the mellow tigger's musings

I didn't see any reports of violence at the No Kings protests here in Minnesota. That's good news. After many were cancelled at the request of law enforcement and Governor Walz, I wondered what the actual turnout would be like.

It was great.

There was a 2-hour livestream of the event on YouTube, which I didn't know yesterday. Here's a photo from this thread on BlueSky, with many more photos posted in the replies. There are also good photographs showing up on Reddit in the communities for Minneapolis and Twin Cities, like this one about Minnetonka and this one from the desk of slain representative Melissa Hortman in the House chamber. This BlueSky photo, below, even made it to the generic Pics community on Reddit.

A special honorable mention to this 102-year-old veteran out doing his #antifa duty during a protest somewhere in the USA yesterday. Also to a random girl at a small town of Alexandria in Minnesota who held a sign that said, "I deserve better."

I wish I was able to attend, but I had to work. Thank you to all the Minnesotan's who showed up, at every location. But there should be a lot more N95 masks on faces, okay? Now, I need to get ready for work again today.

The weather dropped some unusual precipitation in Minnesota overnight. I don't remember when (or even if) the mass transit in the metro area was ever cancelled before due to weather. It is cancelled today, though. I saved a screenshot here of the banner notice at the top of the transit webpage this morning.

You know the roads are bad if even mass transit won't risk it. The Department Of Transportation map that shows road conditions currently shows full road closures in the southern part of the state. It's still snowing slightly this morning, so I haven't gotten outdoors to shovel the sidewalk yet. Social media tells me there's a layer of ice underneath that snow. Yuck.

I feel sorry for anyone with health appointments today. It is not a good time for either providers or patients to travel. Stay safe out there.

1. Climate change is issue #1 globally. It will impact economics, taxation, international relations, and immigration. I still think the 2020 election was our last opportunity to successfully address climate change and avoid the worst outcomes facing our planet.
2. Community health nationally.  We still have a great need for air quality standards in buildings and all public settings.  We performed poorly (under both conservative and liberal leadership) in epidemic controls, education, and even research.
3. Wealth inequality nationally. It will impact tax policies, healthcare, education, race relations, gender pay difference, general economic stability, and local crime.
4. Political corruption nationally. We see it in gerrymandering, in political fundraising, in political favoritism (so politicians can go work in the private sector they were supposed to regulate while in office), in false testimonies and fact aversion, in the current lopsidedness of the electoral college, and in dereliction of political duty.

I feel competent at finding information about candidates for most political appointments, but never when it comes to the judicial branch.  I wish it was easier to find information.