To the editor,

We’ve been joining a group of River Falls demonstrators every Tuesday. We’re not defending terrorists. Whatever you think about Kilmar Garcia, the law should have been followed. The most conservative Supreme Court in 90 years has already ruled against the administration on a similar matter. The issue is not how good or bad Garcia is. The issue is should America be a country of laws.

We’re demonstrating because Musk and Trump are breaking our country. We can already hear the “What about…” followed by a litany of complaints about Biden. He’s not here now, and nothing compares to the chaos and anger of the first 100 days of this presidency. Things are falling apart.

We have already experienced disturbing setbacks in our retirement plans. In addition to what has happened to private retirement accounts Musk has his eyes on Social Security. He’s ridiculed it as “a Ponzi scheme.” If you believe Musk, go down to senior day at Family Fresh and ask how many think their social security check is a joke.

Our family’s fight against cancer has made the value of Medicare real to us. You might think, “They’re just sensitive because they are going through this.” That’s true, but at Mayo we come in contact with all kinds of people who know the world class care they get isn’t possible without Medicare. A lot of people are going to be hurt if Trump enables Musk to degrade it. Never say it could not happen to you. Everyone at Mayo hopes that before it happens.

We’re watching the devastating floods in the Southeast with sadness. Musk’s evisceration of FEMA appalls us, not because we are liberals but because we lived through the Barneveld Tornado of 1984, where 100 people in a town of under 500 required hospital care, nine were killed, and the town was leveled. FEMA was a huge part of the town’s rebirth.

We’re marching because Beth is a retired local care provider, and knows firsthand the importance of Medicaid and Medicare in our community and the danger of having RFK in charge of the nation’s health. Look up the effects of the current measles outbreak and RFK’s response; he has floated the idea of allowing bird flu to spread while the USDA is scrambling to rehire scientists accidentally fired under DOGE. Bird flu has already jumped to cows and some humans. Seventy Americans have caught the virus already and one died. We may not be prepared for the next pandemic unless RFK and DOGE get out of the way and we put scientists back in charge.

We want a strong military. Installing cronies and sycophants like Pete Hegseth in leadership positions is dangerous. I asked a retired Navy Commander what he thought of the Hegseth communication leaks during the recent Houthi raid. He said that in his service days, (he was in the Gulf War), “Anyone moving information from a SECRET network to their private phone would immediately be relieved of duty, at a minimum.” Hegseth is still here.

We are speaking out against the stream of lies, starting with Trump’s promises to end the war in two days and lower grocery prices immediately. We live in an atmosphere of chaos. Trump promised tariffs with no retreat, then delayed the tariffs, then put some back on. His administration sent an ultimatum to Harvard. Within a week the ultimatum was pulled back and labeled a mistake. Trump’s team said Kilmar Garcia was mistakenly deported. Then he wasn’t. It feels like amateur hour.

It needs to be said. There has never been a president who engages in such crude, coarse language, freighted with mean insults and unhinged taunts. It’s affecting everybody. We need a change to leadership that is based not on anger and threats but on fairness, and compassion for all Americans.

Dan & Beth Woll

River Falls