Carl Higbie was right to call out the leftist spectacle surrounding the tragic Minneapolis shooting — outrage does not give anyone license to rewrite the facts or to cheer on chaos for political gain. Americans who care about honest reporting and the rule of law watched as politicians and cable networks rushed to grandstand before investigations were complete. That rush to judgment is exactly what weak leadership and bad media encourage, and conservatives should push back hard against it.
The death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on January 24 stunned the community and provoked intense debate about what really happened during the encounter with federal agents. Video widely shared online and analyzed by multiple outlets raised troubling questions about the sequence of events and whether the use of deadly force was justified. While every life lost is heartbreaking, we must demand a full, transparent investigation rather than surrender to headlines that fit a preferred narrative.
This incident did not occur in a vacuum — it followed other confrontations in the city during a large-scale federal immigration operation, and tensions were already sky-high as agents executed arrests across Minneapolis. Those deployments have been contentious, and critics argue they contributed to an escalatory environment where mistakes and tragedies became more likely. Conservatives should acknowledge the complexity here: supporting law enforcement doesn’t mean blind approval of every action, but it does mean insisting on accountability through proper legal channels.
What infuriates many patriots is the performative response from the left that too often rewards lawlessness while punishing those who show up to enforce the law. Protests around the federal operations turned confrontational at times, and some demonstrations crossed the line into property damage and intimidation — behavior that undermines the rule of law and hurts ordinary citizens. We can mourn loss and demand answers without endorsing mobs and vigilante justice; that distinction seems lost on too many on the political left.
Even Minnesota’s business leaders have urged calm, stressing the damage that sustained unrest does to livelihoods and public safety, and calling for de-escalation from state and federal officials. That bipartisan plea for stability should be a wake-up call: civic institutions, not street politics, must lead the response to crises. Conservative leaders should amplify those calls for order and sensible policy, because chaos only serves radical interests.
Let’s be crystal clear: Americans want accountability and truth, not headlines engineered to score political points. Conservatives must insist on thorough investigations, transparent facts, and due process for all involved, while standing against any attempt to weaponize grief into an excuse for lawlessness. Our country is stronger when we demand both justice and order, not when we choose one at the expense of the other.
Carl Higbie’s message — that outrage is not a justification to do what you want — is a direct appeal to common sense and patriotism. Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who will calm tensions, secure communities, and pursue the truth without partisan pretense. Now is the moment for conservatism to promote steady leadership, defend the rule of law, and reject the dangerous theater that too often passes for political virtue.
