Hancock girls thrash MACA, reflecting history

Great to see the UMM P.E. Center in use for area high school sports. Nice to see that this arrangement is practicable. It used to be more common. For a long time it was a hotbed for "March madness" activity. The MACA teams seem not to play there any more for post-season. On Saturday we saw the rare spectacle of the P.E. Center used for Stevens County hoops. I remember calling it the "big floor." 

Sometimes the intensity in March overwhelmed me. Like it was just too much. I'll be honest - well, why would I not be honest writing this post? - I often thought people invested emotions to excess when the big games arrived. I covered the March tournament for many years when we had the two-class system. Much more of an uphill climb for the smaller schools of course. 

My newspaper career did not extend back to one-class. Think one-class and you think of the movie "Hoosiers" with Gene Hackman, right? Did he really get the girl at the end? I digress. 

I did watch local Tiger hoops when one-class was in effect. Interesting how our culture tolerated the one-class. So inherently unfair. A "consolation" system was set up for the smaller schools, albeit not real satisfying. So it went like this: teams could play for top honors in a particular early bracket. We called it "sub-district." I remember following local sports when Morris was in "District 21." Went on for a very long time, then change was afoot with sub-section and section. 

 

Too much travel

A very disappointing change was to have the Tiger teams play a lot of tournament games to the south of here. With some advancement they can make it to Southwest State U, Marshall. But a lot of this action used to be at our U-Morris. And wow, how tremendously convenient for our fans in Morris! Right in town. The games leading up to Southwest State today are still to the south of here. Like in Granite Falls, right? No short jaunt, really. 

And think of the task of driving home late when you're tired. I worry about people getting drowsy at the wheel. You're drained from the oft-emotional experience of watching the team. But I felt the emotions were often too much in the "old days." Although, I never shared my reservations much if at all with people. 

Some of the worst offenders with excess emotions were on the Morris Sun-Tribune staff. Their emotions weren't even invested in the Morris teams! What a shocker: they were aligned with any of the smaller high schools in the area. I hated that but I was just a foot soldier in the operation. I sometimes got blamed for things that were out of my control. 

 

An old norm remains

Today in 2023, an old constant has continued. You can count on it: a high degree of competitiveness from the Hancock girls basketball team. My oh my, I thought this would have faded some by now. Is Morris still the bigger school? The bigger town? You know, sometimes I wonder if we're seeing fundamental change, because I know the Hancock school has gotten so popular, it is having to turn away students. 

Is the Hancock community as a whole feeling its oats in the same way? Has it gained ground on Morris? In the long-term future, might Hancock become the pulsating focal point for Stevens County? Nothing is written in stone with these things. 

Anyway, Hancock basketball is having another of those years, where it can turn back Morris. I covered the Owls back in 1988 when they made state in the two-class system. I still have my purple sweatshirt with "Hancock's at state in '88" on it. Fits a little tight now, ahem. 

1988 was hardly an isolated year for Hancock success. The girls did it over and over again: put together scintillating campaigns. Meanwhile the Morris people would get awfully prickly and ugly if you tried making observations about this. I finally threw off the shackles and wrote some opinionated thoughts. I don't know why so many Morris people felt they had to feel threatened by this. It was like I was violating community mores or something. 

I got through it all but I certainly got dinged up. I didn't meet the end of the road professionally until 2006, and at that time it was not the old high school contentiousness that did me in, it was the goalpost incident at UMM. A UMM student was killed. I'm sure UMM's current attitude about that is, the less said the better. I occasionally recall it because it was a huge news story from our community's past. It drew international attention. It has faded enough that Tennessee fans went and took down their goalposts last fall. I did not read of anyone getting hurt. 

UMM was lucky in the sense that more than one student could have easily been killed or hurt. What ridiculousness. Today I sense that UMM athletes and fans are more mature and steady in their comportment. 

So my newspaper career wrapped up after 27 years, you might say ignominiously. 

 

In the "fishbowl"

Well, I certainly survived longer than one of Hancock's highly successful coaches from its past. That fellow had the initials D.C., was coach for the '88 state run and beyond. His teams could pack the P.E. Center. Sometimes I'd look down and feel concerned about all the pressure being put on the young student-athletes. They were just kids. It was easy for me to write about them - I would not have wanted to be in their shoes. I sometimes wonder if in their own mind, they thought "this is nuts being out here in this damn fishbowl. We're just playing a game." 

Repeat: we're just playing a game. All I was, was an observer. 

I can still write about high school sports today, online, And I do relish it. And I can write that just like for time immemorial, the Hancock girls can dominate the Morris Tigers. Should bring a tear to my eye actually. So I can report that on Saturday at UMM, the Owls took care of the Tigers, 63-38. 

Let's see, which is the bigger town? People used to want to slug me for asking that. Their point being what, exactly? That Hancock seems always to have superior "talent" to Morris? Isn't that opinion hard to support? Morris is supposed to have a lot of smart people. By reputation, anyway. Actually we can be a cesspool of petty politics with friends sticking up for friends and grappling for primacy in the community. I've seen this forever. 

When the school board finally had to jettison a girls coach back around 1988, a school board member friend of mine got exasperated and said "the program doesn't exist for her benefit." Some clarity out of the fog. 

But we weren't out of the woods, even after that coach was told to take a hike. We had a coach named Steve Harter for three years. Do I have to get into that? Sources told me he wasn't even qualified to be a head basketball coach. The lack of success was one thing, but he wasn't even a pleasant person to deal with. If memory serves me right, his third year was when the C-A kids came over. 

Regarding the C-A kids coming over, I had another school board friend who said to me "would it really matter?" Her point being, girls hoops was mired in futility of the type that would persist even with new talent. I remember well because I believed her. 

In my opinion, Morris girls basketball has struggled too much over its long history. Certainly this could have been prevented. Supposedly we have smart people on the board and in administration, but they get expedient. Then they talk holier-than-thou.

 

Hancock 63, MACA 38

The Owls were mightily in command versus our Tigers Saturday at UMM. They built up momentum in the second half. Kaitlyn Rohloff was an HHS leader with her 25 points. Holy cow, Hancock was up by just six at halftime, then punched down on the accelerator. They led by as many as 28 in the second half. 

MACA showed the trait of a struggling team with turnover woes. I suppose we should credit the Owls. 

Misti Zempel scored 14 points and had six rebounds for the victor. Isabel Rose put in 12 points. This was win No. 13 for those Owls against two losses. 

For the Tigers, Maddy Grove blocked four shots and scored 14 points. Kaylee Harstad grabbed nine rebounds and scored seven points. The Tigers are now 4-12.

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

Let's look constructively at UMM's music department

Here's a photo I took several years ago of the Humanities Fine Arts building in winter.

 
I had occasion in the last few days to speak with a member of UMM's music discipline. UMN? 

I had something positive to share, which is that I had noticed the new music website. Looks fresh and new to be sure. I might claim that the update is belated. UMM held onto its old site with pictures of departed faculty members (e.g. Miller and Campbell) for too long IMHO. 

More importantly, the "upcoming concerts" link had become unreliable. I hate to come across as a complainer. I am inevitably a loser in these discussions. The only exception is the discussions I might have with people in UMM's Development Office. Those discussions are always amicable and I sense a receptive ear. Oh, now you'll jump on me and complain that the only reason I think that, is that the Development Office takes my $. Well touche then. 

Yours truly and UMM have always mixed like oil and water. 

I remember a couple years ago when the UMM choir had an end-of-tour homecoming concert and there was no heads-up on UMM's music website. Sometimes Del Sarlette gives me a heads-up re. concerts and that is nice. But the music website ought to be fully user-friendly. Why is that asking so much, when you'd think it's in the obvious best interests of the UMM music people to have the public know about their concerts? Isn't that the way it's done at other institutions? 

Answering that, we might weigh how UMM music proceeded last spring, when the big combined band/choir concert was held in Alexandria and with no repeat performance here for the usual constituencies. I might suggest this was stranger than fiction. 

UMM's stuffed-shirt advocates would give me no satisfaction, I'm sure, about being right on that. It appears scientifically impossible for me to be right about anything. 

I suppose I should write "symphonic winds" instead of "band." 

Let me get back to my encounter in the last few days with a UMM music person. OK it was at church coffee. The best that can be said is that the person listened politely. But his body language wasn't accommodating. I wonder if the website issues revolve around whose job it is to manage it, if it's anyone's job really. So for me to bring it up is to suggest that someone just go ahead and do it. That's ANATHEMA for people working under a union contract. 

I have fought unionized education people all my life, my cross to bear. I haven't been run out of town yet. I have to wonder why my thoughts make me an outlier so often. Why not comment constructively about the music website? Why not alert the music people when promotion and PR appear insufficient? Why not raise a red flag about last spring's scheme with Alex-only? Here's part of an email I sent to a UMM-oriented friend:

 

So I'm guessing: the recital hall is small and intimate, and their fear is about covid? Well, the problem is that UMM never had a true concert facility built. Of course there was the plan for Humanities Phase III. Embarrassing that that was ever put on the drawing board to be talked about.

The Morrisons unloaded a ton of money for Edson or whatever it's called, but hardly any music discipline stuff happens there. Logistical problems with equipment being at HFA I suppose. But when my father directed, I suppose the stuff was at the current multi-ethnic building. 

Plus, parking is inconvenient for Edson, especially for the semi-handicapped or elderly folks.

And now we have to look out for the "Pine Hall" parking signs across from HFA.

 

Who knows what is bubbling in the background, the back rooms, about UMM's future. (UMN?)  Forget that Steve Sviggum was clumsy as hell in how he spoke about UMM. Everyone knows he "stepped in it." That aside, he perked up everyone's attention about how things are going at our Morris campus, with the hemorrhaging in enrollment. 

And do not think this is an issue not greatly concerning for the people who determine the school's funding. I have suggested that maybe the Crookston person is mapping out something drastic pertaining to our future. That was based on the person having the title "executive chancellor" in connection to Morris. Wrong again, I guess. An anonymous person commented to my blogs that the Crookston connection means zero. 

"Strike one," I guess. 

Sviggum has a significant background with the MN legislature. His comment pricked up the ears in the legislative hallways, I suspect. In the final analysis, the sanctimonious talk about liberal arts might mean nothing once the legislature realizes the ball is in their court. And with all the power that Republicans have these days, look out. 

Democrats don't mind indulging educational interests to an extent. Don't look for Republicans to cut such slack, they of the "abolish the income tax" credo, and to transfer everything to a "consumption tax," a sales tax. It's a regressive tax just like your local property tax. So let's hit the middle class and poor even harder, eh? And Republicans won't look favorably on throwing money at liberal arts. 

Let's add that the old "paternalistic liberal" Democrats have become an extinct species. Technically the Dems are holding their own in MN. I'm looking at the broader picture with ideologies. 

Here's a recent news snippet that adds to the skepticism about so much of traditional college studies:

 

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed his first executive order on Wednesday, announcing that 92 percent of state jobs no longer require a four-year college degree. According to a news release, this impacts 65,000 positions with the State of Pennsylvania. The order instructs the office of administration to emphasize skills and experience in job postings. It also orders a review of the remaining 8 percent of jobs that currently require a degree.

 

Did I mention that the new UMM music website does not have an "upcoming concerts" link on the main home page? You can bet the athletic department makes sure schedule info is readily accessible. I told Erin Christensen at UMM that the new site in and of itself is fresh and nice. In the next breath I expressed concern about lack of the concerts link in an easy-to-find place. 

In an email to a different contact, I argued thusly: 

 

I want to sound positive about the new UMM music site but I cannot find an "upcoming concerts" link. Let me clarify: I tried with "recital hall," to click on that. I scrolled down and then I saw a link for "current concerts and music events." I clicked but I got "page not found." Even if it was there, it would be hard to locate just being under "recital hall." So I wonder what's up with that strategy. They really do not want concert-goers? What would Jim Carlson say? 

 

So let's focus some attention on the building you see at the top of this post. I took the photo with my old "film" camera. Pictures put on "CDs" for a time until even that became obsolete. I'm a name-dropper with the U president at the start of this email. Then we talk about the HFA:

 

I see where Joan Gabel got into a bit of controversy by getting on the Securian board. Is she being assessed OK by U of M backers? I wonder if she looked at the HFA on our campus and said "who the hell designed this place?" The hallway which is like a big New Mexico cavern dominates the place. And then there's no true concert hall, just a "recital hall." As I have explained in my blogs, the HFA along with the crazy science auditorium were designed during a period in our cultural history when everything was "avant garde." Don't dare design anything just to be practical. I went to college when this attitude even seeped into journalism. We were taught that "if you see obvious bulls--t, write about it." That is not the attitude or zeitgeist of today - today is the opposite.

I have told the Morrisons that I really don't sense any difference in the art gallery since before they gave the $. Liz said some of the money actually went toward programs and that's fine. Also I was told that some pipes or ducts along the ceiling were covered up but if that's all, was hardly worth the money. I don't look up. 

 

I'm letting my emails do a lot of my work today. To quote some more:

  

I shared with Warrenn Anderson on Saturday that the whole design of the HFA is terrible. A huge hallway that dominates the place. A hallway is just supposed to be functional. I told Warrenn that UMM should have an HFA that is an ordinary building with ordinary hallways and a "decent concert hall."

People who designed the HFA wanted to make a "statement" with its architecture, to be brave and different and all that kind of bulls--t. People thought like that back then, the 1970s. And look at the quirky science auditorium. That was considered "cool" back in the day, it's just (expletive) now.

No spring concert at the HFA? In what alternate reality are we living?

 

Let's take a breath and close out this post. I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? The winter is getting long for me, tedious, arduous, whatever. I suppose I'm an "incel." The stuff going on in politics infuriates me. All I can do is observe, like "Mongo" in "Blazing Saddles." "Just pawn in game of life." 

What I conclude with here, are probably the most pertinent thoughts about UMM's HFA building. These thoughts are from a knowledgable friend of mine. He's not in a union. Please read:

 

Yes, HFA is an albatross. Somebody’s progressive idea back in the 70s. Impractical and ugly. I remember Clyde (Johnson) talking about Phase III back then, how it was high on the list of “projects” the U of M was considering for our campus, dependent upon funds. I think Phase III was as high as #2 on that list, and Clyde was optimistic about its construction. Then other things came into play that the “boys upstairs” thought were more important, and the addition continually dropped in ranking, until it eventually fell off of the list.

 

And "Mongo" just carries on.

 

Addendum: I checked with Google just prior to publishing, typed in the music dept. and got a result that had a sub-link for current concerts. I clicked on that and got a page from the old website and there were no concerts announced there. It is late January and we can assume they have some concerts coming up. So I rest my case. Everything on the web is so fluid of course. Things might start happening just because I'm speaking out. Wait 'til spring and I can get outside, my mood will improve.

 

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

Dack of the T-Hawks sinks MACA boys' hopes

Let's clarify that it's "hoar frost" and not "whore frost." My pastor used the term hoar frost this morning. The phenomenon did demand some attention. Beautiful of course. Not sure the beauty can obscure the relentless march of winter. Seems to be wearing on me more than ever this year. Maybe I'm being punished for not celebrating Christmas in the customary manner. Christmas is supposed to be an "up" time and then we can settle in to face the longevity of winter. We get some help from high school sports of course. Isn't that the main antidote? Thanks to Del Sarlette for photo.

Unfortunately the MACA girls' season has not been going well. On Friday our Tigers fell to 2-10 with their loss to Montevideo. Monte was going to be tough to beat regardless. The Thunder Hawks are ranked No. 11. We fell to them 66-40 at Monte. 

Our shooting was pretty decent: 47 percent as reported by Brett Miller. Monte got their win No. 11 against two losses. Monte was called the "Mohawks" in my younger years. I'm assuming the old mural in the gym depicting a Native American with headdress has been replaced. It was a striking piece of artwork. But times change and enlightenment arrives, n'est-ce pas? 

Maddy Grove stoked our cause with eleven points, six rebounds. Maddie Fehr and Brianna Marty each put in seven points. 

I might want to tease Brett about the top headline for his girls basketball post. A part of it reads "Lady Owls edge Comets." Maybe that word choice passes muster today. I remember a time when a reporter would catch heat with the "Lady" terminology. Could catch heck from feminists, at least then. As a matter of taste I just wouldn't use it. Is term sexist or condescending? Make your own judgment. I remember when Sam Donaldson the network newsman - he'd pester Ronald Reagan with loud questions, remember? - caught heat for referring to a female park ranger as a "rangerette." 

BTW those "Lady Owls" beat Hillcrest Lutheran 61-60. Congrats to them. I was the sportswriter for the now-defunct Hancock newspaper for 15 years. Today my focus is where it probably should have been all along, on Morris. That's water under the bridge.

Boys: Montevideo 68, Tigers 63

The MACA boys took on Montevideo Friday at Tiger Center here in Motown. Prospects looked good for another win. But the visiting T-Hawks were unfazed. They bore down to carve out an advantage at the end. Our fans had to groan as the T-Hawks outscored the Tigers 9-3 on the finishing stretch. We lost by five, 68-63. We're still over .500 at 8-6. 

We could taste victory. In fact the lead changes were frequent, nine in all. Add to that the five tied sores, and you get suspense. 

Cooper Dack was a clutch player for Monte. He hit a couple long 3's that reminded of pro player Dan Majerle, "Thunder Dan." Dack's first '3' was a buzzer-beater leading into halftime. "His second was just shy of midcourt to beat the shot clock," Miller reported for kmrs. 

Dack finished with 18 total points. Mason Jerve connected for 18 also. Gannon Reidinger put in 16, plus he had 12 rebounds. Monte owned a 6-7 record at night's end. 

Monte was up 41-32 at halftime. The Tigers had a 31-27 advantage the rest of the way. We could not overcome Dack and Company. 

MACA super freshman Riley Asmus topped our scoring with 22 points. He made 9 of 20 shots, 45 percent. Asmus was one of three double figures scorers. We see Tyler Berlinger with 15 points and Drew Storck with 12. Drew Huebner added eight points to the mix, and Derek Waldbeser and Kyle Fehr three each. 

Our team shooting was 26-for-59, 44 percent. Asmus built his point total with four 3-pointers in nine attempts. Berlinger, Waldbeser and Fehr each made one '3'. We were seven of 20 in 3's, 35 percent. Berlinger had all four of our freethow makes - he was four of four. 

Rebounds! Here we see Asmus leading the way with his ten total, three offensive. Huebner had seven rebounds and Storck five. 

Berlinger had the team-best five assists. He really stood out in steals with seven. Looks like that's a forte for this Tiger. He must be all over the court. He was one of three Tigers each with a blocked shot, joined by Huebner and Storck. We had nine turnovers.

 

Face-off in hockey!

We have wins to report in MBA Storm hockey! Our athletes glided up and down the ice on Friday. Our girls team turned back Fairmont 5-2. I have no additional details at this time. 

On to the boys where we see the MBA crew taking care of business versus Fairmont, 7-1. The game was a trip down south for the Storm. Fairmont is near the Iowa border. 

I remember one year when I was still with the Morris paper, our football team had a first-round playoff game at Fairmont. I really disapprove of this sort of thing, as I think our first and second round games should always be against the likes of LQPV, Benson, West Central Area or Minnewaska. But we accept reality as it is. 

I remember that I'd call the school and ask "is there a fan bus?" Then Jill or Rita would say "no." Are there any fan buses any more for anything? I'd hop on those often - the standard orange school buses with Don Grossman as driver oftentimes - and the atmosphere inside was raucous with lots of kids. I didn't mind. I'd get a free ride because I was "press." It was important in those days to try to save a couple dollars. Really. 

Our MBA Storm win over Fairmont Friday had Charlie Goff and Trevor Buss each achieve a hat trick. Brady Pederson put the puck in the net. Ryan Tolifson had a big role with his three assists. Blake Bruns came through with two assists. The Goff boys, Charlie and Conner each had one. Chris Danielson worked in net and he turned away 29 shots. Our success lifted our won-lost record to .500 at 7-7. Fairmont dropped to 4-9. Their Carson Johnson had 33 saves.

 

Wrestling

Two schools with quite long names met on the wrestling mat. So on one side was our Morris Area Hancock Chokio Alberta Tigers. And on the other: West Central Area-Ashby-Brandon/Evansville. Whew! the Tigers faltered in this 36-31 loss at Barrett. Grayson Gibson, Tyce Anderson and Davin Rose won by fall, and Brock Marty by major decision.

 

Back to the '70s

When enough years go by, we can become nostalgic about any epoch in time. So it is now with the 1970s. I couldn't have guessed at the time we'd even want to wax nostalgic, but we are, and so that's good. Our county museum now pays homage to the decade with an exhibit. I'm sure it would not make me misty. 

Disco music? Studio 54? Inflation? End of the Vietnam War. Well we could at least feel good it was the end. Remember the fall of Saigon in 1975? People hanging on to helicopters at tops of buildings. Helicopters pushed off ships to make room for more refugees? Pretty staggering really. 

Remember the "Back Door" hospitality establishment at the old Sunwood Inn? The drinking age had been lowered - bad idea. Remember the Tip Top Tap? Remember when restaurants catered to the "bar rush?" Unfortunately I do. But kudos to the museum for shining a spotlight on the past. The "old days." 

Heck, I was in high school and college, driving my 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado bought from Bill Dripps.

Playing pinball at Shorty's Cafe, next to the movie theater!

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

Sex and its relation to national news stories

Surfacing again for 2024 run

Just another day in paradise I guess: Donald Trump in a deposition gets shown a photo of his rape accuser, E. Jean Carroll, and identifies her as his ex-wife Marla Maples. It took his attorney to make a correction. When speaking of the real accuser, Trump blares out "she's not my type." Ought not to be the kind of comment that endears him to women. 

But none of the usual rules apply to Trump. He could do or say anything with total absurdity, and if you were to point these things out to his supporters here in Stevens County, they'd just smile in a dismissive way. They would be dismissing you. I have experienced this. Maybe I should refrain from talking or writing any more. It's no use. 

Maybe we all should just brace ourselves for a new iteration of the Third Reich. Under those conditions, you'd better stay quiet or you'll be shot. Happened in Germany once. And it's all starting again with the orange man. I'm ashamed to say his first big rally coincides with my birthday later this month. My birthday is on the anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. 

Obedient acolyte Lindsey Graham will of course be present as supporter at the rally. The event will be in Graham's state of South Carolina. First state to secede in the Civil War. We don't comment enough about how so many of the craziest politicos come from the states of the old Confederacy. It's rather verboten, probably based on the "let's all get along" credo. Stereotyping verboten, except that it is certainly not stereotyping in my own mind. 

Sometimes we are forced to walk on eggshells. 

 

Sex and true crime

I see a parallel with the explosion of attention on the Idaho murders. We have heard speculation about drugs. There's the prevalent rumor about how the house was a place to go get drugs. The house was such a party house, it seemed rather a parody of the college party house. I have heard or read about the possible drug angles - a plausible basis for speculation - but I have wondered too about sex. 

Look, my point is not to make a judgment but simply to wonder if it's a valid basis for discussion. I have asked without getting a response, on how such a "cluster" of incredibly attractive girls could coalesce in this one place, the "party house." Weren't the five girls the only residents? 

Kaylee got most of the attention at first as a "looker." Which she most certainly was. As weeks passed, I viewed the group is pretty much equal. Xana was not so much glamorous as she was cute in a "girl next door" way. Most definitely cute. There's video of a police call at the house and Xana answers the door - she is wearing shorts that are up to the crotch. Why? Another video of a cop at the door shows a girl standing there in a highly suggestive way. 

Is this generational? Am I detached? 

 

Examining Dylan

Eventually we heard more about the resident named Dylan. Talk swirling about how she would wait so long to call authorities? And I'd ask: if she actually retired to bed for several hours, as the account goes, wouldn't she have had to leave the room to go to the bathroom? Putting her right next to the horribly cut-up bodies of Xana and Ethan? With the odor quickly mounting? 

Dylan Mortensen (ny post)

But the point I'm making here about Dylan is this: she too is highly attractive. This does not come across so well in the most common photo of her. The photo shows the whole group at the house, plus Ethan. Ethan is the lone guy in all these reviews, did not reside there. A star-crossed guy: spending the night with his girlfriend. 

Dylan is very grubby-dressed in the famous photo of the group. She doesn't knock you out with her looks there. But, I assure you there are other photos of Dylan where she looks like a young Hollywood actress, drop-dead cute. She ought to consider acting classes in Hollywood. How is she living day to day now? Must be nigh impossible for any normality. So how does she do it? 

Bethany Funke has succeeded in being pretty low-profile. She was sleeping on the bottom level when the horror happened. She looks cute in the group photo I have cited here. The photo that has Maddie up on Kaylee's shoulders. Becoming an iconic photo, should maybe inspire a famous painter to apply his brush. 

 

"Turn it up to 11?"

While Bethany looks fine, there are other photos that - just like with Dylan - show her still more attractive. 

It was obvious from the get-go that Kaylee and Maddie were both worthy of the old "10" rating. Is it dated to cite that now? A woman being a "10?" Like Bo Derek? We might cite Spinal Tap also in the sense of "turning it up to 11." Rim shot. 

And I frankly think all the girls of the home were 10s (or 11s). So how did this happen? Coincidence? I don't usually believe in coincidences. Was there a screening process for acceptance? Ordinary-looking girls, or to use Donald Trump's terminology "not my type," need not apply? 

Drug transactions have entered discussions as a theory since the tragedy happened. In other words, you could speak of such in polite company. Getting into sex is more of a problematic thicket. Well, there's this thing called "slut shaming." There is a legitimate expectation to speak of women with a floor of respect. But in true crime, the gamut of theories must be weighed. 

In my own writing I have tossed out the term taught to many of us by Arianna Huffington. Arianna, who is not as high-profile as she once was, wanted to put the term "sugar baby" in front of the public. She went on talk shows. A tawdry matter? Well it doesn't matter because it is a real phenomenon and must be fielded as such. College gets ever more expensive all the time. Young girls have something to offer older men with money. 

With that understanding in place, I should not cast any stones in specific directions. But didn't Kaylee drive a brand new Range Rover? Oh, her parents bought it for her most likely. 

Sex as a transactional thing has become more accepted, more mainstream, so Trump could have his trysts with the porn star and Playboy model - money offered as attempted "hush" compensation - and it's hardly a disqualifier for Trump seeking the presidency. 

It's a fool's errand to try to point out Trump's character flaws with his many supporters here in the Morris area, and elsewhere around outstate Minnesota. We have elected a congressperson who voted against certifying the election results. So we apparently don't care if the framework that was bequeathed us by the Founding Fathers is destroyed.

 

E. Jean Carroll, rape accuser

Earthy language, at least?

Trump can say a woman is "not my type" in a rape case deposition. What would "Ike" Eisenhower say? But the man's first campaign rally in South Carolina is set to launch with all systems appearing "go." I have wondered if I should stop writing about him. But here I am doing it again today. 

It's another depressing mid-January day in Western Minnesota with that persistent "haze." School called off. Surfaces slippery everywhere. 

Reflecting more on Trump and his women, those who give him an erection I guess, it makes me realize that the term "prostitute" has an archaic ring to it. Frankly I think these laws were always difficult to enforce. I guess the enforcement was concentrated on "street prostitution." But as with all areas of the law, the rich people can do essentially the same thing but with a gloss of legitimacy. Is it prostitution if a woman allows herself to be "wined and dined" by a man? Well no. 

Trump has taught us that everything can be transactional. Why not sex too? Consenting adults exchanging what they have to offer. As for the "Idaho Four" who are no longer with us, it seems untoward to put forth theories of seamy behavior they might have been involved in. Some of the "sleuths" do cross the line but I sense real hesitancy with sex. I guess I'm willing to cross the line: just speculation of course. 

Again, what a group of drop-dead beautiful girls living in the quintessential party house. Xana seemed like a wholesome girl but we didn't really know her of course. That's just it: we feel like we have come to know the kids but we barely know anything about them. 

As for the killer, why aren't more people commenting about how he ought to just confess? Would save so much time and trouble. What about the basic ethic of just telling the truth? Why don't more people weigh that? I have not even heard it. So maybe in my own way, I'm a little like the boy who said the emperor has no clothes. 

For all the suspense to end right now would deprive the public and the media of all the salacious pleasure of hashing over the case. Which I guess I'm doing right now. But we are looking at a prolonged legal process, a seemingly never-ending one, as everyone assumes their expected roles for the circus. 

And speaking of circus, there is the rape lawsuit vs. Trump, and his upcoming campaign rally launch which will have lap dog Lindsey Graham at his side. Lindsey Graham of the "nationwide abortion ban" idea. Get up and cheer? I guess it's your decision.

Hey, I have used the words "tawdry," "seamy," "earthy" and "untoward" in this post. How about that?

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

MACA basketball splits in MLK Day games

At first I thought the caffeine hadn't taken effect yet. First I read on the "Minnesota Scores" site that our MACA boys basketball team lost to Litchfield. It was a Monday game which surprised me on the face of it, because Monday was the MLK holiday. Doesn't seem like the holiday is observed a whole lot. It would never be passed into law today. Ronald Reagan opposed it. 

Civil rights is wonderful, essential, but we don't need this holiday. I'm an equal opportunity skeptic of holidays. Veterans Day? We don't need that holiday to appreciate veterans. Veterans get a whole lot of advantages because of their veteran status. Some of these holidays basically boil down to the mail not being in the mailbox. This at a time when we see how the U.S. Postal Service is struggling. 

Holidays can be depressing because they upend our normal routine. But the MACA boys hoops squad did in fact play Monday. The problem with the normally reliable "Minnesota Scores" site is that someone mistakenly submitted the girls score. I realized the mistake when I consulted the kmrs site and saw that our boys won. I then saw that the girls score was repeated on the MACA boys page. So it was just a human screw-up. 

Wait a minute, we're not done talking about shortcomings this morning, unfortunately. So the kmrs site reports the boys outcome accurately, but there are no game details there as of 11 a.m. Just the score. Imagine if I was caught in my newspaper days just reporting the score. We see the score of 49-39 with MACA on the winning end. So that's happy news indeed. 

Let's see, maybe I can find game details on the "Maxpreps" site. OK, there isn't even the score there. Maxpreps is a terrific source, would be nice if both our boys and girls coaches cooperated regularly. 

Shall I try to get into the West Central Tribune sports site? Sometimes the paywall isn't there. Oh but here's the paywall - their "roundup" page is blocked. No guarantee the MACA/Litch game would be there anyway. 

I just do not pay to read anything online. There's a little panel on my screen that says "save 50 percent." Save? Why should people have to pay to read basic sports news? Ideally, information should be free. No one deserves money just because they want it. We all want money. Our public schools are supported by tax dollars, so we deserve to read school news unimpeded IMHO. "Maxpreps" is free if coaches cooperate. 

The kmrs site has some brief details about the girls game. Thanks for that. The girls played their MLK Day game against Litchfield at Tiger Center. The Tigers have been on the skids of late. No reprieve Monday as the orange and black was defeated 55-39. It was our ninth loss with just two wins. Litch sports a 6-5 record. 

Our Maddy Grove scored 12 points and snared seven rebounds. Maddie Fehr contributed nine points and Brianna Marty eight. Kaylee Harstad's contributions were seven points, nine rebounds.

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

A bridge too far for defense attorneys?

The Idaho murder victims (kmvt image)

Don't you all wonder how murder was ever prosecuted in the days before all the cool modern tools? We take for granted "surveillance cameras" being all over the place. Of course it's a good thing, good for deterring crime. But a part of me wonders too: how is it, after a horrific quadruple murder, that a sharp criminal defense lawyer seems poised to "shoot holes" in whatever the prosecution presents? 

Wasn't the probable cause affidavit pretty damning in the current Idaho case? And there's more to come with evidence also. DNA and surveillance cameras played into the current series of events. But here we are, left hanging. 

Does anyone think that the true murderer is not quite definitely in custody now? It's assumed by all, isn't it? But the guy who did the heinous act gets to spend months in public accommodations, his jail cell, while public $ compensates an indefatigable defense attorney. Don't we all sense that all this will go on ad nauseam? Many people are compensated with public money while the uncertain status quo is maintained. 

The status quo insists that the charged individual is "presumed innocent." Interesting that the guy is presumed innocent while being held under quite uncomfortable conditions - "claustrophobic," it is said - for a period of months. And we're told the next legal proceeding will be "in June." Many of us I'm sure were flabbergasted. 

Those who vent, like myself, can prepare to be scolded by those who say we must respect the proper legal process. We're lectured on how the defense just like the prosecution needs every opportunity to develop its case and strategy. 

 

So I'll "spill"

My inner thoughts are that the guy is definitely guilty. One is hesitant proclaiming as much. I'd be portrayed as ignorant about our legal system. I'm sure law enforcement was vigilant to the max in tracking down and arresting the guy. But what if there was some little flaw or irregularity in their procedure? So might we see the proverbial "technicality" that would allow the guy to walk? This happens. 

How could the guy even go back out into the world? 

We are truly in the midst of the "winter of the Idaho Four." Nancy Grace felt pressed to establish a headquarters right next to the murder home. Grace is a holdover from the "main stream media" days of crime reporting. She is used to being treated like a star. Let's observe that her star is fading. Her presence in Moscow, Idaho, is being met by resentment. 

The new media has opened the door for a slew of true crime people who may not be as polished in front of a camera as old Nancy. But they dive into the details with much greater sophistication. The sophistication reaches a level where I sometimes shake my head. What tools they can employ! Would have been unheard of in my youth. One's laptop screen becomes a cornucopia of sometimes-arcane insights. Naturally the young generation learns to take it for granted. 

A Door Dash order at 4 a.m.? What would people my age have done at 4 a.m. when we were young, if we were to wake up? Go to the bathroom maybe? What else? We take for granted now that one's mind can be totally stimulated at that hour, and virtually any other. One's brain could get over-stimulated, I would suggest. 

 

A gravy train maybe?

All this sophistication does not make it a slam-dunk for convicting the murderer. That's a huge irony. The legal "defense" will get dug in, its members prepared for the glare of attention. The bottom line for these people, really, is just for the process to roll on and on and on. Lots of people get compensated, lots of people get their names in the paper. We still have newspapers though I sometimes wonder why. 

"At the end of the day," as they say, what is likely to happen? If it's a death penalty case, heaven help us all. Taxpayers will cough up endless fortunes as the process rolls on. Why is the BTK killer still allowed to live? Why has he been interviewed for a book? I don't care what he has to say about anything. It's ditto for the killer in the Idaho case. I shall refrain from saying "alleged," and for that I'd be slapped up in a metaphorical way by certain people I know. 

What the hell explains the accused person's behavior as he fled east? Cleaning the car inside and out, putting trash in a neighbor's receptacles. Just normal innocent behavior? 

The case is stagnating in the media now and will largely remain in that state until June. Can you take it? The judge has issued a gag order. Media people have already begun to grope. The citizenry wants justice on the heels of this unspeakable crime. Instead we are left in sort of suspended animation. 

We "presume innocence" for the guy while he is kept locked up for months. 

 

Dylan Mortensen, survivor (ny post)

Lifestyle, values backdrop

Now, on to the four deceased and college youth in general: a lesson to be gleaned here, right? What kind of lifestyle are we encouraging or allowing with our youth ages 18-22? Isn't there a part of you that recoils at what is being portrayed? Such incredible "party" behavior with no sense of restraint. A "party house" where police have to go repeatedly because of noise, because the kids just don't give a rip? 

College ought to be instilling civilized standards. Up all night on Friday or Saturday? Why? What is all this rambunctious behavior accomplishing for these kids? Nothing. And it may in fact have a side effect of inducing risk. Proximity to drugs? The ubiquitous alcohol? The distraction of illicit, reckless sex? 

Was the murderer someone who felt rejected? He was once on heroin. Why do we even countenance "criminology" studies and majors? That was his thing. Do we really have to learn to "get inside the mind of a killer?" I would suggest that we just have to catch these people. 

For the BTK killer not to have been executed, is a flaw in our legal system. We will see the defense attorney in the Idaho case lick her chops and try to find any kind of inconsistency to exploit. To quote the cliche, "to find a hole big enough to drive a truck through." And I'm not saying that kind of hole cannot be alleged at some point. Do we have to have a flawless chronology of what happened that night? Anything less than that spells doubt and acquittal? 

"If the glove does not fit. . ." etc. So O.J. walked free. He was "not guilty." But a subsequent legal procedure on the civil level determined he was "responsible for the deaths." And lawyers would lecture me on how we can reconcile, and if you can't, well that's your problem. 

Again I ask: What the hell were the procedures in "the old days?" No DNA, no surveillance cameras, none of the funky stuff of today. You'd have to try to latch onto convincing circumstantial evidence, then pound away at a jury. It was necessary because society needs to be protected from murderers. That's the whole idea. It's not to facilitate Nancy Grace and the countless others of her ilk doing their "shows." And not to facilitate the overly histrionic defense lawyers, the ones who are self-serving and take their profession too far - a bridge too far - who like to go out on the courthouse steps and find the media microphones. So they can say "this is a bombshell" about some fairly inconsequential thing that might work in their favor. 

In the meantime, you all, let's try to clean up the behavior of so many of our U.S. young people ages 18-22, pull them away from their "Lord of the Flies" approach to life. Make them grow up.

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

Some thoughts verboten about Idaho tragedy?

Faces from the tragedy (spieltimes image)

Some of my thoughts in connection to the Idaho quadruple murders are probably not suitable for sharing with a widespread audience. Wouldn't a part of us want to see vigilante justice? Wouldn't such a thought creep into your head at some point? There was sufficient cause for thinking this even before the "probable cause" affadavit. 

And now? I would easily recommend something like a firing squad. Get it over with. Don't let him float out there like the BTK killer, available for interviews or research or whatever. 

Interviewed by who (whom)? Well, people into "criminology." And there's another point I could make outside of polite company: why not erase criminology studies and criminology majors from "higher education." 

People with vested interests will pounce on me. I have friends who are lawyers. They would say it's despicable to think of vigilante justice in any situation. Antithetical to the civilized world, they'd say. So I'd be looked upon as an uncivil person. It's a vested interest because people make their living in the legal field and see it as their turf. Think of all the people who are applying their legal chops as the case with the killer goes on and on. 

You know it'll go on and on. Haven't you followed these scenarios before? 

Do my lawyer friends really think that O.J. Simpson is out to "find the real killer?" The judicial record rules with these people. And O.J. was found not guilty. That was "remedied," sort of, with civil action that I guess ruled that O.J. was "responsible" for the deaths. While in criminal law he's considered not guilty. Or something like that. 

A question we have to ponder: How in hell were murder convictions ever made in the days before all the modern tools? I mean, DNA and surveillance cameras etc. 

 

Feline hero?

People are joking now that a cat might end up the hero of the Idaho case. A cat got up during the night to pee, activated a "Ring" camera and the camera caught the white Elantra making its departure. The "getaway car!" What if that hadn't happened, and what if DNA was not available as a resource? No hope for ever nailing the killer? Is this really how it used to be? 

Or did we allow greater breathing room for circumstantial evidence? If such evidence seemed strong, might there be license to convict? "Beyond any doubt" is such a high bar to clear. And would we want to risk a killer like Kohberger to free-roam again? 

My lawyer friends would say "the alleged killer." They would cite "presumption of innocence" with emphasis, as if this reflects the chief credo. Well of course we want to be right. But criminals purposefully seek to cover their tracks. Do we want to let them think they are so clever? 

The murder house (reuters image)

Vince Bugliosi's book about the O.J. case just presumed O.J.'s guilt. Bugliosi wrote that he was irritated by people in the media who called the case a "whodunit." He got so frustrated he used sarcasm. 

Speaking of being on a gravy train - what I asserted about the legal profession - let's put the media right in there too. A case like this gets traction and then everyone assumes their suitable roles. 

Defense lawyers love walking up to microphones. I have joked with a lawyer friend that the chief attribute of a defense lawyer is to walk up to a microphone outside a courthouse and say "this is a bombshell!" Hyperbole, yes. But it's a contest and the objective is to win! Salute the flag because this is America. 

Lawyers gravitate to sensational cases, maybe even to work "pro bono," because, well - you guessed it. Fame promotes advancement. I still remember the name Barry Scheck from the O.J. trial. I remember in my household, my father and I started joking that our dog was a fan of Scheck. 

 

Or you could say molasses

The legal process has appeals of course. These things move forward glacier-like. Good luck trying to get a death penalty to stick. To clarify, I often see the side of defense lawyers in the non-high-profile cases. I see the world much like defense lawyers, but when it comes to sensational cases, they become too bombastic. The Idaho killer will have people working in the background trying to build a defense case. 

We step in it when we say "Oh, I just know the guy is guilty." But I'll step in it in this case. The people who stepped in it with O.J. were right also. Nevertheless they would get slapped down by lawyers. Even if you said the civil case proved it, you'd get slapped down. We'd get lectured on how we'd have to accept the real legal record. The final judgment rules: not guilty. 

A pack of lawyers worked for O.J. Top lawyers will always line up to work in a sensational case. They will say of course that they are just being "advocates." That's how our U.S. legal system works: advocates on "both sides" and a judge in the middle who is only supposed to be a referee. In Europe you have the "inquisitorial" process in which the judge joins in the search for truth. The judge is sterile in America. 

Madison, Kaylee, Ethan, Xana (daily beast image)

We can expect a circus of a trial with this guy in Idaho, followed probably by appeals. The death penalty? Why in heck is this BTK killer still allowed to live? Oh I know it's the law. And we always have to respect the law. My lawyer friends would lecture me ad nauseam. 

The Idaho guy is guilty, OK? Can we not just take care of business and see that his life is ended? That is my recommendation. 

A knife killing of four college students in the middle of the night? 

 

Picture this

As I have suggested the following, I have been walking on eggshells, using the preface "fantasy." This is just a fantasy. My lawyer friends might excuse me this way. How about using the Internet to form a flash mob of several thousand people to encircle the place where the killer is being detained? The spokesman for the mob would say "we're coming in to get him and you'll have to shoot us to stop us." 

Isn't this remindful of how the Trump people stormed the nation's capital on Jan. 6, 2020? Isn't this a pretty exact parallel? The mob wanted to kill Mike Pence and probably his family too. Who knows how much carnage might have happened. As it was, law enforcement had to open fire to kill a female rioter from California. The mob that day was not even going after a killer, they just wanted to prevent a Democrat from becoming president. That mob has lots of sympathizers to this very day, like even where I live in Stevens County MN. 

So how about a flash mob out in Idaho? How many of us would lose sleep over such a thing? 

 

A "sugar baby?"

Too much information is being withheld from the public in Idaho. The father of one of the victims said he was "beginning to see links" between his daughter and Bryan Kohberger. This is according to the New York Post, Dec. 31. But alas, the father "said he wasn't ready yet to discuss the connections." 

Well, why the hell not? If the connections were innocuous, then why not? Was the guy going door-to-door selling magazine subscriptions? OK I joke. If the connections were not innocuous, it might unlock the door for understanding motive, however demented the killer was. 

Can't disclose the connections? Well then, guess what? We have to speculate. So much has been made of unbounded speculation. But with gaps or voids in the known background, this is rather an invitation. 

I have to think that something untoward was going on. Drugs? You never know. Sex? Exploring that runs the risk of shaming one of the departed. What if the daughter was a "sugar baby?" For me to say this is rather like my suggestion for vigilante action. Might be tamped down as verboten. 

I'll keep such thoughts on my lightly-read blog. Such thoughts might actually be scrubbed if I went broader. But here's the question: what if I am right? 

Bernard Goldberg in his book "Bias," in his chapter on the AIDS epidemic, said "people are notorious for lying about their sexual behavior." Remember the woman who claimed she got AIDS from her dentist? She got peeled like a banana by the insurance company. Lawyers will discretely admit that human beings are capable of all sorts of seamy behavior. Anyone who has worked in life insurance can tell you same. 

Arianna Huffington (twitter)

"Sugar babies" are a most real phenomenon. College is getting more expensive all the time. You may not remember, but Arianna Huffington was the one who came forward, going on talk shows to tell us about "sugar babies and sugar daddies." Don't condemn me for just reminding about the phenomenon. I am only speculating on the connection between Kaylee and Bryan in Idaho. But I am invited to speculate by the admitted lack of disclosures. 

 

More secrecy

There is still another void I can cite. The search warrant for the Moscow murder suspect's apartment is sealed. Huh? A legitimate search warrant in a legitimate investigation to track down a killer? Sealed? According to a media account, "releasing the search warrant would create serious and imminent threats to law enforcement and could prematurely end the investigation." This could even "cause a threat to public safety," it was added. 

A search as part of a legitimate investigation, a desperate investigation to identify the knife killer of four college students? Would actually step on toes? Whose toes? Could endanger public safety? What the hell was going on out there in Moscow, Idaho? 

Is it time to re-think the whole model for how so many of our youth ages 18-22 live? Maybe that's the ultimate lesson. But in the meantime, we have about the most notorious multiple murders ever committed. Can it just be disposed of? Vigilante style maybe? Be done with it. Like we should've offed BTK? 

The legal profession gravy train would have to be abbreviated, aborted. No defense lawyer out on the front steps saying "this is a bombshell." Media cameras always ready. What hath God wrought? 

For that matter, could we just be done with Donald Trump? 

Did the search warrant for the killer's apartment turn up facts rather unflattering for at least one of the poor victims? That is very sad. But what about the principle of how sunshine is the best disinfectant?" 

Maybe the most heroic party in the whole spectacle is the cat. Right away I thought: there is the opening scene for the movie!

I have called Xana "the girl next door." The scholarship endowment is a fine gesture in her memory.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwillh73@yahoo.com