A conversation about what's going on in the world at any given point in time…and what I think about it. Occasionally, guest bloggers may appear. Viewer comments are welcome. Peace! Alpha Heel
A year ago in this space, I wrote, albeit briefly, about Donald Trymp and his path to the Oval Office, a second time. A year later, there are still more than a thousand days left in his current term: 1,086, to be precise. Today, I am mindful, that Trump’s Phoenix-like rise was predicated upon the narrative that he spun effectively, arguing that America, was not only no longer great, but that for all practical purposes, we had sunk to the absolute nadir.
In the aftermath of November 2024, most observers conceded that Trump prevailed, to a large extent, on the strength of his painting the Border as Biden’s Achilles. If we stipulate that it was, we can also assess that over the course of a year, he fundamentally and positively changed the dynamics of Border crossings. Arguably, he could have declared victory…and walked away.
But, if we know anything about Mr. Trump, we know, that is not his way. That would be too neat, too simple, and too understated.
So, fast forward to Minneapolis, which is about 300 miles from the closest foreign country border, which happens to be Canada, by the way. And, let’s face it, ICE and Birder Patrol are not profiling Canadians. It’s almost 1500 miles (1,463) to Mexico; the so-called Southern Border. Moreover, with regard to the country that’s home to the most notable block of immigrants in Minneapolis, Somalia, it’s over 8,300 miles away.
That Trump has chosen to make an example out of a place so far away from pertinent foreign borders is, well, bizarre. That is, if targeting and removing the worst of the worst immigrants, or, illegal aliens, as MAGA likes to call them, is the point. A segment of conservative world contends, it’s the rampant fraud, conducted by a cabal of Somalians, that ICE and Border Patrol at in the Twin Cities to curtail. The problem was purportedly so big, Trump has sent 3.000 plus Immigration agents to the city.
Then there is this. In the 17 days from January 7 to January 24, Immigration agents shot and killed two people. It’s worth noting, those people were not Mexicans, or from anywhere else, south of the Border, they were not from Somalia, they were not even from Canada; they were American. Born and raised in the USA. To add insult to injury, thanks to an abundance of available video, there is broad consensus that both cases, multiple shots in each instance, were bad shoots. In the latest case, the victim, who possessed a Concealed Carry Parmit, was condemned by the President and his chief actors on the ground for having been armed with a weapon, and ammunition. Some even alleged he was brandishing his weapon, and attacked the agents.
Interestingly, the position taken by members of the administration put Trump at odds with the NRA. In a vast departure from his regular shtick, Trump has actually pivoted and removed Immigration Chief Greg Bovino and Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem, who had been leading the effort, known as Operation Metro Surge, and replaced them with Border Czar Tom Homan.
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My original posting about the King Holiday dates-back-to January 19, 2011. In 2022, I amended the topic to add a perspective shared by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Solomon Peña, who, in 2022, lost his bid for New Mexico state House District 14, was subsequently arrested by an Albuquerque SWAT team for allegedly paying and conspiring with four men to shoot at the homes of two state legislators and two county commissioners, authorities said. No one was injured but investigators said Peña intended to cause serious injury or death. Peña, who attributed his defeat to a “rigged” election, is accused of masterminding a series of shootings targeting the homes of elected Democrats. But I digress.
Consider this “batschitt” craziness an FYI! It’s not the topic of today’s post. It just reminds us that what might have been considered bizarre in another era, is not just tame, but de rigueur. Make Canada the 51st state, annex Greenland, using military force, if necessary, Install oneself as Acting President of Venezuela, threaten to abolish NATO, eliminate federal agencies, and on, and on, and on. And honestly, at this point, none of it is surprising. Disappointing, sure. Frustratig, absolutely. But surprising, aitch to the no.
Back to the present. Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Over the years, I’ve written a post about Dr. King, the holiday, and how it came to pass. Today, I am again revisiting a post I initially wrote and posted Wednesday, January 19, 2011, and that I reprised January 18, 2017, January 17, 2018, January 23, 2019, January 22, 2025, and today, examining the advent of the King Holiday. It’s been 40 years since the initial observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (MLK DAY), and just over 42 years since President Reagan signed the MLK, Jr. Holiday bill into law. Contemporary events continue to remind us that now is an apt time to look into the rearview mirror of time.
After over three decades of inculcation into the very fabric of our society, it may be largely forgotten that the conceptualization, submission and continual resubmission of the idea, the enactment, and the gradual national observance, was not the product of universal acceptance of a grand and enlightened concept, but rather, was emblematic of the civil rights struggle itself; steeped in controversy, and the eventual victory of a relentless movement to achieve richly deserved, and long overdue social justice.
Several members of Congress, a few states, and even a President, using a host of creative means, sought to undermine, outmaneuver, sabotage, subvert, and otherwise derail the efforts of the measure’s proponents. Ultimately, the movement was consolidated, snowballed, and would simply not be thwarted.
The effort to create a King Holiday was started by U.S. Representative John Conyers, Michigan, shortly after Dr. King’s death, in the spring of 1968. It was first introduced in the House of Representatives in 1979 but fell 5 votes short of the number needed for passage in the Lower Chamber.
High profile opponents to the measure included Senator Jesse Helms, NC, Senator John McCain, AZ, and President Ronald Reagan. Both Senators voted against the bill, and Senator McCain publicly supported Arizona Governor Evan Mecham for his rescission of MLK Day as a State Holiday in Arizona. The campaign however, reached a critical mass in the early 1980’s. Spurred on by Stevie Wonder penning a song in King’s honor called, “Happy Birthday,” a petition drive to support the campaign would attract over 6 million signatures. It has been called the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. History.
Buttressed by what had become a wildly successful public campaign, Congress soon followed suit. The proposal passed in the House by a vote of 338-90, and in the Upper Chamber by a vote of 78-22. Given the dimensions of this overwhelming support, in the form of bicameralveto-proof votes, President Reagan signed the provision November 2, 1983, and it became Federal Law. The first observance under the new law took place January 20, 1986, rather than on January 15th, Dr. King’s birthday. A compromise in the legislation specified that the observance take place on the Third Monday in January, consistent with prior legislation (Uniform Monday Holiday Act).
Of course, that was not the end of the story. It would take more than 30 years after Dr. King’s death before the Holiday was fully adopted and observed in all 50 states. Illinois holds the distinction of being the first State to adopt MLK Day as a State Holiday, having done so in 1973. Twenty years later, in 1993, for the first time, some form of MLK Day was held in each of the 50 States.
It was not until 2000 that South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges signed a bill to make MLK Day a paid holiday for State employees; giving the Palmetto State the dubious distinction of being the last of the 50 States to do so. However, Mississippi also sets itself apart by designating the Third Monday in January as a shared Holiday that honors the memory of Robert E. Lee and Dr. King…two fine southern gentlemen.
Four summers ago, after entertaining a whirlwind, on again off again, job offer from the University of North Carolina, journalist, McArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize winner, and UNC alum Nikole Hannah-Jones opted to choose Howard University as her next employer, over her alma mater, UNC. Ms. Hannah-Jones, who gained notoriety for her work on the 1619 Project, has become a lightning rod for discourse around issues of civil rights, and the much-ballyhooed topic known as Critical Race Theory, #CRT.
Three years ago, NH-J was invited to give an MLK speech on the Monday Holiday. She discovered that a few members of the group hosting her wrote and subsequently leaked emails opposing her giving the speech. Those who opposed her felt it dishonored Dr. King to do so and characterized her as a “discredited activist” “unworthy of such association with King.”
This insight motivated her to call an audible. She scrapped her original speech and spent the first half of her speech, reading excerpts from several of Dr. King’s speeches…without revealing that they were his words. She subbed BLACK for Negro, to avoid dating the material and giving away the fact that it was from over half a century ago. Literally, that’s all it took to transport to 2022.
Here is some of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 2022 MLK, Jr. Day speech:
“It was in the year 1619 that the first BLACK slave was brought to the shores of this nation. They were brought here from the soils of Africa and unlike the Pilgrim fathers who landed here at Plymouth a year later, they were brought here against their will…”
“White Americans must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society…The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and racism…”
“The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power. A nation that continues year after year to spend more $ on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
“The crowning achievement in hypocrisy must go to those staunch Republicans and Democrats of the Midwest and West who were given land by our government when they came here as immigrants from Europe. They were given education through the land grant colleges…”
“These are the same people that now say to black people, whose ancestors were brought to this country in chains and who were emancipated in 1863 without being given land to cultivate or bread to eat; that they must pull themselves up by their own bootstraps…”
“What they truly advocate is Socialism for the rich and Capitalism for the poor. We know full well that racism is still that hound of hell which dogs the tracks of our civilization.”
“Ever since the birth of our nation, White America has had a Schizophrenic personality on the question of race, she has been torn between selves. A self in which she proudly professes the great principle of democracy and a self in which she madly practices the antithesis of democracy.”
“The fact is, there has never been a single, solid, determined commitment on the part of the vast majority of white Americans to genuine equality for Black people.”
“The step backwards has a new name today, it is called the white backlash, but the white backlash is nothing new. It is the surfacing of old prejudices, hostilities and ambivalences that have always been there…”
“The white backlash of today is rooted in the same problem that has characterized America ever since the black man landed in chains on the shores of this nation.”
“Whites, it must frankly be said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance…with each modest advance the white population promptly raises the argument that BLACK AMERICANS HAVE come far enough.”
“…for the good of America, it is necessary to refute the idea that the dominant ideology in our country, even today, is freedom and equality and that racism is just an occasional departure from the norm on the part of a few bigoted extremists.”
“If America does not respond creatively to the challenge to banish racism, some future historian will have to say, that a great civilization died because it lacked the soul and commitment to make justice a reality for all men.”
“Why do white people seem to find it so difficult to understand that the Black people are sick and tired of having reluctantly parceled out to THEM those rights and privileges which all others receive upon birth or entry in America?”
“I never cease to wonder at the amazing presumption of much of white society, assuming that they have the right to bargain with BLACKS for their freedom…”
Oh, the uncomfortable silence as I read Dr. King’s words at a commemoration of his life when people had no idea that these were his words. When I revealed that everything, I said to that point was taken from his speeches between ’56 and 67… Can you say SHOOK!
Then I read all the names that white Americans called King: charlatan, demagogue, communist, traitor — and brought out the polling showing more than three-quarters of Americans opposed King at his death while 94 percent approve of him now.
I left them with this: People who oppose today what he stood for back then do not get to be the arbiters of his legacy. The real Dr. King cannot be commodified, homogenized, and white-washed and whatever side you stand on TODAY is the side you would have been back then.
In fact, most white Americans in 1963 opposed the March on Washington where Dr. King gave the “I Have A Dream” Speech with that one line that people oppose to anti-racism like to trot out against those working for racial justice.
When the speech was over, Father Pfleger, who had been cheering me on from the crowd, whispered in my ear: That’s what you call the “You Gone Learn Today” speech.
“This is why the 1619 Project exists. This is why the decades of scholarship that undergirds the 1619 Project exists. Because if we do nothing, they will co-opt our history and use it against us.”
Dr. King was a radical critic of racism, capitalism, and militarism. He didn’t die. He was assassinated. And many, including Reagan, fought the national holiday we’re now commemorating. But let’s be clear, Ronny wasn’t alone. Kin’s views, and bold articulation of those views made him an unpopular figure. At the time of his assassination in 1968, a Harris Poll revealed that only 25% of White Americans approved of him. Even among Black Americans, his approval rating was only 52% at that time. Contrast that with contemporary polling that shows 81-90% of Americans view his impact positively today. The absence of a comprehensive elementary and secondary education package on African American History in general, and the civil rights movement in particular is a corrosive disservice to the American education system.
Hannah-Jones noted, “If you haven’t read, in entirety, King’s speeches, you’ve been miseducated & I hope that you will.” I would be remiss not to also add, that Donald Trump has, over the past year, taken measures antithetical to Dr. King’s message and mission. Last year, he ordered exhibits removed from several National Museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Trump argued the particular exhibits were not complimentary enough of America. He also ended free entry into National Parks on the King Holiday and substituted it with free admission on his own birthday. No comment.
In May of 2025, the Trump Administration agreed to $4.975M settlement of a Wrongful Death lawsuit by Babbitt’s family. Trump had consistently characterized Ms. Babbitt as a patriot, and a victim, while calling the officer who shot her, a murderer. This was in line with Mr. Trump’s overall view of the protesters, whom he said, were there for him. That was then.
Fast forward to now. A week ago, on January 7, 2026, Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, was fatally shot by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Good was in her SUV, stopped sideways in the street. Ross drove around her, circled her on foot, and approached the front of her car. After more agents approached her and pulled her door handle, Good began driving into the direction of traffic, turning away from Ross, as he fired three shots, killing her.
Trump, now in his second term, and his administration, quickly established that they view Ms. Good’s death in a starkly different light than that in which Trump saw Ms. Babbitt’s demise. In the hours immediately following Good’s death, President Trump claimed Good “willfully and viciously” ran over the agent.
Vice President J.D. Vance said Good was part of some kind of “left-wing” network.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good was shot as a result of an “act of domestic terrorism.”
There was a hint of irony in the timing of Ms. Good’s shooting. Babbitt was killed on January 6, 2021. Good was killed on January 7, 2026, exactly five years and one day later. The death of both women is tied to Mr. Trump and his rhetoric or policies. He had urged a large group of his supporters who had gather to hear him speak at the White House Ellipse, to march to the Capitol. He told them, “We will stop the steal,” arguing that he, not Joe Biden had won the election.
It appears the mantra for Mr. Trump, and the conservatives who support him is:
Lay a finger on a federal officer/agent and you will face the full extent of the law…Unless you do it while you attack the U.S. Capitol in support of Trump; then you’ll get a full presidential pardon. Yesterday, the DOJ announced there is no basis for investigating Agent Ross. However, simultaneously, there does appear to be interest in fostering a probe into Becca Good, Ms. Good’s spouse.
Last week saw the emergence of a brand-new year. We were unable to get through the first weekend without, arguably, another Epstein diversion. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, 3:46 GMT, Caracas-Time; 10:46 PM in Washington (or Mar-A-Lago for that matter), Trump gave the order to initiate “Operation Absolute Resolve.” You’ve certainly heard by now, that was a plan to capture and remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his country, bringing him to New York to stand trial for four separate charges, including:
Narco-terrorism conspiracy
Cocaine importation conspiracy
Possession of machine guns and destructive devices
Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices
The charges carry potential maximum sentences of life imprisonment.
In addition to the Maduro imbroglio, details were released earlier in the week, December 31, regarding the Jack Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, where he defended his investigations, stated evidence showed Trump’s guilt, and discussed using Republican witnesses against him. The Smith release may actually have been timed, not to offset the Epstein matter, but on New Year’s Eve, with the hope of flying under the radar, so to speak. In other words, to bury the matter. With Trump, there are always multiple subplots to decipher.
Nevertheless, neither of those topics is my target/subject for today. Instead, I am pulling out my trusty time capsule and taking a short 5-year trek back in time.
On January 6, 2021, a large group of supporters of then-President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C., as Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, won by Joe Biden. After a rally at which President Trump addressed the crowd, thousands of protestors, at his direction, marched to the U.S. Capitol building.
The situation escalated when a mob breached security barriers and forcibly entered the Capitol, disrupting the joint session of Congress. Lawmakers were evacuated or sheltered in place as rioters vandalized offices, damaged property, and clashed with law enforcement officers. The mob, in addition to the Capitol attack, erected gallows, and brandished or otherwise displayed Hang Mike Pence signs.
Inside the Capitol, the assault resulted in injuries to both police and rioters, several deaths, and widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally.
The National Guard and other law enforcement agencies were eventually deployed to restore order, and the Capitol was cleared hours later.
Congress reconvened later that evening and certified the election results. The event led to numerous arrests, investigations, and ongoing legal proceedings, as well as a second impeachment of President Trump by the House of Representatives, accusing him of incitement of insurrection.
During the two-month interval between the Election and January 6, Trump pumped up his supporters with claims the Election was stolen. The matter was adjudicated, and over 60 times, courts found no grounds for his claims. He won one case.
On J6, Trump, instead of accompanying the crowd to the Capitol, as he said during his speech at the White House Ellipse, retreated to the White House. There, he watched the mob on TV for over two and a half hours from the White House dining room, as he ignored repeated pleas from his aides, family members, and GOP lawmakers to intervene and call for an end to the violence. Reports from interview said during the intervening hours, Trump would rewind the DVR and re-watch the most violent acts. He said the rioters were angry on his behalf.
He did eventually get around to “tweeting” to them to leave peacefully. Research would later show that an aide, Dan Scavino sent that tweet. He was the only person, other than Trump, authorized to send tweets from Trump’s account.
Even in retrospect, the next day, in unaired video outtakes, Trump was shown resisting saying the election was over and being reluctant to condemn the attackers for their violence. As for the rioters chanting “Hang Mike Pence, and Pence subsequently being evacuated, when Trump was told Pence was in trouble, his reply was said to have been, so what!
When left alone, watching the rioters at work, Trump tweeted Mike Pence didn’t have the courage. Scavino has said, Trump tweeted that himself. This tweet likely further fueled the mob. Various media captured a vast array of images from J6. A couple that stood out to me were photos of the gallows, and of police with guns drawn defending space in the Capitol.
Donald Trump did win the 2024 Election. One of his first official acts, on January 20, 2025, was to issue full pardons to over 1,500 of those who were part of the mob on J6.
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