There has been so much written about this already. So much photographed and videoed. People who have been fighting, have been on the frontlines protesting, people spending their own hard-earned money to buy food and necessities for those who are afraid to leave their homes. Teachers who have been escorting children to their homes/buses/safe people from school.

I am ashamed to be American. But I am proud to be a Minnesotan.

I haven’t written yet about it. (Although I have shared amply on social media platforms…quite annoying, I am sure.) I haven’t felt the authority to write. What could I possibly contribute that hasn’t been said already (and better)? The only possible thing I can contribute is my voice, my perspective.

My heart breaks for Minnesota. Children and babies are being tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, and abducted. Thank god sweet Liam was released today. Innocent people are being killed while simply trying to protect their neighbors.

I am so angry. I am angry at anyone who ever voted for Trump. I am angry at the thousands of weak-willed, uneducated, power-hungry boys and men who are dumb enough to apply for ICE. I am angry at Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem, Steven Miller, Pam Bondi, Tom Homan, and Katherine Menendez. I am angry at influencers who tout products in the midst of this terror and don’t use their platforms for good. I am angry at pro-life Christians who mourned the loss of Charlie Kirk but have remained silent on the horrors of ABDUCTING INNOCENT CHILDREN. I am so angry.

I have been warned not to post what I have on social media. I hate social media. I hate that I’m posting on it. But I feel compelled. And I haven’t posted anything bad, I’ve just said things that are true. That anyone can see with their own eyes. A family member told me, “If you want to come back to the States this summer to visit our family, you need to take your posts down. Otherwise Customs and Border Control might not let you in the country.” I looked through my posts…the most inflammatory post I could see was one that showed the faces of Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and Greg Bovino and proclaimed them to be the true domestic terrorists. It is true. They are. But I took down the post. Why? Because I want to see my family this summer. Because I don’t want to be in trouble. Because at heart I am a rule-follower and enjoy the luxury of privacy and invisibility. But so many people don’t have those luxuries. I was a coward. I was complicit.

It is unreal that the citizens of “the country of freedom and justice for all” are having to censor themselves. It is not right. So fuck that.

The current U.S. administration is a horrific oligarchy. They are selfish, evil, cruel, and self-serving. I will not be silenced in hopes that ICE does not stop me in customs from visiting my family. I will exercise my freedom of speech.

I will also say, that as a U.S. citizen living in Denmark, I am ashamed. There have been many protests here in view of Trump’s demanding Greenland, and accusing his NATO allies of being absent in the face of crisis. In actuality, Danes have backed the U.S.A. for the longest time. They have been first to help in a crisis. While I cannot speak to Greenland (I support neither the Danish colonisation of Greenland nor the U.S.’s greed in trying to acquire it…I believe Greenland should belong to its own people), I have to say that the veterans of Denmark who stood with the U.S. should not be dismissed ever, much less in such a callous way. Fuck Trump. Thank you Denmark.

I apologise for this ramble; this stream of words built up over the last however long. I know I am not adding anything new or riveting to the current dialogue. I am, however, ashamed to be an American. My hope is that all the countries around the world know that not all (indeed, not the majority) of Americans agree with Trump. And at the same time, I am proud to be a Minnesotan: proud to see my community stand up to injustice, to fight the good fight, to help our neighbors, and to unflinchingly look bullies (ICE) in the eye as they stand up for what is right.