Well, I know lots of heroes. But Greg, the Dreamhaven Books owner in MN, was everyone’s hero when he said he was 70 years old and he was fucking pissed, and then calmly picked up a water bottle and walked back into the cloud of tear gas.
You should know enough about me to know how disgusted I am with what I’m seeing in MN from the federal government, and what awe I feel for the hundreds of ways this tight-knit state has clapped back. When you think, in your mind’s eye, what a patriot is, it should be this: an average American in mismatched winter gear standing outside in sub-freezing temperatures because they love their country too much to allow it to be led by a government that thinks it can kill people in the streets with impunity.
Greg is a kind and amazing man. His bookstore is like a sci-fi time capsule. Check out his website and support him when things calm down. (I noticed it was offline this morning; which makes me worried that a bunch of angry fucking morons with keyboards are making his life difficult.)
I think a lot about the friends I made in MN, and the readers who live there. It is such a special place. It is FILLED with genuine camaraderie and kindness.
I see you, Minnesotans.
KD