'Waska focuses on volleyball, referendum

Minnewaska Area volleyball has been an unstoppable force. Nothing but W's for 'Waska on the "Minnesota Scores" website. 

This past weekend was a fantastic showcase for the Lakers. They vied in the Barnesville tournament. Four more wins chalked up. All of these were 2-0. Looks like the odds are high for the Lakers to be in state! 

Speaking of calculating odds, we might wonder how the referendum vote for the 'Waska school will go in November. Oftentimes these votes don't go as well as the "vote yes" people like to have us expect. And unfortunately we can see conflict arise. 

I have a fresh blog post on the 'Waska referendum on my companion blog "Morris of Course." I invite you to read with this link and thanks. Yours truly has a family background with Glenwood.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/09/minnewaska-wading-into-referendum-waters.html 

 

Lakers 3, Montevideo 0

Leading up to the Barnesville tourney, the Lakers won by yet another sweep over the Montevideo Thunder Hawks. The Lakers enter mid-week with a 14-0 won-lost. They're 8-0 in conference. 

Game scores vs. the T-Hawks were 25-6, 25-9 and 25-12. The action was on Thursday. "Minnesota Scores" reports that the match was at 'Waska. The West Central Tribune reports that it was at Montevideo. Sigh. Whatever, the fans enjoyed another showcase for the 'Waska talent. 

This included Eliana Marthaler accomplishing three serving aces. She was complemented by these Lakers each with one: Avery Lewison, Berlynn Green, Brooklyn Noyes and Kyra Nelson. 

Haillie Schulz was go-to in the setting department with her 19 assists. Nelson had five, then we see Lewison with two followed by these Lakers with one each: Marthaler, Emma Poegel, Mya VanLuik and Piper Barsness. 

Green was at the fore in hitting where she produced nine kills. These Lakers also recorded kills: Lewison 7, Taylor Schulz 4, Hailey Wesen 3, VanLuik 3, H. Schulz 2 and Sophia Boll 2. 

Wesen topped the list in ace blocks with two. Here are the other Lakers in that department: Lewison 1 1/2, H. Schulz 1, Boll 1, Green 1/2, Michela Johnson 1/2, VanLuik 1/2 and T. Schulz 1/2. 

Three Lakers stood out in digs: Barsness 7, Poegel 6 and Marthaler 5.

 

Cheryl Reeve

The Cheryl Reeve incident

Pro sports is full of images of coaches/managers getting all worked up, right? Our Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx may have taken things too far. She reacted to a contact incident with full-fledged fury, so bad she got tossed for the whole next playoff game which was Game 4 of the series vs. the Mercury. And the Lynx lost Game 4. End of season for the Lynx. 

I have never been emotionally connected to the Lynx. I am trying. Maybe next year. I'm one of those fans who really "discovered" the pro league due to Caitlin Clark coming along. I confess. So I have become rather emotionally connected to the Indiana Fever. It didn't hurt that Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull were on the team either! 

Today (Tuesday) the Fever play the deciding game in their series vs. the Aces. Unfortunately I am skeptical of the Fever's chances. Seems like home court is pretty important in the WNBA playoffs. I hope the Fever can surprise. They've been hurt by injuries well beyond Clark's. 

Clark has projected the image of a cheerleader this past season. She was so injury-free in her career leading up to this season. Is her body breaking down for good? I was surprised when she missed the first game of pre-season. Situation seemed mysterious. The explanations for her injuries since then have seemed unsatisfactory. And now if she were to try to take the court, we'd all have to hold our breath. 

Maybe it would be best for CC to get away from the very rough WNBA and do something different. I have suggested that she join with her old Iowa teammates Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall to go on a "barnstorming" tour to play exhibitions and give clinics. Man, I think this would be such a thrill for the hosting communities. 

I shared some thoughts on the Cheryl Reeve incident with my fellow UMN-Morris advocate Warrenn Anderson yesterday. He's pretty well-versed on sports. More so than me. Because we were communicating, I touched on matters related to UMN-Morris too. Timely subject with UMM's Homecoming coming up. 

I found out at breakfast that Hancock's homecoming has yet to happen. I would wager their homecoming parade does not include a gay pride float. Let's just say I'd be very surprised if it did! But times change. I complimented the Morris float for being rather humble and understated. It got its message across with the simple symbol of the gay pride rainbow symbol from the flag. 

Here's the email I sent to Mr. Anderson, and his response follows that. Thanks for reading. - BW

 

Warrenn - So Cheryl Reeve blew a gasket so bad she got tossed for Game 4 of the playoff series. That's pretty serious, for a coach to be forced out of a whole post-season game. Was it worth it? I have studied the video of the play that got Reeve upset. I watched it several times in fact, and frankly I do not fault the defensive player. Maybe a more knowledgeable basketball person would see more than me. Once the ball comes loose, it's natural for the defensive players to go all-out. I'm reminded of when Bueckers nearly had a serious injury during her senior year at UConn. Same situation, the ball had come loose and the 'D' player lunged to try to get possession. Not sure what these players are supposed to do. So, are females' bodies simply more delicate? I don't think it's out of bounds to ask that. Men and women are separated for a reason to begin with. As for Caitlin, a very bizarre season that started with her missing the first pre-season game before she had a chance to get injured. I don't think we're being told everything. There's a good chance she'll never play again, because if she tries, there's so much risk. She could parlay her fame in so many ways.

You should know that the UMM Homecoming concert by the music discipline has always been considered important by the music alums. So its absence this year ought to be concerning. Was it a mistake for me to start the family fund? I guess I'll never say that because you have to stand for something in life.

I wonder if the U is getting serious enraged feedback about the strike that recently happened. I do not believe in allowing a union at all for these people. The U can offer what the U thinks is fair, and the U obviously wants to be able to hire people who can do the job. What would it take to wipe out the unions within the U? I guess our only hope would be Republicans and I hate saying that. This is discouraging for U donors, may pour cold water on what we do. The strike really damages these institutions, dampens the experience for the students. Damages their image too. It has got to end.

Yes, and no Saturday morning brunch for UMM Homecoming either. No parade, no coronation. I have suggested that maybe the Native Americans could take the lead in bringing these features back. But what are my suggestions worth? UMM lets troublemakers have their way too much, just like for the goalpost incident. 

The kids who put out the "Northstar" paper would have loved Charlie Kirk. When is the worm going to turn? I noticed there was a gay pride float in the high school homecoming parade. The parade doesn't seem as big or exciting as it once was.

- BW 

 

Here's Warren's response:

 

B,

You raise many issues. On the Lynx I thought the Collier foul was an obvious foul but no more eqregious than many other rough fouls. I think Reeves gets a pass cuz she has a bigtime reputation but seems like her reaction was over the top. She has paid a price w/ the 1 game suspension in a playoff. She wants more careful officiating but the league wants offense and not a bunch more free throws.

I certainly hope Clark can come back. Another case where more careful officiating would be of a benefit to her as she is more of a finesse player.

 

W

 

Even the gay pride unit was agreeable

The weather conditions for the MAHS Homecoming were absolutely perfect. The event reaches its peak on Friday of course. No need to even wear a jacket for the parade. And we're getting another parade today? On Saturday? For the Harvest whatever? Well that's nice. And it's also lucky. Lucky to have weather so summer-like. 

But you've probably noticed that a hot day in September is not like a hot day in July. I think one's allergies can kick up. 

The Harvest event is blessed this year. However, in contrast with our old summer Prairie Pioneer Days, there is risk in scheduling for any time but summer. A weather risk of course. Morris had a Fall Festival before the original PPD. Making the switch to summer was considered a blessing partly because the risk of uncooperative weather was addressed. 

 

A pleasant show 

I personally could not have had a more enjoyable time as I watched the 2025 MAHS Homecoming parade. I sat at my preferred spot which is close to SCMC. It's where my late mother and I once sat, so memories come back. I placed a lawn chair there. I seem to recall that in past times, that part of the parade route was congested with parade watchers like whole classes of elementary kids. 

Our beloved MAHS

My area was not at all congested this year. Has the audience for the parade become reconfigured? 

I couldn't help thinking for an instant that maybe a portion of our community is offended by the Gay Pride unit in the parade. I was wondering if this would happen again. Well, there it came. But, let me add with emphasis: this was a humble and unassuming unit that was really just identified by the gay pride rainbow symbol. The unit did not came across as in-your-face. 

You see, a big problem with gay activism has been their in-your-face nature so much of the time. It's like these people must aggressively assert themselves and always ask for more attention from the public. The gay unit in the Homecoming parade wasn't like that at all. I ended up feeling perfectly happy to see it. 

This wasn't like what the UMN-Morris student population once did, coming at us with a king and queen float in which the queen was a biological male. I remember showing up on the morning of the parade - there is no longer a parade, is there? -  to take some of the usual photographs. And so there sat the "king and queen." I acted like I didn't notice anything unusual. What was I going to do, express astonishment and chagrin about what UMM was foisting on the community? What was I going to accomplish doing that? 

I didn't wish to incur the wrath of the very judgmental pointy-headed UMM people who took for granted their power back then. And the legacy of all that? Well, no more royalty for the UMM Homecoming. And apparently no more parade. So it's a net loss - a blow to the kind of amicable relationship we'd like between campus and community. The latter was already kind of a struggle. 

So, UMM was giving us their offbeat and alarming "royalty" that year. And they ended up feeling good about that? Even with the subsequent crumbling of our traditions? How about bringing the parade and coronation back? I think a majority of the students would like that. UMM would just have to nudge aside the pain-in-the-butt troublemaking political elements. 

Yes, I know UMM has historically not wanted to stand in the way of such things. And yes I know UMM wanted to come across as "enlightened." A liberal arts campus would want to put itself forward as smarter than the outside community populated by "townies." Does UMM still accept that term within its internal glossary? Actually I think no. 

But UMM does not have the courage to bring back the old Homecoming traditions. 

And heavens, I'd like to express a sharp profanity over this year's schedule not even including a concert by the music discipline. But would it matter if I used a profanity? Does anyone listen to me? I will say this: there were kids in the MAHS parade units who recognized me and acknowledged me by name! I waved to them and they were most friendly in response. I am not a has-been! Bless the MAHS students. 

I smiled and shared a polite wave when the gay pride unit passed by. I had no problem with how this unit presented itself. No flag-waving zealotry or anything like that. Just a nice little reminder that this element does exist here as it does everywhere, and these kids wanted to celebrate the MAHS Homecoming. Well, bless them too. Just stay humble, respectful and modest, you kids. 

Someone tossed me a complimentary Tiger T-shirt. I wondered at first if it would fit of course. Everything went well for me on this day, Eureka: the shirt fit! It looked really nice. I wore it to the game Friday night. It's a plug for the "Fireside" restaurant. I'll have to make a point of dining there again. I mean, if they care this much about the MAHS Homecoming. 

Two of the MAHS Homecoming queen candidates were servers who I know from DeToy's Restaurant. The girls who work there are very responsible types - responsible especially for their age. It's no coincidence that they get chosen as royalty, because the most "popular" kids in school are really the most responsible. I read once that the most "popular" kids in school are those who understand "their behavior has consequences." So it's not arbitrary or capricious, lest you want to think that. 

The Tigers lost. I can't find any game details other than the score on this Saturday morning. The corporate media websites do not have photos from the coronation. I used to be very on top of this when I was with the Morris paper. I got forced out by an editor who thought I did virtually everything wrong in the sports department. With just a couple weeks left in the spring, he wanted me to dump all my systems in sports. 

I was supposed to make UMM sports the top priority over MACA. I was supposed to get quotes from players. Actually this fellow typed several pages of how things were going to be done, and then we were going to have weekly meetings to go over the whole sports section. And I guarantee you: the purpose of these meetings was not going to be to pat me on the back. 

Jim Morrison who was already gone from the paper said to me "why don't they have meetings about the rest of the paper?" Alas, the Forum Communications chapter in Morris media history ought to be remembered as a total nightmare. 

I could have continued covering the MAHS Homecoming for years and years with my typical enthusiasm. But, you can't always get what you want. As John Lennon once said: "Life is what happens when you're making other plans." 

Watching the 2025 MAHS Homecoming parade will be tucked away in my mind as a total jewel. And my T-shirt fits!

 

Addendum: I remember a new UMM student organization called "gay devil worshipers." I have brought this up a couple times in my blogging. A reader named Tim read what I wrote and responded:

 

I’m a UMM alum and “the silly satanist club” was a hate group. They would stalk Christian students, send students like myself death threats and rape threats and the school told me to ignore it. It wasn’t until the university saw enrollment drop specifically because of them that they actually addressed the situation head-on.

 

Well, Ski-U-mah. 

 

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

Minnewaska volleyball yet to be beaten

No surprise with how super the Minnewaska Area volleyball team is doing. Well-established talent over there as shown by the basketball Lakers taking fourth in state. Fans went on such an exciting ride with that. We can always assume there's some carryover from basketball to volleyball. Not totally assumed of course but likely. 

And so look at the W/L numbers of the volleyball Lakers now: 9-0! It is a pleasure for yours truly to occasionally write about the Lakers of both volleyball and football. My current post on my "Morris of Course" blog is about the football team's 26-25 win over Melrose and the volleyball team's 3-0 shutout over WCA. Here's the link to the post and thanks:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/09/gruber-to-oneil-for-71-and-minnewaska.html 

 

In an ideal world I'd be writing about Morris Area Chokio Alberta. Sadly, for the last several years I have had trouble getting access to timely MACA sports information. If we rely on the Morris newspaper that's bad news because of the lack of timeliness. I find this product to be basically worthless. 

Sounds like this week is Homecoming week at Morris Area. For so many years I'd put together a whole collage of photos from the coronation and have it in the Morris newspaper. I would have loved continuing to do this over the last 20 years. And if the paper didn't have room for this - or my collage of parade photos too - I'd insist on getting this stuff up on the newspaper's website. 

Can we count on the Stevens County Times website to provide this kind of service? What about timely MACA sports coverage? Well, I guess not. 

I had the rare opportunity to report fresh info on the football team from Friday night. That's because the game data was available from the "Minnesota Football Hub" system. The system relies on coaches or others contributing info to the "template." And this is hardly ever done, unfortunately. But someone did it with the Tigers' game at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. 

So, my previous post on the blog you're looking at now is about the game. Wish I could do this for every game. I first began writing about Tiger football for the media in 1972. I am most happy to continue, when I get the chance. 

My exit from the Morris paper 20 years ago was involuntary. The owner at the time, Forum Communications, eventually gave up on this community, left town. It's the same owner as for the Willmar paper which used to do a fair job covering MACA sports. It no longer does. The print version of the Willmar paper only comes out twice a week now. To find any timely info at all you really have to go to their website which has a paywall. 

MACA was removed from the Willmar paper's coverage territory several years ago. Was this done out of bitterness about how the Forum's ownership of the Morris paper failed? I am assuming that. They would deny it of course.

I have tried suggesting a hundred or so times that the Anfinsons here in Morris "juice up" their website, make it more dynamic and interesting. A fool's errand for me to do this?

 

Lakers 3, BOLD 1

The Lakers have a habit of winning by sweep. But not on this night. BOLD bore down to take one of the games in this 3-1 outcome. Here are the night's scores: 17-25, 25-16, 25-12 and 25-16. The action was on Monday at the Lakers' gym. The West Central Tribune specifies "Glenwood" as the location. Boy, I don't know about this. 

Eliana Marthaler and Emma Poegel each batted two serving aces at the Warriors. Berlynn Green had one. Haillie Schulz is the setting specialist and she finished the night with 39 assists. Other Lakers with assists were Piper Barsness, Marthaler, Poegel, Hailey Wesen and Mya VanLuik. 

Green led in the crowd-pleasing hitting department. She recorded 17 kills. VanLuik got in position for 14 kills. Others with kills were: Avery Lewison, Taylor Schulz, H. Schulz, Wesen, Carley Jergenson and Marthaler. 

Berlynn Green

Here's the rundown on ace blocks: Wesen 3 1/2, H. Schulz 3, Lewison 2 1/2, VanLuik 2, Green 1 1/12 and T. Schulz 1. Here's the digs department: Green 18, Poegel 12, H. Schulz 12, Marthaler 11 and Barsness 11.  

For BOLD, Kyleigh Snow had two serving aces. Kenley Elfering performed ten set assists. Zoey Lippert topped kills with nine. Lucy Remer and Kenley Elfering each had an ace block. In digs, Lilly Henriksen and Kya Elfering had 23 and 19 respectively.

UMN-Morris Homecoming is coming up too. Will there be a parade? A coronation? A concert presented by the music discipline? The latter is a longstanding tradition and important to many alumni. I'm just asking. What about the Saturday morning brunch open to the public? Is that on too? Or is it off this year? 

Do you suppose the institution is just getting ready to close?

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

Finally a low-scoring game: Tigers fall

The MACA football Tigers slid back to .500 with how they fared Friday night. This was an away game with Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted as the opponent. Does Winsted still have the annual "Winstock" country music festival? I went there one year. Howard Lake- Waverly-Winsted has the "Lakers" nickname. 

Our Tigers came up shy as the road warrior. We have now completed four games of the 2025 pigskin slate. And our record is 2-2. We fell to those Lakers in the 12-6 final. A more low-scoring game than what has been the Tigers' norm. 

We're home for the next contest which will have Dassel-Cokato as the opponent. Come to Big Cat Stadium! 

The Tigers and Lakers both scored points in the opening quarter - six points each. From there the game took on a decidedly low-scoring complexion. But the Lakers struck with a single touchdown in the second quarter and this proved to be the difference. The Tigers' offense went silent, or let's say the Lakers came on strong on defense. 

The Lakers scored the game's first touchdown on a pass from Hunter  Bush to Carlos Schmidt. The aerial netted 27 yards. The conversion play was no-go. 

Then the Tigers struck as once again the pass was showcased. It was Ozzy Jerome passing the ball and Jonah Huebner catching - a three-yard strike. The conversion try failed. 

The decisive Laker score of quarter No. 2 was yet another pass play. It went from Bush to Timmy Weber Jr. and it was a big one of 45 yards. The Lakers came up short on the conversion play. 

Fans might have yawned in the second half as no more points were scored. Each of the Tigers' three previous games featured pretty frenetic scoring. 

Ozzy Jerome ended the night with 13 pass completions in 27 attempts for 78 yards, one TD and no interceptions. The ballcarrying story had Grayson Gibson standing out with 96 yards on eight carries for a 12-yard average. Also touching the football on running plays were Jonah Huebner, Jack Kehoe, Ozzy Jerome and Kye Suess. The team rushing total was 114 yards. 

Alex Asmus had 36 receiving yards on three catches. Jonah Huebner covered 13 yards and scored a TD on his five catches. Other Tigers with catches were Jace Kleindl, Gibson and Kehoe. 

On the defensive side, these Tigers posted tackles or assists: Benjamin Hallman, Kye Suess, Huebner, Asmus, Kleindl, Gibson, Brady Mahoney and Kehoe. Hunter Westerman returned three punts. Westerman and Gibson each returned a kick, Westerman for 21 yards, Gibson for 28. Jack Kehoe put his foot to the ball five times on punts for 122 yards. 

Let's take a look at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted individuals. Their top ballcarrier was Jaxon Ewert with 15 carries for 64 yards, average of 4.3. Benjamin Gatz covered 51 yards on eleven carries. The team rushing total was 252. 

The pass slinger Hunter Bush completed half of his attempts: 6/12 for 137 yards and two TDs, no INTs. Carlos Schmidt got his mitts on the ball for three catches good for 59 yards. Timmy Webber Jr. and Alex Stueven each had one catch. Webber had one kick return for 20 yards. Ewert was their punter and Corbin Long their kickoff man. 

Action resumes for MACA at home! Don't forget to get a burger basket.

 

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

Federal Reserve arrives at precipice

Lisa Cook

We are consumed these days by this thing called the "Federal Reserve." All our hopes and dreams seem invested there. An upcoming meeting of the "FOMC" is anticipated with such great scrutiny. Let's face it, we always want another "rate cut." 

We especially want to see the Fed chair speaking into microphones with a pledge or prediction of lowering interest rates. Is achieving happiness so simple? You would think so, if you sample representative media outlets and commentary on a given day. 

The very existence of "the Fed" ought to mystify us. The organization comes at us out of a netherworld where there appears to be no accountability. I mean, who do these people really answer to? Is it a netherworld of high finance or clever big bankers? Who we are simply supposed to trust? Where does all this power spring from? 

None of these people are elected. But the message each day from the media is that our very lives hang in the balance with what "the Fed" does. Should we at least be asking more questions? My prime question would be about this assumption grounded into us by the media: lower rates are always good news. 

The Speaker of the House talks about needing to "help first-time homebuyers." Sounds like a worthy aim. My first reaction would be: Do you realize how expensive it's getting to be to even own a single-family home? This makes me further ask: If someone bequeaths you a house, should you even be happy about it, or should you gnash your teeth? Step onto the premises and immediately start a list of all the ways you'll have to put money into the house. What kind of shape is the roof in? That's just the first question. 

There was an attempt in North Dakota to get rid of the property tax. If the Republicans don't shift course and really provide property tax relief, then the measure will come up again and this time it will pass. And of course Republicans tend to be against it. I mean the real wealthy and powerful ones, I mean like Doug Burgum. 

And that's because the property tax is regressive. It hits the common folk especially hard. 

It is the Republicans who have been pushing the idea of a national sales tax. They'll offer a figure of about 30 percent. This would accomplish getting rid of the income tax which drives Republicans nuts. 

And the president - I'll have to bring up that subject - wants to use tariffs to replace the income tax. Tariffs to replace taxes. Would serious economists say that's credible? 

But hey, tariffs are a consumption tax on the American people. And it's yet another regressive tax idea. One on top of another. And y'all can't recognize that? Are not alarmed by it? Even when it affects your own financial well-being? 

I shouldn't assume that many of you are middle class or lower. Yes let's not forget about the "lower." We judge the character of a society by how well it treats its most economically deprived members. Any of you could end up there. 

The president of the U.S. has his own bond investment that would take off like a rocket from a launching pad if interest rates get pushed down. And the president is frantically pushing for that, pulling out all stops. He tries to get a Fed board member removed. He's instinictively skeptical of her because she's black. I don't hear the term "African-American" much anymore. Has it fallen out of favor? 

This morning (Friday) we got the headline about how Trump is once again going to the Supreme Court, this in order to try to get Lisa Cook fired. 

Trump casts a dreary sort of pall over America these days because of how he wants to "rub out" so many people. To intimidate so many people. Why should he care about what a late-night TV comedian says? And he suggests he'd like to revoke Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship. Why does he engage in such talk at all? And he's in position to get his way so much. 

 

Eyes on "the Fed" 

So, what happens if DJT really in effect takes over the Federal Reserve? We may well be headed in that direction. Surely we'll be headed in the direction of "free money" again. We'd be lucky to escape disaster. 

The relationship between inflation and interest rates is not completely known. Like I said, the Fed comes out of a sort of netherworld. We can't exactly connect the dots. And are these the kind of people that the broad swath of Americans can really trust? I would trust Lisa Cook before Donald Trump. 

If we get bad news about how low interest rates aggravate inflation, how could our country recover? Is this a truly "existential risk" for our nation? Will the Supreme Court really truly let Trump fire Lisa Cook? Because if he does remove her, and if he gains control of the central bank, it could be "game over" for our once-blessed nation. We will no longer be the nation that my father fought for in WWII. We'll be like Italy under Mussolini. And you know what happened to him: he was captured by the communists when he was trying to flee the country. The communists killed him and had his body hung up on meat hooks for abuse. 

The powerful can fall. The inflection point is when people have trouble getting enough to eat. At a certain point they cannot be pacified any longer.

 

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

Why so uptight about certain views?

I read the suggestion once that maybe cigarettes have a good feature in our society. They are a sedative. We are challenged these days for having a relaxed and reasoned debate. Why the new complexion in discourse? You might suspect I'll cite the media. Well yes. Tech has brought along a sea change. 

As the cacophony of public voices has gotten wider - by an incredible degree in fact - people have of course wanted to express themselves in a way that gets noticed. It is predictable human nature. I remember back in the caveman painting days of early cable TV news, George Will being struck by the change he saw. "So many angry people. . ." Will noted in a TV interview. 

Will must be getting up in years now. He writes like he wants to remind us of his education. Sentences too long - a trait that was once admired or at least countenanced in the most erudite circles. 

William F. Buckley the great conservative used "big words" and had long sentences too. He had the "Firing Line" TV show. By today's standards Mr. Buckley spoke way too slow. He and George Will were ideological brethren. They were conservatives who were really impossible to defeat in a debate. Well congratulations to them and I really mean that. People who put forward a well-developed body of principle are always to be admired. 

So shall we "follow the leader" and vote for the hard right Republicans all the time? No! So am I presenting a contradiction here? No! Here's a paradox: as much as the "conservatives" plead with us about how their thinking reflects the "real world," well I'd suggest that a different perspective would be offered. Again to quote my old college friend Brad from the Iron Range: people like Buckley "don't care about people." 

And my, this would raise the hackles from the political right. Raising hackles has rather become what the political discourse has devolved to. 

 

To the present 

So now we have the quintessential polemicist in Charlie Kirk not just shouted down - well, you know what happened. The shooting of Mr. Kirk appears to be a teachable moment on how our public discourse has devolved. Maybe I should just say "evolved." We must accept the new reality, adjust to it, cope with it. 

The news story has gone beyond the mere assassination. There are offshoots, one of them being this wave of people being fired or suspended for speaking lightly on the subject. Of course it's difficult to define "speaking lightly." There is some overt celebration of the act. That's pretty "out there" and worthy perhaps of some drastic action. 

I posted the following comment to Yahoo! News a couple days ago:

 

If a substantial number of people feel inclined to make allegedly tasteless comments, then maybe that should be out in the open. We might learn something from it. Kirk was all about stirring up opinions. Well then let's have at it. 

 

Why are we so scared of people's opinions? Taking the assassination lightly doesn't necessarily mean we are dancing on someone's grave. It might mean we have a fear of entrenched political views. Mr. Kirk was totally "out there" making a living and gaining celebrity by dispensing political views that he knew were going to bring resistance. 

William F. Buckley put out a book of some of his collected columns with the title "A Hymnal: the Controversial Arts." Well, a little hubris there, eh? And he knew he was dealing in controversy. Ah, in this age when people cannot tamp down their feelings and emotions with the sedative of cigarettes, maybe we get too excited. Maybe? 

But of course we also must remember when we entered public places like restaurants and bars where we encountered cigarette smoking. Can't we assume that a whole lot of people found that objectionable? But society put its imprimatur on the ubiquitous cigarettes. "Is there any place you don't smoke?" Robert Redford as Bob Woodward said to Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein in "All the President's Men."

 

Kirk, Shapiro et al. 

Charlie Kirk was hardly unique. Ben Shapiro does the same thing. These people continue the tradition established by William F. Buckley. I could still enjoy reading a book by Buckley even though I'd reject his desired political candidates. 

Our understanding of "liberalism" and "conservatism" changes over time. Richard Nixon the conservative? He certainly presented himself as such, guided by a young Roger Ailes. But Nixon established the EPA. Could you imagine today's Republicans having anything to do with that? And Nixon kept the U.S. military involvement in Indochina going for far too long. Today's Republicans reject military adventurism, I guess. But their president approves of gunning down boats from Venezuela and killing people. You know, activities like that could start getting us into trouble. 

I'll confess that I have a place in my heart for William F. Buckley. After completing college without ever having gained a grasp of the conservative ideology, a paperback book by Buckley got me introduced properly. And then I read a second. And for a long time I bought into a lot of that. Then I realized there was more to life than ideological principle. 

The principles are to be respected - make no mistake - but we all toil in the real world. I'm fond of pointing out that "half of the population is below average." We're not all capable of living according to the highest ideals, much as we would wish it was so. The government needs to hold our hand sometimes. 

Sometimes the farmers have to be "paid off" - wink. Well it's true. Republicans used to complain a lot about the Farm Bill. They employed their principles in doing so. But then they noticed they were losing elections. So they decided to "just go along with it." 

 

Colleges on notice 

Charlie Kirk actually continued a pretty long tradition. Colleges are under pressure to book guys like him. There's an element of aggrieved "conservative" students at most college campuses. I'm sure some private colleges are "ruled" by conservatives. 

In Morris we had the "Northstar" publication coming out of UMN-Morris. Astonished as I was by that - its obvious outrageousness - we must learn from such things. What is the wellspring of such things? 

Let people say what they want about the Kirk assassination. What do you have to fear?

 

Below is the editorial cartoon in Newsday that, well, raised eyebrows. Any true journalist would look at the drawing and feel privately impressed. But the newspaper issued an apology. My what a tempest of reaction and counter-reaction. But isn't that what Charlie Kirk was programmed to create? The cartoon  by Chip Bok was in Newsday. He is a Pulitzer finalist illustrator.

Addendum: I always think of the piccolo trumpet when remembering Bill Buckley's TV show. The piccolo trumpet rendered the theme for "Firing Line." 

  

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

Tigers trample two foes in a row

What's with all the one-sided football games? 

When this season began, concern was heard out and around about how Riley Asmus opted not to play in his senior year. He needed to preserve his body. As for all the other MACA athletes, I guess their bodies are expendable. Mr. Asmus is ensuring that he stay in one piece, so as to play college baseball. Good luck to the young man. 

Meanwhile, the other athletes whose bodies are expendable look like they are doing quite fine, flying quite high in fact. Riley who? Just kidding. 

I will never criticize any young man who chooses not to play football. Preserving one's health - body and brain - is always the most laudable aim. Meanwhile we see each home football game coming off as rather a community celebration. Without a doubt an air of festivity at the local facility called Big Cat Field. 

The festivity would obviously make young boys set a goal of wanting to be out there playing someday. Well, hope the Good Lord can be with these boys as they embark on that. Playing to win. Must be the American way. Mr. Asmus saw the risks and made decisions accordingly. Here's a tip of the hat to him. 

The Tigers played their second straight home game on Friday. Midday it appeared the game might be no-go. There's really only one weather factor that can stand in the way of football, and that's lightning. Well we had some nasty lightning and thunder claps during the day. I place tarps around certain sides of the house as a precaution with all the rain. Truly this has been the summer of rain. 

Pep band Friday for the football game was up in the air midday. By the time a decision had to be made, the wisest course was to nix the band. So that was the decision. A friend noted that by game-time, conditions had calmed more than we could have expected. Maybe the band would have been feasible after all. But we went with the recording of the National Anthem. 

Come to think of it, why is the National Anthem necessary before seemingly all sports events? It's like saying the Pledge of Allegiance before a public meeting - just not necessary. It's superficial. Makes us feel good about being American, even though we allow a president to rule who tried engineering an insurrection against this very country. Even though he was found responsible in a legitimate legal proceeding for sexual assault. 

We all need to look in the mirror about this. And now he acts like he wants to take over the Federal Reserve. The Supreme Court does not rein him in, it does quite the opposite. And what if all nine justices were like Clarence Thomas? Or Samuel Alito? And with all this going on we continue to rise from our seats for the National Anthem at high school sports events. What message is this sending to our children? 

The Tigers have won their last two football games. 

Both these wins were blow-outs, not a trace of suspense. Was this really fun for anyone? What's going on with the Montevideo and Sauk Centre programs? Have those schools decided to back off from supporting football so much? Do they see the day coming when society phases out this risky sport? Well I guess I'd applaud if the answer as "yes." Well it's just speculation. 

The Tigers thumped Sauk Centre on Friday 46-7. In the previous week they trampled over Montevideo 54-0. We have a 2-1 record. How could we have lost to anyone? Well we did lose to Minnewaska Area. 

Speaking of Minnewaska, their volleyball team is absolutely super so far this season. Hardly surprising when you consider their GBB team last winter took fourth in state. 

Let me state for the record on this Saturday morning that my preference for writing would be to report details from the Morris Area Chokio Alberta football win. In a past time I could do this. I enjoyed it. But this morning I cannot find any details in other media. So it's not like past times. 

The Stevens County Times is not fired-up enough to report on a timely basis. They make money selling their newspaper so I wish they'd be more committed. It is not cheap to buy at Willie's. It only comes out once a week. It was twice a week when I worked there. When our volleyball team does well on a Tuesday night, as has happened this season, we have to wait a full week to appreciate details in the print Morris newspaper. An abomination. 

And I'm sure a certain former Morris school administrator would agree with me on that. That fellow was mighty feisty. I would suggest he had a pretty serious anger management problem, but he sure believed in timely sports reporting. If I can't do it, then I'll sit down on Saturday morning as I'm doing now and write on extraneous angles like politics. This is the best I can do. 

I have not been able to write on MACA volleyball this season. Meanwhile I have opportunities to write about Minnewaska Area volleyball. So that's a pleasure. Below is the link for my current "Morris of Course" post which features the high-flying Lakers. Congrats to them. My father was a 1934 graduate of Glenwood High School.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/09/minnewaska-volleyball-powers-to-6-0.html 

 

The U strike

From a Friday email to me:

I heard that there were some folks (just a few) with picket signs out there, and many people crossed the picket line to work, so no sympathy. 

(end of quoted material) 

 

I can argue that unions are outdated fundamentally. What happened in Austin MN to quiet all that down? The situation there was once on the verge of a violent war. A musical was even composed based on the sad conflict. You see, where unions are concerned there is no middle ground. 

I defer to ownership and management which I think has the natural right to set terms for employment. We can use legislation to protect the basic rights of workers. But unions foment too much unrelenting conflict. Scars can last a lifetime. 

And regarding the University of Minnesota, you can argue that the unions are outdated for this reason: the union model is built on the assumption that the U gets all its funding from the state. It's the union vs. the state as represented by administration. But as time goes on, the U relies increasingly on private sources of funding. A mini example is yours truly. 

And givers like us have our blood boil when we see the nasty and disrespectful posture of unions when they decide to walk off the job. Many of us will curtail our giving and find more worthy recipients, recipients who act like they feel inspired by their mission, are happy about it. Unions are the epitome of the sullen and confrontational stance and I say "a pox on them." 

Can I repair my attitude about the U now? I doubt it. The strike is the last thing our Morris campus needs. We are truly on the ropes with our very existence, as underscored by the recent Star Tribune expose. It's all we can do to make the college experience worthwhile for our treasured students. They deserve no inconveniences as the result of a strike. 

I had the pleasure of making friends with a couple Native American students from Alaska recently. I met up with them while out for one of my walks which includes Prairie Lane. My first thought upon hearing about the strike was about the welfare of these two. Would their UMN-Morris experience be as uplifting as what they deserved? 

One of these two students was talkative and I really enjoyed getting to know her. Hope I can encounter her again sometime. She told me she's an "art therapy" major and she hopes to use this to benefit her tribe. 

Based on the bitterness caused by the strike, I'm wondering if I should just stay away from campus for Homecoming. Normally I go to dining hall for the public brunch. But there I'd be dealing with the sullen people who opted for the strike. Can I trust them to serve me food? I have gone on record about the strike. 

The State of Minnesota needs to take charge with these systems. Strikes are archaic, anachronistic, set a poor example for our youth.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly 73@yahoo.com 

The U of M strike isolates me more

What interesting times: just a couple weeks after the state's flagship newspaper ran a damning article regarding our University of MN branch here, now we learn that the employees on campus are not even happy. They have gone on strike. There is nothing that would cause me to hurl invective and profanities better than word of a strike. 

The KARE-TV report on YouTube this morning started out with a photo of people on strike at the Morris campus. Morris has sure been a newsmaker of late. The Strib article came at us with the giant headline that included the word "nosedive" in describing our enrollment. I imagine that UMM's leaders will say they can fix things. But then we have to ask: how did we get to this low point? 

Regarding the strike now, nothing makes my blood boil faster than to see an employee in an interview saying "we didn't want to strike." Oh, so they "had to." 

We used to hear public school teacher unions proclaiming this too. I think the state has tamped down the power of public school (K-12) teacher unions. We don't hear about them making strike threats now. If it happens it's subdued. In the early 1980s it seemed every teachers union in the state was either going on strike or threatening to do so. 

In Morris I took a photo of two teachers posing with picket signs they were planning to show/brandish. The strike was avoided here. But the power of our teachers union still became a problem. By the end of the '80s there was a schism in the community that was highly uncomfortable. I shook my head because there was a segment on the teaching staff that did not recognize valid issues that much of the public wanted to see addressed. 

Of course public school systems are always going through transitions. Often when a school administrator has to leave under duress, it's because that person was not adapting. I have seen this vividly. 

I made a pledge a long time ago to my main contact person at UMN-Morris: "If we ever have a strike with picketers again at UMM, I'll never contribute another nickel to the U." 

For a very long time I thought the strike possibility abated. It was like a bad dream to remember the previous one. So, these union members say "we don't want to strike but we have to." Oh, those mean and vindictive U administrators, forcing their help to live a life with such adversity. 

I think most Morris residents feel the UMM jobs are pretty nice. But the UMM workers say they "have to" strike. Well, I hope and pray that they fail. 

I hope picketers aren't out by my daily walking route which skirts the north end of campus and then proceeds along Prairie Lane. And BTW wouldn't there be room for a nice new city park out there? Far enough away from residential neighborhoods? Might be the best place for a public stage. 

I would be so revulsed by the sight of a gang of picketers. How would this action affect the day-to-day operations of UMM? If it does not, then we are wasting money paying these people at all. Let them disperse to look for jobs in the private sector. See how their benefits would stack up. 

If I walk past the picketers, they might want to say something to me, give me their propaganda. Most passers-by would smile and pretend to be sympathetic, right? Unions have power. In fact I would argue that unions are all about power - that's all there is. They'll take what they can get, turn the screws whatever way they can. 

Why am I writing so much here? All I have to say is a royal "f--k you" to all those people.

 

Double whammy

At the same time my relationship with UMM is severed, well can you believe this? I've had to cancel my church membership too. I just did that last week. First Lutheran Church is no longer a place where you can go for a simple Sunday service. The building is "dark" every other Sunday, idle. 

We didn't even have real high standards at the end. All I wanted was for FLC to survive, maybe with the hope of getting vitality back somehow. 

All of a sudden the FLC members were told they'd have to attend the local Methodist/UCC church every other Sunday. Every other Sunday! First the arrangement was just for summer. Then the hammer came down: it would continue for another nine months! And then what? Nine months would take us to next summer. Why didn't they just say 12 months?

God's home is in full retreat. I don't even know that much about the Methodists. I know the Methodists have been fractured by gay rights. And the UCC? Someone told me they are even more liberal than the ELCA. I checked online and confirmed that.

 

Health care

At the same time I'm floating along with a life preserver that barely keeps me above water, I had to cancel my recommended colonoscopy at SCMC because I could not arrange for a ride home. They do not allow you to use Morris Transit. I told a nurse that maybe a sheriff's deputy could give me a lift. It might even be good for both me and the deputy to have a pleasant encounter, after some of the other encounters I've had. 

The nurse didn't really respond to my suggestion. I suppose my idea would be just another form of "public transportation." Well, let me tell you, when I left the hospital about three years ago after my life-saving surgery administered by Dr. Sam - what a saint - I was in far worse shape then I would be after a colonoscopy. I drove home by myself. In fact it was at night. 

I have actually had two colonoscopies earlier in my life and had no problems or issues. As the years go on, the walls close in, in terms of just not having any friends or family anymore. And now that I've quit my church, I cannot look to that. So I did not have the medical procedure done. 

What a pile of adversity that has come along. 

For a long time my association with the U of M was a way to feel I still had a purpose. The rug has been pulled out. In the morning I have breakfast at the counter of DeToy's Restaurant. Looks like that's the last bastion for me having any kind of connection to anything. I had a caramel roll and oatmeal this morning. God bless Karrie who works there. She takes care of me.

Here's the KARE-11 image of the striking employees at Morris. The image was posted this morning (Tuesday). The image comes soon after the damning article on UMN-Morris in the Star Tribune. Shall we offer the word "chutzpah?" Here's what I'd say to the employees: be dedicated doing your work and we'll let you keep your jobs. The "hook" may come for UMM itself.

   

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

Seeking better MACA sports coverage

It is Sunday morning as we are enjoying the afterglow of the big MACA football win. It is clear now that the Tigers are a solid team even without Riley Asmus in the ranks. 

How is the news media doing with MACA Tiger sports? Let's take a look at the kmrs-kkok site. Brett Miller used to have sports articles posted there. He left the station. So I see this morning the heading "football results: Friday, September 5." And yes, that is all we get in the coverage - the "results." kmrs-kkok seems to think this is quite sufficient now. 

The site tells us the Tigers beat Montevideo 48-0. Obviously many highlights from the MACA side of things. But all we get is the score and then mention of the Tigers' next game: "next week Tigers host Sauk Centre." Another chance for me to get a burger basket if the gate opens in time. I know I could just pay my way in! 

Under the MACA score we see scores of other games. So, scores is all and then at the bottom the signature "DeeDee." Brett Miller is gone but it appears we'll always have DeeDee. 

On Saturday morning I checked the West Central Tribune website and at first it looked as though they had standard thorough coverage of the game by their standards. I undertook writing a blog post. Then, I had to conclude it was the Montevideo coach who called in the info, even though the game was in Morris. The MACA info was spotty, incomplete. 

What a disappointment. Who won this game anyway? Do I need to keep reminding you that the West Central Tribune dropped Morris from its official coverage territory several years ago? This situation is aggravated by the fact that we so often play opponents that are in the territory. So the game results appear on the WC Trib website. However, very often we see "stats not available" for MACA. 

This gives the impression that MACA coaches were negligent in calling in the info. But I think the WC Trib simply does not solicit it. I have a theory that if a Morris coach were to call in, the paper wouldn't simply hang up. But that's just a theory. I have to go on "theories" a lot these days. When I was with the Morris newspaper, I was in a position to know a lot more. 

I did my best to write about the win over Montevideo based on available info. Below is the link and thanks for checking it out. The post is on my companion blog "Morris of Course." God bless. And I'll thank God if I can get a burger basket in the future.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/09/tigers-stuff-montevideo-offense-here.html 

  

Shall I even check the Stevens County Times website? What a fool's errand that would be. There is so much potential there for adding to the enjoyment of Tiger sports. My newspaper friend Randy Olson of "Bonanza Valley" believes very much in having timely and lively coverage of high school sports online. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to appreciate this, I don't think. But we live in Morris. 

  

Consider volleyball 

Where can we find timely and thorough info on our MACA volleyball team? Tuesday's print paper doesn't count because this doesn't come out until a full week after a Tuesday match. Forget it. The Tigers opened the season with a big 3-2 win over Melrose on a Tuesday night. My neighbor Addie Cihak is on the team. I also know Morgan Harstad. I'd like to be able to follow them better. 

Can't certain people in this community get off the shnide? Well no, a pretty sleepy place like "Hickory" in the movie. 

I for one am fired up to write about things like this. There are still a substantial number of people around this community who would not want to give me credit for anything. They won't pick up the phone to complain to the West Central Tribune but they will expend energy criticizing me. Much of this is based on old community politics. It will live forever. Our town became extremely divided back in about 1988. Neighbor vs. neighbor. 

I will close here by extending kudos in a big way to our tennis coach. Looks like she's emailing match reviews to the radio station which then pastes them onto the site. Fantastic. She too lives in my neighborhood of Northridge Drive. We have out act together up here, down the road from the soils lab. My final sentence will be to tell the West Central Tribune sports editor to go sit under a cow.

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