Photo of the Day

On December 3, 2025, Michelle Woster, Executive Director of The Cedar Cultural Center in south Minneapolis, posted the following via social media.

We are saddened that our incredible Somali neighbors are living in fear for their safety and the safety of their loved ones. One way you can support our Cedar-Riverside community at this moment is to activate the block by dining at one of the many immigrant-owned restaurants and showing up for community spaces that make this neighborhood so vibrant. If you plan to attend one of our shows this weekend, we will be excited to welcome you at The Cedar. Our events staff and volunteers are always ready to ensure you enjoy a great evening of live music.

Related Off-site Links:
Trump Calls Somalis “Garbage” He Doesn’t Want in the Country – Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Shawn McCreesh (The New York Times, December 3, 2025).
From Mogadishu to Minneapolis, Somalis Reject Trump’s Bigoted Remarks – Faisal Ali (Al Jazeera, December 4, 2025).
Trump Calls Somali Community “Garbage”: Minnesota Responds to Racist Rant and Immigration Sweeps: An Interview with Jaylani Hussein – Democracy Now! (December 5, 2025).
Anxiety Grips Minneapolis’s Somali Community as Immigration Agents Zero In on the Twin Cities – Rob Kuznia (CNN, December 4, 2025).
When a President Calls a Black Congresswoman “Garbage,” That’s Genocidal Language – Stacey Patton (Dr. Stacey Patton, December 3, 2025).
Trump’s Bigoted Attack on Somalis Denounced From Minneapolis to D.C. to Mogadishu – Brad Reed (Common Dreams, December 4, 2025).
Minnesota Lawmakers React to Trump Comments About Somali Immigrants, ICE Confirms Arrests – MPR News (December 4, 2025).
Sen. Omar Fateh: Trump’s Criticism of Somalis in U.S. Just “Political Theatre” – Al Jazeera (December 4, 2025).
“We Are Here”: In St. Cloud, Somali Community Pushes Back Against Trump’s “Garbage” Comments – Kirsti Marohn (MPR News, December 4, 2025).
Trump’s Current Tirade Targeting Somali Minnesotans Should Come as No Surprise – Jennifer Brooks (Minnesota Star Tribune, December 3, 2025).
“Making America White Again”: Trump Further Restricts Immigration, Ramps Up ICE Raids – Democracy Now! (December 4, 2025).
Trump Vows to “Permanently Pause” Migration from Poor Nations in Social Media Screed – The Associated Press via NPR News (November 28, 2025). In “Political Attack,” Trump Revokes Protected Status for Minnesota Somalis – Olivia Rosane (Common Dreams, November 23, 2025).
“The Promised Land”: Somali Americans Flip Trump’s Attack Into a Global Meme – Maysa Mustafa (Middle East Eye, December 4, 2025).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Omar Fateh: Quote of the Day – December 4, 2025
• Jason Stanley on How Fascism Works
• James Greenberg on Trumpism: “The Tactics Are Unmistakable”
• “This Is What Fascism Looks Like”
• Marianne Williamson: Quote of the Day – June 20, 2025
• The Declaration of Resistance
• The Choice Before Us
• James Greenberg: “The Choices We Make Matter”
• Khalil Gibran Muhammad on Donald Trump’s Militarization of Law Enforcement
• Jason Duchin: “It’s Here, and We Are Sleepwalking Through It”
• Marianne Williamson: “We’re Moving Into Totalitarianism”
• Garrett Graff: “America Tips Into Fascism”
• James Greenberg on the Identity Politics of MAGA
• Jason Duchin: Quote of the Day – September 24, 2025
• Derek Johnson on the “Courage to Call Fascism by Its Name”
• An Incident That Feels “Ripped from a Dystopian Novel”
• James Greenberg: “I Am in Mourning for America”
• “If a Praying Minister Isn’t Safe, None of Us Are”
• James Greenberg on Trump’s “Larger Design” – the Construction of a Military Dictatorship
• Historian John Lestrange on the Meaning and Manifestations of Fascism, Past and Present
• Protesting Trump’s “Dystopian” Immigration Policies


Image: The marquee of The Cedar Cultural Center in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of south Minneapolis – Wednesday, December 3, 2025. (Photo: Michael J. Bayly)

Quote of the Day

[Trump’s verbal attack] was hurtful. It was shameful, disgraceful. But also, it was flat out wrong calling not only our [Minnesota] congresswoman [Ilhan Omar] “garbage,” but calling the entire [Somali] community “garbage,” saying they’re good for nothing.

It is a community that has been resilient, that has produced so much. We are teachers and doctors and lawyers and even politicians taking part in every part of Minnesota’s economy and the nation’s economy. And so, right now, this is nothing more than political theatre in time for the midterms, by which Trump wants to rally his base.

Language matters, and we know that hateful rhetoric and language leads to action. And right now, our community is afraid. We’ve seen that our president and ICE have overstepped and have consistently violated our residents’ consitution right. And what I mean by that is it’s going far beyond just immigration enforcement. We’ve seen residents, U.S. citizens, getting detained.

. . . President Trump made it very clear he wants all Somalis gone. Not just a category of them, not just the ones he thinks are bad, but all Somalis. I’ve heard from our young people – folks that were born in America, that have never seen Somalia; in fact, some whose parents were born in America – reaching out to us saying that they’re fearful, that they feel like they have to walk around with their passports because they don’t want to be targeted. And in America in 2025, that should not be happening.

– Omar Fateh
via social media
December 4, 2025

NEXT:
Photo of the Day
– December 5, 2025

Related Off-site Links:
Trump Calls Somali Community “Garbage”: Minnesota Responds to Racist Rant and Immigration Sweep – Democracy Now! (December 5, 2025).
Anxiety Grips Minneapolis’s Somali Community as Immigration Agents Zero In on the Twin Cities – Rob Kuznia (CNN, December 4, 2025).
When a President Calls a Black Congresswoman “Garbage,” That’s Genocidal Language – Stacey Patton (Dr. Stacey Patton, December 3, 2025).
Trump’s Bigoted Attack on Somalis Denounced From Minneapolis to D.C. to Mogadishu – Brad Reed (Common Dreams, December 4, 2025).
Minnesota Lawmakers React to Trump Comments About Somali Immigrants, ICE Confirms Arrests – MPR News (December 4, 2025).
“We Are Here”: In St. Cloud, Somali Community Pushes Back Against Trump’s “Garbage” Comments – Kirsti Marohn (MPR News, December 4, 2025).
Trump’s Current Tirade Targeting Somali Minnesotans Should Come as No Surprise – Jennifer Brooks (Minnesota Star Tribune, December 3, 2025).
“Making America White Again”: Trump Further Restricts Immigration, Ramps Up ICE Raids – Democracy Now! (December 4, 2025).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Protesting Trump’s “Dystopian” Immigration Policies
• Derek Johnson on the “Courage to Call Fascism by Its Name”
• An Incident That Feels “Ripped from a Dystopian Novel”
• James Greenberg: “I Am in Mourning for America”
• “If a Praying Minister Isn’t Safe, None of Us Are”


For The Wild Reed’s coverage of Omar Fateh’s 2025 run for Minneapolis Mayor, see the following chronologically-ordered posts:
• A “Racist and Factless Meltdown” Over Omar Fateh
• Omar | Jazz | DeWayne
• In His Efforts to “Build a City That Works for All,” Omar Fateh Secures a Key Endorsement
• Something to Think About – July 25, 2025
• The Longstanding Fault Lines Within the Democratic Party Have Surfaced Again in Minnesota
• Omar Fateh: “We Need to Meet the Needs of Working People”
• “Hopeful and Grounded”: Omar Fateh’s Vision of Democratic Socialism
• Omar Fateh: A “Person-Centered Leader”
• Why Omar Fateh Is the Right Choice for Mayor of Minneapolis
• Omar Fateh on LGBTQ Issues
• Omar Fateh’s Grassroots Campaign for Mayor of Minneapolis
• The Rise of Omar Fateh
• Omar Fateh: A Mayor Who Will “Meet the Moment”
• Why Omar Fateh Lost
• Thank you, Omar!

Happy Birthday, Mum!

In Australia today my Mum celebrates her 87th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mum!

I’ve said it many times before but it’s always worth repeating: My brothers and I are very fortunate to have Margaret Anne Bayly (née Sparkes) as our mother. She is a beautiful, wise and strong woman who extends care, kindness and love to everyone she encounters.

I love you, Mum, and can’t thank you enough for who you are and for all you continue to be and give to me, my brothers, our family, and so many others whose lives are fortunate enough to be touched by yours. Wishing you the happiest of birthdays! 💗

This is mum’s first birthday since she began her journey of recovery from the stroke she experienced in April. I continue to thank God for her ongoing recovery and for the ways she is participating in this recovery through her chosen attitudes and actions. As I’ve said previously, they are attitudes and actions of grace and gratitude, surrender and trust. I’m grateful too for those in her life who are helping facilitate mum’s healing – our family, her friends, and the staff at the assisted living home where she now resides.

Above: With Mum and some of her Port Macquarie friends during my most recent visit back to Australia – June-July 2025.

In celebrating Mum’s birthday over the years at The Wild Reed, I’ve shared quite a number of photos from the Bayly family archives. In fact, I’ve pretty much exhausted my supply. So if you’d like to take a wonderful “trip down memory lane,” as they say, then click on any of the links below. You won’t be disappointed!


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Thanks, Mum!
• Home to Be With Mum (2025)
• June 2025 Vignettes
• Family Time in Guruk (2025)
• Last Days in Australia (2025)
• Happy Birthday, Mum – 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2018 | 2017 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009
• Congratulations, Mum and Dad! (2009)
• Catholic Rainbow (Australian) Parents (2006)
• Remembering and Celebrating Dad

Opening image: Mum with two of her four great grandchildren, Ramy and Jake – July 2025.

Progressive Perspectives on Hillary Clinton’s Comments on Pro-Palestine “Propaganda” and TikTok

At an event hosted by an Israeli news outlet owned by Israeli-American billionaire and Trump donor Miriam Adelson, Hillary Clinton says young Americans fell victim to pro-Palestine “propaganda” on social media.

She makes no mention of corporate media’s role in pushing hoaxes following October 7 or publishing Israeli government talking points without scrutiny

– Qasim Rashid
via social media
December 3, 2025

Hillary Clinton is out here claiming young people, including young Jewish people, are only pro Palestine because of TikTok – not because of the painfully documented fact by dozens of human rights organizations confirming genocide, famine, mass rape, and war crimes by IDF.

No acknowledgment that people are relying on social media because the Israeli government has illegally blocked out all international media and killed more than 250 journalists inside Gaza. Her claim is “Just believe Netanyahu.” Absurd.

– Qasim Rashid
via social media
December 3, 2025

[Israel’s genocide in Gaza] is more documented and more confessed to than any other genocide-as-it-happened in history. We have detailed reports from the United Nations, non-governmental organizations [NGOs] ranging from Amnesty International to Human Rights Watch to Médecins Sans Frontières. We have detailed studies from the likes of Airwars, an NGO comprised of experts who looked at 606 incidents of civilian harm in the first 25 days of the genocide alone in October 2023. According to the most conservative estimates, at least 5,139 civilians were killed in the sample of 606 attacks they analyzed. They made sure to say this was just a fraction. They found evidence of Hamas military casualties in just 26 of those 606 attacks. That’s just 4% of cases. The number of militants believed to be actually killed was between 32 and 60.

We also have overwhelming evidence of Israeli soldiers gleefully posting their war crimes, yes, Hillary, on TikTok, as well as an avalanche of statements of genocide and criminal intent issued by Israeli leaders and officials.

Hillary Clinton should not just be seen as a political failure who handed Donald Trump power in the United States. She’s a monster, with blood on her hands, who was associated with some of the great foreign policy catastrophes and crimes of our age.

The younger generation of Americans, including Jewish Americans, that she smears are far more knowledgable and moral than she is. And it’s not hard to be more moral than Hillary Clinton because there’s no evidence of any moral compass at all.

– Owen Jones
Excerpted from “Hillary Clinton Blames TikTok
for Opposition to Israel's Genocide”
via YouTube
December 3, 2025

By boiling down backlash against Israel to a social media problem, Clinton and her allies seem to have forgotten they’re still in an echo chamber that they built with their own hands and words.

– John Smith
via social media
December 3, 2025

[Clinton’s] remarks echoed those of former Obama White House speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, who spoke recently about the challenges Zionists are presented with when they try to defend Israel to young Jewish people who have seen widely available, credible images and news out of Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and is continuing to restrict humanitarian aid despite a ceasefire deal reached in October. “Anything that we try to say to them, they’re hearing it through this wall of carnage,” Hurwitz lamented last month, drawing condemnation.

. . . Clinton has frequently claimed that pro-Palestinian Americans, particularly students who took part in nationwide campus protests last year as they urged the Biden administration to comply with US law and stop funding Israel’s attacks on Gaza, are simply misinformed about Palestine and ignorant of history, particularly pointing to the 2000 Camp David Summit hosted by former President Bill Clinton.

The former secretary of state has repeated the claim that the Palestinians were offered a “generous deal” at the meeting and “walked away” – a “myth” that Camp David negotiator Robert Malley has debunked, warning it’s been used by Clinton and others to “justify Israel’s genocide.”

“She’s the one getting the history wrong,” including at the Israel Hayom event, said Drop Site News on Tuesday.

A number of observers took issue with Clinton’s suggestion that anti-Israel sentiment in the US is being driven solely by young people, with Just Security executive editor Adil Haque issuing a “periodic reminder that the biggest shift in attitudes toward Israel and Palestine has been among older Democrats.”

In 2022, 43% Democratic voters ages 50 and up had an unfavorable view of Israel. That percentage has risen sharply since Israel began its onslaught in Gaza, with 66% of those voters reporting an unfavorable view in a Pew Research Center poll this year.

Meanwhile, 71% of Democrats ages 49 and under opposed Israel in the same poll, and 62% of them had expressed opposition in 2022, denoting a less extreme shift in opinion.

“Democrats get their news from CNN more than other mainstream sources,” said Haque, pointing to the network’s recent investigation about Palestinian aid-seekers who were killed by Israeli forces. “If you’re a 60-year-old with grandkids and you read or watch CNN‘s Gaza reporting, you don’t need TikTok to know that what’s happening is very, very wrong.”

Dylan Williams, vice president of government affairs at the Center for International Policy, also suggested Clinton has an inaccurate view of who opposes Israel’s ongoing attacks on Palestinians.

“I’m nearly 50. I don’t use TikTok. I listen to NPR Morning Edition and read the Financial Times daily,” said Williams. “I’m a lawyer who has worked on Israel-Palestine issues for the last 20 years. The evidence I’ve seen that Israel committed atrocities including genocide in Gaza is overwhelming.”

– Julia Conley
Excerpted from “Hillary Clinton Joins in Blaming TikTok
for Young Americans’ View That Israel
Is Committing Genocide”
Common Dreams
December 3, 2025

Related Off-site Links:
Hillary Clinton Blames TikTok for Gaza “Propaganda.” She Can’t See Her Own Complicity – Etan Nechin (Haaretz, December 3, 2025).
Hillary Clinton Blames TikTok for Young People Turning Against Israel – Glenn Greenwald (System Update, December 3, 2025).
Hillary Clinton Teams Up With Miriam Adelson – Sabrina Salvati (Sabby Sabs, December 3, 2025).
Ro Khanna to Hillary Clinton: Don’t “Disparage the Intelligence of Young People” on Israel – Prem Thakker (Zeteo, December 3, 2025).

Image: Jacquelyn Martin / AP.