Nothing gets bad enough with Trump revelations

An Apostolic church of Stevens County

Heaven help us if the people out here in Western Minnesota are representative. Hopefully we do not reflect the whole of the United States. I was at a hospitality establishment this morning when some Apostolic people began coming in. So easy to spot, of course. They have to look a certain way in order to get into heaven? Of course we have to fear "burning in hell." 

I have tried to cut slack for the Apostolics by describing them as likeable on a personal level. But as the headlines day by day get more scary, with Donald Trump's evildoing coming ever more into focus, I must worry. If the Apostolics and others like them are starting to feel reservations about this man named Trump, I'd like to see some real evidence of it. It is a most constructive human trait to be able to change your mind. But I cannot conceive of the Apostolics voting for anyone that has a "D" by his name. 

You don't have to like everything the Democratic Party espouses. But at a certain point, a U-turn from the Trump-obsessed Republican Party would seem wise, commendable. People out here in rural Western Minnesota are not programmed to make such a shift. Maybe we really are an extension of the Dakotas where the "R" initial has a near-monopoly. Jason Ravnsborg almost escaped getting impeached and convicted in South Dakota. 

Now Kristi Noem is calling for a boycott of Target. Since when did Republicans start thinking it appropriate to throw their weight around with private business concerns? As a young adult I learned that Republicans were quite oriented to leaving private business alone. "Laissez-faire." Today the Republican governor of Florida wants to run Disney. Were Democrats to try to put their hooks into private business, listen to all the "conservative media" people absolutely squealing. 

Whither the whole mess with this man?

There's another huge headline at the top of the Star Tribune Page 1 today. It continues the revelations about the disgrace that is named Donald Trump. We should feel relieved that the facts are coming out. In that sense it's a cause for true happiness. 

But the problem is this: a huge percentage of our population refuses to believe anything bad about Trump, a man they have never met. Somehow the Trump people have just become mesmerized, transfixed. 

I cannot see the local Apostolics changing their vote for 2024. Can you? Trump could get elected from prison. How many of you are willing to accept that possibility? 

 

Women must lead

Right now I hope and pray that our biggest hope - the female gender - will come through for us. And it wouldn't be just because of women's reproductive health rights. That's a major factor. Along with that is women's inherent nature to be nurturers, to make sure above all else that the U.S. is a healthy and safe place in which to raise their children. 

So we must elect people of fundamentally sound character, whether they be Republicans or Democrats. Sound character as exhibited by Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. There are just a few bright lights on the Republican side. 

Why can't the Apostolics and their ilk try propping up a fundamentally good person to be president, a person who espouses sound conservative principles? Conservatism at its core has a lot to offer - it insists on restraint in government spending, an impulse that is often needed. 

But conservatism at its heart wants society to stay on a predictable even keel, even if these people don't get their way on everything. South Dakota Governor Noem has spoken like she's receptive to Trump's face being added to Mount Rushmore. Why do "Republicans" insist on propping up someone like this? No alternatives? Why no alternatives? You can't score points with them by trying to point out Trump's immorality. I have a friend who thinks the whole Stormy Daniels thing should just prompt some laughs. My friend is an ardent Republican. 

We are going to be subjected to an avalanche of sensational headlines about Trump for the foreseeable future. Why do we even accept this? Why can't we place our focus on legitimate news and legitimate issues that really affect our lives? I swear that Trump has a psychological disorder that makes him simply seek daily attention, and it doesn't matter if the attention is good or bad. 

The attention seems so bad right now. Look at the top of Page 1 of today's (Saturday) Star Tribune. But would the local zealots including the Apostolics really interpret such headlines as being cause for concern? Can't they turn their heads toward someone like Asa Hutchinson now? His polling is near the bottom. But you can sense he's a truly good person. On gay rights he has said "I think there's a generational difference in attitudes about this." He said it with a smile. So he's perceptive enough to sense changes in our national zeitgeist, an important gift for presidents to have. 

But no, the tone out here in Western Minnesota marches on, that of interpreting the disturbing headlines about Trump as just being - to use Trump's own words - a "witch hunt." And they'll assail the Bidens. They'll assail Nancy Pelosi. Why? What do they feel Trump will deliver to them in their own lives? Don't they even care about that? So what does Trump represent to them? Whatever this is - however you'd want to describe it - it would appear to supersede everything, even the Christian faith which such people try to wrap their arms around. 

Are there three Apostolic Christian churches in the Morris area now? What do these churches really offer that the mainstream Protestant churches would not offer? And with so many people lining up with the Apostolic faith, far fewer people are left here to support the fine mainstream Protestant churches. Are we in Morris close to having a reputation as a "cult" community? The Catholics are another story. No special comment on that (although I could). 

 

Michelle Fischbach

Witness our congressperson

The tenor of political talk out here shows how we got a congressperson like Michelle Fischbach. She won't even answer my questions about why she made her statements on January 6. She voted against certifying the election results. Hell's bells, what if people like her had won out? An endless "investigation" into voting until finally Trump could be declared the winner? How long? 

Put attorneys to work on an "investigation" and how long do you think it would take? Often I get discouraged and I think to myself "they go home for the weekend too." Time marches on. Trump could still be our president. There would have been no inauguration in January of 2021. We have a congressperson who appears to have been receptive to such a scenario. You'll miss democracy when it's gone. 

I cannot imagine for a second that this love affair between Fischbach and Trump has waned one bit. I'll remind you all: We have made these choices. 

I sit here like the lone sane character in an episode of "The Twilight Zone." I have MAGA-oriented friends who would scoff at me, poke fun at me because of my attitudes, like I'm stupid. Maybe that is why I'm starting to get a little angry. Good luck, Jack Smith. People of sound character are praying for you. Yes, you can be a Christian and a Trump skeptic. You can at least have a clear eye. Get up tomorrow morning (Sunday), look at yourself in the mirror and take a fresh view.

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