Supreme Court strategy recalls 1978 in MN?

The current question of the Supreme Court nominee vis-a-vis the Republican Party brings to mind the late Wendell Anderson? "Wendy?" The cover boy for Time Magazine: "The good life in Minnesota?" I am to an age where it gets easier to cite historical examples or precedent. 

So when I see the current Republicans' stance on the Supreme Court nominee, with such bullheaded determination, I can think back to Minnesota in the 1970s. Heaven help us if we use the '70s too much in supplying guidance. But guidance is available in the sense of appreciating how hubris can bring politicians down. 

This isn't to say there is any guaranteed outcome at present. The Republicans in their present iteration, as a total reflection of the one person Donald Trump, could come out of this intact and further empowered. I grimace about this but I'm just one person. 

I am asking Republicans to look at precedent and how it hurt the Democratic Party. There, did that get your attention? You mean, there was a time when Democrats could get away with some hubris? There was a time they had sufficient power to do that? Oh yes. Like I said, I'm to an age where I can cite some things. I could also cite disco music and inflation from the '70s but those are topics for another time. 

Wendell Anderson

I'm thinking of Wendell Anderson when he was a golden boy in Minnesota politics. My, did he ever have the wind in his sails for a long time. I never liked "Wendy" as a variant because it's a girl's name. It's fine for a girl. Wendell was a real male macho hockey-playing nut. He was our first media age governor with an image that contradicted the norm of stuffiness. 

So thoroughly did Anderson have the wind in his sails, propelled by the "Minnesota Miracle"  legislation of 1971, he thought he could put aside some of the normal rules. So he arranged to have himself appointed to the U.S. Senate. It was clear he had wanted to vault to the national stage. So he did this minus the inconvenience of trying to garner votes. He thought the plurality of support would just be there. And maybe it would have been, had he gone through the chore or inconvenience of trying to attract votes. 

He resigned as governor in late 1976 and orchestrated his appointment to the U.S. Senate by a fellow Democrat, Rudy Perpich. All this came about because of Walter Mondale's election as vice president with Jimmy Carter. Like I said, the '70s were different. 

Anderson would come up for election in 1978. Here's the deal: our state's news media grossly underestimated the public's disapproval of how Anderson rigged his move to the Senate. I remember the campaign. Anderson's hubris appeared to be compounded by how he missed Senate votes often. He got forced onto the defense by his foe, the plywood peddler Rudy Boschwitz. (Dave Holman of Morris had fun with the name by saying "Boss-wich.") 

I recall "plywood peddler" as a term from the Star Tribune which brought some criticism as being dismissive. The Star Tribune in the '70s had real "liberal bias," as opposed to how conservatives chase shadows with the accusation today. I have often used the term "paternalistic liberalism" as the type of left-of-center thinking that chafes on me. I am no conservative today. 

Well, the Star Tribune in '78 ran a condescending editorial professing criticism of Anderson for the obvious reasons - the hubris and questionable judgment - while at the same time breezily seeming to assume he'd win. I repeat again: Democrats in Minnesota felt their oats in the 1970s. "We'll continue disagreeing with him in the future," the Strib said in sort of a token-sounding way with an implicit assumption that the hockey player would still be a U.S. senator in position to be criticized. 

He eventually died of Alzheimer's Disease in 2016 at age 83. Considering his ambitious hockey background, maybe he had head injuries as a contributing factor. Just speculation but hardly off-base. "Wendy" played defense for the U of M in the early '50s and was on the U.S. hockey team that won the silver in the '56 Olympics. The Minnesota Fighting Saints drafted him as a publicity stunt in 1972. 

Perpich was Anderson's lieutenant governor. There was a monumental "wink" between the two as Anderson would resign as governor and then Perpich, as the new governor would appoint Anderson to the Senate. And so, the media may have had furrowed brow over this, but it did not have its ear fully to the ground. 

The outcome in 1978? I remember I was hunting with Dad in the Brainerd area when it happened. Over the crackling radio airwaves I heard of the "Minnesota Massacre." Wow! 

The populace was unhinged. Anderson and fellow DFLer Bob Short lost for the U.S. Senate. If the media had underestimated the effect of Anderson and Perpich's machinations, they definitely stared it in the face afterward. I still remember the political cartoons, like one that showed Dave Durenberger posing in front of his mantle that had a mounted head of Short in a frame - Durenberger had a look like the classic dashing big game hunter. I laughed out loud. 

The laugh was on the Star Tribune which as I recall had an extremely wayward public opinion poll going in. It didn't see the Republican onslaught that was on the way. At the time I didn't really mind the onslaught because the Democrats had gotten too contented with power, an evil whenever it happens with either party. 

And today in 2020 my concern is with the Republicans in the cult of Trump. They rule so much in the Dakotas there's questionable accountability. The South Dakota attorney general may even pull off his traffic disaster that took a life. There's a political machine that will envelop him with deference, unless I end up surprised. Of course, you never really know about politics. 

So I look at how the national Republicans are ramming through Amy Coney Barrett now, contradicting the logic they gave us when Obama was president. And I wonder: Is this type of hubris and dishonesty exactly like what happened in '78 when the populace tossed out the Democrats in Minnesota? Is there a line that neither party dares cross when it comes to this sort of thing? And does the media often miss the boat in recognizing such waves? Remember the media's shock at Jesse Ventura being elected our governor? 

Past may not always be prologue. But the Republicans of today, the Trump cult, should take a look at the 1978 story from here. People really do know unfairness when they see it. Merrick Garland got no hearings. And Amy Coney-Barrett is going to be rammed through, it looks like. 

Better start whistling, Republicans: whistle past the graveyard. Anderson faded from public view awfully fast. Eventually he "parachuted" onto the University of Minnesota board of regents, which has been a convenient place for such things. Ask Dean Johnson.

 

Addendum: I remember that after the 1978 election, Wendell Anderson said in a TV interview that he "hoped to still have a social conscience." That was so 1970s. Talk about "social conscience" today and you're branded a "lib" and run out of town. 

 

Addendum #2: An anecdote pops into my head re. Boschwitz: I was with the Morris paper and photographed the two Boschwitz sons campaigning for their father in downtown Morris. This was post-1978. I remember interviewing them at the restaurant that I think was called Kelly's at the time. Everything turned out fine, but very soon after, Rudy admitted that sending his family around like this was sort of a cynical ploy to show them "mainstreeting," to pull strings with the (starstruck) local newspaper people. Well, like yours truly! But seriously, I remember being with the Boschwitz boys and let me say they seemed happy to spend a few minutes with me, did not seem manipulative! I photographed them on Oregon Avenue with Bob Stevenson and Darrell Dyer. I almost forgot Darrell's name for the purpose of typing this - then it popped back into my head! Eureka. I interviewed Durenberger once at the old Sunwood Inn. But my highlight of the Sunwood Inn memories was shaking hands with Bud Grant!

 

My podcast for Sept. 29

Let's look at news-talk radio in this election year - that's what I do for my "Morris Mojo" podcast for today, Tuesday. I'm also delighted to share some memories of old-time radio from Ruth Domingo, who wrote a chapter for the heralded Stevens County Historical Society book "A Hard Day's Work." Please listen:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/The-state-of-radio-today-ekbp2j

 

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

Are you old enough to remember this? (mpr image)

 

Informal music at park: a fall treat

Yesterday (Thursday) was truly like summer. It was a pleasure once again to visit East Side Park in the early evening for the (limited) UMM choir rehearsal. We get to appreciate their warm-ups. I say "we" but I was the only person there to observe until toward the end, when Simon Tillier pulled in on his trusty bicycle with the thin tires.

These practices are the closest we can come to music "concerts" right now. Could the restrictions ease up? It might not be wise but look at what is happening with sports. Word is, football and volleyball are being jump-started. It's hard for me to get all the info. I have not seen the Morris paper since late March. Normally I see it at the library, the senior center or at church. Those options have been no-go. 

A friend might chide me: "Buy it." I attempted to purchase a subscription at the time I left the newspaper staff, really truly, but was told I'd receive issues complimentary. Based on my years of service of course. So this was set up for a couple years and then I was unceremoniously cut off. At the same time as Ed Morrison, I was told by his son Jim, and you can't be in better company than that. 

Ed has left us. Helen Jane is in advanced years and reportedly doing fine - a real blessing - and her biggest issue might be eyesight. Well, I told the clan that's small potatoes. My own eyesight has become challenged, and I actually think I got a little coaching to get through my eye test at the DMV. You know, I think the DMV standard might be too demanding - due to pressure from the state's optometry industry? Heh heh. 

I swear my eyesight is perfect for driving - it would certainly be better, by a country mile, over the South Dakota attorney general. And, why is he allowed to continue working? You no doubt have heard what happened. "We don't know all the facts?" Well to be sure, the facts that we do already know make the fellow look just awful. He is the only witness, as the victim is dead. Considering how the passenger side of the windshield got smashed in - we can view the photo - I almost have to wonder if poor Mr. Boever actually ended up in the car partway. 

What kind of dastardly thing might a person do, to try to escape culpability? Had the body been immediately discovered by law enforcement, there probably would have been several emergency or law enforcement vehicles converging on the site with lights flashing all over the place, with Attorney General Ravnsborg still there, and the mere visual of this might have done him in. A person with his mind would know this. 

Dastardly things? Isn't it terrible to even think of this? Well, I think legal and law enforcement professionals would readily acknowledge that any human being has the capacity for doing something dastardly. We all know that a Republican "machine" has pretty tight control of South Dakota politics.

A friend of mine refers to the South Dakota governor as "good-looking." I'll quote him but certainly I would make no such assertion. In addition to embracing gay rights - a blessing - our society has gone through a rapid change in turning thumbs-down on objectification of women. I guess that's a blessing too. Men my age must be cut some slack for adjusting, please. 

The South Dakota governor is Kristi Noem. She made a statement yesterday about why Ravnsborg is allowed to continue working as AG. I wanted to read the Argus Leader article about this but there's one of those paywalls. Why would I want to pay for online access to the Argus Leader from way out in South Dakota when I'm only interested in one subject? What else could any of us be interested in from that windswept, boring state? We had a governor in Minnesota, Rudy Perpich, who gained attention for saying South Dakota was "50th in everything," remember? The guy fighting back on that was Bill Janklow, South Dakota governor. Well, Janklow gained infamy for an incident exactly like what Ravnsborg is in the midst of. 

Mr. Ravnsborg, come forward and say you did something terrible and appeal for understanding and forgiveness. It is the only way your conscience can be cleansed. You may have to pay a price but after that, you can move on, really. 

  

A little normality

So we are readying for resumption of fairly normal fall football and volleyball, right? That's the word out there. Tiger football on Monday? That's the day announced in a Minnpost article. In front of fans? A limited number of fans? So some people might be turned away? Masks for all (except players on the field)? Not sure of all the details but I'm perplexed by one thing: the facts about the virus are not different from before, perhaps even worse, and yet there's a reversal on high school fall sports? 

And I suppose this paves the way for full winter basketball etc. in front of gym-fulls of people who would have a hard time surviving the winter if they did not have this opiate. But if the virus starts going on a rampage? As well might be the case? Well, perhaps society has slowly slid into a resigned sort of conclusion that it's mostly old people dying from the virus, and since these people have pretty much experienced the most of what life has to offer (?), they are expendable? 

And so, we must allow all the cute and vibrant young families to have their usual fun with stuff like high school sports, because absolutely nothing should stand in the way of high school sports? Well, what about music?

  

Addendum: Did you know some states have dropped the parallel parking part of the driver's license tests? That's because so many people were failing it and having to come back for a re-take. They found the right solution. 

 

My podcast for a nice Friday

I continue with thoughts on the new city water, not a happy story, for my September 25 entry on "Morris Mojo." You may click on permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/New-city-water--part-II-ek5pjp

 

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

New city water downgraded to 7-10 grains

There are new developments with the City of Morris water situation. You ought to pay close attention to this. I regret having to write again on the subject. This I did not expect. I now learn that the state has required an adjustment in the "new" city water to where it actually isn't as good as at first. Yes, sounds extremely weird. The expert with whom I consulted on the subject kind of "got into the weeds" with the explanation, but there is an explanation. 

At first the city was proud to say the new water was at five grains of hardness. My source this morning actually said the initial rating was 2-5 grains, this being even better of course. The lower numbers mean less hard. So why the monkeying around with the quality? City residents have been given supposed information to go on. This leads to important decisions with your home, like whether you need a softener at all. 

I tried getting answers by going right to City of Morris people: the manager, the mayor and a councilman. That was back when the understanding was that five grains was the new rating. It wasn't even clear to me this was good enough. A check of background info on the web revealed that five grains is "moderately hard." Sounds less than ideal. 

I was intimidated into getting a new softener by the notorious new "law" the city council passed. Passing a law means you're pretty serious. People my age learned we had to take the seat belt requirement seriously - no excuses. 

One interpretation was that the front page newspaper article made the law seem more heavy-handed than it was intended to be. 

Let's get down to brass tacks here: this morning I learned that the state has called for an adjustment in how our city water treatment plant is working. I didn't hear this directly from a city person but from someone with proper professional credentials. No, the new city water is not 2-5 grains, or five grains even, but now it is set at 7-10 grains. This is bizarre. There could be serious consequences for people all over town, like those people who just decided to go softener-less. We have been so jerked around on this. Why? Couldn't the city have backed off from passing a law until we could get things sorted out a little? 

Eco Water told me that at the time I contacted them, my residence had "perfect water." So the idea should be to keep it that way, the Eco Water person told me. Sounds wise. Prior to calling them I wasn't sure if our old Kinetico was adjustable. It seemed not to be, but I'm no pro on this. Eco Water said a new softener was called for, and I'm not going to dispute this. And now that we learn the new city water has been downgraded to 7-10 grains of hardness, I would say I simply must have a functioning softener. 

I'll have to call Eco Water again for a service visit. It appears there are questions about my new softener - salt too coarse? I don't know. For a while, I didn't care that much because I figured the new city water was good enough anyway. I could in effect shrug, but I'd regret having spent money on the new softener. I was in fact regretting that greatly. Now I feel much better in the sense that I see the need for a softener. Now I just have to make sure my new device is working. The level of salt appears not to have moved since installation in December. 

I'd like to recommend Eco Water. If my current issues work out I'll do that. Of course, what damage might have been done, if I have not had treated water for ten months? Well, like I said, if the new city water was as good as city spokespeople said it was, I wasn't going to worry. Now I'm worried. 

How bad is water at 7-10 grains of hardness? Well it's pretty concerning. I should be profoundly upset. Here's what the web reveals about water at 7-11: "Hard water is packed with minerals at 7-11 gpg, and you likely deal with crusty faucets and pipes and possibly rings on your porcelain from excess iron." 

Prior to the page 1 Stevens County Times article on the "law," I never thought about my softener, other than to add salt when needed. And, I had "perfect" water. What could be better? Who wouldn't be extremely bitter now? This whole thing erupted in my face in early December and it affected my personal celebration of Christmas. Is there lawsuit potential here? A class-action lawsuit among City of Morris residents? Doesn't sound far-fetched to me at all. 

Kevin Wohlers (kmrs-kkok)

Kevin Wohlers was glib with me back on December 9, breezily telling me the new water seemed fundamentally fine: "Hey Brian, what we're telling people is that the city is providing soft water. It is softened to five grams [he meant grains] of hardness." Kevin invited me to express views at an upcoming City Council meeting. Why the f--k would I want to take the time and trouble to do that? Water? I had a perfect situation before, and now the city is f--king with me. And the five grains thing didn't even hold up? It's modified now, due to the state's intervention, to the extent that our decisions might have been different. 

The gist of the "downgrading" appears to be this: water that is too good or too pure causes problems if going through lead pipes. I guess lessons were gained from the Flint MI situation. I was told this morning I have copper pipes.

The city manager: Back in December he appeared to be clashing with at least one local water treatment company. The company had advised me not to go with the new city water minus any additional treatment. Blaine Hill directly contradicted that. This was the notorious email where his first statement was: "I'm not sure what to tell you." So much for instilling confidence or faith. And that's fine if the city council hadn't stuck its neck out passing a "law" re. water softeners. Leave us the f--k alone, would you? Blaine wrote to me on December 6: "If the Eco Water person told you that you couldn't get by without a new softener, that was not correct. It was a sales pitch." 

He continued: "Two city council members have disconnected theirs." Looks like those two had better be aware that the new city water has been downgraded to 7-10 grains, seemingly quite bad news. It's not hard to lose one's temper when city government is coming right into my home and being so intrusive, and then giving such questionable information. It might be scandalous. 

My source this morning says the whole chloride emission thing might be trumped up or bogus to begin with. If there's a chloride problem, he said, to what extent can we be sure it's from Morris as opposed to another town, say Elbow Lake? He said it's a case of "good intentions" by government but with questionable execution of a plan. This is hardly unprecedented for government, eh? 

I wish I could have just been left alone on this whole thing. Maybe we can't fight city hall but we could at least vote for all non-incumbent candidates for city council, and push for a thorough flushing out of city staff. But the damage may well have been done. It may end up being a profound tragedy for Morris. Blaine said "I don't write newspaper articles." So, he's implying the paper was off-base with its splashy front page story. I have not seen the Morris paper since late March. I used to see it at places like the library and church.

My podcast for today: I invite you to visit my "Morris Mojo" podcast where today the theme is "commonality of experiences." That's because I talk about walking through an unfamiliar cemetery. Though it's unfamiliar, we look at the names and feel a bonding with the deceased souls because of our "commonality of experiences." Please click on permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Commonality-of-experiences-ejvjbc

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

Puzzling tragedy out of South Dakota

Today's post is podcast-only. Thanks for checking in. The post focuses on the vehicle collision of last Saturday involving the attorney general of South Dakota. A perplexing post-accident story, sticks in one's head as a "true crime" story. No official crime yet, just lots of puzzlement. And, suspicion.

Here is the permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/The-Ravnsborg-incident-SD-ejrigi

Yesterday I wrote a blog post on the Jason Ravnsborg incident for my companion site, "Morris of Course." Here's the permalink to that:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2020/09/oh-deer-jason-ravnsborg-in-terrible.html

Note: The "Blogger" system I use has a new interface now. It's a little maddening. We all were given a temporary reprieve with "legacy Blogger" but it appears that's done now. I have gotten past some obstacles but I cannot locate a spell check yet, so Whoa Nellie (just kidding). I consider spell check an important first step in proofreading, to catch the obvious stuff and to clarify where I might be mistaken. Is it "bussing" or "busing"? etc. 

If I get discouraged with any of the new stuff I can always take a hiatus from this activity. However, we are looking ahead to a long and boring winter. Today (Friday) is beautiful.

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

"Political socialization": Is it biased code term?

I remember a class in college in which we were required to compile a list of ways we had experienced "political socialization" when growing up. Did I misunderstand the assignment? I got through it grade-wise so that's OK. This was a political science class. The instructor wrote a note indicating that I seemed to "reject" these things, as if he was surprised.
Well, who wants to be "socialized?" I could swear he laid out the assignment on the premise that we all had grown up being influenced to accept certain notions. None of us should want to acknowledge that we'd been influenced to embrace a set of ideas. Naturally we'd want to think we had shown some independent judgment.
The assignment was typical for academia in the 1970s. I have heard this was particularly true in the state colleges. State colleges swelled in response to the long-held belief that it was so awfully hard to get into college. It was a problem and as with all problems, society pushed for a remedy.
I would argue that colleges in the 1970s had little resemblance to when my father went through: the '30s.
My father went through when college was a celebration of Western civilization. That's probably how it ought to be. The Vietnam war was probably the main cause for the sea change that arrived later. Perhaps the public stood aside too much for the escalating war due to "political socialization." The term is not one I would ever use in my own writing unless I'm criticizing it. It's a fancy term to suggest indoctrination. So I'd just write "indoctrination." Professors made their living teaching fancy words that we could then describe in an exam.
In the list for my assignment, I remember citing the "George Washington in the clouds" portrait above the milk machine in elementary school. As I wrote that down, I figured the instructor wanted us to think such things were deplorable examples of indoctrination. Did I misunderstand him? His comments on my paper seemed to indicate he was surprised at my interpretation.
Social science classes developed an interesting lexicon in that era, e.g. "ethno-centrism." I sensed a thread running throughout of rejection of standard Western values. If you actually equate Western values with racism or jingoism, well that'd be a problem. Even though the developed Western world had its problems to be sure, a broad brush rejection was never a tenable position IMHO. If we cannot be fundamentally proud of our Western culture, the preponderance of it, why were we in college? What was the grand new vision for replacing this?
Oh, we can identify warts and weaknesses, to be sure, such as the slippery slope into war escalation, but what was the grand new vision? The "new left?" I was recalling the new left with Jim Morrison at the Morris paper one day, and he mused "the new left is now the old left."
My instructor's last name was Carlson. I remember he got laid off before my college years ended. He was irritated that Democrat Karl Rolvaag had wanted to prolong his political career. He said of the pol "I think he just liked how he looked on television." So much for unbiased political science instructors. I did not sense that his irritation was from the political right, I sensed it was from the political left.
The political left really asserted itself on college campuses in the 1970s, especially state college campuses I guess. My sensibilities are more left than right, but frankly by 1980, I was sick of the Democrats. I didn't feel they had handled their power well. Each political party shows weaknesses when owning power for too long.
Today I'm the kind of person who enjoys listening to Bernie Sanders speeches. But in 1980 I was totally ready for Ronald Reagan. Reagan for his faults came through as a feeling person. He had once been involved with a union. He had life experiences to temper what might have been excessive ideological zeal.
Today? How can we even compare his presidency or any other to what we're seeing now? It's the cult of Trump, and it's amazing how close it is coming to succeeding again.
What on earth is going to happen to our country? Trump may lose if we have anything like an orderly election. But right now, the basic procedure of voting appears under fire with lawyers poised all over the place to gum up the works with their various suits. Trump's modus operandi is to gum up the works with suits, in some cases to buy time, time that becomes seemingly endless. Court rulings? Appeal them.
Trump says "sheriffs" will be at polling places. And presumably deputies. Police chiefs too? Our local media needs to ask law enforcement officials if this is in the cards at all. What about the "poll-watchers" that the GOP has promised? What will they be legally allowed to do? How well-schooled are local election officials for dealing with this? At what point would a poll-watcher cross the line? And if so, what kind of relief? At this point would law enforcement have to show up?
All the talk makes me not even want to visit the polling place. One possibility is that it's all talk and all bluster. Maybe election day will come and the atmosphere at polls will be the same as what we've come to expect, a pleasant atmosphere actually. And like it or not, some people are going to vote for Democrats.
So, I once rejected "political socialization?" Which side at present reflects "socialization?" The Republicans or Democrats? Or is the term basically hooey? People are busy and they develop impulses about what is in their best interests. And if we vote Republican, we'll have to accept more denial of the pandemic and climate change. As the Western U.S. burns.
 
Addendum: The guy who sat next to me in the class was a pretty sharp dude who told me he was seeking law school. He gave the class the lowest possible evaluation when we filled out a sheet at the end. He said the course didn't follow what was in the bulletin description. How would I describe it? Phlegmatic? Well, it was the 1970s. Instructors could go off the deep end and there was no accountability.
 
My podcast for Sept. 15
I invite you to visit my podcast "Morris Mojo" on this pleasant mid-September day. We discuss the pleasant nature of the weather, still, but there's serious news to weigh from the macro level. This Caputo fellow has been appointed to power under President Trump. This guy is out of the backwater. Here is the permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Mid-Sept--of-pandemic-ejlst9

 
- Brian Williams

Jazz & big band crept into mainstream

The little arrow in the photo points to Ralph E. Williams, member of a band that we can presume was "hot." This was in the 1930s when "big bands" stepped into their heyday. 
 
Ralph was my father. He has left us for that ballroom in the sky. The University of Minnesota was integral to his life. He formed our U of M-Morris music department in 1960-61 and was the department's sole faculty member in the first year. What heady times.
All throughout his career, we could not have dreamt of the kind of pandemic we have now. Very tough on music. Dad would be bewildered and downcast. My parents don't have to deal with the crisis - Mom later entered the celestial ballroom. I remember when we had a dog die, Mom said "she's in a better place now."
We have adversity on several fronts in the present day. Mom could have been prompted to faint when learning of some of the things that Donald Trump has said and done. My parents were of the very "proper" generation called "the greatest generation."
Dad was well beyond his big band or jazz days by the time I came along. I had to hear the stories to get the background. And, to see scrapbook items like the photo on top here. Dad referred to Leroy Ellickson as "Swifty." He talked about the seemingly meager compensation for musicians, but of course the Depression set the tone for both compensation and prices.
Dad gained permanent habits and ways of thinking rooted in the 1930s economic situation. He never looked casually at a bill for anything. He'd want to be sure it was reasonable and for something that was necessary. He memorized prices in a sometimes uncanny way. I remember hearing from a business associate of UMM benefactor Ed Morrison, that Ed had quite the same inclination. This was from the hospitality business. Ed's most memorable imprint came from the newspaper business.
My boomer generation could find the money consciousness a bit much ("nickels and dimes"). And in more recent times, we found that technology was such that people were expected to discard generations of expensive equipment and just move on to the next. I'm sure this was a bridge way too far for the likes of Ed and my father. It's like humankind had progressed to a whole different planet.
Us boomers were aware of what the Depression and WWII had done to our elders. We could put their behavior in context but we still got flustered. I used to have to explain myself after I signed for some AA batteries at the drugstore. Bob Rose knew what I was in for! We at the paper might want to minimize our use of camera flash! Seriously!
My father did so many things with UMM in the seminal days. It seemed to know no bounds. But it did have bounds in the sense that jazz wasn't there. Ironic when you look at the photo at the top of this post. There is a ready explanation: our culture was not ready for jazz in the college music curriculum. Hard to believe that now. I would estimate the mid-1970s as when the cultural prohibition started coming down. There may have been exceptions but I'm speaking in general terms.
Furthermore we were a small rural town out here, pretty ensconced in the traditional or proper manner of music presentations. There was definitely variety in UMM music in the seminal days. I have old concert programs that verify this. I would love to go back in time and "prod" my father to be adventuresome with a jazz-flavored big band group. So easy to practice hindsight now.
Isn't there a scene in one of the "Back to the Future" movies where the lead character does rock 'n' roll for a young crowd, then advises them "you aren't ready for this."
In Morris we saw halting steps toward incorporation of jazz. And here I'm talking about the high school with John Woell as director. Happy to say Mr. Woell is still with us. He doesn't get enough credit compared to predecessor Robert Schaefer. And yet it was Woell that launched jazz band, although at that time - ahem - it was called "stage band." Alas, the world wasn't ready, at least the world out here in western Minnesota, for "jazz" on the concert bill. Sad? Well it was reality.
We must resist hindsight. Hindsight would tell us we were absolutely nuts allowing smoking in public places for as long as we did. Our restaurants like right here in Motown catered to the infamous "bar rush" on Friday and Saturday nights. We're all inclined to laugh about this, but it was of course highly undesirable behavior. So society changes.
High schools everywhere adopted jazz band programs. They gave full-throated jazz concerts.

A preferable format
Putting the actual music aside, I like jazz band because of how the young people are arranged on the stage. Kids don't get "buried" in the back rows. The saxophones are seated, and the trombones and trumpets stand behind, so each kid can project his sound and feel like a valued individual.
It is important that jazz "charts" be tasteful and well-rehearsed. Under-resourced bands can sometimes come off sounding like a pep band. It's a pitfall to avoid.
Our MAHS auditorium in Morris was terrible for concert band, I felt. Maybe the acoustics were fine. As a photographer I can speak on this: I'd go to a concert and only be able to see the front row of clarinet players (almost 100 percent females of course). Behind them it was hopeless. The high school auditorium served a nice purpose for theater, not so much for music. The auditorium was supposed to be a step up from the gym. A gym! In an earlier time so many schools had combination gym/auditoriums and I sometimes wondered what to call them in photo captions. Hah! I remember often using "gym/auditorium."
I remember Morris High School band concerts under Woell at the 1968 gym. I remember when I was too young to be in the top band and I attended a concert that featured Renee Schmidt (a male) on flute. The Schmidts were a dynamic family in Morris, kids involved and talented. And I remember how wonderful the concert was as I sat halfway up the bleachers, and I could see everyone in the band so easily. We had breathing room in that place compared to the later auditorium which is absolutely claustrophobia-inducing, stuffy etc. Superintendent Fred Switzer claimed for years that he "almost got fired" for getting the auditorium built.

Needing to get "hip"
I remember some of Dad's students coming to our place - yes, Northridge Drive where I'm seated right now - with a Blood, Sweat and Tears record album. It was a pioneering type of sound. It was brass-flavored with a gravelly vocal and jazz elements. Maybe my father thought such music just wasn't within reach for UMM to present yet. Only in (20/20) hindsight could I say "Dad, soak this in and see what you might launch at UMM." It was the 1960s.
I could see on the faces of the student visitors that they wanted the music to make more of an impression on Dad. He kept talking when he should have paid more attention. Maybe I should have nudged him, but 1) it's easy to say now, and 2) Dad could be a little fixated on what he wanted to do. From my time machine I'd like to tell him: "Dad, you have credentials from your college years to do something along the jazz/big band lines!"
I'd also say: "Dad, it's risky for you to keep prioritizing the men's chorus. It's fantastic what this group has meant to UMM, but the times they are a-changin'."
In this new day a gender-specific music group, especially men, was going to get non-practicable.
I know UMM had no female varsity athletics at its inception. I'd be guessing to try to identify the first year. And I am certain that the start of women's varsity sports had fits and starts, as a broad range of the public was either going to be skeptical or view it merely as a novelty. The latter could be just as discouraging as the former. Added to this was the lack of background in the skills of the game, making the earliest teams look ungainly at times.
And our high school went through the same process. Our high school girls programs sadly lagged in the 1980s, not because of any natural evolution but because of shortcomings in programs. I became very concerned about that and I suffered professionally for saying anything. All of us have baggage in our background.
It was Jim Carlson who returned to UMM and got the fire lit under jazz, right at the time when the world was finally ready for it. Our evolving culture can be amazing. Jim's UMM Jazz Festival became perhaps the most high-profile thing on campus. U of M President Robert Bruininks was a big fan. My father had the credentials but I suspect that in the early '60s, jazz would be an impossible "sell" here. It would have been "Back to the Future" and the premature rock 'n' roll rendition. People would be taken aback, sadly.
Many people associated jazz with African-Americans. It has been said that rock 'n' roll of the '50s finally crossed the bridge to African-American preferences for music. But in reality, the big band pioneers of the '30s had already pushed through that possible barrier. It would be fun to say that in the world of 2020, we are racially blind to any such matter. Our political culture has seemed to devolve, tragically. Look at our U.S. president.
UMM today continues with jazz, with standards that I feel are high as ever, although the Jazz Fest is not the "event" it once was. A famous song glorifies rock 'n' roll by saying "rock 'n' roll is here to stay, it will never die." Oh, most certainly true with jazz and big bands too.
 
Podcast for Sept. 9
I invite you to visit my "Morris Mojo" podcast for my September 9 episode. I start by noting we're two days from the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It's important to note but we have an immediate crisis: the pandemic, the shaky start of school etc. Here's the permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Two-days-from-911-anniversary-ejcn2i

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

We weigh Covid, religion and school

Might the government have considered "cancelling" Labor Day weekend? Is that asking too much?  The holiday is now a temptation for large numbers of people to engage in unsafe behavior. Apparently they congregate on beaches, a long way from Morris MN of course. But people of Morris might travel there.
We have college students in our midst. Might this be spelling an unreasonable risk?
We are led by a president who seeks to tamp down the awareness of risk. Acknowledging risk would result in pressure on the government to take sweeping actions to protect people, as if that's supposed to be part of the purpose of government.
It is a defining feature of the GOP - no hyperbole intended here - that it does not want people to like government. If we choose to give the GOP the upper hand in government, well we have made our bed and then you know what we can do in it.
There is a residence right next to East Side Park that is an up-front example of the passion of the Trump crowd. Folded in with this is "all lives matter." Bumper stickers aren't enough. They need flags too, not just little flags pushed into the ground but flags on flagpoles. We must wonder about such souls: are they just promoting a reasonable and measured political opinion? Or is there more going on psychologically?
Nobody was surprised when our local Apostolics showed signs of getting on the Trump train. It just seemed consistent. They did not disappoint. At first we might just feel some mild irritation about this, those of us who feel political opinions should be a little more layered. Some of us think we need to weigh real science as with climate change. The problem with certain religious factions is that they just feel God will take care of things. This is my take on the Apostolics now.
It is unfortunate that our feelings about the Apostolics might have to go beyond curiosity or mild irritation. There is concern locally that this religious faction is posing a risk in connection to the coronavirus.
Discussing this is no walk in the park for anyone. In small towns especially it's not cool to voice suspicion in such a manner. We might wish to avoid the topic, were it not for the seriousness of the health crisis. The fate of our school year might be hanging in the balance.
I will repeat: if the widely-circulated concern about this religious group is ill-founded, let's see the local commercial media - radio and newspaper - set the record straight. If the concern is in fact well-founded, let's have the commercial media dig in and enlighten us appropriately, "naming names" at some point, and referring to the religious faction by name. Insensitive? It smacks of that but we are looking at a pandemic that is taking lives. Just thought I'd mention it.

Apostolic Christian Church, Hancock

At first I heard of the concerning Covid numbers w/ the church and then got the tip that the suggested numbers were an underestimation. I learned that the church re-instituted services before conventional wisdom suggested it was wise. Didn't Trump issue a declaration in May to try to get churches going with regular services? I brought this up with a fellow member of my church who just laughed. Maybe the Apostolics were directly influenced by Trump's words.
Trump knows that if he can't create a smokescreen to get people to think they can resume normal life, he won't be re-elected. And if he's not re-elected there's hell to pay legally once he loses the cloak of his office. And forget about the latest tempest where he dissed U.S. troops and their sacrifice. People have regularly wondered, has Trump crossed the line this time? Well, if the "Access Hollywood" tape did not represent crossing the line, nothing would.
 
A dark "gift"
Trump has a way of connecting with a certain rather large element of the American public. This dam is not going to break. It's like the power of Adolf's Hitter's verbiage and gestures - it entrances many. Could you imagine Jeb Bush even trying to act like Trump does? And, that is what Trump is doing - he's acting. I will wager right now that Trump will continue in power, maybe after a reasonably orderly election - reasonably? - but maybe after utter chaos and panic as we don't really know how the affairs are managed.
We read exposes constantly. They ought to scream "danger" at us, and the status quo just plods on, giving the commercial media a full plate every day to get good ratings, even Sundays.
 
Well, this is new
I came to grasp a new aspect of the Apostolic situation yesterday. It was through a discussion prompted by, of all things, a kissing scene in a movie.
Huh? I was pointing out that when Gene Hackman kisses Barbara Hershey in "Hoosiers," I felt they hadn't established near enough affection yet for this to come across. In fact, Hershey had said things to Hackman of an overtly offensive nature. "Foreplay?" I wouldn't even see it as that. My credentials on such matters are limited. BTW it was a character in "The Cutting Edge" who said "foreplay" to explain why the characters in apparent conflict were actually falling in love. I'll have to take his word. My mind is more rational than this.
Try a kiss? It works in the movies. I might have to prepare for a right cross.
So Hackman kisses Hershey and in the end the "good guys" win, the white bread boys from hick town beating the big black kids from the inner city. Hey, I'm just describing. I would like to suggest to Spike Lee that he make a movie called "South Bend Central" about the high school boys of color growing up in early 1950s America, well before the sweep of civil rights awareness. Maybe we should place the awareness in the past tense now? "All lives matter." Cute.
Lee's movie could end with the team of several African-Americans winning triumphantly. Hackman could take it. He had already been able to kiss Hershey. We sensed confusion at the end about whether the two had cemented a relationship. Hershey could never shake her mysterious air.
The kiss in the movie was the standard Hollywood kiss: hug and kiss, know what I mean? I have wondered: is this how young lovebirds really behave or is it Hollywood shorthand or a Hollywood cliche? Rhetorical question perhaps.
By the same token, what about scenes in movies where two guys are fighting and they throw these "haymaker"-type punches to the face? There's a sound effect for that. A recipient might be shown with a substance looking like blood coming from a corner of the mouth. Is all this realistic? If you attempted to start a fight like this, would you just be laughed at? Impressionable people might think they can ape what's in the movie.
How does all this relate back to the Apostolics? Let's consider the Apostolics. And kissing. This is rather uncomfortable to report, so that's why I went on a tangent for a few sentences. From an email I got on September 5, from a pretty solid Morris citizen: "Speaking of the Hollywood hug and kiss, that could be one reason of the spiking Covid stuff amidst the Apostolic congregations - they do that, including the men with each other, as part of their Sunday greetings."
You learn something new every day, even things you don't really wish to know. Men kissing? Well, this most certainly reminds me of the book "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton. He tells behind-the-scenes stories about baseball. At one point his Seattle Pilots team began a silly inside joke of kissing each other. When drunk or "inebriated," it should be noted. The book dates to 1970 when social drinking was a norm. At first the players put their hand up and kissed the hand, then they began getting "careless," as Bouton wrote, and why not if you've had "one too many?" Well it was pretty riotous.
Major league players are paid much more generously today, so they behave in a more mature and serious way.
I wish some of my friends in the local Apostolic churches would re-consider their commitment and maybe come on over to a mainstream Protestant church. What in heck would be wrong with that? Why don't you do this before your church becomes even more of a focus in light of the current health issues?
 
Decisions regarding school
The Covid numbers threaten the new school year. Controversy is building up in our Morris school district over whether the Covid numbers are really up to the minute. The teacher speaking out on this is Mr. Thom Howden. (I hate it when people named "Thomas" don't just use "Tom" for alternate.)

Thom Howden

Looks like Howden is getting into the face of our superintendent some. Maybe there will be a haymaker punch thrown. It's been a while since a full-throated school district controversy. I know all about this. Maybe the DQ can stay on the sidelines this time.
I remember when Howden was hired - my impression was that he was hired mainly to be the swim/dive team coach. He had built up his local credentials through the Tiger Sharks program and I'd suspect this was the key for him joining the school. Nothing wrong with that, but how long did he stick with swim coach commitments?
I heard Howden got in a spat with a parent once, was directed to sign some sort of slip against his wishes, and made a "statement" by signing his name upside down, a rather asinine thing to do. If this anecdote is wrong, someone can correct me.
I must say, when I was with the Morris paper I had no difficulty working with Howden. He told me once he came from a big suburban city where there was nothing like the Sun Tribune. It was a compliment. Well thank you.
A final thought: Might the Apostolics be risking facing some discrimination now? They can be easy to spot.
 
My podcast for today
My "Morris Mojo" podcast for today, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, ponders how church can proceed long-term. I also reminisce about Minnesota Twins baseball from 50 years ago. The 1970 Twins team was super but got swept in the A.L. playoffs. Fans don't like dwelling on that. Still, there were countless fun summer evenings at "the Met."
I invite you to click on permalink below. Thanks.

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Middle-of-Labor-Day-weekend-ej7df8

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

The woe of the water softener confusion

Public officials don't often even acknowledge the existence of rumors. A mere comment might give credence to one. Plus, it seems a violation of basic decorum or order. Rumors are always out there, it's a given. Public officials trust a preponderance of the public to put aside mere rumors as a basis for action. Not that we are not interested in listening to them.
Confusion and frustration can lead to rumors gaining more traction. I think Morris has certainly been through a fair amount of confusion in connection to the water treatment plant. At present, the only positive I have taken from this is to be less trusting of grand government schemes and their spokesmen.
Maybe I was naive at the start, as I heard about the plant going online and assumed there would be an orderly and logical process to follow. I remember putting this matter on my "list of things to do" over a period of time. "Softener."
I had no background on the topic. My late parents had our old Kinetico softener installed, and my only knowledge about it was to add salt when the level got low. I didn't see any obvious buttons for "adjusting" it but you never know - maybe there was some way to adjust it. But in the absence of that, I would have to face a critical situation. And all I needed the city to do, was to answer the simple question: "Is the new city water good enough to use 100 percent?" I thought it was a simple question to get answered.
In my first email exchange with the city manager, his first words were "I'm not sure what to tell you." Now, the city can be very clever about this, deftly using words to avoid any suggestion of ambiguity. So the city's letter to the public in January said the new city water is "safe for consumption meeting all Minnesota Department of Health and U.S. EPA requirements." Well, it had better be, or certain parties would get their asses sued. However, the city's statement does not squarely answer the simple question I posed.
Consuming the water is just part of the equation. We must make sure the water running through our homes does not endanger our home systems. I don't think it's propaganda from the water quality companies that a dripping faucet is a common sign of water quality problems. There's a list of such issues. The city advised people feeling confusion to contact a water quality company. These companies do have an objective of course of making money.
We should never assume that a business has untoward intentions. Maybe the water quality person who eventually came to my house was right when he answered me on the question of "Is the new city water good enough to just use." I'm sure those were my words. I wondered if the new city water was sufficient so that it wouldn't require any further treatment, if weighed by a prudent person. The water quality pro immediately responded "no."
Who am I to contradict him? He's a water quality professional. Now, maybe this individual was totally right. I am not going to assert here that he was not. In the nine months since my new device was installed, it looks to me like the level of salt has not gone down at all. Is it possible the device has just sat there doing nothing? Well, maybe not.
I hesitate to pick up the phone because I don't wish to dig this particular hole deeper. Will it cost me more? Perhaps a service visit would cost something. The device does have a five-year warranty. But if I have been using untreated water for the last nine months, what's the point in addressing it now?
My sense seems to be telling me that the new city water is in fact good enough. But why should I ultimately be the one making that judgment, in the absence of firm counsel from others, hopefully others that do not have a profit incentive?
Of course, every time we arrange for a contractor we are dealing with people who have a profit aim. I guess this is the straw the stirs the drink in America. The softener situation is a little different because it was the actions of government - the water treatment plant - that put us in the position of having to deal with the matter. Otherwise I wouldn't devote a speck of thought to my water softener - I'd just check the salt level occasionally and add when needed. It's all I ever had to do in the past, why should I get dragged into a more complicated situation now? Progress isn't supposed to work like this.
I wasn't prepared for this, but I have developed a sense through all the communications to date, that there is a conflict between the City of Morris and the water quality companies. My sense is that the city would LOVE to tell everyone that the new city water is "good to go." Hallelujah. On the other side: the water quality companies who I'm sure have a professional association with very sharp lawyers.
 
Lawyers: can't live with them. . .
In response, the lawyer for the City of Morris has probably advised city officials not to make a blanket statement asserting that people ought to just have their softeners hauled away.
The city struggles because, no way can they make the statement that the new water is "substandard." And yet this is what the water quality companies are asserting. It was asserted right in my basement. I was not even contrary or difficult! I deferred to the person's judgment and went ahead with getting a new softener. And if I, to date, had seen evidence that it was doing anything, even a minor amount, I'd shrug and be satisfied, even if I might doubt its necessity.
But now I feel hurt and I can't be 100 percent sure where to point fingers. My previous blog writing has sought to give the benefit of the doubt to the water quality companies. I strive to respect contractors or other businesses that come to my property. It has been a pleasure having Western Products, Craig Beyer Tree Service and Mark Woolridge come to my property and do work. My normal nature is to be a pleasant and non-suspicious customer. Does this make me a solid citizen or perhaps someone with some naivete?

City Manager Blaine Hill (kmrs-kkok)

So, getting back to the matter of rumors, consider a January article by Marshall on the radio station website. Marshall quotes the city manager talking about "rumors" that the city was planning home inspections of softeners.
"City Manager Blaine Hill tried to squash rumors." Rumors? Oh my. That's untidy. It suggests we're a bunch of rubes "susceptible to rumors," right?
Perhaps the rumors developed because of news splashed on the newspaper front page that the city "passed a law" to prohibit certain types of softeners. You don't fool with the law, right?
The radio station follow-up piece quoted Hill saying "we don't have a plan right now to go into every property and inspect every water softener."
Maybe what makes my blood boil is the repeated comments from the city that we all can "save money buying salt." So far I have spent about $1500 on the softener and I guess we're all looking at somewhat higher water bills. I rue the day I even put "softener" on my "list of things to do."
I called various other parties through the whole process. Kinetico came and confirmed that our old softener was non-adjustable, but (strangely) did not try to sell a new one. I called Todd Valnes who punted. I exchanged emails with the mayor. Nothing but flailing away.
The only certainty was expressed by the company with the profit incentive. If people all over Morris get persuaded to buy new softeners, it will be a net negative for the community. If I spent $1500 on this, I don't have it available for other things. Oh and Kinetico charged me $100.
It's too bad that maybe I have to become a less trusting person. This is not a joy to weigh. I'd like to happily have contractors come to my property. And if it turns out the city got me burned, well I think it's profoundly sad. Maybe we need a housecleaning with all the people involved with the City of Morris.
 
Addendum re. rumors:
I remember when Howard Sinker popped into my office one day, about 40 years ago. Holy mackerel, tough to remember all the specifics from something so remote in time. My memory tends to be better than average, so I can relate that the esteemed Mr. Sinker of the Star Tribune was looking for background in connection with the departure of a UMM football coach. He had a long hairstyle back then sort of like "hippies." He was very tall. An image check for him today shows he has totally adjusted with the times.
I'm happy he has had such a long and successful career with the Strib. Prior to Mr. Sinker's visit that day, we had gotten acquainted at a social reception on the eve of an NCAA Division III football playoff game. I believe we "hit it off."
He had sort of a wry smile when he entered my office. And before even saying anything like "hello," he simply said "well, what do you hear?" Gee, do I give people the impression I'm a "person in the know?" Deliberate or not, this must be the case. Let's just say the football coach was not leaving here under circumstances related wholly to whether he used the 3-4 defense enough. Some (shall we say) extraneous factors came into the question.

Howard Sinker today

Not at all surprising that a sports coach ends up in a bubbling bone of contention for (my goodness) all sorts of reasons.
I told Sinker that I had been pressured by community leaders not to plunge too deeply into this. Which was true. And I do believe Mr. Sinker's subsequent writing reported this. I may have also alluded to "rumors" because I remember Jim Tanner from the steps outside the Post Office, giving me a hard time, as he said "have you heard any 'fresh ones.' "
I think Mr. Tanner could be considered a community leader and he certainly was in the front row with the jockstrap-oriented folks. Ironically I did not consider him to be an advocate for the best ideas in lifting up our athletic programs. I felt he was in tight socially with certain people who were not the most forward-looking.
To be more blunt, as I am wont to do, I'd suggest "good old boy" connections were in effect. I could discuss a large number of Morris people in connection to that.
Sports-oriented people can delude themselves into thinking their world is so important, and that their "buddies" in that world are worth falling on your sword over. We had issues in the '80s that could have been solved easily with some simple judgments from "the top" - should have been small potatoes.
I am amused as I remember Sinker from our conversation at the reception, amused because he was critical of his sports editor, this during an age in which respecting your superior was not considered as essential as today. The movie "Bridge at Remagen" with Robert Vaughan was made in 1970 and it's an historical exhibit on the cynicism and resignation that might be vented toward one's boss. Both the Allied guys and the Nazis regularly "gave lip" to superior officers.
"What's the use? Everybody's crazy."
Maybe during war that's a palatable thought. But in the military?
I remember Sinker saying of the management person in question: "He couldn't manage breakfast." Combine that attitude with his very long hair, and it's a suitable portrait of the folks of around 1980. It was the end of the cynical '70s but social trends don't shift overnight.
The UMM football coach of whom I write was here for one year. Technically he seemed to do well, as we had a playoff game out on the East Coast which I personally attended. I remember it cost $200 and Ron Lindquist made arrangements, with Jim Morrison being lukewarm about it. Two hundred dollars! It seemed like a bigger sum then. I rode with Jim Eidsvold to the airport. Exciting times. Morris history should record that the NCAA Division III playoff games of that era were an extremely big deal for this community. It was prestigious. Scores were reported in the national media.
Our Cougar football team was big-time, if a little arrogant. OK when I say that I'm probably saying "very arrogant." Mr. Sinker would understand. The two of us were cut from the same bolt of cloth.
The non-hippie-looking Howard Sinker of today is digital sports editor at the Star Tribune. He curates the website's Sports Uploaded blog. He is also a senior instructor in Media and Cultural Studies at Macalester College in St. Paul. He is a senior lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at Macalester.
Pushing through the cobwebs of my memory, I believe Howard was the official scorer in a 1987 World Series game in which Roy Smalley was determined to reach on an error rather than a hit. Smalley differed on the judgment. I just remember the item from reading the Strib.
How good is my memory? Let's consider what Mark Twain said: "When I was younger I could remember anything whether it happened or not, but I am getting old and soon I shall remember only the latter."
Seriously, my memories from my Morris newspaper years are a treasure trove. I have told Del Sarlette that a bio of me should be titled "Add Dreams of Glory." It's an expression from the book "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton. Oh, that was a 1970 book that was the epitome of the attitudes I describe from that time.
 
Quickie news bulletin re. things going on now. The following is from an email from a friend:
No news yet today on COVID re. schools. I heard that the 50 positives attributed to the Apostolics was a great underestimation. But they refuse to be tested, so I don’t know how people know that.
 
My podcast for September 3
We're into September and many of the issues remain the same as the past few weeks. Sobering issues yes. We need to look around to find joy and there is some. I invite you to click on the permalink below for my "Morris Mojo" podcast episode. Thanks.

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Its-September-3-ej3ji8 

 

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