From an email I received from a friend this afternoon. I did some light editing to remove some inside humor I have with this person.
The absence of Marshall Hoffman is becoming more evident at KMRS. At 7 and 8 AM, the format has been National news headlines from the ABC network, then about 10 minutes of regional news, followed by 7 or 8 minutes of local news, then the obituaries. Today, Brett read the regional news, but then said “there is no local news today” and went right into the obits. No local news? A day after Morris made national news because of the police thing? A day after a county commissioners meeting that had lots of topics? Hmm. At least Bill did an interview with Rebecca Young about the meeting in a separate piece.
The radio station manager shouldn't be discouraged by such talk. After all, it means we're listening and interested. So, Morris makes huge news splash at the time of year that tends to be the slowest. I used to describe the time of year as "between Prairie Pioneer Days and the county fair." Well, Prairie Pioneer Days is no more, I mean the "real" PPD.
On the subject of being discouraged, we might consider political sentiment. It's not just sentiment now, it's actions as with the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. More of same to come? Oh my goodness, most certainly.
I overheard talk at a place of business yesterday that further confirmed a suspicion: today's Republicans consider Democrats as being rather sub-human. The talk is going over the edge. I surmise that these people, who for the purpose of convenience I will describe as "Neanderthals," are influenced by the cultural issues.
Donald Trump is crazy. Headlines reaffirm that almost daily. "Investigations" roll on that reaffirm that. Many of us who are interested in politics find that we are "marinating" in the whole thing. The most tiresome thing is to read a news account of a new "investigation." We don't need more investigations, we need our Justice Department which is built upon the Judeo-Christian ethic to clamp down on certain things, to force accountability.
The investigations linger and get stuck in mud. Really sharp lawyers get involved to create a haze. These things just go on and on. You can tune in to MSNBC on any given day and get another dose. And while it's nice to know there is a beacon of truth and wisdom out there, e.g. Lawrence O'Donnell, those of us with sense have a quite understandable level of exasperation.
The people assigned to do the investigations: do they work weekends? Doesn't a sense of urgency compel them to move faster? It took six months before the January 6 committee was even formed.
Now we get the news that the Justice Department would be hesitant to push any action vs. an active presidential candidate. This amidst the rumors that Trump could announce for 2024 at any time.
Today (Wednesday) is just another day so we might expect another nugget of absurdity to go with all the other sludge that has built up.
We wouldn't have believed this if it had come from Richard Nixon. Questionable as Nixon was with his actions, he operated in a world far more sane, with an admission (ultimately) that the rule of law be respected. The burglary was a sordid little affair of course. Well, there were others. But Nixon eventually saw the writing on the wall. He realized as an American patriot what he had to do. And in the end, despite his significant blemishes, he was just that: a patriot. He had been vice president under "Ike" Eisenhower for eight years.
Nixon was more interested in power than in ideology. It's hard to even compare Donald Trump. Is Trump interested in ideology? Not really, except that his Republican Party of today uses ideology. It goes this way: the GOP tells rural America "we're with you on all the cultural stuff." In return, the GOP has the people of Flyoverland quite loyal to them.
And with the use of the electoral college, this becomes the ticket to power, and the power is used to lift up the richest Americans. The richest Americans really couldn't care less about LGBTQ, except to the extent that they are probably fine with it, deep down.
I grew up when "conservatives" were fundamentally good and straight-laced people who felt that order in society was just as important as pure principle. "Conservative" meant you wanted minimal boat-rocking. When "Ike" sent troops to push desegregation in the South, he came right out and said it was for the purpose of order. In his essence he was not a beacon of racial enlightenment. And when a military man like Eisenhower talks about "order," we know he means it.
Yesterday I heard one of the local fanatical GOP supporters call out Adam Kinzinger. Not exactly a household name but he's one of the two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee. The person who I overheard had quite non-generous thoughts about Mr. Kinzinger. But does any rational person think the committee is doing anything other than objective fact-finding? Weren't you comfortable seeing Cassidy Hutchinson testify?
The local Trump cultists would say the committee has no credibility - too many Democrats. The America in which I grew up had respect for both political parties. A party could readily acknowledge when it lost. All hell would not break loose.
Something new? Of course
So what's the headline about Trump today? Well, he thinks the 2020 election is still a "thing" for us. Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said on Tuesday that Trump called him last week. Trump asked Vos to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump actually lost the state to Biden by over 20,000 votes.
Trump has attacked Vos on an online platform as being a RINO (Republican in Name Only). People who use the RINO term believe Democrats should in effect be treated as non-persons. No middle ground to be sought with them, ever. So now John Cornyn gets booed at GOP events.
Haven't we always wanted our political officeholders to work together to solve problems? Arnold Schwarzenegger has made an impassioned plea about this. What concerns me is that reasonable people like Schwarzenegger are getting suppressed, drowned out. They are becoming losers.
Hell, Richard Nixon actually created the EPA. Can you believe that?
The Republicans of today just want to burn everything down. To hell with climate change theory.
Democrats are being crushed by a defector within their own ranks: Joe Manchin.
My theory is that Republicans of today love getting people fired up on the cultural issues: so easy to feed the emotions. Look at all the obsequious folks out and around just in our Stevens County. They are sold a total bill of goods. They have made a Supreme Court possible that has wiped out Roe vs. Wade. The Court is primed to undertake other such severe disruptions. While I'm sure a majority of Stevens County churches applaud all this. The more the better to build up MAGA.
These "investigations" from in Georgia and Washington D.C. become absolutely turgid. Like I said: do these people consider working on weekends? The ultimate absurdity is how lil' ol' me, as an employee of a little newspaper in Western Minnesota, felt tremendous pressure to get certain sports coverage done by a certain time or I'd be thrown to the wolves. But when it comes to investigations designed to ensure we have a stable and respected America - wrongdoing ferreted out and people held accountable - well those investigations just go on interminably. Lawyers amass more riches.
Even the critics from the media come back for work on Monday and have more material to mine. Well, is Matt Gaetz guilty of child sex trafficking or not? Will Chief Justice John Roberts actually get to the bottom of the big "leak?" He announced an "investigation." There's an IRS "investigation" into the selection of Trump critics for especially intrusive audits. The weeks roll by.
Will all this end with the end of America itself? With an "autocracy?" Oh yes, "it can happen here," just like Sinclair Lewis reminded us. In the meantime maybe the Neanderthals will get their way with gay marriage, just like with abortion. Contraceptives?
All this while the super rich just keep lining their pockets more and more? Until there is a revolution. And it will not come from the political right, it will come from the political left. This is what history has taught us. It will be borne of desperation among the common folk, who no longer will care what the "Dow" is doing on a particular day.
On the local police matter
From an email I sent to a friend yesterday:
Listen, there have been calls all over the U.S. to "consolidate police departments." I follow the news 100 percent more than most people, so I know this. We have a Byzantine system now, something has to be done. Blaine's idea is probably good but people who are ignorant will think "defund the police" etc. and maybe Blaine will be hoisted out on his petard. Or, maybe he'll be able to move up to a bigger city, which is what the softener guy said could be the case. Blaine has scored points with the state by getting the water plant here.
From a different email I sent:
Morris is really in the Upper Midwest news, maybe even national. There has been a trend toward police consolidation, but did we have to become the "poster child" for this? We sure are now. There's the dissenter Kevin Wohlers. Well Kevin, we have to be able to find guys to come here and take the jobs. I have no problem with the council's decision.
I wonder if cops are stressed watching for people not wearing seat belts. I simply think that is difficult to do. People get ticked off at cops for pulling them over for "small stuff." Cops are human beings, they don't want to be resented. If the cops didn't get buried in so much small stuff, I might say a friendly "hello" when I walk past them at Don's. I ignore them.
Was going to go to the Glenwood State Bank customer appreciation supper 2nite. After researching, I found the best route to "Rolling Forks Vineyard" is the mill dam road, six miles beyond Starbuck where you just take a left and go a few miles. I was going to enjoy this outing, but about three miles out of town, I became upset at the condition of the road. Very bumpy. Was concerned about wear and tear on car, so I came home. I then called up the online map again and saw that the route from the north to that place is more complicated. Maybe the bank scheduled it out there to discourage freeloaders.
Maybe next year. That was my uncle's bank.
Gone, not forgotten
I don't know why Marshall Hoffman left the radio station. A friend and I refer to him as "Marshall Tucker." He gets kudos for supporting the high school band program. I used to think he attended concerts with his mother but I'm told it's his mom-in-law. Bless both of them. They were at the spring ice cream social for band too.
I can speculate on why he left the station. Was it the "stealth" question he asked Rep. Jeff Backer? Backer's appeal is to the "Neanderthals" I reference, IMHO. He rather fits the textbook profile.
Marshall (Tucker) asked Backer if he'd been vaccinated yet. Given the type of Republican Backer is, the answer would be "no." But I think the question made him squirm. He seemed to fumble for an answer. He said he thought he already had had the virus, well maybe. He said he had been "tired" for a couple days. He further said he wanted people more vulnerable to move up in line ahead of him. But at that time, I don't think there was an issue with the vaccine's scarcity.
I complimented Marshall in an email for his "stealth" question. I would have gone further to "push" Backer but that's just me. Backer may have subsequently complained about the interview. Given the leverage the people of this political stripe have now, it's risky to cross them. Oh hell, I do.
Backer's biggest local supporter reportedly died of pneumonia. Impressionable as this person was, I'm sure he didn't get the vaccine.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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