If you’re an independent… or if you’re one of the many Americans who have quietly decided “I’m not watching this anymore” because the news is just yelling, outrage, and tribal rage, here’s the uncomfortable truth:

That instinct to tune out is rational. It’s also what the loudest extremes are counting on.

I’m not asking you to become partisan. I’m not asking you to join anyone’s team. I’m not asking you to spend your evenings doom-scrolling or arguing with strangers.

I’m asking you to do one thing: vote, because the question is no longer “left vs. right.” It’s becoming “rules vs. vibes.”

Here’s why I’m saying this now.

This month in Minneapolis, two U.S. citizens were killed in separate incidents involving federal immigration agents during enforcement operations, Renee Nicole Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.

In both cases, federal officials rapidly framed the events as justified and defensive. Local leaders disputed those accounts and demanded transparency.

In the second killing, Reuters reported that bystander videos verified and reviewed by Reuters appear to show Pretti holding a phone (not a gun) and that footage appears to show an agent removing a gun and stepping away before shots were fired.

Whatever your politics, that is the kind of moment where a healthy country does something simple and stabilizing:

Slow down. Investigate. Publish facts. Hold everyone to the same standard.

Instead, what America keeps getting, over and over, is instant conclusion, instant tribal mobilization, and a fight over the narrative before the evidence is finished.

And to independents, that should matter more than any party label, because it points to a deeper issue:

When government force is used inside our neighborhoods, public trust depends on transparency and accountability, especially when someone ends up dead.

The masks and the identification issue isn’t a “culture war.” It’s an accountability issue.

If you’ve been thinking, “Why are people so upset about masks?” it’s not because everyone hates law enforcement.

It’s because unidentifiable armed agents change the social contract.

Reuters has reported on the controversy around federal immigration agents wearing masks and balaclavas, sometimes operating in plain clothes that can lack clear identifying markings, with critics warning about accountability and intimidation, while ICE officials argue masks protect agents and their families from doxxing.

In July 2025, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison publicly urged Congress to pass legislation to generally prohibit ICE masking and require clear identification and agency insignia, warning that masked agents can be indistinguishable from kidnappers to the public and can escalate danger for everyone, including officers.

You can support immigration enforcement and still believe:

• Agents should be clearly identifiable.
• “Trust us” is not a policy.
• After lethal incidents, the country deserves independent review and public facts, not immediate spin.

That’s not “soft.” That’s civilized. That’s rule-of-law.

Why independents matter more than ever

Here’s the part that neither party’s outrage machine wants you to believe:

Your decision to stay home is power.

And in a closely divided country, it’s often the deciding power.

When decent people opt out because politics is gross, the incentives shift toward the people who like politics because it’s gross, because conflict is their fuel.

So if you’re exhausted, skeptical, and disgusted: good. That means you still have working instincts.

Now use them.

Vote for whoever, regardless of party, will commit, out loud, to basics like:

• Independent investigations after lethal force
• Clear identification for agents operating in communities
• Policies written down and made public
• Accountability systems that don’t depend on which “team” someone is on

Because a country where force comes first and facts come later will eventually come for people who thought they were “safe” from it.

And by then, it’s harder to reverse.

If this is the kind of evidence-first, non-tribal writing you want more of, please share this, and follow Executive Dysfunction Weekly (EDW). We’re trying to build a corner of the internet for people who still believe facts and rules matter.

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