“Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s attorney general, told me (Michelle Goldberg, NTY Opinion Columnist) that since ICE ramped up its operations in Minneapolis, it’s felt “like we are being inundated with a hostile paramilitary group that is mistreating, insulting, terrorizing our neighbors.”
Many of these people probably believed that even in Trump’s America, citizens still have inviolable liberties that allow them to stand up to the jacked-up irregulars who’ve descended on their communities. The civil rights of immigrants have been profoundly curtailed; even green card holders are on notice that this government may detain and deport them simply for protesting. But Americans — particularly, let’s be honest, white Americans — might have thought themselves immune from ICE abuses.
The killing of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three and widow of a military veteran, tests that assumption. ICE, said Ellison, is all but telling people, “‘You want to defend your neighbors, you’re going to do it at the risk of your own life.’ I think that’s the unmistakable message. Just looking at the tape, they could have said, ‘You get out of here,’ right? And then she gets out of there. They didn’t want her to get out of there. They wanted to either drag her out of that car or do what they did. And it was all about teaching lessons.”
The lesson didn’t end with Good’s killing — the administration had to smear her afterward. As The New York Times reported, bystander footage filmed from several different angles shows that the agent who shot Good wasn’t in the path of her S.U.V. when he fired on her. That did not stop Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from accusing Good of trying to run agents over in “an act of domestic terrorism.” Vice President JD Vance called her a “deranged leftist.”
Re designer grocery bags, the first I ever had I bought in Rochester, NY at Wegman’s. They were beautiful and I carried them in and used them proudly. My regular grocery(Ingles, Darrell)store finally caught up with plain ones at first but then they got fancier. Where I am now, reusable bags are ubiquitous and cheap to buy because the country wants to encourage their use. Plastic costs more to use.
As for what Musk via GROK is doing, why hasn’t he been indicted already for pushing underage porn? He should be especially since the Supreme Court said that corporations are people and any people doing the same thing would have been arrested and charged. Like everything else, it’s only going to get worse because the lawless are in charge of the house.
Why would someone be stupid enough to spend $50,000 on a bag when you could fly to the States and get your own for far less? Some rich people are just stupid.
Old houses can teach you lessons but you need to have the money to learn them. Bringing up to today’s standards is not a cheap endeavour.
How do I unsubscribe to all the stuff in Substack except your posts. Somehow I got subscribed to a bunch of stuff I don’t have time to read in the Substack app. Thanks. I thought I was subscribing to only your posts when I got the paid subscription.
"My name's Leonard. I'm 74. I answer phones at Murphy's Plumbing.
Been here six years, ever since my knees gave out and I couldn't crawl under sinks anymore.
Now I just sit at this desk, take calls, dispatch the younger guys.
Most people are angry when they call. Burst pipes, backed-up toilets, water everywhere. I get yelled at a lot.
But sometimes, I hear something else in their voice.
Like the woman who called at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday. "My kitchen sink's leaking," she said, voice shaking. "How much for an emergency visit?"
"$250 minimum, ma'am. Plus parts."
Silence. Then crying. "I can't. I'm sorry. I'll just… put a bucket under it."
Something in her voice reminded me of my daughter during her divorce. That same defeated exhaustion. "Ma'am, how bad's the leak?"
"It's... I don't know. A lot? It's dripping fast."
"Could you text me a photo?" I gave her my personal cell. Against policy, but whatever.
The photo came through. Loose coupling under the trap. Five-minute fix if you know what you're doing.
I talked her through it. Step by step. Where to find the wrench, which way to turn it, how to check if it's tight.
Twenty minutes later: "It stopped! Oh my God, it stopped!"
"You did good," I said.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing. You fixed it yourself."
She cried harder. "I'm a single mom. Three jobs. I've been trying to fix everything alone for so long. Thank you for not making me feel stupid."
After that, I started doing it more. When someone called panicking about a small problem, I'd walk them through it instead of sending a truck.
Running toilet?
Adjust the chain.
Clogged drain?
Try baking soda and vinegar first.
Not everything needs a plumber.
My boss noticed. "Lenny, you're costing us jobs."
"I'm saving people money they don't have," I said. "The big jobs still come. But the single moms, the elderly folks on fixed incomes, they don't need to go broke over a loose washer."
He grumbled. But didn't fire me.
Here's what changed everything. A man called last month. "You walked my wife through fixing our sink two years ago. I'm a lawyer now, used to be unemployed. That night, we had $30 to our name. You saved us. I want to pay for someone else's emergency repair. Who needs it?"
I had a list. Always do.
Now?
People call asking to sponsor repairs. "Pay it forward," they say. We've fixed problems for 60 families this year. No charge. Because someone else remembered what being broke felt like.
I'm 74.
I answer phones most people curse into.
But I learned something.
People don't always need an expert.
Sometimes they just need someone who believes they can figure it out themselves.
Who doesn't make them feel small for not knowing.
So teach instead of charging.
Explain instead of dismissing.
That panicked person on the phone? They're not stupid. They're just scared. And a little patience costs nothing.
Sometimes the best fix isn't the wrench. It's the voice on the other end saying, "You've got this. I'll walk you through it."
“Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s attorney general, told me (Michelle Goldberg, NTY Opinion Columnist) that since ICE ramped up its operations in Minneapolis, it’s felt “like we are being inundated with a hostile paramilitary group that is mistreating, insulting, terrorizing our neighbors.”
Many of these people probably believed that even in Trump’s America, citizens still have inviolable liberties that allow them to stand up to the jacked-up irregulars who’ve descended on their communities. The civil rights of immigrants have been profoundly curtailed; even green card holders are on notice that this government may detain and deport them simply for protesting. But Americans — particularly, let’s be honest, white Americans — might have thought themselves immune from ICE abuses.
The killing of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three and widow of a military veteran, tests that assumption. ICE, said Ellison, is all but telling people, “‘You want to defend your neighbors, you’re going to do it at the risk of your own life.’ I think that’s the unmistakable message. Just looking at the tape, they could have said, ‘You get out of here,’ right? And then she gets out of there. They didn’t want her to get out of there. They wanted to either drag her out of that car or do what they did. And it was all about teaching lessons.”
The lesson didn’t end with Good’s killing — the administration had to smear her afterward. As The New York Times reported, bystander footage filmed from several different angles shows that the agent who shot Good wasn’t in the path of her S.U.V. when he fired on her. That did not stop Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from accusing Good of trying to run agents over in “an act of domestic terrorism.” Vice President JD Vance called her a “deranged leftist.”
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
- George Orwell, 1984
Re designer grocery bags, the first I ever had I bought in Rochester, NY at Wegman’s. They were beautiful and I carried them in and used them proudly. My regular grocery(Ingles, Darrell)store finally caught up with plain ones at first but then they got fancier. Where I am now, reusable bags are ubiquitous and cheap to buy because the country wants to encourage their use. Plastic costs more to use.
As for what Musk via GROK is doing, why hasn’t he been indicted already for pushing underage porn? He should be especially since the Supreme Court said that corporations are people and any people doing the same thing would have been arrested and charged. Like everything else, it’s only going to get worse because the lawless are in charge of the house.
With the new requirement for landlord provided appliances I foresee the rents trending still higher.
Why would someone be stupid enough to spend $50,000 on a bag when you could fly to the States and get your own for far less? Some rich people are just stupid.
Old houses can teach you lessons but you need to have the money to learn them. Bringing up to today’s standards is not a cheap endeavour.
How do I unsubscribe to all the stuff in Substack except your posts. Somehow I got subscribed to a bunch of stuff I don’t have time to read in the Substack app. Thanks. I thought I was subscribing to only your posts when I got the paid subscription.
You have to go to each one and unsubscribe.
"My name's Leonard. I'm 74. I answer phones at Murphy's Plumbing.
Been here six years, ever since my knees gave out and I couldn't crawl under sinks anymore.
Now I just sit at this desk, take calls, dispatch the younger guys.
Most people are angry when they call. Burst pipes, backed-up toilets, water everywhere. I get yelled at a lot.
But sometimes, I hear something else in their voice.
Like the woman who called at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday. "My kitchen sink's leaking," she said, voice shaking. "How much for an emergency visit?"
"$250 minimum, ma'am. Plus parts."
Silence. Then crying. "I can't. I'm sorry. I'll just… put a bucket under it."
Something in her voice reminded me of my daughter during her divorce. That same defeated exhaustion. "Ma'am, how bad's the leak?"
"It's... I don't know. A lot? It's dripping fast."
"Could you text me a photo?" I gave her my personal cell. Against policy, but whatever.
The photo came through. Loose coupling under the trap. Five-minute fix if you know what you're doing.
I talked her through it. Step by step. Where to find the wrench, which way to turn it, how to check if it's tight.
Twenty minutes later: "It stopped! Oh my God, it stopped!"
"You did good," I said.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing. You fixed it yourself."
She cried harder. "I'm a single mom. Three jobs. I've been trying to fix everything alone for so long. Thank you for not making me feel stupid."
After that, I started doing it more. When someone called panicking about a small problem, I'd walk them through it instead of sending a truck.
Running toilet?
Adjust the chain.
Clogged drain?
Try baking soda and vinegar first.
Not everything needs a plumber.
My boss noticed. "Lenny, you're costing us jobs."
"I'm saving people money they don't have," I said. "The big jobs still come. But the single moms, the elderly folks on fixed incomes, they don't need to go broke over a loose washer."
He grumbled. But didn't fire me.
Here's what changed everything. A man called last month. "You walked my wife through fixing our sink two years ago. I'm a lawyer now, used to be unemployed. That night, we had $30 to our name. You saved us. I want to pay for someone else's emergency repair. Who needs it?"
I had a list. Always do.
Now?
People call asking to sponsor repairs. "Pay it forward," they say. We've fixed problems for 60 families this year. No charge. Because someone else remembered what being broke felt like.
I'm 74.
I answer phones most people curse into.
But I learned something.
People don't always need an expert.
Sometimes they just need someone who believes they can figure it out themselves.
Who doesn't make them feel small for not knowing.
So teach instead of charging.
Explain instead of dismissing.
That panicked person on the phone? They're not stupid. They're just scared. And a little patience costs nothing.
Sometimes the best fix isn't the wrench. It's the voice on the other end saying, "You've got this. I'll walk you through it."
Let this story reach more hearts....
Credit: Grace Jenkins
https://asharangappa.substack.com/p/friday-round-up-1926?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true