Holidays impose malaise for some of us

I have gone from feeling less of the holiday spirit to actually resenting the holidays. The holidays automatically have challenges for people who live alone and have little or no family. And there are more of us than you might think. 

Simply having your routine disrupted can have health risks. Very similar to the reported risks that come with the change from DST to standard time or vice versa. People can have heart attacks. 

So last week a favored restaurant of mine in Morris was closed three days. Twice for Christmas and once for the Dean Monson funeral. I liked Dean but I didn't think life had to come to a halt totally for his funeral. Of course many of us have to make adjustments to such disruptions. For sure there would be no business closed if I died. 

I liked Dean even though he was quite zealous on political matters in a way contrary to me. 

I awaken this morning on New Year's Eve Day and see another picture of Donald Trump at the top of Yahoo! News. Well of course, what did you expect? We in Stevens County appear to be investing all our hopes and dreams in this person. But look at his totally tasteless and disrespectful way of talking about so many things/people. It comes at us almost daily. We appear blind to it here in Stevens County. 

 

Here we go again 

I wonder if the restaurant of which I speak is open on New Year's Eve Day or New Year's Day. I could understand the latter, not really the former. Don's Cafe was open on Christmas Eve Day, did a rather brisk business it appeared. People need to eat. Casey's opens at 10 a.m. on Christmas Day and it can be a refuge. 

I have a background of dealing with diabetes. However, in my last two visits to the doc I have been told I am "pre-diabetes." I take this as good news. I bring this up because it's justification for having my refrigerator and freezer disconnected in my house. So I eliminate a lot of food temptations. But it also means I cannot store food away in those places to deal with holidays. 

If DeToy's here in town is a barometer, things will be getting worse and worse with hospitality establishments choosing to be closed for, well, for any excuse that might be cited. Will it spread to MLK Day? I have to laugh: in our current political climate with DJT at the top, could you imagine MLK Day having a snowball's chance in hell of getting approved? I don't like it partly because it comes along so soon after the long semester break at our UMN-Morris. UMM ought to be getting more lively at that time, rather than shutting down on Monday.

We must be legally obligated to roll over for that holiday. Apparently a lot of people agree with my skepticism. Because, there has been a move to make the day more than about remembering MLK. It is now "Martin Luther King Day of Service." It can be commended in that regard. 

But I would prefer that it not exist at all. It celebrates the life of a man who made a crusade out of getting basic rights for a class of people who should have had those rights all along. It's a depressing reminder of our past, and getting close to home it's like how our UMM recognizes the past injustices toward Native Americans. 

To study history is to study how the strong have exploited the weak. What matters is how we move forward with appropriate actions and policies. Today's young people had nothing to do with injustices toward black people or Native Americans. 

It seems naive now to even break down the population as "white" and "black." Because, we are a rainbow culture and we should simply judge people as people. And I think the young people do. The Supreme Court has gone all the way to striking down "affirmative action." So I'm not sure how UMM's Native policy can continue. A "treaty" would insulate it. But I don't think it's based on a literal treaty. And the Natives are allowed to go to school here without paying tuition. 

And you have to be one-fourth Native? Can we be sure these calculations are credible/accurate? 

Morris area people would like to know how UMM will do with "retention" of students from one semester into the next. Can we count on getting accurate figures? There are people in authority who have a vested interest in such figures, obviously. 

Is Minnesota really allowing "fraud" to run rampant? Of course fraud is an unacceptable thing. 

 

Seeking relief 

I sure hope the holiday slump or malaise is over after tomorrow (Thursday). Yes for me it is a malaise. I have to work at keeping my spirits up. We don't even know the date on which Christ was born. So what gives? "Christmas" grew out of a pagan holiday. After several years of suffering Trump, paganism is starting to look more appealing to me. The Christian faith in America was responsible for getting Trump elected twice. It would not have happened without all the "evangelicals." 

So maybe I should just damn the Christian faith.  

We will miss Dean

Dean Monson was a huge flag-waver for the Republicans. Our congressperson Michelle Fischbach could not be a more reverential DJT supporter. However, I don't think she has mentioned him by name in her last several email releases. I got on her list because of a question I tried asking her once. It is no use trying to communicate with her. She looks up to the Orange Man as if he is Christ himself. 

 

"Ticking time bomb" 

I fear America has been in decline ever since the "2008 financial crisis." All we did was paper over the crisis. There has been a ticking time bomb since. Remember the days when a senior citizen like me could go into a bank and get a CD that paid decent interest? It was so routine. The bank employees would even say "thank you" as they were agreeing to pay you a substantial amount of $. Bygone times. 

DJT is trying to run roughshod over the Federal Reserve now. The president is not even supposed to comment about the Federal Reserve. 

Thank God the holidays are almost over. If Congress has not impeached Trump by now, it will never happen. We can't fight Mike Johnson who represents a state of the old Confederacy. Those people have not let go. And now we in Minnesota are supposed to shout "retard!" at our governor! 

Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do. 

God is more charitable than I am.

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

Monday morning out of hell with weather

Happy New Year indeed! We have been walloped by Mother Nature on this Monday morning. It is the classic blizzard with the northwest wind, something we are so familiar with up on Northridge Drive where I live. The wind howls down the slope from the north. 

This morning I feel the reassurance that God keeps me in good physical shape. My driveway was of course hopeless. At about 7 a.m. I embarked for town, walking, determined, because a good breakfast gets me essentially through the whole day. Conditions too severe for such a physical challenge? At age 70? Well I'm back home now and really none the worse for wear. 

Many years ago I obtained outerwear that enables me to withstand a lot. Of course I don't do any of this for fun. I'm 70 years old and I need to set limits where practical. This morning I had to get breakfast. My refrigerator and freezer are not running in my home. That is clearly for the better in the long run, forces dietary discipline. I have gone from "diabetic" to "pre-diabetic" and so my health is hanging in there. 

I feel good as long as I don't think about Donald Trump and politics. Is our governor really a "retard" like Trump claims? What if Walz were actually vice president as the fraud revelations came streaming out? He might have to answer for a lot of it. I can't ascribe all the "fraud" allegations to political motives, based on news I am consuming now. 

So will Minnesota remain a "blue" state? A firewall against MAGA? Out here in the rural hinterlands we have allowed the Republicans to take over. And maybe that's good news as far as our U of M-Morris is concerned. Even though there is so much associated with UMM that would appear to revulse Republicans, I think we'll be spared for the sake of the job security of those Republicans. Everyone knows that UMM is an economic driver out here. 

So we have our notoriously pro-MAGA congressperson Michelle Fischbach, she of the reverential attitude toward the Orange Man. Plus we have our state legislators, the died-in-the-wool Republicans Torrey Westrom and Paul Anderson. I have never met Anderson. As for Westrom, I once thought I had some rapport with him. However, he did not answer an email I sent him when I wanted to express concern about the Federal government's attack on "DEI." This was a menacing specter. The onslaught vs. DEI seemed so real and intense. And there we sat out here with our UMM and its unabashed DEI policies, hung out on the clothesline as it were. 

UMM with its "multi-ethnic" building and the special policy toward the Native Americans, even though the Supreme Court has decisively ruled against "affirmative action." If the decision means what it says, the Native policy here ought to be toast. But you know how people in the political world can massage the language. For the Federal government to suddenly turn the screws on our UMM would upset the interests of Fischbach, Anderson and Westrom. The three would like to proclaim "nothing to see here." 

We have already lost the Appleton prison out in this neck of the woods. Oh but it could be worse: look at what happened to Lexington, Nebraska, where the huge Tyson Foods plant announced closure. The sky is falling there. So it would be really nice if we could keep UMM going. No big disruption. 

Actually there has already been a disruption: the enrollment collapse caught the attention of the Star Tribune. Heads rolled after that, at least the head of the local chancellor. The abrupt move by central U administration made clear that the status quo is not acceptable. Who knows what new actions will be taken? But actions are necessitated. And I expect the timeline will be tight. 

Looks like everyone at UMM will be objectively reviewed. This is not a time for the comfortable little fiefdoms or good old boys clubs. 

If UMM could stay a little under the radar before, assuming some "autonomy," well I think that's over. 

It is very difficult to beat down the fiefdoms of academia. I have sensed this in K-12 public schools as bad as anywhere. But any dam can be broken if pressures mount. Is it true that our outgoing chancellor went out of her way to support the lowest tier of faculty while frustrating and holding back the top tier? Sounds strange, sounds drastic. But I sure have that on good authority. So if I hear out and about that there is bitterness on campus about how the chancellor situation was handled, I should attribute this to the bottom tier folks raising a ruckus. 

Supporting the top tier may end up ensuring our campus thrives by all yardsticks. There's enough talk through the media that young people are increasingly skeptical of the value of a college degree. 

Sorry, but I could not be impressed by all the talk of the "degree in three." Is this just a "less is more" argument? I'd want to hear something more substantive about how the three-year thing really puts young people in an optimum position at graduation. I joked about where this scheme might end up: offer a degree to any kid who can pay the bill! And that way lies madness, also most likely the end for our campus. 

I think the new chancellor is going to prioritize trying to get more students from this part of the state. Ironic, because this would mean just going back to UMM's roots, what its primary purpose was going to be. Oh, we're happy to welcome students from anywhere. We certainly need more students, like about double of what we have. I remember the recently-deceased Dean Monson saying one morning at DeToy's: "I don't see UMM students around anymore. They used to be all over the place." 

Many things have changed in Morris. We used to have a big midsummer festival that rivaled the Glenwood Waterama. We were certainly excited to get that started. What happened to that enthusiasm? The museum should have a big exhibit with lots of photos about the old "Prairie Pioneer Days" with its headquarters at the park. Our community leaders lost interest in it. 

What would Morris be like without UMM?

 

Addendum: Remember when our great state senator Charlie Berg of Chokio talked about the Native Americans "sending smoke signals?" Let us not forget that Berg was one of those masters of the "quotable quote." Remember Joey Bishop as an Indian in the movie "Texas Across the River?" "Those aren't Cronk smoke signals, I only read Cronk." The Indians in the comedy series "F Troop" were played by Jewish guys.

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

We could use truly warm Yule message

Your blog host B.W. is on Santa's lap at Dayton's Department Store, Minneapolis. Probably 1958. My No. 1 memory of this encounter: fear. Fear of this rotund gentleman in the red suit and with white beard. It probably does not show in my face. Whoever the actor was, God bless his memory. My father taught at the U of M St. Paul School of Agriculture in the 1950s. These institutions were shut down at the end of the decade. It happened here in Morris. That's how we got our U of M-Morris. My father had a long background with the University. At present our Morris campus is under pressure to move forward with numbers/performance. And if it doesn't happen? We don't want to think about that. I have gotten to know the new UMN-Morris chancellor and am encouraged. He's Michael Rodriguez. He emphasizes that he "serves at the pleasure of the president," the president of the U of M. We are being watched closely. With any luck, we'll see an end to the likes of the "queer devil worshipers" on campus.

 

Can we go back to an old-fashioned Christmas in which the simplest joy of the season can prevail? Most certainly our president Dwight Eisenhower projected this type of joy. It would seem part of the job description of presidents. Yes there are conflicts. But a preferred obligation would be to put these in the background and issue public statements designed to lift up all of us. 

Do you think this would be a heavy lift? Do you think it's asking too much? 

The many local Trump supporters know what I'm getting at here. And they'd be ready to recoil at me. They'd be reaching to use the same kind of invective - everything but the spitting - as their president. 

I am writing this in late afternoon of our Christmas of 2025. The president talks and acts like he does not wish to project real joy at all, unless you define "joy" differently than I do. The joy of condemning your perceived adversaries? Yes there are a number of people here in Stevens County who would like piling on with that. Such naive people who get "played" so easily by the flim-flam man. 

DJT on Wednesday - Christmas Eve - shared a message that ought to embarrass all the people going to their churches on that night. On this "silent night" of real peace and reverence, our national leader who after all was elected by the people, accused "radical left scum" of "doing everything possible to destroy our country." And merry Christmas to you too. 

I tend to vote Democrat at this stage of my life. It's never a slam-dunk for me. Either philosophy or political party can be guilty of excess when having too much power. But the Dems are so far from having "too much power" at present, one cannot even envision it, n'est-ce pas? 

 

Whither mid-terms? 

Sage political observers would say that "a year is an eternity in politics." And the so-called "mid-terms" are in 2026. Problem is, people will speak of the mid-terms as if it is going to be business as usual. And I pray that it will be. But heaven knows what DJT and his people have planned this time. Obviously he has been ascending toward authoritarian power. 

Two members of the Supreme Court act as though the law and Constitution be damned, just allow Trump to acquire more power. I do not intend that as exaggeration at all. Maybe a Democrat or some other non-Trump person can win the presidency in 2028. Actually that's a big "if." And that individual might have to mount a major daunting effort to expand the Supreme Court. Can you imagine the firestorm in the media every day over that? 

And will the "conservative media" keep fighting so hard? Already there are signs that these people are fighting among themselves, Megyn Kelly vs. Ben Shapiro being one example. 

The Supreme Court could prove to be the biggest example for restoring the America we once knew. 

So who sets the hopeful example at this Christmastime of 2025? It's a ray of hope from the former president Joe Biden. He should not have debated Trump. He could have won the election and then taken a very low profile. Meanwhile he'd appoint capable and honorable people all over the place to handle the reins of government. 

Jill Biden may have been very important and so what? She is a very good person. We have a bad person as president now. Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you, Joe Biden. So this is Biden's Christmas message to the nation in 2025:

 

"With our hearts full of light and love, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Getting to know our great-grandson Willie in his first year has been a blessing and a reminder of the hope we will always have for the future. Our wish for you and for our country is that we continue to seek in one another love, kindness, and compassion."

 

Dusk is setting in on this Christmas Day. The winter solstice limits daylight. We move on now to the New Year's celebrating. I am guaranteed safe as I do no traveling at these times. I had "breakfast" of donuts and coffee from Casey's this morning. Bless them for being open on Christmas Day. It's tough to get by sometimes. Older people like me want our routine. You'll understand someday.

 

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

Is this the best Christmas song?

Nothing says "Christmas" like the "barking dogs" version of "Jingle Bells," right? Heard it this morning over the sound system at Willie's. Caribou Coffee there is kind of a lifesaver because they'll be open on holidays. I realize that today, Tuesday, is not a holiday but we're on the cusp of Christmas and things are slowing down. 

 

Good news

I stopped at Casey's to get an extra cup of coffee and this allowed me to check and see if they'll be open on Christmas Day. Yes! I thanked the clerk for this news. Looks like I can get some food to get through Christmas Day. The refrigerator and freezer are not connected in my home.

I realize First Lutheran has the free meal for Christmas but I wouldn't feel comfortable going in there since I discontinued my church membership. First Lutheran has declined so severely, it doesn't feel right to be involved anymore. I mean, can you really blame me? 

Maybe this hits me especially hard because my family had been going there since 1960 or '61. And I remember vividly how First Lutheran was a most thriving place that really embodied the Christmas faith. Two services every Sunday. A big "UMM Sunday" in the fall of the year. Little by little the church fell into decline. We can point fingers at the non-local denominational leadership. The ELCA went "liberal," progressive or woke or whatever other such terms you want to apply. Finally this came into sharp contrast with the direction of America, and that direction was "conservative." Especially true out here in sparsely-populated rural America. 

And so, left in the wake of that was the wreckage of the once-proud First Lutheran Church. And to make matters worse, the ELCA continues to recognize two of its churches in Morris. It would appear that the Morris community is challenged to support one ELCA church. But there continues to be two. First Lutheran remains alive in name only. 

 

The unraveling of FLC 

We suddenly got word that we would henceforth be spending half of our church time at the local Methodist church! Or to be technically correct, "Methodist/UCC." As if I knew anything about the "UCC." Eventually I was told that church body is more liberal than the ELCA. And "liberal" has become verboten out here, here where we can hear the coyotes howl at night. I will warn you against resisting the "big cities." The big cities are where the people are. Politically speaking they are going to have the mojo. 

We can be a little cocky out here with all of our support for Donald Trump, Michelle Fischbach et al. Our congressperson is absolutely reverential toward the Orange Man. And to think we once had a Democratic congressperson. And at the end, this individual - Collin Peterson - tried running away from his party. I considered that cowardly. If he was destined to go down, he should have accepted this as a proper Democrat. The people were going to choose the true MAGA person anyway. And they surely did. 

We can only cross fingers now and hope that Donald Trump does not bring about the destruction of America. And the kindling for all this got started with gay rights? 

I personally am willing to backtrack on gay rights. I mean if that saves the country. I would never want gays to be persecuted. 

 

Dean Monson RIP 

You wouldn't find a stronger Republican MAGA person than Dean Monson. It was very sad that we lost Dean recently. There were times when I had a hard time putting up with his very strident talk attacking Democrats and pushing the Republicans. It just got to be too much at times. I told people at DeToy's that now that he is gone, I will miss it. 

I said more than once over there: "Why don't those guys just find something else to talk about?" But I will miss Dean. 

However, I am troubled that DeToy's chose to be closed on the day of his funeral. The announcement of this was on the heels of the restaurant announcing that they'll be closed for Christmas Eve Day. I know they've been open in the past on Xmas Eve Day. I know because that's the day I would submit my extra Christmas tip to my favorite server. So I cannot do that this year. 

Closing for both Christmas Day and Christmas Eve Day is a bridge too far IMHO. Add to these two days the day of Dean's funeral. It is too much, it is too disruptive. Nobody thinks of the welfare of people like me who live alone and have no real family left. We have to get by somehow. 

I saw a whole op-ed in the Star Tribune several years ago from someone like me. "We'd just like to have our normal routine." This guy even complained about the TV fare at holidaytime: full of re-runs, guest hosts, throwaway stuff. People must not watch TV in the holidays. So then it's with a big sigh of relief when we have normal life return on the day after the holidays.

Oh we experienced the same problem at Thanksgiving. The closest "Thanksgiving community meal" that I was aware of, was at the Herman Methodist Church. I got two bacon bagels at Caribou Coffee along with a tall cup of coffee, and that got me through the whole day. Why were we depending on this business, Caribou? 

The highways were not in real good shape that day. Not good for driving to Herman. 

 

Not uplifting, unfortunately 

Long gone are the days when I had family. Right now on the cusp of Christmas, I find the developments with Donald Trump so disturbing with all the things he says and does, I cannot feel the real Christmas spirit. It is the Christian faith of America that lifted DJT into the presidency twice. The Christian faith will have some real reckoning when all this is over, assuming it can end with the U.S. even intact. 

Trump talks like he wants to make war now. Saber-rattling right at the arrival of Christmas. He's upset that drugs come from Venezuela. Well why do so many Americans make the choice to acquire drugs? Maybe that's the problem. 

Cocaine comes from  Venezuela, fentanyl comes from Mexico. 

I have never had a drug or alcohol problem. I have not had a failed marriage. But I am generally looked down upon in this community. A lot of this goes back to old school district politics. Morris went through a highly disruptive time in the late 1980s. Businesses got hurt. A lot of people had to start watching their backs. 

 

They were a specter 

Had the public school teachers gotten their way, the Lee Community Center would not have been built. They were anti-hockey. Look what the Lee Center has meant for the Stevens County Fair. 

Most of the old troublemakers in this community seem to have moved away. There was a time when they presented themselves as having all the answers. Then they leave - they go through all the trouble to sell their homes. Married couples used the synergy of their relationships to wield clout, hurt people. I'm tempted to list some of the names right here. But I guess I won't. Not that I care about their welfare. They wouldn't let go of their attitudes no matter what. 

We had our activities director at the school who profoundly misbehaved at a winter sports banquet. Not that he hadn't misbehaved in other ways leading up to that. And yet many of the "problem people" who I am referencing here, supported him. 

I had an exchange with Dick Felstul at Bremer Bank where he had his office. And Dick proclaimed "you have to let them have their autonomy." Yes, the autonomy to run roughshod over basic civilized norms. And this at the school no less. I almost started a shouting match with Felstul right in the bank lobby. 

The pastor at First Lutheran at the time - Deal Larson - got influenced by these people and he confronted me in an unpleasant way at Eul's Hardware when I was simply shopping once. 

Even at Christmas I can have very unpleasant memories entering my head. And how to deal with that? Well, it helped that I listened to the "barking dogs" version of "Jingle Bells" at Willie's. It is the saving grace.

 

Addendum: Dean Monson RIP.

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

Becca Holland turns back our Tigers

Don't know if Becca Holland takes any special pleasure in beating her alma mater. I'm sure she takes pleasure in any win actually. 

Becca is at the helm of the West Central Area Knights of girls basketball. Although early in her career, she has already reached the summit: the state championship! This happened last season. I wrote a blog post on "Morris of Course" that asked if she might have been signed up as Morris coach. She at least landed not far away. And it looks like the success of last year is carrying over into 2025-26. 

The WCA Knights sport a 4-1 record. They got win No. 4 on Friday against our MACA Tigers, here. They worked to a 28-23 lead at the half. The final score was 55-49. The Tigers were competitive but just came up shy. The Knights' title last year was in Class A. 

 

Becca and Beth 

Becca was part of a Holland "tandem" when she played as an MACA Tiger. It was Becca and Beth. A journalist had to be sharp and remember that the first initial was not going to do in differentiating between the two. I caught the West Central Tribune at least once using the "B" first initial in the stats. Can't say I would not have been susceptible to that myself. 

Always remember when assessing a journo's performance when typing through a mountain of sports info, that person can get confused at times. Often I pluck little facts from my memory. And I hope the facts are just that, facts. 

What info is online about the WCA vs. MACA game? I'm always skeptical about finding much when this matchup happens. This morning (Sunday), after getting home from Caribou Coffee where I got my brain stimulated, I see there's an item on "Craig Olson Sports." Oh boy! Will this pan out for having detailed info on either MACA or WCA? Don't ever get your hopes up. 

I clicked on the link and found a grand total of three sentences! I guess we're supposed to be happy with such acknowledgment. I am not. Man, when I think back to the kind of standards that were set for me when I wrote sports for the newspaper! 

The three sentences in Craig Olson Sports is better than nothing. We learn that Izzy Puchalski made seven of eight freethrow shots. She's a Knight. She led her team with 11 points. Madi Fagre and Lila Mahoney each put in nine points. Brinley Ulrich's point total was eight. 

Craig Olson Sports has no details on MACA. The West Central Tribune hardly ever has details on the MACA girls. Lately they have had some on the boys and I don't count on that continuing. MACA used to be served much better. What's up anyway? There still is a Morris newspaper. But it only comes out once a week. It was twice in my salad days there. 

So if you're looking for info on a Tuesday night game, you're - excuse me - screwed. We're deep into the age of the Internet now. Someone should do something creative. Actually I was saying this 15 years ago. 

The community doesn't put much credence in what I have to say. There is an unassailable "party line" on everything. That's our lot in life in Morris. Sometimes I feel like a character in an old "Twilight Zone" episode: the only normal person in a town of deluded folks. 

Our radio station helps out just a little with its website. But it has never been the same since Brett Miller left. I never met the guy. Has anyone given the radio station a hard time? Does anyone give the newspaper a hard time over its neglected website? Am I like the Twilight Zone character in asking these questions? Are people just puzzled to read this? 

Well, I do give a rip. I check the Stevens County Times website just to see if they have woken up. Well, no dice on this Sunday morning. The site is loaded with UMM stuff. UMM's own website supplies sports info with 100 percent thoroughness. It is totally redundant for the SCT site to even get into this. And the top headline this morning is: "Owl girls top Battlers by double digits." 

I'm happy when Hancock succeeds. But I really only care about MACA. It would be nice to see a website or two that really focuses on Morris. I must note here that our boys basketball program has started coming through with info supplied to the "Maxpreps" site. Thanks totally to those guys and keep it up man. 

Is timeliness important? Didn't we have an administrator in the Mike Martin days that seemed to just scream that timeliness is important? So I assume that Mike would bemoan our current media situation. But I don't know. Do you suppose he was just being political? Here I am in that "Twilight Zone" town again. 

The "Minnesota Scores" website informs us that MACA girls basketball is now 2-4. Unfortunately we have lost three straight. I cannot report any individual stats from the WCA game. I'd like to if I could. 

Oh shoot! I see where the Maxpreps site for our boys does not have data from their WCA game. This is an up-and-down thing. 

Our boys won 80-58 over the Knights. We're 6-0 now. 

I will conclude here by asking again: Was it ever possible for MACA to get Becca Holland as our girls basketball coach? It would have been a real step forward.

 

Addendum: So the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. has been re-named? Here's from an email I sent to Warrenn Anderson a couple days ago: 

 

I am getting very concerned that this nation is not going to rein in Trump. So he re-named the Kennedy Center. I was in a musical group that performed there when the place was new in 1972. I bought a Washington Post paper that had an early Watergate article. It was co-written by Bob Woodward and someone other than Bernstein.

We dined on the rooftop of the Kennedy Center. And I thought, "I wonder what all the poor people are doing." Just kidding.

- BW

 

Not just bad weather, it's gloomy

(MN DPS image)

A perfect depiction of Morris on a day like this would be a photo of a garbage container blown over. Don't we all look like characters from the movie "Fargo" right now as we make our rounds, seeking to be oblivious to the weather even as we discuss it with people? 

Here's a line from the Minnesota manual: "Did you order this weather?" It's like someone saying "how are you?" It's just a manner of saying hello. Small talk to indicate we're all aware of what's up with the weather. Holy cow it's just miserable on this Thursday morning. It's more than just the sheer wind and cold, or the ice or et cetera. 

I personally sense gloom and this comes on the heels of the president addressing the nation last night. Every day it's something that has to do with this person who holds our highest elective office. I have sought to issue warnings about him all the way back to 2016. I have lost friends. My church has crumbled because of the forces led by Trump against "progressivism." He and his flock of course resist the forces of history. 

This is not new in our history, hardly. People who resist change want us to envision and strive for an America that never even existed. Attack the Somalis? It's a different culture than mine obviously. But we have laws to deal with people who cannot behave properly. If the Somalis or any other ethnic group want to live here and obey our laws and pay our taxes, I welcome them. 

Trump has actually targeted the Lutheran church. Something about our compassion and helping hand toward immigrants, which obviously our church is going to practice. Why? Because we reflect the teachings of Christ. Hope that isn't just an inconvenience for you. But it may be. 

Christ Himself is not going to stand in the way of the zeal shown by Trump supporters. And holy cow, out here in western Minnesota - the sparsely-populated prairie - MAGA has had a bastion. And the sad part is that our churches have played into it so much. 

The ELCA churches have been resolute in trying to temper all that. Holding our own? No. Sadly, First Lutheran Church of Morris with its proud history can no longer exist as stand-alone. It is accurate to say we are "dead" - just trying to be precise here. Not only have we been forced to partner with another local church, we have partnered with a non-ELCA church. 

Meanwhile we have Faith Lutheran of west Morris doing the yeoman's work of remaining stand-alone. For the time being the local conventional wisdom is that Faith Lutheran is doing better than First. The CW suggests that Faith finds so much strength in the "young families" with kids. And on the surface that looks so heartening. How can you dispute that? 

We always hear rumors about "how certain churches are doing" vs. each other. Then we learn of apparent contradictions. A friend who I think is knowledgeable - one never knows - says it's just a matter of time before the First Lutheran problems catch up to Faith as well. Faith does not have an official long-term pastor now. There is a terrible crisis of a dearth of ELCA pastors. 

I can live my life without going to church. I do miss the small amount of socialization I got there. Life has its bumps in the road. I'll never forget how the late esteemed Truman Carlson left FLC and he was angry. He was a model for understanding how the more conservative folks got revulsed rather quickly by progressivism and how it seeped into the ELCA. 

Frankly I don't notice that much progressivism at the grassroots level. I do sense offensive stuff within the church bureaucracy - the higher-ups - where some appear to be motivated by LGBTQ activism. We should try to put a stop to that. Enough already. Nothing should be allowed to supersede the gospel. 

The once proud and rigid Methodist division has become fractured by politics in connection to you-know-what. 

So I can sit on the sidelines, observe and not participate anymore, except to view services on YouTube that I think are in line with my beliefs and temperament. 

 

Litmus test 

When a church loses the Truman Carlsons of this world, that is nothing but a bad sign. His bitterness grew to a point where the only thing he considered about a political candidate was whether that candidate had an "R" by his name. I tried to go back and forth with him about this. I say "try," only, because there was no hope of really connecting. If I tried sharing with him a skeptical thought about Trump, he'd just smile. A totally dismissive smile. "I don't hear you." 

Commands our attention

So now where is Donald Trump taking this nation? All of our economic policies at this moment point in the direction of more inflation. A new round of once-controversial "QE" started last Friday. That's "quantitative easing." The president tries browbeating and manipulating this thing called the "Federal Reserve" to get the short-term "sugar high" or "sugar rush." Interest rate cuts! 

So Trump calls the Fed chair a "numbskull." Classy guy, Trump is. 

Of course there is a longstanding unwritten rule in D.C. that the president does not comment about the Federal Reserve which is independent. It needs to be independent because sometimes it has to make decisions that are bad in the short term but good in the long term. And if this approach is allowed to die out? Politicians always want the short-term fix. 

Heavens, what side of that do you think Trump is on? Are you even aware of the background I am sharing here? Or do you just listen to your conservative preachers who may not give a thought to economics? Economics matter to you? Eventually it will, I guarantee you. I think it's already burgeoning in our consciousness. It will trump all the things you are hearing at the local (non-ELCA) churches. 

Joe Biden came right out and said he'd have no comment on the Federal Reserve. That was professionalism. 

We have a president now who assumed his position with no background in government or the military. Bone spurs? Whatever. But the Viet Nam war sucked. 

 

Greg Lake

Look at calendar

Right now we are so close to Christmas. And the president in a nationwide address should exude sheer joy and love. He could keep his own personal skirmishes in the background. But no-o-o-o, not with Trump. 

The Christmas spirit is being beaten down this year. "The Christmas we get we deserve," wrote the late Greg Lake in his lyrics for a well-known Christmas song. That's Greg Lake of "Emerson, Lake and Palmer." Indeed the American people are going to get what we deserve. Our congressperson Michelle Fischbach has been complicit in all the bad stuff.

 

The Greg Lake song was "I Believe in Father Christmas." 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo 

Like it or not, state demands UMM deliver

The pleasant "junco"

The charming little junco birds are hopping around in the back yard of the Williams family residence. We are semi-rural. Such a joyful sight with the sun now shining bright on this Tuesday morning. A Tuesday morning when Christmas gets quite near. And so we seek more such upbeat thoughts. 

Our UMN-Morris campus must be quiet. I assume there is still a very long semester break in which the atmosphere out there is frankly dead and discouraging. 

Certainly we need a lift in connection to UMM. It has been quite the year of news and embarrassment. An emergency change in campus leadership. The change could not be delayed until the end of the school year. This means the state has noticed the shortcomings and is keeping close watch. 

Do I sound negative? This is how many people in the community would portray me. They would either disparage me or say I'm not even worth thinking about. I may be a contrarian sometimes but I'm not contrary to facts and logic. I am just contrary to the party line and the little fiefdoms or cliques that throw their weight around. 

We face the stark reality now that the state really wants UMM to deliver better for the money it receives. The powers-that-be don't care if we kick up a fuss about what is going on. Do you think we really have political pull out here? The reality is quite the opposite. 

We can be smug in thinking we're justified in being so "red" politically. It is hard to have a constructive conversation with anyone about this. Lots of sanctimonious folks who think that Donald Trump is the be-all and end-all in their lives. And this is so rigidly enforced in most of our houses of worship. 

We all know, I think, how UMM has been hurt in the most recent epoch of its history. The big push for gay rights or "LGBTQ" was so glaring. Did UMM ever make an institutional statement on gay rights? I think maybe it was just a large faction of students, staff and faculty. The staff will just follow whatever way the wind is blowing. People associated with UMM got so strident and condescending. 

Condescending? Well I recall a UMM prof making public comments where he asked "how is gay marriage going to hurt you?" The question was a perfect setup for the prof and his brethren to make those on the other side look stupid. College professors are good at this. They look at you like they're convinced they know it all. And I know that gay rights will not "hurt" me in any sort of literal sense. So I guess I'd assert that misses the point. 

How do I feel about gay marriage? Right now I'm not so sure. I am voting Democratic at this stage of my life, not that I'm all-in with the party forever. I was willing to be generous with the gay rights cause for a time. If these people have been persecuted or kept "in the closet," it's not fair. But to what extent do we go to remediate? 

Over the recent past I have come to moderate my views, so that I think maybe gay people do not deserve totally equal standing with the straights. I still do not want them to suffer. But maybe they have to accept some limitations because it's the heterosexuals who procreate, who have children in the biological sense. Gays have an argument no matter what you present to them, so they'd say in this instance that gay couples can adopt children. 

They always have an answer. But it borders on arrogance and disrespect on their own part, just like their opponents once showed. 

 

Repercussions 

The whole LGBTQ thing has delivered a whammy to our UMN-Morris. We no longer have a Homecoming parade with a vehicle displaying the king and queen. Such an innocent and routine thing to do. Do it for the alumni - that's what Homecoming is for anyway. Why take a big dump on Homecoming? And if the reputation of UMM becomes besmirched by this - if enrollment actually drops because of the "gay devil worshipers" or "QDW" (for "queer devil worshipers") - then it's a matter for UMM administration to really roll up their sleeves to address and solve. Because in the end, it's all about the State of Minnesota being able to justify what it invests here. 

UMM already has a strike against it by allowing Native Americans to attend for free. Didn't the U.S. Supreme Court make a ruling against affirmative action? You can argue that Natives have been abused in the past. But today's young people had nothing to do with that. Heck, the rest of the population had no part in that either. But the "sociologists" in academia get so caught up on "human groups" and how they have had so much conflict. 

That whole element moved on to the gays. And what a blow this has dealt to UMM. All you had to do is be a person about town to realize this. And let me add with emphasis: All of this caused a reaction from "the other side" which on its own became unpleasant. Did I do enough writing about the "Northstar" publication on the UMM campus? It was a total turd that was deposited on campus decorum. It was an emotional reaction to all the progressive stuff. "Northstar" ended up no more palatable than the things they were complaining about. 

So, I began suggesting in my blog writing: Why don't we have some really firm new UMM leadership that says to students: "You are not here to push political causes, you are here to take your studies seriously in preparation for the rest of your life." 

And students should absolutely respect their professors. My generation went to college at a time when we all knew profs leaned liberal and this would seep into their classes. My advice is: If you don't like this, just roll with the punches. You reserve the right to have your own opinions at any time. You can deny climate change even if all the science seems to affirm it. Sorry, college is a place for science to be really respected. 

 

In driver's seat yet? 

Is the new UMM chancellor in a position to start making decisions in this mid-December? I suppose those people don't work much now because of the holidays. But I think time is short for getting things turned around at UMM. 

We don't have political clout out here. The U of M has a presence in Rochester, thanks to Tim Pawlenty, and believe me, Rochester is on the cusp of a boom of economic development. It's due to the Mayo Clinic expansion among other things. 

Here in Morris we can still hear coyotes howling outside of town at night. This isn't to say that our UMM cannot be stabilized or even rejuvenated. Surely we'll need new and assertive leadership. I think we're answering directly to the legislature now.

Might we call this guy the "new sheriff in town?" He's Mike Rodriguez, new UMN-Morris chancellor as of next month. A man replaces a woman who was nudged out? This won't sit well with the town's feminists. I wonder if the new guy has come across any of my blog writing. Perhaps not. But I know I have some readers. I met new Chancellor Mike Rodriguez at TMC and got a chance to "pitch" to him how I didn't really care for the campus and "community" blending for music. I am assuming he will take a close look at all UMM programs. I could have told him further that our athletic facilities are way too nice to be the home site for a UMAC program. Has he been to a game yet? I have attended several volleyball and basketball games. I remember when UMM was in the Northern Sun Conference and how much more classy that conference was. Is there any going back? Maybe a good starting point would be to establish a nice little homecoming coronation and parade again. Queen should be a biological female.

 

Addendum:

My question to the sociologists: How has awareness of our differences ever helped us get along better?  I recommend the "melting pot" approach with society but academics find that boring.

 

Addendum #2: An email I sent to a friend this morning:

 

Del - There was a sign at DeToy's this morning saying they'll be closed on BOTH Dec. 24 and 25. This is a first. I'm always aware of the place being open on Xmas Eve because that's when I hand Karrie her special Xmas tip. I told Karrie I was disappointed. She seemed to agree and she said "everyone is so happy on that day." But the trend continues: restaurants are more stressed all the time as their costs go up and they don't dare pass too much of that on to customers. I can remember when DeToy's was open on Memorial Day. They used to be open in evening. They used to have a Sunday chicken buffet. 

I am so isolated now that it's nice to go someplace like DeToy's on the morning of Xmas Eve Day. I suppose I can go to Caribou like I did on Thanksgiving morning. If Kelvin is there, I have someone to talk to. And you never know how reliable Caribou is going to be.

 

I have company with the junco birds. 

  

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