How are we standing on this Easter?

"Leporiphobia" is fear of the Easter bunny.

 

Easter seemed like such an innocent thing back when I wore a younger man's clothes. Maybe it was easier for me to be happy because I was part of an actual family. I had to try to overcome the overwhelming stigma of "living with my patents." I think our nation has greatly lessened this stigma over the last three or so decades. 

My family included a dog for many years. Today the expense of owning a pet has caused many people to give up on it. Veterinary expenses have shot up. Well a great many categories of expenses have shot up. 

Think of visiting the dentist for one thing. I have seen some advice on how to deal with that: "take extraordinarily good care of your teeth." I get fluoride rinse at Willie's, mix a small amount with hot water and swish it in my mouth, once or twice a day. The approach seems to work. I haven't been to the dentist in at least three years and I have no pain. 

But we seek dental care for a reason. We like to have pets for a reason. If Americans continually feel pressure to "give up things," then what might we conclude about our actual quality of life? Inflation shoots up partly if not mainly because of the actions of the Federal Reserve. "The Fed" answers to no elected leaders. And the push for lower interest rates is coming to be seen as primarily a means for big stock market investors to get more filthy rich. The great U.S. middle class that was created after WWII is eroding away. 

So how should we feel at this Easter time of 2024? As a kid my family got together with my uncle and aunt from Glenwood. Uncle Howard was dad's brother. Howard and Dad were among five sons of Martin and Carrie Williams of Glenwood. I am proud to be under that umbrella even if I have so little to show for my own life. I have been unemployed since 2006. At present my age is elevated enough that I could legitimately not be expected to work. 

I suppose I could have found some way to "volunteer" at something. Problem is, I'm convinced I have the equivalent of PTSD due to the wear and tear on my psyche from having been with the Morris newspaper. At the end of that, maybe I really truly could have been judged a failure. I won't make an issue of that. But I do not believe I warranted being treated as a scorned person. I was not some drug pusher, was not responsible for any terrible crimes. 

I was asked to do a great deal. Virtually every aspect of my responsibilities was undergoing rapid change or obsolescence toward the end. It started playing mind games with me. 

The atmosphere at work had been so laid back and relaxed in a previous time. I suppose the advances in tech were the main cause of the sea change. People long ago began predicting the outright demise of the print media. And of course the downturn turned out to be not so sudden. But it surely has been steady. 

  

What would He say about Donald Trump?

Reverence on Easter

Shall I go to church on Easter Sunday? My long-time church of First Lutheran in Morris has been undergoing such terrible death spasms. It has gotten to the point where we are resorting to have a Methodist minister come and present the service periodically. This individual is the regular pastor at Federated Church. So I assume he's Methodist. 

Well fine, I'm not throwing stones at the Methodist denomination. Nor at the pastor I cite. 

But First Lutheran is an ELCA church. It's just a matter of proper procedure, proper procedure to have an ELCA-approved pastor on Sunday if we are going to have a service at all. And maybe that is what it has come to - maybe we should get it over with and just dissolve. 

I brought a check into the church office in December. I had to either do this or get my annual letter which would show zero contribution. I don't give to the offering plates. In fact, I see the passing around of the plates to be almost annoying. Just because someone ignores the plate - "waves off" the person with the plate - does not mean that person does not give. One of George Carlin's greatest lines was: "Is it OK to make change in the offering plate when it goes by?"

I find it more efficient and satisfying to submit a periodic check, although my enthusiasm has dimmed considerably because of the condition of First Lutheran. I now regret having submitted the December check. 

So I am doing the obvious: stopping in at Faith Lutheran "on the other side of the tracks." Well, west Morris has its charms. I once suggested in my writing that west Morris have something like Prairie Pioneer Days, headquartered at Wells Park. Wells Park is probably an underrated place. 

Well, today there is no Prairie Pioneer Days on the east side of the tracks either. The PPD that we knew for many years as such a robust thing has died. Unbelievable. And First Lutheran Church has the proverbial one foot in the grave. Maybe more than one foot. Why has it come to this? 

The west side Faith Lutheran is ELCA.

 

First Lutheran Church, Morris

The need to adjust

The decline of First Lutheran had one clear catalyst at the start: the gay rights push. In fact, this push has served to sever the whole Methodist denomination. What a mess. At least the ELCA resolved the matter and then moved on. But at a possible terrible cost. 

If we have a Methodist minister presenting a service at First, I'd like to know on what side of the Methodist divide he falls: pro-gay or anti-gay. I have absolutely no problem with equal rights for gays - there's no excuse for keeping them "in the closest" - but I think they need to back off from so much "activism." 

If my own pastor were gay, fine, totally fine, but then that person should just strive to be a totally capable minister. Stick to the priorities of the Christian faith. But be careful about quoting Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, because Jesus could sound a little "liberal." You fools, of course Jesus could sound a little liberal. And he would want nothing to do with Donald Trump and his "Trump Bibles," a total grift. 

 

The local tenor

But here in Stevens County, on the windswept rural prairie, we have clearly drunk the Trump and GOP Kool-Aid of the year 2024. Maybe it isn't just the ELCA that is dying, maybe it's America itself. "Let's go Brandon."

 

To be cherished

One thing you cannot take away from me: my memories of Easters past when I had a family and we shared Easter with my uncle and aunt Howard and Vi of Glenwood. Bless their memory, along with the memory of our precious dogs: Misty, Heidi and Sandy. 

Too expensive to have a dog now. Pretty soon it might be too expense to eat. Oh but we're getting advice now: to start having breakfast cereal as our evening meal. It was in the news recently. Pretty soon the very richest class might be lecturing the rest of us on how we need to accept living in a dormitory building with a stranger roommate and shared bathroom. Just make do. 

The top one percent needs interest rates low. That accelerates inflation. How do you feel about food costs now? The top one percent will insist we vote for Trump. Trump as dictator would try to seize control of "the Fed."

When the people realize how they're being subjugated for the benefit of the very richest, they could well rise up. A common way of putting this is: "rise up with pitchforks." We should pray that this scenario does not happen. Let's all get along, rich and poor alike. But the rich have to chill out.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - b willy73@yahoo.com

Easter approaches and we cheer for Hawkeyes

Caitlin Clark, U of Iowa (espn image)

Headline from "Hawk Fanatic" on Feb. 29: "Iowa women destroy Minnesota 108-60 as Caitlin Clark surpasses Lynette Woodard in career scoring."

Easter of 2024 is a week away. Our Willie's grocery store is holding firm by being closed the full day. I wonder how much longer this will continue. What does Easter mean most for you? The "correct" answer would be on religious terms. For me, the approaching Easter means we are within a week of the "Sweet 16" for the women's NCAA basketball tournament. Which normally would not mean much for me. In a normal year my interest would be no greater than for the men's tournament. Might be less in fact. 

Women's Division I college basketball is nothing new. But it has taken a step forward in the current season. It's not surprising that a single individual can be the catalyst for this. Look what Mark McGwire meant to major league baseball in helping bring fan interest back after the labor action hiccup. Sammy Sosa was the secondary catalyst. And it worked, as I would most readily admit as someone who became kind of transfixed. 

At present? I'll be saying "happy Easter" with thoughts of the Iowa basketball star dancing in my head. She is surely the prime Easter weekend highlight for yours truly. And if Willie's were to be open on Sunday, I might purchase a chocolate bunny there. The religious component of Easter may well trouble you. Hey, you may not be a Christian. You may be a Christian, as yours truly seeks to profess, but are alienated by the extreme violence of the crucifixion. Who wants to hear about literal torture? Hey, I don't forget. 

I'd prefer my chocolate bunny but you know what? I could not do this because of my diabetes. I have been under that (cloud of a) diagnosis for about a year. But most likely I've had the condition for a considerable time. It was pinpointed when I needed emergency treatment for something else. In case you aren't aware, you're curious I'm sure so I'll disclose an incarcerated hernia. I got through all of that quite satisfactorily. Dr. Sam is a saint. 

 

The dietary regimen

I have adjusted my lifestyle some but not to the degree that it could be declared perfect. I have seen the tongue-in-cheek advice that "the best diabetic diet is to eat nothing." Quite impracticable. I still have not sampled "kiwi fruit" or avocados. My doctor suggests blueberries, but I read that a large percentage of that is simply water. I need sustenance. But I cannot grab the chocolate bunny at Willie's, shoot. 

The late Willie Martin once kept his grocery store closed every Sunday. He said it was "the Lord's Day." Bless his memory. But I'm afraid his principles were rather stuck in Norman Rockwell times. The percentage of "nones" in the population grows all the time. "Nones" have no association with organized religion. I would not brand them "atheist." My own thinking gravitates sometimes to the values of many of our Native Americans. They have faith in "the creator." Hard to deny that. 

Outside of that, we can build our own framework of basic ethics starting with "treat others the way you would want to be treated." 

 

Hard to wrap arms around

Christianity sort of threatens us: Believe in this dude named Jesus Christ who was son of God and sent to "die for our sins." Then, if you find some way to "have faith in him" - not sure how to wrap my arms around that - well then you are set for "eternal life." So all the human beings on Earth before the time when Christ was nailed up on the cross were condemned to damnation? Because Christ had not died for their sins yet? 

I sometimes view the Christ story as "bad science fiction." 

Whiz with the basketball (Wall Street Journal)

But one thing we all know is very real now: the superstar of the University of Iowa women's basketball team has taken the sport to a new level for women. And while we're at it, a tip of the hat to her whole team. We don't sense a trace of jealousy on the Iowa team. Some of Caitlin's teammates like Kate Martin are growing to become household words. 

So let's all focus on the entrancing Iowa Hawkeyes with Sweet 16 weekend approaching. I prefer that term over "Easter weekend" especially with Donald Trump trying to draw parallels between himself and Jesus Christ. Yes he has done that. In ordinary times we would all proclaim that to be a perversion. But in our times of 2024, Trump is poised to perhaps become U.S. president again. He might even be the slight favorite. 

Our congressperson Michelle Fischbach will be championing Trump. Ms. Fischbach voted not to certify the 2020 election results. She showed apparent sympathy for the attempt to violently overthrow the U.S. government. Yes, a Republican thought that way. So much for patriotism. 

But let's put that aside. 

Let's put aside the horrible violent imagery of the Christ crucifixion. Mel Gibson may have given us that problem. So many of us get fooled by Hollywood and by Trump, when we should just have the proper thoughts. Why is that so difficult? 

 

Get behind the Hawkeyes

Maybe you can join me in focusing thoughts on the Iowa women's basketball team. Iowa? A marquee team from Iowa? A state with no big league pro teams? Why yes, and why not? It is a total joy. Caitlin Clark is a sparkling personality in every conceivable way. Her talent is just the base. She is so intelligent, mature and charming. 

In the spirit of candor I must share the following: Some will say maybe I'm biased because she is white, as is yours truly. African Americans are awesome in the sport of basketball. There have been so many superstars. If I'm biased, maybe it's because Caitlin is an obvious female. No one would suspect her of being a "trans." Also, she has clear feminine traits as opposed to the opposite which one might suspect for an athletic superstar. If men were not still considered stronger than women, the women's ball for basketball would not be smaller. 

Such an appealing athlete, personality (espn)

How feminine is Caitlin Clark? There was a time when she might be described as a "tomboy." I suspect that's another term that may have faded. Faded due to the "political correctness" thing. Caitlin Clark would fit the basic mold for what my generation might consider a tomboy. We were not prejudiced against such girls. They simply did not back off from the rough-and-tumble world of boys activities. We could be quite fond of them. 

Maybe that's the point on which I feel rather enthralled by Ms. Clark. A tomboyish girl but obviously a girl. I'll confess to a prejudice that way. 

As for the race angle, I think a part of us is attracted to those "like us" along many lines. This is an admission on my part, admittedly crossing a line with some. I am happy for all of collegiate women's basketball. I am profoundly happy with how Iowa has helped the sport to take another significant step forward in this spring of 2024. The best evidence from me is that I have looked up when Iowa's next game is. They're playing Colorado at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Iowa has been challenged thus far in the tournament. They are beatable. I am praying they get through one more round at least. 

Chocolate bunnies! ("beaverdale confections")

Praying to the Christian God, yes, while trying to forget about the literal torture of Jesus Christ leading up to the crucifixion. Have a chocolate bunny for Easter of 2024. Tune in the Hawkeyes if you can, through some live platform in the Internet jungle. I might just have to watch post-game highlights like I did this morning (Tuesday). 

I shared about this in an email I sent to fellow UMM advocate and friend Warrenn Anderson. I share part of the email below. Some of it I withhold because of well you know.

 

Warrenn - I go to bed early so I did not follow the Iowa women's game to the end last night. I just viewed some highlights on YouTube now. Iowa could well have lost the game but they won. That's great. Women's basketball has been around for a long time but it has not had such a terrific representative as Caitlin Clark. She's even making me a fan of some of her teammates like Kate Martin. I wish them well but as they face steadily tougher opponents, we cannot assume victory. I hope they can get through one more round.

 

I have had the pleasure lately of getting caught up on Alexandria H.S. basketball. Thanks to Mark Torgerson I learned the last name of Heather Lucken now - Scholl - so I can identify her children. At first I discovered the girl and then just yesterday I checked the boys roster and discovered a Scholl on that also. Very belated. I blogged about these teams in the last week but I didn't have all the background information. I went to the "Maxpreps" site to examine the team rosters. Another surprise there: not only is a Witt coaching the boys, there are two Witt players on the team. So I just learned that yesterday.

This has been a tough winter for me to try to blog about the Morris teams. It has been much harder to find timely information. I think that's unfortunate but people tend not to listen to me when I raise issues.

Very unfortunate: I was shocked recently - really truly - by the belligerent language of Morris teachers as they get in the face of the school board. I had thought this sort of thing faded away a long time ago. I thought the system had been fixed somewhat. Looks like the most aggressive teachers' rep now happens to be the football coach. You and I ought to be concerned about this because it hearkens back to the 1980s. I guess the new agitator is Kevin Pope who happens to be the football coach. I have never met him. I had no clue, prior to the recent newspaper article, that he was so aggressive representing the teachers who of course always claim they are underpaid. 

 

I got a kick out of the school board person who suggested paying more attention to "preventative health." I suppose the health insurance premiums skyrocket. Doctors today cannot even instruct patients to lose weight. I remember reading about a lawsuit about that. So the doctors have to treat symptoms.

I am not aware of the new U of M president coming out to Morris yet. I don't think I'm on the list for getting heads-up. Michael Lackey tells me the "Degree in Three" really isn't such a unique thing for us, it's just that it is more "formalized" at UMM. Boy, I don't know - we are literally trying to sell the idea of "less is more." Actually I'm still confused about it. Yes the kids can take classes in summer but they have always been able to do that.

So refreshing this morning to watch Iowa basketball highlights instead of going through all the updates on the Trump legal matters. Why do we as a nation put up with this?

Next year I may blog regularly about Alexandria basketball if I can reliably get the info. Things may be futile for Morris basketball. Charlie Hanson had to miss the spring band trip to New Orleans. I subsidized that trip with $2000, took some pressure off the kids for doing fund-raising.

- Brian W.

Martin Williams of Glenwood, esteemed fellow

Martin Williams

My granddad

Martin Williams did not live long enough to feel assured the U.S. would come out of the Great Depression. He died too young at age 53, victim of cancer. 

Martin of Glenwood was the grandfather of your blog host. My father Ralph was one of the five sons of Martin and Carrie. What a family this was, in the rural outskirts of Glenwood. I shall share further about Carrie at a future time. She lived until 1949. Her passing was at age 63. 

I have noticed a discrepancy in Martin's year of birth. Let's go with how it's reported on his marker, the image of which you'll see below. 

Ralph was the youngest of  Martin's five sons. Ralph was a Glenwood High School graduate in 1934. Those were John Dillinger times. 

Martin would have been so proud to follow Dad's progression through music studies at the University of Minnesota. Also, to follow Dad's adventures as a music director, much of which was here in Morris. 

You'll see at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery a main piece of rock with "Williams" on it. It rather stands out. On one side are Martin and Carrie's resting places. On the other, Howard and Viola's. Howard was in the mix of brothers - what a group! My family was especially close to Howard and Vi. Our two families spent many holidays together.

A life cut short, yet he saw so much.

Below is the obit for Martin from a newspaper clipping. I took the final paragraph and switched it to the top, as it is a fine testament to my grandfather who I could never meet. I only knew one of my four grandparents and that was Hilda on Mom's side. I am hoping to meet the others in the afterlife.

Mr. Williams will be remembered as a man of sterling character and integrity. He was a man who was looked up to and respected by all who came in contact with him. He was a kind and devoted husband and father whose passing away will be sincerely mourned by all those who knew him. 

 

After a long and lingering illness, Martin Williams, prominent citizen of Minnewaska Township, passed away at his home at 4:30 Thursday, June 22. The cause of his death was cancer. 

Martin Williams was born at Bricelyn, Minn. on October 28, 1878. He was the son of Bent and Carrie Williamson. He grew to manhood in southern Minnesota. 

Thirty years ago he came to Pope County where he has followed his trade, that of a plastering contractor and mason. He was an outstanding workman in his line and was widely known for his ability. 

On May 15, 1908, he was married to Carrie Avdem. The following children survive their union: Clyde, Howard, Andrew, Joseph and Ralph. The funeral services were held Sunday afternoon from the home and the Glenwood Lutheran Church of which he was a member. The services were largely attended by their many friends and relatives who came to pay their last respects to a kind neighbor and friend. 

Mr. Williams is also survived by the following brothers who were present at the funeral: John, Christian, William of Minneapolis, Andrew at Stillwater and Joseph at Wellsburg, N.D. Others attending the funeral from a distance were Mr. and Mrs. Pete Peterson of Frost, Minn., Mrs. Anna Johnson and son, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Nygaard of St. Paul, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Johnson and family of Dalton, Minn. and also many friends from the surrounding country. 

 

Updade 4/21/24 : Thanks to Brent Gulsvig of Starbuck, I have supplemental information on the final rites for Martin. Presiding clergy was The Reverend J. Linnevold. The pallbearers were all acquaintances of Mr. Williams whom he had selected prior to his death. There were Tagner Olson and Colonel Gassman of Glenwood; Herman Anderson and Elan Hansen of Alexandria; and Emil and Victor Larson of Starbuck.

 

Emily Post advice

An advice column by Emily Post is preserved with Martin's obituary in our family's collection. Both items were inserted at the front of a family Bible. Emily Post shared thoughts on how best to conduct oneself at a funeral. She recognized the norms of 1930s culture. The headline for her column: "The bereaved prefer friend who is silent."

Emily Post

DEAR MRS. POST:

Words always fail me when I go to see someone who has been newly bereaved. My feelings are flowing over inside, but I can't express them as I would like. I'm always afraid I'll say the wrong things and probably cause more anguish, and I end by being tongue-tied and seeming very inept, I'm sure, to the person I mean to comfort. Will you tell me what to say at such times.

ANSWER: All people feel very much, I think, as you do. It may, however, encourage you to know that ability to speak easily at such a time is much more likely to give pain than comfort. Words from a clergyman are comforting, it is true, as is an expression of love from those who love the bereaved ones. But a look of sympathy, a handclasp, and silence - letting the bereaved person talk or be silent as his or her own impulses direct - is in most cases the best thing to do. Say something, if it is true, about the loveliness of the character of the person who has died or whatever qualification will be most missed either by yourself or by people in general. Say how deeply sorry you are and reply to what the other person says to you. In other words, when going to see a person in deep mourning you should adapt yourself as perfectly as you can to the mood of that person.

More on Ms. Post

Emily Post (1872-1960) was an American author, novelist and socialite famous for writing about etiquette. Post's books on etiquette served a need in America, what with the country's "exotic mix of immigrants and newly rich," wrote Dinitia Smith of the New York Times in a review of a biography of Post. "Men had to be taught not to blow their noses into their hands or to spit tobacco onto ladies' backs." 

Arthur Schlesinger wrote that etiquette books were part of the leveling-up process of democracy." Post's books had a quality of reading like short story collections with recurring characters.

 

Addendum: No person, no matter how esteemed, is completely without fault. So to humanize Martin, I'll recall a conversation I had with my cousin Robert, son of Clyde, several years ago. He recalled in general his parents not talking much about Martin. But it came out that Martin did like an alcoholic drink now and then! Bless his memory.

  

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

Riley Asmus tops our scoring in final game

Thanks to the MACA boys basketball coaching staff for getting game stats posted on "Maxpreps" for the final game. The end came at Marshall MN, home of Southwest State University and its "R-A Facility." I never had occasion to go there in my background of covering the Tigers for the newspaper. Most of my career was spent in the days before SSU became the site for the climactic section stuff. 

I do remember going there once for a concert: the great trumpet player Maynard Ferguson. 

SSU seems rather far away for MACA fans to handle conveniently. Certainly they were challenged for what turned out to be our final game of the season. The Tigers had the privilege of playing for the Section 3AA championship. Privilege for sure, but it's rather a downer when you lose at that level. That's because you were one win away from getting bragging rights for "making state." It has to be a disappointment. 

But how should we really judge such things? Be totally pleased with the climb all the way to the section title game? I guess that's the ideal attitude. Let's put that forward. 

But I certainly would not want to drive all the way back to Morris with the taste of defeat in my mouth. But hey, I'm sure my Maynard Ferguson concert had a standard evening starting time. I was so much younger then, certainly made up for it. BTW it was a great concert. 

I can segue here on the subject of music. Disappointment certainly surrounds the fact that an MACA basketball member had to miss the New Orleans trip due to the basketball game. That's what happens when you are multi-talented. Charlie Hanson is this individual. He's a trumpet player as was yours truly. In basketball he can have great impact, often with his long-range shooting eye. 

The Tigers played for the Section 3AA championship on the same day that Wanda Dagen's MAHS band took off for new Orleans. I am looking forward to getting a report on the trip. Remember that the band's annual "ice cream concert" is coming up in May. Be sure to put it on your calendar. A small free-will offering is requested. Charlie and the other talented MAHS band members will perform in the cafeteria area. Everyone then heads into the concert hall for the main concert. 

Skip YouTube on that one and just show up! 

 

20 wins for hoopsters

MACA basketball surely gave us great memories over 2023-24. Take a look at our won-lost: 20-10. In section: 8-5. Conference: 9-5. At home at Tiger Center: 7-5. But surely it was a bitter pill at the end. I don't know if a large number of Morris fans made the trip for the fairly late starting time of 8 p.m. If it was a lot, great. Obviously the pep band could not appear. I'm not sure if the band would have played anyway.

 

A multi-sport standout, Riley. (image from "X")

Huskies 67, Tigers 52

At the level of the section championship game, you're bound to meet a high-caliber foe. So that was Jackson County Central, the Huskies. And the Huskies emerged on top of MACA in the 67-52 final. The Tigers faded late. JCC is in for state. 

The Tigers made 19 of 57 field goal attempts, 33 percent. Riley Asmus was our top scorer with 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting. Alex Asmus was second-high with his output of 12, on 5 of 11 shooting. Our third double figures scorer was Drew Huebner: 11 points, 5 of 11 shooting. 

Four other Tigers contributed points: Hanson 7, Owen Anderson 3, Jack Kehoe 2 and Tyler Friesen 1. 

In 3's the Tigers shot 6 of 19. Two Tigers each succeeded twice from beyond the 3-point stripe: Riley and Alex. Owen and Charlie each added one '3' to the mix. 

Riley Asmus was perfect in freethrows at four-for-four. Charlie made both of his freethrow shots. Tyler and Drew each made one. As a team we were 8 of 13, 62 percent. 

Riley and Alex each collected six rebounds to co-lead there. Four of Riley's boards were offensive. Alex's boards were all defensive. Owen grabbed five rebounds, one offensive. Charlie had four rebounds, Huebner and Kehoe two each, and Friesen one. We had 26 rebounds total, seven offensive. 

Riley Asmus had two of our six assists. One each came from Friesen, Huebner, Hanson and Kehoe. Riley Asmus had three of our eight steals. Anderson and Hanson each picked up two steals, and Alex Asmus one. Friesen and Huebner each blocked a shot. The Tigers had six turnovers.

 

Caitlin Clark

Basketball still in focus

Truly we are in peak time for overall interest in basketball. And what a time it is for the collegiate women. Here of course the shining jewel is Caitlin Clark. Iowa is not in the spotlight much for sports. The state must be quite enthralled with what Caitlin and her Iowa Hawkeye mates (like Kate Martin) are accomplishing now. 

"Eyes on the back of her head." That's what a DeToy's Restaurant server told me re. Caitlin recently. Indeed Caitlin has savvy for passing as well as shooting. The DeToy's server incidentally was Kaylee Harstad of the MACA girls team. It's too bad the MACA girls lost right out of the starting gate in the post-season. I feel convinced they had more talent than that. 

The GBB Tigers lost to Paynesville. The season had its oddities. The Tigers lost badly to Minnewaska, Minnewaska then lost to Paynesville and then MACA beat Paynesville. As the great broadcaster Chris Berman says, "that's why they play the game." In other words, forget comparative scores! 

MACA basketball is done so we can follow the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA tournament. It will be hard for the Hawkeyes to finish No. 1. Would be great to see the great Ms. Clark make one or two shots "from the logo!" We are expecting so much of her now. 

What will fame do for her as time goes on? Hope she can keep her focus and proper sense of priorities. Sometimes we in America will build someone up as a hero and then we sort of enjoy starting to "deconstruct" them. Maybe it's because we're anxious to realize they're human like the rest of us. I am reminded here of the movie "Zelig" starring Woody Allen. 

I hope Ms. Clark has the right boyfriend and the right future husband. Hope she never gets distracted by drugs. Money? Do not let it take over, Caitlin.

 

Derelict

It is 1 p.m. on Tuesday and I see no coverage of the MACA boys' section championship game appearance on the Stevens County Times site. The game was five days ago. Appearing in the section championship game is a big deal. I would hope that at least a short item could be posted on the SCT site within 24 hours after the game. Or ideally the next morning. 

It should be a joy for the paper people to do this. They should do it out of community enthusiasm. Am I asking too much? Am I suggesting standards that are too high? I welcome any feedback. 

If I had to answer for such a sluggish performance, I'd be a target for nasty comments. What if I had misspelled Grayson Gibson's name in a headline? Or, the UMM chancellor's name in a headline? Just think, what if? 

But it would be a no-brainer for me to get poised at the keyboard to do some pretty prompt coverage of a basketball team in the section finals. And I say this as an old-timer who delivered coverage in the pre-Internet days. 

You probably know that the SCT loads up its website with UMM sports. And of course the full-meal-deal with UMM sports coverage is on UMM's very own excellent site. The Tigers do not have a comparable resource. They deserve better from local media. And the radio station's website has been down. Brett Miller is gone from the station anyway, and that has left a quite large void. 

Now, maybe we could just insist the radio station get a replacement person to do what Brett did. That strike you as logical? Or is Morris just too apathetic?

 

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

Not sure who the "evangelicals" really are

Should this be a MAGA stronghold?

We are inching toward Easter, a holiday that on the surface encourages joy. Joy of the resurrection? So we might have eternal life? We can feel joy if in fact all of this is true. But Christians in America have been so distracted and deluded by politics over the last few years. 

Think how long ago this all began: it was in 2016 when we had an election coming up. The media talked about the "evangelical Christians." 

I am a pretty aware person - I am college-educated and follow the news - and I cannot share with you a definition of "evangelical Christianity." Given the stripes of these people, they appear totally the opposite of the "Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." Well, the ELCA has "evangelical" right in its name. But these people are not "evangelical Christians?"

Evangelical Christians are supposed to almost unanimously support Donald Trump. They gave us Trump as our national leader in 2016. Without the evangelicals, the Democrat would have been elected. 

How could all the evangelicals be so convinced that Trump was in line with their interests? I mean their true spiritual interests? The media gave us an explanation for that. We were told that Trump offered evangelicals a base of power. So it was all about power, which would then be exercised for what purpose? To remedy something? 

Was there something wrong with how the nation's Christians were being allowed to worship? Any impediment? Any impediment at all? I attended church pretty often in the eight years of Obama/Biden. I never sensed that my freedom to worship was impeded in any way. But the nation's evangelicals in 2016 issued a plea for how Trump and the Republicans were so essential. 

 

A different mold

Ronald Reagan was never like this. I faulted Reagan because he pushed the belief that deficits could be used to give tax cuts to billionaires. And now we see hand-wringing about deficits. And so Trump just the other day said we'd have to start looking at cuts to entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. But were his statements at all revelatory? Revelatory about Republican thinking? If you think so, you must be an ignoramus who pays no heed to the news. 

Some Republicans like Mike Lee sure sound like they'd like to get rid of Social Security completely. For the benefit of whom? Well the very rich of course. I am happy for all their success. Being "rich" is no sin. But we all need to take care of each other. What a wonderful nation this would be if we could all just follow the credo "treat others as you would want to be treated." 

There is the famous quote: "I am my brother's keeper." It originated in the Bible, Book of Genesis.

 

All in this together

We can study and appreciate the words of Jesus Christ from his Sermon on the Mount. But so many Americans are deluded these days. The so-called evangelical Christians, whatever they are and whoever they are, would have us think there should be no collective concerns at all. But we see inflation rampaging forward. We hear that in the nation's big cities, enforcement of shoplifting is becoming almost futile. And who pushes so relentlessly for these lower interest rates that ignite inflation? The very richest are at the top of the list. 

We were told for years that rock-bottom interest rates were what kept the stock market advancing upward, like magic. It isn't magic. Economics is a science. It tells us that low interest rates are good for the stock market. It also tells us that low interest rates are catastrophic for setting the stage for inflation. 

I don't know if all you 401K people are so happy about the stock market that you want to see continued risk for inflationary waves. It's just my view that inflation could pose an existential threat, i.e. the threat that this nation could begin to implode. And has this already started? The biggest evidence that might be cited is the continued strength of Donald Trump. You laugh at me. Good for you. So many of us are still rooting for this rapist who has had admiring words about Hitler. More about the latter is coming out now.

 

John Kelly, chief of staff to Trump (PBS)

John Kelly says 

A chief of staff to Trump tried counseling Trump: 1) Don't ever say anything good about Hitler, and 2) You are wrong if you think Hitler's generals set an example with their loyalty to him. John Kelly told the Orange Man that the generals actually tried killing Hitler several times. Rommel was complicit. He paid with his life.

I personally have been aware for a long time that Hitler had many of his own generals killed. So I knew that. Trump needed a primer. 

I again remember the movie "All the President's Men," the scene where "Deep Throat" tells the reporter "forget this mystique about the White House." The point was that many of the president's people weren't bright at all. With Trump the problem was Trump himself. He appeared to not know much about the Nazis basically, that in fact many of Hitler's generals wanted him dead, and their attempts at making this happen resulted in their own execution.

I knew all about that. Who am I? An anonymous resident of Flyoverland. Who was Trump? President of the U.S., that's all. And he was not aware of it. 

 

In awe? No

Forget the mystique of the U.S. Supreme Court, I personally would add. Go a few blocks from the Supreme Court building, find a fast-food restaurant and select a random employee, maybe a non-Anglo person, and I'll bet that person has a better sense of right and wrong than Clarence Thomas. No exaggeration. 

So what is happening to our country? Thomas recognizes one weather vane only, the vane of what his super-rich benefactors are pointing to. Oh, maybe another vane too, his wife and her absolutely impassioned support of Trump, her emotional support. Thomas would vote in Trump's interests to the exclusion of any other interests. Whereas our random fast food employee would surely have a sense of caring and justice. It's just the way to be. And in a previous time, it was "the American way." 

I really believe that one more blast of inflation will cause cracks to start forming across America. Leading to what? "Mad Max?" 

And yet the voices screaming for more "quantitative easing" with interest rates are so loud and powerful. We recently saw a spate of headlines about how six interest rate cuts were surely on the way this year. Oh, and then the projections grew to seven! The mainstream media trumpeted these voices much to the delight of the wealthiest class of Americans. 

"Money's honey, my dear sonny, and a rich man's joke is always funny." 

So ironic: the rich capitalists are always the first to say "there's no free lunch." But. . . These same people sure do like "free money," thanks to "the Fed." 

I see no difference between expecting a free lunch and expecting free money. It's just that with the latter, the richest folks can pull off highway robbery. At the expense of all of the rest of us. 

Go ahead and select a rapist president. It's your funeral. But you'll just tune in Mark Levin on the radio again. Don't you realize how cynical he is? He plays you all like a piano.

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

Charlie Hanson, Alex Asmus lead scoring vs. EV-W

Here's the lowdown on Tiger boys basketball at the start of this week. Season won-lost: 20-9. In section: 8-4. Conference: 9-5. Away: 8-4. Neutral: 5-0. Home: 7-5. The next game: it's this Thursday, March 14, against Jackson County Central, the Huskies. The location is Southwest State University, Marshall. Game-time is 8 p.m. Tournament games to date: 

- win vs. New London-Spicer 70-58

- win vs. Montevideo 65-63

- win vs. Eden Valley-Watkins 57-53.

The Tigers started out the tournament seeded No. 4. Monte was the No. 1 seed, EV-W No. 2. 

 

Huskies come on strong

Let's take a closer look at the JCC Huskies from southern Minnesota. Won-lost: 20-7. Section: 12-3. Conference: 12-5. Away: 8-2. Neutral 4-1. Home: 8-4. Tournament games to date:

- win vs. St. James Area 90-45

- win vs. Pipestone Area 94-80

- win vs. Redwood Valley 59-46 

 

Focus on the Tigers

Was so glad Sunday night to discover that our MACA coaching staff submitted some individual game stats for the "Maxpreps" site. I had been unable to find these anywhere else. Amazing how the media can just "shut down" just because it's the weekend. Very disappointing. Through my newspaper career in Morris I was up for writing on Saturday and even Sunday. So I was never active in church. 

I would have been active in First Lutheran. First Lutheran is showing signs of possibly being in its death throes now. It has gotten that bad. We have a rotating system of fill-in ministers from other local churches. On Sunday it was the Federated Church guy. But Federated Church reflects the Methodists and isn't the Methodist Church split on gay rights? So there's one faction that is receptive and another against? 

Actually Federated is a hybrid with the Methodists and UCC (United Church of Christ). I'm not going to try to figure all this out. But First Lutheran is ELCA in theory and it seems not too much to ask to have a proper minister simply show up. And if that can't happen, maybe we should just lock the doors. Skip taking all the trouble. Cyrus can handle this but First Luth. in Morris cannot? I thought we were the "big town." Morris has dropped the ball with many things through the years.

 

Tigers 57, Eden Valley-Watkins 53

It isn't that easy to navigate "Maxpreps." I do have some experience. Mark Torgerson was good with cooperating on this website. The new coaching regime is inconsistent. I wish they'd follow Mark's example. I am happy to report individual highlights here on "Morris of Course." 

Charlie Hanson and Alex Asmus co-led our scoring, each with 16 points. Hanson made 7 of 14 shots, Asmus 6 of 10. We had one other double figures scorer: Riley Asmus with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Four other Tigers contributed points: Drew Huebner 5, Jack Kehoe 3, Owen Anderson 2 and Tyler Friesen 2. 

Our team shooting numbers were 23 of 48, 48 percent. Alex Asmus made all three of our 3-pointers. He was three-for-five. As a team we were cool at three of eleven, 27 percent. In freethrows we were 8 of 14 with Riley Asmus our top performer at 3 of 4. 

Our team is young! Alex is a freshman, Riley a sophomore. Kehoe too represents the sophomore class. I remember a time in MAHS school history when sophomores were forced to play 'B' team. That arrangement was bad for the varsity performance and especially bad in terms of the development of the players. A person could complain but it didn't do any good.

 

The image from "X" formerly Twitter shows Riley Asmus (left) and Drew Huebner who were all-tournament for the December Fergus Falls holiday tournament. Heidi Asmus reported this for "X".

 
Rebounding versus EV-W had Riley Asmus topping the list with six. Huebner, Hanson and Alex Asmus each had three. Our team total was 24 of which five were offensive. Huebner had two assists and Riley Asmus one. Hanson stole the ball twice. Friesen picked up the one blocked shot. The Tigers had eleven turnovers. 

This is interesting: The Maxpreps site has a game review article generated by "InfoSentience." The article is based on data entered on "Maxpreps." Cool, in our technological age. Could not have dreamt of this when I was young. So here's their review:

 

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers walked away with it. They snuck past the Eagles with a 57-53 victory on Saturday. Winning may never get old, but Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta sure is getting used to it with their third in a row.

Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Alex Asmus led the charge by scoring 16 points. Another player making a difference was Charlie Hanson, who scored 16 points along with two steals.

Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 20-9 record this season. As for Eden Valley-Watkins, their defeat dropped their record down to 24-5.

Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta's road trip will continue as they head out to face Jackson County Central at 8:00 p.m. on March 14th. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 790 points over their last 11 games. Eden Valley-Watkins does not have any more games scheduled as of now.

   

So does this pass muster? Progress marches on.

Basketball and music

The blog post I wrote yesterday for "I Love Morris" lamented how the MAHS spring band trip conflicts with basketball. The music group will depart on Thursday, same day as the Tigers play next. So I'm quite concerned and sad about that. My own personal $ donation might have made the band trip possible. 

No pep band Thursday unless other arrangements can be made. Could Hancock help out? Hancock has a noteworthy pep band. 

MAHS band has a concert on the day I am posting this, which is Monday. I was thinking of attending the concert but now I'm a little down because of the circumstances I cover here. Here's an email I sent to a friend this morning:

I'm not sure I feel like attending band concert tonight. It might be my fault that there will be no pep band at SSU this Thursday. My $ might have been essential for the trip. I suppose you'll pounce on me now and say it wasn't, but I think it was. I always find a way to screw up in this town. And I feel bad that the basketball kids who are in band won't be able to go. I really do. It's terrible that school planning is affected so badly by never knowing how far a team is going to progress. Everyone has to get out of the way and make room. The Tigers could have lost their very first game to New London-Spicer. But no, now they're playing their fourth game. And I suppose they could win that. Then we're looking at trips to the Twin Cities. Sports is a monster that devours everything in its path. 

So I don't think I'll be at concert tonight. I'm getting old and need to slow down anyway. I don't like leaving the house after dark.

First Lutheran Church

I checked YouTube and looked like very few attending church. It is possible there will be continual drop-off because people will feel discouraged. If I wanted to hear Orendorf I'd go to Federated. And I don't know if he's a pro-gay or anti-gay Methodist because the Methodists are split on this. I'm not wild about gay rights and I don't want to hear a lot of talk about it, but I accept it.

Going back a couple months, there was no excuse for coffee hour to be canceled. This is the best example for how our church is dying. Something odd has been happening there.

Sounds like our rotating pastors will be Orendorf, Emmy and Chris Richards. Why is the Cyrus church so settled and solid with Chris having been there so long, and we at FLC are totally screwed? Dan held us back because he was a political liberal and very pro-Palestinian. I think we should just avoid the Middle East subject, it isn't necessary. Meanwhile I think Chris is just doing a good mainstream professional job in Cyrus. How did we let Cyrus gain this advantage over us? Cyrus is a wide spot in the road.

- BW