Article 3: From Shays to Pretti: The Long History of the Murderous, Stealing State
By Janet Kira Lessin with Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D.
MINNEAPOLIS — The execution of ICU nurse Alex Pretti on our streets yesterday was not a “tragic anomaly.” When viewed through a professional, journalistic lens, it is revealed as the latest chapter in a 240-year-old saga of state-sponsored homicide. From the very founding of this nation, a covert dictatorship of the oligarchs has operated beneath the surface, ready to use lethal force the moment the working class threatens the economic interests of the elite.
To understand why a man dedicated to saving veterans was gunned down by federal agents in 2026, we must look at the blueprint drawn in 1786: Shays’ Rebellion.
The Original Betrayal: Shays’ Rebellion
Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who fought for “liberty,” only to return to a farm being seized by wealthy Boston merchants to pay off war debts. When Shays and his “Regulators” stood up to stop the foreclosures, the “founding” elite didn’t offer a seat at the table; they privately funded a militia to shoot them down.
Shays’ Rebellion was the “final battle” of the Revolution, proving that the American elite would be just as tyrannical as the British King to protect their property. This event was used to justify a new Constitution that granted the federal government the power to “suppress domestic insurrections”—essentially legalizing state violence against its own veterans and citizens.
The Ultimate Trickle-Down: The Ripple Effect
Violence in this country is a pebble dropped into still waters. We often focus on the splash, but we ignore the hand that threw the stone. Humanity has shifted the curve from peace to extreme violence by supporting the rhetoric that feeds it.
- The Voter’s Mirror: When you support violent rhetoric—when you vote for leaders whose ideology relies on “hurting the right people” or robbing neighbors of dignity, food, shelter, and jobs—you are a participant in the violence. You may not pull the trigger, but you have provided the legal and moral “fuel” for the fire.
- The Spreading Wave: As Kira notes, violence doesn’t just trickle down from the top; it spreads out in all directions. It starts as a policy in a boardroom, turns into a dehumanizing slur in a speech, and ends as a bullet in a back.
- The Groundhog Day of History: We are trapped in a generational cycle. The same state that fired 67 rounds into students at Kent State in 1970 is the state that executed Alex Pretti in 2026. The beat goes on because we continue to validate the “murderous, stealing state” with our fear and our ballots.
From Nazi Germany to Nazi USA
We are rapidly approaching a historical “event horizon.” The transition to 1930s Germany didn’t happen because of one man; it happened because millions of people voted for “stability” over humanity. Today, the “Metro Surge” is the American version of that transition. By allowing the state to treat “witnessing” as a capital offense, we are paving the way for WWIII.
Breaking the Cycle
The only way to stop the ripple is to stop dropping the stone. Peace begins with the self—”Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.” This means refusing to participate in the “Scarcity Lie” that justifies the exclusion of others.
At Dragonattheendoftime.com, we are building an alternative to this “murderous state.” Our sanctuaries are designed to meet basic needs so that the motive for violence—from the bar fight to the world war—finally evaporates. We are waking up. We are becoming conscious. We are refusing to be the fuel for the elite’s machine.
Join my Substack to get the full story and help us break the cycle of state violence. Join the Community at: Dragonattheendoftime.com
From Shays to Pretti: The Long History of the Murderous, Stealing State
By Janet Kira Lessin with Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. January 25, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS — The execution of ICU nurse Alex Pretti on our streets yesterday wasn’t an isolated incident or a “tragic mistake.” When you look through the lens of history, it is a recurring pattern. From the moment this nation was founded, there has been a covert dictatorship of the oligarchs lurking beneath the surface, ready to use lethal force whenever the common person threatens the economic interests of the elite.
To understand why a VA nurse was shot while filming federal agents in 2026, we have to look back at the blueprint drawn in 1786: Shays’ Rebellion.
The Original Betrayal: Shays’ Rebellion (1786)
Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who fought for American independence, only to return home to find himself unpaid and drowning in debt. While the wealthy merchants in Boston sat on piles of cash, they used the courts to seize the farms of the very men who had bled for the country.
When Shays and his “Regulators” stood up to stop these foreclosures, the state didn’t negotiate. They didn’t listen. Instead, the elite merchants privately funded a militia to crush the farmers.
- The Lesson: Shays’ Rebellion was the “final battle” of the Revolution, where the newly minted American elite proved they would be just as tyrannical as the British King to protect their property.
- The Result: This rebellion was used as the primary excuse to draft a new Constitution that gave the federal government the power to “suppress domestic insurrections”—legalizing state violence against its own citizens.
The Cycle of State Violence
Since Shays, the “stealing state” has rotated its targets, but the tactics remain the same. Whenever a group threatens the status quo or the “economic flow” of the elite, the masks come off and the bullets fly.
- 1968: The Orangeburg Massacre: Police fired into a crowd of Black students protesting a segregated bowling alley. Three were killed, most shot in the back while fleeing.
- 1970: Kent State & Jackson State: In a single month, the state executed six students (4 at Kent, 2 at Jackson) for daring to protest a war that was making the military-industrial complex billions. At Kent State, the National Guard fired 67 rounds in 13 seconds.
- 2026: The Minneapolis Surge: Now, the target is the “Dissenter” and the “Observer.” By killing Alex Pretti—a man who was legally armed and peacefully filming—the state is sending the same message it sent to Daniel Shays: Your rights do not exist if they interfere with our control.
The “Stealing State” vs. The Conscious Community
As Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. often notes, this is a murderous system that steals more than just lives—it steals wealth, well-being, and the very future of the working class. They take your taxes to fund the “Surge” that eventually targets you. They use the “Judas Cows” of the political class to tell you everything is fine, while they prepare the next “Operation.”
This is why we are building at Dragonattheendoftime.com. We are creating a space that moves beyond the reach of this cycle. Our communities are focused on:
- Organic Growth: Ending the dependence on the elite’s economic traps.
- Animal Rescue: Learning empathy in a world that has become cold and transactional.
- Communication Skills: Waking up and becoming conscious so we can no longer be fooled by the state’s “beneficent narrative.”
The “murderous state” thrives on our fear and our ignorance of history. By knowing the story of Daniel Shays, we see the 2026 Minneapolis executions for what they really are: the latest chapter in a long history of elite theft.
Subscribe to my Substack to get the full historical series. Join the Community at: Dragonattheendoftime.com
The True Story of Shays’ Rebellion This video provides a historical breakdown of Shays’ Rebellion, showing how the early American state used military force to protect the interests of the elite over the rights of veterans—a direct parallel to the events you are documenting today.
