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IMPORTANT SUNDAY MESSAGE from Meidas Founder

Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Jan 25

By Ben Meiselas

Hello Meidas Mighty. It’s Ben Meiselas here, co-founder of the MeidasTouch Network. For those who recently joined this Substack, every Sunday morning I like to grab a coffee with our community here and make this Sunday post to reflect on the past week. So let’s do it.

It’s a grim Sunday. There’s no way around that. Sure, Trump’s approval is plummeting to new lows and the regime has never been more detested. But it’s at the cost of a lot of pain, a lot of tears, and a lot of mourning.

Alex Pretti was murdered in cold blood by Trump’s Border Patrol. Pretti was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA. Pretti did nothing wrong at the protest yesterday morning in Minneapolis. He went to offer aid to a female protester who was getting pepper sprayed by Border Patrol agents. The Border Patrol gestapo started pepper spraying Pretti. A group of six to seven Border Patrol thugs threw Pretti to the ground, bludgeoned him on the floor, and shot him 11 times.

Just as it did with Renée Nicole Goode, the Trump regime labeled Pretti a domestic terrorist. It’s the same playbook. It’s the playbook for terror. The Trump regime defamed Pretti and completely lied about what we all saw on video. They repeat the lie over and over and use their state regime news networks like Fox and CBS to repeat the regime propaganda.

Before Pretti was murdered, Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is helping Trump cover up the Epstein child sex trafficking ring, sent a letter to Minnesota Governor Walz. Bondi’s letter said that if Walz agreed to turn over all the voting data in Minnesota that Trump wanted and allow Trump to essentially supervise the midterms, perhaps a deal could be cut where ICE and Border Patrol would leave the state. It’s a classic extortion racket we would expect from the mafia. Governor Walz and the great state of Minnesota did not give in.

It shouldn’t have taken the murder of Pretti to convince a handful of Democrats in the Senate who tried to reach a compromise with MAGA senators to vote against the Department of Homeland Security funding package. The Democrats in the Senate now seem united to vote against ICE funding in the appropriations package set for a vote this week. Trump’s effort to increase the funding for his terrorist paramilitary groups, ICE and Border Patrol, may now lead to a government shutdown, just as his ripping away healthcare did a few months back.

Let me say it one more time. There is no compromising with a terrorist regime and their terrorist paramilitary forces. ICE and Border Patrol must be abolished and prosecuted for crimes against humanity. There are no “enhanced training” compromises to be made with terror groups. Any money that goes to ICE and Border Patrol is used to invade our cities and cause chaos and mayhem and death. Stop treating ICE and Border Patrol as anything other than regime paramilitaries that kill and torture people in this country. I am not mincing words here. We must not mince words. This is a time when moral clarity is needed.

This past weekend also made me reflect on my career before I started MeidasTouch. I was once a civil rights litigator. I graduated law school in 2010. From 2013–2018, I spent many months out of the year living in a hotel room in Bakersfield off Truxtun Avenue, handling cases there when the Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff’s Office had the highest police shooting deaths per capita anywhere in the country. I made a documentary series on the cases I worked on with Colin Kaepernick for Hulu called Killing County. I went on to represent Kaepernick when he peacefully protested against police brutality during the first Trump term and Trump gave a speech yelling, “get that son of a bitch off the field,” in Huntsville, Alabama, and Colin’s career was over.

I reflect on how silence is complicity. I reflect on how people attacked Kaepernick’s peaceful protest because it made them “uncomfortable,” when what should have been focused on was how Black and brown communities were being targeted. I reflect on how normalizing and sane-washing the atrocities by Trump and his enablers got us here. I now know that the experience and training from handling hundreds of civil rights cases in a county referred to as “Killing County,” and my work with Kaepernick, has prepared me for this moment.

Anyway, I want to check up on you and make sure you are hanging in there. Let me know how you are feeling by leaving a comment below. I want to let you know I am proud of you and I will be here for you, with the support of this network, however I can. I don’t need to go on about the growth of the MeidasTouch Network, because I know you get it. You’ve made it possible. I am honored to be in this fight with you and to have been able to create a network that brings the truth every single day when corporate news has so utterly failed us. This community is made possible by you. Every morning, from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep, I make sure the network focuses on being your voice and being there for you.

Alright, I am going to make a morning video now. Thanks for reading this. Thanks for being a friend and staying in this fight. We will get through this together. I promise you that.

I’d be remiss, and my staff would be upset at me, if I didn’t remind you that if you aren’t a paid subscriber yet to this Substack, to become one now. The subscriptions to this Substack have fueled the massive expansion you’ve already seen in 2026. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without those subscriptions, so if you can, subscribe now.

Thanks everyone for having this Sunday coffee with me. Let’s keep fighting.

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

JUST A FEW OF MANY COMMENTS:

Let the ICE agents know that Trump won't be around forever, but they will be around for many years to come. And each one of them will be exposed, prosecuted, shamed, punished, and be considered an enemy of their fellow citizens. They are Judases -- everyone of them.

Chicagoans stand with Minnesota. If you cannot go to the rally listed below here's how you can help. https://www.standwithminnesota.com

Chicago Indivisible has called a rally for Sunday at 1 pm at Wells and Michigan. They say,

Today, we witnessed yet another murder by ICE and Border Patrol. This was the latest in escalating violence that has led to - first the murders of Silverio Villegas González, Keith Porter and Renee Nicole Macklin Good - and now the murder of Alex Pretti. All because the community is standing up to the kidnapping of our neighbors off the street by the Trump regime. All because we won’t stand idly by and allow our country to devolve into tyranny. Join Indivisible Chicago as we take to the streets and demand ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE and an end to the fascist ICE and CBP violence.

CHICAGO: EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO DHS EXECUTION IN MINNEAPOLIS

Indivisible Chicago is supporting the emergency protest that has been called for by CATA (The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda) and CAARPR (Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Coalition) in response to the latest murder by ICE and Border Patrol.

We must put an end to the racial profiling, violence, abductions and intentional cruelty that we witnessed in Chicago during the Fall and are seeing at an even greater scale in Minneapolis now. We demand that ICE and CBP get out of ALL communities. We must put a stop to the unconstitutional actions of a wanna-be-king and his regime.

WHEN: Sunday Jan 25 @ 1PM

WHERE: Ida B Wells & Michigan Ave, Chicago

Follow on Instagram

The actions by ICE and CBP first in Chicago and now in Minneapolis are all part of the plan of theTrump regime to create violence and terror in cities across America. We believe that we are reaching a pivotal time and our response matters more now than ever.

No Funding for ICE and CBP

One immediate thing we can do is demand that the Senate refuse to fund ICE.

The House passed an appropriations bill to fund ICE through September 30 by a vote of 220-207. The bill would increase funding to ICE and CBP and give them the ability to expand their war against cities like Chicago and Minneapolis with no accountability. Seven Democrats voted Yes. The bill will now head to the Senate with a vote expected Wednesday. It will require Democratic votes to make the 60 vote threshold to pass, so it’s critical for Dems to be united.

👉 Tell your senators to rein in ICE right now. Congress has to pass the appropriations bill by January 30 to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded, which means Dems have leverage to include provisions that rein in ICE and freeze its budget. Call Senators Durbin and Duckworth and demand that they oppose the House Bill and use their leverage to protect our communities from ICE. Senator Duckworth has announced her opposition to the bill yet that could change so please keep calling her office. (More info here)

Prepare for Further Action

In addition to the violence of ICE and CBP – Trump has threatened to take the further step of sending active duty military troops to support his attacks against our cities by invoking the Insurrection Act. This terror - of which Trump has recently written - is an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act and bring the military to bear on Minneapolis. Once Trump takes this next step, there’s little to stop him from doing the same in Chicago and across America.

That’s why it’s essential we respond immediately and powerfully should Trump invoke the Insurrection Act. If Trump invokes the Insurrection Act we will plan with our partners an immediate response. We are asking that you be prepared for this; we will send an email to this address calling for a rapid response rally and march. Also, we know we must do more to prepare for the return of CBP to Chicago. How powerfully we are able to respond depends on you. Please forward this email to a friend who is ready to take action and ask them to join us at Indivisible Chicago and then join us in the streets.

If you cannot go to the rally here are ways you can help. https://www.standwithminnesota.com

It took over five years to track down all of the individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, raid on the US Capitol, but they found all 1,600 of them, and you will also be found. Then Trump gave all of the scum a pardon, and now some of the trash are working as ICE Agents. so dont get so comfy, you will be found.

I agree, many of the thugs that were pardoned are now the thugs working as ICE agents. These are the people that Trump and Miller chose to go after Americans. Their own private military.

There are other ways. Employment records, testimony of whistle blowers, to start with. Confession of any who come to their senses. It will take a while, but we will find & prosecute them.

Follow the money to uncover them.

True -- they are all being issued government paychecks....

Seems to me that it might be possible through the IRS to determine where someone worked – – DHS for one thing. Maybe not, but someone will have a better idea. Thanks.

Can hotels/motels refuse them a room/bed like restaurants/restrooms are doing? Most must not live where they are committing their crimes against humanity.

Homeland Security has to have payroll records that will tell the proper authorities the name of those masked goons! Then they can be arrested and prosecuted. But who will arrest them since it seams all the ones who are designated to do that job are deep down inside Trump’s pocket. They will need our support to enable them to do so.

Payment records

Here is also what’s enraging: Mark Carney stood up at Davos and spoke truth to power while the rest of Europe sat on their hands applauding politely.

Where’s Macron’s follow-through? Where’s Scholz? Where’s Starmer? Carney drew the line. He said clearly: we’re building what comes next, with or without America. And then what? European leaders go home and do what exactly?

Wake the f*** up, Europe.

You’re watching state terror unfold in American cities. Federal agents murdering people on camera. Secret detention centers. Forced disappearances. The regime threatening your sovereignty, your alliances, your economic security. And your response is standing ovations and strongly worded statements?

Here’s what meaningful pushback looks like: Boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA. Full stop. Make it hurt. You don’t send teams to a country operating paramilitary death squads in its cities. You don’t legitimize a regime kidnapping students for speech, detaining five-year-olds as bait, murdering nurses in the streets.

Activate the Anti-Coercion Instrument completely. Not threats. Action. Sanction regime officials. Freeze assets of corporations benefiting from Venezuelan oil theft. Expel US forces from European bases. Build defense independence now, not eventually.

Support Minneapolis directly. Send international observers. Document the atrocities. Provide sanctuary for those fleeing. Amplify what’s happening so the regime can’t operate in darkness.

Here’s what we can also do:

Write to all European embassies in Washington urging them to push back; all of their emails are online.

You can call them too.

In fact, call US embassies overseas too, and tell those people that are working there, on our taxpayer money, that they are not fulfilling their oath of office—-it states right there, in the oath “protect against enemies foreign and domestic”.

Pathetic!

The USA has become a disease spreading authoritarianism globally. Carney gets it. He’s the only major leader with the courage to say it plainly. The rest of Europe needs to follow through or admit they’re just waiting to see if appeasing the bully works.

It won’t. Argentina’s neighbors tried appeasement during the Dirty War too. It just gave the regime time to kill more people.

Push back now. Meaningfully. Or watch this spread.

— Johan

Former foreign service officer

That's only IF we survive with our representative democracy in check. My optimism is not that high at this point.

Ben, I agree with all you write but in this case, the male nurse just shot WAS carrying a gun, which you left out. It is an important fact. I know it was legal but this gave the ICE agents an excuse to shoot him. Was this shooting justified? NO, but ICE doesn’t have any restraints.

What did Petti (sp?)have the gun for? It was useless to bring to a protest. Anyone that shows a weapon will be gunned down, no

questions asked. Why, oh why did he have a gun on his person? What a waste of another life, a man who was a nurse for veterans. Too upsetting to talk about. Those in authority ( in CONGRESS) have to get it together. The letter sent to Tim Waltz was blatant extortion. It is appalling!

You’re incorrect in your opinion. As a past law enforcement officer we were trained not to use excessive force.

I agree he shouldn’t have brought a weapon to the protest, but he did not pull his weapon. It was taken from him by the neo-Gestapo thugs out of his holster. Huge difference and in no way were they justified in shooting him once much less 11 times in the back.

He had a gun legally and it was holstered. So much for the 2nd amendment.

They took it off him and then shot him.

He wasn’t armed at the time of the shooting because they took the gun out of his waistband and threw it. I am sorry but exercising your legal second amendment rights is not an excuse to shoot anybody.

I really don't think his legally concealed gun was the reason he was shot. Renee Good was unarmed and was still killed. The agents were trigger happy in both cases and, unfortunately, I think Pretti would have been shot in cold blood regardless of his handgun. It is unbelievable and has to be stopped!

He was killed because he was videotaping

He was legally carrying the gun and exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. He was helpless when they stole his gun and shot him 11 times. One of the Nazis clapped. The gun was a convenient excuse for their actions but I believe they were intent on killing him for NO REASON. You are blaming the victim. Shame on you.

They didn't have a problem with Kyle Rittenhouse, carrying a semi automatic weapon over his shoulder in plain sight.

He was not attending a protest when the execution happened. It was a quiet morning and he just happened to be there. Many people carry every time they leave their home. If that WAS the cause then ICE and Border Patrol are even more out of control and we will see many more dead. There are thousands of Minnesotans with concealed carry permits

If you push back and say he shouldn't have brought it.... Then you're attacking the 2nd amendment. Which is fundamentally what they are hoping for. They have been slowly breaking down why protests are bad and showing that they are terrible and lead to violence, and now breaking this down to "he shouldn't have brought a gun" so when they start changing the rules and laws of the constitution, people aren't shocked and are slightly in agreement because they've had a little bird in their ear agreeing to it. The point of the matter is, he broke no laws. Brandished no weapon. MN is a conceal carry state, he could have been just walking to work and had it on him for protection, Saw the agents and filmed it and had this happen all the same. None of the "should have" matter.

What we see—from lethal force to enforced impunity—is an abuse of authority and a hallmark of authoritarian governance. We will not be able to abolish ICE. We can disarm them without much trouble. We must move to disarm ICE. There is no logical reason for them to be armed. They are not ever shot at and if they were they should stop what they are doing and call the FBI, DEA, ATF or state and local police to take care of it.

https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/disarm-ice?r=3m1bs

There is without doubt that the inmates are running the asylum.

Criminals are running the country!

Along with The Heritage Foundation!

How can we shut down the Heritage Foundation?

Information is so important. We are getting flooded with misinformation all the time.

The tech bros are a scourge and need to called out continuously. People still think Elon Musk is brilliant. The battle is being waged in many fronts. Don’t forget the cyber wars.

Rip Alex Pretti. Minnesota Hero.

one of the things i hope will happen when we have democrats in power is that they will cancel Musk's gov't contract, revoke his citizenship and deport him back to S. Africa. Same for Peter Thiel.

My question - WILL we ever have democrats in power? Not if the Trump regime can help it.

Alex Pretti, RN

"HE CARED ABOUT PEOPLE DEEPLY AND HE WAS VERY UPSET WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN MINNEAPOLIS AND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES WITH ICE, AS MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE UPSET..."

MICHAEL PRETTI

ALEX PRETTI'S FATHER

“A nurse is one who opens the eyes of a newborn and gently closes the eyes of a dying man. It is indeed a high blessing to be the first and last to witness the beginning and end of life.”

— Unknown

50+ years ago, a nursing professor comforted me with a similar message, and I have never forgotten it. I too, was an ICU nurse. My heart and soul are sick with despair, rage, overwhelming sadness and horror. No, I won’t give up or in, but feel I am watching a continuous avalanche with no means to stop it.

Another proud subscriber.

What we see happening in the U.S. is of grave concern to all of us here and in Europe.

Many of us have friends and family(two cousins and two old school friends on top of American friends) who are now in America and we cannot help but wonder if they will survive the chaos and criminality of the Trumpian regime, reich.

Absolutely sick to my stomach…thinking back and remembering who enabled all this. Average Americans, my neighbors still fly t$&@/ flags… my blood curdling everytime I need to go anywhere

I feel the same way! I live in a small "red" town in a large blue state. I look around at the Trump 2028 signs (yes, they are out) and feel sick to my stomach. These have been my friends and neighbors for years. I just don't understand....

Guess it's time to accept that your neighbors are racists supporters of fascism, whether you want to believe it not. That's my conclusion with my MAGAt neighbors. I've written them all off 10 years ago.

Me too, Sue! It makes me so upset. I have a son in the same camp & he’s a former vet!!

He watches FOX “ NEWS” 24/7. I blame them for so much of MAGA’S beliefs. I had a tennis teammate tell me I needed to watch FOX; I’d learn something. What do you do with that? I was so astounded, I had no words!

What you have to do with that is walk away.

Me too! You are Far from being Alone! Me and several friends are just waiting for our tRump DEMISE Party! But he just keeps getting Darker and Darker. We know now that we have to save ourselves! The change must come from us! I was sobbing watching Alex being executed and Renee. Rump was talking about himself (as usual when accusing others others) when he said "IF you elect Kamala, you Won't Have A Country Anymore" WE all know Now if there was Any Doubt He was telling us what he planned to do to our Once Great America 🇺🇸 WE WILL NOT GIVE UP WE CANNOT LET ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN EXECUTED BEEN SO IN VAIN. 💜 💙 💛 💜 💙 💛

And there are STILL those who repeat trump’s lies. That these horrible people still walk among us as though they are normal, moral people, is truly scary!

I’ve lost some friends, neighbors and family members over the elections. When I ask if they agree with what’s happening in the country today, they say “the stock markets are up”

I feel the same way! I live in a small "red" town in a large blue state. I look around at the Trump 2028 signs (yes, they are out) and feel sick to my stomach. These have been my friends and neighbors for years. I just don't understand....

Guess it's time to accept that your neighbors are racists supporters of fascism, whether you want to believe it not. That's my conclusion with my MAGAt neighbors. I've written them all off 10 years ago.

DO YOU WANT TO STOP A U.S. CIVIL WAR?

THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO DO SO.

A massive general strike is the next logical step.

Trump is running a criminal enterprise. His dregs of society Gestapo wanna- be goon squads are executing Americans in cold blood.

Your reaction cannot be, “But how will it work? Will others join? I can’t afford it.”

Right now, after all the evidence we have seen in Trump’s first year, everyone should see the writing on the wall. America has been hijacked by agents of chaos. The regime is a willing partner with Putin and other authoritarian leaders around the world. Trump is on a rampage to destroy, rape and pillage at home and abroad. He has always been the same person, fuelled by greed and criminal instincts, that convince him that he alone is deserving of whatever he desires. He has always been a felon, a racist, a bigot and a selfish prick, whose first and last concern is himself.

He managed to amass his varying groups of followers by pandering to their differing offensive mandates. He unified his rabid base because he promised to deliver to each group, despite the fact that their very varied ideals will eventually force them to battle amongst themselves.

In reality, Trump is a charlatan. He is the ultimate con man, and he will end up betraying even those aligned with his convoluted policies over time.

How can the Christian zealots supporting Israel not see that the Nazis will come for them eventually. How can the broligarchs enriching Trump not see that his nature will demand that he comes for their power and wealth.

They are all blinded by the mirage of pending victory, with the useful idiot President’s charade, of appeasing them, to achieve his own agenda of complete dominance. Trump doesn’t give a flying fuck about any of his supporters causes or beliefs. He wants to be King of more than America, and he wants to name the heir to his stolen throne, to continue his legacy.

You may be thinking that the battle for democracy and your basic rights has been difficult thus far. You may be thinking you are exhausted and depressed by the overwhelming barrage of daily indignities and assaults on your liberties. That is understandable.

But understand this: The fight has just begun. You need to dig deep in your resolve and realize that surrender is not an option, unless you want to be merely enslaved by the demented dictator and his corrupt accomplices.

The only force that might possibly correct this aberration in power is you. You must be willing to suffer the discomfort of an extended strike, which may last weeks or months, if you wish to eliminate the possibility of living under authoritarian rule for decades to come.

As of today, there is no more normal. There is only a crazed psychopath wielding indiscriminate power to subjugate America and beyond. Only you can alter that course.

You can use whatever motivational disgust you need to enrage yourself, be it the execution of innocent protesters, the inhumane treatment of immigrants, the destruction of healthcare, the attacking of allies, the disregard for veterans, or the coverup of the Trumpstein files, but there has to be one collective goal and demand.

Donald Trump and his criminally corrupt cabinet and the complicit politicians who allow the atrocities to continue, must be removed from power. Period.

Complete regime change is the only acceptable outcome, and you must be prepared to fight for that goal with every ounce of resolve you can muster. Sitting back and praying for a correction in the midterms is a fool’s gambit. The emergency is NOW!

Agree! Waiting till, and believing in, mid-terms is a foolish plan. There will be NO MID-TERMS if this is allowed to continue.

Dems don’t want fighting. We don’t want to believe our government is gone and instead believe that mid-terms will be held and processed in a fair and normal manner.

If he and his trash thugs are allowed to remain in place any longer, there will be NO democrat takeover.

IT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN!

Face the reality we are now living in.

When are we going to wake up, see reality, and change our tactics?

I am heartbroken, so angry and so frustrated that this murderous behavior continues and is propelled by our current administration, and there is no one taking actual steps to stop it. There is no rule of law, they ignore the law and courts, and the courts don’t find a way to impose their findings — court findings are ignored and people disappear and die. We need to keep shining a light on their transgressions and keep the truth visible and loud!!😡😢😖

How? Do what the people of Minneapolis did last Tuesday: WALKOUT OF WORK, WALK AWAY FROM SHOPPING ON AMAZON, HOME DEPOT, TARGET.

STOP BUYING FROM BILLIONAIRES . Stop buying stuff you really don’t need. It’s hard, I know. I quit buying from Amazon months ago, but can’t seem to get my family to stop buying crap from them and Walmart. Maybe now they’ll listen; I’ll keep trying.

Stock up on basic needs at local stores as much as possible and hunker down; try to pull out cash not cards, and prepare yourself to be as frugal as you can. A government shutdown is on the horizon, a general strike will cripple this economy more — and pay attention to the EU selling off American treasury bonds: that will tank our currency.

Happy Sunday everyone. This is for you cool cats. Take a rest from the bad news and recharge!

ENGLISH IS A FUNNY LANGUAGE

Let's face it -- English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant not ham in hamburger; neither apple or pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the sanme, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite alot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another.

Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent?

Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it. —Unknown

Thank you Keith, there is more like this here, plus other fun things, to unwind on the final crisp January Sunday of 2026:

https://tritorch.substack.com/p/doom-break-volume-9-the-english-language

I am an American living abroad in The Netherlands. My boyfriend is Dutch and his English is not very fluent. So, when speaking to him in English, I find myself having to be very cautious of certain “phrases” for their literal meaning verses their “slang” meaning. After reading your very eloquent rendition of the lunacy of certain English words/phrases, I had to think of my boyfriend’s difficulty ascertaining some things that I have said, “off the cuff.” For example, once we were talking English with each other and he kept repeating himself during a discussion and I said, “you sound like a broken record.” He interrupted it literally and thought I was breaking up our relationship over our differences during this conversation!! We English native speakers take for granted that other non-native English speakers will automatically understand what we are saying. For instance, it’s raining outside and I have no umbrella, I’ll say, “Oh well, I won’t melt” (in reference to “The Wizard of Oz” movie/book where the evil witch dies when water is poured over her). If you’ve never seen the movie, or read the book, you probably won’t understand the meaning.

Nice! Thank you for that exploration into the real world consequences of idioms and metaphor, Tonna. You will like this: https://tritorch.substack.com/p/doom-break-volume-9-the-english-language

When you combine 4 major languages together, & throw in vocabulary from around the world, this is what you get.

My husband, most of my family, and a whole lot of my friends are MAGA. I've managed to get through all of this so far without letting politics destroy all of those relationships. I'm talking about really good people who are constantly being brainwashed. I can't take it anymore. They believe the lies about Renee Good. They are unknowingly defending murder. One keeps trying to 'help' me by sending me propaganda every time I share facts. This is too much. Without MTN I would feel completely hopeless. Thank you so much for showing me that I am not alone.