"No Kings" coincides with time of anxiety for UMM

Use caution with Halloween

Hey, I enjoyed attending another UMN-Morris volleyball match today!

 

Such a pleasant day in a time of year that should be called late-fall. On the cusp of Halloween. We once had a Halloween blizzard. 

Are you annoyed by Halloween? I mean, by the fears of real vandalism and mischief? 

I began noticing many years ago that families with young children began taking them to organized parties in public places. This in place of the tradition of kids going door-to-door. I'm old enough to remember taking part in the old tradition. Parents were not so fearful then. The neighborhood where I continue to reside today was typical for having a "batch" of boomer-age youth. Families associated with each other a lot. 

Times change certainly. So it's Saturday and I'm wondering if one last lawn-mowing job should be done. Certainly would be pleasant from a weather standpoint. Grass has gotten somewhat long but is not unpleasant to look at. I'd say it's pleasant: nice and green and lush. But rather long. Wouldn't bother me to just leave it actually. I'm most concerned about grass in the ditch which is most visible to passers-by. 

 

Putting grass aside

I saw an emergency vehicle pull into the driveway of a neighbor a day or two ago. I can't assume anything by that but it can't be anything good. I remember when our dear neighbor Virginia Lindor passed away. I was downtown when a different neighbor, Steven "Skip" Sherstad, told me he saw a flurry of activity at the Lindors. We can pray everyone stays OK but of course we all die. 

 

"No Kings" or "Hate America?" 

Today is the day of the "No Kings" rally in Morris. Is it OK to call it "No Kings?" That is what it calls itself. But our presidential administration wants us to call these gatherings the "Hate America" rallies. People behind the latter also use "Antifa" to characterize the people who turn out. 

Is it risky to show up? Do we have to fear "facial recognition technology" and other spy attributes that ICE is reportedly getting? The tools could be turned on all of us. And I thought "libertarians" were against such government overreach and invasion of privacy. They have no problems if these onerous tools are used to further the objectives of MAGA. Hypocrisy. 

 

Hitting home 

I have expressed enough anti-Trump sentiment through online writing that I will be a sitting duck if all the spy tools are unleashed on the American people. 

I can't even get an account with Facebook. I feel I should have the right to see the evidence against me. "Violation of community standards?" I have never even contributed content to a Facebook page. So where does this come from? I have theories but I cannot be sure. 

I have written in a certain way about the E. Jean Carroll case vs. Donald Trump, a case she won. And I have included the "r" word with that, something that Judge Kaplan in his clarifying statement said is legitimate. But Trump is the president and he cannot be stopped. 

How much sheer "rot" is going to be left over from this epoch of American history? We awaken every morning with the assumption there will be a picture of Trump at the top of Yahoo! News. A picture of him projecting a certain emotion, very often rage. A headline indicates something sensational happening, another assault on American norms and standards probably. Are we drugged or what? 

The "No Kings" rally is a way of suggesting that we just shouldn't take it anymore. But do we have any choice? There is zero chance that the Republican Party with all its power would consider impeaching Trump. We have three years left of what we are now experiencing. Will the USA as we've known it even be in existence in three years? Will we have a permanent autocracy or oligarchy? Will the USA become Balkanized? Could foreign interests take over? Will we suddenly learn that Alaska has been lost to Russia? 

 

She stays in the news

I see where Anne Barber is the co-organizer of the "No Kings" event in Morris. She's the librarian who has been under siege big-time in her role with our library. It appears the city manager does not even want to say her name in a radio interview. Sheesh. Isn't Anne subordinate to the city manager and council/mayor? Well maybe she isn't. Maybe she is a power unto herself. 

 

The news out of UMM

You know who isn't a power unto herself? Janet Schrunk Ericksen. Boy, the word came forth pretty decisively this past week. She's gone. As an old Watergate-era writer who lives for "the hunt" in stories like this, well I know the story now. I mean the real story beyond the company-line drivel from U people. 

The new overall U president Cunningham is "brutal" with pursuing cuts that she feels are needed. Just brutal. So the word is, Cunningham demanded that certain cuts be made here in Morris at UMM. (Or is it "UMN-Morris?") 

Perfectly logical, as an institution built on liberal arts would have to be considered vulnerable. So Cunningham made clear certain cuts that were going to have to be made. And Janet responded "I can't do that." 

The nature of the cuts? My prime source tells me "administrative bloat." So this naturally makes me want to ask, why did we let this bloat happen in the first place? It's possible or probable that some well-known names are going to be affected. This is a small town and moves like this can come across as most shocking. 

I guess in small communities, the likelihood of "good old boy" systems is greater than in metro. Breaking the shackles of the good old boy networks is the kind of thing that requires someone like Cunningham to come along. 

No "nationwide search" for a successor to Janet? No pomp-filled inauguration with flowery speeches glorifying academics and the liberal arts? I think we're forgoing all of that, looks like it anyway. 

Michael Rodriguez, the "new sheriff?"

The new guy Rodriguez - we're back to a man at the top - has the job until 2028. I am speculating with a quite strong basis that he has a "mandate." This will not be mean-spirited, it will just be deemed necessary, although there will be howls. 

We went through transformative change with our public school system in Morris back around 1990. A good old boy system had to be disassembled then, and boy it was difficult for some. In the end the change was of course positive. 

Will Rodriguez try to erase UMM's reputation for "woke" stuff? UMM became a symbol for the gay rights movement. Sure seemed out of sync with the surrounding community. Really I think the problem was one of lack of discipline on campus. Force the students to prioritize why they're here: In other words "make them behave." Don't let the gays set up a big info/advocacy booth with a poster-size picture of Eleanor Roosevelt on the side. Force them to remove it. 

The kids are here to take guidance from others. 

I am informed that the coming UMM cuts will not involve whole divisions. Well I guess music is safe. But the "administrative bloat" will be targeted. Embarrassing that it got that bad I guess. And Janet was probably in a position of having to cut people that she had personal affinity with. 

She wasn't cut out to be chancellor? Well I guess not. 

Added to all the other problems, UMM is getting close to what colleges everywhere recognize as "the demographic cliff." If you're curious about that, ask Michael Lackey. 

My, without UMM this community would be just like Benson, right? Benson got good news recently: They can keep on being the "Braves" in high school sports. I still think it is improper for Native Americans to be put forward as mascots. And what was a "brave?" It was an Indian armed with arrows and tomahawks out to kill other Indians. The Indians had no medical science to deal with the wounds. Let's not forget that this was all very primitive. It's not something to be celebrated now as with a school nickname IMHO.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com