Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

We the people…

“We the People” signifies that the government exists to serve its citizens, affirming that ultimate power rests with the people.”— U.S. Senate

Minnesota is a land of 10,000 lakes, nestled atop the western arm of Lake Superior assuring its severe winter cold and deep white snows.Minnesota is the land of the Guthrie Theatre, the largest population of Norwegians and Swedes outside of Scandinavia, the Vikings, the Twins, and of course “polite-to-a-fault” Minnesota Nice. Sourced at Lake Itasca, the Mississippi River runs 2,350 miles from Minnesota to Louisiana. Minnesota is 5.7 million strong and has the powerful heritage of Paul Bunyan and The Blue Ox.

The Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St Paul, are currently occupied by ICE, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, with an intense emphasis on enforcement: a force, of 3,000 agents in a geographical sector housing but 500 local police. Masked agents in unmarked cars with military-grade weapons and tear gas use brutal behaviors to stop cars, bust windows, drag out their occupants.Numbers, always huge numbers of agents, invade schools, churches, restaurants, Home Depot — to accost and arrest forcefully. Always strongly armed, these agents drag out persons not identified with careful, stealthy research from key data sources but just those who happen to be in the path of unbridled force. Included are US citizens, legitimate persons with visas, persons applying for asylum, persons working, paying taxes and providing labor for health care, hotels, farms, restaurants

The stated mission of ICE, as it invades cities and states (primarily blue), is to rout out the worst of the worst — violent, immigrant criminals, such as, one well-publicized 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father taken from Minnesota to a Texas detention facility. Liam’s mother is in Minneapolis, his beloved Spiderman backpack and bunny hat were confiscated by the facility. The horror of Trump’s first term “Children in Cages” for family separations is being reinstated to terrorize by Trump’s Rasputin, Deputy Chief of Staff Steven Miller.

The people of Minnesota are 5.7 million strong. We the People strong standing, as they did for George Floyd in 2020, organized to help city, state residents – their neighbors- to be spared the victimization of a federal agency gone rogue.Minnesotans provide alert systems against marauding, masked agents conducting unprofessional, unproductive street sweeps. They provide food to those fearful of leaving their home, they chaperone kids to school.Minnesota Nice is Minnesota Might, Americans as we recognize Americans — respectful, tenaciously bound to law and order, decent.Two American citizens, Rene Goode and Alex Pretti, were killed on Minneapolis streets, peacefully protesting, shot at point blank range, in cold blood, by ICE agents with no indication of follow-on accountability or official investigation.

Trump continues to uphold the brutality of his ICE agency toward Alex Pretti who unbeknownst to them weeks earlier kicked an ICE unmarked vehicle. For this Trump believes Pretti deserved 9 shots in the back, lying face-down, hands out, surrounded by a half dozen ICE agents.

Trump be on alert. Minnesota is 5.7 million strong.Minnesotans are garnering the support of a nation – 69% and rising.We The People protests are out in severe subzero weather, in small towns, in massive population centers peacefully protesting, peacefully proclaiming their rights.

“We the people” are the first three words of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.We the people don’t cotton to the tyranny of despots, don’t tolerate the banal silence of persons in elected office, don’t vote for those who condone murder of citizens for exhibiting their rights of free speech. We the people do not tolerate the abuse of children – taken, caged, terrorized.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” — The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

Kathy Herald-Marlowe lives in Sharon.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Lelah M. Somers

Lelah M. Somers

DOVER PLAINS — Lelah M. Somers, 97, a longtime Dover Plains, New York, resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, New York. Lelah was born on July 3, 1929, in Pawling, New York, to the late Byron and Lelah (Watts) Brill. Lelah grew up in Pawling and on Nov. 22, 1946, in Pleasant Valley, New York, she married James F. Somers, Sr. Mr. Somers passed away on Sept. 3, 1970. Lelah worked for New York State as a therapy aide for thirty-years and as a senior companion for New York State for thirty-two-years, with specific care provided to the mentally disabled.

She enjoyed taking care of the mentally disabled, was a wonderful mother to her four children, always putting her family first. She is survived by her son, James F. Somers, Jr. and his wife Donna of Dover Plains; two daughters, Doreen Monica of Wingdale, and Frances “Fran” Horton of Dover Plains, who was also her caregiver for many years; seven grandchildren, Debbie, Margie, Leah, Stephanie, Deirdra, Benji and Jimmy and several great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, and her step-son, Kenny Elliott. In addition to her parents and husband, Lelah was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Carol “DeeDee” Maile and Gil Maile, her son-in-law, Stephen Monica, and her son-in-law, Benny Horton as well as her companion of over forty-years, Andrew “Mac” McAlravey and her siblings, Ferris Brill, Eleanor Barryann, Richard Brill, William Brill and Barney Brill.

Keep ReadingShow less

The art of getting into art school

The art of getting into art school

Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

On Friday, Oct. 16, hundreds of aspiring artists will have the opportunity to explore those questions at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, presented by The Art Effect at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie.

Keep ReadingShow less
A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

Keep ReadingShow less
Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

Provided

As the leaves across Litchfield and Dutchess counties rush to make it to the ground, your last chance to peep autumn is fast approaching. On Oct.17 and 18, the 10th annual Clay Way offers peepers a route to follow lined with unique art that rivals the area’s natural beauty.

The two-day event is a ceramics-focused open studio tour through northwestern Connecticut, with a few studios peppered in just over the border in Dutchess County. Featuring nine open studios and 25 participating artists, the tour promises a wide variety of work, from decorative objects to grand vessels and a whole world in between.

Keep ReadingShow less
A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

CAMERON (1922-1995) is on view at Kent Fine Art in Pine Plains through Nov. 14.

Provided

Where can one find the work of an artist associated with occult rituals, surrealist visions and the underground California art scene? In a beautifully renovated former carriage house in Pine Plains, of course.

Unexpected discoveries are, after all, part of what Doug Walla has spent his career making possible. The longtime New York City art dealer and founder of Kent Fine Art, has brought the work of Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, known simply as Cameron, to his new gallery space. The exhibition, on view through Nov. 14, introduces visitors to an artist whose life and work moved between mysticism, poetry, film and the avant-garde.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.