In 2004, the historian Thomas Frank wrote a book called ‘What’s the Matter with Kansas?’ His conclusion was as condescending as the title - Frank contended that Kansans and other Midwesterners were out of their minds for voting overwhelmingly Republican.

There’s a better question now: ‘What’s the Matter with Minnesota?’  The Gopher State has always tilted slightly to the left; in 1984, it was the only state to favor Walter Mondale over Ronald Reagan.  But Mondale was a native Minnesotan, and residents, of course, pulled the lever for their ‘favorite son.’  What’s happening now would shock Mondale and other Minnesota giants like Hubert Humphrey.

Minnesota’s leaders and many of its citizens have effectively declared war against the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Other states are also anti-ICE, but none match Minnesota, which has taken ‘sanctuary’ to the extreme.  Their defiance of the feds in effect provides safe harbor to ‘the worst of the worst.’

We’re all familiar with Governor Tim Walz, who has turned out to be far worse than a mere buffoon.  Walz, who watched Minneapolis burn in 2020, infamously slandered ICE as Donald Trump’s ‘Gestapo,’ thus giving a green light to agitators and rioters.  Nicely-coiffed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey oozes sanctimony while telling ICE to ‘get the f*** out of Minneapolis.’  Across the Mississippi River in St. Paul, the runt of the Twin Cities, voters just elected a new mayor named Kaohly Her.  The mayor actually went on CNN this week and defended the band of radicals that stormed a St. Paul church, screaming at children and creating utter chaos.

Then there’s Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who just referred to her adopted nation as ‘the U.S. G*ddamn States.’  You might think Omar was elected by her fellow Somalis, but in fact, her district is mostly white.

In 2024, her proud constituents elected the America-loathing Omar to a fourth term with 75% of the vote. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s top law enforcement is ultra-radical Keith Ellison, who long ago defended Louis Farrakhan and more recently posed while proudly holding an Antifa handbook.  AG Ellison, Mayor Frey, and Gov. Walz have all been served subpoenas by the federal government, accused of impeding immigration officers.

All of this anti-ICE thuggery is conveniently diverting attention from the massive fraud that costs taxpayers untold billions of dollars.  Minnesota’s reputation for generosity and its reluctance to investigate made it a most inviting target for fraudsters.  The Scandinavians who settled the state tended to be neighborly, cooperative, and friendly, leading to the term ‘Minnesota Nice.’  It is still a welcoming place and usually ranks among the ‘happiest’ states in the USA, but there is nothing ‘happy’ about storming churches, screaming expletives at cops, and creating mayhem in the streets.

Perhaps Minnesota’s leaders knew exactly what was coming.  In the 1940s and 1950s, there was a heated debate over what would be the state bird.  Legislators considered the Goldfinch, the Dove, the Woodpecker, and others.  Finally, in 1961, Minnesota made it official.  Their state bird would be, of course, The Loon.