What's with the "fog" outside?

(image from Flickr)

Looks like fog outside but not sure how this can be. Isn't it too cold? Well my meteorological grasp is limited. We are certainly in the depths of winter. 
I have experienced Minnesota winter all my life. Ought to be very few surprises. And of course I have experienced countless Christmases. And New Year's. Ought to be few surprises. My spirits really got dragged down during this past holiday season. Or maybe I could use a trendy word, say "iteration of a holiday season." 
Funny how such formerly obscure words can pop up in our writing and speaking. Like "kerfuffle." It's been tucked away in the dictionary for a long time. 
Christmas is for young families with children. I'm an old person with no family. Should not feel surprised by the adjustment one must make for the holidays. Younger people should know that older people like their routines. It does not mean that we "acquiesce to boredom." We don't look at it that way. And don't feel sorry for us, we can be quite content. 
 
Effect of holidays
I woke up this morning having to think twice about what day of the week it is. You see, we're coming off the New Year's holiday. A week earlier it was Christmas. First it's Christmas Eve Day, then Christmas itself. 
A "meme" is growing that money spent on Christmas gifts is largely wasted. People get gifts that they do not need or want. I found it depressing to tune in to the radio on the day after Christmas and listen to guidance on how to make all your "returns" at the stores. Do we really need to go through this?  
(I have now used two more words that were formerly obscure: "acquiesce" and "meme.")
 

Vibes from Fargo radio
I listen to Fargo radio - you have WDAY for the Republicans/conservatives and KFGO for those people who are striving to "hang in there" on the other side. So we listen to Joel Heitkamp. I actually find it more instructive to listen to Jay Thomas on WDAY because I always want to know what conservatives are thinking. 
And make no mistake: in philosophical terms conservatives have a lot to offer. The problem now is that they have become so wild-eyed, somewhat maniacal really. Maybe that's because their political views are tied so much to their churchgoing. 
Middle ground is not an option for them. They are so determined to "take down" our governor Tim Walz - because he ran on the ticket opposing their God and hero - they are now willing to risk the loss of considerable Federal benefits for our state. 
Real people are going to be impacted negatively by this. Just like real people are going to be hurt because of the cuts to ACA health insurance. My critics would say I should use the term "Obamacare." They would like how that would stigmatize me as a political partisan. Like my critics are not themselves boldly stigmatized. 
I typically wake up in middle of night, throw on a sweater and sweatpants, maybe open laptop or listen to radio for an hour or two.  Radio set for Fargo. And so last night there's this "Red Eye" program on the conservative WDAY that was a caricature of the standard conservative programming you'll find in the electronic media. Funny how the electronic media has become such a fortress for the flat-Earth folks. 
And so the "Red Eye" host went to town lionizing people with the "R" next to their name. On this night it was J.D. Vance in particular getting his raves. And then going into a commercial break the host said he'd return with an assessment of some Democrats who he characterized as being mediocre. You know the descriptive words, the patronizing. 
So many people must eat this stuff up. They must tune in day after day. We have conservatives from heaven-knows-where infiltrating Minnesota to try to take down Gov. Walz with every imaginable brickbat. And certainly it should concern Minnesotans that the "collateral" damage here is the many innocent people who would have benefited from programs that get Federal money. 
Oh we're not alone. Just in the last few days, Colorado and Florida have borne the brunt too. Colorado and Florida have had the rug pulled out from under them because of petty political issues. Colorado allows mail-in voting. It also refuses to let Tina Peters out of prison, even though the president issued a nominal "pardon" of her. In Florida I guess the issue is an Indian tribe - Osceola? - that had the nerve to complain about the president's immigration crackdown. The Natives voiced disapproval of the "Alligator Alcatraz." 
Obviously there are aspects of 1930s Germany entering our lives in America more each day. And we are like the "boiling frog" in terms of our awareness. Me? There is nothing I can do about it. Colorado and Florida are now hurt by the petty political stuff. But you will not hear the "Red Eye" radio host speak on it. There's a good chance the host knows better in his own mind. But he knows he gets his "ratings" from being able to reach all the flat-Earth folks. 
In Minnesota we are definitely going to feel the sting of losing Federal $ for certain programs. I really thought the Republicans would "blink" before they would allow so many people to lose their ACA subsidies. People will forgo medical care. 
Maybe the Republicans would want to echo Ebenezer Scrooge when he talked about "decreasing the surplus population." Remember that from the Dickens book? Should we really think in terms of the "surplus population" being superfluous as it were? Easier to let them die? Well, when Iowa's Joni Ernst was warned about people dying because of the end of ACA subsidies, her now-famous response was "well, we all die." 
Yes and we can reduce the world's surplus population. Meanwhile we see reports that Elon Musk is close to becoming the world's first "trillionaire." Do you know how much a trillion is? 
Incidentally, the real point of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is not that people should wake up with a friendlier attitude toward others. No, the main point was about financial redistribution! The people who have a lot can give up some for the betterment of others. 
Now you can call me a "lefty" or a "Trump hater" or you can say I have "TDS." The conservatives are going to thump their chest, I'm sure, over revealing some alleged "fraud" even though these discoveries should be made through a proper investigation by duly constituted authorities. Fraud is a crime. There could be convictions. 
No, I guess "suspicions" and emotions are enough in our current climate. And many Minnesotans are now set to be badly impacted. 
I wouldn't rule out DJT using Federal military assets to go out to Colorado and get Tina Peters out of prison. So many local churchgoers are just going to keep cheering him. I can only observe.
 
BTW: 
Why does fog happen in winter?

Warm, moist air flows into a cooler area. Since cold air can hold less water vapor than warm air, the water vapor condenses and forms fog.

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