Bill Cosby, "I Spy," the Cold War and what followed

Bill Cosby, Robert Culp

We might forget how TV in the 1960s was such a bonding tool for our culture. Retrospectives of today refer to the "Big 3" TV networks. Younger people get this as a historical lesson. But without having experienced life with such a shared entertainment diet, for sure it's hard fully understanding. 

It's hard to look back in many ways, of course, like to a society in which not only was smoking cigarettes accepted, it was a symbol of "maturity," of being suave and that sort of thing. Think of the Jerry Lewis "cool" character that alternated with his other persona, the weird "professor." 

People in the "Big 3" network days would gather around the proverbial water cooler and share about the current shows. With such a drastically limited choice compared to today, there was commonality with their consumption. One cannot even compare 1960s television to today. 

Bad or good? Some features of each, probably. The actors faced a "bad or good?" question too, "good" being a nationally-known practitioner of your profession - what could be better? - "bad" being that you entered a fishbowl where you'd stay a long time, maybe for life. Would anyone really wish to sacrifice their privacy that way? For child actors the experience could become a time bomb as they subsequently struggled to be normal people. Maybe that's the problem: they were "people" with human failings like the rest of us, only they get in a fishbowl. 

How many of us would really desire "celebrity?" I assure you, nothing conferred "celebrity" like the TV shows of the 1960s. 

Which brings me to the subject of Bill Cosby. Cosby vaulted to the kind of stardom of which I speak in 1965. He got the nod for a co-lead part, with Robert Culp, for the NBC show "I Spy." Just as westerns had an incredible run in movies and TV, so too did the spy theme grow and proliferate. "I Spy" was right in line with the faddish story lines of "us vs. them," "them" often being the Russians. We were all "sold" on the cold war. 

General Patton predicted we would end up fighting the Russians. The Russians were the colossal boogeyman but we never fought them the way we fought the Axis powers. We only pretended we did, and by that I mean we "fought" the Vietnam war but hardly in a no-holds-barred way. The Russians or the communists ended up as a mysterious enemy, never out in the open in a clear field of fire. We were sold on how those elements were such an awful threat. Then we sort of tip-toed our way through Vietnam at least by comparison to WWII. And of course the toll for America over those several years was horrible, almost unimaginable. 

"Rambo" the character was asked if he could still love America after all the subterfuge. A rational answer would be something less than yes, if you viewed as unforgivable the cannon fodder of U.S. men, but Rambo said (as I recall) "love it? I'd give my life for it." 

Would Hollywood have any choice other than this message? Actually the movies of the 1970s really did get pretty raw and direct with the more negative side. Ultimately us Americans get talked into the patriotic angle - we get emotional distance from all the tragedy, and once again all the American Legion commanders with their funny hats and pot bellies give speeches from podiums of public schools on Memorial Day. Life goes on as scripted. 

It is strange, however, that we had a U.S. president from 2016 to 2020 who came right out and said that our servicemen, even the deceased, are "losers and suckers." Just as strange is the affinity this president had with the Russian autocratic leader. It's mind-blowing or ought to be for people my age - I'm 66 - who grew up watching the spy shows like "I Spy." 

 

A panoply of shows

Oh my, we watched "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," the Beatles movie "Help," James Bond movies and Alfred Hitchcock's "North By Northwest." Secret agents seeking to deceive. Sometimes I feel like shifting in my chair just seeing all those guys wearing suits and ties, even through physical altercations. Everyone: suits and ties. That bother you too? And for sure many of them smoked. 

"I Spy" ran for three seasons. Culp played "Kelly Robinson" and Cosby was "Alexander 'Scotty' Scott." The pair traveled undercover as "tennis bums." They went after spies and villains and also crossed paths with "beautiful women" according to standards of the time, with a little misogyny. Women as objects? Like on the Dean Martin variety TV show? Seems as dated as smoking now. 

Might Cosby have been influenced to objectify women? He parlayed his success as "Scotty" into other hugely successful TV endeavors, obviously. He was the epitome of celebrity. Such people including Bob Crane of "Hogan's Heroes" succumbed to dark impulses. Crane according to historical accounts found that women sought sexual intimacy with him because of his celebrity. The impulses could become self-destructive, even fatal as with Crane. 

 

Not complicated

Cosby, despite his incredible fame and success, and in spite of the talent that got him there, simply caved to the most base of human impulses. Don't we all want sex? Put in a raw way, it can be there for the taking for mega celebrities. Women allowed themselves to be in private with Cosby in a manner that should have shouted "caution" to them. So I'm blaming them? Oh, knock that off. 

We are human beings with failings, we make mistakes, we respond to our sexual inclinations in ways that we need to recognize are reckless. I won't say "immoral." It can turn criminal. In Cosby's case, the scenario finally went that direction or was judged that way. Yes, after much time had elapsed. 

I have never been a fan of putting very elderly people in prison. Even former Nazis who finally get judged in their 90s - I often think it just isn't worth the trouble. Let these people go. They are battling the effects of age anyway. 

 

Personal memory of Cosby

I had the pleasure of seeing Cosby perform in Las Vegas in the 1980s, at the Riviera. He was at his best. Never could I have thought that I in the audience was the lucky one and Cosby was the star-crossed one. What Cosby did to end up in prison was terrible. Then again, I'd like to see him perform again. His talent was God's gift. God's gifts should always be utilized. 

Let's remember: "I Spy" was the first American TV drama to feature a black actor in a lead role. But the show was never race-conscious, quite to the contrary. Culp said at the time "our statement is a non-statement" regarding race. So I guess racism wasn't the enemy on the show, it was the Russians or other shady actors around the globe. 

Just today I watched the "I Spy" opening on YouTube and it was like not a single day had passed. Isn't that amazing? Would like to share about that at the "water cooler."

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

Benson High School is holdout w/ Indian-themed name

No movement toward changing this?

The Benson Braves ended our MACA baseball season in 2021. The score was 4-3 as the Braves prevailed over the Tigers on May 29. According to "Minnesota Scores," this game was played at Grove City. As it was a first-round game, I don't see why it could not have been played at Morris or Benson. 

It was a disappointing end to the Tigers' season as we had fashioned a record over .500. With the loss at the end, the orange and black finished at 12-9. 

In the Benson game "we just weren't hitting," commented Dan Sayles, father of coach Kirby. I have some interaction with good ol' Dan at DeToy's Restaurant occasionally. I enjoy that he's a "fan" of my musical compositions. He remembers me from my halcyon days as newspaper journalist. 

We must remember that in the days before the Internet, and in the early years of the new phenomenon, being a newspaper writer made you an important person. Yes, even influential to a degree. Today everyone is empowered to communicate with a large number of people. The new way is a blessing in many ways though not 100 percent. For example, "vaccine deniers" can get their views out there to a disturbing degree. 

We all want to get over the virus, don't we? Will the deniers keep the chance alive for a resurgence of the virus, probably the Delta or some other new strain, this fall? 

 

Matter of contention

I bring up the final Tiger baseball game of 2021 mainly to note the nickname of the opposing team. Yes, you know what I'm getting at I'm sure. 

Benson has surprisingly been out of the controversy spotlight with its nickname and logo. One wonders if the school has been trying to sell its nickname as a universal "warrior" type of image, rather than as one connected to Native Americans. Some quick research shows this evidently is not the case, as Benson has a symbol with a Native American feather. 

By current standards this crosses the line. I would suggest that in the Twin Cities, this would be an impossible sell now. As a quiet rural outstate community, maybe Benson has been immune because we're just so, well, quiet and outstate. Us rural people might be expected to use a nickname in a benign way because surely, us rural Minnesotans are so sweet and gentle, right? Well, we seem to talk that way according to the "Minnesota nice" template as exploited by the movies "Fargo" and "North Country." 

How many people do you know who really talk in a sing-songy way, a way that Hollywood would imply is ignorance? Well, that's Hollywood. We are not all obsessed with how a particular hockey team is doing in winter. 

We are in fact rabid about our high school sports. A friend of mine jokes that high school sports is the No. 1 reason for the existence of outstate high schools. Sometimes I'm not sure if that's exaggeration. 

But anyway, Benson has up to now continued with its ageless "Braves" nickname and symbol. I have heard barely a ripple of talk about it. Increasingly I find that strange. I wonder if the school board there has even authorized a study into the soundness of continuing this way. 

 

Trend across the USA

Hey all you Benson people: here's a July 9 headline from "The Hill" website: "Bans on Native American mascots pick up after Washington football team name change." And the first sentence: "State legislators are advancing measures meant to bar public schools from using Native American mascots in the wake of a spotlight case by the Washington football team's decision to drop its derogatory former name." To review, it was "Redskins." 

Colorado and Nevada acted last month to bar the Native American mascots. These actions followed Washington state. 

Connecticut and Massachusetts - whew, tough to type those state names - have measures pending for later this year. Before this year, Maine was the only state to have taken such action. 

You're probably aware that the debate over this has gone on a long time, and swirled in a most uncomfortable way at University of North Dakota where "Fighting Sioux" once held forth. 

After all the venting and strong emotions, I'll bet any school is able to get over this thing pretty quickly. Who really cares what a school's sports nickname is? Why should it matter so much? I would suggest to Benson High School: why not the "Benson Bobcats?" There's alliteration there.

No inhibitions about the nickname, it appears (benson public schools ISD #777 site)

 

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

The Cold War pulled us into mistrust, anxiety

Mad Magazine had its "Spy vs. Spy" series, cute. Alfred Hitchcock gave us "North by Northwest" with Cary Grant. Remember the menacing airplane? But there's nothing like TV to lay out the current zeitgeist for us. American society was coached not to be very trusting in the 1960s. The attitude persisted until Ronald Reagan tamed the old Soviet Union and communist forces. 

But how much of those threats were trumped up? Mikhail Gorbachev in a revealing moment seemed a little disoriented when confronted with the term "communism." The word had been thrust in Americans' faces for years. Was it just our military industrial complex at work? Convincing us there was an evil adversary that always required vigilance and more importantly, an ever-more bloated defense budget? 

So we went to war against communism in southeast Asia? Americans were constantly advised how there were shadowy forces around the globe, forces that just happened to be sympathetic to collectivism. Collectivism would be the arch enemy of the American drive to amass wealth and to remind the less fortunate of their shortcomings. Darwinism in a way. 

Gorbachev sort of shrugged when asked about "communism" and said it was merely a manifestation of organized crime. Would make total sense, I guess, or let's just say it's elementary: Any time a country's leaders are not democratically chosen, you could say the ruling system is the equivalent of organized crime. 

We might be vigilant right now in our USA, in terms of protecting democracy, in light of how the Voting Rights Act was sort of neutered by the Supreme Court, and Republicans nationally are doing what they can to suppress the vote in order to retain the power they have. Republicans are about 47 percent of the population now. They are scared in light of that. Some tricks are needed for Republicans to continue holding forth. 

You might argue that people are stupid voting for Democrats because Democrats just want to give away stuff. You can argue the point but you must continue respecting democracy. If you're so certain of your correctness, so certain of how Republican principles benefit the whole of society, get into the arena of ideas and simply try to persuade. 

But the Republican Party of America in 2021 has fallen from its perch of admirable ideals, the ideals that have long powered National Review magazine. It is perilously close to being nothing but a personality cult. You might shake your head and think we're already there. 

Whither America? But it's not our first crisis. So I'm thinking back to the 1960s, my growing-up years. And it is so profoundly sad to juxtapose the joy of our popular culture then - the TV and movie entertainment and our music - with the utter indescribable horror of the Vietnam war. 

 

"Be very afraid"

The specter of communism was out there, we were told by the likes of Legion and VFW commanders with their funny little hats and pot bellies. When the war faded into a mess of defeat and disillusion, these people grew quiet and confused. Young people slowly put thoughts of the war aside and got on with the real productive business of their lives. 

I was too young to be a candidate for the draft. But it's possible that the Cold War affected me profoundly anyway. Seriously. How? Our American education system decided it had to really push kids toward ever greater academic achievement, a sophisticated level of knowledge, as a means of "beating the Russians." Technically it was the USSR but we referred to the Russians as in the movie "The Russians are Coming." The movie was a powerful satire on the paranoid stance of so many Americans relative to some foreign countries that chose to live different from us. 

The U.S. education system itself was probably glad to be put in this position, because its coffers could be filled so readily. It was all to "beat the Russians." The effort was horribly misplaced. 

It is fine and wonderful to nurture the very most intelligent American youth this way. The problem is when we decide as a matter of principle that all youth have the potential to become eminent scholars. I can only look back and feel bitter. I am now age 66 and life is increasingly in my rear view mirror. So I guess I'm feeding the pigeons though not literally. 

But any potential for self-esteem I might have had really got crushed when I was in the public school. It isn't like that any more, is it? It's not like a prison any more, is it? I mean, where you'd need a few extra seconds to get organized at your locker and then face the wrath of a fire-breathing teacher if you were a bit late for class? Our parents must have thought that was OK. Our fathers had probably been through boot camp so what the heck? 

The military draft died a long time ago. Donald Trump for all his ignorance still says "to heck with fighting foreign wars" which shows, I guess, that a broken clock is still right twice a day. 

I couldn't handle algebra. I just didn't get it. I could have been waterboarded and said "thank you" by comparison. Why did I have to go through that? I had cognitive issues with math and science classes, starting in the seventh or eighth grade. This did not make me a bad person. But I never had any problem with basic arithmetic. I had a savant-like skill when it came to reading and writing, or was it that my mom just pushed me in this? Give Mom the credit. 

I am bitter and I cannot live my life over again. So it was the "commies" that laid the groundwork for this, by forcing the U.S. and its military industrial complex to go into overdrive. It dragged our big monopolistic public education system with it. Hey, big government can fight and win wars as it did in glorious World War II, right? So let's employ it in education. Except that approach sucked.

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

Would 115 degrees shake some local attitudes?

How would God advise us on climate change? He created such a beautiful world for us.

 
The sun is hot, as we were reminded in the sequel to "Airplane." Remember? William Shatner and Sonny Bono in the cast? We lost Sonny in a skiing accident. Shatner does commercials for sleep disorder remedies. 

People in the Pacific Northwest are being reminded how hot the sun is. Can the heat crisis out there convince some political conservatives to ask more questions about their fearless leader? Donald Trump? Who says climate change theory is a "hoax?" 

Is this what it takes? The heat crisis could easily visit us out here in the Upper Midwest. When it does, will some members of the local Trump element have their faith shaken a little? 

Would it help if the property or basic welfare of such individuals become threatened? When something like this hits close to home, it ought to shake the most rock-ribbed of attitudes. Shaking that would seem to be a herculean task now. 

I take it personally because the utter zealousness of the Trump-oriented Republicans - are there really any other? - has gotten so wrapped in the Christian faith. Is this what God and Jesus had in mind? Well I certainly don't think so. But the public image of Christianity has gotten ensconced with the most rabid reactionary element. 

Perhaps that's the best word: "reactionary." To say "conservative" is misleading because conservatism is a body of well-defined, most rational ideas. They command respect. I'm thinking of the ideas as dispensed by William F. Buckley and Russell Kirk. They are rational in the sense that they are not merely seat-of-the pants. Adherents can document their soundness even if dissenters might point out, effectively much of the time, that the "real world" can't be managed this way. 

Or as my old college friend Brad would say, "Republicans don't care about people." He's differentiating between ideas and people. 

Intelligent conservatives are always so great at debating. They can "win" debates with their foes so often. This is no guarantee that their ideas can create a reasonably content populace, to ensure that the interests of "people" are truly served. So this is where Democrats come in. Democrats have their own faults or excesses but they care about people at a relatable level - consider Bernie Sanders. Would you trust Sanders to look out for your interests, or William F. Buckley? 

The National Review crowd has become cowed in its feelings about Trump. I'm referring to the intellectual conservatives, the ones who can win debates. This crowd is too willing to accept the bad with the good. Mitch McConnell, the curmudgeonly fossil of a U.S. Senator, found contentment with getting judges approved as if nothing else mattered. See? 

What about caring for the people? Is it only about ideas? 

The likes of Ben Shapiro and Peter Schiff would like to give yours truly a good slap, as they would say the ideas themselves guarantee our best shot at happiness. Would that they could, I'd be a fan. Alas, such is not the case, and now the precious conservative philosophy is at great risk of being tainted by its tolerance if not outright support for Donald Trump. 

Trump is cruel, he is dangerous, he is vain, he is unfeeling and he is dishonest. He has (or had) an attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who appears handicapped by cognitive issues although some new light was shed recently: excess alcohol consumption. We see Rudy on TV and we'd have to conclude we wouldn't want him representing the law profession in our own town of Morris MN. He might get a visit from Human Services. But in the Beltway such eccentricity or dysfunction seems to go along with the norm. 

These people show up on cable TV news programs. Meanwhile we out here in Flyoverland have people in responsible positions who mostly behave like normal human beings. Why do we countenance the aberrations in the so-called "Beltway?" Yes, we might react with amusement. But look at the heat out in Portland OR. Temperature hovering around 115 degrees. 

(accuweather image)

It will reach a point where your property and basic welfare are endangered. And this is while Trump would in no way modify his pronouncements about climate change? Trump admit he's wrong? 

Why do you think Trump's attempt at blogging failed? That's because with blogging, you don't just write a headline, you have to write some body copy. People click on the headline and then they read the body. The problem with Trump is this: he'd have to develop his thoughts beyond the mere one line of the heading. That would take work, would take a modicum of research. It would take self-discipline of the type I am displaying right now. 

Trump loved Twitter because he could "spit out" impulsive thoughts or rants, one little phrase at a time. And then he could put "sad" at the end. It is beyond belief how people who call themselves "Republicans" all across the country still wish to be fawning toward him. We imagine that many are gnashing their teeth. Yes, they might be influenced by "Stockholm syndrome" but it's not just their problem, it's a problem for all of us as Republicans continue to wield so much power with the filibuster in the Senate. 

So the media report on Marjorie Taylor Greene and various other nutcases while the intelligent and restrained folks hunker down in the background. 

Once the 115-degree temperature afflicts out here, affecting us all directly, maybe it will be the wakeup call that is so belated. 

And then, maybe our area Republicans and evangelical Christians, the Jeff Backer crowd, will be scared into realizing there are higher priorities than putting up roadblocks to gay rights. Such silly folks. But we let them lead us so much. We are too easily intimidated by them. 

Backer spoke out against the vaccine by saying he personally wouldn't get the shots. People have died locally who may have been influenced by such statements. The statements come from the Fox News/Tucker Carlson crowd. Will this be an isolated episode in history? The time when Fox News led so many around as if shepherding? And Fox begat OANN which begat Newsmax. Could our Good Lord please intervene at some point? Or maybe William Shatner?

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

This man symbolizes Christianity in the U.S.?

Softball complex tests stewardship with public money

Morris Area school board (kmrs-kkok image)

The softball "complex" on east end of our community is sprawling. There was much activity there on Tuesday night. There was even a game at the most undeveloped of the fields, the one closest to the water treatment plant. I pay close attention because my daily walking route goes past the place. 

I have read all along about developments with this "complex." No doubt it's good to see a substantial number of kids using it. So we wonder how much more money really needs to be applied to it. Sometimes the public really needs to apply the brakes to spending that is recommended by the school. 

You wonder how these things can go wayward? In 2004, St. Cloud State was proud I'm sure to unveil its new football stadium. I'm sure the stadium was "sold" to constituents as filling a "need." It's a given. Today St. Cloud State has no football program. Seems stranger than fiction. But it shows how a skeptical eye can sometimes be called for. 

In Morris we have Big Cat Stadium for football which seems the cat's pajamas for such things. Dark clouds are looming for the sport of football. Its negative and frankly disturbing health consequences for the young players get ever more attention. We should root for this health consciousness or awakening. But whither our fancy football field? 

 

Ski-U-Mah, eh?

We have the power and money of the University of Minnesota behind such things. Oh, we consider it quite the blessing, logically so. Problem is, our purely local government entities are not really so blessed. 

So we have the softball complex that is a merging of three entities: the University, the public school district and the City of Morris. I would prefer that the State of Minnesota take over with such things, as opposed to local government officials who can be pressed with resources. A City of Morris spokesman has said "we are facing some very difficult budget decisions," and thus the decision was made to turn off the spigot or a second infusion of money for the softball project. 

I'm sure this creates stress for the officials who answer to the public. And now the city manager has had to go on the record making clear the "nay" stance. The city runs the risk of alienating the very emotionally-driven youth sports crowd. I know all about that, believe me. A zealous sports parent once had a letter to the editor in the Morris newspaper that described me as a "miserable failure" with my media work. 

And after the infamous UMM goalpost incident of 2005, I was pilloried again in the local public print. Again I was assailed as not very hard-working. I was supposed to "pick up the phone" and pester the UMM football coach in the immediate aftermath. I would have had to do that on a Saturday night or Sunday. The Morris paper published twice a week then, quite the difference from today. As for the UMM sports web-based reporting, we might forget that it was nascent compared to today. 

I had people contacting me who were simply trying to contact UMM's sports information director. On several occasions I briefed these people on how the AD went by two different last names: "Brummond" and "Curtis." Why did this burden fall on my shoulders? It was assumed I worked on Sundays. Imagine trying to get a contractor to work on Sunday. 

 

It's never finite

People in outstate Minnesota communities tend to think of their local public school as a "money pit." OK that's not my description - I read that once. People get older and realize more and more that sober and restrained judgment is called for. 

The most entrenched skeptics or contrarians are probably off-base some - I'm remembering Ken Johnson and Warren Luebke in connection to the new school vote - but we disregard these people at our peril. They must be listened to. We had a conservative local public servant, Laura Carrington, who has passed on, who I'm sure would be scrutinizing the "softball complex" with at least a partially skeptical eye. Maybe more than partial. And it's not because her grandchildren were track and field athletes! 

Don't you feel a little sorry for track/field now, after it has gotten bowled over by the mountain of attention garnered by girls fastpitch softball in Morris? Ironic, because our MACA boys track team just won the state championship. Kudos to the track/field sport as exemplary in what it provides to our youth. It's also nice that the sport depends less on coaching than other sports - it's more of a raw test of the kids' talents and commitment. No one has to worry about "throwing to the wrong base!" 

But now we have softball in such a burgeoning state here in Motown. 

Jim Morrison once wrote an editorial in which he wondered if Morris was trying to become the "gymnasium capital of western Minnesota." It was a cogent point. Give these school administrators a chance and they will endlessly weave arguments for how facilities must be expanded. "It's for the kids," we always hear. Then let's cancel football if we really care about the health and welfare of the kids. 

It's such a strange world: girls varsity sports didn't even exist until the early or mid '70s, and today the progress has been such, you can argue that girls have it better than boys. 

A triumph? Or excess? 

Girls are not drawn into the sport of football. How fortunate for them. The testosterone-fueled world of football is becoming ever more a relic. It is losing its cultural relevance faster than we might think. So there sits Big Cat Stadium. 

 

Primacy for Minnesota?

We may be a candidate for "gymnasium capital of western Minnesota" but I think we can assert that Morris is youth softball capital for the whole state now, based on what I saw in my Tuesday evening walk. It is out of proportion, unfortunately. Are there any organized music activities for Morris area youth in summer? Any use of the outdoor stage at Eastside Park? That's another thing the City of Morris got suckered on. It requires maintenance. 

So sports is absolutely king - we worship at the altar of it. Meanwhile the Appleton Summer Concert Series continued Tuesday evening at their Riverview Park Bandstand, North Hering Street. People were encouraged to "bring a lawn chair, blanket or cushion." The rain location would be the Appleton '52 wing. Congrats to Appleton which may have more basic vitality as a community than Morris. 

Morris has vitality with softball but softball is not life. Maybe now our Tiger softball team might win the sub-section? We were seeded No. 1 this past spring but we disappointed. We lost twice at the end at our new varsity field, the place with such lousy fan accommodations. 

Oh, and on Tuesday night I noticed the barricades had been removed for fan parking in the unpaved area between fields. A dispute must have arisen over that. The public school activities director Mark Ekren had expressed alarm with safety issues. Maybe the powers-that-be finally decided it was just as dangerous having cars parked along the long stretch of Prairie Lane. 

 

Change in the sofa cushions?

A June 18 posting on the kmrs-kkok site announced that the school board would be acting to "set aside an additional $207,000" for the softball complex. By magic I guess, the amount morphed to $223,000 by the time of the radio station's June 22 posting. Well, what's an extra $20,000 or whatever. 

The school board vote was not unanimous Monday. It was 6-1. I congratulate the dissenter, Kurt Wulf. I have too many questions and concerns. And why is the school board listening to a presentation from a UMM administrator on this, as if UMM is applying basic guidance? Let me insert here: the "Brians" of the world who spell their name that way are more intelligent than those who use "Bryan." It's a fact. 

The UMM administrator explained to the board that $977,000 has already been spent on the first three phases. Ah, phases! What are we to make of it? 

Mr. Herrmann informed the board that "current construction prices are not favorable to the project." Huh? Isn't this rather a bombshell? So, now is not a good time to be moving ahead? 

There are two ball diamonds right on the public school grounds. Are those being used for organized kids softball in summer? For that matter, couldn't they be spruced up for actual use by our MACA varsity and 'B' team softball? Like I said, ask questions. The money amounts seem to lose meaning after a while. It's just numbers. 

The school board voted Monday to "approve the funds independent of any other parties agreeing to pay for it." Huh? Do I smell some controversy now? Is the statement prompted by the City of Morris stance showing restraint? The city needs to focus on things like trying to keep our streets in good shape. That's a novel suggestion, right? 

 

Voice of wisdom, again

I can't quote enough my friend Chuck Spohr, former school board member and possessor of great wisdom, who once said "if you give us the money, we'll just spend it." Morris area people once got fired up for researching the proposed county jail. Similar scrutiny is called for now.

 

Addendum: I'm sitting here wearing socks with my sandals, which I learned recently is uncool and a very "boomer" thing to do. I was born in 1955.

 

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

Track and field in spotlight as MACA boys top state!

The MACA track and field boys reached the pinnacle with their Friday performance. Their excellence was at Hamline University, St. Paul. They captured No. 1 as a team in Minnesota Class 'A'. Our score of 42 did the job. It's compiled over 25 events. 

The charge was led by two individuals winning the titles in their events. Kenny Soderberg won the 300m hurdles with his 39.14 performance. And Ethan Lebrija was No. 1 in the 200m dash, clocked at 22.20. 

Soderberg also had impact in the 100m hurdles challenge: a runner-up showing, time of 15.10. The only faster hurdler was Jayson Ekiyor of Providence Academy (14.51). 

Lebrija accelerated in the 100m dash where his time of 11.22 put him in seventh. Soderberg and Lebrija were on the 4x100m relay team that took fifth with its 43.92 clocking. The two were joined in that effort by Derek Waldbeser and Trey Hunt. 

Our girls team had Lydia Fynboh place No. 9 in the 100m dash, timed at 12.64. Kaylie Raths was No. 13 in the 300m hurdles with her 49.02 performance. Then we see the 4x100m relay team of Fynboh, Olivia Lebrija, Ruby Swenson and Crystal Nohl placing sixth. So a hearty congratulations is certainly in order for the Tiger track/field athletes in this spring/summer where their sport got so upstaged by softball locally.

 

More re. softball project:

The softball development project on the east end of town has been presented to the community as a big deal. The softball coach's career win milestone got lots of "pub" too, along with how the new field was named for her. Unfortunately our MACA softball team which was seeded No. 1 in sub-section did not make it out of sub-section. 

The money continues to gush out of public coffers toward the softball undertaking. Our community showed sensitivity about this sort of thing when the new jail was proposed. Remember that? Doesn't the new project deserve the same type of scrutiny, perhaps with some skepticism? 

Naturally we want good programs with good facilities for our youth. It's a given. That does not mean that just any new proposal with any pricetag should be approved, just because it might "sound good." 

We have seen just partial completion of the softball project. A huge issue emerged early-on with the parking. Maybe that will be remedied if a new parking lot is in fact constructed. Is this a certainty? Is money set aside for that? Will it be considered a UMM parking lot? Will it be a permit lot? 

Fans discovered in the post-season that they had to pay for admission even though a lot of public money has gone into the project. 

The worst issue has to do with the design of the new field. There are serious fan seating issues along with an overall quality issue with sight lines. I am not a lone voice with this. Will this situation not be remedied? Might we consider dismantling the place and starting over? 

Promoters I'm sure are the type to crusade for women's equality. Mary Holmberg would be at the forefront of this. And yet we're supposed to accept the inequality of a varsity softball field with horrible fan accommodations compared to our established Chizek Field with excellent accommodations for baseball? Isn't this an affront to girls sports? Fans mean a lot for the players. 

Our Morris Area school board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the media center. There will be a motion to set aside an additional $207,000 to include phases 3 and 4 of the softball complex. OK, so it's $207,000, so let's just keep the spigot open, right? What of the ongoing maintenance costs out there? This was an issue that helped sink the county jail. MACA softball has performed on quite good facilities all through the years. 

Our City of Morris made an initial contribution to the softball thing but then put on the brakes. The city should have stayed out of it completely. Too late now, but the city did say "no" to a second request for money. I wonder if the city will be punished for that in some way. The high school sports crowd can get pretty mean on these matters. Their emotions can be scary. 

Remember, about 2/3 of the limited seating on aluminum bleachers at the new field does not even afford a complete view of the playing field. There will be times when fans of the visiting teams will come here and they'll go away mad. They'll expect a place to sit down. I would advise Morris fans to show courtesy and let the visiting fans have the few precious seats in the middle of the aluminum bleachers. Fans who try to watch from the sides of the field get an obstructed view through the fence. 

A huge problem is the length and size of the dugouts which include storage space. Many fans set up their own lawn chairs way out by the outfield fence. Do you think any of these people would normally choose that vantage point? It is all so disappointing. 

It would be nice to see some citizens show up at the school board meeting and advise the board to hold on to the $207,000, to apply it to another more worthy purpose. Are there any organized music activities for our Morris youth in summer? 

Well it's just $207,000. And when it's gone, it's gone. As my friend Chuck Spohr once said when he was on the school board: "If you give us the money, we'll just spend it." 

These matters can be reversed. The jail was nixed in spite of all the bureaucratic talk promoting it. We've been deluged with bureaucratic happy talk on the softball thing. And if it was a truly fine facility, I'd be much more receptive to it, might have even given some money for it. But this is not the case.

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

The great American single-family home: endangered?

("yardibreeze" image)

Owning your own single-family home is supposed to be the American dream, right? We learn that millennials are having some issues with this, due to the daunting cost of maintaining one's home. The general thinking on all this appears to be changing some. For one thing, our culture no longer assigns high status for owning lots of "stuff." 

We must ponder why these changes happen. They don't come about from a vacuum. Perhaps we are finding that apartment living is more practical in some key ways. Take a look at the big unit on the old school property in Morris. Might this be the wave of the future? 

 

Outmoded way of life?

Consider the seemingly endless rows of small homes in the south part of Morris, near Green River Park. One might argue that the houses are just too close to each other. Generally speaking, older neighborhoods are like that. Perhaps in long-ago times, like when I was growing up, the congested arrangement was practical because we were less mobile - our vehicles were less able to handle the wear and tear of regular commuting. We all stayed closer to home. A trip to Alexandria then might be considered a big deal. In recent years we've seen people commuting daily over distances that seem quite long, at least through the older lens. 

But change has become such a constant, hasn't it? 

Here's another point to be made: technology has helped us overcome boredom so convincingly. We have overcome it with such triumph, that the opposite problem has emerged, that of distraction. Just think of the South Dakota attorney general and the circumstances that appeared to lead to his tragic incident of striking and killing a pedestrian. It appears the AG may have been reading a conspiracy blog about Biden and China. The AG is a Republican who is quite in line with the typical mindset of that species today. He faces charges but not in direct connection to killing anyone. South Dakota does not have a negligent vehicular homicide law. 

The law has needed time to catch up to the hazard of distracted driving, has not caught up fully yet. 

So to finish my point about the lifestyle of today: all the entertainment we require is available from a simple online device, 24 hours a day. Has it dawned on you what a revolution this is? It didn't happen overnight, so it might have been hard to appreciate the gravity of it all. 

As an amateur sociologist, let me opine that because of this overwhelming triumph over boredom - over the ennui of life that used to bother us so much - we no longer care about the old status symbols. Like, a nice single-family home with noticeable amenities. Such amenities might keep you one step ahead of your neighbor. But it hardly matters in an age where communications have become so revolutionized. No one has any excuse to be bored, ever. 

We retreat into our own world which we set up through online access. Online Christian worship is not merely a supplement to the in-person experience, it can be fully its own experience. Extrapolate from there. 

 

Insights from the big screen

The Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino" gave us a look at the phased-out generation. My late father was exactly like the Eastwood character. The Hmong boy neighbor was mystified by all the tools in the garage. Eastwood as "Walt Kowalski" explained to the boy about the "trowel." My father had endless tools and stuff, including an emery wheel, and why in the year 2021 would I want to have an emery wheel in my garage? 

The father character in the TV series "The Wonder Years" was like this too. He had gained so much knowledge about household maintenance matters. He explained to his son about the difference between latex and enamel paint. 

What does a "trowel" do? I have no idea. Living in an apartment relieves you of virtually all obligations to master such things. 

I would argue that it's risky for a homeowner with novice knowledge of home maintenance to do a lot of stuff anyway. You can do more harm than good. What if I misuse a trowel? 

It used to be a badge of masculinity to understand such things. Just like it was a prime badge of masculinity to "pop open" the hood of a car to diagnose a problem and maybe fix it. Alan Jackson wrote a sentimental song about his father in which he said "people came from miles around to have him look under the hood." 

Remember "Gomer and Goober" from the Andy Griffith show who would talk about a car needing "a new set of rings?" Remember "grease monkeys?" People my age do. It seems gone with the wind now. 

And you can find stories online about men "wanting to act like men" to fix their own car troubles, when they should just take it to the dealer or qualified service person. Some of these men have caused terrible damage! 

 

Once the norm, now not so much

What is the future of the single family home in America? Is it actually imperiled? Will the cost of upkeep just be too daunting? Millennials appear to be shaking their heads. Should we judge the dense housing of south Morris and elsewhere as just plain inefficient? I can't help but think of each home having an array of assets for property maintenance - e.g. lawn mower, air conditioner - whereas a large apartment unit would consolidate all this. 

And is living in one's own single-family home really that much more pleasurable? I don't think it is. 

Perhaps millennials are discovering how expensive it is to have any sort of contractor show up. Should we be bitter about this? We need to understand: part of the problem with contractors' prices, I would argue, has to do with how they are probably required to buy a lot of insurance. And isn't this a good thing? Ah, insurance. Can't live with it, can't live. . . 

The list of things where you're expected to have insurance gets longer and longer. Pet insurance? I never heard of it when I was a kid. If you took your pet to the vet, it was a nominal cost. Oh, just like getting a routine filling at the dentist. Let's not even get into dental expenses! Hoo boy. But where does it all end? Thing is, people have finite means, especially I presume millennials. And they are taking a long look and wondering if single-family home ownership is even practical or desirable any more. It may cease to be a "status symbol" at all. Maybe it will grow into a liability. 

The government's urge to regulate more and more doesn't help either. Here in Morris the city government put out an onerous edict on water softeners. This is the way of the world now, and not even Republican politicians can stop it. Not even the South Dakota attorney general. 

I am hesitant to get another pet. I wouldn't want to get insurance for it. Here's a key problem: a dog can grow very old today because vets are capable of doing so much, and they surely charge well for it. But it's only an animal. And though we love them dearly, once a dog gets into its mid-teens, frankly it's a burden. And then the dog probably will require surgery at some point. We still love them but this is primarily based on our experience years earlier when the dog was younger. We don't stop loving them but honestly, they become a burden. I have experience. 

We're supposed to buy "vision insurance" too. Hell's bells, where does it stop?

 

Addendum: The manner in which Eastwood as "Walt Kowalski" spoke to his barber was stereotype, just like how Minnesotans were portrayed in "Fargo" and a couple subsequent movies. The crusty older men would in fact not be that disagreeable with each other. 

 

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