Author: North Coast BBQ

Submitted By: dwieb1@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Sorry if this seems brief and doesn’t fill in the blanks for you, but I think it’s best you decide whether it’s good info to follow up on, or just a bunch of hooey. -Dave

There are at least 2 reasons to protest peacefully: (1) the current administration would love to escalate tensions and violence because they have the clear advantage in fire power and an emotional base of support who feel discriminated against for both legitimate and manufactured reasons, and (2) violent protests will only further inflame factions of the electorate against each other and take the focus away from our primary and serious problem of an incredibly corrupt administration doing nothing to address the many pressing concerns of our population.

“More in Common” is an international organization that does extensive surveys. “More in Common was established with the mission of tackling the ‘us-versus-them’ divisions that pose a generational threat to the United States.” More in Common issued a report on Jan 20th titled “Beyond MAGA, A Profile of the Trump Coalition”

moreincommonus.com/publications/

[excerpt] “Drawing on surveys, interviews and group conversations conducted with over 10,000 Trump voters over 10 months concluding in early 2026, this study finds four distinct types of Trump voters: MAGA Hardliners, Anti-Woke Conservatives, Mainline Republicans, and the Reluctant Right.”

(back to my post) I believe it’s difficult or impossible to solve a problem without a clear and accurate understanding of it. While the internet can be a great resource, it’s also a cesspool of misleading garbage. Most of mainstream media isn’t much interested in sorting things out for viewers.

Every once in a while there’s some intelligent analyses and it’s up to us to recognize the useful and helpful bits as they fly by. I think one such bit of reality was broadcast on NBC’s Meet the Press this Sunday. Senator Adam Schiff has been slandered and vilified by Trump to a point that many don’t pay much attention, but he is very intelligent and got right to the point of the matter. He clearly believes we have a functional democracy and can make it work better. I agree this is not a time for doom and gloom, but for calling out the corruption and looking toward solutions.

www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/adam-schiff-says-he-s-not-giving-ice-or-cbp-another-dime-as-shutdown-looms-full-interview-256545349717

Submitted By: rjm98351@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Looking for recommendations for someone on the Coast to install drapes, rods & hardware on a couple of 3×5 windows. I have the drapes and hardware, just need the installer!

Thanks!

Submitted By: codger817@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

History is rhyming again.
During the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, Maj. General Daniel Sickles was ordered to hold the center of the Union line. He thought it might be better if he advanced a mile to a peach orchard with slightly higher ground. His stupid move left a gap in the union line, and his own corps was easily outflanked.
262 troops from the First Minnesota Regiment were ordered to charge into the gap and hold back the Confederates until more troops could arrive. They were greatly outnumbered and suffered 215 casualties, but the line held and the Battle of Gettysburg became a turning point in the Civil War.
How poignant that 163 years later, Minnesota is holding the line for us once again.
Jim Heffernan

Submitted By: pattyrinehart@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

Yesterday, Saturday, proved to be an incredibly hard day for many of us protesters in Nehalem. The loss of Renee Good, followed by the death of Alex Pretti, has left our community reeling. The atmosphere is tense, not just in Nehalem, but in cities across the country. Many people are focused on maintaining peace, but that goal feels almost impossible when we are faced with the reality of our own government taking lives. We cannot allow these violent acts to become normalized; this has to stop before such tragedies become routine.
At the North County Resistance gathering yesterday, emotions ran high. Some people were in tears, while others were visibly angry and cursing. Both reactions seemed justified and understandable given the circumstances. More than one person voiced the sentiment, “This is not the country I grew up in.” It was clear that this group of people was fundamentally changed from who we had been in the past. Many struggled to find words to express their feelings, and there was a shared uncertainty about how much longer we can allow the destruction of our democracy to continue—and what actions we should take in response.

Looking ahead, there is hope that all Democratic lawmakers will vote to stop funding ICE. If they fail to do so, those individuals should not be reelected. ICE should be dismantled immediately, and those leading the organization should be removed from their positions—though perhaps only after experiencing the conditions of an ICE detention unit themselves for a couple of months. Witnessing these events, I am reminded of the lesson I was raised with: “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Yet, I admit to feeling a desire for those responsible to face consequences, even harsher than what I am willing to say aloud.

Please do not hesitate to email me with your feedback. We need to stick together in times like these. We must not give up!
North County Resistance will meet again next Saturday, January 31 in Nehalem, from noon to 2 PM. Thank you to the 80 people who showed up on Saturday. Our numbers grow weekly. Patty

Submitted By: Tinnindeb@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Nehalem Bay Community Services is asking for donations for blankets, towels, pillows and winter socks (all sizes).

NBCS is always looking for donations for the following items:
Personal Care Items: shampoo and baby shampoo, soap, toothpaste for adults and children, toothbrushes, personal wipes.

Pet Food: Canned Cat and Dog Food, Dry Cat Food. Also, cat litter.

You can drop these donations off during operating hours of Monday, Friday and Saturday from 10 to 2, or Wednesday from 1 to 5. We are located in the basement of the Nehalem Methodist Church.

Thank you.

Submitted By: babbles@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

and what BBQ category to use? “general interest?” is this of “general” interest? maybe “Lost” would be better. surely this democratic U.S. is losing something–it’s democracy!

as i finished writing this, the title for this post came to me, “MURDER ON THE STREETS”

from Heather Cox Richardson. i have capitalized some words. my reaction “oh my god” came out of my mouth repeated times as i read this.

we MUST vote this criminal regime out of office. please VOTE in the november elections!

om peace namaste
written with tears
lucy brook
nehalem resident

January 24, 2026
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

This morning, on a street in Minneapolis, at least seven federal agents tackled and then shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse for the local VA hospital.

Video from the scene shows Pretti directing traffic on a street out of an area with agents around, then trying to help another person get up after she had been pushed to the ground by the agents. The agents then surround Pretti and shoot pepper spray into his face, then pull him to the ground from behind and hit him as he appears to be trying to keep his head off the ground. An agent appears to take a gun out of Pretti’s waistband during the struggle, then turns and leaves with it. A shot then stops Pretti’s movements, appearing to kill him, before nine more shots ring out, as agents apparently continue to fire into his body. IT LOOKED LIKE AN EXECUTION.

After he was dead, the agents walked away, apparently making no effort to preserve the crime scene, which people on the street later tried to secure by walling it off with trash bins.

As journalist Philip Bump noted, administration officials didn’t even pretend to wait for more information before jumping straight to “the opponent of the state deserved it.”

Mitch Smith of the New York Times reported that federal agents have blocked state investigators from the scene. Drew Evans of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, a statewide investigations team that specializes in police shootings, told reporters his agency had obtained a search warrant—a rare step—but the federal government still refused them access.

Tonight, in a lawsuit against Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials, Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison asked a judge for a temporary restraining order to prevent DHS agents from destroying evidence related to the shooting. The suit noted the “astonishing” departure from normal investigations, seemingly trying not to preserve evidence but to destroy it. A judge, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, immediately granted the restraining order, barring the administration from “destroying or altering evidence” concerning the killing.

Ernesto Londoño of the New York Times reported that federal officials also “have refused to disclose the identities of federal agents involved in Saturday’s shooting, as well as the names of federal agents who have shot people in recent days.”

Minnesota police have refused to obey the federal officers, though. Local law enforcement has been talking to witnesses and finding videos of the shooting. Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said at a press conference: “Our demand today is for those federal agencies that are operating in our city to do so with the same discipline, humanity, and integrity that effective law enforcement in this country demands. We urge everyone to remain peaceful.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that it, rather than the FBI, will investigate the shooting. But, as Alex Witt of MS NOW noted, DHS had already issued a statement about the shooting, which FALSELY ASSERTED that Pretti had “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and that he “violently resisted” as “officers attempted to disarm” him. The statement continued that “an agent fired defensive shots” and added that Pretti “also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” lucy’s words, “THESE ARE LIES.”

“So,” Witt noted, “they’re gonna be investigating that which they’ve already issued a summary about…. It would seem that it’s a closed book?”

After repeatedly being exposed as liars over previous accusations against those they have shot, the Department of Homeland Security has so little credibility that Witt is not the only journalist calling out the federal agents for lying. Devon Lum of the New York Times wrote: “Videos on social media that were verified by The New York Times contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.

“The Department of Homeland Security said the episode began after a man approached Border Patrol agents with a handgun and they tried to disarm him. But footage from the scene shows the man was holding a phone in his hand, not a gun, when federal agents took him to the ground and shot him.”

But LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE (lucy’s capitalization) is the only option for the administration when we can, once again, all see what happened with our own eyes. Pretti did have a permit for a concealed handgun and appeared to have carried the gun with him, although witnesses say he never reached for it. Tonight Noem doubled down on the lie, saying again: “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.”

When the Democratic Party’s social media account posted: “ICE agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis this morning. Get ICE out of Minnesota NOW,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller replied: “A would-be assassin tried to murder federal law enforcement and the official Democrat account sides with the terrorists.” The Democrats’ social media account responded: “You’re a f*cking liar with blood on your hands.” lucy’s words, “THAT IS THE TRUTH.”

In the wake of Pretti’s shooting, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to Minnesota governor Tim Walz to suggest he could “bring back law and order to Minnesota” if he handed over the state’s voter rolls to the Department of Justice. (this is where, sitting in my living room by my morning fire, i spoke into the silence of the room, OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!) As Jacob Knutson of Democracy Docket noted, SHE EXPLICITLY TIED THE ADMINISTRATION’S VIOLENCE IN THE STATE TO ITS DETERMINATION TO GET ITS HANDS ON VOTERS’ PERSONAL DATA BEFORE THE 2026 ELECTION. (my words, “BRIBERY ATTEMPT FROM OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN NEEDS TO VOTE–VOTE THESE CRIMINALS OUT OF OFFICE!). Minnesota has voted for the Democratic candidate running against Trump in the past three presidential elections, but he insists that he really has won the state each time. (my words, FRUMPF IS A LIAR)

As G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers wrote: Republicans could stop this at any time they wanted to.

“All it would take to end the murder of American citizens by an untrained government goon squad is 16 Republicans in Congress voting with Dem[ocrat]s to defund ICE (or 23 to impeach and remove Trump—3 in House & 20 in Senate). That’s it. 23 Americans can vote for the public and end all of this.”

Morris also pointed out that in December, Trump’s approval rating was negative in 40 states, including 10 he won in 2024. That covers 30 seats currently held by Republicans. Pretti’s shooting will likely erode Trump’s support further. Tonight, even right-wing podcaster Tim Pool reacted to Pretti’s killing by noting that it looked as if the agent had disarmed Pretti before the other agents shot him. “I don’t see Trump winning this one,” Pool commented.

The funding bill for DHS is effectively dead in the Senate, as Democrats have said they will not support any more funding for DHS. Tonight, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters: “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.” But the July law the Republicans call the One Big Beautiful Bill Act poured nearly $191 billion into DHS through September 30, 2029, with almost $75 billion going to ICE and $67 billion going to Customs and Border Protection (FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, got just $2.9 billion).

Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) had more to say: “​​What we just saw this morning on the streets of Minneapolis is another OUTRIGHT MURDER by federal officials. And let me just be clear, those federal ICE officers are ABSOLUTE COWARDS. I am a Marine veteran standing here telling you to your face they are unprofessional, pathetic cowards. Because if a Marine, an 18 year old Marine, did that in Iraq in the middle of a war zone, he would be court-martialed because it is murder. And you pathetic little cowards who have to wear face masks because you’re so damn scared, couldn’t even effectively wrestle a guy [to] the ground, so you needed to shoot him? This is why ICE needs to be prosecuted. Yeah, I voted to defund it, but ICE, you need to be prosecuted, and Director [Todd] Lyons, who’s running ICE right now, I hope you’re hearing this from this Marine to you. You guys are criminal thugs. You need to be held accountable to law if you think you can enforce it, and you need to be prosecuted right now.”

Just hours after the killing of Alex Pretti, agents pinned U.S. citizen Matthew James Allen to the street while he screamed: “I have done nothing at all. My name is Matthew James…Allen. I’m a United States citizen…. You’re gonna kill me! Is that what you want? You want to kill me? You want to kill me on the street? You’re going to have to f*cking kill me! I have done nothing wrong.” Nearby, his sobbing wife screamed: “Stop please! Stop!! Please!! We were just running away from the gas. That’s all we were doing.”

Tonight, Susan and Michael Pretti, the parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, issued a statement:

“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” they said.

“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.

“I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.

“Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
U.S. citizen