MACA volleyball nearly knocks off NL-Spicer

We're into the post-season for fall sports, even though the weather today (Saturday) is so pleasant, it could be early fall! 

Tiger football plays today but it's hard to be sure of game-time. The radio station site reported 2 p.m. which would be great: sun shining, chance for MACA fans to drive home in sunlight. I'm sure the radio station got its info from somewhere, at some time. 

The school website along with "Minnesota Scores" had us playing at 7 o'clock.

Maybe post-season game times are just not etched in stone. In fact I know that for a fact, from my background with the Morris newspaper. Can you believe: I once drove over to 'Waska for a game based on the start time that our paper had published twice. (Well, we were a twice-a-week paper then.) 

I got there, noticed the place looked pretty well deserted and came back, informed Jim Morrison at the newspaper office of the obvious confusion, whereupon Jim himself picked up the phone to call the Witts. One of the Witt sons answered and informed that game-time had been changed to evening. 

Mary Holmberg later explained to me: "ACT tests." To which I would have liked to say: "sc--w the ACT tests." But that's history. 

Today we have an interim coach leading the Tiger volleyball team. Should be past tense, "led," because unfortunately our season ended Friday night in an all-out heartbreaker. The Tigers were one point away from upsetting the third-seeded New London-Spicer Wildcats, at New London. We were No. 6. 

The Tigers had an erratic season, at first struggling rather badly. Finally in the season's final phase - the last four regular season matches - we caught fire! I don't know at which point "interim" coach Fehr was installed. Back in my paper days I'd know all these details and the background behind them. Not today, so even though I've had a large cup of Caribou Coffee this morning at Willie's, I can't tell you any more. 

I remember some past times of sports controversy in our Motown, when an administrator tried to settle things down by saying it was bad form to make a coaching change at mid-season. People were scolded for even suggesting it. We're talking the late 1980s. Controversy was pretty intense and in the end, really damaged the whole community. But who wants to hear about that now? 

 

Wildcats 3, Tigers 2

I'll bet MACA volleyball fans could have just cried last night, so close was their team to a monumental upset win. A hair's breadth. 

Game 1 of the match did belong to the host Wildcats. But wow, Games 2 and 3 went into the win column for our Tigers. Our kmrs-kkok site reports that, "up two sets to one, the Tigers had match-point in set four, leading 24-22 and needing one point to pull off the upset, but the Wildcats responded by scoring four straight points to seal the set victory, then went on to dominate set five for the match win." 

I personally wonder why Kristi Fehr left the MACA volleyball coaching position she once held. She coached our Tigers to state. I worked with her when I wrote for the Hancock Record newspaper and she coached the Owls. I think she left the MACA job after her daughter Carly, the setter, graduated. I wish she had kept it all along. Will she stay now? 

Brienna Dybdahl contributed 38 assists and three aces Friday. Maddy Grove's contributions: 13 kills, 18 digs. Brianna Marty came through with ten kills and 24 digs. Then there's Cam Ostby: eight kills. 

Our final won-lost certainly does not seem reflective: 6-18. During regular season play, MACA was swept twice by the Wildcats. 

The NL-Spicer coach cited an injury on his team as forcing some adjusting for Friday. Shudder - I remember catching absolute hell from a parent once for reporting an injury and how it might affect an upcoming event. It was in cross country and the injury/illness was among the Paynesville runners. Ever since then, when I touch on something like this, I shudder. 

A review of the Friday scores with MACA numbers first: 12-25, 27-25, 25-22, 24-26 and 7-15. 

NL-Spicer will now play Eden Valley-Watkins in the sub-section quarter-finals, 7 p.m. Monday in Eden Valley. 

I have more stats available for NL-Spicer than for MACA, sorry. Kendra Gerhardson and Olivia Mages each had two serving aces, and Avery Rich had one. Nyla Johnson was the go-to setter with 38 assists. Ellary Peterson, Gerhardson and Mages each had one assist. Here's the kills department: Peterson 12, Gerhardson 11, Mages 10, Rich 8, Avery Newman 4, Grace Truscinski 2, Johnson 1. 

In ace blocks, Peterson was a dominating force with six while Gerhardson had two and Newman and Johnson one each. The digs list: Rich 27, Johnson 21, Mages 15, Gerhardson 12, Peterson 10, Newman 9, Rich 9. 

Click on the link below to read about the 37-0 win by MACA football over Montevideo. Also: the Tiger tennis team's state experience. Plus: some thoughts on local sports media, and finally some covid-related observations. This post is on my companion site, "Morris of Course." God bless you all for finding my writing. The permalink:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/10/decker-begins-scoring-rout-with-27-yard.html

 

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

$ hardships spurred January 6 rioters

One of my favorite economics commentators likes to talk about how Americans are turning into "debt slaves." Surely there is documentation for this suggestion. And it is brought up here as partial if not total explanation for the strange January 6 riots at the U.S. capitol. 

I mean, when news began breaking that day, were you not taken aback by it all? You all knew down deep there was no widespread voter fraud. Most likely the election was the cleanest ever. We have clean elections because there is so much scrutiny. Maybe we should look at the 1960 Kennedy vs. Nixon race in order to feel suspicious. 

So what was up last January when we got the surreal sight of a mass of outright rioters surrounding our U.S. capitol, then advancing like an army? Rioters managed to breach the place to an extent. More surreal is how Mike Pence in the aftermath would keep showing fealty to the kingpin guy, despite the kingpin guy's maniacal supporters calling for Pence's hanging. 

So what's up with all the absurd stuff? It might relate to the "debt slaves" observation offered by Gregory Mannarino. Back in February, I first became aware of the connection. Then recently, when looking further into the background of Ashli Babbitt, my senses were aroused again. 

What has become of us, as we have allowed debt and risk to encircle us so much, to devour us in the end possibly. We see an opportunity for political revolution, as outlandish as it seems from any sober analysis. But hey! What an opportunity to feel important, to rise above our pedestrian life with its risks and downfalls. You could feel like a crusader, at the tip of the sword for something possibly history-making. 

Well for sure it made history. No one can erase that. But it was a total stain on our sacred United States of America. 

What hath God wrought?

So many of the rioters I'm sure had spent most of their lives behaving themselves with more than a modicum of intelligence. Heck, Tucker Carlson was once a thoughtful "conservative" commentator. Like from his days on CNN's "Crossfire," sparring with the likes of Bill Press. Today? Carlson speaks like a maniac, to where "reactionary" seems a too-generous description. It's like he seeks to be absurd for its own sake. 

What has come over so many of us? A covid variant that affects the brain? If so, we have many sufferers in Stevens County here in Minnesota. The MAGA adherents who attend the many "conservative" churches. Would you all please get off this "conservative" kick? 

If this country really starts coming apart, as seems increasingly possible, it won't be because of sins of Democrats or even the Republicans. All politicians will be culpable, as they have been complicit in allowing the Federal Reserve to cheapen our money. Consequences may be already coming home to roost. The stock market has been allowed to race along on a "sugar high." 

I heard a radio show host over the weekend glibly and self-assuredly talk about how stocks have gone up about 15 percent over the last year. When everything ground to a halt due to the pandemic? Well fine, you can celebrate the stock market "highs" if you wish. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain? The Federal Reserve chairman? 

I realized the radio show host actually represented a financial services company, and this company appeared to be sponsor of the whole show. So, bathe in your 15 percent gains, you all, while we face the prospect of maybe paying $30 for a loaf of bread at the grocery store. 

Ashli Babbitt. She was shot dead by cops on January 6 at the capitol. Seemed like a nice if overzealous woman, veteran of the U.S. Air Force. What was her problem? Her problem was not the Democrats, or Joe Biden, or the voting systems. This was her problem: In 2017 she took out a costly short-term business loan. In effect, it meant her pool business would have to pay an interest rate that she later calculated in court filings to be 169 percent. The lender soon sued her. 

Were the capitol rioters seeking an escape from the dehumanizing effects of such financial travail? To feel empowered in a perverse and dangerous way? We must look for answers. 

I have written some poetry based on the January 6 riots. I have previously written song lyrics and posted them on my companion blog (Aug. 14). I would not have the song recorded and presented to the public, because I suggest in the lyrics that Donald Trump was responsible for Babbitt's death. I'm concerned that some MAGA crazies might come after me, and for sure we have more than a few such people in Stevens County. 

I'll leave the lyrics on a blog post, pretty low-profile. The poem you see below, I wrote completely independent of the song. There is no duplication. I invite you to read and reflect please.

 

"January 6 Lament"

by Brian Williams

A place where cherry blossoms

Adorn the public space

Is where we should be solemn

And not be moved by hate

The USA has meaning

From back when it began

We should not be careening

As if we're built on sand

So why should we be hearing

The call to "hang Mike Pence"

We should have been more leery

Of those devoid of sense

The new year was just dawning

A placid winter scene

We all should have been yawning

And followed our routine

But MAGA stoked the fire

Of riot and revolt

The denizens conspired

To give us all a jolt

We thought we might be dreaming

With manufactured fears

There just was no believing

A travesty so weird

But there it was before us

A crowd that wanted blood

An insurrection chorus

That moved as if a flood

The fury of the moment

Had settled in their eyes

They could not see the omen

That it was not their prize

Behind it all a grifter

Just pulling all the strings

He had his fans atwitter

To blow up everything

The siren song of Fox News

Had wafted far and wide

And Newsmax had its own views

Dispensing fear and lies

We had been teased on TV

And let it all take wing

Like football players kneeling

As if that was a thing

So many came to foment

A riot in its name

The image of one woman

Just lingers like a flame

Her name was Ashli Babbitt

So loyal to the cause

She saw her chance and grabbed it

There was no time to pause

She came from California

Traversed the USA

To show her love of MAGA

She would not be delayed

She had been in the Air Force

A patriotic stance

But something caused a new course

A QAnon romance

So Ashli had a vision

She shared with all her folks

Of going on a mission

To nullify the votes

A window had been broken

The chance to move was there

The president had spoken

He urged them all to dare

And though he said be peaceful

It would not rule the day

On top of all the evil

It was just CYA

A sea of discontented

Now why were they so mad?

Their feelings were cemented

Behind a single man

The signs were all around them

That Trump was not their friend

They could not seem to fathom

He's just about himself

So Ashli was a victim
A cop just had to act

Her family rued her mission

She should have just stayed back

We feel for Ashli Babbitt

Her soul resides in peace

Could she not understand it

The cesspool of deceit?

An epilogue is needed

Of justice breaking through

To see a man defeated

Who showed us he's a fool

The words of Sinclair Lewis

Are prescient more and more

Of how we can be clueless

With Fascists at the door

He said if you believe it

That "It can't happen here"

Then he would surely promise

The danger is quite near

So now we weigh the future

Just knocking on our door

And let us all just nurture

The virtue at our core

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

Hunters do their thing with onset of fall

The pastime of hunting bonds the two fellows at right. They are Morris High School alumni from 1972. At center is Scott Reese and at right is Peter Timmons. White hair is a nice "touch" for people of this vintage, wouldn't you say? You certainly recognize the fellow at left, 1971 MHS graduate Del Sarlette of Sarlettes Music, and of course the photo was taken at the music store. See the vintage marching band uniforms in background? Del does not share the interest in hunting. To each their own. Your blog host is Class of '73 and I retired my hunting interest long ago. Certainly these people commune with nature. Reese and Timmons have joined the growing ranks of the retired from our generation. All three of these gentlemen were very active in MHS band under director John Woell. Peter played bass clarinet in concert band and bass drum for marching. Scott, Del and I were on trumpet. My, how we traveled far and wide! Like to Winnipeg, Canada.

 

We are on the verge of another cold weather season. Cheery thought, right? It's so pleasant now with the cool and crisp air of early fall. It suggests "hunting season." I no longer am aware of when the particular hunting seasons start and end. 

My late father was a young man when hunting was a major part of the male culture. That's why we see so much attention on hunters in the story of the 1940 Armistice Day blizzard. It was horribly tragic. 

Hunting has not gone away. My own personal view is that it is unpleasant and depressing, I mean to kill things. The weather is so often cold. Isn't it dangerous just being out in a boat when you have heavy outerwear on? I never gave that much thought as a young person. 

My father meant well as he took me hunting. We hunted ducks right here in Stevens County. In pursuit of whitetail deer we went up around my mother's hometown of Brainerd, to those great "north woods." Such different surroundings from here in Morris. By the end of the day I felt I'd made acquaintance with the squirrel scurrying around. 

I actually never got a deer in northern Minnesota but I did succeed in Wyoming. Dad and I went there twice. I succeeded there both times, so how about that? What I remember best, though, is the uniquely savory homemade bread prepared by our hosts out by Sundance. The mother of the family gets kudos. Up north and in Wyoming, Dad and I could use standard rifles. I had a bolt-action 30/06. I heard that around Stevens County, it was necessary to use a shotgun with "slugs." Not sure of the reason for that. 

So Dad meant well as he continued a strong tradition from his younger years, pursuing game and fish. Eventually I dropped out, opting for the occasional trip to Las Vegas instead! My father's interest eventually seemed to wane also. I remember a conversation he had with someone where he reasoned "live and let live" re. hunting. 

Hunters argue of course that their pastime is an essential part of wildlife management. I won't dispute that. It's just not my cup of tea. I note that our technology age has given lots of these "sportsmen" strategies that would have been unheard of before. It's to the point where some people have made an ethical issue out of it. Tech progress parades on. It waits for no one. 

We are embarking on a new cold weather season with the pandemic still on. This is serious business: It may not be a "pandemic" at all, it's likely an "endemic." The bug (or whatever you want to call it) is here to stay. Or to quote an apparently well-backgrounded person from the radio yesterday: "We won't be able to 'booster' our way out of this." 

I mulled that over. Is there really no light at the end of the tunnel? Or maybe just a faint light? I doubt we are all ready to accept this, to deal with the many ramifications. 

I happen to be lucky, though I'll knock on wood anyway. I have only myself to take care of. I can cut corners in my life to save money fairly easily. I'm spending a fair amount right now to make my home more energy-efficient. I am having to wait an unreasonable amount of time for some window replacement. You've heard of the "labor shortages" and "supply chain disruptions." So I cannot blame the companies I am dealing with. 

Our present distress all gets back to the pandemic. And if the pandemic can't be eradicated, then what? 

Don't you all realize how distressed you ought to feel about the specter of inflation? And this time around, unlike the inflation crisis of the 1970s, you can't even go to a bank and get a CD that pays good interest. You basically get no interest at all. 

We haven't seen that much inflation yet. Or if we have, it crawls along at such a pace that we put aside our concerns for now. Keep an eye on "shrinkflation" too! I have not had a frozen pizza for a while. The last couple of times, I felt a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste, making me wonder if the pizza companies are cutting corners with ingredients. That's part of "shrinkflation." 

We used to get more value at McDonald's by being entitled to free refills of soft drinks. It's gone now. We passively accept such shortcomings for at least a while. Then it could "bite us in the butt," as it were. Gone is the advantage that comes with a restaurant salad bar. Will salad bars ever come back? Holy cow, when I was a kid, no one thought anything of taking a "used" plate back up to a smorgasbord or salad bar. Then the new rule was pushed on us. 

And it didn't end there - pretty soon restaurants were putting plastic panels over the salad bar and we'd have to reach underneath. We were all turning into germophobes. I remember a local person who didn't have the best hygiene - God rest his soul - who reportedly was told to just stay seated while buffet items were brought to him. It was justified, no doubt, but a little scary too, as we had to wonder if anyone who appears a little disheveled might get the same treatment! 

At present we are dealing with small price hikes everywhere. But what about the next round and the round after that? The alarm bells are definitely ringing. It is funny to hear someone like U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley - 88 years old - jump on Joe Biden and say Biden "isn't doing anything about inflation." Oh, Biden is a Democrat and Grassley is a Republican. But surely Grassley knows, if his 88 year old mind can process it, that there is only one way - literally only one way - to deal with inflation. The Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates. This is how the inflation of the 1970s was finally solved. Paul Volcker did that at the Fed. 

Here is the tremendously scary thing today, and I cannot emphasize this enough: Do our politicians of the year 2021, i.e. these crazy times, have the courage to see to it that the Federal Reserve undertakes the necessary action with the very real collateral damage? Volcker promised that we'd get a recession as our "medicine" for inflation. But what politician wants to countenance such a promise today? 

We have zero patience for economic "down" times. It's not like the 1970s when we could just sit back and watch "Smokey and the Bandit" movies for a few years. Or, watch "The Gong Show." Or, to follow the silliness of "Studio 54," and be amused by Euell Gibbons TV commercials. Those days are tucked into history. Today we demand instant gratification. The stock market simply must keep going up. 

The stock market would likely be a disastrous first casualty if the Federal Reserve did what might be necessary. 

Donald Trump? People were fond of saying "he's not a politician" in a giddy way. So he doesn't follow conventions, right? And you all are fond of that? Oh, so cute. One of the conventions of Washington D.C. is to "leave the Federal Reserve alone." Or more accurately: "Don't fight the Fed." Donald Trump gave quotes saying the Fed needed to seriously consider negative interest rates. All he cared about was being able to go on CNBC TV and chat with Joe Kernen about how stocks were doing boffo. 

Don't you all realize how hazardous that whole scenario would be for all of us? 

Biden has said that "unlike my predecessor, I will not pressure the Federal Reserve." Here's the problem: it might be too late. It might be "later than you think." 

Go hunting to escape it all? Not yours truly. I'm just waiting for my window replacement (Renewal by Andersen). 

How will we all "come out on the other side" in spring? Just brush ourselves off, routinely, and move on past any adversity? One of these times, maybe not. I'm reminded of the words from Custer's Indian scout just prior to the big battle: "Friend, I fear that at the end of the day, we will go home by a road we do not know."

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

Volleyball: Tigers peaking at opportune time!

The headline on my "Morris of Course" post talks about MACA volleyball being on a roll. It's quite the nice position to be in, going into the post-season. 

Will it be the "new" version of the Tigers taking to the court in 3AA-North play? 

My "Morris of Course" post focuses on the sweep of Osakis, the third sweep in in a succession of four match victories for the Tigers. Perhaps the season won-lost should only be reported as an afterthought. The W/L explains for sure, our pretty modest No. 6 seeding position. So we'll go on the road to face New London-Spicer, a team that has had our number thus far in 2021. 

But the "new version" of the Tigers may well show up, right? The first round of sub-section is set for Oct. 29. All matches that evening begin at 7 p.m. West Central Area is making its debut in Section 3AA. 

My "Morris of Course" post also reflects on the big fall band concert which was held Monday. Also getting attention: the UMM music scene. Put this on your calendar: the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) vocal recital on Monday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. at UMM's HFA.

Will masks continue to be required? Hah, the "masks required" or "masks recommended" rule could be misconstrued for Halloween! I wonder if we'll see Rudy Giuliani masks this year complete with hair dye dripping down the side. We'll be all set for a press conference at "Four Seasons Total Landscaping." 

I invite you to read my "Morris of Course" post with the link below. Good luck to the Tigers vs. the Wildcats.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/10/maca-volleyball-ends-regular-season-on.html

 

Tiger tennis

The MACA/WCA tennis team is having an historic fall, having qualified for state. In the meantime, the individual phase of section play proceeded at Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter. 

Vying for the Tigers in singles action were Abbitail Athey and Kassidy Girard. They were defeated in semis play. Then they were matched against each other and Athey prevailed to get third place. Section singles was won by Mia Wenzel of Luverne. She turned back Emily Brace of Montevideo in the finals. The 3A doubles title was taken by Elise Duncan and Hannah Helms of Benson/KMS, who defeated Sarah Halvorson and Claire Lowry of LQPV in the finals. 

A check of the MSHSL site shows the state competition is set for October 26-29. The locations will be Baseline Tennis Center at the U of M and the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis. 

It's terrific to have the MACA/WCA tennis coach, Britney House, as a resident of my neighborhood in Morris, Northridge Drive. Be sure to drive by once the holiday lights go up. We're across the field from Homestead. 

 

So, we hear of inflation

You may not be old enough to remember how inflation, i.e. steadily rising prices, can hover over your well-being like a dark cloud. I am old enough to have experienced inflation of the 1970s. We see a lot of current headlines about this specter. 

So, unless you have ways to pump up your income, you might have to tighten your belt. No alternative. Are you prepared? Economics is a science and yes, there is a cure for inflation. That is higher interest rates, what Paul Volcker at the Federal Reserve once gave us, as a nasty medicine as it caused a recession. He warned us about it. 

But are we ready to go along with higher interest rates today in the year 2021? So many of us have money invested in stocks now. And look at the national debt. Just thought I'd run all this by you. 

I left the comment below on Gregory Mannarino's YouTube site last Wednesday. Greg is the "Robin Hood of Wall Street." Remember when Errol Flynn played Robin Hood?

  

Hi Greg - When the media reports on "transitory" inflation, i.e. inflation with a finite lifespan, they don't ask if prices go back down when it's over, or if will stay at new plateau? Well, can we assume it's the latter? This is just part of the cavalier way that the media seems to approach the matter, as if it's just abstract or theoretical. I was a young adult in the 1970s and I can assure you that inflation scares are not abstract or theoretical. Also, we at least had high interest rates with bank CDs to sort of keep pace. And that is completely absent now, i.e. basically zero percent interest. Why doesn't media accentuate this contrast more? I mean, it's relevant. I remember going to local bank back around 1980 and getting a CD for 13 percent interest.

 

Michael Kuhl responded to my comment: "When has anything that costs us peons ever gone down?"

 

And Dave Bellamy responded: "The only thing that will slow inflation this time will be demand destruction due to poverty."

And on that note. . .

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

Tapping Dylan Thomas for cogent reaction

The phrase "rage, rage against the dying of the light" emerged in my head this morning. It's borne of exasperation of course. You might think a state of exasperation is nothing unusual when mulling over political thoughts. I assure you I once studied the conservative political philosophy and do appreciate it, when it's directed properly. 

I have heard Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC refer to "conservatives, who play an important role in our political system." His reputation is left of center, reflecting his network's. And of course O'Donnell is correct. 

I studied conservatism in a contemplative way after completing college in the 1970s when liberalism could be quite force-fed. As it was from our major state newspaper, the Star Tribune, at that time. The paper was probably just called the "Tribune" then. Remember the afternoon "Minneapolis Star?" The Star was much more feature-oriented. I remember when the papers merged, the late Don Fraser expressed the hope that the new entity would not be like the Star. Retrenchment was barely beginning in the newspaper world. 

Today it's a whole new media world where people who call themselves "conservative" have really found their oats. They cannot get enough of their wealth of power, their ability to connect with a substantial element within the American public that just eats this stuff up. They thump their chest about the mere primacy they have found. They thump their chest about how they can always put "progressives" on the defensive. 

Their argument is basically such an easy one: we don't want government, we don't really want to be taxed, never mind it's the common people i.e. working people who steadily take on a disproportionate share of tax obligations. We have to let the filthy rich get away with what they do. 

We elected Ronald Reagan based on trickle-down. There definitely was some merit to that. But this crowd has "turned it up to eleven" now, to invoke "Spinal Tap." And it's because they have such a ready audience. 

The real issues affecting us are lurking in the background. Those issues will not be "CRT" or other such culture wars stuff. That's just making noise. The real operators in politics know how they can get votes. They intone on CRT and related subjects, the kind floated out by conservative media all the time.

"The mainstream media" is a term that has faded from even having a general meaning. The truth about the mainstream media, if we can even agree on what it is, is that it is not really "liberal" at all. I have friends who will guffaw at that. They would guffaw at any suggestion that Hillary Clinton has ever had anything good to offer society. Of course she has. What would motivate her to pursue politics all her life? 

Well, what motivates Donald Trump? And here I recall the Dylan Thomas phrase again: "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." My point being: Is it vain or a waste of time to keep trying to ring this firebell in the night about Donald Trump? I am a journalist with my own ends like all other writers, even though I strive to communicate constructive things. Trump has given us people such "great material." I am resolving to no longer find intellectual succor in that. 

To put it more bluntly: it seems a vain cause. We live in Morris MN where the "red" political crowd and its many "conservative" churches have substantial reach. They are uninhibited. It's nigh impossible to argue with these people. 

Maybe they'd suggest I'm intransigent too? But I have studied the conservative philosophy. I respect it. True conservatives believe in moderation and civility. Conservatives who I remember from my childhood might have been uncomfortable around the word "damn." Today these people drop the F-bomb all over the place.

 

Disingenuous?

The right wingers of today should have been rejoicing at the Texas abortion law ruling. They are pro-life, aren't they? Well, it's rhetoric that works for them. 

They have stripped off their clothing and we now see them for what they are. Asked to react to the ruling, people like Trump himself are less than rejoicing, instead offering up vapid comments about how "it was narrow and procedural." Realistically, it was a highly meaningful step toward what the pro-lifers say they want. It clearly suggests a further eroding of what many of us would call "women's reproductive health rights." 

So why aren't Trump and his ilk high-fiving it? Why not be celebratory? We all know what they are thinking: a return of abortion bans would bring back the dark ages and might cause a shift in public sentiment away from the rigid red state stance, i.e. more people would consider voting for Democrats. 

Especially women? Women who feel more threatened by some current trends than what they are openly saying? Men are loud and caustic. Women are more like quiet nurturers - women are far more common sense, and when their concerns become truly underscored, well the red staters might either learn humility - little chance of that - or be backed into a corner. To eat crow. 

So I state that the mainstream media is not liberal as accused, but here's the problem: the media is profoundly scared of being accused of being liberal. Yes, prone to being inhibited. 

The red staters are capable of applying such a scythe in public debate, never mind that so much of it is just diversion. Preach about "morality" and win sympathy while behind everyone's back, just make sure the rich keep getting richer and getting more tax breaks. People like T. Denny Sanford. And, you know how that name has gotten tainted of late. I will not remind you. 

He can get the best attorney of course. The attorney is the guy who says he's running for AG of South Dakota, hoping to replace the guy who ran over and killed a guy on the side of a highway at night. The incumbent also had the best legal resources and savvy. 

As for T. Denny, just consider the kind of pictures he allegedly likes looking at on his online devices. 

Meanwhile "the Donald" has mastered the tactic of endless "lawsuits" to avoid accountability. It's in the news daily. If I get a seat belt ticket, I cannot "file suit" to just make the whole thing disappear into a fog. 

But shall I keep writing on these matters? Should I even care that it makes "good copy" anymore? 

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." The quote applies to those facing an uncertain fate that lies before them, and in my eyes, it's America of 2021, Trump ever on the fringe with mendacity, stupidity, vanity and cruelty.

Is there any point in confronting all this? It's starting to feel like running on a treadmill.

How has Trump reacted to the death of the great American general, Colin Powell? Show reverence to the dead, a Christian trait? The "evangelical Chrsistians" have given us Donald Trump. Is it time to walk away from Christianity in America? We will never reject Christ himself.

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

MACA volleyball makes it three in a row

Shall we disregard the Tigers' season record in volleyball? The team has come on strong of late, now with a skein of three wins, two of them by sweep. So the season record can maybe be put aside. The Tigers are quite below .500 in season won-lost, the same position as their Thursday foe: Minnewaska Area. 

The Tigers and Lakers vied at Minnewaska. Our sweep success was by scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-19. Can the Tigers make it four in a row to close out the regular season? Our last test is set for Tuesday, Oct. 19, at home against the Osakis Silver Streaks. After that it's playoffs. And you know what they say about playoffs: everyone starts out 0-0. 

For the record the Tigers are now 5-17 and the Lakers sit at 4-17. Our three-match win streak has been over Benson (3-0), Montevideo (3-2) and Minnewaska (3-0). 

You can review the Monte match on my "Morris of Course" companion blog. The post also includes a cross country update. In volleyball we came from behind to beat the Thunder Hawks. It felt like a sweep because we won three straight games after the 0-2 start. My "Morris of Course" post also covers how Morris has been excised from the sports coverage territory of the West Central Tribune of Willmar. No more "All Area" nominations, I guess. You may click on the permalink below, and thanks:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/10/down-0-2-maca-girls-surge-to-defeat.html 

 

Tigers 3, Minnewaska 0

Brienna Dybdahl supplied fuel in the Tigers' Thursday sweep, with 31 assists and a block. Maddy Grove was a cog with 12 kills, eight digs and a block. The kmrs-kkok site also informs us that Brianna Marty tallied nine kills with 15 digs and three aces. Sydney Dietz added to the mix with seven kills. On defense, we saw Liz Lebrija perform 22 digs. 

Let us compliment the kmrs-kkok sports department on its web-based reporting, especially since a void here has opened up with the WC Trib's actions. My observation about the WC Trib is confirmed by Lyle Rambow. 

I have more individual stats available for 'Waska than for MACA. Mikalyn Andreas had a serving ace for the Lakers. Haley Shea was their workhorse in setting with 27 assists, while Brooklyn Larson had one. Larson led in kills with eight followed by Miaya Guggisberg and Dreya Barsness each with seven, Avery Fier with six and Dacia Fleury with three. 

Larson performed two ace blocks. In digs it was Fier setting the pace with 14. Then we see Larson (10), Grace Zenk (8), Brooklyn Meyer (7), Shea (7) and Barsness (5).

More highlights in tennis

It has been a historic fall for our prep tennis program. The program has been a real newsmaker. Now it would be nice to see boys tennis restored - we once had it, then it was eliminated due to a reported "lack of interest." Seems to me that shortcoming can be addressed by enterprising people. 

Come to think of it, why not add soccer too? 

In tennis the Tigers of MACA/WCA are fresh from Section 3A singles and doubles action. The Tigers had already vaulted as a team to state! 

The news now is that two Tigers have made the section singles semis. Abbigail Athey was the No. 3 seed. She started with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Hannah DeLong of MACCRAY. Then Athey turned back a Pipestone foe, Brielle Kulm, 6-4 and 7-5. In the semis she'll face Emily Brace of Montevideo, the No. 2 seed. Athey is No. 3. 

Kassidy Girard debuted with a nifty 6-1, 6-1 win over Emily Miller of Benson-KMS. Girard proceeded to beat Katelyn Wittnebel of LQPV/DB 6-0, 5-7 and 6-2. Up next for Girard: Mia Wenzel of Luverne in the semis. Girard is seeded No. 5, Wenzel No. 1. 

Moving on to doubles, Kjersten Nibbe and Hope Sperr turned back Jenna Boeke and Alyssa Enger of Pipestone, 7-6 and 6-0. Then they bowed vs. Sarah Halvorson and Claire Lowry of LQPV/DB, 6-7 and 2-6. Nibbe and Sperr were seeded No. 5. 

Lakia Manska and Breanna Schmidgall debuted with a win, 6-4 and 6-0, over Hope Stark and Hope Foy. How about that, two Hopes! Manska/Schmidgall were defeated by Emma Stone and Toryn Woehlber of Pipestone, 3-6 and 2-6. 

It looks like 3A tennis action will resume on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter.

The MACA/WCA coach is Britney House. She has lots on the ball, considering she resides on Northridge Drive, just like me!

MACA/WCA tennis, image from MSHSL site

 

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

"Indigenous People Appreciation Day"

Welcome to Indigenous People Appreciation Day. Let's recognize it that way in spirit. My calendar informs me it's Columbus Day. Many people will still go out to their mailbox and make a check. That's because they got no heads-up regarding the fact it's Columbus Day. It has always been an obscure holiday. 

In my Sun Tribune days I'd probably have to be reminded that today is in fact a holiday. We worked with the U.S. Mail a lot, and as van driver through a large portion of my tenure, I had to be aware of all holidays. I'd say "oh, is today a holiday?" With some mock surprise. I was really hinting that holidays such as Columbus Day and Presidents Day weren't worth the trouble. 

Most of us who worked in private business weren't affected much if at all. Government jobs can get you some time off, at least for some of them. 

Barry Goldwater commented skeptically about the proposed MLK holiday, that "it's just another day when the mail won't get delivered." Goldwater toward the end of his life became a charming if cynical figure. Oh wait a minute, his cynicism led to his charm! At his height he was a most serious political force, even if in November of 1964 it was obvious he'd be toast against LBJ. 

Goldwater nevertheless kept the GOP on the side of ideological conservatism, tilting it away from the Nelson Rockefeller element. I remember watching TV the day Rockefeller proposed his "lottery" for military conscription (the draft). So instead of a draft coming down hard on all young men, maybe you'd get a chance through pure luck to have your life spared. My generation collectively said "nuts!" to his idea and any other that assumed the war was worth furthering at all. 

Rockefeller was what might be described as a "progressive" Republican. Maybe I'd prefer "establishment Republican" at least by the standards of the time. "The establishment" was what prolonged the Vietnam war. Against all painfully obvious logic, the war dragged on. Even the fiasco of the fall of Saigon did not teach us all a long-term lesson, one to file, hence our current humiliation by leaving Afghanistan and doing so in a means that had echoes of the fall of Saigon. 

Any Republican who tells you our current retreat is any more humiliating than the end of Vietnam has been smoking something. No, I'd be happy if "smoking something" was the real explanation - to get serious, the situation now is that the Republican Party must lay blame for everything bad at the Democratic Party's doorstep. The crescendo of Trump support is growing again. Unless some sort of indictment actually falls on the guy, watch him inspire the huge throngs at his Nuremberg-like rallies. 

These are people who'd support a person who caused agonizing worry among top generals about the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons. Against China? I remember Chris Matthews' consternation, when Trump was moving up toward the nomination, about Trump saying re. nuclear weapons: "We have them so why don't we use them?" Matthews clarified that the reason we have them is so we don't have to use them, a rather elementary assertion to make. 

But maybe it's too much trouble to expect an aspiring presidential hopeful to grasp this? Even though most elementary-age kids could grasp it? 

It does no good for me to remind that cult leaders take their followers down with them. It does no good because I cannot score points with the Trump faithful who I observe in Stevens County, the guys with Trump's profile on the side of their pickups etc. If only we could just be amused by this. 

So Trump holds a rally in Iowa and 88-year-old Senator Grassley gets up there and pledges total support for Trump, based, he said, on polls showing the overwhelming majority of Iowa Republicans continue to support Trump. So if 90 percent of the party's faithful are fools or lemmings, Sen. Grassley said he's obligated to be a fool or a lemming himself. 

Eighty-eight years old? What's with these people? Can't they slow down and enjoy a comfortable retirement, let the next generation (or actually the one after them) move in and deal with the hard thinking? But instead of hard thinking, we see Republicans like Grassley just get up there and tout Trump. Absolutely no critical thinking required at all. Hey, maybe that's easier for an 88-year-old. Or maybe I could trot out some of my old "Iowa" jokes. 

I don't have TV now but my media sources have not mentioned it's Columbus Day, October 11. I only know because my calendar has a notation. In Canada it's their Thanksgiving. They can be thankful that Trump is our problem. 

We see a stream of expose-style books coming out about Trump in the White House, a cottage industry I predicted with no doubt. All these media people pull hair out with consternation about the disgrace of the Trump presidency, from endless angles, but the irony is this: Trump from the start has been nothing but a gold mine for the news media industry, and by extension book publishing. 

Look how low our nation sank under Trump. The Joe Scarborough TV program every morning, which I can still watch online, has become something like a three-hour daily rant about it all, led by Scarborough who was a long-time Republican (no more). 

If in 2016 we had had the expected race between Clinton and Jeb Bush, the media would have panicked because of the boredom and predictability of it all. Horrors! However, we should not look for entertainment or shock value from our nation's leaders. 

Am I making too much sense? We should want leaders who will make us "eat our peas" sometimes, like to follow some stringent rules after a pandemic breaks out. Leaders would require some sacrifices be made. It would be a long-term strategy. 

It has been said of the most successful people, that the key to their success is to be able to "defer gratification." The Trump crowd kept shouting "individual freedom" and it continues up through today, never mind the pandemic is going to linger. Our economy has survived up to this point, albeit with the Federal Reserve creating new free money all the time. Can this succeed long-term? Rhetorical question. 

So let's call today "Indigenous People Appreciation Day." I once suggested this to our Morris library director who had connections with city officials, but I doubt any such proclamation was signed, to put aside Columbus Day for "Indigenous People's Day." It's still a worthy objective in my mind. 

We fondly remember the late Mike Miller, UMM administrator. 

I'm Norwegian and we beat Columbus to the North American continent anyway.

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

MACA football shines in 33-8 road triumph

There's good news about Tiger football but first I'll give a heads-up that I have coverage of the state-bound MACA/WCA tennis team on my companion blog, "Morris of Course." This post also includes updates on Tiger volleyball and cross country. Thanks for visiting. Here is the permalink. - BW

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/10/tigers-take-3a-tennis-crown-are-in-for.html

 

It's 8 a.m. Saturday morning and I had to consult the "Minnesota Scores" site to catch the score of last night's Tiger football game at Minnewaska. Thanks to "Minnesota Scores" for reporting that the orange and black won 33-8. 

Could not find anything about the game on the West Central Tribune site. That of course is the Willmar newspaper, long known for its area-wide reach. But it has been difficult this fall to get MACA highlights from its website. I no longer even look at their "dead tree" product. It was news when the paper eliminated its Monday edition, and after that the operation seemed to capsize with the announcement that it was going to twice-weekly in print. 

Add to that the fact that our public library was shut down for a long time due to the pandemic, and I have withdrawn from the habit of paying attention to any newspaper, really. 

Well, congrats to our MACA Tigers on the Friday success, 33-8 over those Lakers. I cannot find any kind of game report on the kmrs-kkok site yet, as of 8 a.m. Saturday. I hardly ever check the newspaper website because it has adopted the philosophy of being sort of a "teaser" site, rather than truly go-to for news and sports. And that's fine if it's free-access. 

I left the paper partly because I heard all this big talk about how dynamic our website was going to be. Or, as the late Willie Martin of Willie's Super Valu would say, "super dynamic." I went into Sue Dieter's office and pleaded: "Every day is going to be a press day." And I could not live with this additional layer of duties and pressure on me. 

Answering to area sports parents is a burden so huge sometimes, words cannot describe. It was a rat race that I could no longer countenance or live with, no matter the consequences. And, some of these people really were "rats," maybe even inside the Morris newspaper, pre-Anfinsons. I am only talking about management. 

I do have a suggestion for the Anfinsons: I see they are experimenting with an E-Newsletter to supplement their usual stuff. Which gets me to thinking: why not try to supplant the Chamber of Commerce's "Friday Facts?" I'm not sure the Chamber is much interested in continuing this anyway, since the Chamber seems less than enthusiastic about nearly everything now. Simply put, the paper could take over "Friday Facts" and get some revenue from it. 

The paper always has "content" to put out there. This is its raison d'etre (especially when yours truly was there). Remember that it's spelled "raison" and not "raisin"

You know what I find discouraging now? How our local commercial media - newspaper and radio - packs their websites with UMM sports news as "sports news," when in fact UMM is already well covered on its own website. Has the thought occurred to you that this is strange? 

Tiger volleyball is striking out when it comes to media relations now. 

What will happen with winter? A secondary question: Is the mask requirement going to come back everywhere this winter? It could be "Katy bar the door" for covid flare-ups once the colder and drier air takes over. Are you ready? We haven't done as well with vaccinations as we might, mainly because we have so many ignoramus elected officials who are Republicans out here in "red state America," a state of affairs that has caused people to die, including some of our local friends and neighbors. 

You people are such rubes if you buy into all this Fox News/conservative media stuff. It has taken over AM radio because the more educated listeners have moved on to satellite radio. But you don't need an "education" to have common sense. I'd be the first to accent that thought. You guys with the Trump profiles on the side of your pickups: go sit under a cow. 

I forget my mask for the UMM Homecoming music concert and had to depart - unfortunately since my father's "UMM Hymn" composition was performed. Well I'm not really sad, I'm totally happy to see the tune find some new life. Dad was originally directed to write it as a way of creating a sense of identity for the campus, in the fragile early days when we had existential issues, yes indeed. 

I thanked the UMM choir director in an email. She's Laura Wiebe. I cannot find a photo of her online. 

Regarding my oversight with the mask, I'm sure Dad looked down from heaven and said "I knew you'd screw things up somehow."

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

Cate Kehoe takes conference championship

MACA/WCA tennis player Catherine "Cate" Kehoe won the conference title at third singles Saturday. Kehoe took No. 1 at the No. 3 singles spot. She defeated Leah Hagen of Minnewaska Area in the championship match. 

The Lakers did have considerable success on the day. They swept the three championship matches in doubles. 

Cate is the granddaughter of Janet Kehoe with whom I worked for a long time at the Morris newspaper.

Abbigail Athey of MACA/WCA vied with Laker Allissa Thorfinnson for the title at No. 1 singles. Thorfinnson prevailed. Our Kassidy Girard bowed in the match for No. 1 at second singles - her foe was Addy Randt. Our Claire Stark took second at fourth singles, bowing in the end to Laker Maddie Thorfinnson.

Yours truly has considerably more MACA update material on my "Morris of Course" blog, posted yesterday. This includes: the football team's 25-22 home loss to Pierz, the volleyball team's 0-3 setback vs. BOLD, the tennis team's 4-3 win over Benson/KMS, and the swim meet vs. Sauk Centre, a defeat, 112-74. I invite you to read by clicking on permalink, and thanks. - BW

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/10/61-yard-pass-closes-gap-but-tigers-fall.html 

 

Music event at UMM

What could be more enjoyable than the UMM Homecoming concert? (Should I be typing "UMN?") 

The 2021 edition was held on Saturday. Many people appeared to be streaming into the HFA. I once called it the HFAC and then was questioned on that. People who questioned me in the "old days" often did so by questioning my basic intelligence. Eventually I found some literature that UMM put out when the building first opened, and I saw the "HFAC" initials, for "Humanities Fine Arts Center." People eventually decided, apparently, that the last word was superfluous. 

I watched people arrive at the place Saturday but I could not stay myself. Maybe you can question my intelligence on this one: I overlooked how masks might be required, not just a "suggestion." So there I was, sans mask, and had I driven to campus I could have retrieved one from my car. Alas, such a beautiful fall day, I elected to ride bike out to campus. It's not that I didn't anticipate a mask requirement, it's that the thought of masks did not flit through my mind at all. 

We had all gotten out of the habit of masks and such. Remember the "reopening?" I guess the approach is being modified for fall, but naturally there are inconsistencies. In the "main street" world outside of government-supported places, there is reluctance to observe strict measures vs. covid. I dined out on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, would wager that not a single restaurant patron was wearing a mask for entering/exiting. 

The main street world of greater Minnesota is populated by people who tend to be skeptical of covid rules and maybe even vaccines. If our elected representatives are a barometer, which surely they must be, well they certainly are not setting an example with vaccine promotion. Jeff Backer did a radio interview in which he said he hadn't gotten the shot, and did not indicate any future inclination to do so. He said he felt he might have "already had" the virus, and as support for that he cited, as I recall, a couple days where he felt tired. I could call that lame but that would be too obvious. 

Morris MN is quite in the midst of bright red Trump country, where you'll see guys with pickups that actually have Trump's profile on the side. Certain wild-eyed MAGA people have signs out on their property, like a place right next to East Side Park. That place has recently had a "medical freedom" sign. Ah, freedom. 

You know, when the excrement finally hits the fan in this country, it won't be because of all the silly things that dance around in the heads of MAGA people. It won't be because of "critical race theory" or other such buzzwords. Most likely it will be because Trump used improper influence over the Federal Reserve, an organization that is set up to be independent. 

A president always wants interest rates to be low in the short term to try to ensure re-election. In Trump's case, he was desperate to win re-election in order to keep the protections of his office and keep prosecutors off his tail. We had a succession of interest rate cuts, just prior to and then following the onslaught of covid, covid being a cover I guess. 

Why should the Fed be independent? It's simple: sometimes higher interest rates are the prudent, necessary course to take for the long-term health of the economy, even if short-term there is pain. Higher interest rates force politicians to be more fiscally responsible. Now, why am I laughing out loud? 

A footnote: I could not stay for the UMM Homecoming concert Saturday. Do not feel sorry for me, I am just delighted that the program included the "UMM Hymn" which was written by my father, the late Ralph E. Williams. A friend informed me later. I had peddled my bike home. Beautiful day to be engaged in that of course. 

Thanks and praise to Laura Wiebe of the UMM music department for leading her choral musicians on the "Hymn." It takes only a couple minutes to sing, and ought to be rather a tear-jerker for alums (maybe encouraging them to reach for their checkbook?). Anyway, thanks again. 

Ralph E. Williams

The Hymn was well-known in the Morris community in UMM's earliest years. A friend who was at Saturday's concert informed me "there were QR code sheets outside the entrance with the programs - I didn't know why - but (Laura) announced that that was a link to the lyrics of the Hymn, and invited attendees to scan the code with their phones and sing along. All in all a very, very good concert." 

The UMM music faculty hasn't been the most stable lately, so it's super hearing such a rave review of a concert. My father always felt the Homecoming concert should be made up of crowd-pleasers and not necessarily the most esoteric stuff. 

Man, what would Dad make of the tech elements and tech talk? "QR code sheets." He might say "let's all just get back to essentials." He got his undergraduate degree from the U of M in 1939. His life was interrupted by WWII, the Navy, where he was a lieutenant in the Pacific. The most important chapter in his life would be UMM, for Mom Martha too!

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