Liberty & Prosperity Blog

People from across the political spectrum have speculated whether Michele Tafoya would run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Tina Smith. This morning, Ms. Tafoya ended that speculation by announcing that she's officially running for Sen. Smith's seat ! KSTP reports that Michele Tafoya "announced Wednesday morning that she’s running for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota that is currently held by Sen. Tina Smith. Smith announced last year that she would not seek reelection." In a statement, Ms. Tafoya said "I didn’t come to this decision lightly. But I’m not willing to stand on the sidelines while Minnesotans are let down by leaders who refuse to take responsibility. This campaign is about putting people first, not politics as usual." Her videotaped introduction stands out because a) she brings an outsider's voice and an outsider's perspective and b) her positivity is genuine. I've yet to meet her but I've followed her sports broadcast...

Anti-ICE idiot journalists portray themselves as highlighting anti-ICE goons like this: "I think the people risking their lives and livelihoods to protect their neighbors are the best of us, and I feel like we all owe them a debt of gratitude." Stupidity like this deserves highlighting ... for their hatred of the U.S. Not enforcing laws is anti-American. Further, it leads to anarchy. Anarchy leads to corruption, higher crime and higher taxes. Who thinks that's a smart combination? Most of these idiots are 'tear-it-all-down' types. What type of idiot would want to destroy a nation that is one of the most generous nations in history? What type of special idiot would destroy one of the most innovative, most productive nations in history? What type of special idiot thinks that a nation that exports prosperity should be destroyed? Contrary to this idiot's thinking, the anti-ICE agitators don't represent "the best of us." The anti-ICE agitators are de...

Based on the content in this article , I'm betting that William Kelly is a paid professional agitator. Fox News Digital reports "Anti-ICE agitators stormed Cities Church sanctuary on Sunday, causing chaos and insisting that one of the pastors is the acting director of ICE's St. Paul field office. Protesters were heard shouting 'ICE out' and 'Justice for Renee Good' in the middle of services in front of shocked churchgoers. A man with the group was identified as William Kelly, who goes by 'DaWokeFarmer' on TikTok, where he has over 66,000 followers, and regularly posts politically charged videos attacking ICE, President Donald Trump and members of his administration with profanity." The article continues, saying "A member of Christ Church in Washington, D.C., who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital that he immediately recognized Kelly as a part of a group that has been pestering worshipers on a routine basis." It's stu...

It's time for the DFL to admit that they don't have any ideas and that they don't have any integrity, either. It isn't disputable that the DFL doesn't have integrity, especially after their rioters invaded a church , then acted like this wasn't a big deal. Former CNN hack Don Lemon even tried to hide behind the Constitution: Lemon attempted to justify his actions by saying his actions are protected by the First Amendment. The first problem with that is that the church is private property. The next problem he's got is that his First Amendment right to practice journalism collides with the worshippers' right to practice their faith. Third, the invaders weren't practicing journalism. They were invading a church for the purpose of accusing the pastor he was working with ICE. When the invaders got inside the church, they started slinging sharp insults at the parishioners and the pastor. These trashtalkers talked like miniature Mayor Freys. A day after t...

Thanks to this reporting , we now know what I suspected all along. Alpha News is reporting that "The activists are members of radical groups that together have received millions of dollars from the left’s premier foundations and dark money networks, including George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund." This isn't surprising. George Soros' Open Society Foundation hates presidents that don't espouse open borders. Further, I know from past research that the Tides Foundation is tied to John Kerry and Theresa Heinz-Kerry, the widow of Sen. John Heinz. Sen. Heinz was to be the heir to the Heinz Katsup dynasty. Alpha also reports that "At the center of the unrest is the Sunrise Movement, a left-wing group founded to fight climate change that has since directed its local chapters to fight the Trump administration. For Sunrise Twin Cities, that means tormenting ICE agents on the ground. The group h...

Earlier this morning, I wrote this article , which I titled "Are these Jacob Frey's neighbors? I titled it that way to mock Frey's dishonest insistence that the RIOTERS that are tormenting ICE agents are really protesters who were protecting their "neighbors." These rioters couldn't explain how their neighbors were from all over the world. They couldn't explain how these neighbors from every continent had gotten convicted of some of the nastiest, most violent crimes imaginable. They were just neighbors. Bill Melugin is reporting that Jacob Frey's neighbors have struck again: NEW: I’m told multiple ICE agents with rooms booked at the St. Paul Downtown Doubletree by Hilton received this notice today that their rooms are being cancelled & the hotel will temporarily close “due to heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul.” I called the hotel &… pic.twitter.com/wNGsLq0vDt — Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 18, 2026 I'd argue that thes...

The amazing Bill Melugin is on the ground in Minneapolis and breaking stories. Remember when Minneapolis DFL Mayor whined about unnecessary uses of force and unconstitutional actions? The DFL would like you to think that anti-ICE 'protesters' were victims. District Court Judge Menendez issued an 80-page ruling that said ICE agents had to follow the First Amendment. Some whacked-out congressional Democrats held a performative 'hearing' in Minneapolis to draw attention to ICE's brutality while whitewashing the DFL's paid rioters . Back to Bill Melugin's reporting. Thanks to Julio Rosas's fast footwork and Mr. Melugin's retweet of Rosas's video, we now know that the "anti-ICE protesters" are really rioters: Anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis made a man take off his American flag hoodie that said “Freedom”: “Take it off and you won’t get hurt!” pic.twitter.com/YmueZRICnO — Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 17, 2026 The Rioters' Ba...

The only thing that Antonin Scalia and Ketanji Brown-Jackson have in common is that they were both Supreme Court justices. After that, the similarities abruptly end. Joe Biden's judicial legacy isn't just Ketanji Brown-Jackson, though. Unfortunately, it extends to Kate Menendez, the district court judge who " barred federal agents in Minneapolis from arresting peaceful protesters or using nonlethal munitions and crowd control tools against them." That's like a judge ruling that, if you're planning on breathing, you're required to breathe air. Saying that ICE agents can't arrest peaceful protesters is nothing more than telling ICE agents that they must obey the First Amendment. That's a no-brainer. In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said "The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, not rioting. DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public f...

In one of his latest articles, Byron York highlights the Democrats' hubris . In the article, York quotes from a DHS-issued statement on an ICE officer-involved shooting in Minneapolis. The statement said "In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. The subject then fled on foot. The law enforcement officer caught up to the subject on foot and attempted to apprehend him when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer. While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick. Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his l...

Let's not tiptoe around Jacob Frey's failed leadership in Minneapolis. The best proof that Frey failed is the number of police officers employed by the Minneapolis Police Department, aka the MPD, today vs. during the pre-Floyd era. Before the Floyd riots, the MPD employed 900+ officers. According to David Strom's article , "After the George Floyd riots, Minneapolis lost hundreds of police officers due to resignations and even disability. The department went from over 900 officers to as few as 560." That's just part of Frey's problem as "the absolute minimum staffing level of the department is 731, but the department has been struggling to fill the slots despite a significant increase in pay in order to attract more officers." According to Alpha News, "it seems that about 17% of the Police Department wants to opt out of the whole Frey strategy." That's 1-in-6 of the MPD who want out. Further "There are even rumors, wholly unveri...

Despite the harassment and the DFL's semi-veiled threats, ICE keeps doing their job. Despite Jacob Frey's insistence that ICE is breaking the law and that their practices were anti-Constitution, these patriots promised to keep arresting criminal illegal aliens. Like thetraditional Trump saying goes, Promises made, Promises kept. According to Alpha News, "Democratic leaders have denigrated ICE officers with toxic rhetoric; activist groups have circulated methods to illegally interfere with ICE operations; and Minneapolis residents have destroyed law enforcement vehicles and obstructed federal agents." Gov. Tim Walz apparently has appointed himself Aronist-in-Chief . In his own words and after he'd called on Pressident Trump to "lower the temperature" with the rhetoric, Gov. Walz said "What’s happening in Minnesota right now defies belief. News reports simply don’t do justice to the level of chaos and disruption and trauma the federal government is r...

If you listen to DNC Chair Ken Martin, Minnesota DFL Gov. Tim Walz or Minneapolis DFL Mayor Jacob Frey long enough, it's difficult to determine whether they're totally nuts or whether they're just evil. Let's start with DNC Chair Martin. On Sunday, Martin said "In Iran, brave protestors confront a far-right theocratic regime that crushes dissent and denies basic freedom. Here at home, tens of thousands are marching after the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good — demanding justice, transparency, and an end to an unchecked federal force that takes lives and tears families apart. Solidarity across borders means opposing authoritarian power everywhere and defending the right to live free from fear and state violence." Martin should be ridiculed for comparing Iranian freedom fighters with American-born activists/agitators. The Iranian freedom fighters are fighting for freedom. In Minneapolis, ICE Watch is fighting for anarchy and against law enforcement. That's t...

Based on Alpha News's reporting , it sounds like Rep. Ilhan Omar wants to either defund ICE or render it ineffective. Alpha reports that "Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and nearly 100 of her House colleagues are vowing to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7." Look Who's Silent: According to the article, the House Democrats' spineless leader is silent. Alpha reports "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has not taken a position on funding immigration enforcement past the January deadline. On Monday, he sharply criticized the $75 billion infusion allocated to ICE in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. No Democrats voted for the tax and spending cut package, which Trump signed into law in July 2025." That's so in-character for Jeffries. He's one of the most slimiest creatures in Washington, DC. He's consi...

Like someone lighting a match during the right conditions, a little wildfire is catching fire. In this instance, the firestarter is "Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst, who is leading the coalition." According to this Alpha News article , "In a Dec. 1 letter, eight mayors representing communities in the Brainerd Lakes Area sounded the alarm on Minnesota’s 'economic decline.' The coalition grew to 98 signatures in a Dec. 22 letter, as the signatories warned that recent property tax spikes 'stem directly from state policies, mandates and cost shifts that leave cities with no choice but to pass these burdens onto homeowners and businesses.'" Unfunded mandates shouldn't be called that. They're really hidden tax hikes, where the state tell cities, contractors or public schools what to do, then tell cities contractors and schools that they'll have to pay for the mandate themselves. This is utterly flawed in multiple ways. First, it assumes that...

Are Tim Walz, Minnesota's DFL governor, and Jacob Frey, Minneapolis's DFL mayor, attempting to incite violence in their jurisdictions? With each passing day, I inch closer to thinking that that's what they're attempting to do. After Renee Good's death, Mayor Frey insisted that the people ICE was arresting were "neighbors" of the people of Minneapolis. I'm skeptical of that claim. How many adult men have sodomized children under the age of 13? How many of YOUR NEIGHBORS have committed homicide? How many of YOUR NEIGHBORS have raped or trafficked women? Thanks to Bill Melugin's reporting , we know that 18 people that ICE arrested fit that description: Sriudorn Phaivan, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of strong-arm sodomy of a boy & strong-arm sodomy of a girl with a deportation order since 2018. Tou Vang, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of sexual assault and sodomy of a girl under age 13 and procuring a child for prostitution with a deporta...

A month ago, a letter signed by 98 Minnesota mayors caught people's attention for all the right reasons. That group of 98 mayors just grew to 241 mayors . Alpha News reported that "In a Dec. 1 letter, eight mayors representing communities in the Brainerd Lakes Area sounded the alarm on Minnesota’s 'economic decline.' The coalition grew to 98 signatures in a Dec. 22 letter, as the signatories warned that recent property tax spikes 'stem directly from state policies, mandates, and cost shifts that leave cities with no choice but to pass these burdens onto homeowners and businesses.'" This is a full-fledged grassroots movement. When 98 mayors signed onto the letter, the total population represented by those 98 mayors totaled 541,000 people. According to Alpha News's reporting, "According to Purfeerst, the group of 241 mayors represent ' a combined population of 1,092,189 Minnesotans ' and 'have united to call out fraud, failed economic p...

Ilhan Omar was on CBS's Face the Nation yesterday. During her interview, she said "It is just creating fear. What they are doing is creating confusion, chaos, trying to intimidate people from being able to exercise their regular normal activities that they would. There is no justification in any of the things that they say." She continued, saying "The 87 people that you’ve described as being investigated, many of them adjudicated, all happened under the Biden Administration. There is no justification for the surge. We know that ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has the ability to conduct raids. There is no reason to have over 2,000 people coming into our city and creating the level of terror that they have created." This is BS. First, finding fraud is different than finding illegal aliens. Next, the Feeding Our Future fraud happened during the Biden administration but that's just the starting point. Next, the U.S. Attorney and his investigators star...

I had a brief email conversation this weekend with a liberal friend of mine. During the brief conversation, my friend semi-defended Renee Good's tactics the day she died. This friend defended Jacob Frey, too. I suspect that the conversation was brief because the conversation was tense, too, tense enough to cut with a knife. Yesterday, I wrote this article about Jacob Frey's 'neighbors' who were captured by ICE because they're felons. Thanks to Bill Melugin's reporting, we learned that 18 of the people arrested are the nastiest of the nastiest people imaginable. Here's that list: Sriudorn Phaivan, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of strong-arm sodomy of a boy & strong-arm sodomy of a girl with a deportation order since 2018. Tou Vang, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of sexual assault and sodomy of a girl under age 13 and procuring a child for prostitution with a deportation order since 2006. Chong Vue, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of the strong-a...

It isn't surprising that Bill Melugin's great reporting has humiliated Jacob Frey, Minneapolis's boy toy mayor. Saturday afternoon, Melugin reported "BREAKING: ICE has provided @FoxNews a list of the most egregious criminal aliens they've arrested during their surge in the sanctuary state of Minnesota, & it's the most disturbing list I've ever seen , including numerous convicted child rapists/sodomizers & ten convicted killers, most with deportation orders going back many years. Several from Laos, Somalia, and Sudan." These are the criminals that Frey, Walz, Ellison and Good tried protecting. Frey even tried peddling the BS that ICE, not these violent criminals, were making Minnesota less safe. Put in objective terms, that means Frey thinks that "convicted child rapists/sodomizers" make Minneapolis safer than a large contingent of ICE agents. In the 2024 Vice Presidential Debate, Tim Walz said that he could sometimes be a knucklehe...

It's painfully obvious that the DFL doesn't like law enforcement. The DFL's contempt for law enforcement is written in their actions.Accordding to this article , the DFL's contempt for law enforcement isn't just with ICE. According to the article, "Throughout the evening, the protesters blocked roadways and some threw snow, ice and rocks at police officers and vehicles, Minneapolis police said in a press release. Around 9:45 p.m., a group returned to the Canopy Hotel where some forced entry into the hotel through an alley entrance. Police said hotel security 'was able to control the situation, and people left.'" Who's funding these mobs? Are they rented? This website suggests that these aren't people upset with ICE or local police. This website suggests these rioters might've been purchased or, at minimum, rented. Further, it's shameful that the media isn't calling these rioters out for rioting. It's disgusting that thi...

It's time Jacob Frey and Tim Walz confessed their sins, then resign. First, let's correct something that Frey got terribly wrong . He's now quoted as saying "And this idea that my comments were inflammatory — come on, guys. I dropped an F-bomb. They killed somebody. Which one of those is more inflammatory? I’m going with killing somebody." While an ICE agent pulled the trigger on the gun -- that's indisputable -- what Frey intentionally isn't saying is that Frey and Walz that they intentionally omitted specific things to the people of Minneapolis. Either that or Gov. Walz told graduates at the U of M Law School that ICE agents were the modern day Gestapo. He tried telling everyone with brown or black skin that ICE intended to send them to prison or worse. Though they don't want to admit it, Frey's and Walz's words created conditions that were the literary equivalent of a tinder box. Saying that someone is driving around Minnesota with a mask on...

Tim Welz, Minnesota's DFL governor, held a dishonest, deceptive news conference Thursday morning in Blaine, MN. In that news conference, Gov. Walz "reiterated that the Trump administration denied the state the ability to participate in the investigation and urged them to reconsider. He questioned if Minnesotans would trust the outcome without state investigators' input." What Gov. Walz intentionally omitted was that this was a federal case because it involved an ICE agent. The state doesn't have jurisdiction to participate in this investigation. Strongly implied in Gov. Walz's statement was that the Trump administration couldn't be trusted to fairly investigate the shooting. Additionally, it wasn't possible to not detect Gov. Walz's anti-law enforcement prejudice. Repeatedly, he omitted the fact that Renee Nicole Good tried repeatedly to prevent ICE agents from making arrests. In fact, at the time of the shooting, ICE agents were trying to arrest...

In July, 2024, VP Kamala Harris picked Minnesota DFL Gov. Tim Walz to be her insurance policy running mate. Since then, Gov. Walz's political career has died. Gov. Walz's presidential ambitions are finished. Gov. Walz's gubernatorial ambitions died, too. Gov. Walz's legacy is shattered. Medicaid fraud is running rampant. Somali gangs run Minneapolis, Minnesota's biggest city. Further, Gov. Walz has made repeated incendiary comments about law enforcement and the law. Saying that ICE isn't welcome in Minnesota or Minneapolis is like saying that enforcing laws in Minnesota won't be tolerated. That's stupid. Tim Walz isn't hiding who he is. This tweet says everything that needs to be said. In speaking to the people, Gov. Walz said "If you're in Portland, or you're in LA, or you're in Chicago, or you're wherever they're coming next, stand with us. Stand with us against this." Further, Gov. Walz mentioned "the show hear...

If I had $% for each time someone said that the cover-up is worse than the scandal, I'd be rich. I'm not rich. But I digress. This article sounds like they're describing the bureaucrats' cover-up. Alpha News reports "A stunning new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) found that staff in the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) backdated or created documents after the audit began in response to the OLA’s requests for information." Doesn't that sound like they're trying to create clients who used the various services. Medicaid services that've been victims of fraud include Housing Stabilization Services, aka HSS, autism centers, CCAP and day care centers. Judy Randall, who took over for Jim Nobles, said "I do want to talk about what a serious issue this is and how it is, frankly, unacceptable for the agencies we audit to do this type of activity. In the 27-plus years I’ve been with OLA, I have never seen this before....

Now that Minnesota's fraud factory is getting highlighted by the national press, there's finally the opportunity to fix Minnesota's broken safety net program. There's a mood building within these programs and throughout Minnesota that isn't going away. Part of it is captured in Liz Collin's interview of Michele Bachmann . During the interview, Michele Bachmann told Liz Collin "This really was an open secret, people all across Minnesota, many of them knew about this. Before I went into state government, I had served as a federal tax litigation attorney. And even in my training as a tax litigation attorney, we were told about the fraud … So I was aware of it even back to that time … I’m very grateful that finally this is getting national attention." I'm betting that the biggest reason why Michele Bachmann is "grateful" this story is "getting national attention" is because the Twin Cities corporate media has been burying this story...

If Democrats want to be taken seriously as people of good faith, they need to stop with their anti-ICE bigotry. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, aka USDHS, is reporting that "a Minnesota hotel 'maliciously cancelled' reservations for federal law enforcement officers. DHS posted screenshots of emails that reference the 'Hampton Inn Lakeville property.'" That's meaningless. What type of bigot prevents law enforcement from doing its job? Make no mistake, either. That was Hampton Inn Lakeville's goal. Hilton Hotels is backtracking. This isn't unintentional, either. Here's proof that it's intentional: Let's make Hampton Inn pay for this indiscretion. If they don't want ICE agents staying in their hotel, they should post a sign saying that. Let's post a sign saying that Hampton Inn Lakeville is anti-law enforcement. USDHS isn't taking this light, nor should it: It's time to tell these grifters AND THEIR ENABLERS tha...

Whether he turns right or left, DFL Gov. Tim Walz's legacy takes another hit. Monday morning, Gov. Walz officially ended his campaign . Initially, Gov. Walz announced he'd attempt to get elected for a third straight term as Minnesota's governor. This isn't surprising to Minnesotans, though it's likely a surprise nationally. People watching Gov. Walz would've immediately thought that his getting elected governor wasn't likely except in Minnesota. Rather than sounding statesmanlike, Gov. Walz sounded bitter, perhaps even a little petty. During his speech, Walz said "I won't mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies, in Washington, St. Paul and online, want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family." Later in the speech, Walz attempted to take the high roa...

It's a safe bet that the first question asked at Gov. Walz's press conference this morning will be to ask if he's staying in the race. Of course, that's if Gov. Walz doesn't announce it during his formal statement. If he announces that he's dropping out during his opening, then the first question will be about what he and Sen. Klobuchar talked about. One of the unspoken questions will be whether he regrets accepting Kamala Harris's invitation to be her running mate. Since then, Gov. Walz's political career has dropped like a rock. Juicy-sounding news spreads like wildfire. Sunday afternoon, the biggest speculation in Minnesota was whether Harrison Smith had played his last game with the Vikings. By the time the late news hit, Fox9 was interviewing Blois Olson, the guy who broke the story. Last week, speculation was running rampant about Nick Shirley's reporting. This week starts with Shirley potentially knocking out a potential history-making govern...

Monday morning, DFL Gov. Tim Walz is holding an 11:00 am press conference . He's scheduled to "discuss 'the news of the day.'" According to Blois Olson's reporting, "the governor was set to make an announcement about his political future on Monday, and he would 'likely drop out of the 2026 race.' Olson reports that the governor met with Senator Amy Klobuchar on Sunday to discuss the decision." Whether Walz drops out or whether Klobuchar runs against him is still undecided at this point. That means that the press conference will be must-see TV. The backstory: "Gov. Walz has faced national criticism from President Trump, among others, for his handling of Medicaid fraud in the state. Republican opponents have accused Walz of being slow to respond to the fraud. According to Olson, Walz has also faced pressure from his Democrat colleagues to make a decision on his 2026 run." I don't know why Sen. Klobuchar would be interested in leav...

I need to read the Declaration of Independence more often. With all of the unAmerican idiots cluttering our streets and neighborhoods, it's important to be able to teach other generations what principles the U.S. is built upon. Those that don't respect the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights should be treated with derision and disdain. People that haven't figured out that the U.S. is the greatest nation on Earth shouldn't be discarded but they should be viewed as people of questionable character. I write this in reply to David Strom's article about the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. In his article, Strom wrote "Maduro was, by any measure, an enemy of the United States and of his own people. There are 8 million Venezuelans who have been driven out of their country; nothing like that happens except in a failed state. The United States suffers a great deal of spillover from conditions in Venezuela, and there is n...