What really is the "business district?"

Sometimes it's "historic business district." Is this a tip-off for seeing old buildings?

 

Is there any need for the signs directing us to the "business district" of a particular town? Such a standard feature. But any utility, really? Can't we all sense what way to go, to get to "downtown." And what does "downtown" really mean anymore? 

Our economic geography of Morris first got disrupted with the opening of "Gibson's," the first iteration of the place that is now known as "Homestead." 

Looks like the City of Morris does not have a high opinion of its own "business district." Maybe I should write "so-called business district." The city did not want to keep its liquor store "downtown." I'm sure that when the now-vacated place first opened, there was a celebratory event. 

Today the city has responded to the lure of the highway development on north edge of town. That's where we find the service roads. In my mind, the highway development is not part of the "business district." Yes, I consider it separate. 

If I were to use Morris Transit - as well I might starting in the not-too-distant future - to "go downtown," well I would have to make the considerable walk from there to Thrifty White Pharmacy. Yes, Thrifty White used to be right "downtown." Many of you still remember I'm sure. It was a nice diversified "store." I got my spiral notebooks there. 

Neither of our two pharmacies is downtown. Senior citizens focus on such places. But if you use the transit system, you might have to arrange for a specific drop-off at these places. I'm still in good enough physical shape that I can walk no-sweat. (Or not very much sweat.) But it's all downhill for me from now on - I am age 71. So much for getting dropped off "downtown" within the "business district" and having "pharmacy" on your list of things to do. 

The Morris MN main sreet

The reason why cities provide the service of "business district" direction signs is to help people out with their standard important personal business to do. You went "downtown." Now, the service road businesses appear to be rather different. The city abandons downtown because it senses that it is no longer the prime location for its liquor store. First of all, I'm not enthused about people having such attractive access to a place that sells liquor. 

 

The Coborn's legend 

The legend will never die of Coborn's leaving town because of not getting a liquor license. Legend has it that Coborn's wanted to build a whole new store. Coborn's as it was, was such a beehive type of place. Between Coborn's and McDonald's, a real hub for "people" activity in town. And I would say it was all on the fringe, at least, of the "business district." Not that far to walk from the core. 

The present-day pharmacies are not so convenient. Of course we have the steak restaurant out there, a place I've never been in. Well, my eyeballs would bug out at the prices, and frankly I am not a poverty-stricken person at all. But principle is principle. Same reason I won't even consider attending a Twins or Vikings game. 

I felt puzzled at the city's impulse to leave the old liquor store location. I considered this location as part of what I would describe as the "entertainment district" of Morris. You sensed this on Friday and Saturday evenings if you looked for parking there. Was abuzz. Maybe less so now with the liquor store leaving? 

 

Stone's Throw defunct 

Every little departure leaves a void, much like with the old Stone's Throw closing. I enjoyed going to Stone's Throw about every other week, usually on Friday night. I bit my lip and paid the hefty price. They probably should have made their rear entrance into the front entrance. You have Don's, Pizza Ranch and Old No. 1 doing well in this entertainment district. Don's is unique as a place to go for "rich" meals. That's not a rip because "rich" means you are guaranteed to leave the place feeling full. That's a nice quality to have these days. The atmosphere is most certainly "middle class." 

Pizza Ranch is a blessing to have as a buffet place. Most certainly you leave the place feeling filled up. 

So it is not time to panic yet for restaurant-goers even with inflation in effect as we speak. Can only be exacerbated by Iran war. Ah, "no new Mideast wars" - that's what we were promised. Israel prodded us into the new one - Netanyahu. 

If I criticize Israel, certain people will describe me as "anti-Semitic." Preposterous of course. I don't think Israel should even be allowed to exist as a "Jewish state." I am anything but "anti-Semitic." Since when are we passing judgment on the Jewish people? 

Well, inflation may be about to accelerate and it's because of our Mideast involvement, so I'm just saying: "get ready." The hospitality establishments of which I speak will be having to hike their already-concerning prices. Until people really have to start cutting back? People will make adjustments if they have to. 

I remember Shorty's Cafe and the Del Monico from the Morris restaurant past. Hot beef sandwich in the afternoon at Shorty's (right next to Morris Theater). Pinball machine there too! Oh, to consider the prices from 50 years ago! 

"Grandstay" is along the service road

 

Looking ahead

How much more development can we expect along the highway on north end of town? "Grandstay" and Heartland Motors are well-established there. Will the development continue all the way down to where Iowa Avenue intersects? You're getting out by Superior. I live just to the north of there. There is a service road on each side of the highway. "Fastenal" is on Iowa Avenue on the south side, but the service road does not make it all the way. The "Bobcat" business gets your attention on the south side. 

Note the Jehovah's Witnesses church. Jehovah's Witnesses had the right idea to locate there. The mainstream Protestant churches of Morris should take note, follow the lead of the oddball Jehovah Witnesses. Well, it is a fringe church but they sure have the right idea with a totally contemporary building on outskirts of town with a nice parking lot. Some say this is the "Wal-Mart principle." It's one that the mainstream Protestant churches of our town should follow. First of all they need to consolidate or let's say continue consolidation. 

First Lutheran and Federated have already partnered. These two should somehow get joined with Faith Lutheran and then a nice new fully contemporary building could be put up on outskirts of town with nice parking lot. "The Wal-Mart principle." My friends would laugh and say there would be all kinds of obstacles to this. Church life is hard enough to keep going. But then there's the well-known line from the movie "Moneyball" (Brad Pitt): "Adapt or die." 

The City of Morris seeks to adapt by abandoning downtown Morris (IMHO), by abandoning what I consider to be the "entertainment district." 

There must be a siren song of sorts from the service road development where we now see Dollar General. You know, in order to shop at Dollar General you have to scout through the place first, see what all they have and where it's located. A very big place. 

I take back what I have said about Willie's having a grocery store "monopoly." I could do nearly all my grocery shopping between the dollar stores and convenience stores. I don't snack on fruit anymore because it gives me gas! 

What do you think of these days if you hear the term "downtown Morris?" Or, "business district?" What does the latter term really mean? Do we need signs on the outskirts directing us to the "business district?" To me they seem as useless as the signs directing us to the various churches. Has anyone ever relied on them? Churches today are such an extension of the Republican Party, seems rather controversial. I'm waiting for the worm to turn on that. 

How will the liquor store do in its new location? Well. . . It's sad that we need a liquor store, n'est-ce pas?

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Don't take for granted current cultural norms

"Boxer" from "Animal Farm"

It isn't even June yet. And we have had oppressive heat to deal with. I don't care, I frankly can't get enough of it. Oppressive heat was like a distant dream or fantasy through our interminable spring of 2026 - just no redeeming quality to the weather. Wouldn't you have preferred a repeat of January or February? 

In December we are guaranteed to have our spirits lifted by Christmas, or, "the holidays" as you might prefer calling it. I like the term Christmas and not because I'm some sort of religious crusader. "Christmas" just reflects our common sense from when I was young. At a public elementary school we'd put on a "Christmas program" and we knew there'd be some non-Christians among us, and we just wanted them to join in anyway. Just learn the songs and feel basic joy. 

Then our culture went through a phase where, due to guilt maybe, we had to bend over backward to recognize other faiths. I suppose it was well-intentioned. We don't want to practice exclusion. But were we really intending to exclude anyone in the more innocent earlier time? 

Yes, innocent. I think we felt there was a consensus behind recognizing the Christ birth story. Innocent, because first and foremost, we saw it all as so benevolent. We didn't want to hurt anyone. 

Life had to get more complicated. I covered a Morris elementary school program with music recognizing different faith traditions. 

I have read that the Jewish "Hanukkah" is actually a minor holiday for those people. Because it coincides with Christmas, we elevate it so as to feel good about our inclusiveness. But does this really accomplish so much? 

 

Fragmenting

In the arguments against "DEI," I have read the following question: since when does recognizing our differences help us get along better? The succinct answer might be, "it does not." So I wonder about the "drift" by UMM in Morris to such extreme consciousness of our differences, to where we have the "multi-ethnic building." And UMM obviously was out front with a rallying cry for gay rights when all that got going, to the point where I'm certain it hurt the institution's best interests. 

We just had a graduating class of 155. SDSU of Brookings SD had 1600. Ahem. And now what's up for UMM? We had the dramatic shakeup in UMM administration mid-year. And a new administrator who I admire but who also says "I serve at the pleasure of the (University) president." So it's clear: there is no resistance to what central U administration wants. But it may not be that simple. 

I'm reminded of the book title by Art Buchwald: "Getting High in Government Circles." Poke around to see where the truth really is, where the accountability really lies. It might surprise you. Are the "Regents" more of a ceremonial front than anything? They are not the closest to the purse strings - the state legislature is. And if we see continued movement in our society toward the "conservative" side of politics, what does this portend for our liberal arts campus, a campus that "Natives" attend for free? I won't begrudge anyone a free lunch. 

I put "conservative" in quotes because the meaning is not so clear-cut now. It used to mean "fiscal conservatism" which meant minimal government involvement in our lives, minimal spending. But that's a hard philosophy to sell the people because people like perks or favors from government, n'est-ce pas? Medicare is a lot more than a perk. 

A recent headline on the Drudge Report: "Federal spending higher than under Biden." 

Dr. Jill Biden

Have you heard anyone suggest that Dr. Jill Biden declare for president? I will suggest as much. She would be sure to appoint all the right people to top positions, who reflect the proper philosophy and see that the people's interests are met. She strikes me as an intelligent and level-headed person. 

Let the "conservatives" howl about this. They would howl about anyone who comes forward as the Democratic nominee, so what difference does it make? 

We are about to deal with inflation again due to our misadventures overseas. Financial hardship is going to shake up a lot of people. Money issues can affect your philosophy real fast. Will society start to ignore all the "conservative commentators?" Like Mark Levin? Will the tone of AM talk radio in the middle of the night change? We are seeing these guys castigate and make fun of losers in Republican primary votes, guys who arguably have been very "conservative" but who didn't get Trump's endorsement. 

So it's all about elevating Trump higher toward dictator status? And by the time most of us start waking up, will it be too late? Like when the character "Boxer" (the horse) in "Animal Farm" finally woke up, smelled the coffee? He was too old to kick his way out of the trailer where he was confined, on his way to the "glue factory." 

All I can do is try to warn people. Otherwise, "Mongo just pawn in game of life."

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com

MACA striving to conquer southern Minnesota!

Business as usual for the MACA softball team, a 22-3 record as we get set for the most serious phase of post-season. If only such a record would be a more-or-less guarantee of making state! We have learned it is far from it. I write here once again that when we come up against the southern Minnesota teams, it's a whole new ballgame as it were. 

Does the "sub-section" even exist? Man, I almost missed seeing the upcoming post-season game notes on "Minnesota Scores" this morning. You have to scroll down quite a ways from the regular season to find the new info. Scroll down through some pictures in fact. Fortunately I did a thorough check. And so I see the 3AA action is already underway. 

I actually do not see "sub-section" specified anywhere. I know there has been a sub-section level over the recent past. If I remember correctly it is a very short phase, like two games both played here in Motown. Looks like this year there's maybe just one. Wait a minute, a bye for the Tigers? 

The Tigers played their one game and it was Tuesday at home. And so the Tigers dispatched Litchfield in a manner that reflected the one-sided nature of the regular season. Yawn, the Tigers took care of business shutout-style at our softball place. I hope the Litch fans were advised to bring their own chairs for viewing. If you don't, be prepared to stand. 

Maybe we need a new softball facility in Morris. The Tigers downed the Dragons 9-0. "Another day at the office." 

 

Next foe: Pipestone 

So now what beckons? Well holy cow, it's a game against one of those southern Minnesota nemesis teams. And that would be Pipestone Area. Past is not necessarily precedent. It would not have to be. So who really knows what the outcome will be on Saturday, May 23. And once again, MACA fans are being asked to make the long trip to Marshall for sectionals, just like in other sports. I'm sure this cuts down on the number of fans who elect to watch in-person. 

Sorry to say I have never gone to Marshall for high school games. And I've been around. MACA got stuck in this situation back when the post-season got organized into the sub-section and section. This replaced district and region. Looks like it could be permanent. 

Well I'll stay here in Morris. But I do enjoy writing about the Tigers when I can. I was quoting Mary Holmberg as far back as 1979 when the program started. I'll take Wells Park over the softball complex anytime. 

The Tigers played Litchfield on May 16 in a home tournament. We were fortunate to win that contest as the score was 9-8. So we scored the same number of runs against the Dragons on Tuesday, but this time we got a shutout pitching performance. Also on May 16, we defeated Alexandria and Grand Rapids.

 

Coach Mary Holmberg has been "the rock" with the Tiger softball program! She got it all going. The image you see at left is from the KMES-KKOK site. Holmberg has reached the incredible 700-win plateau as a coach. Compare her to the Energizer Bunny maybe?

 

Tigers 9, Litchfield 0

Well, another showcase for MACA pitcher Haley Kill as the Tigers turned back the Dragons. On this day Kill tossed a 3-hitter against the green-themed crew. She set down ten batters on strikes. And at bat, this Tiger had three hits. She crossed home plate twice and drove in two runs. 

We took our first steps toward victory with a three-run first inning. The Tigers played errorless ball. The line score: nine runs, eight hits and the zero errors. Pretty sharp play. 

Addie Cihak is my neighbor so I'll acknowledge at the start that she drove in two tuns. Keep it up Addie! 

I need to be able to keep my discipline and type "Harmony Coverdale" and not "Cloverdale." Harmony Coverdale had a hit and a run scored. Aina Rose went two-for-three plus she was HBP. She scored two runs. 

Samantha Konz got on via HBP. Ryla Koehler had a run scored and an RBI. Mia Lu Asche socked a triple. She drew a walk, scored a run and drove in one. Kill was three-for-four, scored two runs and drove in two. Nora Boyle doubled, scored a run and drove in one. Brenna Jergenson walked and scored a run. Lots of highlights across the board for the orange and black.

 

Coming up: Tigers vs. Pipestone Area on Saturday at Marshall, 11:30 a.m.

(Marshall is too cotton pickin' far away, IMHO.) 

A feline lover too! Coach Holmberg w/ "Coco," from Facebook. I'm jealous of Mary because I am not even allowed on Facebook. I have violated "community standards" probably because of my criticism of Israel.

- Brian Willliams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com

Three Tigers combine to pitch shutout vs. 'Waska

Thank goodness the baseball Tigers were not scheduled to play yesterday (Tuesday). A day when the blowing dirt or smoke filled the air as wind was relentless. I've never seen anything like it. So the Tigers were spared having to try to breathe amidst such conditions on the diamond. Looks to me like some games were actually played out and around. 

Most recently the Tigers won in a dominant way over Minnewaska Area at 'Waska. We blanked the Lakers 10-0. It was our 12th win against five losses. Just two games left in the regular season against Melrose and BOLD. The regular season wraps up on Friday. 

Our big inning against 'Waska was the seventh: six runs. Prior to that we had two runs each in the first and fifth. Our fielding was pretty clean: one error. 'Waska meanwhile committed five errors. Not a lot of hits in this game: four by MACA, one by 'Waska. Three Tigers shared the pitching work: Riley Asmus, Ozzy Jerome and Parker Nohl. Jerome got the win. The losing pitcher was Sawyer Erickson. 

At bat, Brayden Carlson doubled and drove in two runs. Travis Buss drove in a run. Hunter Westerman walked and reached on HBP. He stole a base and scored a run. Jack Kehoe walked and he too got hit-by-pitch. He scored a run and drove in a run. 

Ozzy Jerome walked, scored a run and drove in two runs. Alex Asmus had a hit, walked, stole a base, drove in two runs and scored two. Riley Asmus stole a base and scored two runs. Riley Saito made his home on the basepaths as he went two-for-two, walked and was HBP. He stole a base and scored three runs.

 

Blown away, yes

Weren't you stunned this morning (Wednesday) to notice there wasn't a trace of wind? The earliest settlers out here were shocked at how strong and persistent the wind could be. The earliest ones took the "Wadsworth Trail" which I have been fascinated to research. Named for a Civil War general. The fort eventually got a name change from "Wadsworth" to "Sisseton." Not sure why that was done. Wadsworth was heroic in his service to the Union cause. 

The wind here on the prairie was striking in its severity. We were assaulted by the wind on Tuesday. And I have to ask: Was loose dirt in the air, or smoke from Canadian wildfires? Both? And at times the limited visibility was just like in a winter blizzard. The wind backed off overnight. So I took my bike downtown just now to have my biscuits and gravy (the Wednesday special) at DeToy's Restaurant. 

Detoy's was overflowing on Sunday for their Mother's Day buffet. Literally not a place open when I entered. I thought I arrived early enough that it wouldn't be a problem. Wrong-O. But it was problem solved as a server who I knew opened up a spot at the end of the counter. I availed myself of the offerings. Dessert too! 

I think there are only three days of the whole year that DeToy's offers the buffet. It used to be every Sunday. I guess food waste is a problem with buffets. Considering the ever-rising cost of food, a buffet is helpful for really loading up your stomach so you can "coast" for two or three days. 

DeToy's can feel heartened by its popularity on Sunday. But I'm also reminded of a comment made to me by my No. 1 contact at our UMN-Morris. Erin said "I think Morris could use another restaurant." 

I rely on restaurants because it's not practical for me as a single person to do much if any food prep at home. My refrigerator/freezer has been disconnected ever since Mom passed on. 

The people at Caribou Coffee tell me they have a new "bacon breakfast sandwich" now. Will have to try soon. I tried the "breakfast bowl" and found it not to be a good value. Isn't it harder to find good food value these days? We read more and more about "shrinkflation" and "skimpflation." The food industry constantly modifies its food to try to maximize its profit. 

Some people write that the food we purchase these days is "poisoning us." Not far-fetched. Synthetic bacon instead of real bacon etc. It is concerning. But I have faith in my biscuits and gravy at DeToy's on Wednesday morning! Maybe DeToy's does not have as much competition as they should. But the food there is reliable, helps keep my mind sharp!

 

You should all be shocked and scared by the new inflation report! 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn innesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Powerful Border West to play in Morris May 14

The end of the regular season will have a very good test for the MACA softball Tigers. They could use it. Not only will that game be challenging, it will be a treat for area fans as it's an area rivalry. Non-conference, yes, but a rivalry. Who will get the upper hand? Actually it looks like Border West has the caliber to challenge the Tigers. 

Many of you might wonder, what is "Border West?" You can be forgiven. I used to think of Herman but Herman has its hands joined in this venture. So it's a "cooperative" of teams. It can get a little complicated. But for now let's just get ready for the May 14 big game that will have state-ranked teams taking to the field in Morris. 

Game-time is 5 p.m. at the "softball complex" in Morris. My daily walking route goes past the place. One of the reasons I have been so critical of this facility is that I get to see it so often. Yesterday (Thursday) was an example. The Tigers played. I'm guessing it was Senior Day. 

 

Shortcoming 

But of course I always notice the woeful and almost nonexistent accommodations for fans at the softball facility. I'm sure the ground gets muddy often. The Pomme de Terre River is close by. Rivers are at the lowest elevation in an area. 

The old UMM softball field which seemed perfect in my mind is gone. The old field had the distinctive concrete player seating areas. "Cougars" painted on the side. Gone. I have to believe that the new field in that place has the batters facing the sun too much, too often. The old field was designed precisely. The fences were low enough that adults of average height could watch unimpeded from all over. I know because I took in some Cougar action there. 

The old facilities are a memory. Now we have the "complex" where fans have to bring their own chairs. Meanwhile we have the baseball "Chizek Field" that has generous grandstand seating. Looks like the male gender still has some advantages. Why did our school board not look ahead better? It spends a lot of our money. 

 

Alliteration in name 

"Border West" has the neat nickname "Buccaneers." The softball team is a Class A power. MACA of course is AA. The Tigers thumped Class A BOLD on Tuesday 14-4. The Tigers win often by scores like that. Very impressive but will we have the firepower to climb into state? Ahem, to get past those always-tough teams from southern Minnesota? The 64-dollar question. 

The High School League informs us that Border West is a cooperative that draws students from three schools near the South Dakota border: Wheaton, Herman-Norcross and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley. 

Border West softball sports the super won-lost of 12-1. The Bucs are 8-1 in section, 7-0 in conference and 4-0 at the home diamond. They are coming off a 22-0 win over Ashby. I'm impressed that Ashby still has a stand-alone team. The Arrows! Ah, the old days of the "Herman Panthers." I remember well. 

It was the Herman boys basketball team that defeated Morris in a tournament game that turned out to be a watershed for the beleaguered Morris school district and its sports program once. That game was at the UMM P.E. Center. You might say it was a culmination. People lost their inhibitions after that. No longer were we so willing to buy the tired argument that "school is about academics, not sports." I have always argued "let the kids have fun." 

In the long run I probably won. In the short term I suffered. But I never compromised my soul for expedience. Not much anyway. Some of our community leaders were spineless. 

 

Anticipation 

So again, mark your calendar for the May 14 game of Border West versus MACA at Motown, 5 p.m. And of course bring your own chairs to the game. Maybe sit out by the outfield fence. How come I can point out so many deficiencies when no one else wants to talk about it? My cross to bear? And how about the parking out there? Yesterday same as always: long rows of cars parked along the shoulders of Prairie Lane. We used to see the name "Cesar Chavez" close to there. No more. That's what "allegations" can do. 

 

Buccaneers 16, Benson 1 

Let's take a look at the recent Border West blow-out of Benson. The wind blew hard as the Bucs handled the Braves 16-1. Border West had an impressive rally in the fourth inning - eight runs - and had ten hits total in the romp at Benson. Only four innings were needed. The Bucs emerged from this game ranked No. 10 in Class A. 

Border West "Buccaneers"

Border West played errorless ball. Sadie Wright occupied the leadoff spot in the order. She surely gave spark with three-for-three hitting numbers. Two of her hits were doubles. She drew a walk and scored two runs. Makaya Hennessy had a hit, drew a walk, scored two runs and drove in one. Hannah Gary went two-for-three, walked, scored two runs and drove in one. 

Jordan Wright crossed home plate three times. She drove in two runs. She walked twice, stole two bases and had a hit. 

Avery Kellen had a hit, scored two rims, drove in two and stole two bases. Bristol Paulson stole a base and scored two runs. Kylee Gail walked and scored two runs. Makayla Bertram went one-for-two with a walk and an RBI. Ellen Anderson walked, stole a base and drove in a run. 

Parker Stotesbery went one-for-three with a run scored. Occasionally I spot a last name that is familiar from when I wrote for the Morris newspaper. Brings warm feelings. 

Border West scored four runs each in the first two innings. 

Let's not forget pitching here! Border West has the creds in that department too. Jadyn Kellen worked throughout and she struck out five batters while allowing two hits. 

Benson has been given the green light to keep using its "Braves" nickname. I'm not sure that is a wise course. University of North Dakota has moved on.

Border West's Sadie Wright threw a no-hitter in the 11-0 win over Lac qui Parle Valley on April 10. Sadie struck out eight. She is the Neon Needles Subway Player of the Game.
 

   

- Brian Williams -morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com

Sometimes we have to absolutely realize failure

Memories are stored in this place: First Lutheran

So I'm a "quitter" now. That's what someone suggested to me last week. Or at least strongly implied. I had swallowed the bitter pill of continual decline by my First Lutheran Church over a long time. Part of us wants to "suck it up" in situations like this. In Morris you do not want to be perceived as "negative." So I'm just supposed to look the other way as brick-by-brick my church just deteriorated. 

I have a long memory from when things were so much better. Maybe it was the continual decline that got to me. The drop-off became predictable. 

Maybe memories are fading of when First Lutheran members made a decision every Sunday morning: go to the early service or the late service. Coffee and fellowship in between. 

I have never been programmed to just accept a steady rate of deterioration in anything. I noticed significant problems in our Morris public school system in the 1980s. That situation became horribly uncomfortable before we finally had some people in power who slowly called for some adjustment. In the mid-1980s I was like the boy who said the emperor had no clothes. 

People were not inclined to say I was wrong, just that I was being negative or "drastic" or some such thing. The forces on the other side of these matters gravitated to expedience or simple "quiet." Maybe it was the persistence of certain problems that got to me in the end. "Small town expedience" got to me perhaps. 

Little by little my First Lutheran Church deteriorated. Do I have to remind you of the main catalyst? The whole gay rights thing that came down to us from the national level. But what consequences of all that! 

We can say that First Lutheran was proud of its building once. It has slipped in that regard because of handicapped/elderly accessibility issues. The problem is accentuated by the seriously aging complexion of small town churchgoers. And these people do not want "gay rights" thrust in their faces. They are reasonable people primarily and they would want humane treatment for all. So OK, the church can remind everyone of that over-arching value and then move on. Move on, I tell you, and don't try to educate me about "LGBTQ" etc. Sexual preference is just one component of life. 

So in the ashes of all this we now have First Lutheran Church of Morris. I remember its true heyday. No one would have accused it of being liberal. Our pastor was a Nixon Republican in the days when the political landscape of America was quite different. Republicans and Democrats could get along mostly, often just treating their differences with an air of levity. Nothing like today. Today it's "MAGA against the world" and Donald Trump actually lost in 2016, I mean he got three million fewer votes than the Democratic candidate. The electoral college is a holdover from Civil War reconstruction. Give the southern bigots some room to operate. 

I'm sure MAGA was a factor in the tumble downward of my old First Lutheran Church. Can the people there even hold their heads high anymore? They will say they can. They are deluded. 

Can I cut to the chase here? What kind of church does not even have an activity at their own building every Sunday? The congregation is paying to keep the building open. And it just sits there now on half of all Sundays, virtually unused? When I try to state the obvious like this, as with our public school system in the 1980s, people really sniff and get resentful. It's interesting how they stop making eye contact with me. The worst ones cease trying to use logic and just come at me with ad hominem personal criticism. I'm "negative." I'm a "quitter." I had an important local person accuse me of being negative to my face in the 1980s. As if the local public really truly wanted to plod along indefinitely with our public school as it was operating. As if the school was ashamed of making a genuine commitment to extracurricular. You should know what I'm talking about. Oh here I go again assuming that these people can actually peel through obfuscation and self-interest on the part of certain people and see the truth. People in their comfortable positions who fear any boat-rocking. Many of them simply fear change, especially people with government jobs. We still have a teachers union in Morris that can be very irritating, at least this was true up through a couple years ago. Oh, I do try to hold out hope. I'm not a quitter, I just think there is no hope for First Lutheran Church. Here's a heading on the Drudge Report this a.m.: "26 percent say Trump a positive role model." 26 percent? "Trump is a positive role model?" Why has our society gone to hell so horribly? The man was found responsible in a legitimate legal proceeding for sexual assault. Shall I go on? Maybe we should not not have any churches anymore. Our military destroys an Iranian girls school. Our Navy sinks an Iranian ship and doesn't bother to rescue survivors. I feel like the only sane person in an insane asylum. But go ahead and keep calling me names. Call me a "quitter."

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Johnny Carson reflected the U.S. "monoculture"

"The Groove Tube" was a 1974 movie, the title of which was a takeoff on "boob tube." "Boob tube" was a popular way of putting down the vacuous TV entertainment of pre-digital times, when entertainment creators had to shape a product to try to please everyone. Which of course meant that the entertainment came up short for a lot of people. As opposed to today's "niche programming" which has now been around a long time.

 

"Johnny Carson, our nation urns its lonely eyes to you." The quote is from yours truly on this wet Saturday morning of late spring. We're in that netherworld of weather where we can't be sure what's coming.

Johnny Carson?  He passed on a long time ago of course. He smoked heavily in a time when people sort of shrugged at such vices. I mean like drinking alcohol too. Johnny had guests on his TV show like Dean Martin who at least pretended to love alcohol. We laughed at the jokes connected to that. We laughed at Foster Brooks. 

And so I invoke the name Johnny Carson to address American cultural history and particularly pop culture which of course can influence our behavior. Many of us abused alcohol and unlike Dean Martin and Foster Brooks, were not pretending. "Outlaw country music" went through a wave of popularity, actually approved by the Carters in the White House. The president had a brother Billy whose name was a brand of beer. 

Waxing nostalgic here? Well not really. Of course it's not nice to feel ashamed of our cultural past. Our elders dove in with the norms of the times. And we don't like to be hard on them. We'll rationalize that life was tough for the older folks and so a few vices or failings were OK. Ah, the days of the World War II generation who had been through so much. Had literal PTSD in many cases. The initials had not gained currency yet. You think there wasn't an epidemic of PTSD after the Civil War? World War One? 

Our elders have faced the burden of providing for the next generation as it develops. We cut them slack and it's justified. Well, except that Mothers Against Drunk Driving came along and took care of a certain problem. Ambitious lawyers finally fought and won against the tobacco companies. 

 

The "monoculture" 

I am a baby boomer. For us folks "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" was a staple when growing up. I bring up the show not just to stimulate a little warm nostalgia which it certainly can do. No, the show if watched in "retro" fashion today would be like a lens into our cultural past. It would be a lens into the U.S. "monoculture" that lasted for a long time. It is close to being gone now. 

The monoculture meant there was a true sense of shared culture. Think back to "Look" and "Life" magazines as prime examples from the print media. 

 

Good or not so good? 

"Shared culture" sounds like a positive thing, right? It was really a mixed bag. But right now as I reflect in the year 2026, I find myself pining some. The good outweighed the bad IMHO - actually it was all like a sedative. Well, smoking cigarettes is literally a sedative. We need some forces at present to get people calmed down. 

The "monoculture" of our entertainment world gave way to "niche programming" and my what a miracle this seemed to be. What could be better than having your own particular tastes catered to? We couldn't resist thinking this as the number of TV channels proliferated. MTV! Channels in December that ran the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" ceaselessly because the movie had fallen into the "public domain." The movie was not all that good. But kids who were force-fed this movie can't help but feel fondness for it now. 

Beyond "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" there was the endless panoply of "network TV entertainment shows." The prime time shows that came and went with such frequency, it was kind of depressing. And my, there was the phenomenon of "TV ratings." The western staple "Bonanza" did super for a long time. 

"Bonanza" was pretty vapid and one-dimensional. It followed the nature of TV and movie westerns always wanting to impress morality on us. Especially the kids. You might say the Judeo-Christian ethic. Which can only be good? Not so fast. After years of such fare being dished out, we ended up with an American culture that was hopelessly passive about the Vietnam war. This even with the facts of the war coning at us daily. Americans collectively sat on their hands, even when our young men were being sent into the meat grinder. 

Just think if the U.S. had not followed the siren song (or whatever it was) for getting into that war. Today we can maybe suggest there is a siren song for getting involved in the "endless Mideast wars." The current U.S. president talked for a long time like he and his MAGA crowd would avoid this at all costs. The more things change, the more they. . . You know. 

So now we may have a major new wave of inflation coming at us. After we've already been flummoxed by this. 

Alas, "niche programming" of our contemporary age has given us "conservative media" like Fox News. This empowers all the know-nothings out there, people who try to lead by emotion. In the age of Johnny Carson entertainment, the far right political stuff was marginalized. Would see pamphlets given out at an oddball county fair booth, for example. Today there's the litany of "conservative" podcasters, e.g. Jesse Kelly. 

Will niche programming in the media be our undoing as a nation? People get attention today who in past times would not have had a prayer. Are people conscious of this? 

Richard Nixon was brought down because the old system worked, the system with rules truly based on the Judeo-Christian ethic or framework. Today? Hell's bells, look at the endless abominations committed by the president and really his whole "menagerie" around him. And he has Supreme Court justices playing along. 

In the Johnny Carson era, America went along with a political norm that had "liberals" in an important position because this of course guaranteed that "the little guy" would be taken care of. This was actually very important to the World War II generation, which had the GI Bill among other things to celebrate. The WWII generation could be pretty collectivist. Today "collectivism" is like an obscenity. No man is an island? Oh yes they are. 

So we're ready to wade into an ever-worsening inflation situation because we refuse to insist that our current MAGA leadership be kicked out. We passively read the new batch of headlines every day. The suggestion to convict/imprison Barack Obama, James Comey and others? Well, yawn. 

 

Johnny Carson

Just levity, not scorn

Johnny Carson avoided politics except to "tease" whatever president was in office in an innocuous way. It was simply irreverent. Down deep, Johnny Carson and his audience had faith in the nation's reassuring foundation, you night say our pulse. 

The Johnny Carson show began at 10:30 p.m. Mercy! My bedtime today is considerably earlier. I'm a little ashamed as I recall how I always felt I was missing something if I didn't stay up for a portion of the show. Totally escapist fare. If a movie actor like William Holden started getting into the weeds with cinema craftsmanship - as I observed him doing once - you just knew that Johnny would feel uncomfortable and he'd want to steer the chat back to the normal superficiality. 

We ate it up, we laughed, then we went to bed. Today we can call up endless "podcasts" at that hour including the far-right (political) ones. I suspect a lot of people do that. Is this the same folly that America experienced when we sat on our hands during Vietnam?

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff 54@gmail.com