So, here we are again. Another day, another tragedy, another useless gesture that makes people feel good but changes absolutely nothing. This time it is Minnesota. It is cold there. It is miserable. And now, it is quiet.

They are calling it an “economic blackout.” That is a fancy way of saying people are playing hooky. No work. No school. No shopping. They have named it the “Day of Truth & Freedom.” Lord help us. Whenever someone puts “Truth” and “Freedom” in the name of an event, you know you are about to get neither. You are just going to get a lot of shouting and some bad coffee.

The reason for all this staying at home is serious, though. A woman named Renee Good is dead. She was unarmed. A federal immigration officer killed her. It happened in Minneapolis, a city that seems determined to be the center of the universe for bad police news. The story is grim. It is ugly. A person with a badge and a gun ended a life. This is the reality of the world we live in. The government has the guns. You do not. When they panic, or get angry, or just make a mistake, you are the one who pays the price.

So, what is the response? The community leaders, the preachers, and the union bosses got together. They sat in a room, probably nodding gravely at each other, and came up with a plan. Their big idea to stop the federal government’s muscle was to tell everyone to stop shopping for twenty-four hours.

Think about that for a second.

They think ICE—the Immigration and Customs Enforcement—cares if you don't buy a toaster today. They think the federal government, a machine that runs on infinite debt and printer ink, is going to pack up its bags and leave Minnesota because the local Target had a slow Friday.

This is the problem with the modern activist. They think the world is a customer service counter. They think if they complain loud enough and threaten to take their business elsewhere, the manager will come out and apologize. But the government is not a store. You cannot speak to the manager. The manager is in Washington, D.C., eating a steak dinner paid for by your taxes, and he does not care if you go to work or not.

The organizers want ICE to leave the state. They want an investigation. That is the funniest part. They want the government to investigate the government. How do you think that goes? A bunch of guys in suits will spend six months looking at pieces of paper. They will write a long report that nobody reads. Then they will say, “We looked into it, and we decided we did nothing wrong.” It is a circle. It is a game. And everyone keeps playing it.

The unions are involved too. Of course they are. Unions love a day off. It gives them a chance to print signs and feel important. The faith leaders are there to pray. Prayers are nice. They are free. But they have never stopped a bullet, and they certainly don't stop a federal agency that has a budget bigger than most small countries.

Then there is the “no shopping” rule. This is pure comedy. It is the most American way to protest imaginable. We are so addicted to buying junk we don't need that stopping for *one single day* is seen as a radical act of revolution. “Look at me! I did not buy a latte today! I am fighting the power!” No, you aren't. You are just going to buy two lattes tomorrow. The economy does not care. The big corporations do not care. They know you will be back. You always come back.

The saddest part is the false hope. These leaders are selling a dream. They are telling people that if they just stand together and refuse to participate, the walls will tumble down. They are telling angry, hurting people that this “Day of Truth & Freedom” will bring justice for Renee Good. It won’t.

The Right will look at this and laugh. They will call the protesters lazy. They will say, “Look at these people refusing to work.” They will completely ignore the dead woman because it doesn't fit their narrative that law enforcement is always composed of saints and angels. To the Right, a badge grants you immunity from morality.

The Left will look at this and pat themselves on the back. They will post pictures on social media about how brave they are for staying in their pajamas. They will use words like “solidarity” and “resistance.” Then, on Saturday, they will go right back to feeding the machine they claim to hate. They will feel virtuous, having done absolutely nothing of substance.

Meanwhile, the family of Renee Good is still missing a family member. The ICE agents are still patrolling. The federal government is still a massive, unfeeling monster that crushes anything in its path. Minnesota will stay cold. The snow will cover everything up. And next week, everyone will go back to work, back to school, and back to shopping, waiting for the next tragedy so they can do it all over again.