I CAN’T IGNORE the news. I want to, no, need to, know what’s happening on all levels from local to international. Perhaps it’s my innate curiosity or my journalism background that compels me to read and watch media reports. I feel an obligation, especially in these challenging times, to be as informed as possible.
What I’ve been hearing and reading from the federal government in Washington DC continues to concern me. Deeply. I can hardly believe the rhetoric, the hatred, the awfulness that is flowing like hot lava from fiery mouths upon this land.
The latest is the hatred directed by our president toward Somalis living in America, including some 80,000 in Minnesota. My community of Faribault is home to many Somali Americans. The president has singled out Somalis in Minnesota with his derogatory words and planned, targeted ICE raids here. I am proud of the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul and other leaders, including the Minneapolis police chief, for speaking up and standing strong for the Somali community during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. They recognize the threat to this specific demographic. And they value the Somalis who call Minnesota home.
“Who,” I ask, “will be next? Me, because my eyes are green?” Maybe he doesn’t care for green-eyed people. Or you? Because he doesn’t like something about you.
He certainly doesn’t care for journalists, especially female journalists. I realize a dislike of journalists is nothing new. But this president has gone well beyond “dislike” to outright meanness, bullying and name-calling. I never thought I would see the day when the leader of our country would chastise a reporter with “Quiet, piggy.” I never thought I would hear an American president call a reporter fat or terrible or ugly or any other adjective while hissing “fake news” at the media.
When the U.S. government launched a Media Bias page on the official White House website just days ago, I felt nothing short of outraged. This is the United States of America, where freedom of the press ought to mean something, where the media is independent of the government, where reporters have a right and a duty to accurately report the truth without fear of intimidation, public shaming, recrimination,… This newest tactic of naming a “Media Offender of the Week” ought to anger every single person in this country. I don’t care what side of the political aisle you sit on. This latest action speaks to censorship, to controlling the press, to propaganda, to anything but democracy.
I value freedom. I hope you do, too, enough to stand up for a free press, individual rights, freedom from fear, intimidation, oppression and all that threatens us. These are unprecedented times (yes, I recognize that may be an overused word, but it fits) in our country. I refuse to remain silent.
THOUGHTS?
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Observations from a southern Minnesota protest line April 6, 2026
Tags: bullying, commentary, disturbing behavior, Easter message, Faribault, language, Minnesota, opinion, peace, Pope Leo XIV, protest, protesting, words
STANDING ON THE PROTEST LINE in Faribault nearly every Saturday morning for three months, I’ve felt uplifted and loved by other protesters. And I’ve felt tremendous support, too, from the majority of passing motorists who wave, give us the thumbs up and honk their horns.
But I’ve also witnessed outrage, raging anger, dangerous behavior and hostility directed at those of us who are peacefully protesting against the current regime, etc., in this country. Everyone, under the First Amendment, is entitled to their opinion. It’s OK to disagree with us. But, the level of animosity I see and hear is truly disheartening.
BULLYING BEHAVIOR
We, as protesters, expect some negativity to be directed at us. But when it becomes dangerous, such as guys in mammoth pick-up trucks driving dangerously close at a high rate of speed and rolling coal, that crosses the line. We all understand that they are trying to intimidate us, to silence our voices. It’s a tactic that comes down from the top. Bullying is as old as time itself. We won’t be bullied into silence.
DISTURBING BEHAVIOR
That brings me to one particular driver whose behavior on Saturday had two of my new protest friends and me asking, “Did you see that?” That was a dad who had rolled down his window to give us the middle finger and shout profanities at us, with his young child strapped in a car seat behind him. This proved the most disturbing behavior I’ve witnessed while protesting. Children mimic what they see and hear. And this dad was teaching his child hatred and disrespect toward others.
UNSUITABLE WORDS
That brings me to the president’s profanity-laced social media post on Easter Sunday. I won’t type his warning to Iran about the Strait of Hormuz because his message is not suited for a general audience. But suffice to say that his language is unsuitable for the office he holds. I often wonder how anyone can be OK with what he writes, says and does.
WORDS OF PEACE
Then there’s Pope Leo XIV, who delivered a message of peace on Easter, as one would expect of a world faith leader. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace,” the pontiff said. Amen to that. I am thankful for leaders like him who stand publicly strong for what is right and good and moral. Now if only Pope Leo could have a one-on-one with the president or that dad driving past our protest line, flipping the bird and shouting profanities at us as his child watched and listened.
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FYI: I encourage you to click here and read a recent article published in The Daily Yonder about No Kings Day 3 protests in three southern Minnesota communities, including Faribault. The well-written story offers insights into protesting and opinions in rural America.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling