Slings and arrows for our citadel of lit

Keep the books dry!

Remember when the public library got flooded? I remember standing in the narthex at church and looking at the street outside with rain pelting down. I had no idea the library was vulnerable. Imagine if it was vulnerable in this current summer of ten inches of rain over four days. 

The "summer of rain" is winding down. The "welcome UMM" picnic is Monday night. I wonder if anyone will take the trouble this year to arrange for some entertainment at the park stage. 

I am acquainted with a young person who will be a freshman at South Dakota State this fall. And this reminds me of a letter to the editor in our newspaper many years ago. It had to do with how welcoming a college community might be to its college element. Unfortunately this letter did not portray our UMN-Morris well. The letter noted that while SDSU of Brookings SD had a reputation of really putting out the welcome mat, Morris was rather at the opposite end of the spectrum. 

If this was true, has it changed by now? We should be glass-half-full and hope for a rich welcoming atmosphere at the upcoming picnic. 

In past years I have spent some time at the First Lutheran table at this event. We're pretty minimalist in what we offer the kids, like maybe a ballpoint pen. Well our heart is in the right place. I remember sitting with Steve Van Kempen there. Steve has moved on to the next life. 

The kids might have to be told that if they attend First Lutheran, they might be directed to actually go to Federated! It sounds strange and it is strange. First Lutheran and Federated are in at least a temporary partnership. 

ELCAers and Methodists together? Well yes. We are the "moderate" Christians of Morris for whom Donald Trump is not a big component of our faith. You'll even find critics of DJT in our ranks. We are losing the battle. Sad to say but true. 

Church was held at the First Lutheran building last Sunday. The FLC building is terrible by the standard of handicapped/elderly access. It was designed in a time when no one thought about that. 

For much of my life, FLC was a totally thriving mainstream institution that drew many community leaders. We had a robust "UMM Sunday." And today we're just hanging on. If even that. Is a church even viable that cannot have something formal going on every Sunday morning? Until this summer, did FLC ever "whiff" on a Sunday morning? Even once? 

God is supposed to be present whenever two or more are gathered in His name. There is a saying or quote that affirms that. 

How many years ago was it, when the library got flooded? As I get older I have a harder time estimating such things. A lot of people might have forgotten about it. And wasn't St. Mary's School affected by the same episode? Bill Storck eventually informed me that a softball blocked a drain at the library. And regarding St. Mary's, I heard it was a wine bottle. Seemed rather Biblical. 

A highlight of my summer of 2025 - in the "summer of rain" - was to be blessed by a Catholic priest. I just had to go up front to receive the blessing from Fr. Alan Wielinski when he was here for Shirley O'Keefe's funeral. 

I have the warm memory of having known Father Alan when he served Assumption Church and I was with the Morris paper. I had not seen or spoken to him since I left the paper. Just seeing him made my old newspaper identity come alive in my mind. I treasure that. 

Now that we know more about the current library controversy, I can share thoughts that maybe have some value. I'll do this by quoting from my own emails from yesterday. Here's what I wrote to Morris Mayer Kevin Wohlers:

 

Well Kevin I went to the library this morning to look at Morris paper, and I wasn't even expecting an update on the library matter because I had sort of given up on the paper. The paper had done little since when the story first broke, and when it broke the emphasis was on all of Anne's friends turning out en masse to support Anne with signs and all. There was Sharon Martin with her sign "Anne is amazing." I'm not sure how exactly she is amazing, but after reading today's coverage in paper I had to breathe a sigh of relief. We can clearly see now that there are "two sides" on this and people should not demonize the city people. I have actually suspected that all along. It's good to get all this out in front of the public now, before the welcome UMM picnic at the park. When I see the council people there now, I won't have bad thoughts.

I went back to town a second time to re-read the Morris paper article at library. The article was 100 percent thorough and helpful - it's about time. I read it slower the second time. Then I started thinking "sheesh this is some questionable stuff (with Anne)."

It would have been easy for you and council to be buffaloed by Anne's legions of friends. I guess I would describe them as the "NPR crowd." But. . .I don't think that "crowd" is as influential in Morris as it once was. They are used to being sanctimonious and pushing people around.

I think reason is more likely to prevail now. So Anne had stuff delivered to her home so she could "review" it? To see if it was acceptable, or what? And if not, then what became of it? Once it's ordered it should enter circulation, I feel. And frankly EVERYTHING should be delivered to library building - it is a big place. Even during covid.

So I think maybe Anne has to go. If I express these opinions on my blogs, I suppose I wouldn't dare ever go into library again. But I'm not sure I need it all that much. Melissa would not get in trouble like this.

Great to see Sherwin at fair and to shake his hand again. He's a unique person. He was on the cusp of major stardom in 1970. I think he was lacking one or two ingredients. I'm sure Nashville was intrigued by him for a while. He had a "star's" image, to be sure. Legend has it that he was almost the one who recorded "Gentle On My Mind." He's having great trouble with his hearing now. Meanwhile my problem is my eyesight.

 

Kevin responded to me and thanked me for my input.

Here's from an email I sent to my old journalism compatriot Jim Morrison:

 

Morris Public Library

You know I have kind of a bias against the Morris paper now but I must say, today's coverage on the library mess really "hit it out of the park." It was so thorough, I don't think I saw one typo.

And so, this article confirmed what I have been thinking from the start: that there really are "two sides" on this matter and it isn't so simple to distill as being "Anne is a saint, the city manager is an evil jerk."

I read the article this morning at the library and then returned this afternoon to re-read it. It was lengthy. Would be above my pay grade to write. I just got home on my bike which I did some miracle repairs on. Anyway, upon second reading of article I became more concerned about Anne's behavior. Keep in mind that I feel libraries are obsolete to begin with. She orders all this stuff, it goes to her home, and then she sits on a lot of it to "review" it, to see if it's suitable? No way. She should know before she orders it. She has no problem with displaying books by gay authors.

I must commend the mayor and city council now, because they easily could have been intimidated by all of Anne's friends. My first thought when this story broke was "uh-oh, the city is gonna get in trouble with this." It was too easy to think the city manager was some sort of witch. We can be thankful we have some real public servants who are watching the bottom line. 

And I think local governments everywhere are feeling increased pressure when it comes to money. Grant County just went through the same type of thing with their "facilities manager." There was even a meeting where the guy's supporters showed up en masse. But he was let go. It does not matter if you have a groundswell of support now.

Anne and her husband failed with their restaurant. Why can't that place get going again? It doesn't have to be for tree huggers. They should have made their rear entrance more inviting. The atmosphere was great in there with a big screen to watch.

 

And, part of what I commented to a main street business acquaintance:

 

Well, I got to town early for my afternoon lunch so I went to library. I had given up on the fishwrap covering this. So I was pleasantly surprised. The paper is late in getting to this story. But today I must say the effort was really good for getting caught up. I'm not surprised by anything. I have felt all along that the city manager's side to this was going to warrant attention. Otherwise, wouldn't the city council have pulled the plug on her? This whole issue has been an embarrassment for the city.

So, my first reaction? It's probably not what you think. I'm thinking "why does the library spend so much $ on junk?" And "why can't this be reined in?" Maybe this is why the council has stuck with its city manager and her suspicions. And also why the city has felt it proper to hire an outside investigator. I'm sure Kevin and the others take no pleasure in having this matter be known to the public for so long.

Maybe there's no hope for really reining in the library and its massive expenditures on "junk" etc. So maybe it will continue like crime, death and taxes. As for Anne, I must say she has shown questionable judgment. There is no excuse for having library stuff delivered to your home, even during covid. The library is a large building. I scratch my head: so she wanted to "review" various things before putting them into circulation? This is stuff that the library made the decision to order? Makes no sense. She wanted to "clear" it first, or what? Well why was it ordered? We don't need any of this crap. I believe I have put in my blogs that we don't even need libraries anymore. They are "vestiges" of past times. I think at least two city council members would agree with me. That's why the council has gone along with this whole process IMHO.

Should Anne be terminated? I really think she should be. If nothing else she has a very stained image now. And is she expected to get along with the city manager and everyone else after all of this? Looks like the library needs a total breath of fresh air. Better yet, let's close it, lock it up. Man, the city is already burdened with the old "senior citizens center." Look at all that real estate in the middle of town.

Would Melissa have done the things that Anne did? I think not.

I must compliment Ms. Bungum who I have never met. I think she made it clear that the city's position on this holds some water, just like I thought.

Anne's supporters are the zealous "NPR crowd" with Ms. Flicker waving the flag. Looks like Liz Morrison has staked out her position too. And sure enough, people are admitting that they are biased by having known Anne and her family for so long. People are just admitting it. I have never met the city manager. I'd be pleased to have a cup of coffee with her sometime. She is not the "Wicked Witch of the West."

You informed me of Nick Ripperger's passing. Thanks for the info. I couldn't care less about his passing. He bought into an adulterous relationship. The woman may have made the first move but he reciprocated. I thank God I have more basic sense and intelligence than that. He had such a dark personality.

(end of quoted material) 

  

These controversies have interesting dynamics. At present the librarian's supporters are 100 percent up-front with sharing their opinion - no inhibitions, quite the opposite. People inclined to be critical are guarded and will say things like "don't quote me." 

All this reminds me of when the public school had a controversy in the late '80s. The activities director emerged as the lightning rod. Same phenomenon: his supporters were totally up-front and flag-waving. Critics were scared and knew they might pay a price if they came forward. Finally some did come forward. And they did pay a price. The problems got ironed out over time but it took time. 

 

Addendum: First Lutheran Church like many in the ELCA fell into a spiral of decline because of one catalyst issue: gay rights. Not saying that gays don't deserve basic rights, but this is a fact. I think the "crusading" on this got to people. UMM was a big crusader.

 

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

Athletes take risks we don't fully realize

The best example of the hit-by-pitch problem in baseball: Tony Conigliaro.

  

We say we care about the health of the athletes who entertain us. But is it lip service? Our high schools still offer the sport of football. Americans became entranced by this sport in the middle 1960s. It really was more of an obscure sport before that. The problems of football have become well-documented. The sport marches on anyway. 

No one would say they don't care about the health and safety of the athletes. They would suggest the opposite. But football marches on. We say we care and then we move on. Athletes who are done with their careers are easy to forget. There's always a "new crop" to draw our interest. Ah, the NFL "draft." 

We can overlook how delicate the human body is. We can overlook the very real dangers in sports other than football. We are so safe as we sit in the bleachers or in front of our TV sets at home. 

The baseball field really can be a dangerous place. I have read that if a baseball fan were to step onto the playing field, that fan would be surprised at how small a space it really is. The action happens fast there. Reflexes are everything. When a player reaches the age of about 33, he begins to lose his ideal reflexes.

 

"Beanings" 

Baseball fans have to be aware of the problem of hit-by-pitch. They are probably aware that careers can be affected by this. We occasionally see a game highlight where a batter who has been "knocked down" charges the pitcher. Full-on brawls can erupt with umpires acting like they really do disapprove. But the sanctions are never enough to prevent pitchers from "brushing back" a hitter.

"Chin music," as it was described in Jim Bouton's "Ball Four." 

The physical dangers to the batter are so great, I personally have felt a disincentive to keep following MLB. My reaction is much like with football where the dangers are more obvious.

You can thank your lucky stars you aren't out on the field being knocked down yourself or being knocked unconscious. Or ending up with CTE. 

A reasonable person would have to be troubled by baseball. And yes I always run into naysayers who'd smile and say I'm getting carried away. This is especially true if I talk about high school football. 

Baseball? I can look back to the uniquely heady days of the early Minnesota Twins. The young generation of boys was really drawn in. I'll frankly suggest it was a phenomenon like nothing we have seen since.

 

It was new 

At the start of the 1960s we could have pinched ourselves to see if we were dreaming. The economy of sports had allowed our outpost of Minnesota to become viable for baseball and football at the highest level. All in the same year. People my age can still trot out names of the early Minnesota Twins. 

Jim McRoberts and yours truly can still reminisce about Vic Power! 

As I look back now, it is with a greatly heightened awareness about the physical dangers of baseball. The recent passing of Rich Rollins got me thinking about this. Rollins had a most concerning incident when he was with the Twins. Comes across as a nightmare really. He was playing a spring training game in 1963 when he was hit by a pitch thrown by Paul Foytack. Rollins had a broken jaw and would spend the first month of the season drinking all his meals through a straw. 

Often with hit-by-pitch incidents, we can wonder if a player gets "gun shy" with the risk of having it happen again. So, I'm considering the case of Rollins' teammate Jimmie Hall along with Baltimore Oriole Paul Blair. I plucked these players out of my memory. I did no special research to identify them. 

Patrick Reusse has described Hall as "a hero to the first young generation of Twins fans." Wholly true. Hall had power but was sleek in his physique unlike Harmon Killebrew or Bob Allison. Some Charisma, yes. He played center field. His rise in the Twins organization was the reason why we traded the popular Lenny Green. Hall offered more power than Green. 

A fateful day for Hall and the Twins was May 27, 1964. The Twins and Angels were in the fifth inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader. Hall was hit by a pitch thrown by Bo Belinsky. The pitch struck Hall's cheek and he suffered a concussion. He returned to action a week later and now had a protective flap on the helmet. There was speculation after that, that Hall "lost something" as a player. 

It was certainly not evident right away. His power did drop off but he kept his average up through 1965. He was even on the '65 All-Star team. But by the time of the '65 World Series against the Dodgers, he was being platooned in the lineup. 

Outfielders are expected to deliver power. Also, the concern about the lefty-batting Hall was that he might be intimidated by left-handed pitchers. The Dodgers had two outstanding lefthanders in Sandy Koufax and Claude Osteen. 

Fans and the media never reached a total consensus on how Hall might have gone into decline. But after '65 his career dipped steadily. I would have to suggest that his "beaning" played into that. Imagine being hit in the head with a fastball. 

 

The Blair story 

Let's consider Paul Blair of the Baltimore Orioles. He was with the Orioles when they were the prime post-season rival of our Twins. We're talking 1969-70. It was on May 31, 1970, that Blair was hit by a pitch thrown by Ken Tatum of the Angels. Blair suffered a broken nose and other facial fractures. He did manage to play ten more years, but he never hit over .280 through the rest of his career. 

Speculation swirled as with our Jimmie Hall. 

I should note about Rich Rollins that while he rebounded to play well in 1963, he had a premature decline. His hitting dropped off by the time we played in the '65 World Series. By 1969 he had fallen into total obscurity as a member of the expansion Seattle Pilots who would become the Brewers. 

With the Pilots the former Twin third-sacker at least became a footnote in Bouton's "Ball Four." Bouton could be harsh in how he wrote about many players but he laid off Rollins.

 

Addendum: Yes, the rise of Jimmie Hall led to the trade of Lenny Green. Hall was white and Green was black. Let me emphasize here that the new young fans of the Minnesota Twins were 100 percent non-racist. I was there, I know. I know there could be a problem in places like Philadelphia. Green excelled in the Twins' very first year, plus he was known to be a great ambassador for the organization. 

Vic Power was a player of color from Puerto Rico. He should have been promoted to the Yankees in the mid-'50s but he was considered the "wrong" type of black person for the team. He was flamboyant and had personality. 

Twins fans welcomed Vic Power with open arms. He was the team MVP in 1962 when we finished second to those Yankees, just five games out.

 

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

Long slog with the library continues

Anne Barber

Why would the City of Morris spend a lot of money "investigating" its own public library director? And why has this whole matter been left suspended for so long - no resolution? 

Representatives of the city have issued statements that are absolutely damning toward the library director. If this reflects the attitude of our elected leaders, then why in heck hasn't the council/mayor expedited the departure of the library director? 

Instead, everything proceeds happily along at the library. I go there from time to time and it's as if nothing happened, nothing is awry. And you'd have to say that's a good thing. All things being equal, let's all be happy and positive. In contrast with this I get reports about how the city manager is rather like the Wicked Witch of the West. Surely that's an oversimplification. Or maybe it isn't. 

I must say that up until now, Anne has come out rather looking like the winner. Everyone is cheery at the library. City officials look sullen and "uptight" if I may use a term that was current in my younger years. Who would even want to run for city council after all this is over? Sheriff's deputies to protect everyone's safety? Three of them? 

I have a personal bias in that I have long known Anne. I realize this is no guarantee that her professional behavior has been spotless. Appearances can be misleading, as they say. But I unhesitatingly take the stance that until shown real evidence to the contrary, let's support her. Did she commit an error in judgment? Well then let's fix the system. 

But holy cow, we have been dragged through an unholy mess on this through our summer of 2025. The summer of never-ending rainfall. Looks like more could come tonight and tomorrow morning. I get my advisories from Fargo radio. 

Beyond the issue of Anne's performance is the more far-reaching issue of whether libraries are just a vestige of past times. And frankly I subscribe to such an attitude. Libraries look clunky, inefficient and "analog." I have my laptop open in front of me right now. Is there any limit to the fulfillment I can get on this? But it's tough suggesting "we don't need libraries." 

Well, we learned here in Morris that we no longer need a "senior citizens center." For years we saw the sign proudly displayed outside that place "Morris Senior Citizens." So the need for it vanished? See? That happens. What happened to the summer Prairie Pioneer Days headquartered at East Side Park? Gone! 

What happened to the "Morris Community Church?" I'll give that church credit: it had Sunday summer services at East Side Park with music coming from the Killoran stage. I fondly remember that. I'd be working at my office at the old Morris Sun Tribune building. That's where Hottovy is now. 

Institutions come and institutions go. Maybe our city manager feels basic skepticism about the public library and I would not indict her for this. But let's not resort to such a hostile assessment of the library director who is fundamentally likeable and comes from a well-established family here. 

Remember Dorothy Hennen-Barber? Curt Barber owned the theater. I photographed Anne for the paper from when she was a little kid. 

I was shocked by how city representatives chose to talk about Anne when the matter arose in the spring. It was so public! "Allegations of misconduct." Oh please. 

There was a meeting on Anne's status on Wednesday. That's why I'm typing this blog post now. A knowledgeable friend updated me on what happened at the meeting. The whole thing isn't over yet. 

 

Yes, the conclusion of Anne’s appeal was yesterday. It lasted 3 hours. The 2 attorneys have to write their conclusions and submit them to the city council by Sept. 19, I think. The council will make their decision which will be announced at their next council meeting on the 23rd. Then hopefully this will be closed. Mighty expensive endeavor for the taxpayers when a simple conversation with Anne could have cleared it all up back in February. You can thank the city manager when your taxes go up!

People are already crying about the tariffs: “I didn’t know I’d be paying more!”

Dumb asses. I can’t believe how uneducated some people are. Of course, Trump wants us dumb and desperate. Makes me absolutely sick to my stomach to see what he and his inept cabinet are doing to the U.S. We’re going to France in Sept. I might not come home.

Did you have any flooding with all this rain? We got some water downstairs but the next door neighbors had 12” of sewage water in their basement. Gotta count the blessings where you can find them.

I’ll be eating at the fairgrounds for the next 4 days! Hoffman parade on Sunday. Hope it’s not as muggy then. Feels like stepping into a sauna out there today!

Sent from my iPhone

 

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

The melody and the words

Have you noticed that the Indiana Fever are building a national following that goes even beyond the fascination with Caitlin Clark? The "girl from West Des Moines?" That happens to be the name of a song I wrote. The lyrics have gone through revisions. It really started out more as straight poetry. I was proud of what I wrote then and proud of what I have now. 

Let me explain: as straight poetry I could get satisfaction just presenting it via the blog. As I began to consider more seriously having it as a musical tune, I had to weigh something called "prosody." To explain: Do the words roll off the tongue? Would there be any awkward phrases to sing? The guy who wrote lyrics for Elton John's "Yellow Brick Road" album was amused by how people looked for deep and even hidden meaning in his words. He said in a documentary that he really just put together words that could be comfortably sung! People can still feel free to look for hidden meanings or suggestions. 

John Lennon was aware of all this. So he wrote "I Am The Walrus" just to kind of tease the people who were inclined to over-analyze. And Paul McCartney admitted that his words for the song "1985" were really just scattershot or whimsical - no special meaning intended at all. It's nice when such people confide like this! We don't have to pull our hair out. 

I was at a Stan Kenton concert once where a trumpet player did a "ride" solo that was getting too long. My companion sitting next to me said in jest "I wonder what he's trying to tell us." And then he added. . ."about the political situation." 

Stan Kenton was big band jazz. He had a touring band in the '70s that went against the grain with its size. Stan liked a truly "big" band. And toward this end he liked a full trombone section. A very nice luxury. Electronic amplification gave bands the opportunity to cut back on numbers, yes to economize. 

I should note that whenever I present poetry on my blogs, it's with a melody in the back of my head. 

Poetry writers often conform to a "template." I have heard the term "iambic pentameter" for example. The templates are always available as a framework. A distinction from songs is that with songs, the melody should be wholly original. Certainly if your aim is to make money, you have to do this. But it is not so cut-and-dried. You have no doubt heard of legal cases over alleged "song stealing." 

A melody might have too much resemblance to a pre-existing one. Song creators will tell you that can be done inadvertently or subconsciously. Maybe sometimes they'll say this with fingers crossed behind their back! Music creators often talk about their "influences." The creators are not empty vessels. But hoo boy, you have to be careful tossing around words like "inspired" or "influenced." You might let the cat out of the bag for how you might have "borrowed" something. 

There's a famous pithy quote: "Good composers borrow, great composers steal." 

 

George Harrison

Case study

This brings us to the subject of the Beatles' George Harrison from his solo career. You know what I'm talking about: "My Sweet Lord." 

A judge ended up making a novel ruling. Harrison had most likely heard the pre-existing melody and it was in his subconscious. That's a tough precedent for adjudicating future cases. Maybe an employment act for lawyers! There is a big and complicated body of law in connection with alleged song-stealing. 

A melody might well be similar to a pre-existing one. And I'd suggest this is common. So then where do you draw the line? Put lawyers to work, yes. And it's known that young people with a passion for the songwriting craft are deterred, sadly, by the risk of a melody being found to have similarities with a previous one. 

Maybe it's unreasonable to suggest that all melodies escape any comparison to a previous one. There are a limited number of notes. A melody is not simply a random pattern of notes, heavens. Certain patterns of notes "work." 

 

Gravitating to words

OK for the last 15 years, I have been engaged in song creation. At this stage of my "hobby," my melodies are generic-sounding. My emphasis is on artistry with the words. The words are the "thing" for me. Years ago I thought it important to create original-sounding melodies. I would drape the words over when done. I wanted the song to "sound good." Music creators can go back and forth with this. 

The judge on "My Sweet Lord" had to be speculating or "guessing" with regard to Harrison's intent. The judge would not know if Harrison in fact had improper intent (theft). 

What did John Lennon think? Well, Lennon was quoted in contrast to the judge. He maybe spoke these words after the settlement. And of course Lennon loved bandmate Harrison, always. But ol' John said "George just 'ran with it' " (the pre-existing melody). The pre-existing melody was "He's So Fine." 

As I read about this case, I couldn't help but think that Harrison really borrowed, and that is because more than one element of the melody was identical! When I considered the second section of the alleged theft, I could have just smiled, as my impulse was the same as Lennon's. 

So do I point fingers at Harrison? I can't do that. One reason is that the words for "My Sweet Lord" were so deep and original. The pre-existing song was, shall we say, shallow. We can be happy for the creators of both songs: they made money. 

"My Sweet Lord" has survived the test of time, as it has not been "buried" by the suggestion of "lifting" or "stealing." Maybe melodies are overrated. If someone "steals" both the melody and the lyrical message, then we run into a problem. 

So let me get personal now: I can relate to all this because one, just one, of the melodies I've written over the past 15 years is "derivative." I made sure it had differences from the pre-existing one. If you were to write out the melodies on manuscript paper, you'd see differences with the notes and the chords. The problem is that the overall effect of my melody is awful remindful of the other one. 

I had my song recorded and put on YouTube. The first 3-4 people who got back to me told me it reminded them of the pre-existing song. 

I would like to emphasize that the melody in question is a simple one-part thing that repeats itself throughout. In songwriting this is called a "strophic" melody. So it's not like a verse-chorus song or a song with a bridge or "climb." 

A risk with a strophic song is that it obviously can sound repetitive after a while. This can be overcome with really great words. So consider the song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Glen Campbell sang that one. Strophic songs can be brilliant. So is my song brilliant? Let me just say that I greatly enjoy the challenge of song creation. 

The guy I work with in Nashville TN reserves the right to slightly alter my melody or chords - only slightly - but never the words! Several of my songs he has left completely untouched. I send him my melodies with chords on manuscript paper. I share with him my "rough" singing of the songs either with cassette tapes or podcast episodes. But I can no longer podcast because the old "Anchor" system has given way to "Riverside" which is too funky and complicated for me to learn. 

The guys at the studio can work from the on-paper music completely when they have to. Nashville musicians are famous for saying they want nothing to do with melodies written down on paper! I think they're fibbing because when they have to rely on this, they are fully capable. Remember the piccolo trumpet solo on the Beatles' "Penny Lane?" Paul McCartney requested this but he was not able to write it down. The trumpet player insisted that he had to work from written music. So George Martin wrote it down! 

Pop music is much more "collaborative" than we realize. Do you know about the "Wrecking Crew?" 

Will I have my Caitlin Clark song recorded? "The Girl From West Des Moines?" Well obviously it would be fun. I'm weighing it. Maybe I would end up hearing from Caitlin herself! Add dreams of glory. We hope and pray for Clark to heal up from her injuries. Go Indiana Fever!

 

No connection

My effort with songwriting has no connection to my late father. 

I remember when Dad retired from UMN-Morris, there was an informal outdoor gathering for the occasion. I attended even though many members of the UMM community had a low opinion of me. Mom insisted that I be there. A loud stereo system was heard from some nearby off-campus student housing. It was the BeeGees. Someone at the gathering said "That's one of Ralph's earlier works." 

 

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

Water from the heavens, steadily

("Aquaread" image)

There must be some interesting new water hazards at the golf course. I was a gawker this morning (Sunday) so I drove out there. Word is, there was a train derailment out in that area too. The derailment must have been cleared up. As I drove back into town I heard a train in the distance so everything must be open. 

I didn't get a good look at the golf course because of the vegetation and trees. New rain arrived last night. Imagine if all this rain was coming in the form of snow! 

We can thank our lucky stars if there were no hazardous chemicals in the train incident. There have been some worrisome issues elsewhere in the country. That includes close to here like by Raymond MN. The pattern of incidents began in a place called "Palestine" which is not pronounced as it would be over by Israel. "As it would be." There is no formal nation called Palestine. I certainly think there should be. 

The "Palestine" in Ohio is pronounced differently than the foreign entity. "PAL-es-teen." Imagine if that kind of train derailment happened here. There go your property values. Would make it even harder to keep UMN-Morris going. Can UMN-Morris (formerly UMM) hold on through the coming year? Maintain enough viability? Of course the main thing is to ensure we keep getting state $. If the financial foundation can be maintained, does anything else matter? Oh I'm being cynical. 

Here's a question: Can we assume that UMN-Morris is in better shape with Minnesota as a blue state rather than red? It is true that Morris is in a beet-red congressional district. Almost to the extent of caricature. The landscape is dotted with churches that pay homage to Donald Trump and all those around him. Even Peter Navarro? Even him too. 

Karoline Leavitt? Isn't she something? Trump made a notorious comment about the young blond Leavitt last week that was interpreted as having lewd insinuations. Really? Would Trump really do something like that? Well, you know. And his supporters would never object to any of it, even if the Epstein report came out and had shocking revelations. But it won't come out. A headline on the Drudge Report last week announced that Trump's name has already been redacted in the report. 

Trump survives everything. He never would have been elected president without the nation's "Christians." There is a lot to answer for them. What would Jesus Christ think of Trump? You remember who Jesus Christ was, don't you? Pastors have reported getting criticism from  church members when quoting from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount." Objecting to the words of Jesus Christ? Well it's actually happening. 

And ministers for the sake of their own professional survival are probably shying away from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus' words could sometimes come across like Bernie Sanders! Unacceptable in the eyes of many. How will Christianity come out of this chapter of the American story? 

"Evangelical" Christianity gets behind Israel 100 percent. So that's a problem. I consider Israel to be a terrorist nation. I admire the Jewish people. That is a whole separate matter. Many of the Palestinians are Christians. The Jews of Israel of course reject Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior. If that's their personal choice they're quite entitled to it. But oppressing the Palestinians is unacceptable and unforgivable. 

Netanyahu looks 100 percent like a villain. And of course the U.S. should try to draw up some kind of appropriate response. But of course under our "presidential administration," if you want to call it that (as opposed to a gang of thugs), that won't happen. The opposite will happen. 

Why do I talk about it? Good question. It does no good. I have had to withdraw from friends who for some reason have gotten eyes glazed over with their devotion to Trump. They don't just disagree with me, they will make ad hominem suggestions about me. Common putdowns from the Trump people include "you're just a Trump hater" and "you have Trump derangement syndrome." 

Not sure how to even respond to such assertions. I disagree vigorously with Trump. I think the tariffs must necessarily cause inflation. I can think of nothing more dangerous than Trump wanting to assert control over the Federal Reserve. 

First he put two Supreme Court justices in his hip pocket. The reference here is to Thomas and Alito whose whole presence on the Court is now directed at giving DJT as much power as possible. And the public isn't rising up about this. 

Then we have the three appointees by DJT: Kavanaugh, Gorsuch and Coney-Barrett. Merrick Garland got stiffed by Mitch McConnell. Will Trump's thugs in justice end up going after Garland the way they're now going after James Comey and Jack Smith? Supreme irony: it was Comey who gave the little speech just before the 2016 election that could well have handed the election to Trump. Now Comey may be the subject for a show trial and goodness knows what kind of punishment. Same with Jack Smith. 

We learned last week that Trump now has two Federal Reserve board members in his hip pocket. The trend inches along. 

The J-6 rioters got sprung after our publicly-supported justice system went through so much trouble to convict them. 

People are reacting out of fear to DJT now. It's hard to blame them. Trump is weaponizing the levers of justice to a staggering degree. And if a news organization tries ringing alarm bells about it, that news organization will likely be sued. And in depositions, the people who run the news organization might have to break down and admit they support Democrats. Then we'll hear people scream about "bias!" 

There is nothing wrong with bias favoring Republicans because the people in power do not consider that to be bias. It is the default position in America. Which means we're headed to a full-on autocracy, if we're not already there. And I think our local Apostolics will consider that to be just fine. 

Hang on to your hats if you see interest rates pushed down to near zero. Totally "free money" (again). In perpetuity? What do you suppose will happen to our great nation? Trump recently called our Federal Reserve chairman a "numbskull." The avalanche is growing in intensity. My own personal safety may be in danger.

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

Summer of precipitation, other things

It's the summer of ten inches of rain in four days. That's the word out there re. the quantity in and around Morris.  So it's worse in Chokio? That's the word too. It's the summer of smoke from fires floating in from Canada. Smoke gets in our eyes, yes. Wicked "water hazards" at the golf course? A train derailment out by there too? But no hazardous material spilled, so they say. 

Crazy Days now history. It has had a resurgence, but never again to be like what the boomers (like me) remember from our childhood. "Main street" was a true people traffic place.

It's the summer of Trump and Epstein. I have tried sharing as much background as I can about how Trump is a dangerous, self-interested and dishonest person. It is so hard to continue with that thread of thought. It is futile. We have a congressperson out here in our part of Flyoverland who is like a clone of Trump. She would not second-guess any tiny thing with what DJT says or does. She's scared that next time she might actually lose to Steve Boyd. And Mr. Boyd is even more right wing than Fischbach. 

"Right wing" might be too generous a term because it suggests a clear body of ideological thought. William F. Buckley would probably accept the right wing characterization. He was a thinker's thinker. And the contemporary MAGA crowd? Well, rather the opposite. It is emotional, impulsive, reminds us of cult members. There are no revelations about DJT that would dissuade these people. They get led along by conservative media, primarily Fox News. 

Fox News makes us wish for the expedited end to "cable TV news." Cable news had a nice run and it had lots of promise at the start. Many of us were amazed at how there could be a 24/7 news channel to call up on the tube. By the same token, I was amazed to discover "Joe and Mika" in the morning as a nice extended discussion on the political goings-on. I know many people shared my enthusiasm about that show. 

All of this should have led to a better and more educated USA that could move forward in the most positive way. Ah, the best-laid plans can go awry. We have a president now who wants to go back to coal power. He wants to go back, period. He named Supreme Court justices who he knew would erase Roe vs. Wade. 

Trump likes coal

Across the board he wants to see the U.S. reverse course as if we might capture a previous era. Maybe it's just the fallacy of thinking "the old days" were better. Which of course they weren't. I grew up during the draft for the Vietnam war. Time moved like molasses. The great Lutheran Church did not allow women pastors until 1970. Girls sports in high school did not start until about the same time. I would peg that year as 1971. 

 

Here's an idea 

Does anyone have a record of the first varsity roster for Morris girls basketball, or the first five starters in a game? It would be neat to gather that group together for a recognition ceremony at MAHS. It would help us appreciate the history. The sad thing is that as time went on, Morris girls basketball and volleyball had prolonged periods of not being competitive. It was so bad, it seemed the program was not even trying to be competitive. No one even spoke in terms of these teams being a contender for anything. 

And there was a firm faction of teachers who resisted any sentiment that somehow we needed to adjust things. You would think that women's liberation would want to see our teams do really well. But if anything those folks felt threatened by talk of being competitive. 

You see, the libbers were entrenched in "academia" which in Morris had a firm base at UMM. It did fan out though. Such people would look down their noses at you, if you projected the "small school" innocence of thinking that our teams should just go out and try to win. It was "Neanderthal." 

As a newspaper person whose rounds included those blessed small schools, I got concerned. I didn't see any inherent clash between "academics" and the simple aim of trying to win games. My outlook got me put down badly in certain "snooty" circles. 

My outlook finally pushed through after much difficulty and even some broken lives. Should this have been so hard? 

 

The religious side 

What about women in ministry? Isn't this fully mainstream now? Isn't it hard to even remember pre-1970 when "women need not apply?" I mean, can you believe it? Just try enforcing the old standard today. 

Today it's nigh impossible for an ELCA church to find any kind of new minister. 

My church of First Lutheran has fallen so far, we have paired with Federated for the summer. There are some Sundays where the FLC church building is completely idle. Sacrilege? I'm sure some people of old would react that way. God's house idle on a Sunday. Its members told to go over to the Methodist church? 

Well I don't care much about theology. 

 

This exists 

I wouldn't go near a church whose members would declare that Donald Trump was "sent by God." 

DJT as a symbol of the Christian faith? Much of American Christianity has been dragged down by this false prophet. This obvious charlatan. But I go against the grain asserting thoughts like this. My contrarian proclivity maybe? Just like when I tried shaking this community out of its slumber with girls sports competition? Or competitiveness overall with our athletics? 

Look, there finally was an "awakening." Was around 1988. People got hurt along the way, some businesses got hurt. People felt they had to rise up even at the risk for their business or personal interests. My family had to change dentists. 

The "academic intelligentsia" as we once knew it, I think, is gone. I'm amazed as I think back to how they once ruled! 

Or you can think back to what it would have been like sitting down with Pastor Grindland at First Lutheran in the '60s and asking him, "do you think women should be ministers?" And he'd have to say he had reservations about it. He'd have to because it was church policy. "Well, we have to be careful not to be too radical. Let's not rock the boat." These are just imagined quotes by me. But the message would be "maybe it's not time." 

So keep the prohibition on women? Well yes. That would have to be the message. Up through 1969. Not that long ago. Of course it seems utterly absurd now. 

Donald Trump wants to live in "throwback" America. Go back to coal power. And of course crush the "Green New Deal" and all that comes with it. We had a stark choice between Trump and Harris. A stark choice also with Trump and Hillary Clinton. And we chose Hillary because she received three million more votes. But she did not become president. The electoral college is a holdover from 19th Century America which felt measures were needed to suppress black people. 

We reap what we sow. 

We could have gotten lucky and discovered that Trump was a good person after all. No such luck. If the rest of the world begins to think that the U.S. is making climate change worse, there may even be military action directed at this country.

 

Addendum: Girls sports in Morris perked up with the 1987 volleyball season. We went from 3-17 the year before to 17-10. And I was fascinated in the upbeat season to hear people actually talk like MAHS might be a factor in the playoffs. Would have been unheard-of previously.

I'm sure some people don't believe me when I try telling them how bad things were. I had a teacher friend who was not part of the undesirable crowd. She told me that an elementary phy ed teacher approached her every year before 1987 and said "how are things going for (your daughter)?" My friend further reported that when volleyball took off winning in '87, that phy ed teacher said nothing.

There was an element that did not even want to see the teams start winning. Well I suppose if one team wins, it puts pressure on the other coaches? And who needs that? Worse yet, the problem teachers/coaches had such a big chip on their shoulder.

We are blessed today by comparison. 

 

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

"Newsies" was super at Minnewaska

("Showstoppers" image)

So there's nothing going on at this time of the summer? Are we just marking time leading up to the county fair? Leading up to the wrestling French fries? Well, we can set our standards higher than that. And I'm not putting down the wrestling French fries. I'll just refer you to our neighbors to the east. I'm talking about Minnewaska Area, Glenwood-Starbuck. 

Over the past few days the "Minnewaska Showstoppers" thespian group has given us the unforgettable musical performance. I gush superlatives. This was a performance of Disney's "Newsies." Glorious theatre and music. Pit orchestra included. Shakes us out of our slumbering summertime. 

I wonder if Morris might develop an organization like "Showstoppers." It's something to ponder. By the same token, might we promote formation of something like the Swift County Band, directed incidentally by our own high school band director, Wanda Dagen? They give an annual performance at the Appleton park which is quite nice. However, I have stopped going because I disapprove of how they "pass the hat" for $ contributions. At the same time they brag about "sponsors" for the event, they feel they have to pass the hat too. 

Appleton can swing an event like this but Morris can't. There is a lot that Morris cannot do. We once proved we could have a gala midsummer event, Prairie Pioneer Days, and it felt like quite the achievement when it first got going. A triumph as it were. I had my own role reporting progress for the Morris newspaper. Many years later the community just unceremoniously dropped it. No more PPD, at least the version that was meaningful. 

Has it now turned into a car dealer promo? In the fall? But look at what Minnewaska Area can do! 

The Minnewaska school

Lake Minnewaska looks so picturesque as you depart from the Waska school. I noticed that last night (Saturday) after I took in the glorious production of "Newsies." 

Superlatives don't often flow easily from me. But it was "fab." And my interest was high mainly because of a Morris connection. There was more than one actually but the one that stands out is this Odello lass. She is a pure performing prodigy. She had a top role. The audience gave a vocal acclamation for her when she and a male counterpart came out at show's end. A much-earned ovation. 

I tell friends that Ms. Odello is so talented, it gives me an inferiority complex. I guess watching such talented young people makes me feel old too! 

I overheard some people talking about how long the Minnewaska Area school has been established. So it's over 30 years now? Can we start describing the school as "old?" For every "old" school there was a time when it was shiny new and the object of pride. Think of that when remembering our old art deco auditorium that was part of our now-razed school in Morris. Hard to imagine that the site once had our school. And the football field. Completely re-purposed now. 

The Morris "Pylin" drive-in

East 7th Street was a real "hopping:" place back when the school was there, even with a drive-in restaurant, the "Pylin." East 7th Street has looked borderline blighted over the recent past. The Dairy Queen was along there in the street's "glory days." 

Man, the elementary kids in their free time would "run down the hill" to the neighborhood grocery store, "Stark's" when I was young. Get an ice cream sandwich or a comic book. And baseball cards! A nickel a pack! 

  

58-4? Really?

Morris has to be careful how it gets compared to Minnewaska. I assume the schools have comparable enrollment. And last winter our girls basketball team trailed 'Waska 58-4 at halftime of a game. I have always been the kind of person to express some dismay over that. And then a lot of people who fashion themselves as important in Morris get upset with me. So I was so often an outlier. 

That status may have caught up with me in the end, cost me my newspaper career. I wonder about that all the time. I always hated the teachers union. But really I think it was just one paranoid element of the teaching staff that got under my skin, while others were rather exemplary. So sad. 

I'm old enough to have covered high school sports in Glenwood, not Minnewaska but Glenwood. Throw in a football game or two at Starbuck too. Let's see, they had a fellow named Bailey as football coach. That was in the days of the really intense and emotional small town high school sports rivalries. Imagine the gang at the barbershop in the movie "Hoosiers." 

Most of that is gone now. We have a well-developed class system in sports now for school enrollment. Many of the real small schools no longer exist. Mostly this has been a very positive development. 

But when the teams get into post-season play now, they might have to travel a long way, even at the very start. One nice thing is that the competing teams are so far apart from each other, they don't attract the pettiness of the old small town sports rivalries. Sigh of relief. Forget the barbershop. 

Kudos 100 percent to the "Minnewaska Showstoppers." And it would appear the Minnewaska school is doing very well. Morris needs to get more fired-up about such things.

Rousing spirit for Showstoppers' "Newsies!"

Addendum: The "Newsies" story promotes the union movement and that could be a problem with our prevailing political environment. The politicians who are ruling today are of a stripe that are not receptive to unions at all. DJT has been described as a "naked capitalist." And our congressperson out here in western Minnesota is like a (female) clone of DJT. That's who we are now. Forget collectivism of any kind. Every man for himself.

  

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