I am a "raging leftist" from a Republican family in Connecticut. I am constantly told, "You can't do anything about it. Why do you care so much?" But I understand that each singular voice is important. Fox News has brainwashed my family members with its dehumanizing rhetoric, yet I am trying so hard to not respond to hate with hate. I know that historically times have been just as bad as they are now; but as a person who grew up in the '80s and '90s, it is so incredibly disheartening to raise children in a place that's almost unrecognizable. Hugs to everyone out there losing sleep.
Jessica I am you, and you are me. I could’ve written this exact response, but I grew up in Louisiana. My mother’s same words, “why do you care so much?” I care, because you raised me to be that way. I don’t understand how suddenly I’m a “raging leftist” for wanting the very things we learned about in church every Sunday and talked about at the dinner table. You are not alone.
Sharon these killings are terrifying. Thank you for having the courage to so publicly speak up and fight the good fight!
SAME. But I grew up in TN. And I shake my head and say but didn't you teach me to love one another? To be the good Samaritan? That's what Jesus said so why are we ripping moms away from their children and sending innocent people to horrific places and saying well they broke the law so it's their fault? WHERE IS THE HUMANITY? WHERE IS THE DECENCY?
On a positive note, I talked to one of my best friends, who is very conservative, today amd she agrees with me. So maybe there is hope!
Your comment reminds me of the book The Help. Skeeter is writing about the experience of the black maids and her boyfriend asked her "why do you even care"?
I wasn’t raised to be silent. Quite the opposite. We protested, voted, rallied—we believed we were fighting for a more “godly” America. But in hindsight, a lot of that fire was stoked by fear. The same kind of fear and control that’s now metastasized into the violence we’re seeing.
Deconstructing that—my faith, my politics, my sense of who I thought I was supposed to be—has been messy. But once you see it, you can’t go back. And pretending this is just a blip? That’s not an option anymore.
I make beautiful things for a living, but the real work these days feels like trying to rebuild something truer—inside and out. When people say, “Why do you care so much?” I want to say: because I’ve seen what happens when we stop caring. And I’ve seen what happens when we care in the wrong direction.
So yeah, I’ll keep using my voice. Not because I think it’ll fix everything, but because I know what it feels like to be inside a belief system that calls harm holy. And I refuse to play along anymore.
My childhood altar calls were full of fire, brimstone, and warnings about the Antichrist, who, in hindsight, looks suspiciously Trumpian. Strange how the people who taught me that can’t see it.
I could have written this, Jessica! Born and raised in Arizona in a religious family, and I am appalled by the lack of empathy and ability to look clearly at facts. Fox News has also completely brainwashed them. It’s so sad to see, but I fight on for my kids and their future ♥️
There are times I feel myself slipping into despair and hopelessness at what feels like the death of empathy, and of living in a shared reality.
You’re the one who taught so many of us that hope is a choice, an act, a behavior, and a muscle we need to keep exercising.
And what I’ve come to realize more than anything else is that authoritarians always underestimate how much the rest of us LOVE each other, even if we’re very different from one another. They simply can’t fathom that we are stronger because we are connected, because we care. Because we want the same laws and fairness applied universally to those we despise, as well as our family and friends.
Mankind is your business, Sharon, and you’ve helped so many of us awaken to the fact that it’s ALL of our business. We can’t opt out. When any of our civil liberties are violated, ALL of us are impacted, even if we don’t know it yet.
I can’t imagine what you and your family are feeling in the wake of this, but know the movement you’ve started has pulled so many of us from the brink of hopelessness, has given us direction and purpose and fierceness AND gentleness.
You’ve lit a whole lot of candles. It’s a fire hazard probably. But this fire is magic fire. It heals and strengthens and inspires. Let’s GO!
Over the weekend I was listening to an episode of the podcast Song Exploder in which musician Anohni discussed making her song “4 Degrees” and one of the final questions of the interview was the meaning behind the title of the album the song comes from: Hopelessness.
I can’t recite what she said from memory, but I loved what she said and I will attempt to paraphrase: “Hopelessness is a feeling, and a rational response to what is going on. But just like all of your feelings, you cannot ignore it; it is vital to acknowledge it, and use it as your weapon. Just because someone or something makes you feel hopeless, it doesn’t mean things are objectively hopeless: hopelessness can be your trigger to action.”
That really perfectly described my reaction the day after the election. Profound hopelessness, followed by hopefulness that if we can just capture the energy that comes in reaction to the horror, we can do something greater and full of love than we ever could in a state of complacency and complicity.
Those who are feeling hopeless right now have more access to each other than any hopeless group in history. Find likeminded social and political groups. Put your heads together and focus on bite-sized actions that moves the needle back to sanity and away from extremism. And then remember that once we have reached our small goals, there are still more hills to climb in order to create a “more perfect union” until the day we die.
I went to a No Kings peaceful protest on Saturday. I felt hopeful for the first time in ages. Also, energized to continue actively participate in protecting human rights, bringing back sanity and checks and balances in our three branches of democratic (small d) government. No more silence here!
I also went to a No Kings protest in my small, very red town. There were almost 500 peaceful protesters! My heart was filled with hope and a renewed spirit to carry on the good fight. It is not hopeless 💙💙
That’s how I felt too. Seeing the videos of millions of people who love America and thus want to make it better (for all of us!) was the most hope I’ve felt in a long time.
“authoritarians always underestimate how much the rest of us LOVE each other, even if we’re very different from one another. They simply can’t fathom that we are stronger because we are connected, because we care. Because we want the same laws and fairness applied universally to those we despise, as well as our family and friends. “
As we awoke and prepared to head to the No Kings rally and protest at the Minnesota Capitol, we heard the news. My sister texted that the State Patrol urged protesters to stay home and stay safe. We considered that for a mere moment, then headed out with determination. Our kids had other plans, but changed their minds and headed to the rally when they heard of what happened. Many who attended said the hatred and violence of the morning made them more determined to participate. Our voices will not be silenced. Our candles will continue to burn and shed light for as much time as we are given.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
When I think about the number of hateful comments I see on social media, I fear there are many more like this man. People not anchored to the values they claim, but to the fears that are continually stirred up in them by the leaders and media they follow. You can’t serve your values and your fear at the same time. Sharon, your example here is one our country desperately needs - emotional regulation and clarity of values. May we all follow. May we regulate our emotions, remember our values, and choose next needed actions that serve those values. I will join you in the resistance Sharon. We are the ones.
In dark times, you are a light in the chaos. I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am for people like you who are using their gifts every single gifts to illuminate for the rest of us what’s going on in the shadows. I’ll never take what you’ve done for granted. How many people have taken steps to run for some type of office- to organize- to rethink a partisan opinion- to see a neighbor differently- or simply to learn more about our government and constitution, and what makes it so great? You’ve lit tiny fires under thousands of us Sharon, and they’re only growing.
So if they’re coming for you- well, it’s really too late. What they need is a bucket brigade for the rest of us, because there’s no hiding this little light of mine now.
I'll share what I posted on Instagram from that day:
"Today I have been reeling. This morning I stepped out of the shower, preparing to attend a local rally to speak up for the degradation of Constitutional separation of powers playing out continuously this year, as well as for the push against our BWCA watershed this administration seems bent upon...and then I saw a text from my mom that they were under shelter in place orders due to an active shooter manhunt just miles from their home. I learned soon that it was politically targeted, my parents' rep and her husband had been assassinated, and one of the other victims covered her daughter with her body to protect her, and that there was concerns of safety for nearby rallies like ours, due to his continued armed and at-large status, pretending to be a cop. My rally formally canceled. I pivoted and figured I would just still have the kids have cousin time then figure out SOMETHING good to do for my nation on this Flag Day (also my parents' 45th wedding ann.❤️👏), but I felt silenced by the threat of violence, sad, shocked, and ANGRY. Angry that this happened when big events were planned, feeling like deliberate chilling timing. Grieved for the victims and for the felt reality of this attack on my parents' representation in Democracy. Shocked and horrified that precisely what I've worried about for many months now is still coming true before my very eyes. And affecting MY home. My people. My family. My friends. You never think it will actually happen near you but that it will unfold somewhere far away. Yet here we are in such a time as this. This is not the America I knew. This is not the America I want us to stay as. When I heard that people still chose to gather in Anoka anyway, I stopped on my way home to join. I tied up my red Americana bandana in my hair, wearing my AE clothes, and my indigenous made berry earrings, with my little flag and mini mobile Little Free Library full of Constitutions, which some took for themselves and for their kids and grandkids. It felt good to be WITH people. It was peaceful, poignant, positive, empowering. THIS is what I'm here for and will strive to protect for you, and for me, for my children. America, the beautiful, the free🇺🇸"
I felt silenced that day by his actions, but the collective courage of other fellow Minnesotans helped me more bravely choose to shine my own light. I spent the rest of the weekend encouraged by that community and was able to recharge with my own family and see all the little good bits of joy and beauty in our life. Also. I called my rep last night (Emmer) to wish him a happy father's day and encourage him to lead the way with changing the rhetoric, which stokes the flames of such actions as we saw here. I started watching Hamilton recently for the first time, and it was a reminder, on the heels of having visited the site of the Shots Heard Round the World last year...and reading your book...that it really is and always has been us individual people doing the next needed thing in our own time and space when history starts making itself happen around us. Here we are. What will we do in this time? I will keep speaking up. I will keep showing up for my family and choosing to highlight joy and whimsy, while simultaneously ensuring my children each have a copy of the Constitution and learn their rights and learn to stand up for what's right while also being kind and compassionate. 👏
So many similar feelings here. I was in the shelter in place zone and both Hortman and Hoffman are my electeds. While I hadn’t met Hortman and Hoffman in person, my daughter had a number of times as part of various Youth in Government activities as well as being a House page last year. There was some fear with many unknowns but also strengthened resolve to attend the Anoka No Kings. So glad we did! Overwhelmingly positive and a great experience.
It's really neat to know we were both there, never having met, as part of that collective moment. Thanks for being a part of it. Lol maybe you're in some of my pictures! Being there fed my soul. It was the human connection I needed in that time.
Agree! Collective humanity. I was there with my Governerds shirt on but had my coat so probably not very noticeable. Loved all the enthusiastic honking and thumbs ups. Very uplifting given the events of the day.
Who knew we'd need our coats on June 14th 😆 How very Minnesotan of the weather. I was also in mine. Nice to "meet" you and so lovely to know you're out and about in my local community doing your thing!
One thing jumped out at me - of COURSE violence, political or otherwise, extreme left or right either, is heinous and wrong. But we have to stop equivocating. The maga extremists and NUTJOBS are responsible for the VAST majority of political violence and domestic terrorism. To imply by stating the left first that it comes from both sides is dangerous and plays into the narrative that both sides are just as bad. Even the mentally disturbed kid who shot at trump was a Republican. Please stop doing this, Sharon.
I don't view it as equivocating. Other political murders have happened recently -- thinking of the assassination of the United CEO and two Israeli embassy staffers in DC -- both killed by people on the left. It's wrong no matter whose ideology pulls the trigger.
That’s using the term “political” a bit more broadly. And absolutely it’s horrific and not in any way justifiable or acceptable regardless of who pulls the trigger. But it is a FACT that maga is responsible not only for pulling the trigger but inciting and enflaming the motive in FAR more instances than the left. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find an instance of violence that could be traced back to being incited by violent rhetoric on the left.
Thank you for writing this. My heart hurts so much, but I too will use my light to stand against darkness. I often have courage to do but don’t know what to do. My mother, whom I’m sure is not alone in her cultish obsession with Trump, believes God told her Trump is his man sent to bring down the evil in the deep state. I used to describe my mom as someone who was a peace-loving hippie, but now I see her being radicalized. I worry this isn’t the end of political violence and a wake up call but the beginning eruption.
Beth, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine the sense of loss (while she’s still alive) you must feel. I wish I had something more helpful to say but just know you’re not alone.
Beth, I am sorry you are having to go through this. Personally, I can't for the life of me figure out how anyone who listened to the 2016 campaign he ran couldn't see who he is, including my three sons. Take heart. Find a cause that interests you and carry on! We're with you.
This will only make those of us determined to resist stronger. While growing up in a SW Ohio small town, my brother and I were pulled out of school by police more than once due to threats of violence against our mom, the local newspaper editor; not for her incendiary rhetoric but simply for positions she took on the issues of the day. She was a single mom whose military husband (first generation son of a German immigrant who fled fascism) had made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and the liberty and justice it represented. Though she was fiercely protective of her kids, she would never let her husband’s sacrifice be diminished by quitting or refusing to do what was right, even in the face of such threats. After she died a couple years ago I found many, many letters from people she helped over the years and people who thanked her for the positions she took in looking out for the best interests of the town. I found one other folder with anonymous letters she was advised by the police to retain. They were horrific. I never knew the whole time I was growing up there that some people living around us even had such vile thoughts against a woman and her two kids, which is I’m sure why she never showed them to us.
It’s become something of a meme but it fits the purpose of all this in that in spite of everything she had to go through, nevertheless she persisted. If she can persist, we can all persist. We can persist in small ways, large ways and every way in between. We must.
Maybe some of our relatives are right. Maybe Trump was sent from God but not for the reasons they think. Maybe God sent the worst person He could come up with to show us all how bad things could get when enough of us fall under the spell of a corrupt, ignorant, amoral narcissist.I don’t know. But I do know that “political violence is never acceptable” is the new “thoughts and prayers” platitude that always follows mass shootings. How can anyone be shocked by political violence in America when the President of the United States, the so-called leader of the Free World, has this to say publicly on such somber occasions as Easter and Memorial Day: "Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country." and "HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS.”
Millions of people came out to protest over the weekend. Trump is already changing his position on going after immigrants at workplaces. We can make our voices heard while we honor the sacrifices and bravery of the Hortmans and the Hoffmans and all those who came before them.
I LOVE this, Kate. thank you for sharing. I always like reading your thought-provoking comments here.
What if God DID send the worst person He could come up with? It makes more sense to me than trying to imagine God wanting me to be part of the MAGA movement.
Oof. When I heard the news of the assassinations, it never occurred to me that you might be on the list, Sharon. Can I just say, from someone outside the USA, who isn't a US citizen or resident, who has never even contemplated becoming a US citizen (or resident) and never will, I have admired and enjoyed your forthrightness, clarity, and visible love for your country and its ideals. If more people thought - simply thought, not even along your specific lines - then the USA would be far closer to the "more perfect union" it aspires to. Thank you for doing the hard work of educating, amusing, enlightening, and inspiring Americans - along with the rest of us out here! <3
Pardon me while I have a little Monday morning weep. 🥹
I keep thinking about how those who have faced the tides of hatred and oppression in the past had to face it with absolutely no idea whether it would ever change. The Little Rock 9 getting screamed at by grown ass white people on their way to school had to wonder whether there would ever be a point to what they were doing. The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted over a year; how many days of that year were people tired of fighting and wondering if change would ever come. When leaders were getting assassinated in the 60s, stoking fear into all Americans, surely it felt like this - like the hatred and fear would win. And yet…here we all are, in what I would like to think is a bit more of a just, peaceful, good, and free America. We can do better, but we have also proven we can get closer to our North Star. 🌟
It’s hard to understand this level of anger and hatred when you don’t possess it. It’s also hard to remember that this hatred doesn’t start at this level. It starts small and grows bigger. It’s why dehumanization of others is so dangerous. It’s why I try to be kind to others even when thinking, would they be this kind to me if they knew who I voted for? Based on the shirts they wear, signs in their yard and social media posts I’m not sure they would. But hating someone is so much easier than being kind. And this is not saying you put up with terrible treatment or gloss over actions that need to be called out. But I imagine how much hate they have and know what they aren’t prepared for is people being kind to each other. Amy Kobluchar posted a remrembrance of Melissa Hortman on Under the Desk News instagram last night. Even if they aren’t a typical follow just the piece from Kobluchar is worth watching.
I kept refreshing the newsfeed until he was finally caught. I just assumed that Sharon was on the list, and I was overwhelmingly relieved when he was in custody. I live in Alaska, but Sharon is my Minnesota representative. So very very grateful that you are safe, Sharon. Sending you a huge hug. ❤️
I am a "raging leftist" from a Republican family in Connecticut. I am constantly told, "You can't do anything about it. Why do you care so much?" But I understand that each singular voice is important. Fox News has brainwashed my family members with its dehumanizing rhetoric, yet I am trying so hard to not respond to hate with hate. I know that historically times have been just as bad as they are now; but as a person who grew up in the '80s and '90s, it is so incredibly disheartening to raise children in a place that's almost unrecognizable. Hugs to everyone out there losing sleep.
Jessica I am you, and you are me. I could’ve written this exact response, but I grew up in Louisiana. My mother’s same words, “why do you care so much?” I care, because you raised me to be that way. I don’t understand how suddenly I’m a “raging leftist” for wanting the very things we learned about in church every Sunday and talked about at the dinner table. You are not alone.
Sharon these killings are terrifying. Thank you for having the courage to so publicly speak up and fight the good fight!
SAME. But I grew up in TN. And I shake my head and say but didn't you teach me to love one another? To be the good Samaritan? That's what Jesus said so why are we ripping moms away from their children and sending innocent people to horrific places and saying well they broke the law so it's their fault? WHERE IS THE HUMANITY? WHERE IS THE DECENCY?
On a positive note, I talked to one of my best friends, who is very conservative, today amd she agrees with me. So maybe there is hope!
Your comment reminds me of the book The Help. Skeeter is writing about the experience of the black maids and her boyfriend asked her "why do you even care"?
I wasn’t raised to be silent. Quite the opposite. We protested, voted, rallied—we believed we were fighting for a more “godly” America. But in hindsight, a lot of that fire was stoked by fear. The same kind of fear and control that’s now metastasized into the violence we’re seeing.
Deconstructing that—my faith, my politics, my sense of who I thought I was supposed to be—has been messy. But once you see it, you can’t go back. And pretending this is just a blip? That’s not an option anymore.
I make beautiful things for a living, but the real work these days feels like trying to rebuild something truer—inside and out. When people say, “Why do you care so much?” I want to say: because I’ve seen what happens when we stop caring. And I’ve seen what happens when we care in the wrong direction.
So yeah, I’ll keep using my voice. Not because I think it’ll fix everything, but because I know what it feels like to be inside a belief system that calls harm holy. And I refuse to play along anymore.
My childhood altar calls were full of fire, brimstone, and warnings about the Antichrist, who, in hindsight, looks suspiciously Trumpian. Strange how the people who taught me that can’t see it.
This is really a profound comment. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you.
I was raised the same way. I am done with fear based beliefs and actions.
I posted a little comment in my family group chat and SILENCE… I am sure I am known as the unhinged one.. and that is okay… but I will move forward
You are not alone in these crazy times. I have a son who says I only get the liberal news which I try to look at all sides. I’m with you!!
Oh I get silence every day as I post the truth about what is happening to democracy
I could have written this, Jessica! Born and raised in Arizona in a religious family, and I am appalled by the lack of empathy and ability to look clearly at facts. Fox News has also completely brainwashed them. It’s so sad to see, but I fight on for my kids and their future ♥️
Blue dot in a sea of familial Red over here too.. keep fighting the good fight!
Sending love from the pnw! Your comment took the words right out of my mouth.
Yep. My children are queer too which makes it all the more depressing.
There are times I feel myself slipping into despair and hopelessness at what feels like the death of empathy, and of living in a shared reality.
You’re the one who taught so many of us that hope is a choice, an act, a behavior, and a muscle we need to keep exercising.
And what I’ve come to realize more than anything else is that authoritarians always underestimate how much the rest of us LOVE each other, even if we’re very different from one another. They simply can’t fathom that we are stronger because we are connected, because we care. Because we want the same laws and fairness applied universally to those we despise, as well as our family and friends.
Mankind is your business, Sharon, and you’ve helped so many of us awaken to the fact that it’s ALL of our business. We can’t opt out. When any of our civil liberties are violated, ALL of us are impacted, even if we don’t know it yet.
I can’t imagine what you and your family are feeling in the wake of this, but know the movement you’ve started has pulled so many of us from the brink of hopelessness, has given us direction and purpose and fierceness AND gentleness.
You’ve lit a whole lot of candles. It’s a fire hazard probably. But this fire is magic fire. It heals and strengthens and inspires. Let’s GO!
Over the weekend I was listening to an episode of the podcast Song Exploder in which musician Anohni discussed making her song “4 Degrees” and one of the final questions of the interview was the meaning behind the title of the album the song comes from: Hopelessness.
I can’t recite what she said from memory, but I loved what she said and I will attempt to paraphrase: “Hopelessness is a feeling, and a rational response to what is going on. But just like all of your feelings, you cannot ignore it; it is vital to acknowledge it, and use it as your weapon. Just because someone or something makes you feel hopeless, it doesn’t mean things are objectively hopeless: hopelessness can be your trigger to action.”
That really perfectly described my reaction the day after the election. Profound hopelessness, followed by hopefulness that if we can just capture the energy that comes in reaction to the horror, we can do something greater and full of love than we ever could in a state of complacency and complicity.
Those who are feeling hopeless right now have more access to each other than any hopeless group in history. Find likeminded social and political groups. Put your heads together and focus on bite-sized actions that moves the needle back to sanity and away from extremism. And then remember that once we have reached our small goals, there are still more hills to climb in order to create a “more perfect union” until the day we die.
I went to a No Kings peaceful protest on Saturday. I felt hopeful for the first time in ages. Also, energized to continue actively participate in protecting human rights, bringing back sanity and checks and balances in our three branches of democratic (small d) government. No more silence here!
I also went to a No Kings protest in my small, very red town. There were almost 500 peaceful protesters! My heart was filled with hope and a renewed spirit to carry on the good fight. It is not hopeless 💙💙
That’s how I felt too. Seeing the videos of millions of people who love America and thus want to make it better (for all of us!) was the most hope I’ve felt in a long time.
“authoritarians always underestimate how much the rest of us LOVE each other, even if we’re very different from one another. They simply can’t fathom that we are stronger because we are connected, because we care. Because we want the same laws and fairness applied universally to those we despise, as well as our family and friends. “
THIS RIGHT HERE!!!
That last paragraph. ❤️
As we awoke and prepared to head to the No Kings rally and protest at the Minnesota Capitol, we heard the news. My sister texted that the State Patrol urged protesters to stay home and stay safe. We considered that for a mere moment, then headed out with determination. Our kids had other plans, but changed their minds and headed to the rally when they heard of what happened. Many who attended said the hatred and violence of the morning made them more determined to participate. Our voices will not be silenced. Our candles will continue to burn and shed light for as much time as we are given.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Oh boy, that just hits different right now.
❤️🥹😭
When I think about the number of hateful comments I see on social media, I fear there are many more like this man. People not anchored to the values they claim, but to the fears that are continually stirred up in them by the leaders and media they follow. You can’t serve your values and your fear at the same time. Sharon, your example here is one our country desperately needs - emotional regulation and clarity of values. May we all follow. May we regulate our emotions, remember our values, and choose next needed actions that serve those values. I will join you in the resistance Sharon. We are the ones.
“You can’t serve your values and your fear at the same time.” Wow. This makes a lot of sense! Thanks for sharing.
In dark times, you are a light in the chaos. I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am for people like you who are using their gifts every single gifts to illuminate for the rest of us what’s going on in the shadows. I’ll never take what you’ve done for granted. How many people have taken steps to run for some type of office- to organize- to rethink a partisan opinion- to see a neighbor differently- or simply to learn more about our government and constitution, and what makes it so great? You’ve lit tiny fires under thousands of us Sharon, and they’re only growing.
So if they’re coming for you- well, it’s really too late. What they need is a bucket brigade for the rest of us, because there’s no hiding this little light of mine now.
We love you Sharon. Yours is an important voice. Praying for peace, but standing firm and gearing up for battle all the same. ❤️
I'll share what I posted on Instagram from that day:
"Today I have been reeling. This morning I stepped out of the shower, preparing to attend a local rally to speak up for the degradation of Constitutional separation of powers playing out continuously this year, as well as for the push against our BWCA watershed this administration seems bent upon...and then I saw a text from my mom that they were under shelter in place orders due to an active shooter manhunt just miles from their home. I learned soon that it was politically targeted, my parents' rep and her husband had been assassinated, and one of the other victims covered her daughter with her body to protect her, and that there was concerns of safety for nearby rallies like ours, due to his continued armed and at-large status, pretending to be a cop. My rally formally canceled. I pivoted and figured I would just still have the kids have cousin time then figure out SOMETHING good to do for my nation on this Flag Day (also my parents' 45th wedding ann.❤️👏), but I felt silenced by the threat of violence, sad, shocked, and ANGRY. Angry that this happened when big events were planned, feeling like deliberate chilling timing. Grieved for the victims and for the felt reality of this attack on my parents' representation in Democracy. Shocked and horrified that precisely what I've worried about for many months now is still coming true before my very eyes. And affecting MY home. My people. My family. My friends. You never think it will actually happen near you but that it will unfold somewhere far away. Yet here we are in such a time as this. This is not the America I knew. This is not the America I want us to stay as. When I heard that people still chose to gather in Anoka anyway, I stopped on my way home to join. I tied up my red Americana bandana in my hair, wearing my AE clothes, and my indigenous made berry earrings, with my little flag and mini mobile Little Free Library full of Constitutions, which some took for themselves and for their kids and grandkids. It felt good to be WITH people. It was peaceful, poignant, positive, empowering. THIS is what I'm here for and will strive to protect for you, and for me, for my children. America, the beautiful, the free🇺🇸"
I felt silenced that day by his actions, but the collective courage of other fellow Minnesotans helped me more bravely choose to shine my own light. I spent the rest of the weekend encouraged by that community and was able to recharge with my own family and see all the little good bits of joy and beauty in our life. Also. I called my rep last night (Emmer) to wish him a happy father's day and encourage him to lead the way with changing the rhetoric, which stokes the flames of such actions as we saw here. I started watching Hamilton recently for the first time, and it was a reminder, on the heels of having visited the site of the Shots Heard Round the World last year...and reading your book...that it really is and always has been us individual people doing the next needed thing in our own time and space when history starts making itself happen around us. Here we are. What will we do in this time? I will keep speaking up. I will keep showing up for my family and choosing to highlight joy and whimsy, while simultaneously ensuring my children each have a copy of the Constitution and learn their rights and learn to stand up for what's right while also being kind and compassionate. 👏
So many similar feelings here. I was in the shelter in place zone and both Hortman and Hoffman are my electeds. While I hadn’t met Hortman and Hoffman in person, my daughter had a number of times as part of various Youth in Government activities as well as being a House page last year. There was some fear with many unknowns but also strengthened resolve to attend the Anoka No Kings. So glad we did! Overwhelmingly positive and a great experience.
It's really neat to know we were both there, never having met, as part of that collective moment. Thanks for being a part of it. Lol maybe you're in some of my pictures! Being there fed my soul. It was the human connection I needed in that time.
Agree! Collective humanity. I was there with my Governerds shirt on but had my coat so probably not very noticeable. Loved all the enthusiastic honking and thumbs ups. Very uplifting given the events of the day.
Who knew we'd need our coats on June 14th 😆 How very Minnesotan of the weather. I was also in mine. Nice to "meet" you and so lovely to know you're out and about in my local community doing your thing!
Thank you. Overall I love the tone here.
One thing jumped out at me - of COURSE violence, political or otherwise, extreme left or right either, is heinous and wrong. But we have to stop equivocating. The maga extremists and NUTJOBS are responsible for the VAST majority of political violence and domestic terrorism. To imply by stating the left first that it comes from both sides is dangerous and plays into the narrative that both sides are just as bad. Even the mentally disturbed kid who shot at trump was a Republican. Please stop doing this, Sharon.
I don't view it as equivocating. Other political murders have happened recently -- thinking of the assassination of the United CEO and two Israeli embassy staffers in DC -- both killed by people on the left. It's wrong no matter whose ideology pulls the trigger.
That’s using the term “political” a bit more broadly. And absolutely it’s horrific and not in any way justifiable or acceptable regardless of who pulls the trigger. But it is a FACT that maga is responsible not only for pulling the trigger but inciting and enflaming the motive in FAR more instances than the left. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find an instance of violence that could be traced back to being incited by violent rhetoric on the left.
We ARE the ones we’ve been waiting for. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you for writing this. My heart hurts so much, but I too will use my light to stand against darkness. I often have courage to do but don’t know what to do. My mother, whom I’m sure is not alone in her cultish obsession with Trump, believes God told her Trump is his man sent to bring down the evil in the deep state. I used to describe my mom as someone who was a peace-loving hippie, but now I see her being radicalized. I worry this isn’t the end of political violence and a wake up call but the beginning eruption.
My mom was a life long Democrat… until 11/06/24… once described as tree hugging democrat… now she an obsessed Fox News consumer .
My goal today is to find some Joy
Beth, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine the sense of loss (while she’s still alive) you must feel. I wish I had something more helpful to say but just know you’re not alone.
Thank you.
Beth, I am sorry you are having to go through this. Personally, I can't for the life of me figure out how anyone who listened to the 2016 campaign he ran couldn't see who he is, including my three sons. Take heart. Find a cause that interests you and carry on! We're with you.
Thank you… the voting choices were the last straw. It’s been a journey . Lol
This will only make those of us determined to resist stronger. While growing up in a SW Ohio small town, my brother and I were pulled out of school by police more than once due to threats of violence against our mom, the local newspaper editor; not for her incendiary rhetoric but simply for positions she took on the issues of the day. She was a single mom whose military husband (first generation son of a German immigrant who fled fascism) had made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and the liberty and justice it represented. Though she was fiercely protective of her kids, she would never let her husband’s sacrifice be diminished by quitting or refusing to do what was right, even in the face of such threats. After she died a couple years ago I found many, many letters from people she helped over the years and people who thanked her for the positions she took in looking out for the best interests of the town. I found one other folder with anonymous letters she was advised by the police to retain. They were horrific. I never knew the whole time I was growing up there that some people living around us even had such vile thoughts against a woman and her two kids, which is I’m sure why she never showed them to us.
It’s become something of a meme but it fits the purpose of all this in that in spite of everything she had to go through, nevertheless she persisted. If she can persist, we can all persist. We can persist in small ways, large ways and every way in between. We must.
Maybe some of our relatives are right. Maybe Trump was sent from God but not for the reasons they think. Maybe God sent the worst person He could come up with to show us all how bad things could get when enough of us fall under the spell of a corrupt, ignorant, amoral narcissist.I don’t know. But I do know that “political violence is never acceptable” is the new “thoughts and prayers” platitude that always follows mass shootings. How can anyone be shocked by political violence in America when the President of the United States, the so-called leader of the Free World, has this to say publicly on such somber occasions as Easter and Memorial Day: "Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country." and "HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS.”
Millions of people came out to protest over the weekend. Trump is already changing his position on going after immigrants at workplaces. We can make our voices heard while we honor the sacrifices and bravery of the Hortmans and the Hoffmans and all those who came before them.
I LOVE this, Kate. thank you for sharing. I always like reading your thought-provoking comments here.
What if God DID send the worst person He could come up with? It makes more sense to me than trying to imagine God wanting me to be part of the MAGA movement.
Kate, thank you for sharing both of your parents’ stories, they’re both American heroes.
Oof. When I heard the news of the assassinations, it never occurred to me that you might be on the list, Sharon. Can I just say, from someone outside the USA, who isn't a US citizen or resident, who has never even contemplated becoming a US citizen (or resident) and never will, I have admired and enjoyed your forthrightness, clarity, and visible love for your country and its ideals. If more people thought - simply thought, not even along your specific lines - then the USA would be far closer to the "more perfect union" it aspires to. Thank you for doing the hard work of educating, amusing, enlightening, and inspiring Americans - along with the rest of us out here! <3
Pardon me while I have a little Monday morning weep. 🥹
I keep thinking about how those who have faced the tides of hatred and oppression in the past had to face it with absolutely no idea whether it would ever change. The Little Rock 9 getting screamed at by grown ass white people on their way to school had to wonder whether there would ever be a point to what they were doing. The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted over a year; how many days of that year were people tired of fighting and wondering if change would ever come. When leaders were getting assassinated in the 60s, stoking fear into all Americans, surely it felt like this - like the hatred and fear would win. And yet…here we all are, in what I would like to think is a bit more of a just, peaceful, good, and free America. We can do better, but we have also proven we can get closer to our North Star. 🌟
It’s hard to understand this level of anger and hatred when you don’t possess it. It’s also hard to remember that this hatred doesn’t start at this level. It starts small and grows bigger. It’s why dehumanization of others is so dangerous. It’s why I try to be kind to others even when thinking, would they be this kind to me if they knew who I voted for? Based on the shirts they wear, signs in their yard and social media posts I’m not sure they would. But hating someone is so much easier than being kind. And this is not saying you put up with terrible treatment or gloss over actions that need to be called out. But I imagine how much hate they have and know what they aren’t prepared for is people being kind to each other. Amy Kobluchar posted a remrembrance of Melissa Hortman on Under the Desk News instagram last night. Even if they aren’t a typical follow just the piece from Kobluchar is worth watching.
I kept refreshing the newsfeed until he was finally caught. I just assumed that Sharon was on the list, and I was overwhelmingly relieved when he was in custody. I live in Alaska, but Sharon is my Minnesota representative. So very very grateful that you are safe, Sharon. Sending you a huge hug. ❤️
This was really beautifully written. Thank you. 🙏🏻