I don’t know if writing politicians really works. I’ve written a lot of letters over the years and almost always get canned, meaningless responses.

But what else are we supposed to do?

Apparently marching in the streets now risks people being shot by federal agents. Silence clearly isn’t working either. So at a minimum, I’m encouraging people to email their Senators and Congressperson and force this onto the record.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can copy the message below, add your name and ZIP code, and send it. Even if it feels futile, it still matters — because the alternative is doing nothing while this keeps escalating.

if you are in Iowa here are your State Senators – https://www.senate.gov/states/IA/intro.htm

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Dear Senator [Last Name] / Representative [Last Name],

I am writing as your constituent to express my deep concern and outrage over the recent fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by a federal immigration agent as part of the ongoing enforcement operation in that city. Recent incidents — including the deaths of Alex Pretti on January 24 and Renée Good earlier this month — have sparked national protests and raised serious questions about the use of force by federal agents. In the case of Ms. Good, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner has formally ruled her death a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds by law enforcement, intensifying public concern about transparency and accountability in these operations. (opb)

These events are not isolated. They reflect an escalation in federal enforcement tactics that threaten public safety, undermine community trust, and may violate civil rights — especially when independent investigations are limited or delayed.

Americans are sick of watching President Trump break the law with impunity while Congress shrugs. We are sick of federal agents using lethal force in domestic enforcement operations with little transparency and no meaningful accountability. We are sick of investigations that stall, reports that are hidden, and responsibility that is endlessly deferred.

This administration has shown repeated contempt for the rule of law — from January 6 and the subsequent release and pardoning of those convicted for their role in it, to the sweeping use of pardons for numerous other convicted criminals, to ignoring court rulings, abusing executive authority, and politicizing federal agencies. Trump ran on transparency, yet the Epstein files remain unreleased, stonewalled, and unexplained. The public was promised truth. Instead, we got silence.

What makes this even more disturbing is that the President now openly attacks members of his own party when they show independence or principle. Representative Thomas Massie — a Republican with a long, consistent conservative voting record — has been publicly targeted simply for dissent. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has shown strong past support for him, has been attacked when she deviates even slightly. This is not leadership. It is intimidation.

The same pattern extends to the Federal Reserve. President Trump is now threatening Jerome Powell — the Fed Chair he himself appointed — for failing to bend monetary policy to his political demands. Undermining the independence of the Federal Reserve is dangerous, destabilizing, and reckless.

At the same time, the President openly threatens U.S. allies — including absurd and dangerous rhetoric about invading Greenland — behavior that would have been unthinkable from any previous administration. This is not strength. It is instability, and it damages U.S. credibility and national security.

Congress was not elected to be a spectator. Your oath is to the Constitution, not to a man.

I expect you to:

• Demand a full, independent investigation into the Minneapolis ICE shootings and related use-of-force incidents
• Hold public hearings on ICE and DHS enforcement practices
• Push for immediate transparency and release of the Epstein files
• Reassert congressional authority against executive overreach and intimidation
• Defend the independence of institutions like the Federal Reserve
• Publicly reject threats of aggression toward U.S. allies

Silence and inaction are choices — and voters are watching. I expect you to act.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City, State]
[ZIP Code]