History Often Repeats, But This is Different

Saturday, June 14, 2025 was another gloomy June day.

The cold, rainy weather was getting old. But the day would soon become another “where were you?” day that will remain with us forever.

Catherine and I already expected the day to be historic just based on the scheduled activities which included a parade to celebrate the birthdays of the Army and Trump, “No Kings” protests nationwide and the pope speaking via internet to 30,000 in a Chicago stadium. Oh, and it was also Flag Day and National Strawberry Shortcake Day.

The war was on between Israel and Iran, and Russia was intensifying its strikes against Ukraine. No one knew quite what to expect, especially when adding in the recent unrest in Los Angeles.

But it’s a certainty that no one expected the shootings and murders of Minnesota state legislators and their spouses that day. While the authorities performed their intense ground search for the suspect, we spent the day stunned, not able to focus on anything we had planned to do.

It seemed like suddenly everything everywhere was spiraling out of control. How can we trust anyone anymore if law enforcement is being impersonated? If we lose trust, we lose everything.

Who Will Run?

We all agree that we need our best people in public office. But now, with the legacy of June 14, who will even consider running if they have to look over their shoulders all the time? It’s a huge commitment to even run for office and at some point we might question the motives of anyone who does.

As I grew up in Red Wing I wondered why Minnesota was not in the national news very often. I concluded that we were seen as a summer vacation destination with only North Pole weather the rest of the year.

We minded our own business, took care of each other and avoided a lot of the problems other states have. In my lifetime it has often been seen as an “also-ran” state which didn’t have much national recognition (especially men’s pro sports). Being known for Post-It notes and health care was fine with me. As Boone and Erickson said, “It’s a great state to get sick in.”

But now we have gained a lot of notorious recognition with these shootings and the George Floyd murder. There were times growing up that we’d hear of shootings in foreign countries or a distant state, but not here. Those things just didn’t happen here. The scariest thing we had to worry about in my youth was nuclear war and nuclear fallout. Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed.

I remember seeing Minnesota historical news photos of people dead in the street in the Twin Cities during Prohibition and gangster times. But I figured by now we had matured beyond that. I was wrong. It’s even easier now.

Enabling the Unstable

The common denominator in most of this is guns. There are now just too many unstable people with access to firearms. Their guns cause fear and destroy people, families and communities. And they get all the encouragement they need from social media.

Like everyone else, we were flipping between local news channels. As is the norm now, the political finger-pointing started immediately, before the real details of the shootings were known.

At some point during that day I had to go outside for some fresh air. But the air was not fresh. Maybe it was forest fire smoke. No one was mowing, which was odd. You can usually hear a lawn mower running somewhere. It was quiet except for the gun range which seemed busier than usual. Maybe the Second Amendment Club was practicing.

The shootings on June 14 were labeled “unspeakable” by the governor, a label used as the June 15 front page headline in both the Minnesota Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The suspect was apparently a family man. Who knew he was capable of this?

Where will events like this, along with the ICE raids and troop deployments against Americans, take us? We’re getting a taste of it now from a president who is driving the United States of America back to 1950.  A man who wants the Nobel Prize and his face on both Mount Rushmore and a $250 bill. Next, he’ll want a golden chicken in every pot and a gun in every holster.

And now, the U.S. has bombed Iran. What could go wrong?