I needed to move a sofa.
I mentioned this to an American. He said, "You know anybody with a truck?"
I did not know anybody with a truck.
He looked at me with real concern. Not pity. Concern. The way you look at a man who has told you he does not have a name.
"You gotta know somebody with a truck."
I asked how one acquires such a person.
He said, "You just do."
This is the third time I have received that answer in this country. It is the answer to everything here. You just do. There is no process. There is only the eventual fact of having.
He said, "Ask Kevin."
I do not know a Kevin. He said Kevin like I should. He said it the way you say a shared uncle.
I met Kevin four days later. Kevin owns a truck. Kevin does not own a truck for himself. Nobody owns a truck for themselves. Kevin owns a truck for a fifteen mile radius.
Inside I said: THIS MAN HAS TAKEN A VOW. HE DID NOT ANNOUNCE IT. HE SIMPLY PURCHASED A BED AND ACCEPTED THE CONSEQUENCES.
Kevin arrived on Saturday. He brought the truck. He also brought a second man.
I had not asked for a second man.
The second man's name is Tony. Tony came because Kevin came. Tony did not know me. Tony did not ask what we were moving. Tony brought gloves.
They moved the sofa in eleven minutes.
I offered them money. Both of them laughed at the same time, which felt rehearsed and was not.
I asked what I owed them.
Kevin said, "Buy the pizza."
That is the price. That is the entire economy. The truck costs one pizza and the pizza is not negotiable and the pizza is also not expensive and everyone knows what size.
Inside I said: THE FEE IS FIXED ACROSS THE ENTIRE NATION AND WAS SET BY NO ONE.
We ate on the floor because the sofa was against the wall and none of us wanted to be the first to sit on it.
Tony told me his daughter plays soccer. I asked if she is good. He said, "She's aggressive."
I still think about that.
Three weeks later, Kevin texted me.
"You free Sunday? Helping Tony move a fridge."
He did not ask if I wanted to. He informed me of a fridge.
Inside I said: I HAVE BEEN CALLED UP. I DID NOT ENLIST. THE PAPERS WERE FILED ON MY BEHALF.
I went. I moved the fridge. I have no truck. I contributed only arms.
Afterward, a man I had never met asked me if I knew anybody with a truck.
I said, "Yeah, I got a guy."
I have a guy.
I am somebody's guy now, too. Tony has told two people about me.
He describes me as "the guy who's strong for his size."
I have never been prouder of a sentence in my life.
@DiamondNutsGuy@Rightanglenews Yes but it is also a “duty to retreat” state. If you want to be a cowboy you better have a legal war chest because you’re gonna need it. Sad.
@JMoma33193 @MAGAVoice The headline is a little misleading. He didn’t just “tell” them to end it, he ordered that it be reviewed and aligned with other countries for best practices. It’s not saying people can’t choose to still get them, but it’s ending the pressures of a “schedule” that is mandated
Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response. Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports. Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz, certain DFL members and an indifferent mainstream media. It’s scary, isolating and left us wondering who we can turn to.
In addition to retaliating against whistleblower, Tim Walz disempowered the Office of the Legislative Auditor, allowing agencies to disregard their audit findings and guidance. Media and politicians supporting Tim Walz or the DFL-agenda attacked whistleblowers who were trying to raise red flags on fraudulent activities.
This is a cascade of systemic failures leading up to Tim Walz. Agency leaders appointed by Tim Walz willfully disregarded rules and laws to keep fraud reports quiet - even to the extent of threatening families of whistleblowers. These same leaders are not qualified for their jobs, instead getting leadership jobs via Tim Walz’s friendship so state government were left floundering. DFL lawmakers refused to acknowledge fraud and deflected any serious conversation to stop fraud. Biased mainstream media such as WCCO and MPR showed absolutely no interest in covering fraud happening in our own state. Programs, especially in behavioral health and disability services were built without any guardrails against fraud, all in an attempt to extract more funding from legislature and the federal government.
As staff, we firsthand witnessed and observed fraud happening yet we were shutdown, reassigned and told to keep quiet. Sometimes more. Leadership did not want to appear to discriminate against certain communities and were unwilling to take action, such as stopping fraud, that would have an adverse impact on their image. To date, no single agency leader has been held responsible for their role in fraud whether it’s Shireen Gandhi, Jess Geil, Jodi Harpstead, Natasha Merz, Eric Grumdahl or others.
It is a structure created and maintained by Tim Walz who has created an environment of inter-related agencies and institutions including the media - that help foster fraud through retaliation and turning a blind eye in exchange for political gain in the form of high power agency leadership jobs or other perks.
Fundamentally, Tim Walz is dishonest, lacks ethics and integrity, has poor leadership abilities, and has never taken any accountability for his role in fraud. Instead, Tim Walz deflects by blaming national politics for his own failings and distracts the public with inveterate lying. These lies include his reference of a budget surplus under his tenure. Fact is, Minnesota never had a surplus, we had been given federal ARPA funds that were conflated as surplus money otherwise, we’d be in a deficit. And those ARPA funds, which were meant to be temporary funds were used to create more leadership positions for Tim Walz “buddies.”
As such, we can’t fight fraud in Minnesota alone hence why we’re appealing to the federal levels of government. We need all the help we can get as Tim Walz’s agency leaders have upped their brazen approach in covering up their knowledge of fraud.
We are grateful to numerous solid politicians (esp the Fraud Committee) and media outlets who are trying to halt fraud. We are also grateful to other whistleblowers who are bravely stepping up.
Thank You NY Times for bringing the plight of Minnesota to the national stage.
@nytimes
@GuntherEagleman I knew of ONE little boy who preferred to dress like a girl in the 80’s. He wore Keds and carried a purse. He was 5. We all thought he was a little odd but we just let him be.
@4HumanUnity@BasedMikeLee@elonmusk You do understand that we would like it to STAY a baseless issue right? We want to stop the bell from being rung, not try to unring it later. Understand?
ActBlue Exposed: Texas Donors Shocked by Unauthorized Donations, AG's Office Investigating
"I’m not rich. I don’t give that kind of money,” says Janice Bosco of Horseshoe Bay, TX, after discovering that ActBlue (@actblue) recorded 648 donations totaling around $16,000 in her name. Despite her disbelief, she hesitates to dispute the donations, not wanting to aid Republicans, stating "I don't want to dispute ActBlue... If we've gotten by with that much money, I say hell yes," further fueling concerns over the legitimacy of ActBlue’s fundraising practices.
Karen Roberton’s husband from Killeen, TX, was equally stunned when he learned of over $12,000 in donations to ActBlue attributed to his wife, spread across 600 transactions. “She’s given them some, but that’s it. Not $12,000,” he says, baffled by the discrepancy, only recalling small monthly contributions.
In Marble Falls, TX, Margaret Caylor’s husband was shocked to learn that over 5,000 donations, totaling around $136,000, were made in his wife’s name to ActBlue. When asked if she made the donations, he states, “Not that much money,” noting that while she has donated in the past, the figures documented are far beyond what they recall. “Laundering money maybe?” questions Caylor’s husband, referring to the integrity of ActBlue’s fundraising practices.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office, under First Assistant Brent Webster, is actively investigating ActBlue’s practices. Webster, who began the investigation, firmly states, “Any allegation that I have undercut our investigation into Act Blue is ludicrous, particularly given that I urged our office to initiate the investigation in the first place. I have dedicated substantial resources to this investigation, including some of our office's most talented lawyers. This ongoing investigation has been very productive… We do not comment on the status of pending investigations, but we will make every effort to enforce Texas law when it is being violated, as we have consistently done during my time at the OAG.”
ActBlue has begun requiring CVV codes on credit card transactions—a change reportedly made during the ongoing investigation. However, many potential victims and investigators remain skeptical.
@FEC@ElectionWatchHQ@SenMarcoRubio@MarcoRubio@KenPaxtonTX@TXAG
@RebelChick1111 @TheStevenCheung @realDonaldTrump@elonmusk Because contrary to what the media would have us all believe, he does try to be positive, grateful and encouraging. Because he understands how to be a leader. He’s always saying “well done” “great job” etc.