Thomas Tiernan nails four 3's, scores 20 in win

Tigers 86, BOLD 66

Jackson Loge took on a more complementary role in scoring in the Thursday night game. The top MACA scorer in the home win was Thomas Tiernan. He and Loge were forces as the Tigers downed the BOLD Warriors 86-66. 

I don't know how many fans were at the Tiger Center to cheer. Also don't know if masks are continuing to be worn by players. The situation can be fluid. But it surely was an upbeat night for the fans of the orange and black. 

Our offense was robust as we scored 48 first half points, double the BOLD total. We coasted to our fifth victory with 38 second half points, actually fewer than BOLD's 42. 

So we sit at 5-0. Tiernan was a force from outside with four three-pointers, team-best. Brandon Jergenson made three long-rangers, Cole Wente two and Sam Kleinwolterink one. 

Important as Tiernan and Loge were, the attack had a total of four double figures scorers. Tiernan's long-range eye helped put him on top of the list with 20 points. Loge put in 17. Then we see Jergenson with 15 and Wente with 12. Toby Gonnerman added eight points to the mix and Kleinwolterink five. Completing the list: Riley Reimers 4, Andrew Olson 3 and Durgin Decker 2. 

Loge snared 12 rebounds to lead. Jergenson was tops in assists with seven. Loge led in steals (5) and blocked shots (3). 

Two BOLD players handled most of the scoring load: Drew Sagedahl with 27 points and Cole Visser with 17. Jack Gross and Max Marks each scored six. Other Warriors: Avery  Herdina 4, Braeden Tersteeg 3, Ethan Sullivan 2 and Noah Boen 1. Visser led the way in long-rangers with five 3's. Then we see Sagedahl with three, Marks two and Gross one. 

Sagedahl attacked the boards for six rebounds. Tersteeg was assist leader with seven. Sagedahl's seven steals was tops. BOLD came out of the game winless for the season.

 

Girls: Tigers 70, Melrose 62

The Friday story for the MACA girls hoops team was a win by eight, 70-62, at Melrose. We escaped the four-point deficit we had at the halfway mark. We charged out for second half play with a sharper style, surely putting a smile on coach Dale Henrich's face. So the reward was our second win of the season against three losses. Melrose likewise came out of the night at 2-3. 

Sydney Dietz topped our scoring list with 18 points. Plus she collected seven rebounds. LaRae Kram was a cog with 16 points and six rebounds. Then we see Emma Bowman with 14 points and Maddy Grove with nine.

 

Boys hockey: Red Lake Falls 3, Storm 2

Things looked hopeful in the opening period when Zach Bruns scored the game's first goal (at 7:01). Assists were from Cole Blume and Kaleb Breuer. But the Bruns goal was not an indicator of the game's outcome. Playing at the home Benson ice, the Storm came out on the short end versus Red Lake Falls 3-2 on Friday. 

The Bruns goal was followed by three straight by the opposition. The onslaught began with Ty Kennett scoring unassisted at 7:37 of the first. Zak  Kennett struck with an assist from Blake Arlt at 11:48. Following a scoreless second period, the Kennett boys got busy again, first with Zak scoring with assists from Ty and from Evan Girdler at 8:44 of the third. 

We got the night's final goal: Brady DeHaan with the success, assists by Hunter Blume and Will Breuer, at 11:48. 

Our goalie was Peyton LeClair who had 31 saves in 34 attempts. The Red Lake Falls goal was guarded by Andrew Johnson: 27 saves in 29 attempts.

 

End of January is here

Dreariness, yes. Some might use the term "winter blahs." I remember when a member of the Vikings was making a stink about his contract and someone said he had the "winter blahs." It's hard to describe but we're all familiar with it. 

I'm reminded of some commentary about the movie "Fargo." It's a movie I generally do not like. Shows too much of the dark side of human nature. I wonder why the bad guy husband had to be a car salesman. But the commentary was about our winter atmosphere here in Minnesota. It rings most true at these end of January times with cloudy skies. We look to the distance. The commenter who was from Minnesota said "you look in the distance and the horizon is this shrouded blue line." 

Not well defined. I'm looking to the north from my residence along Northridge Drive. And yes, I do not see a well-defined horizon. I do not mean "blue" as in blue sky. Blue sky and sunshine would be most welcome. I guess the days are very slowly getting longer as the solstice was in late December. But the process is too slow. We are lacking sunshine and we need this for our collective state of mind. 

The patience is strained especially in these times of the pandemic and its forced restrictions. I worry what will happen to us all, if some real relief does not come. 

Was the U.S. capitol invasion a manifestation of our miserableness? How much worse could it get? Do any of you seriously believe you'd be living better over the next four years if Trump had won? I realize most of you revere Trump, who played golf while so many people suffered and felt stress. For the life of me I don't understand these things. 

With Biden we now have transgender people welcome in the military again. What's next? Dogs and cats sleeping together? Just try to forget about it. 

I look out my picture window facing to the north and am delighted to see rabbits. As our feelings of isolation build, we might welcome rabbits as real companions. I find myself thinking that way. I used to tell my mother "there's Mr. Rabbit!" Sometimes we'd see Mr. Squirrel and even Mr. Fox. Last summer for the first time I saw a beautiful red fox lying in our back yard for a minute or two. Surprising, as usually these creatures are seen fleetingly as they dart by. Often they look not well. The one lying down looked healthy, a nice sight. I suppose they might take a few of the rabbits. That's the ecosystem at work. 

Let's all tough it out through February.

 

Addendum: I don't know why Trump hasn't scheduled any new "rallies" yet, but when he does, I look for his "movement" to go full Nazi. Look at the attitude from that Cornerstone Church in Alexandria. At first the "salutes" will be discouraged, but then we all will have to accept it. I mean, when you cannot stop something. . .

 

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

Stranger in a strange land: the pandemic, Trumpism

Crystal ball, to see future

Imagine telling people two years ago what lay ahead for them as we'd enter 2021. The pandemic by itself is enough of a shocker. People associated this sort of thing with long-ago times: the Spanish flu of WWI. In other words, that was then. 

Just as a pandemic can surely rise up again, so can another phenomenon. This one started in politics and grew into religion. I have a hard time getting that out: the part about religion. Christianity has always had an element more rigid, more steadfast in the face of societal change. The more mainstream element has been able to co-exist without courting turbulent waters. But turbulent waters we have now. 

It's so unnecessary. We had an election and a certain person won, a certain person lost for president. This has gone on all my life. What has happened to us in the year 2020 and now 2021? Is it exaggeration to call it sickness, a parallel to what is happening with the virus? We had better be careful, or widespread chaos and suffering will break out. 

We live under rules as Americans. Wasn't this instilled in you in high school civics class? This man named Donald Trump did not have the election "stolen." It wasn't even that close. But there is a mania out and about. We see it on the north end of our Morris MN: a Trump-Pence sign is between the highway and service road, close to Greeley Plumbing. Not to suggest that Greeley has anything to do with it. So who does? Has our local commercial media asked the question? I haven't seen the Morris newspaper since March.

It is not obvious who is putting this sign forward. Whoever it is, should they assume that Mike Pence would even want anything to do with Trump now? We could have cut some slack for this sign being up until Jan. 6. After Jan. 6 it's a whole different question. Do the sponsors of this sign support what happened on behalf of Trump at the nation's capitol? Isn't that a place we are supposed to hold in reverence? Didn't you learn that in civics class? 

I have some difficulty classifying the evangelical Christians as "conservative." The word can get vague connotations. I was always taught that conservatives were temperate people who liked stability in our society, even if they didn't get their way on every question. Heaven help any political faction that feels it must get its way all the time. Are these people numb to what they saw on Jan. 6? Isn't the outrageousness plain as the nose on your face? 

And isn't it equally plain that Trump stood before this mob and stirred their passions, clearly giving a signal to go and raise heck? He knew the inclinations there in front of him. This was an insurgency. He gave his presidential imprimatur to an insurgency, and proceeded to just observe after that, not even checking to make sure Pence was OK. Isn't all of this simply against civilized standards? 

And now Trump's side is readying for impeachment as if there's a credible defense. You can be sure a group of sharp lawyers can weave a carefully orchestrated defense. 

 

Such an obvious offense

Once dusk arrived on Jan. 6, we had all the info we needed to deal with the crisis. A swift impeachment should have been carried out. Trump ended up leaving his office on schedule. Strange how quiet he is now. But his cult most certainly lives. No doubt it has adherents out here in West Central Minnesota. 

This church is in Alexandria

Let's consider Pastor Darryl Knappen. He presides at Cornerstone Church in Alexandria. He does what he does in the name of Christianity? 

Rev. Knappen published a video on Jan. 9 urging President Trump to implement martial law. He also wanted citizens to organize militias. He pointed fingers at communists, globalists and former president Obama. The church's elders canceled services for Jan. 17 "for reasons that are prudent and wise." I cannot quite fathom what gets into the heads of some of these people. 

Trump is most certainly a mortal person. Does he attend church often? Is he a gentle and empathetic person in the spirit of Christ? Well I would say not. So why the fanaticism which springs from the "evangelicals?" Christianity already had an issue with the extent to which it fed into the Trump momentum. The capitol riot exacerbated everything. It was so essential for action to be taken swiftly: impeachment and repudiation. 

But as with everything concerning Trump, the line seems never to get crossed. He is still taken most seriously. 

 

A precedent with Rodney King

It was said of the Rodney King case that as time passed - as the infamous video was shown endlessly - people got numb to it. That, and the lawyers went to work. When given time, lawyers can most assuredly muddy the waters, so that when looking at the video which clearly showed a supine black man having the crap beaten out of him, well, look for shades of gray or nuances. We get desensitized. 

I thought of the Rodney King video as I followed the news after the capitol invasion. An invasion of the capitol! By a mob that definitely had Trump egging it on. And if he said anything about being peaceful, it was 100 percent CYA. Criminals know all the tricks. And we know what Trump is: a criminal. How much longer can he weasel away from consequences of his shady deeds? 

He insisted the election was "stolen" from him. And instead of being rebuffed, he had people like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, charlatans/opportunists, not even respecting the leadership of their own Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who advised the rational course. There was no stolen election. The electoral college results should have been approved in ceremonial, yes boring fashion. But look at what the TV news networks got instead: a sensational event on the scale of 9/11 almost. It created drama in the worst, most disgusting way. 

And now for sure there is a gaggle of smart lawyers trying to dim the obvious effect of all that, just like with the Rodney King videotape. They know time is their friend. 

We thought a corner might have been turned with Liz Cheney. But I had my doubts. I wanted to tell Liz, daughter of former VP Dick Cheney, that if you're going to kill the king, you had better succeed. Now there's a push by her peers to diminish her influence in the House. The forces on behalf of Trump remain strident. They are heard out and about in our Morris MN area.

Michelle Fischbach (minnpost)

So maybe it's logical we have a new congressperson who obliges such people, to an extent even greater than Tom Emmer. Greater than Tom Emmer! Welcome to our new congressional district, new in tone or reputation anyway. Michelle Fischbach and fellow Republican Jim Hagedorn actually aided the insurrection of Jan. 6. They voted to overturn the results of a free and fair election. Critics have asserted that they broke their oaths to defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. What they did was lend aid and comfort to an insurrectionist mob. 

And we in Morris live within the boundaries of Fischbach's district. She defeated Collin Peterson who acted through the campaign like he was ashamed of his own party, ashamed of Nancy Pelosi. As for Emmer and Pete Stauber, they backed off at the last minute from challenging the electoral college. 

Did Fischbach and Hagedorn make a devious calculation of power over country? 

 

Some rays of hope

Whither the evangelicals now? It's hard to imagine this bloc remaining monolithic in support of Trump after the events of Jan. 6. A portion most definitely are. But another faction seems to be moderating. Maybe this happens by simple consideration of the gospel and Christ. The gospel is supposed to be foremost. 

There is a pastor named Jeremiah Johnson - you might remember the Robert Redford movie of the same name about the mountain man. Well, the pastor is no mountain man but he's helping present some pushback to the fanatical element of the evangelicals. Columnist David Brooks was piqued by this gentleman. Brooks writes about a "war" building within the Christian church in the wake of what he calls "Trumpist mayhem." 

"White evangelicals wrestle with what they've become" was the subhead for Brooks' column. And so we read about Jeremiah Johnson. He is assuredly a "conservative." But he took it upon himself to issue a public apology on Jan. 7, the "day after." He asserted, in a quote from Brooks' column, that "God removed Donald Trump from office because of his pride and arrogance, to humble those, like (himself), who had fervently supported him." 

And the response to such measured thoughts was "swift and vicious," Brooks continued. Swift and vicious because of all the souls like the Cornerstone preacher of Alexandria. Many Trump supporters are "doubling down" - perhaps this is reflected in the Trump sign out by Greeley's. I won't say "Trump-Pence" because I think Pence, even if he's hesitant to profess it, is now out of the Trump camp. Pence's own family was endangered on Jan. 6. If that can't prick your delusion, then nothing can. 

So there's hope? There must always be hope. Without that, we are truly finished. The capitol mob chanted "hang Mike Pence." He was supposed to nullify the electoral college results. He was supposed to select the new president. 

Christian pop music could be heard with the chants of "hang Mike Pence." 

Like I said, tell the people of two years ago about this, share it from a crystal ball, and what would be the reaction? And we haven't even gotten to the pandemic. 

Brooks of the NY Times quoted David French on lessons from war. How to deal with insurgency? "Separate the insurgents from the rest of the population." 

Impeaching the now-former president is an essential part. Can we do it?

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

More of Jim Carrey's insightful artwork, this directed at the now-former First Lady Melania Trump.

 

Tigers overwhelm Lakers at Minnewaska court

Tigers 58, Minewaska 28

It was a long night for Laker fans at their gym Friday. I suppose we can be thankful that we have high school basketball at all. It has a bittersweet air, doesn't it? Does not seem natural for the kids to wear masks, but it has been deemed a necessary precaution. 

I'm assuming this requirement is being followed as I write this. There have been protests and concerns. Athletes are obviously required to breathe heavily during such intense exertion. The fans don't have to worry about that! I don't know how many fans were permitted at the 'Waska gym Friday. The fans of our orange and black, to the extent they were present, had lots to feel good about. 

Jackson Loge was a player of impact as he so often is. On Friday this was to the tune of outscoring the Minnewaska team! He put in 32 points, four more than the Lakers managed in this 58-28 Tiger triumph. Loge had 13 field goals and added six points from the freethrow line. The orange and black climbed to 3-0 while 'Waska was left at 1-2. 

We had matters pretty well in hand by halftime: a 26-12 lead. Thomas Tiernan made two three-pointers as part of his ten points scored. Other points came from Toby Gonnerman (7), Durgin Decker (5), Trey Hunt (3) and Brandon Jergenson (1). Trey's name is new for me to type. Welcome to this blog! 

Loge attacked the boards to collect 13 rebounds. He blocked five shots. Jergenson was team-best in assists (5) and steals (3). 

Looking at Minnewaska, Peyton Johnsrud and Aaron VerSteeg each made a '3'. But the overall offense was lackluster as the top scorer was Sam Hested with eight points. VerSteeg posted seven and Johnsrud five. Then we see Hunter Kostelecky with four points and Brady Hoffman and Damon Uhde each with two. VerSteeg was the Lakers' top rebounder with seven. Hested had two steals and one blocked shot.

 

Girls: Tigers 51, Minnewaska 45 (OT)

Thursday was an upbeat time for the MACA girls hoops squad. The squad garnered victory No. 1. And it was with no shortage of excitement. It was an overtime affair at our home gym! MACA prevailed over Minnewaska Area 51-45 at the Tiger Center. 

We were up to the challenge of overtime as we outscored the Lakers 10-4. We trailed by one at halftime 21-20, then the numbers got reversed in the second half. So the stage was set for OT. The Tigers had poise when it counted most. Coach Dale Henrich had an approving look.

Emma Bowman supplied lots of punch toward our winning outcome. She poured in 19 points. Other double figures scorers were Sydney Dietz with eleven and Meredith Carrington with ten. LaRae Kram contributed five and these teammates each had two: Maddy Grove, Kaylie Raths and Shannon Dougherty. Carrington connected twice from three-point range while Kram had one make. Carrington with her eight rebounds led there. 

Here's the scoring list for the visiting Lakers: Addy Randt (12), Isabella Ortendahl (10), Makena Panitzke (7), Maddie Thorfinnson (7), Annika Randt (4), Avery Hoeper (3) and Brecklyn Beyer (2). Randt made two 3's while Panitzke and Thorfinnson each made one. Ortendahl topped rebounds with 13. Thorfinnson was tops in assists with four. Panitzke had four steals. In blocked shots we see Thorfinnson with five and Panitzke with three.

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

MACA boys take command at Sauk Centre

Tigers 49, Sauk Centre 22

Let there be basketball! It's not a routine pronouncement in this unusual year of 2021, at least the way it's starting out. We are all trying to find some semblance of normal life, as if we're trying to deny the hardship of the pandemic. 

Basketball ended last year just before the state boys tournament. We sensed the end coming pretty abruptly. I remember the MACA girls game at Minnewaska against Eden Valley-Watkins. Life seemed entirely normal that night. There really wasn't a hint that anything was going to be amiss. 

Those of us who are experiencing this will never take normal life for granted again. It's just like the gratefulness of the Depression generation after that distinct adversity was over. My late parents were in that category. Yours truly is in the category of those who will put the pandemic behind them. We will rejoice in the normal things like high school basketball. 

Some churches are now getting some people in the pews again. Mine is: First Lutheran Church of Morris. I was actually surprised how many people were present this past Sunday. I am heartened by that, provided everyone is showing proper prudence. The national news is still rather scary with the pandemic updates, the toll of suffering and death. We pay attention to that while still seeking the satisfaction of normal life, like going to church. And, supporting high school basketball. 

So, MACA fans could feel quite happy seeing the orange and black on top vs. Sauk Centre. Our team made the trip east toward Streeter country. Not sure how many fans made the trip or were even allowed at the game. Social distancing is still respected everywhere, and masks. Are the players in fact wearing masks, as was originally announced? There was some attempted pushback on that. I'm a little out of the loop in some ways. 

We can certainly feel satisfied with the game's outcome: not only a win, but a win by a generous margin. The Tigers downed the Streeters 49-22. Jackson Loge continued his significant prep hoops career, on this night with his 21 points. He blocked five shots. We took charge by halftime, at which point we had a 26-12 lead. This was our second win in as many games, while Sauk Centre slid to 0-2. The Tigers outscored Sauk 23-10 in the second half. 

Thomas Tiernan made noise offensively with his 12 points. Others who scored: Brandon Jergenson 7, Cole Wente 2, Sam Kleinwolterink 2, Evan Oberg 2, Durgin Decker 1, Riley Reimers 1 and Toby Gonnerman 1. Tiernan and Loge each made two 3-pointers while Jergenson made one. Decker and Loge had nine and eight rebounds respectively. Loge dished out three assists. Three Tigers each had a steal: Hondo Luna, Jergenson and Loge.

 

Girls: New London-Spicer 72, Tigers 31

Seems like the "old days" for yours truly to review the MACA girls game against New London-Spicer. I remember the days when we couldn't mount any kind of challenge to the vaunted NL-S program. The Tigers had an uphill climb over a period of time. We certainly emerged from that with competitiveness. Bumps in the road can never be ruled out, alas. And leave it to the Mike Dreier-coached Wildcats to create an occasional bump. 

Like crime, death and taxes, we can count on seeing the NL-Spicer girls as a powerful foe. This is certainly what unfolded as we were dealt our second loss in as many games. NL-Spicer surged to 2-0 on the young (and atypical) basketball season. We were drubbed in the 72-31 final. We'll have to strive to regroup. The Wildcats charged out to a 35-19 halftime lead. 

The game's stats show NL-S with a pinpoint eye in three-point shooting. Avery Rich sank three long-rangers. Mackenzie Rich sank two, while Jaden Coahran and Emma Hanson each had one. 

The Rich girls were offensive leaders with Avery scoring 13 points and Mackenzie 12. Erin Knisley also contributed 12 points. Grace DeSchepper and Avy Kraemer each scored eight points. Jaden Coahran supplied seven. Others who scored: Emma Hanson 5, Ellie Hanson 3, Dakota Rich 2 and Delaney Hanson 2. 

Kraemer and DeSchepper set the pace in rebounds, each with seven. Mackenzie Rich supplied seven assists. Avery Rich had three steals. 

We have fewer points to report on the MACA side, alas, and no one made double figures. The pace was set by LaRae Kram with seven points while Meredith Carrington and Maddy Grove each scored six. Sydney Dietz put in five, Shannon Dougherty 4, Kaylie Raths 2 and Emma Bowman one. Kram had our only three-pointer. 

I hear a rumor that our Morris Public Library is in the process of opening its doors to the public more.

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

"Nothing happens?" Meme of the '70s has redux

Michael Kinsley

I am old enough to remember when inflation was a top item in the news. This means I am also old enough to remember disco. Disco got a bad rap. That's because it took on a faddish quality or image. If it was a fad, it must have had pleasing qualities. The whole purpose of popular music is to be pleasant and lift our spirits. 

Disco is not revered in our popular culture history. It has gotten dragged down by a general perception of the '70s as a decade "when nothing happened." "Nothing happened" is part of a book title about the decade. One thing that most definitely happened was inflation. Michael Kinsley once wrote that inflation appears once every generation. With time we can forget our last bout with the phenomenon. Then it arises, it scares us, our leaders eventually tamp it down and we resolve to move on. 

Paul Volcker made us take our medicine after the 1970s bout. He advised us to be prepared for a recession. I remember going to the old First Federal Savings Bank, where Riverwood is now, and getting a certificate of deposit that paid 13 percent interest. I probably got more than one. It was a way to cope with inflation but in the end, the economic climate was deemed unsustainable. 

As a young adult I swore for an extended time that two worrisome things were never going to end: 1) the Vietnam war, and 2) inflation in the economy. They were such norms. The Vietnam war seemed like nothing but a tragedy and disaster. It was ingrained in my head. And yet the disaster just rolled on, as we tuned into the 5:30 p.m. evening news (no Internet platforms then) to hear the stats of the "good guy" dead vs. the "bad guy" dead. I believe the former was with the initials A.R.V.N. So I'd see the initials behind John Chancellor so often as he talked about the war. 

Young adults are impressionable. I was impressionable. So when my suspicions about the war were confirmed, finally - the war was a miserable pointless enterprise - it made me cynical and suspicious for basically the rest of my life. I adopted journalism which was the element that finally called out the government for its lies/propaganda. 

Juxtaposed with the war horror was inflation with rising prices. I guess I was troubled by the futility of recognizing these problems, because time just dragged and dragged with a hopelessly static feeling.

 

A repeated phenomenon

This relates to my thoughts now as I reflect on the four years of Trump. By that I mean: the liabilities associated with the man could have been easily understood all along. Time dragged. The commercial media droned on and on, putting all the evidence about Trump and his surrogates right in front of us. 

We cannot blame anyone for being suspicious of Trump's closeness to Russia. The suspicions were based on what we knew about what made Trump tick. It was obvious to me, and probably obvious in the minds of many TV journalists who spilled forth with issues and investigations as if it's just another day. Just like the seemingly endless morass of the Vietnam war. 

 

Alisyn Camerota

Breath of fresh air
Occasionally a newsperson lets an honest thought slip, I mean out of exasperation. An example is Alisyn Camerota of the morning CNN show. As the Russia investigation plodded, one morning she distilled the essence and said "nothing happens. They already have enough evidence on obstruction. They don't need to talk to Don McGahn." 

Ah, "nothing happens," just like in the decade of the 1970s. It is so painstaking for some of these people to distill the essence. 

(Alisyn, if you only knew how often people have to look up the spelling of your first name, or even your last.)

The Trump people would say CNN is "fake news." But they say that about any journalistic enterprise outside of Fox News or more recently, Newsmax and One America. 

Should we be suspicious of the argument that only one cable TV network can be trusted, that being Fox? I think Fox News is a long-time cesspool. I am beginning to resent that the local Federated Telephone of Morris even continues to present Fox. The people you see on the screen get frozen into certain issues, certain ways of seeing the world. They cannot budge. That is because their employer has given them a gravy train of success and professional security. They become programmed like Brian Kilmeade of Fox News. He is growing into a prime example because he once seemed more reasonable. 

Many of these people don't even want to come right out and assert how Trump egged-on a violent mob on Jan. 6.  They are now "shading" what happened. They allege flaws with Democrats. Yes and maybe the Pope is Catholic. 

This whole mindset is their haven. 

 

The high and the low of Matthews

Chris Matthews of MSNBC apparently succumbed to burnout. Think of all the years he was on TV focusing on government and politics. A former aide to Tip O'Neill. He once worked for the capitol police, an institution now very much in the news based on the attempted insurrection. Matthews lost some of the acuity in his judgment. From years in the fishbowl? From a sort of exasperation with how the cable news ecosystem had become ossified? 

Can't everyone just agree that Trump and his family and crowd have done terrible things and he needs to be removed from power? Mark Levin? He has become a recognizable name because of his Trump sycophancy. Would you expect him to withdraw from that now? Of course not. So the system drones on, greased by things like advertising money from the "My Pillow" guy. 

 

The aggrieved masses

Discontent is growing among the regular people in America. They are looking for answers and they look to the wrong places too much of the time. You can't fault them. They are busy with the day-to-day tasks of life: family, making money etc. Problem is, these people become easy "marks" for the right wingers. 

Inflation is scary because of how it could light a match to the current unrest. Inflation simply means that everything costs more. We have a Federal Reserve under a Republican regime that talks about wanting to see a little more inflation. I don't want to see prices go up, I'd like to see prices go down. This is top-of-mind for me because the other day at our Willie's Super Valu, I noticed the price of a standard-size Mountain Dew going up a dime, from $1.99 to $2.09. 

A single instance of inflation, like this, doesn't throw anyone. It's easy to handle in the short term. The problem of course is the accumulated pain. Back in disco times we might have kept up, as we were paid higher interest on our savings in the bank. Today? Haven't interest rates been basically fixed at zero for a long time? You can't depend on bank CDs for much if any help. And now we see prices going up at the grocery store. 

Federated Telephone continues giving us Fox News where we can hear the "conservative" screamers follow their script 24/7, as they decry "socialism" whenever Democrats manage to take a step forward. They throw out "diversion" issues after the obvious abomination of what happened at the U.S. capitol on Wednesday. Trump got those people fired up. Can't we just call a spade a spade?

Is this a complicated issue? (politico image)

So here we are on Monday morning and there's a disturbing status quo. Trump and his sycophants are still basically in place. I mean, Trump hasn't been removed, has he? I rest my case. It's just like cursing the news day after day during Vietnam. And yes the war "protests" got lots of attention too. But it was just a dreary status quo that went on and on. "Nothing happened." Eventually it ends because it had to. 

Remember the fall of Saigon? How will our current dystopian atmosphere end? I'm sure it will but at what cost? In the meantime, "nothing happens." 

Sally Kohn was practically shouting at the TV camera Friday as she wondered why impeachment proceedings couldn't begin immediately, rather than on Monday. As "Dr. Evil" of the movies would say, "let Daddy do his work." It's an old norm. Let these things plod on, because, well because it's the way it has to be. We go to bed, get up the next morning and hear all the "talking heads" going at it again. 

Ad nauseam. "Nothing happens." Maybe listening to disco would be therapeutic. How about the "Stars on 45" medley "Sugar Sugar." It's on YouTube. (What isn't?)

 

Addendum: "It Seemed Like Nothing Happened" was the book by Peter N. Carroll that examined the 1970s. It came out in 1990.

 

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

Embarrassment of city's water treatment plant

We see a "plug" for a solar power co-op thing with our current City of Morris water bills. These bills are higher now because of the new water treatment plant. Regrettably I am writing once again re. the plant and its confusing ramifications. 

I would rather be writing an update on MACA sports. We have of course experienced a hiatus from sports. That whole world stopped spinning, in my mind, just before the state boys basketball tournament was scheduled to begin last spring. I was all set to write about Jackson County Central. I had a good info source available for the Huskies who made their climb with a win over the Minnewaska Area Lakers. I regularly write about the Lakers. My late father was a graduate of Glenwood High School. I am currently a customer of Glenwood State Bank where my late uncle was once president. 

 

A clown car, yes

So now I'm thinking about the City of Morris which unfortunately I found to be rather a clown car of confusion. It is not funny. Water quality matters are not cut and dried. All I had hoped for was some responsible course on how to proceed. I ran into contradictions. This I was not prepared for. 

Kevin Wohlers (kmrs-kkok)

I told Councilman Kevin Wohlers that "water softener" was simply on a list of "things to do" for me re. the household. Get the proper advice and information and proceed. When you are dealing with an entity like city government, you would like to think you don't have to watch your back. I was not aware I was stepping into a situation that had controversy or contentiousness. But it surely did. 

When government gets involved in anything, it should make the particulars totally clear to everyone. What is the background? What is the reasoning? How might a prudent homeowner proceed? So, take the necessary actions and move on with life, move on to other matters on the "list." Ah, not so fast. 

A little over a year ago I purchased a new softener based on advice from a private enterprise. The City of Morris had steered people to getting consultation from private enterprises. I wish I could have dealt with my normal plumbing and heating company. That would be Mohr's who I did in fact call at the very start. I have an established relationship with those people and they are very capable with what they do. But it is not a water quality company. So I had to cast about elsewhere. 

I felt rushed into this by a new law passed by the city council and reported very prominently on the front page of the Morris newspaper. It was thumbs-down on "old" or non-adjustable softeners. All I knew about our existing softener, a Kinetico, was that I put in salt when the level got low. It was evidently non-adjustable. 

Last January I got the letter from the City of Morris to all water patrons. Under "subject" we read the word "requirements." And I guess that means we're required to do something. It's a government entity or an entity related to government, so the word "requirements" must be respected. That's what "requirement" means - you have to do something, like fasten your seat belt or you'll get a citation as the Morris mayor reportedly recently did. So our City of Morris police are doing their job. I got one seat belt ticket and after that got a warning. Seems an odd sequence. 

My physician told me in my Medicare wellness check that older people - ahem, yours truly - can have an issue with compliance because of course we've been behind the wheel most of our lives with no such requirement. 

 

"Needs" to be done

And now we face "requirements" with water softeners, according to the January (2020) city letter. Requirements! The letter reads "the use of systems that can't be adjustable to the new hardness level needs to be discontinued." So, just like having to wear your seat belt, right? The seat belt law first came into being with actual assurance that it would never be a "primary offense." You'd get pulled over for something else and then get cited. Promises, promises. If you drive unbelted now, you can imagine the "Dragnet" theme song playing as you see the lights of a squad car in your rear view mirror. 

So contrary to impressions, the Morris police don't spend all their time in Don's Cafe. They cannot at present due to the shutdown - maybe that's why they might seem out and around more. I was accosted by a cop when I was just walking home one day last April. 

So are the "water softener enforcers" coming around? It would be a logical thought based on the city talking about "requirements." But wait, the city manager appeared to sound baffled when he was quoted on the radio station website about community perceptions. He accused us all of rumor mongering. To suggest that townspeople are susceptible to rumor-sharing is an insult. City officials should not use such language. But here we go with quotes from the city manager: "We don't have a plan right now to go into every property and inspect every water softener." 

On this and other occasions, the city has been pretty loose in referring to "water softener companies" even though these are profit-driven systems. 

 

An alternative

Attention Kevin Wohlers and others: the city might have considered contracting an individual with water quality business credentials, who would be on call to go and get people's softeners. It would require some tax dollars, but the many water customers of Morris would be relieved of a special cost. 

Just as practical as the old "spring clean-up," right? I remember when Rae Yost at the paper wrote an editorial suggesting the program, and I wonder if she knew we once had it. It was super in theory. Jim Morrison told me about a problem in connection to it: people would put stuff out, then the collectors would come along and say "oh, we don't take that." I asked Jim "what about calling the city office?" Jim said "they don't know." Yes, there is much the city people do not know. 

City Mgr. Blaine Hill (kmrs-kkok)

I am irate at reading the last paragraph of the radio website article. It says the city manager recommends softener adjustment "as you'll save money on both salt and water usage." I have spent $1500 on a new softener and now I have higher water bills. 

I have told friends that the $1500 is what I would have given to my church for the year. I withheld that. We aren't having in-person services anyway. If you resent the ELCA-affiliated First Lutheran church for political reasons, you're happy it was denied some money. Maybe you're one of those with your pom poms out for Good Shepherd Church. And of course you all are Trump voters. 

Again we see the big blue Trump-Pence sign on display out by Greeley Plumbing in such a high-profile place. What is the message that this community is sending with this sign? That Morris is a town of losers? I haven't heard a peep about how 2021 is Morris' Sesquicentennial year. It's mind-boggling. 

I suppose I could have the "water quality company" come to my home again. But would you be enthused about that if you were me? My new "softener" appears not to have used any salt at all over 12 months.

Original drawing of the Morris plant (U of M)

The letter from the city said the new city water is five grains of hardness. However, this past fall a very well-placed source - believe me, the best credentials - told me the state directed the city to adjust to where the water is 7-10 grains. My source told me the original goal was 2-5 grains. Then the city settled on five grains, according to legend, and that's why the city letter stated five grains. 

The higher number, the less good the water is. The background I obtained is that water that is too good or too pure cannot be allowed to go through lead pipes. "Flint Michigan had a water treatment plant," my source informed me. 

If Morris residents made decisions on the basis of five grains, as per the city's letter, might they now be in position to take legal action? 

The city's letter said "you may want to upgrade to a new system. You may want to discontinue the use of a water softener system completely. You may want to bypass your system. All these options are available to you and have in fact already been done by various customers." 

I had no basis, personally, for really knowing how to proceed. So I ended up having to call a water quality company. And they said I needed a new softener. And the device appears to have done nothing. 

I wish the city could have shared more direct, authoritative instructions. Would it be prudent for me to go softener-less? The letter implies it is. But it is far from a clear statement. 

The city loves to tell us how we can be relieved of handling sacks of salt. I didn't think it was a big deal at all. The confusion and frustration I have felt over the past year in connection to this, has been worse. Far, far worse. And my church has suffered for it. But maybe you're glad about that if you're a chest-thumping Republican, as most Morris area people appear to be. My ELCA church includes people with "progressive" attitudes. We're communists, I guess. 

 

A misrepresentation, maybe?

This is significant: the letter from the city says the new plant came about "because of a mandate from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to reduce the salt discharge from our sewer ponds into the Pomme de Terre River." 

A mandate! I'm not so sure about that. Shortly before our current shutdown began, one day when I was dining at Don's Cafe where most likely some police officers were present, guns in holsters, I was seated across from Donny Wohlers, well-known and civic-minded person, brother of Kevin. Donny said that at one point in the process, our City Manager Blaine Hill was presented with a piece of paper where he could have checked a box for "we don't need this." "This" was the treatment plant. Donny doesn't tell tall tales. The Wohlers family is salt of the earth. 

My source who shared the Flint MI quote with me really tried distilling the whole matter: "Sometimes I think we make things too complicated." Amen and hallelujah. 

 

City has lost credibility

So now the City of Morris is broaching the topic of solar energy, with a note on our water bills about a new co-op where the city is partner. So the question arises, if us citizens are first required to wear seat belts, then to discard "old softeners," might the day come when we're "required" to install solar panels? It is not outlandish. And I'm sure those suckers are expensive. 

I really hate to say this, but we might have to elect more Republicans. They are the laissez-faire anti-regulation party. But the Republicans will have to flush the Trump family down the toilet first. 

Would I be interested in a solar energy co-op in which the City of Morris is a participant? Right now I wouldn't trust the City of Morris any further than I can throw a piano. The city cops are fine if they're just kept in Don's Cafe. Keep guns in holsters please.

 

My podcast for Jan. 5

I continue with my theme of music at East Side Park. Today I tell about the earlier bandstand at the park, before the Killoran stage came into being. Yes, there was a previous one. I also share some general history of the park. The Great Northern Railroad helped out. Here is the permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/A-previous-bandstand-at-park-eojhml

 

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

It's 2021: whither MN prep sports, SD investigation?

The cartoon is by Jo Johnson of Gregory County SD, and it appears on the "Dakota Free Press" site. It appears under the headline "All Kristi wants for Christmas." The reference is to Kristi Noem, South Dakota governor. "Dakota Free Press" is a fine journalistic resource in our neighbor to the west. I often refer to Noem as "Governor Tight Fittin' Jeans." Remember Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn? Note the depiction of Jason Ravnsborg at right. See the little red vehicle? A little notoriety there. Read on.

 

The sun is out on this first morning of the new year. A novelist would say the snow is "glistening." A novelist would paint a dour picture of this advent of 2021. Our much-desired normal life remains on hold. The resumption of high school sports strikes me as quite tentative. Athletes may wear masks but won't they be breathing heavily as they exert themselves? 

I remember when sports had the controversy of mouthguards required for volleyball players. Whatever concerns prompted that seem pretty minor compared to the issues now. 

We had a reprieve for fall sports, pretty unstable as it turned out. Initially there was going to be no football or volleyball, not until an abbreviated spring season. Football in the spring? Reminds me of the old USFL with Herschel Walker. It didn't seem right that time of year. Besides, getting the calendar so full of football would threaten to saturate the public with the sport. Saturation is a danger for any entertainment commodity. This should be common sense but let's remind: scarcity or the perception of scarcity is an important part of marketing. 

When I was a kid, there might be only one NFL game to watch on TV on a given Sunday. Supply was slow in catching up to demand. Technology strides had to help out. Help out it did, as a burgeoning TV universe most certainly filled our plate with football. 

As for spring football, it exists now as spring exhibition events by college teams. A commentator joked re. a certain state: "The two most popular sports are football and spring football." NDSU of Fargo has promoted that type of passion. 

I used to enjoy listening to WDAY radio in mid-morning, to get variety from the oft-redundant cable TV news. However, WDAY (of Fargo) could get so preoccupied with sports. I sent an email to Mike McFeely in which I included this criticism. I guess he's no longer on WDAY - he's too politically liberal I'm sure - but he's with Forum Communications which owns WDAY. 

 

Media must stay vigilant

The mercurial McFeely hasn't answered the last couple emails I sent him. Most recently I encouraged him to keep paying attention to what's happening in WDAY's neighbor to the south, as in South Dakota, where even Kristi Noem is getting impatient about lack of developments with the Jason Ravnsborg thing. The thing is the incident which happened to cost a human life. 

How "tight" are South Dakota Republicans with each other? We might think it's quite congealed. 

Republicans with Noem and Ravnsborg - she might not want to be mentioned in the same breath - generally don't break ranks with each other. But no matter how strong the stranglehold of the GOP in South Dakota, politics is never petrified. It can be fluid even when you'd swear it won't be. Remember how the Republicans were so incredibly "on the ropes" after Watergate? There was talk that the GOP might be permanently frozen as a minority party. I am age 65 now, 66 in January, so whenever I hear such talk I'm tempted to grin. Disruptions happen. The political parties can subtly re-define themselves, adjust their constituencies. 

Oh, it doesn't have to be subtle! Look at what has unfolded right in front of us: the Republican Party which for most of my life was pretty broad-based and ideologically driven, with disparate speakers at conventions, is now a personality cult. No hyperbole there. I suspect many of my GOP friends would shrug and not really dismiss that. They wouldn't answer to cult but they would most certainly put forward the Trumps as the be-all and end-all of what's happening. 

 

A matter of infatuation

Yesterday I tuned in to Newsmax TV out of curiosity. I had some samples recently where I was mildly entertained by the upstart Fox News wannabe - that's because Newsmax makes no bones about what it is or what it stands for. Yesterday I saw Sean Spicer on the screen, and his guest couldn't drift away from discussing the Trumps. She started out with Melania. And I had to wonder: why can't a network like this spend more time talking about ideas and policies? Instead it's the incessant drumbeat of defending the Trumps. 

The Trumps are put forward as royalty. The family has been put forward by conservative media as defining the Christian faith. Surely we would not have Trump as president if it were not for evangelical Christianity. Conservative media puts forward the evangelicals as if they alone speak for the faith. There are more moderate strains of the faith. I belong to one of those. 

Speaking of drumbeats, there is the prevalent concern about young people not being attracted to organized religion. An insightful discussion on a C-Span channel had the frank admission that "people who make their living in religion are fully aware of how the right wing nature of so many Christians is alienating for many." This was the C-Span show where I learned the term "nones," for people who answer surveys by checking the "none" box when asked about religious affiliation. 

When someone asks about religious affiliation, do you have to cite a denomination? Or can you just say you're a Christian? As far back as when I was young, the youth were getting alienated by religious denominations. Why the carving out into so many factions or splinters? 

 

The need for answers in SD

The situation in South Dakota hovers as we yawn through the New Year's Day holiday and weekend. It's on the periphery of the news. Governor Noem recently sounded agitated. She said the victim's family deserved answers. She added that she wasn't pre-judging, but I had to wonder if she was subtly submitting a judgment. 

The nature of the traffic "accident" doesn't appear to pass the smell test. I told McFeely in my email that if I found myself in Jason Ravnsborg's position - the AG - I would be so traumatized I'd have to step aside from my public position for a while. It would just be because I'm human. And if I did not, I would project humility to the maximum degree, to be dripping with it.

Yes, we can all make mistakes most certainly. I have previously written that the accident might remind of "there but for the grace of God go I." Really. Although the distracted driving was pretty extreme, it's the sort of lapse we are occasionally guilty of. That's why the State Patrol issues so many speeding tickets. And remember that the incident happened at night. 

I rarely drive after dark these days. Recently on a rare occasion when I did, I felt it was just not desirable to do so. Risks are all around us, and in that regard let me also point out that bicycle trailers trouble me if they're used for infants. I guess they're actually sold as "infant carriers." I implore that in this age of distracted driving, with the Jason Ravnsborgs of the world out there, don't! It takes only one quick lapse and you have tragedy. Most certainly that's what happened with Ravnsborg.

What is going on deep in his mind? If he does not feel daily devastated, he is not a normal human being. Why is the investigation going on so long? Well. . . There is probably political pressure for a legal charge, and indeed one would seem to be warranted, but two problems: 1) They're up against an AG with lawyer's savvy and he appears to be going "full lawyer" to defend himself. And you know how that can go. And, 2) the collision scene - I won't say "accident" - was not immediately sealed off. In fact, Ravnsborg came back the next morning and who knows what all he did? The yellow tape is for a reason. 

The sheriff on the scene the night before got a little cowed, it seemed. This Mayberry-type guy was dealing with the state's AG. 

Why was Ravnsborg out driving across the non-descript South Dakota terrain late at night? Some vital professional commitment? Well, it was a Republican Party fundraiser. I wonder how many "funds" they raised. 

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds

Mike Rounds wasted no time expressing deepest sympathy to the Joseph Boever family. So, a salute to the U.S. Senator. 

And now, maybe Kristin Noem, "Governor Tight Fittin' Jeans," may be showing her refreshing human side too, breaking through the wall of partisan rigidity. Yes, politics can be fluid. Even in the Dakotas? There is hope.

 

My podcast for first day of 2021

Happy New Year! My "Morris Mojo" podcast message for today is about music and East Side Park. This is part II of my thoughts on the Killoran stage. Today I report about a letter written by Skip Killoran to the Morris Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Del Sarlette for relaying some of the new background to me. It's a subject worthy of attention. Here's the permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/More-on-the-Killoran-stage-eoem84 

 

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

 

 

Another cartoon by Jo Johnson of Gregory County SD. As with cartoon at top, this June offering appeared on "Dakota Free Press," a great source of wisdom for South Dakota and elsewhere.

 

Be sure to listen to Ringo's new "Here's to the Nights."