Alex Pretti | The Direction of Intention

The Source [David’s blog on KS Friday]

Posted on January 30, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

A meme flew by. It used the events of last Saturday to illuminate two different ideas of masculinity. The first as demonstrated by Alex Pretti, a man trying to help a woman who was just shoved to the ground. He stood between the woman and her attacker. The second model of masculinity was demonstrated by the ICE-men who tackled, beat and murdered Alex Pretti.

After the meme flew by I wished that I could amend it. For me it did not illuminate two models of masculinity, rather, it made a clear distinction between a man and a beast, between a healthy human being and a rabid animal. It highlighted the difference between a good intention and a toxic drive.

Most hearts in the nation are heavy. Witnessing yet another execution in the streets by agents of the government – and then defended by the leaders all the way up to and including the authoritarian wannabe in the White House – has left us aghast. John Pavlovitz suggested that our heavy hearts are necessary; they are a sure sign of our humanity. They are fuel for our outrage.

Alex Pretti’s heavy heart required him to step into the streets of his city and video the brutality enacted upon his neighbors. Renee Good’s heavy heart did the same. Service to others is often an action inspired by a heavy heart. It takes a great deal of courage to stand between a masked thug and his victim. It takes great strength to video the abuse as if to say, “We see you and you will not get away with this”.

I opened The Marginalian this morning and read this: “Here is the mathematical logic of the spirit: If love is the quality of attention we pay something other than ourselves and hate is the veil of not understanding ourselves, then loving the world more — the other word for which is kindness — is largely a matter of deepening our awareness and sharpening our attention on both sides of the skin that membranes the self.”

Love is the quality of attention we pay something other than ourselves. Hate is the veil of not understanding ourselves. Hate is self-focused. Love is other-focused.

Democracy is by definition other-focused. Authoritarianism is by definition self-focused.

Our heavy hearts are propelling us into the streets. It just might be that our heavy hearts will be the necessary ingredient that saves our democracy from the rabid authoritarians. It just might be that our heavy hearts will propel us to stand between the self-centered oligarchy currently shoving Lady Liberty to the ground. Our heavy hearts do not make us weak. They are the source of our outrage and fuel for our courage.

Kerri’s albums are available on iTunes and streaming on Pandora

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE HEART

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Filed under: Identity, KS Friday, Love | Tagged: Alex Pretti, Andrea Gibson, artistry, authoritarianism, courage, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, hate, heart, humanity, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, love, story, studio melange, The Marginalian, the melange, toxic masculinity | 1 Comment »

The Full Realization [David’s blog on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on January 27, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

Recently, as she signs-off her video updates, Heather Cox Richardson reminds her audience to “take care of yourselves.” To eat well. To get plenty of rest. The times are extraordinary. “It will get worse before it gets better.”

We live in interesting times and they are getting worse.

We watched much of Jack Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. As I watched I had a sad realization or perhaps I finally admitted to myself what I already knew: the republicans will never stand up. There is no line in the sand for them; there is no lie too big to spew, no violation to the Constitution too egregious or corruption too appalling to embrace. There is no honor in their intention. There is no oath that they intend to honor.

In fairness, I am not totally correct. Cicero wrote that there is “Honor among thieves”. Criminals have codes; they are loyal to their fellow criminals. Watching the republican loyalty to their criminal-in-chief, I suppose that is a form of honor, no matter how sordid. I want to tell Cicero that some things never change.

Kate told us that she is having trouble sleeping. I’m hearing the same sentiment from many in my circle. She lives in Minneapolis. She is not viewing ICE through a screen. It’s more than a report on the news. It’s visceral. It’s hard to sleep when your neighbors are being executed or “disappeared”. In fact, I’d suggest that sleeplessness in the face of brutality enacted upon your community is a sign of an intact-morality. It’s an indication of a moral conscience.

Taking care of yourself – resting – is only possible when there is no doubt that others in the community are capable of resting, too. When masked thugs are busting down your neighbor’s doors – without a warrant – when 5 year olds are being arrested as the-worst-of-the-worst, when citizens are being murdered on the street, it is damn hard to sleep.

It’s been too cold for us to walk the trails. Walking is one of our main strategies for taking care of ourselves. And, truth be told, even when we manage to bundle up and hit the trail, we’re finding it harder and harder to escape the cold realities of ICE and full realization that the thieves in the republican congress reserve their loyalty – only – for themselves. It’s an exclusive club.

“It will get worse before it gets better.” Eat well. Get plenty of rest if you can. It seems that we are going to need it.

read Kerri’s blogpost about The Trail

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Filed under: Perspective, Two Artists Tuesday | Tagged: Alex Pretti, artistry, Cicero, corruption, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Honor, ice, Jack Smith, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, loyalty, Minneapolis, Renee Good, republican, story, studio melange, the melange, Thieves | 1 Comment »

Our Moment [David’s blog on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on January 26, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

Last night we heard a pundit say, “As Minnesota goes, so goes the rest of the nation.” It’s true. If the ICE gestapo brutalizes Minnesota into authoritarian submission without consequence, it will only be a matter of time before this ruthless regime wages war on the rest of the nation. Minnesota is our Ukraine.

As Minnesota goes, so goes the rest of the nation. In the face of this masked brutality, the best impulse of humanity is rising. The community is coalescing. People are showing up to serve and to protect their neighbors. The leaders of the state are encouraging peaceful protest. The leaders of the state are calling out the blatant lies of a sadistic administration run amok. The people are meeting the ICE gestapo in the streets demanding the return to the rule of law in the face of the government’s institutionalized lawlessness.

Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis said, “This is our moment…to meet a whole lot of hate with a whole lot of love.”

Love need not be soft. Love sometimes looks like a person unwilling to sit quietly as injustice invades their neighborhood. Love stands before a masked and armed thug and blows a whistle. Love bears witness, holding high their camera, to record a government-paid-rabble piling onto an unarmed person, pulling frightened people from their cars, gassing families in their minivans, hauling undressed elders from their home into the frigid morning. Love conceals and drives people to work. Love delivers food to people afraid to leave their houses. Love refuses to surrender personal and communal sovereignty to the assault on freedom. Love rejects the manufactured divisions of the hatemongers and race-baiters currently leading the nation and justifying cruelty.

This is our moment. Either love or hate will rule the day. As Minnesota goes, so goes the rest of the nation and Minnesota gives me hope. A whole lot of love is rising to meet the masked purveyors of hate.

*****

I wrote this post days before the masked thugs of the United States executed Alex Pretti on a street in Minneapolis for exercising his first amendment right – and then attempted to brand him as the terrorist in the story because he was exercising his second amendment right. Their message to us is clear: fear your government. Be quiet. Their message is hate-full. For Alex Pretti, for Renee Good, and all of those who, in the face of this fear, continue exercising their rights, know that there is now no greater act of love than standing up for our neighbors, for our rights. The people in Minneapolis are our neighbors. The rights under assault are our rights. There can be no greater act of love than standing up for them and with them. The time for meeting hate with love is urgent. We are out of time.

read Kerri’s blogpost about LOVE