Wednesday, February 04, 2026
An Acknowledgement
Just a brief note honoring Coco, dancer and instructor at Rancho Cordova's "Ballet Studio." She is just an amazing inspiration! We students generally approximate ballet. Coco can actually DO ballet! We all admire her and are lucky to have her as an example!
John Moss Tipi
On Tuesday, I visited the anti-ICE encampment at the John Moss Federal Building in Sacramento. I was amazed by the Tipi. There is a mix of Native American symbols and anti-ICE messages on it now. There are many more handprints on it than before, many apparently coming from the (at least 1,000) student protesters who came by here on January 30th.
I like the commemorative bear. No one in Sacramento has gotten bear-maced more often..
Albuquerque Camp
Camp, as in Susan Sontag, which depends on serious intent.
The amazing “hidden” sand dunes of Albuquerque, New Mexico
byu/Dull-Pianist-6777 inAlbuquerque
Memorial Service For Prentice Blankenship - February 2, 2026
I didn't know Prentice very well. I knew his daughter Lisa Holder and grandchildren Katherine and Lexi, however, when they were involved in the Young Performer's Theater at Davis Musical Theatre Company (DMTC) from the years 2006-8. Prentice appeared in just one show, "Camelot," in 2007. So, when Prentice died at age 96, and much of the family returned from Oregon for the services, I wanted to wish them well.
I was also motivated by trying to learn the identity of family member Lisa Kelly. She seemed to know me on Facebook, but I didn't know who see was. Turns out, Lisa Holder now goes by Lisa Kelly. I already knew her. Who knew?
It was nice to see them again after 18 years!
St. Mary's Cemetery. This place is big. It took me forever to find the graveside service.
Reception back at the chapel.
St. Mary's Cemetery. This place is big. It took me forever to find the graveside service.
Reception back at the chapel.
"California Suite" _ Chautauqua Playhouse - January 31, 2026
Deborah Bromley and Rachel Rycerz in the greeting line after the show.
A good time watching friends on stage!
Thoughts By David Miller (on Facebook)
When I heard Kash Patel,
and what’s left of his rag tag FBI,
“inside the octagon,”
were going to,
“investigate signal groups in Minneapolis,”
as they have in other cities,
I thought to myself,
“Oh fer cute. This will be interesting. Kash doesn’t know we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
And that’s because I know an OG,
someone who helped organize
“decentralied direct action”
here in Minneapolis
back in the 1990’s.
And I mean EARLY 90’s.
Back when that meant making a zine, getting a button making machine, putting out a newspaper, and helping organize an info shop on the corner next to the puppet studio was, “going big.”
Who is now in at least 8 different signal chat groups, and he can’t keep up.
Has to peer through his readers at the frenzy of activity, notifications pinging like a pinball machine, on his smart phone.
And he smiles, “the kids these days.”
So he’s doing what most people are doing.
Focusing on one or two specific groups.
And letting the rest continue to grow, self-organize, to meet the needs where the needs are.
And holy wow, if that isn’t happening.
There are people in vests waiting at the Whipple Federal Building to pick up those beaten and traumatized, wandering in the woods, the dog park, or miles away down some small county road.
There is the direct action faction, working to develop better ways to deal with Hexacholoroethane gas, and how to turn the moat between them and the masked private army into a hard-to-detect ICE rink, for everyone’s favorite entertainment: ICE on ice.
There are signal groups of carpenters and framers who move into fix the effects of battering rams on doors.
Teams of Tow truck drivers who let protesting masked ICE agents know, “how do I know if this is your car if I can’t see your face.”
Who also help to get the abandoned cars, often left running in the middle of the street, of those who have been taken.
There are crews of medics.
There are the ICE chasers.
The ones who follow the agents from their hotels and staging areas through the neighborhoods. Honking. Whitles out. Documenting. Witnessing.
The legion of drum kit operators and noise makers who keep the occupiers up all night.
And the Brass Solidarity Band keeping the people in a perpetual Mardi Gras of movement, even in our mourning.
An army of immigration attorneys.
And the churches. Oh, so many churches. And synagogues, mosques, and temples. Full of people singing, praying, acting as emergency food shelves, and sanctuary.
And the quiet ones.
The ones who don’t go to the massive marches and general strikes in the streets so their license plates won’t get tracked, or their faces put into biometric data bases.
Who help move the people, bring food, and give direct comfort to those in hiding.
But what Kash and Co. will find is that this isn’t the fringe, isn’t some ultra leftist project.
It’s EVERYONE.
And you may think I’m being hyperbolic.
I’m not.
It’s literally all of Minneapolis and a growing percentage of people in the surrounding suburbs.
Minnesota Public Radio just did a story that estimated that 30,000 people have been trained by UNIDOS and Monarcha to be responders.
Others are putting that number between 80 and 100k.
And those are just the people who got trained who are acting like hubs for others.
It’s soccer Moms, Wine club Moms, Dads who coach basketball down at the park building. It’s eighty year old great grandmothers who marched to stop the Vietnam War, and kids who think this regime is so 6 7.
It’s circles, interlocking circles, built on top of the work of Black Women and BIPOC LGBTQIA during the George Floyd Uprising, but also Anti-Globalization in the early 00’s, lthe student networks doing Central American solidarity in the 1990’s, anti-apartheid work in the 1980’s, anti-Vietnam war work in the 1970’s, the birth of the Amercan Indian Movement on these streets in 1968, and the reverberating legacy of radical unionism from the 1930’s.
It’s all of that, but it’s more.
And it’s that part that’s hard to explain.
Hard to quantify.
There’s something else going on.
People who have felt like the whole world is going to hell in a hand basket, who felt hopeless, despondent, depressed, and disempowered
who are waking up to the fact that we can do something about it.
That we can actually do something to change the course of history.
That these are our neighborhoods.
This is our society.
And this is our Country.
And if they’re going to come for the “ring leaders” to try and stop it,
they’re going to have to come for us all.
Early Bloom
There is an event that happens annually in my back yard. This Japanese plum tree starts to bloom. Generally, the date of first bloom is February 5th. The earliest I’ve seen it bloom is January 31st. This year, it bloomed on the early side, on February 1st.
First bloom date keeps moving earlier and earlier due to global warming. I thought it might bloom later this year given how foggy December felt so cold, but apparently it wasn’t cold enough to make any dent in the statistics. December 2025 was just the coldest December since 2022. A nothingburger.
Given the recent lack of rain, and previous rains, rainfall for the season in Sacramento is now exactly normal. We continue drying out.
Chaotic Monday At The John Moss Building
It was a chaotic Monday afternoon, February 2nd, at the ICE Field Office’s 7th Street Gate at Sacramento’s John Moss Building. (I arrived much later, so missed the excitement).
ICE officers, likely heading home at 3:45 p.m., refused to remove masks (it’s now illegal for officers to wear masks in California) and refused to identify themselves to protesters. The ICE officers relied heavily on support from unmasked DHS officers (basically, their more-experienced babysitters). One protester was tased, bear-maced, and hauled inside. Another protester (praying on the sidewalk) was dragged inside. She was also bear-maced. A third protester escaped. Both of the detained protesters were released.
It seems to me that ICE is trying to jam open a loophole in SB 627 here and that the confrontation was carefully orchestrated. The ICE officers present were at the end of their shift and presumably heading home. Even though they were still on John Moss grounds they would say they were off duty, and free to wear any masks they pleased. This would explain why the DHS officers weren’t wearing masks and why the protesters weren’t held for long, since there are penalties for false arrest. Meanwhile, the protesters were trying to enforce the law within their limited means.
This video is sped up.
We Live In Jeffrey Epstein's World
I like history and I like people’s shock to news that Jeffrey Epstein was connected not only with Steve Bannon but to the founding of 4chan.
Even for the non-conspiratorial, everything’s connected. The President of Columbia was not wrong when he recently said that a cabal of pedophiles running the world from Washington, D.C., was an immediate threat to his country. The cabal is in charge. This is ongoing. Wake up, everyone….
@dreamtwist A lot of people seem to not completely comprehend what this means and i get it because there’s a lot! #mememagic #gamergate #2016 ♬ Classic classical gymnopedie solo piano(1034554) - Lyrebirds music
Sacramento's Howe at Arden Protest - January 31, 2026
The energy and public support were high at Saturday's weekly Howe at Arden anti-ICE protest. The number of people protesting keeps increasing, week over week. I made two counts, of 122 and 114, so roughly 120 people were present and loudly showing their displeasure towards ICE. Last week, we had about 100, the week before, 80, and the week before that, 50.
We are riding an exponential upswing in protest participation. Nothing is harder to sustain than exponential growth, especially with something so morally-serious as protesting, but here we are! We aren't even the fastest-growing protest group. Apparently the group at Sunrise and Greenback in Citrus Heights had 112 participants on Saturday. The week before, they had 50. That's explosive growth!
I also visited the brand-new protest group at the Fulton Target, at Fulton and Alta Arden. Maybe 15 participants at first outing.
New groups are nucleating across California and the country, and finding their own success. I'm curious about the Sunrise Gold River group. A new group, an offshoot from our Howe at Arden group, starts protesting in Santa Rosa tomorrow.
I'm sorry I missed the big student protest at the State Capitol and at the John Moss Federal Building on Friday. This protest was amazing, the pinnacle of coordinated success, with more than a thousand student participants (according to the Sacramento Bee), from dozens of schools, and apparently arriving on light rail in two large waves.
It is difficult to arrange large protests, especially with young people, who have to consciously-step outside their bubbles of conventional thinking. The students execute joint action with their peers and they do not readily forget what they did. The anti-ICE students join previous generations of protesters, such as Civil Rights, Vietnam, Iraq, and Occupy protesters, We all fight together in common cause.
Dog Park
Last Thursday, January 29th, I walked Jasper to the auto repair place, to collect my car, and then across the street to the dog park, where we met many dogs, including this little staring doggie, who protectively blocked me from getting anywhere close to his master.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Speaking To The Sacramento City Council
Prepared to speak on Item 14 at the Sacramento City Council on strengthening Sanctuary City provisions in Sacramento.
Hypocrisy of the Right Regarding Arms
@westmoreland_pops The silence of 2A advocates is deafening! #minnesota #law #secondamendment #freedom #thebackforty ♬ original sound - Will Westmoreland
These Are Our Sacramento Protesters!
Favorable coverage, with video:
Outside the John Moss Federal Building, demonstrators participated in one of many anti-ICE protests occurring across the country. The scene was filled with the sounds of flags waving, cars honking, and people chanting.
Allen O'Brien, an anti-ICE protester, said, "If I had one giant ask of the whole country, my biggest one personally...if we can't abolish ICE yet, we need to abolish for-profit detention centers."
When asked what they would say to the Trump administration, a protester named Faygo responded, "Abolish ICE."
Jayden Crandall, another anti-ICE protester, said, "I want to come out here to stand for my community, because everyone around me is so important to me and I think that even people with the opposing views, for me, I still want to fight for it because I love everyone around me, and I want everyone to be free to live in a life that they want to pursue."
..."ICE has killed a US citizen and I feel so heartbroken that we've been so divided by fake lines that divide this land that we've come to kill each other," Crandall said.
When asked if there was anything positive about ICE, Amanda M. said, "No. I believe that ICE has not functioned correctly since its inception."
Thomas O'Brien, another protester, said, "No child should be afraid to go to school. No family should be afraid to go to a house of worship. No person should be afraid to go to the hospital. So until everybody can go about their lives, unafraid, that's what we're going to be out here for."
A Visitor's Tale
It was a quiet Monday evening at Camp for Justice, but at one point a visitor arrived to tell us a compelling tale. The visitor had been at this very location on November 4, 2025, when several ICE agents came out of the pedestrian gate, out to where protesters had gathered. The agents then began addressing the protesters, like "We understand that you have the right to protest outside this facility, etc." Suddenly the agents tackled several protesters and dragged them into the John Moss Federal Building.
The agents proceeded to ask the visitor what he characterized as a series of "the dumbest questions ever," including who was paying him to protest. He could hear them talking on the phone to a superior about their video of the arrest, which they characterized as unclear and blurry and perhaps unsuitable as evidence. The visitor began loudly complaining about his ankle, slightly-injured when the ICE agents tackled him, which he played up under the circumstances. He threatened to sue ICE. He was taken to a hospital for medical assistance and presented with a citation, which he signed with "Fuck ICE." Several hours after his arrest he was released.
The interesting thing to me was the visitor was able to show us on his phone a compelling video of the arrest, taken by someone else. The video once resided on TikTok (and apparently Instagram as well) but was removed from social media. Apparently the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has enough pull with the social media platforms to censor anything that it deems provocative. Something to know! We can't see everything on social media that we need to see.
What works best when in taken into ICE custody? Be the loudest squeakiest wheel ever! Stoic, silent compliance is a BAD idea! Welcome to 1984!
Sunday, January 25, 2026
The Sacramento Bee Interviews Scott
The Sacramento Bee interviews Scott:
A man who was assaulted two weeks ago while protesting outside the federal building where Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates in Sacramento continued to demonstrate Sunday, the day after the killing of a second Minneapolis protester.
“We’re losing all of our constitutional rights,” Scott Stauffer said about the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti.
Getting To Know One Another
Here's my sign from early November: "Who Murders Fishermen? Bad Guys, That's Who!"
Becoming a member of the protesting class has meant meeting a variety of new people. It also has meant that these new people get to meet me too. Last summer, the average age of protesters was fairly old - forties through sixties - and relatively easy to meet. These days, however, the average age is much younger - in the twenties. So, the affability gap between me and the average protester has grown over time, simply because of age and different lived experiences.
The initial impression I make on people seems to be that of a dotty old guy. Hoka wicasa described the process. Paraphrasing him: "I asked someone 'Who is that old guy with the signs?' The other person replied, "Oh, he's a protester from way back.'" Hoka wicasa then had a question for me. "I saw that sign you had, and I didn't understand it. I want to ask you: Do you have a problem with fish?" I laughed, and replied, "Yes! Have you ever seen fish? Those big eyes, those open mouths! OMG!"
The problem, of course, is that it's hard to keep up with forced march of the fascist Trump Administration. My sign was on the cutting edge of politics early in November, 2025, when fishing boats were being attacked off the coast of Venezuela and Columbia. Now, late in January, 2026, two-and-a-half months later, my sign is just a confusing, cringey relic from the remote past. So it goes.
Last night, milling in the dark on 7th Street, Scott had to corral dotty old me a couple of times. because I was wandering too far from the group. These predatory ICE beasts deliberately target the weakest members of the protester herd, and that could be me under the right circumstances. When the four ICE thugs opened the pedestrian gate, protesters retreated. Not me: I stood my ground and tried to engage them in conversation, as I had earlier conversed with the more-amiable Sac PD cops. Maybe a bad idea, but you've got to face your fears.
Most of the protesters on 7th Street wore black clothes and had black face coverings. I could appreciate their reasons for doing so, but I had decided last summer to be as public as possible and not use face coverings unless absolutely necessary. A young man approached me in the dark and said this was the time and place when face coverings were a good idea. He might have been right! He had a spare face mask, which he gave me. We talked, and he described his Instagram page and prepper mentality. He was prepared to disappear if the heat got too hot, and vanish overseas. Under those circumstances I might be a sitting duck. That's what happens to dotty old people.
A local fascist with the handle "Matthew916" wandered on the fringe of the group doing his TikTok Live for his Placer County friends as we shouted out insults. He retreated to where the Sac PD cops were. Little coward.
ICEy nights in downtown Sacramento in January.
Signs From The Sacramento Resistance
John Moss Federal Building in downtown Sacramento, where ICE has their field headquarters and where there is a makeshift jail.
Across the street from the John Moss Federal Building is a monument dedicated to Greek immigrants to the U.S.
The pipes are leaking at St. Joseph's Cemetery. I bet ICE is to blame.
Protesters gathered at the John Moss Federal Building on January 24, 2026.
Tommy and Allen arrive to help set the world right.
Hoka wicasa and the Dakota Exiles Horse Ride
The anti-ICE protests in Sacramento have benefitted considerably from the presence of Hoka wicasa, who moved to California fairly-recently and to Sacramento for the moment. He is Dakota Sioux and better-known from the Dakota Exiles horse ride.
Busy Day - January 24, 2026
Busy day. Three demonstrations. Sunrise and Greenback (50 people-probably a record for them), Howe and Arden (100 people-definitely a record), and downtown at the John Moss Federal Building (70 people when I arrived, but increased to 140 in minutes).
A Song In Honor of Alex Pretti - Hoka wicasa - Outside ICE's Sacramento Field Office - January 24, 2026
Protesters milled outside the side gate on 7th Street at the John Moss Federal Building in Sacramento, CA, not long after an ICE van departed on business. Sacramento police closed the street to traffic in response. We expected the van to return carrying prisoners, but we didn't know when that would happen, so we waited.
I talked to four Sacramento police department cops, just to gauge their mood. They seemed pretty relaxed.
At one point, four ICE cops came out of the building, out of a pedestrian gate to remove debris that had been placed there that might restrict entry to the facility. One of them carried a gun that looked like it could shoot pepper balls. I was closest to the gate, so I said good evening to them. They ignored me.
The street was still closed, so when I finally left, about 10 p.m., I did four donuts outside the gate in my car. Nothing loud - no screeching tires - but still, a bit of contempt for these people.
Here's a forlorn song by Hoka wicasa in honor of the memory of Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.
ICE Out Forever Protest March - January 23, 2026
This is the portion of march from the John Moss Federal Building to Cesar Chavez Park in Sacramento, CA. Video includes going through the short tunnel on 5th Street, heading to J Street, next to Golden One Arena. I was lagging behind, with cops closing behind.
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
The Stupidest People on the Face of the Earth
Mr. Global’s take on American soybean farmers echoes mine. Seriously, the stupidest people on the face of the entire Earth.
@mrglobaltoo #soybeans #farmer #farms #fyp #fypã‚· ♬ original sound - Mr Global
Watching "Trainspotting"
Lately, I've been watching old movies on VHS tape. I've seen movies I overlooked over the years, including "Spaceballs," "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum," and "La Femme Nikita."
Alas, the videotape unraveled while I was watching "Trainspotting," the 1996 movie directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, about the glories and pitfalls of heroin addiction in Scotland. I didn't get to see how the film ends.
Even worse, the VHS tape player doesn't work anymore. If I can't figure out this technical problem, against my will, I may be propelled out of the past. I will be one angry geezer, forced to deal with modern technology.
I'll have to watch "Trainspotting" again, hopefully sometime soon, with subtitles, so I can figure out more than every third word, or so.
Best scene ever: "The Worst Toilet in Scotland." My analogy: Trying to recover from MAGA by using elections alone is like trying to recover from heroin addiction by using expensive opium suppositories.
Particulate Air Pollution Formation Going Hog Wild in Sacramento Right Now
Particulate air pollution is a big problem in the Sacramento area at the instant.
I queried the Purple Air website for raw PM2.5 levels, particulate air pollution smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, in micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m^3), the size that most-affects lung function, averaged over one day.
The 24-hour national standard is 35 ug/m^3, so it's concerning we have levels around 50 ug/m^3 right now. You might be able to notice the bad air from your scratchy throat.
So, what gives? These particles are made mostly of ammonium nitrate. Particulate formation is often ammonia-limited in the summertime, but around here, under foggy wintertime conditions, that limitation is removed. The atmosphere goes hog-wild. There is plenty of ammonia and nitric acid and since one's a base and one's an acid they readily get together. Soon the air becomes filled with particles.
Here is AI's summary regarding particulate formation in the San Joaquin Valley (which is the same process that occurs elsewhere in California, including the Sacramento Valley):
- - -
Key Findings on Wintertime PM2.5 and Ammonia Nitrate-Driven Pollution:
High winter PM2.5 concentrations (often exceeding 35 (ug/m^3) are largely driven by the combination of NOx (from traffic/industry) and NH3 (primarily from agricultural sources) to form ammonium nitrate.
Limiting Factors: While the San Joaquin Valley has an excess of ammonia, NOx reductions are more effective than NH3 reductions in lowering wintertime ammonium nitrate levels.
Seasonal Peaks: PM2.5 concentrations in the Valley peak during winter due to stagnant air, fog, cold temperatures, and increased wood burning, with ammonium nitrate concentrations being three times higher in December than in June.
Regional Differences: In the SJV, ammonia is typically in excess, whereas in the South Coast Air Basin (LA region), wintertime PM2.5 may show different, more ammonia-limited characteristics due to regional differences in emissions.
Factors Influencing Winter PM2.5 Levels
Meteorology: Inversions, cold temperatures, and lack of rain trap pollutants, creating elevated, multi-day episodes.
Emission Sources: Key sources include residential wood burning (organic carbon) and ammonium nitrate formed from NOx and agricultural ammonia. Contribution of Ammonia:
Despite being often NOx-limited, ammonia is still crucial to the inorganic PM2.5 mass; studies show that over 50% of inorganic PM2.5 in California is linked to anthropogenic ammonia.
Monday, January 19, 2026
Trump Train Thugs Pay A Visit - January 17, 2026
Video was posted on Reddit from last Saturday's Trump-Train attack on one of our own at Camp Justice, at the John Moss Federal Building on N Street. I learn several things from the video:
1.) We need to make sure that when we have multiple demonstrations occurring at nearly the same time that people are not left shorthanded at any time at any location,
2.) The Trump Train stopped and nearly-blocked N Street, creating conditions suitable for their attack,
3.) On the flip side, because the Trump Train is so bulky, it becomes easier to add roadblocks and prevent the entire Trump Train from leaving the scene.
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