Roger Gunnufson taught math for junior high

Roger Gunnufson

I remember the first day of class with Roger Gunnufson. He introduced himself to us in a cute way. He had his name written on the blackboard. So he pointed to his name with a piece of chalk and then pointed to himself. We are talking grade 7. 

This was a time of substantial adjustment for the kids. We had ended our experience with the "mother hen" teachers of the elementary in the sixth grade. You'd have the same teacher all day. I remember Wally Behm saying of those teachers that they just had a natural instinct for taking care of the kids. I liked the feeling of being in the same classroom all day. We would leave for phy ed class. 

The phy ed instructors felt they had to make us run the 1600 meters once or twice a year. Basically the equivalent of a mile. The memories are vivid because it was not pleasant. I cannot remember if we were allowed to simply stop and rest. Perhaps not. I would have stopped and rested anyway. This is hindsight: Defy expectations and requirements now and then, even if it meant some teacher yelling at you, diminishing you. This was always a risk when I attended school. And sad to say I was intimidated by it. 

Had I really defied a teacher, what's the worst that would have happened to me? I wasn't going to be shot, was I? And if I became a target of real enmity from a teacher, what would the consequences really be? Unpleasant in the moment, yes. But the experience was transitory. It did not feel like it was transitory at the time. 

I remember after leaving high school and finding so many of my interactions with adults being so relaxed and pleasant. It sort of jarred me. People really can be agreeable with each other. Let's emphasis "relaxed" again. 

I sometimes wonder: Why was I so terrified of being late for a class or even being late for school in the morning? The latter would have been a nightmarish episode. What if I just got going too late in the morning? I'd fear being, well, excoriated. Guys my age will remember how Bob Brimi would "excoriate" them. Brimi gained legendary status this way. A friend tells me it was because he was responsible for so much equipment and materials in the shop department, i.e. "industrial arts." And what the heck has happened to "industrial arts" in school? Vanished? Why on earth? 

So school can in fact be dragged through sea changes. I went all the way through junior high before the Morris school even offered girls varsity sports. How could we as a society have been so negligent for so long? Worse than that, why was our society asleep for years - years, I tell you - while waves of our loved sons were sent over to Vietnam to die. And with that abomination going on, us kids were expected to "behave" and "respect authority" in school. 

"Junior high" was grades 7-9 when I was in the Morris system. We experienced the shock of having to go from one classroom to another during the day. We'd follow the ringing of the bells. So tremendously regimented. Is it still like that? The regimented nature and the stern discipline made it all seem like prison. It seems even more like that in retrospect. No one could relax. 

 

A specter

Common sense was absent among our elders when it came to the Vietnam war. Boys grew up knowing their lives could be snuffed out. Violently in fact. This may have been necessary for World War II. But that conflict should not have been set up as a template for the future. 

Public schools? Their very nature ended up impacted by WWII. The WWII generation of parents did not mind the "big government" monopoly associated with education. A big government monopoly of this kind is what had won WWII. 

WWII was the defining experience in the lives of so many of the boomers' parents. We were supposed to salute our military commitments, totally defer to our national leaders on these topics (but not George McGovern). 

It was easy for the WWII generation to preach to us because their own lives were no longer at risk. They had the "bias" of being survivors. And I have long argued that our "take" on WWII would be different if we could interview those who had lost their lives. 

I was in seventh grade with Roger Gunnufson when the Vietnam war was at its peak tragedy. It was 1967 give or take a year. Look up the casualties from then. 

So Gunnufson was going to teach us "math." I basically liked the guy but the class was not going to be smooth-going. I am not just being self-deprecating when I write this. I could not develop a grasp for "math" as opposed to "arithmetic." I was quite good at arithmetic, probably well above average. But "math" was a totally different proposition. 

I had Gunnufson in seventh grace, Ralph Krenz in eighth and Mr. Vodden in ninth. It was all nothing short of hell. I can't imagine how I even survived. I know Mom did some of my homework for me - she should not have - but I'd still have to take some in-class exams. I hated every minute but somehow I got through. Years later when Krenz retired I did a feature article on him for the Morris paper. He said he did not remember me as a student. That's all for the better. He liked the article I did. 

I also did an article on Brimi at time of retirement. He called me to tell me he really liked the article. 

 

Everything old is new again

When the Morris newspaper of today re-printed an old article about Stan Kent at the time of Kent's passing, well that was my article! So fascinating to see my writing turn up in the Morris paper of today. I wish I had gotten a credit line. "Blast from the past." 

Remember in school when a teacher would ask you to "exchange papers" so you could grade each other's paper? One day in Gunnufson's class we did this and the student behind me had to blurt out that I had gotten everything wrong. In front of the whole class. Gunnufson communicated with me later to see if I was (reasonably) straightened out on how to do that particular unit. 

But who cares? I had "arithmetic" nailed and I had multiplication tables memorized. I have them memorized to this day. I should be proud of that. But I was not allowed to feel proud about anything as I went through school. 

Teachers made it clear to us that knowledge was going to be elusive. Very few 'A' grades given. My, the whole "grading system" was a scourge. And teachers had to make sure they enforced a "quota" that would require a certain percentage of A's, B's, C's and maybe even lower. Us students could have shown up bright-eyed and eager to learn each day - it would not matter. 

My sense is that a lot of this has been cleaned up today. Students are not beaten down. In fact I hear "students walk all over the teachers" today. I think this is a better situation than what I experienced. Let the teachers sweat a little. 

 

Edification

Why were the teachers so uptight about "taking attendance" all the time? Years later I would learn from Tim Conway Jr. on KFI Radio-Los Angeles. He said teachers had to account for everyone all the time in order for the school to get its "state aid money." It always comes down to money, right? 

Is it true that Roger Gunnufson was reluctant to accept the no-smoking on campus rule when it was implemented? Well, I was late in adjusting to the seat belt requirement. It happens to all of us. 

Gunnufson recently departed this life. Perhaps he'll introduce himself to God by using a piece of chalk, very touching. 

Roger Gunnufson RIP. He won't have to be member of teachers union in heaven.

 

Addendum: I seem to recall that Roger had a daughter who was good at gymnastics. Sandy? Sandra?

  

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

Weather conditions bring multiplication of wildlife

Nature makes the young "cute"

Another day to be a Minnesotan and to hear: "Did you hear how much rain we got?" You can count on it. 

I have never been in a position to correctly answer. I was awake when the floodgates opened, so to speak. Right during a deluge like this, I have to go around the house outside in four different places and make sure the drainage system is open. It can be blocked by leaves and other organic stuff ("gunk"). It's uncomfortable for a few moments when I first get outside and am getting drenched. Then after a minute or so, I don't even notice it any more. 

A ladder is required. Even with the drainage system open, I like to place a tarp down in four different places, one place especially. If all precautions are performed I'm in good shape. I hear this morning that a hardware store downtown got flooded. Flat roof! 

It was easier back in spring to remember to touch all the bases for dealing with a hard rainstorm. Now we're this deep into summer and I think we've had enough of the moisture! Would like to think it's just over. Mother Nature got it out of its system yet? We learned this morning "no?" 

 

Oh for a brown lawn

Waiting for the ground to get dry before your next mowing? Good luck with that. Remember the summers where your lawn would "burn out" midway through? Maybe not the ideal appearance but a relief from mowing obligations. 

A very mild winter followed by a super wet spring/summer. This is a prescription for wildlife becoming extra abundant. A member of my church told me Sunday he has been afflicted by foxes. A guy at DeToy's told me rabbits are so plentiful. The wonders of nature, right? Deer? Coyotes? Well, the whole panoply of God's creation. Some are charming to behold. Perhaps a majority are not. 

I personally can accept rabbits but I know of many people - gardeners I guess - who hand-wring about them. On rare occasions do I see foxes dart across my backyard on Northridge Drive. Several years ago I saw one lying comfortably on the grass in my backyard. Only time I can recall seeing that. 

Deer can make their way through. People in the know say that deer overpopulation can be a real problem. I have not seen direct evidence but I will not question them. 

 

Black with the white stripes, bad news

The black and white pest

Skunks have discovered the neighborhood where I live. I began noticing this maybe four years ago. I have made firsthand observations and also hear about it from others. So precautions really need to be taken. The months to be really careful are April and May - they'll have their young ones. The instincts of a mother skunk will give way to nothing. 

I noticed skunks out along the biking/walking trail for the first time during early summer. The skunks I saw looked to be juvenile age. I have noticed juvenile age skunks on my own property in daylight hours. My theory is that skunks contradict their normal nocturnal habits when they are juvenile. They are discovering the world. I saw a couple of them "playing" along the bike path, a sight you would have to deem as cute. 

And it would be nice to accept any sight of young wildlife as being "cute." God created nature so that the very young look "cute" as a defense mechanism for them - quite logical. 

This past spring I saw a mom skunk followed by her four juveniles "jogging" across my backyard, only about four feet from me. Oblivious to me. Let me insert here that they were hanging around because they did in fact get under my shed. That's where the mom gave birth. And let's see, "fit to be tied" would describe my state of mind for 2-3 weeks. But I reasoned the situation would be more worrisome if I lived in a one-story dwelling and had them get right under me. Ir happens. 

I swear you can watch YouTube videos all day on how to deal with skunk issues. I know the standard advice, but there's really no advice that guarantees a happy ending. You know what the No. 1 issue with skunks is. One of my neighbors to the west trapped several this summer. Doggone creatures. So you have to know the strategy when trapping, about how to avoid their particular attack mechanism. Ahem. 

I must say, during my period of tensions with skunks this past spring/summer, at no point did I detect even faint skunk odor. I am surprised by that. 

 

Goodbye then

I tried sending this skunk firm "messages" about how they really ought to mosey on. I applied a trial barrier around the base of the shed that would allow the animals to let me know they were still down there. I let time pass. I experimented with the barrier until I could be sure nothing alive was down there. Then I firmed it up.

I suppose the biggest hell on earth is if you live in a townhome or mobile home and a skunk dies while burrowed underneath. This happens. With me it was just an outbuilding. The worst that could happen would be to have to call a contractor to remove the building which I do not need. First it would help to have a couple large evergreens removed, would make for easier access. And then after removal of the trees and shed, to have a landscaper come, and they can charge a fair amount. Plus, having to water the newly planted grass which of course costs money too. Our water bills in Morris went up because of the water treatment plant - surely you've noticed. 

Coyotes, not benign to have around

In fact, prices for everything are going up. I'm surprised there isn't more public grousing about this. 

Actually if I were to have the trees and shed removed and new grass planted, I'd be happy because I like a nice open green lawn. I guess I'm a little different from my father that way. 

Yes the windbreak is nice. But I figure that I could use a nice heavy-duty snowblower to keep snowdrifts from forming close to the house. Wouldn't that be the main thing? 

Be aware there is so much more wildlife than the usual this summer. Sing along: "If we could talk to the animals."And be aware that many forms are not pleasant to have around. Be aware of the coyotes. A country/folk singer in Canada was killed by coyotes while on a nature hike. Her name: Taylor Mitchell.

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

It's now a lock for DJT being president

(image from flickr)

All the momentum is lining up now for DJT to get back into power. My message is that we have to be ready. Most often Trump means exactly what he says. He will appoint the most extreme people to be around him. Many of us may not have taken DJT seriously when he talked about putting Liz Cheney on trial. And no ordinary trial either, as it would be in front of a military tribunal. The charge: treason. 

Backed by what? Well you can ask Trump's lawyers. He has lawyers who wear suits and ties backing him in every little thing, looking for every little angle. They'll be happy to talk to Ari Melber anytime. Peter Navarro did, he of the "Green Bay sweep" strategy. And of course DJT and his people were pulling on all strings to stay in power. 

They were probably expecting the 2020 election to be a little closer than it was. Had it been closer, they may well have upset the apple cart with legal machinations. Republicans everywhere would cheer. But do we want all this to reach the point where the Liz Cheneys of the world are put on literal trial? Treason? What is so treasonous about wanting to use a "select committee?" The same way that Republicans would be happy to do, if it were to serve their interests. 

The German autocracy of the mid-20th Century found ways to gradually complete their ascent. I do see parallels with America. On this Monday of mid-July, another day with rain incidentally, MAGA is definitely progressing with its climb. There is overwhelming evidence. 

Judge Aileen Cannon

Trump's sycophantic judge Aileen Cannon has come through for him. She has ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was "unlawfully appointed." If such a ruling was really proper, why couldn't it have been made sooner? But I'm suggesting it was not proper. A Republican administration would unleash the likes of a special prosecutor, if that individual served their interests. 

 

Ominous Supreme Court

And a huge factor now is the current problem of behavior by the Supreme Court. I use the word "behavior" rather than "judgment" because the court is not exercising rational judgment. So we truly are flirting with the takeover of U.S. politics by an ideologically-driven faction, a faction that will not take "no" for an answer on anything. A faction that literally believes in cruelty. Our "conservative" churches in Stevens County, West Central Minnesota, are pushing for this all the way I'm sure. 

Yahoo! News described the Cannon ruling as "another blockbuster legal victory for Trump." So here we go. And the frosting on the cake is what happened over the weekend: the incident with the shooting at the Trump rally. I will not share what my absolute honest thoughts were, when the incident was completely over. "No comment." 

 

Predictable

But as an observer it's not out of bounds to say DJT has a straight line to re-election now. His opponent will now have to be restrained in criticism of DJT. Our impulse toward sympathy will have to be exercised. How strange is this: a bullet makes contact with DJT's head but it only contacts his ear? And from this, a streak of blood across his face? I submitted a comment to Yahoo! News about how the event looked on the surface to be Biblical. That is how Trump's supporters are going to take it - they are already invested with religious Christian zeal over DJT. 

And yes he was found responsible for sexual assault in a legal proceeding. What happened to our Al Franken? The seventh complaint about him was the one that really did him in, and what was the substance of that? He put his hand on a woman's shoulder. Here's how the evangelical Christians would respond to that: to condemn Franken because, simply, he was a Democrat. He's the one who asked Jeff Sessions in a hearing the uncomfortable questions about meetings with Russians. And naturally, DJT has great affinity with the Russian leader right up to today. 

Again, DJT has a pattern of meaning what he says. He was tight with Russia when he was president. So now, after tons of U.S. taxpayer money have been sent to help Ukraine, we are on the verge of putting a man back into place who would support Russia's interests. Even if Russia invades Sweden? Well why not?

Anything Putin wants is good enough for Trump. He sticks up for the autocratic leaders of the world because he is one of them. 

He will get his mitts around anything that gives him power, such as the Federal Reserve. And it's precisely that scenario - Trump usurping "the Fed" - that I think could lead to the very destruction of the U.S. as we've known it. We'll see hyper-inflation. That is exactly what set the stage for the German autocracy of the mid-20th Century. 

I tell people over and over again about the dangers I see lying ahead. Rock-bottom interest rates have led to massive wealth inequality and a class of billionaires who will just want  more. They are scared of populist political movements from the left. So scared, they will take drastic action under DJT to just wipe all that out. You know the kind of drastic actions the Nazis took. 

But you know how the Nazis ended up.

Don't bother saying a prayer because it will be too late. It is already too late to try to ensure women's reproductive health rights all across America. You might say that train has left the station, now that we can see that DJT has all the momentum thanks in part to the assassination attempt. God works in ways mysterious. 

For America to elect a man found responsible for sexual assault in a legal proceeding? Even Ben Shapiro has said he believes E. Jean Carroll. We're not in the same America in which I grew up.

  

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

Do you need reminding of this void?

Here's the hub of our once-grand Prairie Pioneer Days, always held about the second weekend in July. Our current mayor liked PPD because it propped up Morris at a time when things could get really slow. Well, things are arguably pretty slow right now, July of 2024. I was on the same page with Mayor Wohlers. We lost. So the old summer Prairie Pioneer Days is confined to our memories. For those of you not here then, you should know it was really quite grand and glorious. That's coming from yours truly who tends skeptical a lot. A sign that the end was coming was when the Morris Community Band was not even invited to perform at the park stage, a stage designed precisely for this kind of musical group. And what the hell is the stage used for now? Can anyone help me out on this? There are aluminum bleachers in front of the stage. What is their purpose? Last fall when the "welcome UMM" picnic was held, couldn't someone have taken the trouble to find someone who could maybe put on a guitar and sing or something? No, nothing. UMM and its future are an issue in itself, and if we don't hear soon about the new U president coming out here to give the predictable speech about how wonderful we are with our liberal arts commitment, that could spell trouble. "Jewel in the crown?" Does that expression have any currency anymore? Our museum should have a whole exhibit on the summer run of PPD with its hub at East Side Park. It was considered a huge step forward by this community when it was created. I was there. Now, nothing. (Photo at top by B.W.)

 

Times surely change. Quite the prevailing truism. It has always been true but is probably more so today. Well surely it is more so today because of the effects of the digital world through the years. The change process is far from complete. 

We have seen change in Morris with the phasing out of our once-ambitious Prairie Pioneer Days. 

When I say PPD is gone, I am referring to the event's longstanding run with its headquarters at East Side Park. Is the coming weekend the one when it would have been held? Morris will wake up tomorrow and Sunday with the expected atmosphere of being quiet, almost in a suspended state. We are not like the lakes communities that are close by, within routine driving distance. I could visit a public swimming beach in Alexandria if I wanted to. I'm not motivated at the present time. 

 

"Miss Lobster"

More on the theme of "change": My generation when young - well we did a lot of unwise things - thought it important in summer to get the "deep dark tan." Were we to visit a beach in the Alex area, it would be primarily to "lay out in the sun" on a large towel. Today we would want something like an umbrella overhead to protect us. Not in the 1970s - the objective was to look really dark. You might be considered a "nerd" if you didn't. 

And there's a big change too: the fact we don't bother characterizing some in our ranks as "nerds." Or let's put it another way: the nerds won. To the extent there was a culture clash, the nerds won totally. So the term itself has faded into obsolescence. 

I remember my high school band director had a daughter who thought it important to get "roasted" under the sun in summer. We gathered for one of our summer marching band rehearsals one evening and the director jokingly referred to her as "Miss Lobster." Amusing of course. And being this dark was a model thing, by the standards of my peers. 

Today it's so different: we know that a deep tan actually represents damage to the skin. We know it is something to be avoided. People who do hard labor outdoors cannot avoid it. The people who can avoid it ought to. 

People smoked cigarettes totally freely through the 1970s and beyond. That is truly incredible to reflect upon. 

Summer with its tanning faded. Then fall came. We saw state colleges get flooded by pretty wild young people in the fall.

 

Choosing college or "tech"

I remember that when I graduated from Morris High School in 1973, going to college was sort of "the thing to do." We looked at "future plans" in the spring edition of the high school newspaper. We saw an assortment of colleges. "Tech schools" became big with time too. 

It was easy to think the tech schools were a more responsible choice because, well, they prepared you for something practical. I think that was an over-simplistic conclusion. There is much to be said for entering the workforce and learning from there. A tech-based education has a liability: kids complete their studies and then think they are experts, "know-it-alls." Employers in many cases are not going to welcome that attitude. 

I wonder even if the employers of today welcome the hiring of FFA graduates. For the same reason I just cited. They might not wish to admit it, but the employers probably like hiring people "cold" and then training them in, to do the work exactly as the company would want. They might hesitate to admit that because we here in America are supposed to think so highly of post-high school studies. We still have an inclination to hold it up as an ideal. 

Realistically the ideal is not so firm or reliable. My goodness, look at the debacle that St. Cloud State is going through. It's not even fair to poke fun at the place any more. Tempting but not fair. You could not have scripted worse headlines about the place. Did we really need another new batch of really bad headlines recently? Well we surely got them. 

And my jaw dropped as I did some research and learned of significant buildings that are closed and set for actual demolition. Sherburne Hall? Say it isn't so. The education building? I can't believe it. There are others.

A few years back I linked to a video that showed the implosion of the old freshmen girls dorm at St. Cloud State. That was just the beginning.

 

What to do?

The SCSU president now is someone last name of Dietz. I'm sure he's a good person who wants to do good. Surely he at present is going to want to "spin" things optimistically, somehow. Well, one of the things he is saying is that the demolition of some buildings will create new "open space" that will. . . 

Well, it will enhance the campus atmosphere? Nice try, Mr. Dietz, but "open space" by itself does not confer any benefits that can be appreciated on an economic basis. And like it or not, Mr. Dietz, it is your job to make sure this campus, if it is going to continue to be a campus, confers some benefits that the state legislature can appreciate. 

I have argued for a while now that the legislators themselves need to roll up their sleeves and take more responsibility with our publicly-funded education institutions. Are the institutions fading to where they are anachronistic? 

We know the factors at play, such as fewer kids out there. And I would emphasize, our digital revolution that renders brick and mortar assets of all kinds less important. A brick and mortar campus for the imparting of knowledge? In a new age where you can teach yourself trigonometry on YouTube? 

And the legislature should not be fooled by the people with a vested interest in the old ways. Maybe a campus like SCSU really needs to be considered for closure. 

 

Our UMM in Morris MN

And what about here?

This brings the inconvenient question for those of us in Morris MN: what about our state-subsidized campus here? I walk through the edge of campus nearly every day. I see lots of activity for maintaining the physical campus. But what all goes on at UMM in summer? All the maintenance costs, a lot of $ I'm sure, so is it worth it? And if not, whither the campus itself? Might it be gone with the wind just like our old summer Prairie Pioneer Days?

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

Manifest Destiny hung out to dry (again)

The movie is old hat for "boomers"

You didn't need to be a psychic to foresee difficulties for the Kevin Costner western movie "Horizon." A western? A western with the standard categories of characters including the "Indians?" We see the Indians on screen and know exactly what lay ahead for them, their displacement from the way of life they had over time immemorial. 

And I'm not suggesting that the Indians weren't going to have to be dragged into a new age. The new age was going to sweep across the newly "developed" continent. I put "developed" in quotes as an immediate reaction to how anthropology professors would react. Oh they'd be down on me, diss me, imply that I was so totally unknowing. "How can you say who the more developed people are?" they'd ask incredulously. 

I think deep down they'd see the obvious truth, and always have. It's just that they built up their own "racket" in academia. 

But society is progressively getting wiser to all that. We are slowly beating down the last bastions of pretentious academia. Look at how the flawed "academic research" is now being exposed at our University of Minnesota. Formal retractions are being issued. Story made the top of Page 1 of our flagship newspaper, the Star Tribune. Big headline type. 

 

Shall set us free

The Internet is a relentless meritocracy that helps the truth always rise to the surface. Do not believe the doubting words of academics about the Internet. The academics underestimate the ability of people to sift through it all, find what's credible. And the Internet has steadily grown with its resources to become more reliable. We can remember that in its early days, the situation was not so promising. 

When LBJ's former high-level associate joined in with those who thought TWA Flight 800 was taken down by a missile, the news article reported his fairly advanced age near the top, maybe in the lead sentence. The obvious suggestion being, that this old person had gotten taken in by "something on the Internet." 

"You can't believe what you see on the Internet." The line had some currency once, has since become sounding dated. An analogy I'll suggest: referring to television as "the boob tube." If you used that term today, most people would think it odd. 

So I have spent several paragraphs here to try to demonstrate that the advancing Europeans did have a more "developed" culture and lifestyle than the Indians. The confluence of the two cultures was surely sad. Not sure I'd be "entertained" to see a movie like "Horizon" that reminds us of it. 

You must understand: "History in its essence is the story of the strong exploiting the weak." We must not shy away from the realities. We cannot waste time today trying to reason that what the Europeans did to the Indians was totally unjust. "Manifest destiny" was going to happen. The ideal would be to minimize the suffering. Also, I guess, to get the Indians to adjust to the new standards. 

I guess that was the point behind the "Indian school" that marked the start of our campus here in Morris MN, although people have tried to enlighten me about how the purpose was actually very dark, even malevolent. I won't say those people are wrong. And I'd be distressed to learn of anything that was really malevolent. 

 

Tone-deaf Hollywood

Our society has progressed quite far since the days when movies and television did little if anything to help us understand Indians as human beings with depth. Maybe some of the old Hollywood should actually be banned. And here's a question: is there room for any sense of humor in how Indians of the Old West are portrayed? I would suggest this is a pretty deep question. 

George Carlin, his look in 1965

I personally cut quite a bit of slack for a comedian like George Carlin doing his famous "Indian Sergeant" routine. He really made his career with this. This was during his "first incarnation" as a comedian: he looked clean-cut. Later he morphed into the counter-culture image, i.e. hippie-ish, which appealed to the youth of the 1970s. That includes me. Was this a genuine change or merely a calculated one? Hmmm. 

So George Carlin did a routine from the point of really poking fun at all the old western characters. Ditto with the movie "Texas Across the River" starring Dean Martin. Consider Joey Bishop as an Indian! Was there anything wrong with that when it was so broadly satirical? I guess I have to respect people who say "yes." I personally demur from that. 

Remember how the Peter Graves character was made to look so foolish in "Texas Across the River?" He was white of course. The cavalry leader. "Harrar hare!" Boomers who grew up with that movie are going to smile at that reference. Graves was not a comedian of course, he just read funny lines. The movie included the boilerplate western scene of settlers circling the wagons and fighting an Indian attack. First the Indians "lined up on the hill." 

The boomers soaked in all this material for years, first seriously and later as parody, and so now we're supposed to get excited about Costner's "Horizon." Well I'll pass. Costner knew he was taking a risk with this. All the king's horses aren't going to help him now.

Addendum: Remember the "Indians" in the Three Stooges shorts? I thought they were a barrel of laughs. The Three Stooges also showed "Negro" characters scaring easily. Can't we all just have some fun? Same with Johnny Carson's character "Aunt Blabby" parody on old people. He had to cancel the character. But I remember one spokesman of a senior citizen group saying, in effect, "aw c'mon, it's all in fun."

 

Addendum #2: I did not conclude my thoughts about TWA Flight 800. So much time has passed, emotions have dimmed. Time created emotional distance ultimately. Not enough time has passed to expect blockbuster movies about 9/11. I expect the time will come. 

As for Flight 800, nothing dark or conspiratorial in my thoughts at all, as I suggest it was a military training accident. But, with consequences that would be so devastatingly embarrassing for the U.S., our government could simply never announce it that way. 

Why wasn't the National Safety and Transportation Board allowed to take over as per routine? "This is what they do." Instead, the CIA? 

So, this is not like some exotic theory about the JFK assassination. This ought to be mainstream. And I actually think it is getting there.

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