Evidence keeps mounting and now: Mark Pavelich

Can we overlook glory of sports?

Has all the news about head injuries in sports had an impact on you yet? I began weighing 4-5 years ago if I should start withdrawing sports interest. That's easier said than done. The sobering thoughts about head injuries were in the back of my mind. But it took time to break some longstanding habits.
For a time I was trying to proclaim it was mission accomplished, yet I digested sports news with a fair amount of interest, for the standard reasons. It is so tempting to be entertained by the fast-moving bodies on the TV screen.
The famous doctor behind the initial revelations about CTE admitted there was a beauty in these sports - "like ballet," he said. Will Smith played the doctor in the movie.

Perspective: words and intent
People used to boast about how they'd ignore Howard Cosell or turn the sound off when he was on. To refresh: Cosell was the guy with a rather bombastic image who graced our TV screens for Monday night football. Monday night football became nothing short of an entertainment rage in the 1970s, those disco '70s. Football entertainment was not as readily available then. That's why the weekly Monday broadcast became such an absolute sensation, and there was the verbose Cosell holding his microphone.
So, people claimed he was irritating and all that, but the truth really was that he was part of the winning entertainment chemistry. People claimed to be trying to ignore him, to be turning the sound down or even off! They might claim to be throwing objects at the TV screen in protest. Hardly any of that was true of course, maybe none of it. It was a pop culture notion.
By the same token, fans today might say they're trying to pay less attention to football or hockey. They try to convince us that the health risks in these sports aren't worth it. And they are so right. But when you come across these events on TV, the events seem to have all the luster and popularity they always had. So when we hear talk of how the football Gophers might be Pasadena-bound, hey, we feel the "rush," right? Don't we feel like pinching ourselves, even.
I mean, when I was a kid, the Gophers weren't in the discussion of Rose Bowl candidates. I remember the sober and scowling faces of father figure coaches Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan. St. Paul newspaper columnist Don Riley joked about "the Big 2 and the Little 8" in the Big 10. Didn't seem like much fun. The Gophers were a step or two below, in position to be buried most of the time by the national powers. So today we see a quite changed complexion with Minnesota in the upper tier while Nebraska - gasp! - is among the pedestrian group.
Yes, "they don't win because of the uniforms." That expression always amused me. When I used to tune in and see the crimson-trimmed Nebraska uniform, there was a sense of awe. These were the "big boys." The U of M seemed often to be an also-ran, at least in terms of competing for the Rose Bowl. Now that we're up there, I feel a tinge of sadness because I can no longer admire or really follow Big Ten football any more. It has become unconscionable. And truly I have succeeded in accomplishing this. I'm not just posturing or pretending.
I'm only generally aware of the Gophers' successes because I continue subscribing to the Star Tribune (which I buy for our senior center in Morris) and I can't help but notice the headlines. Am I at least happy? No, because the physical price paid by the young men in these games is too much. There is no longer any doubt about the conclusions to be drawn.
You insist on portraying me as a stick in the mud? As someone who takes certain things too seriously? Who can't let his hair down and just enjoy the Gophers' new-found glory? How can I not jump up and down? Well, in perusing the state news section of our venerated state newspaper, we see another big and scary exhibit of what sports does to people. Some of these injured souls can be a hazard to other people.
It isn't enough to tell parents to show caution or just "be informed." Keep your sons out of these activities, let them harness those energies in other things. Don't be blinded by the shallow entertainment value of players sprinting into the end zone or scoring a goal in hockey (although I have never been entertained by hockey, nor have I ever understood its appeal at all).
  

Mark Pavelich (WTIP image)

Very fresh news
The news in the Tuesday Strib was about Mark Pavelich. He was one of the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey players. Remember the movie about that, starring Kurt Russell? Russell played coach Herb Brooks who I got to know when he came to Morris to promote hockey's expansion in our community. I'm amused to remember how he gave me a hard time when he realized I was "press." He saw me taking notes! By the end of his stay, we had an amicable relationship.
Brooks ended up dying on our highways in what I believe was an accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel. Incredibly sad.
Brooks and Pavelich helped give us an amazing chapter in sports history. But we're saddened at present to learn of the price Pavelich is now paying for his time in the rugged sport of hockey. A badge of manhood? Forget all that. With what we now know about the health dangers of football and hockey, we might well cite a badge of stupidity or ignorance. Keep your children out of these Neanderthal games. Don't be tempted to watch them on TV, even if they exude a "siren song" appeal. I once felt that.
Pavelich is just 61 years old. I repeat: just 61. He might be civilly committed to a mental health facility. This results from a determination that he is incompetent to stand trial. Should this "Miracle on Ice" guy be judged "mentally ill" or "mentally ill and dangerous?" Those are the questions being weighed.
Sports agents often tell their clients the reality about their position in life. In other words, don't be fooled by the cheers and adulation. The fans know nothing about you, the realities of your life and how you'll get by the rest of your life. Pavelich played hockey hard while fans screamed their approval, reinforcing the commitment to the game.
And where is Pavelich's life at now? Are the fans truly concerned about him now? Are we willing to make any sort of investment in him now, like how we once bought tickets and watched TV broadcasts full of ads for things like beer? All that commercial activity, just because so many of us ere entranced by those fast-moving bodies on the TV screen - men seeking "victory." So what? Who gives a hoot now?
Just look at Pavelich's life now. How will he spend the rest of his days? Look how Pavelich hurt another human being: he beat James T. Miller with a metal pole after a day of fishing. Miller suffered cracked ribs, a bruised kidney and a vertebrae fracture. The criminal case has been put on hold. Cook County Social Services entered the picture. The agency wants the court to commit Pavelich to the state as "mentally ill and dangerous." There will be a pricetag for the care and treatment of both Pavelich and Miller.

The cost of playing a game
Pavelich's family members assert that Mark suffers from CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, after repeated concussions and blows while playing in the National Hockey League. He began showing evidence of this condition several years ago. The family sought help for him but he refused.
The NHL has been accused of moving too slowly on adjusting the game to make it safer. You might say football is in the same position, but how can either of these games really be made fundamentally safe? A realistic assessment would suggest they can't be.
So where do we go from here? It's just a long slog toward eventual phasing out of these sports, if you can envision that at all. Maybe Howard Cosell with his voice of gusto could persuade us. He was a very intelligent man. He'd understand.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA girls edged in season debut at Benson

Kaitlyn Berreau was a major force for Benson in the Friday game that had our MACA Tigers on the losing end. Our GBB season debut ended in a 65-64 defeat at the hands of the Braves. Berreau is a senior guard. She came at the Tigers with 29 points including an onslaught of seven 3-pointers. She was a force that enabled Benson to escape a halftime deficit.
The Tigers had the 37-27 halftime advantage. The final moments of this contest had drama. The clock showed four seconds left when Benson put the wheels in motion for what turned out to be the decisive play. It was a baseline out-of-bounds play. Claire Ricard got the ball in her hands and put up a successful shot. The fans at the Benson gym cheered for the home team success.
MACA fans watched as there was just one Carrington in action instead of the two that we might have expected. MACA athletics was dealt an injury blow during the fall when Maddie Carrington experienced a torn ACL in a Homecoming exhibition event. So we now see Meredith Carrington gamely carrying the family banner in hoops exploits for the new season. Meredith had impact as she made two 3-pointers as part of eleven points scored.
Two other Tigers made a pair of 3's: Emma Bowman and Mackenna Kehoe. LaRae Kram added one '3' to the mix. Malory Anderson was the major contributor in the orange and black offense: 17 points. Meredith was second-high, then we have Kram with nine points, Bowman and Kylee Swanson each with eight, Kehoe with seven and Kendra Wevley with four.
Benson's Berreau highlighted the stats with her 29 points. We can just see the scouting reports developing on her. Ricard made noise offensively with her 20 points including the clutch shot at the end. Benson's other scorers were Abby Lundebrek (5), Abbie Mitteness (4), Marissa Connelly (3), Sarah Brandt (2) and Kimmy Pagel (2).
Berreau's barrage of seven 3-pointers was complemented by one '3' by Connelly. The Braves surged to outscore the Tigers 38-27 in the second half. Our coach Dale Henrich might have to work a little harder with halftime adjustments! The game was the season opener for both teams.
 
Hancock 63, Dawson-Boyd 43
The home gym was the site for the Hancock GBB opener Friday. It was a night to celebrate a winning outcome. The score was 63-43 versus the Blackjacks of Dawson-Boyd. (I've always enjoyed that nickname.)
Hancock breezed with a 35-21 advantage in the first half and kept going with a 28-22 edge in second half play. Four Owls each made one 3-point shot: Kaitlyn Staples, Jenna Kannegiesser, Alexis Staples and Morgan Kisgen. It was Kisgen leading the way in scoring with 14 points. Two other Owls got into double figures: Rylee Hanson and Alexis Staples each with eleven. Six other Owls scored: Kannegiesser (9), Tori Pahl (7), Kaitlyn Staples (5), Lindsey Mattson (2), Jordan Hausmann (2) and Misti Zempel (2).
Pahl topped the rebound list with eight followed by Kannegiesser and Kisgen each with six. Kisgen picked up two assists. Kisgen and Alexis Staples each had two steals.
The Bartuneks led the Dawson-Boyd scoring, Avery with 15 points and Laney with eleven. Other Blackjacks with points were Chelsie Husby (7), Alexis Breitenstein (5), Amelia Olson (3) and Rachael Lund (2). Husby had the only '3' for the Blackjacks. Their rebound leaders were Avery Bartunek with ten and Olson with five. Olson dished out three assists. Steal leaders were Avery Bartunek with nine and Olson with three.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

"And Every Day You Take Another Bite" - L. Merchant

"And Every Day You Take Another Bite" was the name of a 1971 book by Larry Merchant, about the sport of football. The author looked behind the pretensions and axioms.

We all know what's coming in the next Morris newspaper: a huge splash of attention, glorifying-style, on the Hancock football team. This is not to be taken as criticism. The paper is just doing what it's expected to do. There is nothing like sports, believe me, for supplying grist for a community newspaper's product.
I get a sense of the glee surrounding Hancock football as I visit a local restaurant in the morning. One feels obligated to go along with it. I would wager there is no more talent on the Hancock football roster than on the Morris roster. I think a lot depends on what enrollment classification a team is in. It looks like Hancock played a team Thursday that had no defense. Maybe the smallest schools are in an environment where many members are just hanging on to keep football. You would think that at this advanced stage of the playoffs, games would tend to be close. People who follow the scores year to year know this is not the case. Perhaps there is a "haves vs. have-nots" phenomenon.
As the enrollment size gets bigger, maybe there is more of a sense of healthy parity.
State sports tournaments are tailor-made to accommodate the needs of local media.
 
Pause to look deeper
OK, you sense all these observations are needlessly contrarian. Why not get on the bandwagon, you probably ask.
Surely you sense this analysis gets too "deep" and seems depressing. There's nothing wrong with thinking a little deep sometimes, as followers of our President Trump ought to realize and learn from. We have never seen such anti-intellectualism. We live in a congressional district that is taking on a strong "red" tone, where people simply depart from critical thinking skills. It's all emotional on behalf of Trump. It's all finger-pointing at the "socialist" Democrats. Yes, socialism that might free you from having to deal with private health insurance.
How might I justify the contrarian stance about high school football? No need to grope here. There are probably buses rumbling down to the state playoffs. Some pretty full carfulls too, no doubt. Boys and girls will join the parents. But what kind of takeaway is there for the girls? They are jumping up and down and cheering for a team in a sport where girls are not even allowed. What gives? Girls are too delicate? That would have to be the argument. But we are fully into a new age in which girls are not considered delicate for doing anything. So how does one rationalize the males-only sport?
Let's grope: It's dangerous yes but males have this distinct quality that makes them willing to risk and sacrifice their body? Women are not programmed to do this and would not want to do it, the argument goes. There is a word for this: bias.
Quite obviously the solution is not to open the door for girls playing tackle football. In Morris there is quite the history with the Homecoming powder puff football game, which started out non-sanctioned as a tackle game. It was controversial. Hey, all the girls were doing, was playing a game in the same manner as the boys had legally done for a long time. The school finally got its hooks into this event and transformed it from tackle to the seemingly more tame flag football. But Morris cross country lost one of its finest all-time performers this past fall, Maddie Carrington, due to a torn ACL in the powder puff event.

Bite after bite, indeed
What's with the lure we all continue to feel toward the sport of football? I never played it, and I sense no void in my life. I faced no risk of a torn ACL or concussions that science shows can be quite impactful later in life.
The sport of football got a big boost in the 1960s when the increasing quality of color TV drew fans to the tube more and more. Nothing like this phenomenon happened in the 1950s. Football was somewhat marginalized and we actually heard more talk about how the sport was unreasonably violent. By the mid-'60s due to the TV element, football took over as truly entrancing and almost addictive.

The Owls at left in photo from "Maxpreps"

High school football in Minnesota had no playoffs in an earlier time. Teams just played for their conference championship. That was good enough. Football mania pushed things further. We now have the extended post-season where players on the winning teams get exposed to more chance of injury. The fans innocently go crazy as they follow the winning teams in this sport where girls are not allowed. The young boys get fired up about wanting to play football someday.
The winning communities give the impression that everyone in town is totally transfixed and entranced. I would suggest this is an illusion. Many people are probably quite content going about their normal lives and paying only passing attention if even that. Not that they would want to diss what is going on, right? But maybe they should.
Football mania strikes me as an escape from a mundane day-to-day world that often depresses us. The student athletes are the pawns or to be more blunt, the gladiators. No exaggeration intended. How would you argue that this description is off-base? The players get no lifelong benefit from the experience. They have serious risk of injury to body and brain. So society, even in this age of supposed total gender equality, decides things are really not that equal after all. "Girls don't play football." It would be unwise, I guess, because of a chivalrous attitude about how girls require more protection from the pain and injuries? But what about the boys? Shouldn't their interests be served in the same way? Why not?

Well boys are boys and they must be ready, after all, to join the military and go fight in a big foreign war somewhere. We just celebrated all that with Veterans Day. Well, heaven help us all if we end up in a big conventional war again. War is nothing but bad. A new movie is out about the battle of Midway from World War II. Odd how we get entertained by such fare. We feel entertained because we feel no risk ourselves from our seats in the movie theater. Just like we feel no risk as we sit in our U.S. Bank Stadium seats to watch state championship football. Let's hope nobody gets hurt.
We all know what next week's Morris newspaper is going to look like. Few people will read the actual articles. The coverage will be there as a tribute to our cultural addiction to football. Never mind trying to really learn about the specifics behind the impeachment move for President Trump. Just cry out "fake news!" and you'll fit right in, in this Seventh Congressional District.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Ken Fisher gets blowback for simple candor

Ken Fisher

Political correctness is a complicated and dangerous thing. Once a politically correct assertion is made, you disagree with it at great risk.
We are all aware, I'm sure, of how P.C. can fly in the face of reality. Were it to be enforced 100 percent, we would no longer see the old cowboys and Indians movies. The old Charlie Chan franchise has probably not recovered since a cable channel planned a "marathon" of movies. One of the issues was that non-Chinese people were playing the roles of the heroes. In the same way, many of your basic white guys put on Indian accoutrements to be extras in the old war-whoop movies. Hollywood probably holds breath and pleads for us to give a pass to the older stuff.
I have viewed a couple of the old "Amos 'n' Andy" episodes and I actually think they portray black people in a better light than a lot of the hip-hop-ish stuff today. Don Imus did what I saw as a parody of hip-hop culture, and the P.C. explosion was viral. You knew the writing was on the wall right away - that's how these things go. Imus did make a mistake: he drew college student-athletes into his ad-libbing one morning. Actually it was a co-host that drew him into it. Hip-hop culture/lingo is ripe for parody or even criticism. The movie "Undercover Brother" was loved by many as parody without any intent of prejudice.
 
A fresh dust-up
Let's move to the present and the subject of Ken Fisher. Now, this is a textbook example, one in a long progression of how P.C. outrage develops a life of its own. You have probably seen plugs for Fisher's investment services as you scan the day's news. He's one of these people who'll be happy to take your money and invest it. I don't have the stomach for it.
Fisher has been dinged because of a comment made with intention of levity at a conference. He used an analogy. Uh-oh, be careful with your analogies. There was no intent of anything going public from this conference of investment people. But someone feigned outrage and that's all it takes. I say "feigned" because I'm certain this individual was not personally offended. Maybe it's someone wanting to take some wind from Fisher's sails.
Fisher manages billions of dollars. He steers lots of money into stocks. That's great as long as stocks keep going up. It's not my cup of tea. He said something which if heard around a water cooler would be considered normal patter. He compared the process of wooing a client to a man seeking amorous attention from a female. OK we're talking about "hitting on" a girl. Let's make it more earthy and imagine a bar setting. In the pre-digital era, men pursued females in this manner, very often around alcohol.
Men pursued females? To this day, isn't that how it happens? Surely you won't suggest that gender equality has made totally obsolete the model of men hitting on women. It's hardly ever the other way around, and in situations where it is, it might open the door for slut-shaming. There, I have now made a statement that exposes me to outrage.
Except that, can you really argue that my assertions are untrue? Men pursue women and they learn to become hardened by rejection. Women don't experience anything like that on a personal level. Maybe men become better salespeople because they are more prepared to deal with rejection. Fisher's language got more earthy than I would care for. He used the expression "getting into a woman's pants." I don't like the expression, not because I'm holier than thou, I just don't like it. Aesthetics.
I cannot speak as the voice of experience on courting! I have not gotten close to having a special or social relationship with a particular female. I learned long ago that if I even broached the possibility, I get laughed at. It is a reality I have come to live with. So I cannot speak from true experience when it comes to assessing Fisher's remarks and the odd little firestorm that resulted. Once the P.C. alarm gets sounded, yes like a flashing light, it easily takes on a life of its own. That much I know.

All it takes is a spark
I had my own relevant experience with outrage here in Morris MN, when I was in the corporate media. I learned that no matter what defense you mount, once the alarm bell sounds it cannot be muffled. I ran a photo in the Morris Sun Tribune sports section, a photo taken at the state cross country meet. The photo was taken by the coach. I am certain that the coach thought the photo was not only proper, it was amusing and maybe even charming. It showed two young kids on opposite sides of a spirit banner. The banner proclaimed "Morris Area cross country, like a bat out of hell."
And you know what? "Hell" wasn't even spelled out in full - hyphens were used. I'm not sure that even matters. I'm not sure the word "hell" is even profane if used in this context.
Critics of my work needed to realize that I plowed through an awful lot of material on a given day, thus I wasn't going to get too focused on any one thing. And even if I did, I would not have cried "foul" on this photo. And just like those people around the water cooler, 99 percent of us would think nothing of the photo, were it not for a P.C. siren going off.
So an aggrieved parent took umbrage and wrote a little letter to the editor that might be described as incendiary. It was highly personal, directed at me.
Just think: "Like a bat out of h--." Doesn't that leave you speechless? Most likely it doesn't, just like a young male rambling about "getting into a woman's pants" would be no big deal, would probably prompt a smile or two. Oh come on, you know.

We understand roles
Again, would even the most ardent feminists argue against the notion that we still live in a culture where men are pursuers and women are the pursued? You can't argue with that, can you? So if you don't, how do you reconcile this reality with one of your main tenets: that men and women ought to be seen as totally on the same plane, no stereotypes? Well of course the two genders have differences.
Fisher was making light of how men from time immemorial have pursued women like they are a coveted quarry. There's no revelation there. The guy who "revealed" Fisher's comment to the world, as if he was opening the curtain on a disgusting individual, would probably be amused if he heard the statement in question around the water cooler. So we have the real world, the reasonable world, versus a detached reality where the P.C. alarm bell can ruin people.
Don Imus showed some questionable judgment, in bringing in student athletes with his parody, but was it prima facie disgusting? A meme took over that it was. Imus was forced out of his morning time slot on MSNBC. That paved the way for Joe Scarborough. Scarborough later talked very respectfully about Imus. Imus established the model for what Scarborough took over, according to Scarborough. No dissing of the man. But at the height of the P.C. firestorm, there was no room for Imus to breathe. (Remember his fellow panelist who did such a fine impression of Ray Nagin, the New Orleans mayor?)
 
Cool your jets
Fisher is a normal heterosexual male and not a sexist. How on earth would this be sexist? The language is irreverent and a little raw, yes.
Oh, I should end my anecdote about the cross country picture, with how a school board friend of mine reacted. She actually felt there was cause to be offended by the photo. I considered her a pretty sage person and capable of knowing better. She bought into the alarm bell suggestion - in the letter to the editor - that we ought to summon outrage. I assume certain kids or kids with their parents made the spirit banner. If it was so offensive, was any consideration given to suspensions or any other special punishment? Well of course not.
If people could put aside the dust storm of outrage, caused by one bitter parent, they'd know better. Well, they know better anyway but had to act concerned. And from my standpoint, it put me on the defensive. The letter writer was my family dentist. He wasn't any more.

Amos 'n' Andy

Speaking of Amos 'n' Andy, remember how the characters talked in a particular vernacular that might suggest in the minds of some, "ignorant?" Isn't this why the show eventually vanished? Well I remember a big shot on the Morris school board speaking at a formal event at the old Sunwood Inn. He told a joke that had a black character, someone I presume in a menial occupation. The joke teller gave lines in Amos 'n' Andy fashion. It was quite marked, and people laughed. If someone felt affronted or at least wanted to pretend to be affronted, that person today could use electronic media to make a big deal out of it. But the banquet I'm remembering was in the 1980s, cave painting times compared to today.
The joke-teller's initials were R.L. It was a school-related event or fete but I'm not certain trying to remember the specifics.
People my age, when we were young, observed lots of non-P.C. stuff. We let it be like water off a duck's back.
Oh, remember the "Wa Tan Ye" girls from the musical "The Music Man?"
I wouldn't personally use the expression "get in a woman's pants" but I'm not going to condemn someone over it. Men talk about sex. Yes, and the Pope is Catholic.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Not a profile in courage: Congressman Peterson

Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District

Our fossil Congressman Collin Peterson of the Seventh District has disappointed his political party by turning thumbs-down on moving forward with ground rules for the House impeachment inquiry.
Maybe it's a case of Ol' Fossil having stayed at the dance too long. Do you suppose he believed Donald Trump, when the president said Mexico would "pay for the wall?"
The House voted Thursday to approve the ground rules. Peterson calls himself a Democrat. A rather expedient one, it seems, as he can sniff that his rural district might be tilting the way of so many rural districts.
The so-called red states seem rural in complexion with many pickups making the rounds still with their "Hillary for prison" stickers affixed. Some of these pickup drivers are known to block electric charging stations as a political statement. I guess it's anti-tree-hugger or something like that. It's in line with the Trump attitude of being as anti-intellectual (or anti-fact) as possible. Peterson does not wish to take on this crowd.
Only one other Democrat voted like Ol' Fossil and that's Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey.
We're in the "wild west" of Minnesota I guess. Lots of open, non-descript land. The last election was likely too close for comfort for the veteran handshaker Peterson. Now he's up against a 100 percent Trumpite, last name Fischbach. Trump buried Clinton in the 2016 voting out here. Peterson would be scared s--tless, I presume, trying to contradict that mandate. But why can't he tap a simple sense of conscience? Just asking.
 
Echoing the GOPers
Of all things, Peterson voiced a "process" complaint about impeachment. That's incredibly weak and just reflects leading Republicans' language at this time. Such complaints mean you're groping. But he said at the same time he wants to see all the facts. Isn't that what the current process is about?
One could gag when reading the quote attributed to Peterson about how the impeachment process is "hopelessly partisan." There is no hope for Peterson gravitating to logic. As if the mad dog GOPers are not partisan. GOPers say the current efforts are aimed at invalidating the 2016 election. But wait, if Trump is removed, he'd be replaced by another Republican, right?
We continue to be in "Alice in Wonderland" with the Trump presidency. Sue Dieter who mysteriously disappeared from the Morris newspaper recently, is at Peterson's side now. She's "communications director" though I'm curious what her job really entails. So she has to speak for the congressman's edgy position on the impeachment process.

Ol' Fossil

Republican senators in North Dakota and South Dakota are urging Democrats to end the probe. But what about getting the facts that Peterson says he wants to weigh?
 
Just like the soaps
America has become literally sick with the cacophony of outrageous news reports coming out about Trump every week. You can get drugged watching it all on MSNBC. It's like what people used to say about watching soap operas: you can cease watching a particular soap for a couple weeks and it doesn't matter - you tune in again and it's like you didn't miss anything. Likewise with watching MSNBC throughout the day, or CNN if that's your preference.
The Trump supporters on Fox News seem like total clowns. It seems like "performance art" on Fox. All these channels now know they have a gravy train. I'll turn it on at mid-afternoon on any given day and think, "wow, this is big breaking news," a sense of revelation. Curious thing, though: nothing comes of it, and eventually it becomes a day-to-day drag of nothing happening or getting resolved.
So the Democrats are now seeking to move forward with a meaningful process to get facts that are not tainted by the truly corrupt Trump and his crowd, obfuscating, creating diversions etc. Peterson evidently thinks Trump needs more of an opportunity to do his thing with polluting the process, gumming up the works. Quite the talent for doing that, Mr. Trump has.
Curious how we in West Central Minnesota are so quick to be skeptical of Democrats, to just treat them with a broad and skeptical brush. If you were to sit down with Adam Schiff and others on that side, you would connect with them so much more genuinely than with the Fischbachs of the world. It would be good for you.
The red staters applaud as Trump "tweets" about impeachment as "the greatest witch hunt in American history." A tweet from the greatest cad in U.S. politics, a guy who should have been written off after the "Access Hollywood" tape. BTW has Mexico offered money for the wall?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com