace to explain why the streets aren't ablaze with riots, looting and chaos again. Sure, there are activists taking to the streets voicing their opinions over the local occupancy by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. (ICE) Thankfully, the windchill limits their reach - both the protestors and the agents. 

While following orders from their chain of command, ICE officers have recently been confronted by disruptive citizens intent on distracting them from the mission of enforcing lawful orders. Citizens that should have distanced themselves and remained uninvolved have put themselves in harms way to protect the ugly apprehension of criminals and due process that follows. The 5th and 14th amendments to our Constitution have guaranteed those rights to everyone within U.S. Borders, regardless of citizenship/immigration status. Due process takes time and in some instances, the first steps seem inhumane to those watching from the comfort of their keyboard. Reminding everyone that the law abiding citizens would have nothing to fear in this transaction. If anything, temporary inconvenience could be their only cost of proving lawful citizenship and honest living. 

In the absence of lawful and honest living, we should all be glad that there are people willing to do violence on our behalf. Instead, at present, Minnesota is full of folks that mock the uniform that protect us while we sleep. Minneapolis is no stranger to this. I wish George Floyd and Renee Good were not killed at the hands of officers sworn to protect and serve. I hope we can all agree on that. No person deserves to be "un-alived" for committing petty, bothersome crimes while making the mistake of being at the wrong place at the wrong time and deciding to challenge the authority of the responding officers. But breaking the law has consequences.

Speaking of breaking the law - the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, has said that he holds himself accountable for much of what happens in Minnesota. Prior to the ICE protests and subsequent violence associated with it, Minnesota was gaining national attention for a fraud scheme perpetuated by Somalian refugees living here. Called out for thousands and thousands of dollars of missing taxpayer money, legal and illegal Somalia nationals were being asked to provide proof, credentials and accurate explanations to the question: "where has all the money gone?" Again - in the absence of lawful and honest living, perhaps we should be thankful that their is overwatch, even if it is coming from Big Brother. Governor Walz stumbled and failed to offer a palatable explanation. If our Somalian friends arrived here legally, achieved citizenship and have acted in the best interests and served the local community then more power to them. But if not, they should be held liable and responsible even if the enforcement of that looks disconcerting. 

The news media is licking their chops - exposing and portraying Minnesota as the lawless, desolate landscape of the Wild Wild West.  Our image is off-putting and does not look accommodating or accepting. I'm embarrassed and will admit that my own bias has shaped my opinion.

Only because I was once the guy in the uniform just doing what he was told. 

See above: Mogadishu, Somalia 1995

Many of my cherished friends and most trusted relatives feel drastically different than I do, as evidenced by my Facebook feed. As my homeboy Voltaire is accredited with saying, "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

And my other good buddy, Charlie Daniels, once said, "What this world needs is a little more respect for the Lord, and the law and the working man."

In the meantime, if you need me you can find me out on the lake. ICE fishing. 

But according to the MN DNR, "Ice is never 100% safe."