MI appreciation picnic
Big thank you to everyone that came out on Saturday! We had a small but enthusiastic turnout and while the weather was a bit chilly and gloomy at the beginning, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day for a get together outdoors.
(not pictured, Lea (the photog) and those that had to go before we thought to get a group picture)
Soft power, Baby!
In addition to all things Mountain Indivisible, (y’all rock,) I’m making an effort to bring my many MAGA neighbors into the fold through kindness. I started a “neighbors helping neighbors” WhatsApp group, I hire their friends for things I can’t do myself (like cut down trees,) I send them holiday cards and will host a holiday open house. The crueler the sewer clowns are, the nicer I try to be. Time will tell if it will work.
(Our 2024 political signs brought ire— specifically raw sewage thrown on our truck. I’m hoping our midterm signs will bring us nothing more than quiet disdain—or reflection.) 😉
Flock petition
Our “FLOCK Cameras in Mitchell County” needs all the signatures we can get. If you live in Mitchell, do business in Mitchell or just drive through Mitchell, you may be affected by Flock recording your comings and goings.
Look for the petitions at local businesses around Spruce Pine or download the pdf (link below) and send your signature page to us. You can also print out a copy of a petition for your friends to sign, and then return. There’s only day left before we speak at the next Mitchell County Commission meeting, so we really need your help. Contact: [email protected]
Our petition to the Mitchell County commissioners is live and you can find paper copies at DTs, The Mad Hatter & Mad Platter, Fox & Fig and the chiropractor next to Mad Hatter.
Go here to see the petition and background material, including several videos that go into great detail on the problems with Flock.
https://mountainindivisible.org/news/2026/04/23/flock-petition-references/
What are you up to?
What are you and your circle doing to lift up, support, inform your community and/or to fight back against the criminal enterprise squatting on our federal government? Please share with us so we can include that in future newsletters. Sometimes knowing of the littlest things being done by your neighbors can help lighten the load someone may be carrying or give others the courage or push to do something themselves. Often, knowing you’re not the only one that cares about a particular issue is enough to move someone to act. Let us also know if you’d like your name shared.
Upcoming events
Flocking the commissioners – May 4
At the next Mitchell Commissioners meeting at 6:30pm we plan on presenting the signed petitions and speaking during the citizen input period about the need for more transparency regarding the use of Flock cameras in Mitchell. If you can make it out to show support for this effort, please do.
26 Crimson Laurel Way, Bakersville, NC 28705 [map link]
Postcard Posse meeting May 5th
Postcard Posse at First Baptist Burnsville, Tuesdays at 10:30 in the fellowship hall. Anyone is invited. Email [email protected] with questions.
Bi-weekly demonstrations – beginning May 8
We’re going to try something a little different and schedule demos every other Friday, alternating between Spruce Pine and Burnsville. We’ll decide on an primary topic the Wed before and send that out to everyone.
The first one will be from 2-4 at “The Intersection” of 19E and 226S in Spruce Pine.
If you’re coming from Burnsville, this is the turn you take to Grassy Creek. The road to the north is Highland Ave.
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Note that you can no longer park on Valley Rd. You can stop and offload items if you need but you’ll have to park at the police station farther down Valley. Several of us are available to ferry people back up to the intersection as needed.
It’s getting warmer so bring water and stay hydrated. Consider bringing an umbrella or hat for shade.
Meet the candidates – May 14
Meet Your Candidates for House!
JAMIE AGER – Candidate for US House District Il
SUZANNE GAVENUS – Candidate for NC House District 85
Thursday, May 14th at 5:30 PM
Spruce Pint Taproom
388 Oak Ave, Spruce Pine, NC
This is a ticketed event. Capacity is limited, so please RSVP to the following address: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/agerandgavenus?refcode=fbevent
This is also a good opportunity to sign up to help out the Mitchell dems!
Other stuff
Mesa can’t enforce its own fire codes at an ICE facility where detainees can’t even sit down
Federal supremacy laws leave local governments powerless to enforce fire codes or capacity limits at ICE detention facilities
ICE releases El Gamal family after re-arresting mother and 5 children, attorney says
A plane carrying the family to Michigan was reportedly on its way back to Colorado after a Texas federal judge ordered a halt to their deportation following his ruling that they be released.
It Is Difficult for the Brain to Comprehend All the Ways Jeff Bezos Is Shafting Americans
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos
Like the robber barons of the first Gilded Age, Bezos’s consumption is of the conspicuous kind. But is luxurious lifestyle is not his biggest crime.
CBS Cuts Two-Thirds of Trump’s 60 Minutes Interview, One Year After He Sued the Network Over Editing [the interview with Kamala Harris]
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/cbs-cuts-two-thirds-trumps-171852296.html
https://newrepublic.com/post/209590/trump-rants-edited-out-60-minutes-interview-cbs-shooting
Despite speaking with O’Donnell for 40 minutes on April 26, only 13 minutes of the interview aired on CBS. The network also published the full version and a complete transcript online, a level of transparency that did little to quiet the conversation already building around it.
Multiple men ‘drugged and raped’ at ‘super predator’ Epstein’s secretive New Mexico ranch
Local survivors have come forward for the first time as New Mexico presses on with its reopened investigation into the isolated Sante Fe property
New Mexico Governor Could Break the Epstein Case Open For The World See
https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/new-mexico-governor-could-break-the
Like many of you, I’ve been reading Alisa Valdes-Rodríguez’s reporting on Zorro Ranch at The Pugilist. On April 18, she described what a thorough search of the property would look like. In her words, “a thorough search of 7,500 acres of rough New Mexico terrain, with multiple structures and outbuildings, requires not days but weeks.
Documents: Federal [HSI] agents engaged in sex acts with victims
This is “old” reporting, way back from 2020, but relevant because the abuse that ICE and related agents are currently engage in are just par for the course in homeland security.
https://apnews.com/article/1c86224532d2ab314fe0f245bdce62b9
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/homeland-secrets/agenttouch/story/operation-asian-touch.html
The women were forced to live and work in filth and near darkness, the federal agent said, surviving on only the tips they received from performing massages and sexual favors.
Image of ICE separating family awarded World Press Photo of the Year
Titled “Separated by ICE,” the image captures the “harrowing moment” when ICE agents detained Luis following an immigration court hearing on Aug. 26, 2025.
Lakota youth have locked down onto the drilling equipment at Pe’ Sla.
An alter has been set up and community members have offered prayers. The drilling company said that law enforcement is on the way. At this time, we are calling on Tribes, Nations, Organizations, Collectives, and Coalitions to show support and sign the “Stop the Drilling at Pe’ Sla” sign-on letter: https://ndnco.cc/signtosavepesla If you are nearby, we encourage you to visit the Mystic Ranger station and tell them to Rescind the permit and stop the drilling at Pe’ Sla.