Aaron Lehr
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aaronjlehr.bsky.social
Aaron Lehr
@aaronjlehr.bsky.social
370 followers 380 following 1.1K posts
Lefty, #AllForCincy, recovering Reds fan, northern OTR resident
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/liberalism-article-paul-crider/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
chrismurphyct.bsky.social
The party that has spent unlimited resources and energy getting states to pass laws to allow citizens to openly carry loaded weapons anywhere - now believes that exercising this right is permission for law enforcement to murder you.

Honestly, how dumb do they think we are?
January 25, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
sodrock.bsky.social
Only took me a few weeks but here is a list of books to introduce one to all things military. My latest⬇️
January 21, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
andycraig.bsky.social
This is exactly right. If he does it, that would be very bad, but the practical effect would be underwhelming. It's not actually a "ha ha I win, we're a military dictatorship now" button. Same reason they've backed off using the Guard. They want bloodlust fascist thugs and our troops mostly aren't.
cooperlund.online Cooper Lund @cooperlund.online · 4h
The threat of invoking the Insurrection Act is way more powerful than actually doing it, and anyone who thinks doing it is a good idea has a terminal case of Twelve Year Old Brain where the victory is that the Army does what I want I win forever because they’re the tough guys from the Army.
bcfinucane.bsky.social Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 5h
Curious if anyone has a plausible theory of victory for the administration if it were to invoke the Insurrection Act.

How does the administration "win" in such a scenario?

Best I can tell, it is magical thinking by a certain somebody at the White House, but maybe I'm missing something.
January 25, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
bbkogan.bsky.social
Congressional Republicans gave Trump a slush fund for ICE and CBP in the "Big Beautiful Bill." Tens of billions of dollars that is still usable even during a shutdown.

Democrats must make rescinding that money the price of any future govt funding, as Republicans did with IRS money from the IRA.
Historical and projected combined ICE and CBP money. Tons of additional money from BBB.
January 25, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
amandamarcotte.bsky.social
Standard issue Nazi rhetoric: "I didn't want to be a Nazi, but you made me by calling me a Nazi."

No, motherfucker. The choice not to be a Nazi is always and forever available.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6h
Bovino: "When politicians, community leaders, & some journalists engage in that heated rhetoric we keep talking about, when they make the choice to vilify law enforcement calling law enforcement 'Gestapo' or using the term 'kidnapping,' that is a choice & there are actions & consequences."
January 25, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
dell.bsky.social
Among them Target, which paid Trump's inaugural team a million dollar bribe before walking back commitments to Black-owned business partners.
January 25, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
sarahlongwell25.bsky.social
A thread of MAGA protesting with guns and not getting murdered for it...

Arizona, November 2020
January 25, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
iahawks101.bsky.social
Dave Matthews and Tim Ryenolds playing Neil Young’s Ohio last night and ends with some Rage Against the Machine.
January 24, 2026 at 11:35 PM
aaronjlehr.bsky.social
Remember when the Broncos should have absolutely kicked a field goal to go up 10-0.
January 25, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
whstancil.bsky.social
The thing everyone keeps asking each other here in Minneapolis:

"When will it end?"

Is that normal for a law enforcement operation? That is supposedly making us safer?
January 25, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
parkermolloy.com
Jarrett Stidham getting ready to take the field like
kanoa @heelbitee • Follow accidentally became important at work n its ruining my life 5:40 PM • Jul 30, 2024 X
January 25, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
willbunch.bsky.social
The senseless murder of Alex Pretti is finally showing everyday folks that the Trump regime is beyond any redemption. And in an anti-religious age, it's sparked a quest for a new American morality

It's beyond politics now. This is about good vs. evil

My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/minn...
Alex Pretti’s ICE murder is beyond politics. This is about good vs. evil | Will Bunch
Trump's inhumane immigration raids and two ICE murders has triggered an American yearning for a return to morality.
www.inquirer.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
jbf1755.bsky.social
Our country was founded on resistance to a tyrant.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Attorney General Pam Bondi: "Our country was founded on law enforcement"
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Bondi: "It's extremely organized. The signs they have are all matching, they're well written. And look at what's happening today. How did these people go out & get gas masks? These protesters. Would you know how to walk out on the street and buy a gas mask? Think about that. We're not gonna have it"
January 25, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
maddenifico.bsky.social
This woman speaks for the majority of Americans. 🙌🙏🫶👇
January 25, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
scottjshapiro.bsky.social
There is evil and then there is this
jasonkirell.bsky.social Jay Kirell @jasonkirell.bsky.social · 2d
Two women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed.

www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
Detained by ICE, two women became first responders during agent’s seizure
The women say they guided agents through the emergency, later raising concerns about medical protocols, weapons safety and accountability.
www.startribune.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
norahwoodsey.com
man.
Excerpt from NBC article quoting Facebook: "Alex was there the final night providing morphine and pain relief," Mac Randolph said. "Just the sweetest person you can imagine." He described Pretti as providing guidance and aide beyond his medical faculties. "They had to turn the oxygen off at a certain point," he said. "Alex was there to walk our family through the process." Mac Randolph said his sense was that Pretti's work at the location was motivated by dedication more than income. "It's a sacrifice he makes," Mac Randolph said. "He wanted to be there for those veterans." He's concerned Pretti's character may be sullied by lies. "He was an incredibly compassionate person," Mac Randolph said. "I don't want them to assassinate this guy's character."
January 25, 2026 at 3:52 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
1. I am a resident of the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am over 18 years of age. I am a children's entertainer who specializes in face painting. 2. On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at about 8:50 am, I was getting ready to go to work when I heard whistles outside. I knew the whistles meant that ICE agents were in the area, so I decided to check it out on my way to work. I've been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbors. Connecting to your local community and knowing who your neighbors are is something I profoundly value. 3. I drove to Nicollet Ave. and 26th where I could hear the whistles coming from. I turned south onto Nicollet. There were already several ICE agents there and they'd set up a sort of vehicle convoy on Nicollet and 28th. There were also about 15 observers there, recording and observing ICE. 4. I saw ICE agents surrounding cars and punching car windows. I also saw them stopping vehicles further down Nicollet, so I backed up because I didn't feel safe continuing on. 5. I noticed a man sort of acting to help traffic move more smoothly. He helped me find a place to park. I got out with my whistle and my camera. I went over to him and said something like, "I'm going to film and use my whistle." 6. It seemed like most ICE activity was happening a little farther down the street from us, near 27th. Someone was being thrown to the ground. 7. I started recording. There was an agent by a car across the street. Two observers were a few feet away from the agent, blowing their whistles. One was wearing a backpack. 8. I and the man who was observing and helping direct traffic were standing in the street. There was a phone in the man's hand recording a video. 9. An agent approached and asked us to back up, so I moved slowly back onto the sidewalk. 10. The man stayed in the street, filming as the other observers I mentioned earlier were being forced backward by another ICE agent threatening them with pepper spray. The man went closer to support them as they got threatened, just with his camera out. I didn't see him reach for or hold a gun. 11. Then the ICE agent shoved one of the other observers to the ground. Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him. 12. Then the man tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying. More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up. All three of the observers looked to have been badly affected by the pepper spray. I could feel the pepper spray in my eyes. 13. The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn't see him touch any of them-he wasn't even turned toward them. It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn't see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times. 14.1 don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him. 15. The video I recorded of what happened accurately depicts the events leading up to the agents shooting him and several minutes afterwards. The video is attached as Exhibit 1. 16. I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong. The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground. 17. I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don't feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don't know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they're not telling the truth about what happened. I've heard that other witnesses might have been arrested and taken to the Whipple Building. 18. I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbors and my state. I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined it is important to remember the value of documenting injustice. We show up for the people who need us to bear witness, because it can't just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny. This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line. He lost his life for those values. I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct. Dated and signed on Jan 24, 2026 in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota.
January 25, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
radleybalko.bsky.social
And he didn’t. He tried to help a woman who’d just been assaulted. There was nothing rash, stupid, or radical about what he did. He showed kindness. And they killed him for it.
taniel.bsky.social Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 1d
This is so difficult to read. apnews.com/article/immi...
“”We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.””
January 24, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
owillis.bsky.social
How can you help? Spread information. Spread it. It breaks through. It’s not meaningless.
jeffrueter.bsky.social Jeff Rueter @jeffrueter.bsky.social · 1d
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."
Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
January 25, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
atrupar.com
They’re just gonna try to lie their way through it
Mullin: A deranged individual who came in to cause massive damage with a loaded pistol was shot and killed. How much more does it have to go on before the Democrat leaders take responsibility for their words?
January 25, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
aaronhuertas.bsky.social
Really want the academics and think tanks to start churning out pdfs on what tribunals and truth and reconciliation commissions look like. Political leaders are absolutely not going to come up with this on their own.

Would happily take time to help write and edit any of that, too.
January 25, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
billkristolbulwark.bsky.social
“So the government didn’t just use masked, armed, unidentified agents of the state to execute a citizen on the street, in broad daylight and in front of dozens of witnesses—it lied about the victim and what happened in the most brazen manner possible.”

www.thebulwark.com/p/emergency-...
Emergency Triad: Another American Has Been Murdered by Our Government
It’s worse than it looks and it looks plenty bad.
www.thebulwark.com
January 25, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
atrupar.com
Van Hollen: "They really think the American people are stupid. I mean, we can all see the video. We saw the video with Renee Good. We saw the video with Alex Pretti. The real domestic terrorists are in the White House right now."
January 25, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
mprnews.org
Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents refused to allow 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos to stay at his Columbia Heights home with family after being detained, observers said, despite people in the home, neighbors and school officials begging them to do so.
Witnesses say they begged ICE agents not to detain Minnesota 5-year-old after father's arrest
People who saw federal agents detain 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in Columbia Heights pushed back against claims by ICE and Vice President JD Vance that the child was abandoned, saying neighbors and s...
www.mprnews.org
January 24, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Aaron Lehr
realhopejahren.bsky.social
MN protestors #protip put 2 Idaho Russets in the oven at 420 degrees for 45 min, take them out and foil wrap, 1 in each pocket before you go out. Theyll stay warm for 3-4 hours even in this weather and you can eat em when you like. They used to send us kids out like this back in the 70s trust me.
January 23, 2026 at 2:39 PM