(Editor’s note: I am taking the liberty of re-posting Kirk Bangstad’s essay from his own newsletter in hopes of helping him in recruiting more members of the resistance. I hope you will read this in its entirety and get a paid subscription to his newsletter. What he is attempting to do is vital to our continued freedom from this monster Trump and his followers – and trust me, if something happens to Trump, there are plenty more to follow in his authoritarian footsteps.)
First, They Hunted Immigrants; Now They’re Hunting Teachers.
The history of the Chinese Cultural Revolution tells us that we must stand up for our truth-tellers now–or risk persecution, violence, and even death–later.
When I was at Harvard from 1995-1999 majoring in Government, it was a foregone conclusion that I would take Professor Roderick McFahrquhar’s class on China’s Cultural Revolution. He was one of the world’s top scholars on Maoist China and his reputation as a master lecturer was renowned. His course shed a light on all the horrible things that happened after China rejected science, education, history, and their own culture at the behest of their cult leader, Mao Zedong.
In short, China’s 10 year Cultural Revolution from 1966-76 resulted in the death and persecution of millions of Chinese, left an entire generation of China’s population undereducated, and in the Communist Party’s own words (written later in 1981) was responsible for “the most severe setback” since the People’s Republic’s founding.
Mao Zedung’s failed agriculture policies that caused mass starvation, as well as his persecution of China’s intelligentsia that led to mass violence, torture, and displacement, should be a warning to us all.
Why?
Because the political and cultural underpinnings of China’s barbaric Cultural Revolution exist today in Trump’s America.
- The capitulation of mainstream media to Trump means at worst, we’re not getting real news—or at best, we’re only getting pieces of real news.
- America’s dependence on social media platforms inundated by bots and AI means that much of what we see online is propaganda meant to keep us in fear.
- The cult of personality among the undereducated and easily-manipulated surrounding Trump is as strong today as it was under Mao in the 1960’s.
- Anti-education, anti-science, and anti-expert/elite propaganda in America is stronger than it’s ever been in my lifetime. Just look at the current war on Tylenol.
- Our federal government is outwardly lying to us (‘there’s nothing in the Epstein Files.’)
- Trump is occupying progressive cities under the guise of immigration control and crime prevention, but the goal is to keep us in fear and control us/our ballot boxes before the 2026 election. (much like the “Red Guard” and “People’s Liberation Army” was sent to control the Chinese people during the Cultural Revolution.)
- Trump’s regime is starting to persecute anyone who dares tell the truth—like comedians, journalists, and teachers (similar to what happened in China)—so that society will be too afraid to hold a mirror up to his corrupt regime and capitulate to dictatorial rule.
Des Moines Superintendent and Olympian Ian Roberts, , Iowa Teacher Matt Kargol, and Wisconsin Teacher Krista Lesiecki have all been persecuted in the last week by ICE and online cult mobs
Just a few days ago, we learned that ICE detained Des Moines’ popular School Superintendent, Ian Roberts. While Robert’s immigration status is still under investigation—even though he’s lived most of his life in the U.S. and was a celebrated olympic athlete—ICE said he was a “danger to society.”
That statement about Roberts is an absurd lie meant to push the false narrative that our public schools are filled with left-wing extremists, but that lie was still published by mainstream media because it came from our federal government.
Matt Kargol is a teacher in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and Krista Lesiecki is a teacher in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. Both were fired from their jobs after posting negative comments about Charlie Kirk’s legacy. These two teachers were among many others also targeted by online mobs of Trump/Kirk followers or bots posing as Trump/Kirk followers.
Teachers don’t make enough money to defend themselves from online mobs and sue their school districts to protect their jobs. Their unions are supposed to do that for them, but teachers unions—especially in Wisconsin—have been decimated by Republicans.
So what does that mean?
Our teachers are VERY VULNERABLE right now across America, and we as a society must protect them at all costs. Our kids’ future freedom depends on them being able to learn media literacy in school, which teaches them how to understand the difference between truth and lies.
So what do we do when migrants, minorities, government bureaucrats, law firms, universities, comedians, and now TEACHERS are getting attacked by Trump?
We strike, of course. That’s the only way.
And we can look to Italy for guidance, because they just pulled off a massive General Strike in protest against Israel’s Palestinian genocide.
This show of force, organized by Italy’s trade unions, is gaining momentum. Strike organizers met this weekend to bring in unions from other European countries to block shipments to Israel. People across the world are realizing that the only way for their voices to be heard in an era of authoritarianism is through strikes that hurt national economies and the oligarchs behind those economies.
Last June, I laid out a scenario that outlined how resistance groups across America could start engaging in monthly organizational stress tests to gather momentum for a real General Strike in the fall of 2026—when it seems like Trump will probably attempt to cancel our elections and further consolidate power.
I had a meeting scheduled with organizers at the nationwide level of Indivisible, which I believe is currently the largest organized resistance group in America. Unfortunately, right around the time i was supposed to meet with Indivisible, I was arrested at my own taproom, along with 6 of my customers, for simply giving a political speech against the right-wing ringleader of corruption in Oneida County, Gregg Walker.
After spending a harrowing 24 hours in a tiny cell with hardly any human contact (much like solitary confinement), I decided to pull back from activism at the statewide level and focus on protecting my company from the local goons in Oneida County while continuing to build what I believe will be a major tool for the Resistance.
This tool is an e-commerce site called the Minocqua Marketplace, which I hope will become an “Amazon for Progressives,” and allow the left to boycott any company that bends the knee to Trump and easily purchase substitute goods from companies that are part of the resistance movement. Go to this link https://minocquamarketplace.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email and scroll all the way to the bottom to get a free subscription to his newsletter.
I hope that, once large enough, we can divert a portion of the proceeds from the sale of goods on this site to a “General Strike Fund” that helps ensure that those striking have food/shelter/health care, etc.
My mental health after being jailed demanded that I consolidate my efforts and not spread myself too thin, but the summer is now over, the Minocqua Marketplace has been built, and my taproom has made it successfully through yet another summer tourism season.
It’s now time that the Minocqua Brewing Company rejoin the conversation about how to bring Trump, Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Thiel, Ellison (father and son) to their knees through a General Strike, which will hopefully pit Oligarch against Dictator, and will hopefully allow America to come out on the other side with a winning Democratic coalition.
Folks, this is the way.
We must take to the streets and take to our social media platforms to stop ICE from disappearing school superintendents and stop propaganda bots from cancelling teachers. But we can’t stop there.
We must organize with a purpose to strike and crush the U.S. economy until we get our rights back, and we must demand that all 3 branches of our Federal Government start listening to us again.
In my mind, the upcoming “No Kings Rally on October 18th” is yet another crucial organizing stress test that will lead to the ultimate goal of striking, which is the obvious and most effective tactic to fight against tyranny. I hope to see many of you after the protest at our taproom in Madison.
Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with the Minocqua Brewing Company.
Together, while fighting ICE and the bots, and by staying clear-eyed about what has to be done to save Democracy, we will get our country back—One Beer At A Time.
Kirk Bangstad
Owner, Minocqua Brewing Company/Minocqua Marketplace
Publisher, Minocqua Brewing Company Times
Founder, Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC
Louisiana Voice 
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