Yes! And Obama and his two terms broke the camel’s back. It’s so insanely ridiculously sad. But, this is their last push. White men will soon be extinct and this is their last fight for survival. I’m sorry I forgot the current year, but I think it was 2030. By 2030 the white race (which I think that terminology is already stupid) will be a minority in the US. Why, because we fall in love with a person not their skin color and the children born them are a beautiful mix. I still sit with my jaw open when Vance speaks - I want to say, you know you fell in love with an Indian women and your children are not white. It’s a lovely thing, but how does his wife look at him across the dinner table and not wonder. His children are too young yet.
I’m sorry, I completely disagree with you on your very racist opinion. Obama did a lot of good for this country while trumpf has done nothing but tear it apart and destroy it!
Well... you certainly put a lot of research into this. Almost like investigating the evidence in a crime. Wait... you are investigating the evidence in a crime. And thanks for all the sources. For me, sources verify that you've done your homework. Thanks for a compelling story.
The first time I viewed the video Ross took, what stood out was Renee Good’s calm demeanor and reassuring words:
“That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you.” Quickly followed by shots and then the shocking words “fuc*ing bi*ch”.
It made no sense that JD Vance thought the video exonerated Ross. Then I watched it again. This is when I recognized what Vance was signaling. Renee Good’s wife was goading ICE agents including Ross. This is what Vance wanted MAGA to see; a lesbian heckling an officer.
Now on social media, I read attacks and character assignations on Renee attempting to rewrite her description from American Christian mom and poet to unstable lesbian agitator and troublemaker. By dehumanizing her, the shooter is somehow exonerated. It gives permission for supporters to blame the victim, protecting ICE from scrutiny.
In this moment it becomes crystal clear that they can shoot anyone, lie about not only the murder, but, also the person they killed. No one is safe when the government can invent a new persona for their victims that justifies the violence.
This is excellent analysis and explication. I've been trying to process my own emotions since the murder of Renee Good. I'm generally a pretty laid-back guy, more analytical than emotional, but this murder really hits me hard. And it's not just because Renee Good was a white woman. I have been dedicated to opposing the Trump regime because it is bad for our country. It pursues bad policies that are detrimental to the majority of our citizens. But Renee Good could have been any one of us. And for me, this act transforms a bad government into a manifestation of pure evil. These creatures need not only to be opposed and overcome. They need to be eradicated from our government and their influence expunged. And then they need to be punished. From this point on we are not just opposing a bad regime, we are opposing evil.
Government corruption, lies, misuses of power are too often swept under the rug to avoid "unpleasantness". The trouble is that left to its own devices, corruption does not fade, it grows and spreads. To build something takes time and work. Decay needs only neglect.
Good analogy. We'll need a lot of bleach to disinfect this mess, and that will take a lot of time and work. I hope we have the energy and persistence to do that while we're trying to rebuild our democracy -- to form a more perfect union, if you will. We can no longer be complacent.
Impeachment is really being talked about. They know the senate would not impeach him, but they are working on the right angle. If he is brought up on impeachment charges it means there is evidence of wrong doing and that is taken with the democratic candidates on their election campaign trials. On the other side, the republican candidate has a boss who was brought up, again on impeachment charges and they, their constituents are already wondering who they had voted for and what the state of the country looks like. Fingers crossed. If trump touches voting ballots in 2026 I believe their officially will be a storming of the castle like we have not seen just yet. Jimmy Kimmel’s firing was an amazing moment to see, across all walks of people that that was where they drew the line - even MAGA Influencers.
This is what I fear. Trump won't go down until he is brought down. There is no question at this point that he and his lackeys will try either to prevent a midterm election or take drastic action to interfere with it. If he tries to do that, and enough people feel the same rage in November that they feel right now, the Mango Mussolini might end up like the original -- upside down on a lamp post. Such an outcome might feel satisfying, but it would not be good for our country.
Once again a case is presented with exceptional clarity and an undertone of poetry. Poetry can often tell lived truths more cogently than prose.
The lines "you don’t just risk biasing a jury. You risk breaking the shared reality a jury is supposed to represent" are worth an essay all their own because even though there is a way we each exist in an unique experiential reality that is all our own, we also share. We also resonate. And some things we experience together, as witnesses to the same event, or because "the structure" of reality "repeats itself". Our experience will be our own, but reports will overlap. That sense of shared experience is essential to the reliability of the scientific method, to the democratic process, and to empathy. It is why it is wise to separate church and state, especially in a court of law where evidence you and I can examine together is seen to point to truth.
Your writing is so beautiful. Thank you. Even if Renee Good was yelling and screaming and escalating, SHE DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE!!! The state has no right to summarily execute her in our name. Or kidnap our neighbors. Or terrorize our children. Or tear gas our streets. Or hold anyone in inhumane conditions regardless of their crimes. Each of us must escalate our own reaction now. Not the way ICE and CPB are doing with ugly violence, but with non-compliance. A population that refuses to be controlled CANNOT be controlled. Xplisset hits the nail on the head: when we use our moral judgement, it doesn't matter what anyone tells us the law is, we must not and will not comply. Our compliance is the only thing that gives the state true power. We vote with our eyeballs and wallets and bodies every day.
"Let's cut the rug, little jive and jitterbug
We want the best, we won't settle for less
Don't be a drag, participate
Clams on the half shell and roller skates, roller skates
She too had unalienable rights., and to secure those rights in an environment of liberty and justice (for real) we respect and protect the rights of one another. There is no other way it can happen.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."
This makes the horror make a little sense. And gives me hope knowing we've gotten through this before. I hope when this is done we finish the job more completely than last time. Everyone regardless of race or sex needs to be included in our future.
I have great respect for the mission of law enforcement, which I see, at least in part is to be an "adult in the room" and attempt to reduce the possibility of harm as much as is practically possible, even when the last viable approach is the use of deadly force
I fear that some who are drawn to positions of authority can harbor some poorly maturated urges to bully. Our "President" is a poster child for that. Emotional adults are kyptonite for bullies, and those who are threatened by that can often lash out. Such killed Lincoln and MLK. Arguably, even Jesus. I wonder if the fact that Renée Nicole Good was presenting as an adult in the room and did not cower; her very composure, may have contributed to triggering the impulse that sealed her doom.
Your report invoked a tired cop finding clarity at the end of a messy shift. Your prayer invoked Doctor Reverend Martin Luther King Junior summoning deliverance from a ceaseless moral struggle. Powerful delivery.
David, thank you for seeing it that way. That “tired cop at the end of a messy shift” is exactly the feeling, like the adrenaline finally drains and the truth gets loud. And the prayer part…yeah, that’s me I guess tryin to reach for a moral spine when the facts feel like they’re trying to break one. I appreciate you naming the cadence, because it reminds me I’m not writing into a void.🙏
For those who may not “get it” and may interpret this as disrespect need to look at the history behind this song. It was written as a counterframe to the hopelessness that followed in the post civil rights era. It was a stubborn defiance to not let that hopelessness overtake you and instead be the thing you wish to see in the world. I’m paraphrasing Nile Rogers as best as I can here. It also captures the spirit of the original genesis of the blues which was a defiant resistance to the retreat of the first civil rights movement that came from Reconstruction.
I recently retired from a career in victim advocacy. The partnership with the civil and criminal justice systems on behalf of victims/survivors was crucial. Toward the end of my time in advocacy, I found myself in the middle of a thing I could not figure out just due to proximity. It seemed like a feud between organizations about something that had nothing to do with the safety of victims or accountability for those who used violence against partners. Reading your work has helped me name what I believe was happening. It was Payback Policy applied across systems. I need to think on it more and do not want to give details, in hopes that my former colleagues will find their way to a better place again. But you helped me put a name to it, which provided a context for me to sink into. As always, thanks for what you do.
Melody…yeah. I know exactly what you mean. When the work stops being about victims and starts feeling like a feud, like turf and score-settling, you can feel it even if you can’t “prove” it. “Payback Policy across systems” is a painfully clean name for it.
And I respect you for protecting details. That’s wisdom. I’m glad the piece helped you trust what your gut was already telling you.🙏
As a veteran, and a veteran of 15 years of law enforcement, I thank you for putting into powerful words what so many of us are feeling, but can't articulate properly. I intentionally have not posted my thoughts on Renee Good's execution simply because I don't feel I can do her justice. Again, thank you, Sir.
Dan, I see ya man. Fifteen years on the job and a veteran too means you’ve carried weight most folks will never understand. Thank you for your service, and for the discipline it takes to stay quiet when you’re trying to honor her the right way. Your comment tells me you are indeed doing her justice.
AM…yeah. Me too, that quiet presence like she’s standing just off to the side saying, “Don’t let them turn me into a headline and a shrug.” Thank you for putting it into words. If enough of us can name that haunting, it turns into memory, and memory turns into pressure.🙏
Best essay I've read about this. Scary about what it means - thank you for spelling it out so clearly - and heartening that Minnesota is pursuing it regardless of the federal roadblocks. I don't write on Substack at this point, so didn't restack, but have had quite some discussions going on Facebook and so posted it there - twice. Once as a comment to a thread by a couple of commenters and separately as a linked post.
Thank you for message XVOA. Live reports from MN, video from Status Coup reporting to us the 1000's of people in Minneapolis community protesting on the street. Since George Floyd and now protesting ICE and the killing of Renee Good. Watch on you tube "Status Coup" ICE OUT NOW makes me proud of these Americans!
The original civil war never ended. The South, angry about the surrender, went underground. The Heritage Foundation along with the KKK were born.
This has been the plan all along. Kill the government within.
Follow the money.
Bingo
Yes! And Obama and his two terms broke the camel’s back. It’s so insanely ridiculously sad. But, this is their last push. White men will soon be extinct and this is their last fight for survival. I’m sorry I forgot the current year, but I think it was 2030. By 2030 the white race (which I think that terminology is already stupid) will be a minority in the US. Why, because we fall in love with a person not their skin color and the children born them are a beautiful mix. I still sit with my jaw open when Vance speaks - I want to say, you know you fell in love with an Indian women and your children are not white. It’s a lovely thing, but how does his wife look at him across the dinner table and not wonder. His children are too young yet.
I’m sorry, I completely disagree with you on your very racist opinion. Obama did a lot of good for this country while trumpf has done nothing but tear it apart and destroy it!
Well... you certainly put a lot of research into this. Almost like investigating the evidence in a crime. Wait... you are investigating the evidence in a crime. And thanks for all the sources. For me, sources verify that you've done your homework. Thanks for a compelling story.
The first time I viewed the video Ross took, what stood out was Renee Good’s calm demeanor and reassuring words:
“That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you.” Quickly followed by shots and then the shocking words “fuc*ing bi*ch”.
It made no sense that JD Vance thought the video exonerated Ross. Then I watched it again. This is when I recognized what Vance was signaling. Renee Good’s wife was goading ICE agents including Ross. This is what Vance wanted MAGA to see; a lesbian heckling an officer.
Now on social media, I read attacks and character assignations on Renee attempting to rewrite her description from American Christian mom and poet to unstable lesbian agitator and troublemaker. By dehumanizing her, the shooter is somehow exonerated. It gives permission for supporters to blame the victim, protecting ICE from scrutiny.
In this moment it becomes crystal clear that they can shoot anyone, lie about not only the murder, but, also the person they killed. No one is safe when the government can invent a new persona for their victims that justifies the violence.
This is excellent analysis and explication. I've been trying to process my own emotions since the murder of Renee Good. I'm generally a pretty laid-back guy, more analytical than emotional, but this murder really hits me hard. And it's not just because Renee Good was a white woman. I have been dedicated to opposing the Trump regime because it is bad for our country. It pursues bad policies that are detrimental to the majority of our citizens. But Renee Good could have been any one of us. And for me, this act transforms a bad government into a manifestation of pure evil. These creatures need not only to be opposed and overcome. They need to be eradicated from our government and their influence expunged. And then they need to be punished. From this point on we are not just opposing a bad regime, we are opposing evil.
Government corruption, lies, misuses of power are too often swept under the rug to avoid "unpleasantness". The trouble is that left to its own devices, corruption does not fade, it grows and spreads. To build something takes time and work. Decay needs only neglect.
Good analogy. We'll need a lot of bleach to disinfect this mess, and that will take a lot of time and work. I hope we have the energy and persistence to do that while we're trying to rebuild our democracy -- to form a more perfect union, if you will. We can no longer be complacent.
Impeachment is really being talked about. They know the senate would not impeach him, but they are working on the right angle. If he is brought up on impeachment charges it means there is evidence of wrong doing and that is taken with the democratic candidates on their election campaign trials. On the other side, the republican candidate has a boss who was brought up, again on impeachment charges and they, their constituents are already wondering who they had voted for and what the state of the country looks like. Fingers crossed. If trump touches voting ballots in 2026 I believe their officially will be a storming of the castle like we have not seen just yet. Jimmy Kimmel’s firing was an amazing moment to see, across all walks of people that that was where they drew the line - even MAGA Influencers.
This is what I fear. Trump won't go down until he is brought down. There is no question at this point that he and his lackeys will try either to prevent a midterm election or take drastic action to interfere with it. If he tries to do that, and enough people feel the same rage in November that they feel right now, the Mango Mussolini might end up like the original -- upside down on a lamp post. Such an outcome might feel satisfying, but it would not be good for our country.
James......he will not leave without a fight screaming all the way I didn't do anything wrong! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Once again a case is presented with exceptional clarity and an undertone of poetry. Poetry can often tell lived truths more cogently than prose.
The lines "you don’t just risk biasing a jury. You risk breaking the shared reality a jury is supposed to represent" are worth an essay all their own because even though there is a way we each exist in an unique experiential reality that is all our own, we also share. We also resonate. And some things we experience together, as witnesses to the same event, or because "the structure" of reality "repeats itself". Our experience will be our own, but reports will overlap. That sense of shared experience is essential to the reliability of the scientific method, to the democratic process, and to empathy. It is why it is wise to separate church and state, especially in a court of law where evidence you and I can examine together is seen to point to truth.
Beautifully put, J L (as usual).
James.....I agree! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Your writing is so beautiful. Thank you. Even if Renee Good was yelling and screaming and escalating, SHE DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE!!! The state has no right to summarily execute her in our name. Or kidnap our neighbors. Or terrorize our children. Or tear gas our streets. Or hold anyone in inhumane conditions regardless of their crimes. Each of us must escalate our own reaction now. Not the way ICE and CPB are doing with ugly violence, but with non-compliance. A population that refuses to be controlled CANNOT be controlled. Xplisset hits the nail on the head: when we use our moral judgement, it doesn't matter what anyone tells us the law is, we must not and will not comply. Our compliance is the only thing that gives the state true power. We vote with our eyeballs and wallets and bodies every day.
"Let's cut the rug, little jive and jitterbug
We want the best, we won't settle for less
Don't be a drag, participate
Clams on the half shell and roller skates, roller skates
Good times"
She too had unalienable rights., and to secure those rights in an environment of liberty and justice (for real) we respect and protect the rights of one another. There is no other way it can happen.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."
-- Lincoln
Amen
This makes the horror make a little sense. And gives me hope knowing we've gotten through this before. I hope when this is done we finish the job more completely than last time. Everyone regardless of race or sex needs to be included in our future.
I have great respect for the mission of law enforcement, which I see, at least in part is to be an "adult in the room" and attempt to reduce the possibility of harm as much as is practically possible, even when the last viable approach is the use of deadly force
I fear that some who are drawn to positions of authority can harbor some poorly maturated urges to bully. Our "President" is a poster child for that. Emotional adults are kyptonite for bullies, and those who are threatened by that can often lash out. Such killed Lincoln and MLK. Arguably, even Jesus. I wonder if the fact that Renée Nicole Good was presenting as an adult in the room and did not cower; her very composure, may have contributed to triggering the impulse that sealed her doom.
Your report invoked a tired cop finding clarity at the end of a messy shift. Your prayer invoked Doctor Reverend Martin Luther King Junior summoning deliverance from a ceaseless moral struggle. Powerful delivery.
David, thank you for seeing it that way. That “tired cop at the end of a messy shift” is exactly the feeling, like the adrenaline finally drains and the truth gets loud. And the prayer part…yeah, that’s me I guess tryin to reach for a moral spine when the facts feel like they’re trying to break one. I appreciate you naming the cadence, because it reminds me I’m not writing into a void.🙏
Good times, these are the GOOD TIMES
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times
Happy days are here again
The time is right for makin' friends
Let's get together, how 'bout a quarter to ten
Come tomorrow, let's all do it again
Boys will be boys, better let them have their toys
Girls will be girls, cute pony tails and curls
Must put an end to this stress and strife
I think I want to live the sporting life
Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times
A rumor has it that it's getting late
Time marches on, just can't wait
The clock keeps turning, why hesitate
You silly fool, you can't change your fate
Let's cut the rug, little jive and jitterbug
We want the best, we won't settle for less
Don't be a drag, participate
Clams on the half shell and roller skates, roller skates
Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times
Good times
A rumor has it that it's getting late
Time marches on, just can't wait
The clock keeps turning, why hesitate
You silly fool, you can't change your fate
GOOD TIMES….
For those who may not “get it” and may interpret this as disrespect need to look at the history behind this song. It was written as a counterframe to the hopelessness that followed in the post civil rights era. It was a stubborn defiance to not let that hopelessness overtake you and instead be the thing you wish to see in the world. I’m paraphrasing Nile Rogers as best as I can here. It also captures the spirit of the original genesis of the blues which was a defiant resistance to the retreat of the first civil rights movement that came from Reconstruction.
I recently retired from a career in victim advocacy. The partnership with the civil and criminal justice systems on behalf of victims/survivors was crucial. Toward the end of my time in advocacy, I found myself in the middle of a thing I could not figure out just due to proximity. It seemed like a feud between organizations about something that had nothing to do with the safety of victims or accountability for those who used violence against partners. Reading your work has helped me name what I believe was happening. It was Payback Policy applied across systems. I need to think on it more and do not want to give details, in hopes that my former colleagues will find their way to a better place again. But you helped me put a name to it, which provided a context for me to sink into. As always, thanks for what you do.
Melody…yeah. I know exactly what you mean. When the work stops being about victims and starts feeling like a feud, like turf and score-settling, you can feel it even if you can’t “prove” it. “Payback Policy across systems” is a painfully clean name for it.
And I respect you for protecting details. That’s wisdom. I’m glad the piece helped you trust what your gut was already telling you.🙏
As a veteran, and a veteran of 15 years of law enforcement, I thank you for putting into powerful words what so many of us are feeling, but can't articulate properly. I intentionally have not posted my thoughts on Renee Good's execution simply because I don't feel I can do her justice. Again, thank you, Sir.
Dan, I see ya man. Fifteen years on the job and a veteran too means you’ve carried weight most folks will never understand. Thank you for your service, and for the discipline it takes to stay quiet when you’re trying to honor her the right way. Your comment tells me you are indeed doing her justice.
She quietly haunts me too. And she nods as I read you.
AM…yeah. Me too, that quiet presence like she’s standing just off to the side saying, “Don’t let them turn me into a headline and a shrug.” Thank you for putting it into words. If enough of us can name that haunting, it turns into memory, and memory turns into pressure.🙏
This is the best essay I have read about “ The Good Crisis”. I shared and will reread. Thank you for what you do .
🙏
Best essay I've read about this. Scary about what it means - thank you for spelling it out so clearly - and heartening that Minnesota is pursuing it regardless of the federal roadblocks. I don't write on Substack at this point, so didn't restack, but have had quite some discussions going on Facebook and so posted it there - twice. Once as a comment to a thread by a couple of commenters and separately as a linked post.
Thank you🙏
Thank you.
Thank you for message XVOA. Live reports from MN, video from Status Coup reporting to us the 1000's of people in Minneapolis community protesting on the street. Since George Floyd and now protesting ICE and the killing of Renee Good. Watch on you tube "Status Coup" ICE OUT NOW makes me proud of these Americans!
Mariantoon......me too!