"Did you order this weather?"

Minnesotans know we've "never seen it all" when it comes to the weather. Even lifetime Minnesotans have probably been taken aback by the weather this week. We do not bathe in pride about dealing with the weather. We simply deal with it. We have to. Do what's necessary. Then we dust ourselves off and move forward. 

Unusual aspect about this week's weather: the very strong northwest winds along with the bitterly cold temperature. The temperature usually moderates before we get a blast of wind, doesn't it? 

I often wonder why we aren't more happy with March weather. Have scratched my head over this. The simple reprieve from mid-winter cold ought to have us feeling rather giddy. In mid-winter I always resolve how I will thank God for the moderation of temperatures in early spring. Then when that time comes, we forget to feel thankful. 

My theory is that on the pleasant days in terms of temperature - maybe around 50? - a powerful wind often comes up. It neutralizes the positive effect, or trumps it, although maybe we should retreat from using the word "trump." I mean, I'm writing this on Jan. 6, the anniversary of something harrowing, at least viewed that way if you're a political moderate, i.e. someone with good sense. 

Even with the obvious staring us in the face - the harrowing, threatening nature of Jan. 6 of last year, we can't reach a good enough consensus. The Republican Party ought to get along just fine without Donald Trump. The party appeared headed in the right direction in the immediate aftermath of the riot. We might have gotten consensus on Trump not being fit to be president. We are human and can make mistakes in judgment. 

But we are seeing Republicans push back on any drifting toward consensus. Are they just too proud to admit their judgment was errant? Prior to 2016, Trump built himself up with "branding," a goal that is furthered by sheer celebrity. And that was an art where Trump felt most comfortable. Sad thing, is that people who become masters of this can be horribly artificial. They manufacture a public persona. It is a talent but one that can have dangerous consequences. 

This is illustrated in prime form with Trump's ascendance to the presidency. Did he even want it? He had no credentials. Many of his backers said all the more power to him. To heck with knowing what you're doing, eh? Such as, knowing there is a time to reach compromise with those across the aisle for the betterment of the American people. 

Trump rails about RINOs among GOPers, as if only the hard right course is justifiable, everything else be damned. He wields power like he's an absolute magnet with a certain portion of America, a large portion. Stevens County is full of people with eyes glazed over with devotion to Trump. They carry that devotion into church and expect their church to reflect it. 

We have seen "let's go Brandon" chants from within church walls in the USA. And so many Christians feel now is the time to rip women's reproductive health rights away from them, or to shove gay people back into the closet, or create more hurdles for people of color voting in certain states. This is all buttressed by the faction of Supreme Court members installed by Trump and the Republicans. It appears only the Republican Party is allowed to nominate Supreme Court justices. 

The Jan. 6 anniversary arrives at such an ungodly time in our state of Minnesota with the weather. Were I to encounter a certain friend today, she'd ask "did you order this weather?" A line that would belong in Howard Mohr's famous book.

 

A hovering menace

I was desperately hoping to see a trend in the news toward general acceptance of the danger that Jan. 6 of last year represented. I was hoping and praying - yes, Democrats can pray - that prominent Republicans would just stay quiet if they weren't going to join the desired consensus about Jan. 6. Sometimes there is a "scent" of that, like earlier this week. But the push behind Trump always seems to creep back. Leading to where? 

Republicans do not even have a legislative agenda. Why couldn't Amy McGrath beat Mitch McConnell in Kentucky? I don't know that much about McGrath but she's a Democrat. The crusty old Mitch is nothing but an obstructionist. What's with the affinity with him? Or worse yet, with Lindsay Gramm? We elect these people. 

Our Congressperson Michelle Fischbach will be on the wrong side of history. How many of you care?

All Trump wanted was a little more celebrity when he ran for president, among 17 total Republican candidates. He stood out as the "shiny object" in our media-drenched age. Will it bring down our very cherished United States of America, the "American experiment?"

In the meantime as we monitor this, do what all Minnesotans habitually do: cope with the weather. It's not that we like it, it's just that we do what we have to. Just like the boomer generation adjusting to the high-tech times.

I used this amusing graphic a year ago at this time. I gave my friend Greg Cruze of Cold Spring a hard time about how I thought I saw him in video of the riots! He's pro-Trump. I still sent him my annual Christmas song.

 

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