April 1 came and went with hardly a mention of the notoriety of that date on the calendar. I'm 70 and in my younger years, casual viewing of TV would easily bring you stories about the mischief on that day. It was assumed we needed to "look out" for such stuff. We'd hear about good examples. Leaving a message for someone to call "Mr. Lyon" and the phone number is for the zoo!
The references faded through the years. I heard virtually none on April 1 of 2025.
You know what else I hear about less? The switch to standard time from DST or the other way around. If I did not have an atomic clock, I could easily be fooled. I was actually fooled about two years ago on a Sunday morning when I went by the atomic clock after waking up but then checked my watch later (which hadn't adjusted). And yes, I made a trip to town in error.
Politicians and commentators love talking about how these switches are annoying and unneeded. Seems this has gone on for time immemorial. But when time comes for a system to actually change, people see problems and it gets gummed up. So it's probably best to just leave things the way they are. Do you suppose part of us just likes to complain?
There's a pretty obvious theory on why "April Fool's Day" has faded down to almost nothing. Our litigious culture! Yes, you can offend someone or hurt them even more deeply with an ambitious "prank." Our society has less of a sense of humor today. Or, maybe there was something to be said for knocking off the silliness. So juvenile. And yes, lawyers are hovering. (Insert lawyer joke.)
On this early April morning with its crappy weather - school called off - we are digesting the results of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Really kind of sad that a state supreme court election ends up treated like a full-fledged partisan political showdown. Because, that's not the way it's supposed to be. In middle of night I posted this comment to a Yahoo! News article:
Why is the "Trump White House" even commenting on the WI Supreme Court election? The judiciary is supposed to be non-partisan. I realize that's an impossible ideal but we are all at least supposed to TRY to uphold it. The "Trump White House" should just say it respects the will of the voters. If it doesn't, heaven help us. And when we all start waking up, it might be too late.
"Cargirl" responded:
"Why is the 'Trump White House' even commenting on the WI Supreme Court election?" Because they’re so full of themselves, they don’t even try to hide how openly corrupt they are. And the candidate they backed made no secret of the fact that he was in the tank for Trump. Everyone, starting with Musk [who are] associated with this administration thinks they’re untouchable and above reproach. Their offensive and smug overreach is starting to slap them back HARD. It will continue.
I posted another comment about the political landscape out here where we live: the hinterlands in Minnesota. The "tundra" as the late WCCO Radio personality Steve Cannon would term it. My comment:
I live in rural western MN and we'll be "red" until the end of time, the way it looks. You can't even talk with a lot of these hard right churchgoing people. You'll get dissed and it'll be personal. Let's see, when did this wave begin? When gay rights became a flashpoint. And this led to "trans."
So we're approaching Easter and what kind of tone can we expect with our Christian churches, given the role of the evangelicals in electing Donald Trump twice. Yes, consider the consequences of blending in religious faith with politics. This is our reality.
I don't sense much of a problem with my church of First Lutheran in Morris. I know we have an important family that had multiple Trump signs in their yard during the campaign. I have seen a car or two parked outside our building with "Trump" bumper stickers.
We are not immune, but if there's any church you want to join to get some relief from MAGA, it's First Lutheran. Let's add in Faith Lutheran and Federated. I don't think any of these three are "killing it" right now with their vitality. Maybe you could say we are plodding along. This while the far more conservative Good Shepherd out in the windswept countryside is "killing it," according to all reports I hear. We all know how they cast their votes in elections.
Erase DEI now?
I must remind y'all that DJT is very serious in pursuing certain matters. And one of these is wiping out DEI. And wouldn't you know, DEI is what our college campus in Morris totally trumpets. We "bleed" it, according to an attorney friend of mine who like me actively supports UMM. Or is it "UMN-Morris?"
So can we really be so cavalier sitting idly by while our campus continues to openly promote DEI? Or might there be real disastrous consequences at some point? Think I'm kidding? Might Donald Trump have been apprised of UMM and its mission by now? I mean by name? Might he "name-drop" as he decides to come down on the U of M?
He might not even cite DEI directly, he might instead cite the retracted U of M research study that got banner headline treatment in our Star Tribune newspaper a while back. How long ago was that? I am age 70 and it is getting harder for me to estimate such things.
If central U administration is really on the ball, and I suspect they are, I'm sure UMM's policies and reputation are a source of concern.
What about the U regents? I have learned over the last few years not to be so awestruck about the U regents. Whenever one of them comes out here to the "tundra," we're supposed to react like we're in awe. "Regent So-and-So to speak at graduation!"
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Our Morris campus |
I heard a rumor - this is merely a rumor - that far fewer students came back for the new semester at UMM. This is why I want to stop out there for graduation, just to get a look. What if there are more signs of real erosion? What if Trump is really on the verge of lashing out at the U of M because of our campus's image with DEI?
I think Stephen Miller knows about us. Whistle past the graveyard.
On another subject
Well, I have shared quite a bit of late on our curious matter with the Morris Public Library and its director. Another day and more mystery. Isn't this starting to grate on you all? It is uniquely maddening because I think we deserve to know more facts/background by now, just the gist of it. Lacking that, someone like me will put on his speculation hat. You really cannot blame me or others, can you?
I feel I should comment today on how a certain retired lawyer in Morris has been arguing that the library director answers to the "library board." But here's the problem as I see it: the library has a pretty ample budget. And even the county board pays into this thing called the "Viking Library System." So if the local public gets more uneasy about the taxes they are paying, they might want our officials to apply the brakes with spending in certain ways.
There has been a movement in North Dakota to eliminate property taxes. Next time it's on the ballot, it could pass. So now I ask, could we ever expect the citizens on this thing called the library board to ever push for less spending? No! they would want to do more and bigger things all the time!
I really think these board positions are honorary. It is not where the rubber meets the road at all. The rubber meets the road with our elected council people and the city manager. The city manager has been made into a dartboard in this matter. Frankly my retired attorney friend has been fueling this cause. I don't know the city manager but our council hired her presumably with good reason.
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My picture of Morris Public Library |
And the library director is going to come out of this smelling like a rose? I could be wrong but I just don't see it. My God, what kind of "misconduct" are we talking about? It is being left to public speculation/gossip. Looks like in the end, there will be winners and losers, heroes and villains. Who needs that?
Addendum: I wonder if Jon Taffer of "Bar Rescue" could have saved Stone's Throw Restaurant in Morris.
Addendum No 2: A common and amusing typographical error is to type "pubic" instead of "public." We might look for this with "public library." Tee-hee. Guys who like "Uranus" jokes will giggle at this.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com