Plugging away with online journalism

I have taken a break from my blog writing. I have long hesitated to use the "blog" term because in the early days of the Internet, people who did this could get negatively stereotyped. A blog is simply an online platform for writing. I know of people around Morris who would love to latch onto a negative stereotype (or two) of me. Some things never change. 

I had PTSD when I left the Morris newspaper. That's why it was nearly four years before I resumed writing. And though my local critics would demur, I have done a lot of exciting stuff. The highlight is what I have been able to share about Morris athletics. The opportunities for doing that have fallen off, unfortunately. 

I depend on other media for the raw info I use. We have seen substantial reductions in that. The West Central Tribune? It was once a staple for staying familiar with our Morris athletes and following how the teams are doing. Back when they had a print edition for five or six days a week, I'd go to library with spiral notebook and write first drafts of blog posts. 

All my writing is original of course, in some cases so original you wouldn't be able to guess about my source material. You might say I can "go afield" in my opening paragraphs. If you're familiar with my writing, you know I might start out talking about the weather! 

You can never rule out finding some political references in my writing. Why do I do that? It really is a fool's errand to write about politics because minds cannot be changed here. We're a solidly "red" area. Our churches buttress that. People react to me by saying I'm a "Trump hater" or that I have "Trump derangement syndrome." The argument basically ends there. 

I was introduced to someone at Oyate during UMM Homecoming one year. This individual said she thought she had come across my blogs. "Let's see, sports and politics, right?" 

Right! 

The print version of the West Central Tribune has been cut back so far, we can disregard it. And to make matters much worse, MACA sports was removed from their coverage territory several years ago. It is very rare to see detailed MACA sports info on their website now. 

Nearly always for MACA volleyball, we see "stats not available" for the Tigers. It didn't used to be like this. By now I should have written up 3-4 matches for the Tigers. And the Tigers have gotten off to such a great start. They got their first loss last night (Thursday) vs. Sauk Centre. 

I know two members of the team and these girls have height! We're talking Morgan Harstad and Addie Cihak. Addie is in fact my next-door neighbor up on beautiful Northridge Drive. 

I have tried prodding the Morris newspaper to get timely coverage of the Tigers on their website. The paper's print edition comes out once a week on Tuesday. When the volleyball Tigers win on Tuesday, we have to wait a whole week to see coverage in the paper - totally unacceptable. Football plays on Friday and we have to wait until Tuesday. When you consider the possibilities of the Internet, why do we put up with this? 

The paper wants everyone to buy the Tuesday edition. We don't need to share that priority. The paper is a private profit-making business. And for all the moaning I hear coming out of the newspaper business, I'll bet their profits are still pretty decent. Why are they still publishing? 

Adding a newspaper to your grocery bill is going to start hurting now. Inflation is headed forward again. Tariffs are a consumption tax on the American people. Do you realize that? Republicans like this idea because it takes some of the pressure off income taxes. The tariff tax is regressive. Republicans like the idea of a national sales tax. Maybe 30 percent? To maybe eliminate the income tax? 

Well let me tell you, the sales tax is another regressive tax. "Regressive" means it hits the ordinary rank-and-file Americans especially hard. 

Your property taxes are another notorious regressive tax. Why aren't people more concerned about this? It's because you have been tricked by the Republicans who come at you with emotional arguments on the cultural issues. And by golly that works. Look at the exodus from some of the more reasonable Christian denominations to the extreme conservative ones. Man, we have really seen this in Stevens County. 

First Lutheran Church of the ELCA in Morris can be pronounced "dead" now. That's not hyperbole. All the momentum for that got going with gay rights. Other issues got thrown in. How the mighty have fallen! First Lutheran was once a bastion of mainstream values in Morris, if anything conservative. Gone with the wind now. 

FLC is now paired up with Federated, another church on the decline. I don't understand this. Maybe if I researched the Methodist faith I'd find it acceptable, but I cannot accept being forced to go to a Methodist-affiliated church every other week. I am (or was) offended. I quit FLC on Thursday. 

Federated is also affiliated with the United Church of Christ, which is more "liberal" than the notorious ELCA. 

 

Re-thinking about the gays

I'm ready to back off gay rights some. Maybe I misunderstood it. Maybe the gays really do want "privileges" rather than basic acceptance. And if you hire a gay minister, he won't be able to shut up about gay rights. Enough! Maybe I'll fall back into the anti-gay circle. Was the late Allen Anderson correct? Forget the gay pride "flag." 

I was willing to go along with "legitimate rights" for gay people. Now I'm developing skepticism. If you try telling people that heterosexuals deserve some deference because they form families for procreation, the gays will respond "gay couples can adopt children." I'm just ready to withdraw from all such discussions. 

Back on sports: We have a radio station website that really only gives us "scores" of games, as if that's all we're interested in. An exception is the non-spectator sport of tennis where our coach supplies match reviews that are pasted onto the radio station site. Chalk one up for her (another neighbor of mine). 

The newspaper must get complaints about the neglect of its website. I wonder how they respond to people. Well, our first home football game is tonight (Friday). Looks like a challenging season for the Tigers. We are without Riley Asmus.

Sometimes I can get through the gate at Big Cat in time to get a burger basket. Sometimes I cannot. 

Did I ever get my name in the paper for giving $2000 to the MAHS band program? Funds were used for the New Orleans trip. It's nice to shake off my anonymity sometimes. 

When I walked out the back door of the newspaper for the last time in 2006, it was so abrupt. One minute I'm fully attuned to my work, the next minute it's gone forever. It was that extreme. It still hurts.

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