I was going to write about something else tonight.
I was away at Woodbadge (again) most of the morning cooking, and by the time we had a moment's rest, all *this* had happened.
What is more alarming is that Governor Walz has finally done it.
He has activated the Minnesota National Guard to protect the citizens of Minneapolis from the King's troops.
Gov. Tim Walz has activated the Minnesota National Guard at the request of county law enforcement after a federal agent fatally shot a man in south Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office confirmed it requested the assistance of the guard to relieve deputies who are currently providing crowd control measures at the Whipple Federal Building, where people have been protesting ICE agents since the killing of Renee Good on Jan. 7.
A federal agent killed a 37-year-old man, identified by local media as Alex Pretti, during a struggle on Nicollet Avenue at East 26th Street around 9 a.m. Saturday.
The scene was quickly surrounded by bystanders, with federal agents deploying tear gas, flash bangs and pepper spray in response to the crowd.
"Due to the potential for continuing and growing conflict related to today’s federal agent-involved shooting, Sheriff Dawanna Witt has requested assistance from the Minnesota National Guard to support our deputies at the Whipple Federal Building so that we can reallocate deputies to other areas in need of support in the county," the sheriff's office said.
Would they actually do it? Would they open fire on "Irregular Army" troops if ordered to?
This is exactly what happened at Old North Bridge. I have a friend who is a re-enactor, and she always tells school groups that visit....Imagine National Guard troops opening fire on the United States Army. That is essentially what happened at Lexington and Concord.
You know my more radical self has been openly calling for armed rebellion and secession for quite some time. Now that the spectre actually presents itself....I find it rather daunting.
For if the Minnesota Minutemen actually open fire on ICE to defend their citizens...well, that is the exact moment that the United States government is fallen.
One could only hope they have the courage and wherewithall of the late
Captain Isaac Davis, who commanded the Acton Minutemen at Concord....and was the first of them to fall defending Barrett's Farm.
Davis's company reached the area of the Old North Bridge at approximately 9 a.m. Several other companies of militia and Minutemen, consisting of about 500 men from Concord, Lincoln, and Bedford, had already gathered on a small hill overlooking the bridge. Approximately 100 British Regulars occupied the bridge. Shortly after Davis arrived, Barrett called a council of the officers present to determine whether or not to attack the Regulars at the bridge. In Concord, the majority of the British force was searching for supplies, but they found little. When they decided to burn some wooden gun carriages they discovered, the provincials near the Old North Bridge saw the smoke and thought the British were burning the town. Barrett then made the decision to attack the soldiers holding the bridge.
Davis's company had taken their designated position at the left of the provincial line. This would have placed the Acton company in the rear of the attack when the line advanced. The company in the lead would have been Captain David Brown's company from Concord. When Barrett asked Brown if he would lead the attack, Brown responded that he would rather not. Knowing that Davis's company was well equipped with bayonets and cartridge boxes, Barrett asked Davis if his company would lead the advance. Several slight variations of Davis's response have been recorded. His response is most often given as, "I have not a man that is afraid to go." Following Barrett's orders, Davis then moved his company to the right of the line. Around 10:30, the provincials faced to the right and advanced on the Old North Bridge in a column of two men abreast. At the head of the column was Davis, Major John Buttrick of Concord, and Lt. Col. John Robinson of Westford. Barrett remained behind on the hill, cautioning his men as they marched by him not to fire first. The British at the bridge, watching the provincials approach, were surprised to see, as one soldier later said, that they "advanced with the greatest regularity".
When the provincials were within about 75 yards of the bridge, the Regulars fired a few warning shots. Luther Blanchard, the fifer from Acton, was hit and wounded by one of these warning shots. The British then fired a disorganized volley. Isaac Davis was shot through the heart. Private Abner Hosmer of Acton was also killed in this volley. Seeing these casualties, Buttrick commanded, "Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake fire!" and the provincials returned fire, causing the British to immediately retreat back to Concord.
Shit is about to get real.