She told us how she treats "unruly" animals in her memoir. Now, she’s treating Minneapolis like the gravel pit. #Noem2026 #Minneapolis #Conditioning #GravelPitGovernance

In the context of the 2026 Pathocracy, the "Gravel Pit" is no longer just a location on a South Dakota farm—it has become the central metaphor for State-sponsored summary execution.
When Kristi Noem used her 2024 memoir to describe leading her "untrainable" dog, Cricket, to a gravel pit to be shot, she provided the blueprint for her 2026 DHS policy.

CONDITIONING THE HERD: Noem’s Gravel Pit Governance

From "Untrainable" Puppies to "Domestic Terrorist" Citizens

She told us how she treats "unruly" animals in her memoir. Now, she’s treating Minneapolis like the gravel pit.
#Noem2026 #Minneapolis #Conditioning #GravelPitGovernance

In the psychological landscape of 2026, the Department of Homeland Security has moved beyond law enforcement and into Aggressive Operant Conditioning. Under Secretary Kristi Noem, the American public is no longer being "served"; it is being "trained."

The logic is simple, brutal, and pulled directly from the pages of Noem’s own memoir: If a subject is untrainable, it has outlived its usefulness.

Ice-T Warns Protesters to Be Careful Because ICE 'Will Kill You'

The Abusive Trainer's Toolkit

  • The Marking: Labeling protestors "Domestic Terrorists" to strip them of legal personhood.
  • The Shock: Summary executions in the streets (Minneapolis/Chicago) as a "negative reinforcer" for the surviving public.
  • The Trap: Indebting agents with $50k bonuses they can't repay, forcing them to become the "vicious dogs" they were hired to replace.

The Evidence: Watch the Labeling in Real-Time

Secretary Noem bypasses the investigation of Renee Good’s death to issue a "Training Verdict."

"We are witnessing the 'Gravel Pit Doctrine' applied to the First Amendment. When the Governor of South Dakota wrote about shooting her dog because she 'hated' it for being 'untrainable,' she wasn't just telling a farm story. She was publishing a manifesto for how she would eventually treat the American dissenter."
PATHOCRACY WATCH // JANUARY 2026 // "COMPLY OR BE CULLED"

NOEM'S 'DANGEROUS' DOCTRINE: From Farm Animals to Federal Shootings

DHS Secretary's Rhetoric on Minneapolis Victims Echoes Memoir's 'Elimination' Justifications

**January 29, 2026** — *Investigative Report*

MINNEAPOLIS — In the wake of two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis this January, **DHS Secretary Kristi Noem** has ignited a firestorm of criticism for her chillingly consistent rhetoric. Critics and psychological analysts are drawing stark parallels between her recent characterization of victims as "domestic terrorists" and the cold accounts of animal euthanasia in her 2024 memoir, No Going Back. The emerging pattern, observers contend, is a governing philosophy that swiftly labels "unruly" subjects as inherently dangerous, thereby justifying their elimination.

The 2026 Minneapolis Shootings: Labeling "Terror"

The controversy intensified following two high-profile incidents involving federal agents:

  • Renee Good (January 7): After ICE agents shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, Secretary Noem quickly moved to frame the incident. From Fort Snelling, she declared Good's death "preventable," alleging the victim had "weaponized her vehicle" against an officer. Her repeated use of "domestic terrorist" sought to shift culpability from the federal agents to the deceased.
  • Alex Pretti (January 24): Just weeks later, when Border Patrol agents fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti, Noem again deployed the "domestic terrorism" label. This, despite conflicting bystander video suggesting Pretti was unarmed and being restrained when shots were fired.

In both cases, Noem's narrative remained consistent: a firm assertion that the loss of life was a direct, justified consequence of the victims' alleged non-compliance, framing their actions as existential threats to "public safety" and the "rule of law."

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) spoke about the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's January 2026 press conference at Fort Snelling, where she describes Renee Good as a "domestic terrorist."

A Memoir of "Ugly Tasks": Cricket, The Goat, and The Horses

This 2026 rhetoric has prompted many to revisit Noem's 2024 memoir, where she famously recounted "difficult" farm duties to demonstrate her leadership mettle. These passages reveal a consistent, unsettling pattern of justification for lethal action:

  • Cricket, the "Untrainable" Dog: Noem described shooting her young wirehair pointer, Cricket, calling the animal "less than worthless" and "dangerous" after it killed a neighbor's chickens and allegedly attempted to bite her. Her stark admission, "I hated that dog," became a flashpoint.
  • The "Nasty" Goat: On the same day she dispatched Cricket, Noem executed a male goat, deeming it "disgusting" and "mean." She candidly detailed fumbling the first shot, retrieving more ammunition, and finally killing the animal after multiple attempts.
  • The Three Horses: Facing initial backlash, Noem underscored her "toughness" by revealing her family had also recently "put down" three horses, portraying such acts as routine, if "messy and ugly," necessities of farm life.

The "Elimination" Pattern: From Barn to Badge

The comparison is stark. In both her memoir and her public statements as DHS Secretary, Noem consistently employs a strategy of **dehumanization or de-animalization**, stripping nuance from complex situations and applying a binary label of "dangerous" or "unruly." This justification then serves to rationalize the use of extreme, often lethal, force.

A Consistent Justification for Lethal Force:

Subject Noem's Labeling Justification for Death
**Cricket (Dog)** "Untrainable," "Dangerous." "Had to be done," a "messy job."
**The Goat** "Nasty," "Mean," "Disgusting." A nuisance that needed removal.
**Renee Good / Alex Pretti** "Domestic Terrorists," "Weaponized." Deaths were "preventable" by victim, necessary for "rule of law."

Critics argue that this framework, where empathy is absent and the "ugly" application of violence is framed as a necessary virtue of leadership, aligns with concepts of a **"Pathocracy"**—a system where pathological individuals and their mindsets become normalized and central to governance. The concern is that this mindset, once applied to animals, is now systematically being applied to citizens deemed "unruly" by the state.

© 2026 Investigative Press. All Rights Reserved.

Further analysis on DHS Use of Force policies to follow.

New video shows Alex Pretti in scuffle with federal officers in Minneapolis 11 days before his death, he is armed and at no point reaches for his gun as ICE wrestles him to the ground..