Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day


By John Curran
Well you can close your eyes now Angel and fly away, you’ve done your best; you tried to help them right to the end, trying to alleviate the distress of them coming at that poor helpless person, a woman was it not? Yes, and them coming at her in that big bunch with guns ‘n all the rest of that. All charging at her the way they do, to frighten, intimidate, and control, and oft times physically hurt. But you were there filming and you stepped in-your last great gesture-one more time to try again to ease some ‘a the suffering of this world. It’s ramping up now. The senseless, needless killings, state killings…and you tried to help out the woman when they were coming all over her…and now you are gonna see what good that’s gonna get ya, today yeah ’cause today you’re gonna see it all.
And I’m sorry you have to see it. You were a good man and they beat ya down, they pounded you in the head with the metal canister an’ then they laid you out like Christ on that cross and they pumped you full of lead. I’m sorry you had to see that. Nobody should have to see that, but you can close your eyes now and fly away angel and remember always ‘radio loves you’. Your name is heard, all over the land, love’s ya’, and they be trembling now, before that mighty voice.

Editor: The Jan-Feb 2026 edition of Mother Jones published a scathing indictment of the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, and the actions that have directly led to the “corrupt and abusive Trump reign”. What follows are direct quotes (with large parts of the article left out because of copyright issues) from that brilliant article by Pema Levy and Ari Berman. All items within parentheses are added by this writer for clarification. Please subscribe to Mother Jones and support its 50 years of fearless journalism; it’s definitely worth the money. Call 1-800-438-6656 for subscription information. Sign up for newsletters at motherjones.com/daily-news-D.S. Mitchell, aka “Calamity”.
Excerpts from “Blame John Roberts for Everything”
By Pema Levy and Ari Berman
“Today, as the Robert’s court rewrites the Constitution in the image of Trumpian autocracy, it’s become clear that Robert’s promise (when he was testifying to the Senate at his confirmation hearing) to be a neutral umpire was a lie. We are watching a rigged game, and Roberts set it up.”
“Twenty years ago, John Roberts promised (the Senate, the country and the media) that as chief justice of the Supreme Court, he would be like an umpire, calling balls and strikes. The delusion was so powerful that for two decades the media defaulted to portraying him as a moderate institutionalist.”
“The Robert’s court has spent Trump’s second term not applying the law so much as clearing it out of his (Trump’s) way. In a matter of months, the court’s 6-3 GOP aligned majority has permitted a long list of lawless actions, including firing independent agency commissioners, using racial profiling in immigration sweeps, disappearing immigrants to authoritarian and war-torn nations, and defying Congress’ power of the purse.”
(This didn’t start yesterday,) “Robert’s has been embedding white-dominant authoritarianism into the country’s source code for two decades. It is impossible to imagine today’s crisis without the Robert’s court having first undermined the foundations of our democracy.”
“(Representative) Democracies are built on the right to vote and choose representatives. The United States finally recognized this right for all people with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (and 1982).”
“As chief justice (Robert’s) has helped craft a string of rulings knee-capping (the Voting Rights Act of 1965 & 1982) laws, starting with his 2013 Shelby County v Holder. The decision overruled Congress and freed states with histories of discrimination to change their voting rules, spurring the creation of 115 voter suppression laws in more than 30 states. Many were inspired by Trump’s election lies.”
“After oral arguments in a Louisiana redistricting case, observers expect Roberts and the GOP justices to declare that the districts drawn to preserve representation for voters of color are either unconstitutional or subject to insurmountable barriers. It’s a decision that would turn the 14th and 15th Amendments-passed during Reconstruction to give formerly enslaved people citizenship and equal rights-on their heads, and turbocharge Trump’s gerrymandering push.”
“Such redrawn (gerrymandered) maps could shift up to 19 eats to the GOP in 2026 and runs the threat of creating a permanent GOP control of Congress.”

By Cate Rees-Hessel
*Quote from the play, “Annie.”

Editor: A person I loved and admired died recently. I’ve been having a hard time dealing with that loss. A friend of mine, my soul sister for the last 60 plus years sent me a loving note and included the Funeral Poem by Henry Van Dyke. The poem reminded me that my loved one will never really leave those of us who loved her so deeply, she is now just waiting for us to finish our work here and she will welcome us on the other side.
**********
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”
“Gone where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!”
And that is dying.

ICE Arrests Continue
Brutal ICE arrests are on going. Violent incidents are increasing as we end a grim and troubled holiday season. The horrific murder of the beautiful and kind hearted Renee Nicole Good has brought widespread public outrage, but an arrest for gunning down this American citizen in cold blood has yet to be made. She leaves behind 3 precious children and a loving spouse. Her wife Becca Good is broken hearted, saying in her statement about the tragedy, “And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.”
Fucking Bitch
Renee was not a threat to anyone – her final words were “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.” The words of the ICE agent that shot and killed her were full of hatred, “Fucking bitch.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke eloquently with strong words against this tragic act of pure evil.
Alex Pretti, RN
The morning of 1/24/2026, two weeks after the murder of Renee Good, Registered Nurse, Alex Pretti, a white guy, an American citizen, was shot an estimated 8 times, or perhaps as many as 10 times, by a Border Patrol agent while Pretti was being held down by at least half a dozen other officers. Before the last bullet had left the chamber of the agent’s gun, the Trump administration came out full force labeling Alex Pretti a gun wielding psycho, a “domestic terrorist,” a madman running toward federal law enforcement agents attempting to kill them. The attack on the character of Good and Pretti is shameful. The character assassination of Pretti and Good by Noem, Bondi, Bovino, Vance and Trump makes it clear there’s no truth coming from our federal government. In fact, state authorities in MN are so distrustful of the federal government the DHS was ordered by a Minnesota court to preserve all forensic evidence from the cases.
Filming the Interaction
From videos and affidavits from witnesses on the scene; Pretti was filming the interaction of agents with protesters. In one video he was clearly shown trying to help a woman get up from the pavement after being knocked down by the feds. At no time did Pretti draw or attempt to draw his legally licensed and permitted weapon. Alex was a caring man, he was an ICU nurse at the VA Medical Center. He wanted to help people not harm them; that’s why the citizens of Minneapolis, MN are protesting the presence of ICE on their streets.
Worthy of 1984 Double Speak
The character assassination of Pretti and Good by Noem, Bondi, Bovino, Vance and Trump makes it clear there’s no truth coming from this crowd and we need to be clear on that. In fact, so distrustful of the federal government the DHS was ordered by a Minnesota court to preserve all forensic evidence from the cases.
Reign of Terror
America, we are better than this. The “ICE reign of terror”, as U.S. Representative and senatorial candidate from the Chicago area Raja Krishnamoorthi succinctly put it, this “must end.” Her former sister-in-law Morgan Fletcher said, “she never expected a loved one’s death to be ‘so high profile’ or a ‘massively divisive, political topic.’” This lovely human being sure does not sound like a “domestic terrorist” to the millions mourning her death, myself and my spouse included. Slander is speaking ill of the dead and Ms. Good’s children don’t deserve to hear awful lies about the mommy they mourn.
No ‘Absolute Immunity”
Our eyeliner wearing “Vice President JD Vance claimed agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, had “absolute immunity” because he was engaged in a federal law enforcement action. Although federal officials have some constitutional shields against state prosecution, the immunity isn’t absolute.” Legal experts, including the University of Wisconsin Law School, conclude that Vance is wrong. There is no “absolute immunity.”
Stars Wear ‘Be Good’ Pins
At the 2026 Golden Globe awards in support of Renee and her family, prominent attenders such as Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Natasha Lyonne, Jean Smart, Tessa Thompson, Bella Ramsey, and Ariana Grande, wore “BE GOOD” pins. Such buttons are available from multiple sources online. Rest in peace Renee. Rest in peace Alex. We will fight for your memory – your lives stood for Good and no gaslighting from the Nazi’s in the White House can change that.
More atrocities of ICE:
Know what’s right – know your rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-share-your-rights-immigrants-rights


By Cate Rees-Hessel
Happy New Year, everyone – ladies, we definitely still have style…