Since I have friends and family who live in Minneapolis I want them to succeed too. I just think many of the leaders' assumptions are fantasies and jamming this proposal through in a rush is going to lead to a lot of people getting hurt, and damage that will not be easy to fix. The mostly small businesses that were looted and burned need Minneapolis to show they can create a secure environment or they will not come back. Drove along Lake street(my old neighborhood) the other day for the first time since the riots. Sad beyond belief.

So far the "plan" appears to be: Phase 1: Disband the police. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Utopia! In the end I think they will nibble around the edges like dispatching non-police to low priority calls, which might even do some good in freeing up cops for priority 1 calls. But that's about it. Too many sociopaths in Minneapolis doing too much violence to think there will be any significant reduction in officers. They have succeeded in creating an atmosphere where confronting police is encouraged. That makes the next deadly encounter all the more likely. Hot mess is right.

I have friends and family who still smoke. I've let them know I'm here if they want help quitting, but I'm not going to badger them about it. I loathed the whole smokefree crusade when I was a smoker, but now I'm glad they won as well. If that makes me a hypocrite to some people so be it.

Gorgeous...from inside with a fire in the fireplace. :)

It was.

I have little hope they will come to their senses.

Yep.

Yeah, I'll see how realistic it is. It's probably easy for me right now since there's not a lot of stuff I need to buy.