Richard Ruohonen is a curler from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, about 18 minutes north of Minneapolis. At 54 years old, Ruohonen's first appearance at the Winter Olympics is historic as he's the oldest athlete to ever represent the United States.
He is a two-time national curling champion and a World Senior Curling Championship silver and bronze medalist, but his full-time profession is as a lawyer. Ruohonen is a six-time Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year winner.
In 2001, Ruohonen served as curler Jason Larway's attorney when they filed a grievance with the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Curling Association over Larway's eligibility to compete at the 2001 United States Olympic Curling Trials—after mediation, Larway was able to compete.
Ruohonen is familiar with deescalation, mediation, and the law, so when he speaks about due process and constitutional rights, he's coming from a place of experience, not ignorance.
At the USA Curling press conference on Tuesday, Ruohonen stated:
"I'm proud to be here to represent Team USA, and to represent our country."
"But we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been for everybody. This stuff is happening right...right around where we live."
Six of the 11 athletes on the USA Curling team in Milano Cortina are from Minnesota.
"I am a lawyer, as you know, and we have a constitution, and it allows us freedom of press, freedom of speech, protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures, and makes it that we have to have probable cause to be pulled over."
"And what's happening in Minnesota is wrong. There's no shades of grey. It's clear."
You can see a clip of Ruohonen's comments here:
MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent an estimated 3,000 poorly-trained Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in retaliation for Democratic Governor Tim Walz running against Trump and JD Vance in the 2024 presidential campaign.
Since their arrival, agents have racially profiled, abducted, and harassed undocumented immigrants, documented immigrants, and U.S. citizens. In January, ICE agents shot and killed two American citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Trump, Noem, Vance, and other members of the Trump administration then got caught misrepresenting the circumstances of the killings and the character of both Good and Pretti.
But not everyone wants to believe the evidence of their eyes and ears.
MAGA, like the snowflakes falling on the Winter Olympics, melted down over Ruohonen's statement.
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During the press conference, Ruohonen continued:
"I really love what's been happening there now with people coming out, showing the love, the compassion, integrity and respect for others that they don't know, and helping them out."
"And we love Minnesota for that."
"And I want to make it clear that we are out here, we love our country. We're playing for the U.S. We're playing for Team USA. And we're playing for each other, and we're playing for our family and our friends that sacrificed so much to be here today. And that doesn't change anything."
The first time Olympian concluded:
"Because what the Olympics means is excellence, respect, friendship, and we all, I think, exemplify that."
"And we are playing for the people of Minnesota and the people around the country who share those same values. That compassion, that love and that respect."
Compassion, love, and respect should be ideals people of good character aspire to.
Why MAGA values malice, hate, and disrespect is something members of that movement will need to ask themselves in the days, weeks, and years to come.
