Commenting on the political shooting and targeting of Minnesota legislators

The day of June 14th was darkened by the shooting of Minnesota legislators and their spouses. One couple was killed, and the other was seriously injured. It was painful to listen to the less-than-humane response by the president.

Those injured and killed were Democrats, and I guess their lives are less valuable than Republicans’. Had Republicans been targeted, the shooter would have been called a terrorist, and the president would have been yelling for the FBI to focus on the attacker, blaming the Democrats for the violence.

Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, who were targeted by a shooter on Saturday, were longtime members of Minnesota’s state legislature. They spent years working to improve their communities, according to leaders who knew them.

Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday by a suspect who posed as a police officer, investigators said. They left behind two children.

Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier in the morning by the same suspect inside their home in Champlin. The couple, who have a daughter, were rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, Gov. Tim Walz said.

Authorities identified 57-year-old Vance Boelter as the suspect as they searched for the gunman.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee is facing outrage and calls for his resignation over social media posts that baselessly claim the man charged with targeting Minnesota lawmakers in the weekend shootings has ties to the political left.

Prominent right-wing figures, including Elon Musk, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, spread now-debunked claims that leftist politics motivated the shooting spree that left one Minnesota state representative dead and another wounded, both democrats.

Let us be clear: we should not advocate for, nor tolerate, violence against anyone.

Then, there was the big, beautiful parade

Trump, who has called the military «suckers» and «fools,» dared to organize a parade honoring the army, which could end up costing between 25 and 45 million dollars, and this comes at a time when important programs are being cut.

This is exactly the kind of event a dictator would have. Tens of thousands standing, waving, and cheering, and, of course, no one protesting. Except this time, the crowd was small and subdued, with many empty seats. Meanwhile, protestors were loud, proud, and outnumbered parade supporters.

President Donald Trump was reportedly unhappy with his sparsely attended military parade and blamed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to biographer Michael Wolff.

Wolff told the Daily Beast podcast that Trump wanted a “menacing” show of force to celebrate the army’s 250th anniversary and his own birthday, but got a “festive” parade instead.

“He’s p—ed off at the soldiers,” Wolff said. “He’s accusing them of hamming it up. By that, he seems to mean they were having a good time, waving, enjoying themselves, and showing a convivial face rather than a military one.”

As thousands of soldiers flanked by tanks made their way past half-empty bleachers along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., social media users noted that the soldiers were marching out of sync, and the muted atmosphere matched the gloomy weather.

Other dictators around the world are probably laughing. The president of the most powerful military put on a sad display of U.S. might and was ridiculed by his own citizens.

The Russians released a mocking video showing how other dictators organize disciplined, impressive military parades, and then showed Trump’s troops strolling, not marching. Remember, Trump praises Putin, and in this video, the Russians were poking serious fun at him.

Watching Trump during the parade, you could see how disappointed he was. For most of it, he slumped like a tired boxer losing every round to what experts would call a weaker opponent.

Yet his White House media claimed more than 200,000 were there cheering. But all you have to do is look at the aerial photos to see how poorly attended it was. You won’t find an energetic crowd waving flags and chanting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

On the other hand, thousands of protesters lined the parade route, a lively, determined crowd.

Was there a cake with enough room for all the candles? Where are the pictures of this so-called most important birthday that coincided with the parade?

No king. This was the most amazing response to Trump and his dictator/king-like attitudes and policies.

It is noted that rallies occurred in more than 2,100 cities, in addition, there were localized neighborhood actions. Driving around the Seattle area, I saw local residents –25 to 100 people– standing and cheering at intersections with great homemade signs. In some cases, it was just 2 to 5 people who gathered to raise their voices.

The message of these local demonstrations was clear: they wanted their friends and neighbors to know they do not support Trump and his king-like behavior.

These gatherings were huge in some big cities, and the events were diverse. It seems people were willing to stand up for the future of our democracy. For many, this was their first public demonstration. Those who were homebound worked the phones and gathered more support for freedom.

Just remember, there are millions of others who could not attend a demonstration but, nonetheless, want to see Trump gone.

Go back and look at the coverage, see the folks who came out and protested. This was a celebration of freedom, with the most wonderful banners, posters, and chants.

No president in our country’s history has provoked this kind of widespread response to an administration’s actions.

It is estimated that millions of Americans came out to protest Trump and say: No Kings… No Kings…!

And all signs indicate: they will not stop until there is change and human rights for all are respected.