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| A photo I took several years ago for "Flickr" |
The poster suggests that the big "foodie" event will be at the funeral home parking lot. OK your mind is working ahead of mine here: the symbolism. I mean, a potential big gathering of humanity in these times of a menacing virus. Seems absurd and contemptible on the face of it.
Fair-type food is bound to be a magnet. Could not think of a bigger magnet, n'est-ce pas? It plays to our pining for normal times, a pining for the usual county and state fairs. Food so often seems to be the main point.
Will a mob of humanity end up being a regrettable thing here? Could well be. I'm sure the (late) Herman Cain would (posthumously) regret attending the Donald Trump rally in Tulsa OK. There is a picture of him just sitting there, smiling in fact. Rest in peace, Herman Cain. Why was it so important for the circle of people around Trump to argue afterward that Cain may not have picked up the virus there? "He had lots of meetings," someone like that Kellyanne said. (She must do it for the money.)
Cain was 74 years old and tremendously wealthy. If in fact he kept going to meetings, why? He didn't need to. Must we really sacrifice our lives for material things? Maybe we have actually reached that point in America. Mine is a voice in the wilderness, trying to speak out on this. I am an "outcast" Christian in the ELCA of the Lutheran faith, an organization that has decided that discrimination against gay people is not appropriate, plus some other "progressive" aims. I do not view them as "progressive" or with the "L" word, liberal - I view many of these stances as reasonable. Maybe someday they will be mainstream.
I have a feeling that some of the food vendors for today's event will be Apostolic Christian, just a guess. They would be inclined to not put much stock in the pandemic's threat, as this is what they have been told to think by Trump. As yet they cannot see through the man. My perception is that so many of these "conservative Christians" are willing to put aside so many concerns simply because their "heroes" talk about being pro-life. Yes, Trump "says" he's pro-life. So what? Have you even weighed the practicality of this?
Republicans do this: it's called deflection or maybe bait-and-switch. They use "moral issues" merely as cover, to try to gain support from a segment of people while they really pull strings on their true priorities: less taxes on the very rich and less regulation. Have you wondered about the true effects of "slashing" regulations? It's done with a broad brush but if you have a scintilla of intelligence, don't you realize each of these regulations was enacted for a reason? Isn't this worth at least a look? Regulations to protect vulnerable seniors from predatory investment salesmen or "wealth counselors?" You know, they invite you to an expensive dinner with exotic offerings, then "nab" you with their pitch. Republicans don't even care about this.
Sometimes I'm in Willie's and I see 4-5 women with the "Apostolic" look about them, and I wonder: What is the allure of that faith? Why the need to look different? You can comment about my appearance too, I don't care. In fact I'm learning to cut my own hair, and have found it is no big deal! I discover this at age 65.
A friend shared his thoughts with me on today's "food fair" or whatever you want to call it:
Regarding the fair food extravaganza at the Pedersen Funeral Home parking lot – I will stop by to see if I can get a couple Tri-tip steak sandwiches to go. However, it doesn’t look like the rasslin’ boosters will have their fries booth – if so, that is disappointing. And I see there is a visitation going on from 5-7 for Tom Rach – who booked that? I see a traffic jam coming.
Perhaps the food fair is set up to coincide with UMM's first day of classes. No ordinary year, this one, for UMM kids all moving in. Man, we're seeing news from all over the country about colleges having to retreat from normal classes. One after another they announce this retreat, so what about here in our humble town of Morris? Well, I think it's a universal that college kids have to gather and carry-on in close proximity to each other. The "food fair" is probably the last thing we should be allowing.
Music at UMM is obviously a priority for me. Here's a heads-up I got:
Music at UMM is planned to continue with many modifications – as in much smaller groups meeting at any given time. Basically small ensembles instead of large groups like concert band and choirs. Even tho, I’m not exactly sure what Brad (Miller) is doing for choral things.
There is a Facebook posting from a UMM faculty member expressing chagrin about student behavior. Such behavior IMHO can be counted on like crime, death and taxes. So, what's the revelation? Here's what the faculty member shared:
“We may as well call it right now. There is a college party happening across the street with 20+ people and no distancing - no masks. This is likely a microcosm of what's happening, or what will be happening soon, in every college town in America. I was hopeful. Not anymore. How dare these young adults be so cavalier with my family's health, our 2nd and 3rd graders' education, and frankly, our careers? My last-ditch idea is to gather faculty, staff, and community members to protest these gatherings, but it's probably futile. Getting ready to pivot before we've even started. . .”
This individual has since commented that the intended in-person learning at UMM will probably have a "run" until Labor Day, maximum. A friend of mine reacted:
He
later commented that he’d “give it until Labor Day," meaning, I assume, that
school would possibly revert to on-line classes within a couple of weeks as the
numbers spiked. I’m guessing that either that will happen - or it’s all a hoax
and nothing negative will occur. And of course, if the COVID numbers spike, then
that means the county readings would be such that the area schools, which are
all slated to open Sept. 8th, would be affected and not be allowed to open
“live.” I guess it’s wait and see, just like South Dakota after the biker rally.
UNLESS – if a lot of UMM students test positive, they won’t necessarily
be “credited” to Stevens County totals as the students will give their home
addresses, and that’s possibly who will show the affected numbers. That’s what
happened here early on – someone tested positive at SCMC, and the county tally
initially reflected that. But then, it was discovered that the infectee was
“from out of town," so our numbers went down again. Makes no sense, but that’s
how the numbers are tracked.
Interesting. Once again, if Hillary Clinton had been elected - an observation that gets an immediate wrenching guffaw from lots of my acquaintances - end of conversation - we'd be largely out of the woods now, after perhaps a period of intense sacrifice, short-term pain.
We are unable to defer gratification. Besides, what about Hillary's emails? OK, you can feel satisfied with that issue, but then accept the near-panic we are into now: questionable school, no football, and on and on. But according to you people, it's better to accept this than to allow "the libs" to have power. Congratulations, you total fools.
Traffic mishap downtown
From the fine KMRS/KKOK site (great job Marshall):
A 2 vehicle property accident occurred Monday afternoon at 5th Street and Atlantic Avenue in downtown Morris. No one was hurt.
The motorhome that was involved was preparing to turn right onto West 5th Street from Atlantic Avenue. In doing so the other vehicle, a passenger car, attempted to utilize the parking lane as a right hand turning lane. The car did not notice the motorhome was turning right and the two vehicles collided. Both vehicles were able to drive away from the scene. Members of the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office and the Morris Public Works Department assisted the Morris Police Department in traffic control until the intersection could be cleared and traffic could resume safely.
Seems to me, the intersections where both stoplights are found in Morris, are too prone to mishaps. A town of our small size should not have risky intersections. I always thought that the Dollar Store could be located somewhere else and the intersection there could have been enlarged - more breathing room like for the very long trucks that sometimes turn there.
Frankly, isn't it "bush league" for motorists at the intersection, coming from the west, to "back up" in order to allow a monstrous truck to turn? Seems to me this could have been solved a while back.
The accident the other day was because of likely confusion over whether there is a right turn lane leading to the intersection, or if it's all parking spaces. If it's all parking spaces, maybe it should not be. Right and left turn lanes are a huge asset for avoiding accidents everywhere around the U.S.
I remember a letter to the editor in the Morris paper, I think by the late Sherman Waage, suggesting there be an additional bypass to reduce the big truck traffic through downtown Morris.
Please avoid today's "food fair" at the funeral home parking lot, or you, or someone with whom you have contact, will be making a "return visit" there soon. Don't follow Herman Cain's example. Death is permanent.
Donnelly Threshing Bee
Safe to assume there is no Donnelly Threshing Bee, as all such events are scrubbed. But this time of year revives memories of that wondrous community event through the years. My podcast episode for today is inspired by the memories. I invite you to click on this "Morris Mojo" podcast link:
https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Donnelly-Threshing-Bee-eicftc
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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