Get Angry

Sadness can freeze us. Anger can move us into action.

Get angry!

I again started to get depressed these last few days. The constant, relentless barrage of insane news, ranging from threats here in Minnesota to our Boundary Waters and ICE ramping up again, to the news that a slush fund has been created and the official record of the crimes committed by the January 6th insurrectionists is being erased and they will be receiving money, to the insanity in Iran and Gaza. There is no letup, and there seems to be no limit to how low the administration can go.

One of our regular protestors now brings a whiteboard to the protest so she can change her sign weekly, because there is always something new.

As I was sitting on my couch staring at the news, I realized that I needed to change my feelings of sadness, fear, and depression into anger.

Sadness, fear, and depression are feelings that immobilize you. They make you freeze and stop you from doing things. Anger, on the other hand, makes you do things.

The majority of people in the USA are vastly underestimating how bad things really are. Many think that if we vote them out during the midterms, things will go back to normal. They won’t. So many things have been set in motion, rules and trust have been broken, and so much damage has been done that it will take decades to heal.

It’s time to get angry. Angry at the small group of powerful people who are dismantling the USA and its Constitution piece by piece. Get angry at the people who are destroying the rights so many have fought so hard for. Get angry that they want to put profit over the health of our people and our environment.

Anger puts us into motion. It requires action.

We have history on our side. What I mean by that is that we know how past dictators did this, and we also know how people resisted. We have the internet at our fingertips to rally all of us, to fight misinformation, and to make sure we are doing this together.

The first thing to get angry about in our local community is that they are planning another data center in Chaska. We now know what this does to our energy bills, our water, and our environment. We can stop this.

Contact Liz Hanson, city planner, at 952-448-9200 or email her at ehanson@chaskamn.gov, and contact all the city council members. Chaska does not want this!

Other things you can do are to find out what your local district is and educate yourself on who is running. Support those who are running by volunteering, putting up yard signs, and yes, donating money.

On Tuesday, Bountiful Baskets is coming to the SW Protectors meeting to explain to us how a food shelf actually works, where they get money from, what they can and can’t provide, and how the landscape is changing for our local families. I hope you can join us.

I am angry that funds are continuing to be cut, including SNAP benefits for children. As groceries continue to get more expensive, more and more people are having to ask for help.

This Saturday promises to be warm, so wear hats, put on sunscreen, and bring a cold drink. Get angry, and take action!

The resistance does not win through sadness or by ignoring what is happening around us. We win by fighting.

Let’s go!

Judith

Chaska Protests

Every Friday from 3:00–4:00 p.m. at the corner of Chaska Blvd. and Chestnut Street (Highway 41) [Map]

Every Saturday from 1-2 pm at the corner of Hazeltine Boulevard and Highway 41 (Chestnut) [Map]

Chanhassen Protests

Every Saturday from 10-11 am at 7700 Market Boulevard [Map] Public parking is available behind City Hall.

Norwood Young America

Every Sunday, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (Line up at the bike path south of Highway 212 and Faxon.)

Victoria

Every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30 pm on the corner of Highway 5 and Victoria Drive/County Rd 11.

Waconia

Every Saturday from 11:30-12:30 pm at Highway 5 and County Road 10 in front of the Starbucks and Jersey Mike’s. [Map]

SW Protectors

Every first and third Tuesday from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. It’s no cost and come and go as you like.

Please do buy something to eat or drink, though, to support our venue, which is The Bellows restaurant and it’s located at 232 Pioneer Trail in Chaska.