Dan Rassier and the anatomy of a railroading

Dan Rassier, superb trumpet player

The subject of Jacob Wetterling faded pretty quickly after we got the incredible news of the case's resolution. The initial headlines were sensational. Yes, despite all the talk about the fading print media, we still depend on the Star Tribune.
I would guess most people are like me, having spent years rather convinced that this case would never be satisfactorily resolved, with a known offender identified. 

Yes, things have quieted down. But I do feel some very interesting books - and maybe a movie? - will appear. A movie? The idea, in my mind, would be to feel inspired by the new media and its potential to open doors in a longstanding investigation. The hero in effect would be Joy Baker. Baker had to fight past law enforcement people who were rigid in having rejected her theory. Alone she might not have moved the mountains that needed to be moved. The power of her blog was considerable. But a new ally was needed. And, that new ally came from the old media, not newspapers but television. John Walsh became intrigued by the blog and the new direction it suggested in the investigation. 

The Wetterling investigation has been described as "massive and flailing." Because of this, the professionals in law enforcement, I'm quite sure, were feeling exasperation. The last thing you'd want to be, in an investigation like this, was a "person of interest." And this brings us to the very sad case of Daniel Rassier. My blood boils as I learn that law enforcement isn't even letting go of the guy, not even with the case resolved. Law enforcement appears perfectly content letting this man be "collateral damage," and doesn't give a rip about the normal human instinct of caring for his welfare.

Law enforcement is showing its worst instincts in this episode vs. Rassier. Law enforcement is made up of human beings with the normal human failings. They should at least examine themselves and realize there are times they ought to pull back. We all need some humility at times. Maybe behind closed doors, people like John Sanner have been told to adjust their attitude since the immediate aftermath of the Wetterling resolution. Sanner is Stearns County sheriff. I never thought he came off well in the Walsh TV special on CNN. 

John Sanner, sheriff

John Walsh added his considerable muscle to what Baker was doing on the localized level. You would think law enforcement would just be interested in determining the facts. These people have political impulses, though, the impulses to want to protect themselves, to not be embarrassed or humiliated, or to be in a position to lose their job. Law enforcement made a horrible decision to focus on Rassier.

And now, even more tragically, Sanner cannot let go of the negative fixation on Rassier, who did absolutely nothing to bring the horrible glare of this investigation on himself.

A photo that included Sanner was on the front page of the September 24-25 (weekend) edition of the Willmar newspaper. The Wetterlings stood behind him. I think Sanner looked beleaguered. He can say what he wants, but the investigation was a failure, having covered 27 years before the pieces were put together. Turns out the perp was someone who was suspected from early-on. The perp demanded a lawyer when first confronted. That essentially put an end to any vise that might have closed on him.

Rassier did not immediately seek a lawyer. He was innocent and felt he should just try to answer questions to help the investigation.

 

Violation of a social norm

I have long thought that Rassier's biggest handicap was this: he was an adult living with his parents. Back in 1989, this arrangement was much more stigmatized than today. Because of the college loan debt of today, and a challenging job market, many college grads move back in with parents. I see no prima facie reasons to look down on the arrangement. It is condemned by many for no other reason than a loose sense of social norms. OK, it doesn't seem normal or natural. But today it is a daunting task to be a young adult. Families can stick together with its members in mutually supportive roles.

And most importantly, adult children are by far the best caregivers to aging parents in this age when medical science extends lifespans so far. Professional caregivers are limited by the number of hours they get compensated for. The feel-good volunteer programs where some college-age person shows up for an hour a day are of very limited value. Family members are motivated by love and not monetary compensation.

Our societal attitude may be slowly changing. But in 1989, any mention of an adult living with parents would raise eyebrows. These notions of what's "normal" never reflected rational thought. Society once rejected gays because of less than rational thought. Political correctness has been a good thing. We are less likely to look down on lifestyle choices.
Rassier was always a responsible and productive person. Even if he had not been, he didn't deserve to be thrust into the focus of an investigation that sought to find someone who abducted, molested and killed an 11-year-old boy.

Rassier is one year younger than me. We were students together at St. Cloud State University once. We were slightly acquainted, being together in the trumpet section of the SCSU concert band.

Dan was days from his 34th birthday and home alone on his family's farm when Jacob was abducted from the road at the end of the Rassiers' driveway on the night of October 22, 1989. His life was transformed quickly.
He was detailed in describing his day, more detailed, I'm sure, than I would be in this situation. Heaven help me if I was sat down for such questioning, because I'm just not that observant. I get lost in what I'm doing or what I'm thinking about. I suppose I'd get nailed.

 

It only got worse

Helpful as Rassier appeared to be, we learn that "he couldn't provide details about the time frame during Jacob's abduction." He was now on a slippery slope toward hell, toward losing friends and being stigmatized. A trumpet master, he found his services were not longer desired at weddings etc. His private music lessons virtually dried up.

Let's fast-forward to September of 2016 and Sanner making public comments on the heels of the incredible resolution of the Wetterling case. There is a subhead in the Willmar paper coverage: "Clearing a name." But after reading the sentences underneath, I'm wondering if Rassier wanted to say "thanks, I think."

Sheriff Sanner behaved in a totally irresponsible manner, apparently not realizing the power of his position as sheriff to affect people's reputation. We now know that Rassier is 100 percent innocent. With that knowledge, law enforcement ought to be reluctant to even mention his name, even if a question refers to him. The proper answer by Sanner and others would be: "The wrongdoer has been identified and incarcerated, and there are no other suspects or persons of interest." Period.

Law enforcement has very real egg on its face. The investigation was set back ten years by their decision to conclude that the abductor was on foot, not in a vehicle. Law enforcement was wrong. Getting them to think that or to say that is like trying to get "Fonzie" to say "wrong." Remember?

 

No regrets? Really?

The full force of law enforcement came down on Rassier for a time. What does Sanner say now? He said that "if he had to do it over again, he would have done the same thing based on the way Rassier answered questions, the fact that he was there alone that night and other details included in those search warrants."
Rassier must not have given false information to law enforcement, because that would be a crime.

Couldn't Sanner have expressed some regret? Even if the sheriff doesn't regret what happened to Rassier, couldn't he regret how the investigation took off in such a horribly wrong direction? I have read extensively about the case and have never come across anything that would suggest a direct connection between Rassier and the crime.
Rassier surely felt the wrath of God, as it were, once law enforcement began snarling and putting pressure on him, even pressure to "confess." The whole ordeal is Exhibit 'A' in why defense attorneys are an essential element in our criminal justice system.

Sanner seemed to pooh-pooh bloggers in the John Walsh special. He said "bloggers can speculate," as if he and his fellow interrogators were not themselves on a wild goose chase of speculation, even digging up the Rassiers' property. A judge was skeptical of the basis to approve a search warrant for that, but the green light was given anyway. The investigation was in a fishbowl.

The Internet has evolved as all new systems evolve. There was a time when "blogging" invited some derision. Today we're more realistic and realize that blogging is simply "unattached journalism" (unattached to a company) that happens to use an online platform. There is a meritocracy to it. Without Baker and Walsh, the Wetterling case would never have been solved.

What's left for Rassier? He evidently is going to sue, and I hope he and his lawyers are able to thoroughly document all the bad things done to him.

Ann Reischel, a lifelong resident of St. Joseph Township and the town clerk, said she always knew Rassier couldn't have harmed Jacob, but she knows some people wondered about him. "I just don't think any apology (from law enforcement) is going to be big enough," she said. "The continual interrogation, and asking Dan to admit it - and he kept saying 'No, I didn't do it.' It's got to be frustrating."

Rassier said he thought he was helping and because of the experience, he no longer trusts law enforcement. "It's impossible to fix what they broke," he said.

We must always be vigilant vs. the power of the state and its monopoly law enforcement apparatus. This is what libertarianism is all about. Sometimes we learn this the hard way.

Here's a suggestion: The state legislature should pass a bill calling for the immediate execution of the murderer, even though such a bill would only be symbolic. The courts would obviously strike it down.

I will repeat the suggestion that Rassier be invited to play the National Anthem on his trumpet for a Minnesota Vikings game. I know from firsthand observation that he's a virtuoso. He should delay his retirement in order to make up for lost time. He has much to offer with his talents, and he can still salvage a normal life in his years that remain. He could be an inspiration.

 

I have also written about this subject on my primary website, "I Love Morris." You may click on this link:

http://ilovemorris73.blogspot.com/2016/09/lets-hear-dan-rassier-with-national.html

 

Addendum: The Wetterling case has always been scary because of the complete mystery it presented. A child just disappears and then anyone can be a suspect. When Rassier's name became public as a "person of interest" - a Scarlet Letter if there ever was one - I considered putting a paragraph in my blog indicating that I was a past acquaintance of Dan's. A Morris friend of mine implored me "don't!" His point was that if I did this, even I might get swept into the whole mess, that "massive, flailing" investigation. There were something like 50,000 leads. What if the following scenario had happened: The perp, wanting to divert any attention from himself, goes to the burial site, retrieves that shirt or jacket that had "Wetterling" on the back, then takes it to the Rassier property in the middle of the night, buries it, and then it turns up in the law enforcement excavation? Can you imagine the headlines the next day? And yet, it would prove nothing. The Wetterling episode of 27 years in Minnesota history is unique and haunting. It seems a miracle we finally got all the facts. So we're relieved and yet not really feeling satisfied at all. I thank the good Lord that Mr. Dan Rassier can again mix in society without that Scarlet Letter assigned him by a desperate law enforcement.

 

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

MACA volleyball continues its sweeping habit

Tigers 3, Monte 0

The high-flying Tigers gained win No. 15 Thursday night, dominating again in a 3-0 outcome. The opponent was Montevideo, here. We're undefeated in conference! Scores versus the Thunder Hawks were 25-10, 25-11 and 25-12. Indeed, no suspense. Monte is having a sub-.500 season.
Brooke Gillespie and Koral Tolifson each grooved a serving ace. Karly Fehr facilitated the hitting as she always does, on this night producing 28 set assists. Jenna Larsen had two assists and Kirsten Scheldorf had one.
Ashley Solvie and Gillespie were a one-two punch in hitting with eleven and ten kills, respectively. Jenna Howden pounded seven kills at the T-Hawks. Karly Fehr and Nicole Solvie each added four kills to the mix, and Larsen and Bailey Marty each had one. Ashley Solvie executed an ace block. The defensive phase saw Riley Decker get 18 digs. Karly Fehr had 12 digs, Gillespie had eleven and Howden six.
For Montevideo, Sarah Sulflow and Jessica Tustad each had one serving ace. Kamren Saue had ten set assists. Tasted led the hitting with the modest total of six kills, and this T-Hawk also had two ace blocks. Ashley McKee led in digs with eleven followed by Olivia Hagen and Abby Olson each with ten.
 
Tigers 3, ACGC 0

The Tigers came through with their sweep magic again at Falcon country of ACGC. The orange and black looked superb once again in another 3-0 outcome. They turned back the Falcons by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-8. This WCC match was played on October 4 at Grove City. We got our 14th win of the season against two losses.

Riley Decker was overpowering at the service line, batting five aces at the Falcons. Karly Fehr and Koral Tolifson each had one serving ace. Karly's specialty of setting saw her produce 32 assists. Two Tigers had double figures in kills: Brooke Gillespie with eleven and Ashley Solvie with ten. The kill list continues with Nicole Solvie (8), Jenna Larsen (6), Bailey Marty (4) and Karly Fehr (2).

Ashley Solvie went up to perform three ace blocks followed by Gillespie and Nicole Solvie each with one. Decker performed 25 digs to emerge as the standout in that department. Gillespie was busy with digs too, accumulating 20. Karly Fehr had five digs.

Coach Kristi Fehr's Tigers came out of the night with a 10-0 conference record. ACGC is having a struggling season.

 

Tigers 3, Benson 0

The friendly home court was the backdrop for continued volleyball success on September 29. It was another night of 3-0 dominance by the Tigers. We swept this Thursday affair that had Benson as the opponent. Scores were 25-11, 25-18 and 25-10. It was our 13th triumph in this memorable fall.

Karly Fehr was a headliner as she ascended past the 2,000 career mark in set assists. Karly had 27 assists in this win. She worked smoothly in tandem with Brooke Gillespie. Brooke accumulated 15 kills. Nicole Solvie was No. 2 on the kills list with her eight, and Jenna Howden pounded down seven kills. The list continues with Ashley Solvie (4), Karly Fehr (3) and Jenna Larsen (2).

Larsen contributed four set assists. Koral Tolifson supplied thrills in serving with three aces. These four Tigers each had one serving ace: Ashley Solvie, Riley Decker, Cassidy Fehr and Bailey Marty. Ashley Solvie had two ace blocks followed by Gillespie, Howden and Nicole Solvie each with one. In digs it was Decker setting the pace with 15. Karly Fehr came through with ten digs, while Gillespie had nine and Cassidy Fehr had five.

For Benson, Amanda Nissen led in kills with six. Megan Amundson and Sophie Ascheman each had one serving ace. Courtney McNeill was the top set assist producer with eleven. Ascheman executed an ace block. Nicole Berens and Amundson each had eleven digs, while Nissen had ten. (It wouldn't be a Benson sports summary without a "Berens" or "Staton.")

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

NDSU President Dean Bresciani in a tangled web

Dean Bresciani (Fargo Monthly image)

I have to hand it to football. There is a strong basis for ushering football out of our lives. We have allowed this huge monster to be created. The people who make money off of football have it made. They benefit from what is, in effect, a drug. All the king's horsemen and all the king's men, i.e. those elements in the entertainment industry outside of football, cannot reduce football's impact.

North Dakota State University is thumping its chest in football. The institution has recognized the value of its product. It appears to have crossed a line with how it's milking the popularity. Now we have an outside firm brought in to look over the shoulder of the president. The embarrassment of riches continued with the Bison's triumph over Big 10 member University of Iowa.
Fargo! And, we all remember how that bastion of the northern plains humbled our University of Minnesota Gophers. The Bison are quite ahead of our Gophers in inspiring enthusiasm.
We hear constantly about how the participants in football face health issues that all families ought to recognize. That appeals to the rational part of us. When you're dealing with a drug, though, like football, rationality can be quickly swept aside.
I have fought with this demon myself. I normally consume lots of cable TV news. It's normally quite a steady diet for me, but I have become so sickened by the endless obsessive coverage of the presidential campaign, I have to withdraw. Withdraw to what? It's hard to accept the typical sludge on the range of cable TV channels. I have to confess, I'm back to watching more football than my good sense tells me to watch. So, I have to hand it to this magical game and all its media sycophants. We listen to the color analysts, former players who probably go home at the end of the day and wonder about their frequently-occurring headaches.
 

NDSU bites off a bit too much

At the end of July, we learned about new restrictions on media access at NDSU.
We heard Vince Vaughn in the movie "Dodgeball" say "everybody has a price." But the line needs to be drawn somewhere. NDSU poked into territory beyond that line and is now humbled. Not only that, the president of the school, the apparently embattled Dean Bresciani, has been twisted into a pretzel trying to explain it all. It's a pretzel worthy of spitting out, as the institution has now arranged for an outside consultant to determine if the president has been speaking with forked tongue.

Kathy Perkins, lawyer/watchdog

The civilized way of describing this is "communication issues." It's something that all school administrators must grapple with, as they try to satisfy their range of constituencies. I've seen this at the micro level. At NDSU, the marketing machinations and instincts became excessive, perhaps a reaction to the ever-growing mania with the football program.
Fargo! Who would have thought that school could reach such heights? I remember when I was young, I heard that if you worked for a company and got assigned to Fargo, you were at the bottom of the totem pole. That's a mean thing to consider. Today, due to the massive inroads of technology, "remote" places are simply not remote anymore. Fargo can be a quite relevant place. Naming a movie "Fargo" was a way of suggesting the old remoteness. That's Hollywood. That's stereotyping.
No longer are the NDSU Bison cannon fodder for a Big 10 team in the non-conference schedule. NDSU is big-time, and in response to that, we see the Vince Vaughn credo in effect. "We've grown so much that we need to protect our brand," was the chutzpah-filled quote from Jeremy Jorgenson, NDSU director of sales and broadcasting.
Jorgenson pulled the strings for shafting the whole range of media outlets that did not have NDSU "broadcast rights agreements." They wouldn't be allowed to do one-on-one interviews with the head football or basketball coaches on radio, TV or Internet in season without the written consent of NDSU. Might permission be granted through a special request? Jorgenson said "it would probably be denied."
 
Excrement hit the fan
Just days after all this was announced, President Bresciani said "shame," in effect, and took charge by saying these new rules were hooey and would be discarded. He said he was profoundly disappointed when learning of the restrictions. Yes, just like Chris Christie was disappointed when learning about Bridgegate. What a tangled web we weave. Apologies spilled forward. But, who knew what, when?
A Kansas lawyer was selected to conduct an independent investigation into President Bresciani's handling of the short-lived media policy. Kathy Perkins, based in Lawrence, Kansas, has entered the picture to ensure the truth comes out, because apparently the principals involved in this cannot be trusted to do so. Should NDSU administration be whistling past the graveyard?
Perkins' legal practice focuses largely on workplace and employment law, investigations and mediation. Her estimated fee is $8,000 to $12,000. At issue: whether Bresciani's handling of the media guidelines violated any board policies. Bresciani "declined comment." Oh my.
Here's the tangled web: Text messages between Bresciani and athletic department officials showed that the president initially supported efforts to defend the new media rules. He mocked those critical of them, a la Chris Christie re. his Bridgegate accusers. "I worked the cones!"
Current testimony indicates that it's quite likely Christie was aware of the traffic problems while they were on. Clever like a fox (or lawyer), Christie's denials were probably finely tuned to technically escape accusations of speaking with forked tongue.
 
Nothing to see here?
Bresciani has tried saying his comments were "misinterpreted." The NDSU board already had communication issues with its president. Perkins' findings are expected soon, maybe even by today (Friday, Sept. 30).
When I use the expression "forked tongue," I of course am doing something questionable, invoking language from old Indian movie stereotypes. I hope it's taken as innocuous here, and of course Indians were misled, lied to, on many occasions. NDSU's prime rival, University of North Dakota, has been through a thicket of controversy over the longstanding "Fighting Sioux" name, now replaced by "Fighting Hawks."
It seems quaint now, thinking back to when so many UND supporters felt it essential to cling to something like a sports nickname. Why do college sports teams even need nicknames? They mean nothing, except that in UND's case there was an impugning of a whole race of people. One of UND's rivals had fans that would chant "smallpox blankets." That was the lowest of the low. UND in its early days had the "Flickertails" nickname. Maybe they should have just gone back to that.
Tradition can be excruciatingly hard to shed in college sports. Look how some students rioted over the ouster of elderly Coach Joe Paterno at Penn State. Did Paterno fight to preserve his job because of certain things he wanted kept swept under the carpet? Look at the ruckus when the irritating Bob Knight was let go at University of Indiana. Today, fans at Penn State and Indiana can feel embarrassment over how so many of the faithful were reluctant to get rid of a decaying status quo.
NDSU is bringing great pride to that northern wasteland place known as Fargo (at least according to the old stereotype). We all ought to be shedding our enthusiasm for football. It's quite the grudging process. Football has found the magical key to attracting eyeballs. Still, there may be some whistling past the graveyard.

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

MACA volleyball turns back Melrose and BOLD

Tigers 3, Melrose 0
MACA enjoyed more sweep success on the volleyball court on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Action was at the Melrose court. The Tigers continued their habit of winning by sweep. Scores were 25-15, 25-14 and 25-19. It was our 12th win of the season. It was yet another reason to feel happy during Homecoming week. Melrose has a .500 team.
Koral Tolifson came at the Dutchmen with two serving aces. Karly Fehr had another busy night setting, racking up 35 set assists. Brooke Gillespie was a force in hitting, on this night accumulating 16 kills. Jenna Howden and Ashley Solvie each had 12 kills. Karly Fehr contributed three kills and Nicole Solvie had two.
Gillespie and Karly Fehr each had one ace block. Riley Decker led in digs with 16, followed by Gillespie (15), Karly Fehr (10) and Tolifson (6).
The Tigers entered mid-week with an 8-0 conference record.
 

"Warehouse Invite"

Weekend action had coach Kristi Fehr's Tigers in the very high-caliber Midwest Volleyball Warehouse. Many of the state's strongest teams gathered to play in Burnsville. There were 16 total teams, of which 12 were ranked in the state's top 15. The Tigers were in that elite group with a No. 5 state ranking.
We tasted defeat for the first time this season. We fell to No. 2 Belle Plaine and No. 9 Kasson-Mantorville. Pool play saw us come out on the winning end vs. Cannon Falls and St. Croix Lutheran. We lost to Belle Plaine in pool. Then came the Saturday Silver Bracket chapter. Here we lost to Kasson-Mantorville and defeated Hill-Murray.
The event was a test for Karly Fehr in her setting specialty, and she produced 121 total set assists. Brooke Gillespie produced 39 kills and Jenna Howden had 37. Ashley Solvie led in ace blocks with six. Riley Decker's dig total of 75 was tops.
 

Tigers 3, BOLD 0

Fans gathered at the MAHS gym on Thursday, Sept. 22, to see if our volleyball Tigers could roll forward triumphantly. They did!
The visiting BOLD Warriors put up a strong challenge in game 2. But it was the orange and black owning the night. We survived that challenge to win 26-24. And in games 1 and 3, the scores were 25-16 and 25-9 with the Tigers dominant. We played up to the expectations for a No. 5-ranked team.
Karly Fehr darted around the court to produce 28 set assists. Jenna Larsen added two assists. Ashley Solvie batted two serving aces at the Warriors. Brooke Gillespie, Karly Fehr and Riley Decker each had one serving ace.
The hitting department saw Gillespie standing out with 14 kills, and Jenna Howden was another cog with eleven kills. The kill list continues as follows: Ashley Solvie (8), Nicole Solvie (5), and these three Tigers each with one: Karly Fehr, Larsen and Kirsten Scheldorf.
Ashley Solvie had two ace blocks followed by Gillespie, Larsen and Nicole Solvie each with one. Here's the dig list: Decker (15), Karly Fehr (13), Koral Tolifson (10), Gillespie (6) and Howden (6).
For BOLD, Makayla Snow had eight kills and one serving ace. Makenna Steffel had ten set assists. Four different Warriors each had an ace block: Steffel, Taylor Sagedahl, Brenna Weis and Elsa Skeie. Skeie had the team-best 13 digs.

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

The heyday of TV/movie westerns died quickly

The "western" has a huge niche in the history of movies and television. The young people of today would only know about this as a matter of history. Old westerns get replayed on obscure TV channels. We see Barbara Stanwyck in "The Big Valley." Lee Majors was on that show too. The shows can be reasonably entertaining, yet they are frozen in time, as no way would today's entertainment business churn out such material.

I have often described it as "ponderous" material. The pace of plot development is way too slow. The American public's attention span was different in the 1960s.

It is amazing how quickly the traditional western vanished. Part of the reason was the conscious decision by TV network movers and shakers to "de-ruralize." The rural-centered shows could get a good overall audience. But "demographics" were getting more and more attention. Norman Lear came along as the leader in making entertainment urban-oriented. TV was going after younger, more "hip" eyeballs. I suppose I'm dating myself using the word "hip." Within a few years we began feeling nostalgia about the western shows.
Boomers grew up watching "Bonanza" with Lorne Greene as the patriarchal role model. Like many of those actors, Greene had a background in movies first, and ironically he did not play characters with the highest character. He was the bad guy lawyer in "Peyton Place." He prodded everyone to just think of the victimized woman as promiscuous. He played the cowardly city father of New Orleans who argued for capitulation to the British in that movie about the Battle of New Orleans (with Charlton Heston as Andrew Jackson). But Greene emerged as a paragon of unquestioned virtue in "Bonanza" with his son characters.
 
Teaching us right from wrong

Richard Widmark

A defining feature of TV westerns was their moralizing. The good guys stood for all that was good in the framework of the Judeo-Christian ethic. You could tell early in each episode, the characters who were of questionable character, the "bad guys."
We're charmed by those old shows today, but no way would today's entertainment industry even consider putting out stuff according to that template. Any western made today would be more nuanced, with no clear coded messages about good guys and bad guys or even good and evil. Sub-plots would complicate.
Maybe the '60s taught us that good and evil are not so easily defined. The United States had major sins to answer for in that decade. The tumult of that decade was due to a generational shift, the arrival of a generation (mine) that wouldn't put up with the B.S. anymore. We couldn't gloss over America's shortcomings by watching westerns with their simplistic plots.
The one-time popularity of westerns had an additional element, I would argue. They were a vehicle helping Americans move away from the sense of conflict coming from the Civil War. The great advancement West was dramatic and represented a shedding of the unpleasantness of the North/South conflict. "The West" was literally a new frontier. The stereotypes of Northerners and Southerners seemed far away. The West was a new chance for America to at least try to find consensus.
The Judeo-Christian ethic got woven in constantly. Civil War scars were still meaningful in the mid-20th Century. So much time has now passed. I doubt that "Stone Mountain" means much to people anymore. A new "spin" has been put on Stone Mountain (in Georgia): Today it's presented as a symbol of unification, as if the South was eventually willing to be absorbed in with its Northern cousins. It even has corporate sponsors like Pepsi. The Ku Klux Klan once had a big gathering of renewed commitment of their cause there. Time passes and the meme changes dramatically.
You see, history and nostalgia are really about the causes of today. Everything is framed in the context of today's issues and values, even if people choose an antiquated symbol like the Confederate flag.
"Quaint" describes the old western TV shows and movies. The TV shows came at us fast and furiously at one time.  Reviewing those old shows is an interesting trivia challenge. And the whole genre died off rather suddenly.
 
A grand movie from 1956
I got to thinking of the genre when watching the movie "The Last Wagon" recently. The old movie westerns did a service in making us aware of an under-appreciated region of the U.S. "The Last Wagon" is a fantastic exhibit for "Monument Valley." Try to imagine the movie if it were filmed in a more plain place. It would lose much of its appeal. Monument Valley is a truly breathtaking place worthy of being a national park. Many moviegoers have seen those scenes but are unaware that the place even has a name - it's just a standard panorama of "the old West."
Hollywood knew all about Monument Valley, especially director John Ford. Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1000 feet above the valley floor. It's located on the Utah-Arizona border. Moviegoers came to see the mere five square miles with its wild, foreboding nature, as being representative of the whole U.S. West. The valley lies within the range of the Navajo National Reservation.
"The Last Wagon" starring Richard Widmark was made during the heyday of Hollywood westerns, in 1956. I was one year old. The movie affords a wonderful Cinemascope widening of classic and colorful Monument Valley vistas. I started to feel bothered about how the characters seemed oblivious to the breathtaking scenery.
The movie shows how a rugged mountain man, Widmark, gets captured and treated brutally after vengefully murdering those who slaughtered his family. Widmark's "Comanche Todd" is a white man who has lived most of his life among the Indians. Todd is able to dispatch his chief tormentor, then he joins a wagon team whose members learn to trust him (in a halting manner). Apache Indians are poised to avenge some tragedy in their ranks.
A small U.S. cavalry attachment comes on the scene, and here we see a very familiar face: James Drury. James Drury! He's ten years younger here than how we remember him from TV's "The Virginian." Guys my age remember how Drury was the top-billed actor on "The Virginian," but he became second banana to Doug McClure as "Trampas." There's a Stevens County family who named one of their sons after "Trampas."
The primary theme of "The Last Wagon" is different from the usual Judeo-Christian one that we associate with such stories. It's a rather cutting-edge theme, actually: Justice is more important than the law. The characters gain lessons not only in survival but in character.
 
Widmark, with Minnesota roots
Hey, Widmark is a Minnesota native! He was born in Sunrise Township MN, located in east-central Chisago County. Its northeast border follows the St. Croix River which is also the state line between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The climax in "The Last Wagon" comes when "Comanche Todd" saves the cavalry attachment from an ambush. The explosions are good by the standards of 1950s Hollywood! Despite being wanted for murder, Todd is spared at the end and is placed in the custody of a female traveler. Widmark plays a character who seems designed for him: complicated and bitter but with a prevailing sense of honor and goodness.
"The Last Wagon" is the perfect showcase for Monument Valley, a place that ought to be a household word like Yellowstone Park, but isn't. Maybe that can be remedied someday.

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

Forget garbled voices: Tigers beat Benson 41-21

I tried checking in with the radio broadcast of the Friday night football game at Benson. I couldn't believe it. It was just unintelligible noise. It was like listening to a crowded men's bathroom. I wonder if all the broadcast sponsors know about what happened. I couldn't even learn the score. The radio station should have just aborted the whole thing and played music - the usual golden oldie rock and pop songs.

Added to this is the fact that the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper makes fans wait eight days until they can see a local print review of the game. By then, the Tigers will have played their next game.

Of course, people could take matters into their own hands: a group of students could launch an official website for Morris Area Chokio Alberta football. It would be just like UMM's home pages for sports. Too much work? No, I would suggest it would be fun. We needn't be beholden to the "corporate media" (media that make money with advertising) in the year 2016. Actually, this all could have been done ten years ago. It takes time for society to adjust to change.

It would be amazing to see what some Internet enthusiasts could do, bringing more recognition for MACA sports teams. Agree?

 

Tigers 41, Benson 21

There would have been lots of highlights to trumpet, had the radio broadcast come through clearly. Our MACA Tigers took charge in the second half en route to disposing of the Braves of Benson. We scored 14 points each in the second and third quarters. This was our third win of the season against no losses.

Toby Sayles scored our first touchdown: a big 63-yard run in the first quarter. Eli Grove kicked the point-after. Benson took the lead by scoring a TD and succeeding with a two-point conversion. The TD came on a four-yard pass from Layton Connelly to Ty Hedman. Connelly ran for the two-point conversion.

Ryan Dietz put MACA on top again with a one-yard run followed by a two-point Sayles run. Sayles scored the next MACA touchdown on a two-yard run, and this time the conversion play was no-go. Brett Sulier re-invigorated the Braves' cause with a six-yard scoring run, and Connelly kicked the PAT. Dietz answered for the Tigers, reaching the end zone on a run from the two. Jacob Zosel carried the football into the end zone on the conversion.

Zosel broke loose for a 31-yard scoring scamper. This time the PAT kick try was blocked. Sayles kept pushing the MACA cause forward with an eleven-yard touchdown run. The PAT kick try was blocked again. Benson had the game's last score: a 35-yard touchdown pass from Connelly to Max Peterson.

MACA overwhelmed Benson with 451 rushing yards on 53 carries. Again the passing attack was negligible: we had a mere one completion in two tries for 27 yards. No interceptions. Benson showed a well-established passing attack with eleven completions in 22 attempts for 140 yards (and one interception).

Our Jacob Zosel put up fine rushing numbers again: 207 yards on 18 carries. Sayles was quite the force with 154 yards on eleven carries, and Dietz covered 77 yards on the ground in 15 carries. Jared Rohloff had the only pass catch which covered 27 yards. Joseph Kleinwolterink delivered the Tigers' one punt. Chase Metzger intercepted a pass. Dakota Luetke and Paul Hockert each sacked the quarterback.

Benson had a tandem of effective ballcarriers: Connelly (46 yards on 13 carries) and Aaron Zosel (45 yards on ten carries). Max Peterson stood out for Benson in receiving: six catches for 104 yards. Connelly handled the punting. Aaron Zosel and Shawn Aarhus each recovered a fumble.

An injury to Benson's Brett Sulier may have affected the course of the game. The Willmar paper speculated in this way, but I don't know. I always feared getting into trouble if I wrote that a player's injury or illness affected the outcome of an athletic contest.

 

Trying to listen to the Friday night radio broadcast reminded me of when Jimmy Kimmel presents his "drunk Rudy Giuliani" gag.

 

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

Jacob Zosel scores four straight TDs in 33-13 win

Once again it was Big Cat Field providing the splendid backdrop for prep football Friday. This time it was the Falcons of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City as the visitor. I was a high school classmate of Jeff Tanner who has been a long-time stalwart in ACGC athletics.

The MACA formula for success was most basic on Friday. It was "run the football." More specifically: get the ball in Jacob Zosel's hands. Zosel is starting to give the impression he can carry the Tigers on his shoulders. He scored the Tigers' first touchdown on a 47-yard run. The TD got the orange and black going en route to another pleasing victory. The score this time: 33-13.
Zosel carried the football 39 times for 257 yards. Ryan Dietz had 15 carries of the football for 48 yards. Three other Tigers racked up rushing yards in this crowd-pleasing MACA win: Connor Koebernick (13 yards on five carries), Toby Sayles (20 yards on two carries) and Chase Metzger (nine yards on two carries).
The passing game has sure not taken its place in the MACA offense. Will that be developed? We'll see. Both in the opener vs. West Central Area and in Game 2 vs. ACGC, passing didn't amount to much. Against ACGC we had zippo yards in passing. At least there were no interceptions, unlike in the opener. So, we don't have to review receiving stats!
Dietz was alert to pounce on a fumble. He had five solo tackles and two assists. Zosel put up the same 5/2 defensive numbers. Sayles had three solos and two assists. Hunter Gades came through with two solos/four assists. Koebernick delivered at 2/3. Zosel attacked attacked the quarterback to get two sacks. Tim Travis and Paul Hockert each had one sack. The Tigers lost one fumble.
Two ACGC Falcons each rushed for 47 yards: Jeremy Nelson and Michael Trebil. Jaren Kaddatz rushed for 20 yards. Kaddatz was one of two Falcons throwing passes. He gained 35 yards with his passes, while teammate Miahcel Trebil completed seven of 14 pass attempts for 69 yards with no interceptions. Ryan Molinaro had three catches for 33 yards. Ryan Amdahl made two catches for 41 yards.
The Tigers may have dominated this game but it was ACGC scoring first: Jeremy Nelson ran the ball in from 16. Then came Zosel's 47-yard scamper for six. The conversion play saw Dylan Gillespie pass successfully to Jared Rohloff. The Zosel show then took over. The marquee Tiger scored touchdowns from the seven, one and four. The PAT kick tries were no-go on these scores. Then it was Sayles getting the ball into the end zone on a run from the 18. Eli Grove kicked the point-after.
ACGC got its consolation score on a pass from Michael Trebil to Ryan Amdahl, and the kick was good.
Four straight TDs by Zosel! Opponents are going to have to try to devise ways to at least slow down the marquee Tiger.
Our next opponent is Benson. This will be our first road test, 7 p.m. Friday. We're 2-0!

Volleyball keeps dominant flair

The Morris Area Chokio Alberta volleyball team zipped through another winning week, not only winning but showing dominance on the court. The dominance was shown sweep-style just like in Week 1. Might the state tournament be in the cards for coach Kristi Fehr's team again? That's a long way off, but MACA stock is definitely high.

Last week the 3-0 successes were versus the Braves of Benson and the Falcons of ACGC. The most recent match was the ACGC one, Thursday (9/8) at home, so we'll start our summary there.

 

Tigers 3, ACGC 0

It is necessary to use first names with the "Fehr" last name. In addition to coach Kristi, who I worked with (as a media person) when she coached the Hancock Owls, we have Karly and Cassidy as players. Karly raced all over the court with precision Thursday, putting up 37 set assists in the sweep over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. Jenna Larsen contributed two assists.

Game scores were 25-16, 25-17 and 25-11.

Ashley Solvie pounded two serving aces at the Falcons. Riley Decker and Koral Tolifson each added a serving ace to the mix. The crowd-pleasing department of hitting saw Jenna Howden at the fore with 13 kills. Also producing double digits was Ashley Solvie with ten kills.

Brooke Gillespie went up to execute eight kills, while Nicole Solvie had six and Jenna Larsen one. Ace blocks were produced by Ashley Solvie (3), Brooke Gillespie (2), Karly Fehr (1), Jenna Howden (1) and Nicole Solvie (1). Gillespie and Decker led in digs with ten each. Karly Fehr had six digs and Cassidy Fehr had five.

The week concluded with our orange and black crew having strung together four straight sweep wins. Look for a very enthused fan turnout for every MACA home match!

 

Tigers 3, Benson 0

Brooke Gillespie was "in the zone" in the Tuesday (9/6) road volleyball affair vs. the Braves of Benson. Gillespie and Jenna Howden each pounded down six kills, helping fuel this night of dominance for the orange and black. Gillespie also had impact in serving and digs in this WCC affair. Ashley Solvie pounded down five kills. Then the list has Karly Fehr and Nicole Solvie each with four, followed by Jenna Larsen (3) and Bailey Marty (1). 

The ace block category had Ashley Solvie standing out with three. Howden and Nicole Solvie each added one ace block to the mix. Gillespie, Decker and Cassidy Fehr led in digs with ten, eight and six, respectively.

MACA displayed sizzling serves, getting numerous aces vs. the beleaguered Braves. This list is topped by Gillespie with four, while Tolifson recorded three aces and the Fehr girls - Karly and Cassidy - each had two. And Ashley Solvie had two aces as well! Riley Decker produced a serving ace. Karly Fehr greased the wheels with 21 set assists.

For Benson, Sophie Ascheman had a serving ace. Courtney McNeill led Benson in assists with ten while Kaitlyn Knutson came through with six. Amanda Nissen paced the Braves in kills with five. Megan Amundson and Presley Gonnerman each had three kills. Victoria Pagel had three ace blocks. Amundson and Nissen each had nine digs.

If you're thinking I forgot to report the scores, here they are: 25-12, 25-9 and 25-9.

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