Dark side of teacher activism

I remember seeing coverage of a teachers strike out east in the 1980s. Much of organized labor seemed to be feeling its oats in the 1980s. Maybe you remember the Hormel labor action here in Minnesota. A more depressing level of conflict among human beings you could not imagine. Any sensible person would come away thinking "there has got to be a better way." 

The teacher strike that was being covered on TV involved some replacement teachers showing up at some point. I suppose the people who were responsible for running these institutions felt at a certain point that the kids and their families needed the professional services. Could the teachers be persuaded to let up? I mean, for the sake of the kids? Seems a child's play type of argument as it were. 

But logic never comes so easy in labor actions. In fact it doesn't come at all. So it is so exasperating. 

The TV coverage showed a replacement individual being accosted by one of the picket sign-carriers. The latter individual shouted at the top of his voice, basically right into the face of the other person. "Scab! Scab! Scab!" 

What animal-like behavior. What possesses a person to act like this? An even more important question: Isn't it below the dignity of teachers to behave like this? I mean, if we were talking about pipefitters or stevedores, well maybe. Schoolteachers? Very concerning if this behavior is seen to pass muster. And I don't think it does anymore. 

When was the last time you learned about a teachers strike on TV? If they happen, they are more subdued. 

We all want to like and appreciate schoolteachers. Problem is, they make it hard for us so often. Teachers have one strike against them because we all can remember bad experiences involving schoolteachers from our own student phase. And why couldn't the school systems have lightened up a little? 

I remember a good motivational speaker once who started his presentation - I paraphrase - "When you're set to start turning your life around, the first thing to do is to forget all the bad things that happened to you in school." 

Good advice of course. But why is it assumed that nearly all of us had horrible experiences from public school? I guess we have, at least people up through a certain age. I'm with the boomers in terms of generation. I was born right at the heart of it. Our parents had the good fortune to get through the Depression and then World War II, so by golly they were going to celebrate by bringing new lives into the world. 

When my confirmation class at First Lutheran Church in Morris had its photo taken, we were arranged in rows. That's shocking because in later years a mere handful of kids, a sprinkling by comparison, got in the photo. My generation took for granted our state of affairs, that kids would just keep flooding the U.S. 

And a huge irony: despite our numbers, we didn't have anywhere near the organized activities for youth that are presented them today. What a blessing today: an indoor arena for hockey, fully developed girls and women's sports, an FFA program just to name three things. Yes, there was no FFA program here when I was in high school. For some reason, FFA was associated with the very small towns. Strange. 

Of course, FFA is really synonymous with vo-tech education. The proposal for FFA was controversial when it came along in Morris. Oh, I know there was at least a faction of teachers lined up against it - I would describe this group as "the usual suspects," the teachers who were complaining so loudly about the lot of teachers all the time. 

I was with the Morris paper and I remember photographing two of our teachers with picket signs in the background, all set up to go if our teachers decided to become belligerent and go on strike. This was the early 1980s, a nightmarish spell of time when teacher unions everywhere in Minnesota were either going on strike or scaring the hell out of their communities by threatening to go on strike. 

Oh, I remember the names of the two teachers in the photo I took: Jack Kern and Dorwin Tschetter. From my perspective - a pretty good perspective considering my position at the newspaper - Kern was the worst for acting political as a teacher, for agitating, gossiping among his peers and in general being distracted from his real purpose. Don't worry, I have personal memories about these things and I'm not going to share any more fine details.

I saw from my perspective that Bob Mulder was another such individual. I feel many of these people succumbed to certain pressures that fell upon teachers everywhere throughout Minnesota, and possibly all across the nation. You must understand that unions are all about power. There is nothing else to it. Don't be Pollyannish. 

Teachers already have one strike against them because as I have already pointed out in this post, we all have bad memories from school - we aren't inclined to want to stand in line praising our old teachers. We might want to flip them the bird. 

Not to be a Debbie downer here, so I'll point out that things seem far more positive today. 

I no longer have the perspective of being with the newspaper - I used to be aware of everything, too much for my own good sometimes. But I'm fairly certain of what I speak. One of my informed friends says with concern, "the kids walk all over the teachers now." 

I smile. It's probably a better state of affairs than what I remember, when teachers showed a dictatorial stance that beat down the kids' self-esteem. So very few 'A' grades given out in so many classes, I have asserted before that teachers made their classes hard because it gave them a feeling of importance as teachers. 

The need for power/importance reflected the teachers' constant drive to "get more" in their next (expletive) contract. 

Teachers should be idealistic today. They should not be of a mind to shout "scab!" in the face of another human being. 

Will we ever see picketers outside of UMM again? Remember that episode? People drove by them honking horns as if to express support. That was implied, maybe supported by a friendly wave. And this was done because the normal human being never wants these strident strikers to be against you. Heaven forbid, these people could easily become violent, commit vandalism. 

Teachers have the awesome power of grading our kids. Today the honor roll lists for high school are so long compared to what I remember. Why did it take our school leaders so long to recognize the need for change? 

I'm trying to heed the opening words of that motivational speaker: Step one toward a new life is to forget all the bad things that happened to you in school. 

Why has our society chosen to inflict such pain on itself in the past? Well, consider that our American society once lived with the Vietnam war and its carnage for years and years. We are so human an animal. 

Remember "scab football?" To hell with "scab" and related terminology. We should NEVER be in a position to de-humanize each other. I hope the teacher out east who shouted "scab!" has had a miserable rest of his life. And that he ends up in hell. 

Think I'm anti-teacher union? Look up and read how Mike Pompeo feels about teachers unions. He must have had some very bad things happen to him in school. Here's one area where I'd high-five with this former Trump partner in government. But not in any other area.

BTW I have the warmest thoughts today about Dorwin Tschetter, a member of my church of First Lutheran.

 

Dick Gephardt

Addendum: When I look back at the abrasive labor conduct of past times, I remember also how quickly and knee-jerk the Democratic Party politicians were, to support labor regardless of circumstances. If there was anything that could make me vote Republican, that was it. And I only drifted slowly back to progressivism. 

Because, I saw such obviously offensive aspects to teacher activism and other labor flexing-of-muscles. 

Democrats need to be careful about such matters. I could easily retreat to the GOP side again. Or just become detached from everything. Dick Gephardt was once associated with blindly-pro-labor causes. But I read in the last couple years that this politico from Missouri had switched and become a consultant to business on how they can crush their unions! Maybe he finally got fed up with some things too.

 

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

Pomme de Terre City Park got walloped!

We are stunned having been through another storm. Last year it was the "derecho." On Tuesday night hell visited the Morris area again. The effects in town seemed bad enough the next day. Whereas the 2022 derecho pushed over two trees in my yard out on Northridge Drive, the storm of this week only resulted in branches around my yard. The trees survived. 

I still have too many trees. My father enjoyed all the trees he planted but then they develop too much and can be problematic. My neighbor to the west, previous to the Cihaks, got fed up and had nearly all her trees removed in back. Some relief maybe, but the bare state of affairs has led to snowdrifts seemingly a mile high! We get slammed with the northwest wind sometimes. 

The minimal effects of this week's storm where I live had me thinking it was not quite the big deal. Scandinavians talk about "big deals" or "not so big deals." We use the expression "heckuva deal." Well, I took one of my rather long walks last night and saw that the storm really was a "hcckuva deal." Effects were shocking to observe. 

It was not easy to get to the hardest-hit place. I saw "road closed" signs. I followed the bike trail. Even there, I saw branches that I had to navigate around. A couple bicyclists were out there and in one instance, I saw the fellow come to a stop and walk his bike around branches. I was en route to our Pomme de Terre City Park. 

Usually if there are no little kids in the "spray park," I'll go out there shirtless and shoeless and "take a shower," as it were. I wouldn't want to be so close to little kids - society gets nervous these days. 

Heck, there's no way the spray park was going to be open on Wednesday. As I approached the city park, I began to see shocking signs of the Tuesday storm's onslaught. An onslaught indeed! Trees were blown over and these included some quite large trees with thick trunks. Blown right over, lying on the ground. I wondered what it would have been like to be close to the place when it happened. 

So many trees left destroyed, will take a considerable effort by the city to clean it all up. I wonder how quickly this can be done. Will the park be closed for the rest of the summer? I would guess not, but holy cow there's damage to beat the band. 

I came away thinking, was this another derecho? Or even worse, a tornado? I seriously concluded that a little tornado touched down out there. A derecho would have left devastating effects over a much wider area, like out at my place. 

I remember the current storm at its height at my place. I actually went out in it, grabbed my ladder and had to ensure that water was flowing unimpeded through my gutter/drainage system. It is imperative. If I fail to do this, water will splatter next to my home's foundation. My problem is with all the organic stuff that collects so regularly in the gutters. It is difficult to keep up with, and a person of my age - I'm 68 - ought not be getting up on a ladder all the time. But I absolutely must take the best possible care of my residence which was a labor of love for my late parents. 

I attended to the gutters with success Tuesday night amid the absolute hell of the storm. I was drenched. At a certain point you just don't notice it anymore. You get numb to the storm. At first you want to shriek. So, mission accomplished. Then the next morning I went out and around to start observing. 

Then later in the day, my quite lengthy walk which is a pretty regular habit for me anyway. People say they've seen me out along the bypass. I walk a good share of the bypass as I head back home on my route. I should note that in a past time, rapidly receding in time, I was a runner in many of these places. At age 68 I have totally withdrawn from that. Even if my body was willing, which it could be, my spirit just is not in line. 

I see Kevin Wohlers still enjoying the jogging activity and I salute him. He's "Mr. Mayor" now. ("Mr. Mayor" was a character played on TV by Bob Keeshan, the same guy who played "Captain Kangaroo." I was totally a "Captain Kangaroo" kid, finding affinity with "Mr. Green Jeans." I got a little scared of "Bunny Rabbit" because the character never said anything. What was he/she up to? Also a little apprehension about "Grandfather Clock" who just sat stationary and didn't speak. 

What was that all about? Is it possible to get clocks to speak? I was just a little urchin. 

Normally our Pomme de Terre City Park is pretty full with campers this time of year, right? On Wednesday night I saw just one and I suspected the others had to have been blown over if not blown away into the next county maybe. I was worried what all had happened with the campers and their outfits. 

 

A new pattern?

So the derecho in '22 and now this: is it evidence of climate change? Certain people in this county - a fair number actually - will accuse you of being "woke" if you even bring this up. We are a "red" region politically, still with stiff allegiance to Donald Trump. The fever does not break with certain people, all the reverent churchgoers who feel Trump is an extension of our Heavenly Father. 

Don't you all realize you're scaring young people away from Christianity? Do you even care about that? People get mad at me for bringing this up with regularity but like I said, the fever will not break. No matter what is discovered about Trump's mob boss side - the sheer criminality and immorality - his supporters here stay resolute. 

I don't want to have anything in common with these people. Will we re-elect Michlle Fischbach? Will Jeff Backer stay in the legislature? It's bizarre, scary. 

 

Get with it, Morris media

I just now checked the Morris radio station website, maybe to get re-cap info on the storm. Would be so nice. I don't see anything. I'm waiting for an official report that might tell us if a tornado could be affirmed. Nothing. The top story this morning is "National Night Out" about a campaign for police-community partnerships. Who gives a flying f--k about that? 

The newspaper website? I don't think it's even worth checking. I remember when Sue Dieter talked like the paper's website was going to be so dynamic. Then Dieter and Forum Communications did a disappearing act from the local media. Cowardly on the part of Forum Communications. The pretentious Republican-oriented company out of Fargo. 

I won't even check the paper's website this morning. I'll just have to wait. I might have to consult with the Star-Tribune to get informed. I see that at our library. 

A friend emailed me to give me a heads-up on what is going on with the Morris newspaper:

 

Did you go to the library to check out the current fishwrap? If not – a new staff member introduced himself on the first page of the ‘B’ section. Sam Peterson is his name, he’s the new sports editor for all 3 papers – Monitor, The Fishwrap, and the Grand County Harold.  I wonder how he’s going to handle that on Football Fridays in the fall (Remember that guy that always showed up on the Ed Sullivan show that kept all those plates spinning?). I wonder if they call his position “The Brian Williams Memorial Chair.”

 

A nice shout-out, friend. Seriously, let's contemplate what our "fishwrap" is doing. The Morris paper thinks that the one area that should command increased resources is. . .sports? You're probably laughing. People live with the bloated sports "section" like it's just one of those things, part of our lives in outstate Minnesota. 

We all love the vigorous sports programs provided by our schools, I think. That is disconnected from what the "local newspaper" does, as the paper inundates us with fine details of all these games played a week or a week and a half ago. 

The only people who really care are the quite tiny minority of people who have kids on teams. OK, and the people who are their close friends. They get emotional and assertive and can really be quite ugly. But. . .the paper should never assume that these people represent the broad readership. Heavens, they do not. But the papers act like they think that way. 

And the system rolls on. 

I wish to implore you that the decline of the print media is real and continuing, it's just that it doesn't make news like it would have a dozen years ago. It's not a man-bites-dog story any more. We are quietly accepting new norms in our news and communication systems. We do it almost unconsciously. 

The day will come when the Morris paper will close. The cost of printing and distributing the product is substantial - it will get to be too much. 

High school sports can be reported online through systems yet to be fully developed. Oh yes it can. Child's play. Wait and see. Remember when we used to get the paper school calendar? Change just happens.

 

Addendum: Regarding the Morris paper and its announcement, is it a letdown to think the paper will not have a person whose primary focus is Morris sports or Morris/Hancock? Katie Erdman does not like me to write that Hancock no longer has its own paper. She says the old Hancock paper is now simply mixed in with Morris. 

But the whole paper product is so much less. The Morris paper used to publish twice a week and Hancock had a stand-alone paper. I think it's perfectly legitimate to say Hancock lost its paper. Some would demur I guess. 

So the new sports guy will be delivering a product for three papers in this area? Seems unwieldy at the very least. How much truly original writing will he be doing, as opposed to processing a raw product given him by coaches or others? 

I used to interview coaches all the time. Used an old-fashioned spiral notebook and ballpoint pens, like I used for note-taking in college classes. Today the kids don't even use cursive any more - I don't see how they can keep up as they print their notes as the professor speaks. They cannot. But then again, I strongly think college classes have been made far easier today. 

Colleges need students, and they cannot attract them with "rigorous" academics. Does the expression "cramming for finals" even exist any more? Back when students did that, I don't think they enjoyed their classes very much. They'd procrastinate, n'est-ce pas? 

Is it true that teachers today are just "caretakers," not really "teachers." Actually there is probably an upside to that. But will the day come when we do not need the traditional bricks-and-mortar "schools" at all? My friend who emailed me has suggested that we'll always need outstate high schools because we need their sports teams. 

 

Addendum #2: This is just me, but I do not think that black people benefited from slavery. Sorry to come up against all the MAGA types again. Oh, and I also think it's offensive to suggest that Jews in concentration camps could survive longer by "making themselves useful." Alas, I am always an an outlier around here. I resist Fox News.

 

Our Pomme de Terre City Park in normal times, wonderful place (tripadvisor image)

 

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

Summer of the big Aldean song

So how are y'all handling this slow time of year? I used to consider the period between Prairie Pioneer Days and the fair to be the slowest for our Morris. And you might say we're pretty slow to begin with. 

Then things got slower with the complete wipeout of PPD. It is mind-boggling that this was allowed to happen. Stuns me to this very day. 

The Stevens County Fair has alienated me because I had a hard time adjusting to the community supper being on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I'll repeat the story: I took my late mother out to the fairgrounds on Wednesday thinking the fair would be full-on. But I was surprised to find the typical Wednesday of the fair. And not only that, to see the "private parking" signs along the little road leading to the main fair parking lot north of the ethanol plant. (A landmark along there was the Michaelsons' "Mary in a bathtub.") 

Private parking for the fair? Talk about being stunned again. So these little bumps in the road must be navigated in life. I don't even consider going to the fair any more. I thought Mom and I could grab a meal at the 4-H foodstand. Chalk it up to confusion. Stuck in my old habits maybe? Tough to deal with change? It is a challenge. 

So this is the summer where the culture clash within America is intensifying, greatly. From the political left we have the endless gender awareness stuff and LGBTQ with the increasingly complicated vocabulary which I do not want to keep up with. Forget it. 

I'm inclined toward the liberal end of the spectrum these days, overall, but don't come at me with the sexual orientation stuff any more. There's such a thing as being proper. Let's just prohibit discrimination and leave it at that. 

Jason Aldean (bbc image)

From the political right in America, you know of what I speak: it's MAGA over and over. It can grate on you even worse than the sexual orientation stuff. So now we have the Jason Aldean country song which does what so much of popular entertainment does: it simplifies and creates caricatures. Not enough people recognize this. 

Commercial art is commercial, attuned to what gets the money coming in, and this relies on stereotyping a whole lot of things. Small town equals good, big city equals totally bad/disgusting.

Well of course it's a terrible oversimplification. But isn't this how the MAGA crowd behaves so much of the time? It turns them on. I listen to the talk from the middle section of our DeToy's Restaurant early in the morning. Republicans are good, Democrats are scumbags. How nice to have everything so cut and dried in life. (It's all males at DeToy's BTW.) 

If Trump gets back in, he'll supply help to his good friend Putin and Russia might invade Scandinavia. Sweden is especially at risk. Are all you people of Scandinavian stock comfortable with that? 

 

Comfort with verse

Anyway, to make life interesting I sat down for my morning coffee here at home - instant coffee with use of my trusty old microwave - and decided it was time to write some poetic verses again. A nice little pastime occasionally. Whenever I write poetry I have a generic sort of country melody in my head, so it all could be sung. No exception here. 

With your indulgence I'd like to share my offering here which is inspired by the Aldean song and all its controversy, controversy which of course means money in the bank for the Nashville people. Congratulations. 

There is no "hook" line in my poetry/song so I just use the title "Aldean's Big Song." He has broken through to be a mega celebrity now. Caprice is at work. There is no genius to his song at all. It just pushes some timely buttons to attract the MAGA crowd, the people who are amused by veiled lynching references. 

This downward slide in our culture began with the Supreme Court nixing the Voting Rights Act. John Roberts claimed we didn't need it anymore. He was wrong in absolute spades. I invite you to read my poetry/lyrics here, and thanks.

Is there hope for America? I'm really not sure.

 

Just what does it mean

When Jason Aldean

Says life in the cities is worthless

That life gets you down

Outside the small town

To be in the city is fruitless

 

How can he just rush

To use a broad brush

And lump all those places together

Now I could be wrong

But it's just a song

And maybe he really knows better

 

A song of three chords

Is flimsy of course

It can't say too much or it's draining

So take a short cut

Just make a brief fuss

About daily life, I'm just saying

 

Just what should we glean

From Jason Aldean

When he says the small town is better?

If you went and chose

A place with dirt roads

Do you have your act all together?

You'll still think it's cute

And funny to boot

If you like to watch "Andy Griffith"

But that's just a ruse

To get us confused

A dream where we swear that we're in it

 

If Nashville could talk

It would really balk

At all the fixation on smallness

If they want more bling

With all that they sing

They have to break down and be honest

 

A town of one horse

Fits in with three chords

Where Democrats are oh so feeble

Where Trump is the king

Who knows everything

He tells them what's good and what's evil

 

The facts are laid bare

We should be aware

That cities are where there is action

An endless array 

Of things that you'll say

Deliver the best satisfaction

Would Jason Aldean

Just kindly come clean

And say he just builds on a notion

From watching TV

And seeing "Aunt Bea"

With all of her rustic devotion

 

A song can be nice

For making things right

In our harried minds it's a potion

They want us to pine

For things that remind

Of simple life out in the open 

If Jason Aldean

Could say what he means

He might just disclose it's a fable

So charming for sure

Apparently pure

But see through it if you are able

A song like Aldean's

Is just meant to please

The whimsy that dances inside us

What he really gets

Are dollars and cents

If you don't know that you're a real dunce

I know of these things

The drive for the bling

'Cause I have friends who are in music

They come out with shtick

That says they are hicks

If you believe that you're a looney

If you would enjoy 

A rhinestone cowboy

A fantasy then you are seeking

And that's just the scheme

With Jason Aldean

And all of his music that's reeking

 

If you buy the tease

That big names believe

The hooey that is in their music

They're out to sell songs

So don't be so wrong

The money is what always moves it

So Jason Aldean

Connects with his meme

Of how the small towns are an anthem

Is that where he'd live, 

Both he and his ilk?

They would not if even you paid them

They say to bow down

affix a nice crown

On towns where you see just one steeple

So rev-rent they are

When not at the bar

They're really just ord-nary people

They take the dirt roads

They know bucks from does

And surely their guns make them special

If that's your turn-on

You have something wrong

So why on this life would you settle?

Let's be honest here

Dispense with the beers

This image that Aldean is sellin'

He pulls at some strings

Makes certain bells ring

But it's just as real as a gremlin

I hardly believe

That Jason Aldean

Subscribes to his lyrics so bigly

The message he weaves

With unbounded glee

Just fills up his coffers so richly

So heed my words please

Before you believe

That dirt roads bestow such great virtue

If Jason Aldean

Would come on the scene

With truth then I'm sure he'd surprise you

 

 

In my dreams I get Willie Nelson's approval.

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

UMM may be in the clear!

We're still in midsummer, contemplating how the next school year will go both for the collegians and high school. For the former, our curiosity has been lifted by the nation's highest court. 

We have to brace ourselves for an absolute raft of decisions now that reflect boilerplate Republican thinking. Did you ever think it would come to this in the U.S.? 

Many of us have long held skepticism about extreme liberalism, the kind that we sensed was flowing in the 1970s. I have referred to this as "paternalistic liberalism." Consider John Kenneth Galbraith, whose thick and pretentious books would be on reading lists for college courses. Mr. Galbraith felt the common people or the masses or whatever needed to be protected from "too much advertising." We couldn't handle it. 

A lot of that sheep dip was pushed aside as time passed. Too many people like me saw it for what it was. The "Reagan Democrats" came forward. We loved Jimmy Carter but he got lost somewhere along the line. That, plus the enormous internal feud with him and Teddy Kennedy, caused the party to lose steam. 

Reagan is to be revered more and more in our collective memory as time passes. I could almost get misty. He was a mature and responsible person, having been involved with a union once. He had perspective but never got deluded by the more distasteful aspects of the progressives. 

Our Republican president from 2016 to 2020 lacked the maturity and wisdom, having been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had this fantastic opportunity upon being elected in 2016. He could have been roughly like the Clintons - no real liberals - and governed wisely mostly from the middle, maybe slightly right of center. He could have lost with magnanimity in 2020, then become a goodwill ambassador. He'd have a chance of being remembered warmly. I think his family members at present would have appreciated that. 

But of course that didn't happen. He sought the most extreme right wing Supreme Court possible. Legend has it he appointed people from a list given him by Mitch McConnell. If true, he lacked independent will. McConnell was thinking mainly of abortion. So how do ya'll feel about that? How do you females feel? Do you not realize now, if you didn't before, that politics has real world ramifications, it's not just some entertainment curiosity you follow from your TV screens? 

So the Supreme Court is coming at us now with drastic decisions that actually affect us. 

 

Consider our UMM

I was concerned that the affirmative action decision, nixing it, would have strong effect for our University of Minnesota-Morris. But maybe not. I am learning that UMM's policy with Native Americans may not at all be a race-based or ethnicity-based policy! I was surprised. 

A fellow named "Scooter" edified me. This was in response to a comment I had placed on a Yahoo News article. My comment advised that lawyers had "better be at the ready" to deal with possible challenges here in our humble hinterlands type of place. Because, surely the right wingers have an army of lawyers ready to go on all such things. 

Trump has lawyers employing machinations constantly, about driving us nuts with the minutiae. Delay, obstruct, obfuscate, appeal until hell won't have it. 

Stephen Miller

Stephen Miller is in charge of an organization with a raft of lawyers ready to go on the affirmative action thing. So might UMM, a place with a "multi-ethnic building," be in the crosshairs for these take-no-prisoners folks? Take a look at the photo of Stephen Miller - he just looks mean. 

But UMM might be in the clear. 

Yes, UMM's policy with our Native friends looks as though it's not a race-based thing. Instead it has to do with a relationship with a sovereign nation. I have heard the term "sovereign nation" used before in connection with reservations. So legally speaking we are dealing with such an entity and not "Native Americans" as a class of people, of aggrieved people as they most certainly are. Thank you to "Scooter." 

He added another unrelated thought about our Morris. Oh no, not exactly music to our ears. He's not the first voice along these lines, alas. "But in reality," my new friend "Scooter" says, "no one really wants to go to UM-Morris. They have around 1000 undergraduates and for Minnesota are literally in the middle of nowhere." 

Ouch. But can we really be surprised at that comment? No. 

So, how are things going to shape up this fall at our UMM? Maybe the best thing we have going for us is that the Democratic Party remains strong here, bucking the apparent nationwide trend. I mean, the Dakotas are nothing like us. The South Dakota governor has spoken seriously about having Donald Trump's face added to Mount Rushmore. Way to go, Republicans, as you focus on issues that really affect our lives. 

Give Republicans more power and the only thing they'll really do is give more tax cuts to billionaires and multi-national corporations. First they have to influence all the ignorant rubes - the Jason Aldean fans - by talking about the social issues which they don't really care about. We are lemmings. 

How will things go at UMM? We'll hope for the best. 

 

The Court's agenda

My theory on the Supreme Court's affirmative action decision is that the true agenda is to just make life miserable for the people who run colleges. Republicans never feel comfortable with higher education because they feel it nurtures future "liberals" who are the focus for their eternal hatred. Can't you see that? Create sleepless nights for college presidents. That's what they are doing. 

So maybe colleges will gradually slip into decline in our culture. 

Were we seeing the effects of that last spring at UMM with the absence of a band or choir for the graduation ceremony at the P.E. Center (or whatever it's called now)? Also, no printed programs for the ceremony? You had to have a "smartphone." Way to go UMM, for forcing so many older people to feel like they are hopeless for keeping up with the times. 

UMM can continue cutting favors for the Native American community, it looks like. And at least we have seen "Redskins" erased from our pro sports nomenclature. But we still have the "Benson Braves" close to Morris with that logo that includes feathers! I am shocked that this has been allowed to continue for so long. Are the wheels turning yet for Benson to make the change, change now required by legal pressures? As far as Democrats keeping power in our Minnesota, I think UMM advocates can breathe a sigh of relief because Democrats have always been rather uncaring about largesse in public education. UMM as a "liberal arts" bastion is the perfect idea for what Republicans and conservatives would rail against. 

Maybe Torrey Westrom says he likes us. I'm sure he's only doing that because he has to, because UMM is an institution in his district and he knows it is not going to fundamentally change. Don't believe a word he says about it. It would be harder for ol' Neanderthal Jeff Backer to even pretend he supports us. Maybe he would, but he might have to take pills first. Here's a guy who voted against condemning the violence of January 6. Sheesh. What a tangled web in the year 2023, what a mess.

  

Continuing dialogue

It's Friday so why not hash over Trump some more? Really it's no pleasure but the attention is merited. So here's a comment I posted on Yahoo News this morning:

Do Trump's lawyers ever argue real "innocence?" Isn't it all about machinations, maneuvering, obfuscating or whatever? So why does the legal system roll over and allow this to happen so much? If we get through all this, we may need a major restructuring of our system for white collar crime, n'est-ce pas? Are the big-time lawyers worried that the public is going to wise up to the system?

"NTTG" responded to my comment:

As long as they are getting paid, they really don't care. . .unless the judge starts making them pay court costs. . .Kari Lake caught that one, others will follow.

Here's the kind of response I might have respected, from "Zee":

No one has to prove or argue their innocence in this country. That isn't the American way of justice. The prosecution has to prove their case and the defense's job is to discredit the prosecutions' evidence and their witnesses. The defense shouldn't have much trouble doing that. In any case, if the trial isn't going well, it behooves Trump to dismiss the defense team (thus delaying the trial by another 6 months (or after the election). The new defense team will have to go through the same things this one did with clearances etc. and getting familiar with the evidence.

More fan mail from some flounder, this one from "escarvajal":

They delay or discredit the investigators. What else are they going to do? Argue the merits of the case?! LOL

Here's from "Marcus." Thanks Marcus.

You don’t argue your case until you get to the court room.

And, nice fodder from "DSW":

D.C. courts move a whole lot faster. Maybe another indictment coming. . .Jan. 6th, since Trump got a Target Letter. Why do you think Trump announced his candidacy so early? He knew he would likely have trial dates (he knows the evidence is stacked against him), and his lawyers trying to maneuver to defend the indefensible. I suspect the evidence that Jack Smith has turned over to them is quite substantial.

And there's a million stories in the naked city.

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

There was some hope on Tuesday

Judge Lewis Kaplan (NYLJ image)

Fooled again. I sensed some drama on Tuesday as I thought surely that the time had come for the U.S. to push the Orange Man aside. 

Surely we would decide that it's not necessary to have Trump's name in the big headlines daily. To command our attention so much. To see his mug with an item at the top of Yahoo News daily. But it has become such a norm. 

Is it really just habit or are we consciously deciding we want this criminal, this convicted rapist, to lead the way for us all? Are we "Christians" of the U.S. setting the tone for how we must keep obsessing on Trump and his many acolytes? 

Yes, a judge named Kaplan decided that Trump really had committed rape. You know the victim's name: E. Jean Carroll. What a courageous person she is. 

Again I have friends who will resent me for even writing once again with today's tone. If enough of us skeptics continue speaking out, asserting ourselves, can the corner possibly be turned? Can we all decide to approach our national issues being led by someone other than the Orange Man? Could he at least be shelved and considered more of a side curiosity? He would be a pathetic side curiosity. 

A man judged by a jury in a legitimate legal process to have committed sexual assault. And now a real judge has made it clear that the offense in question was indeed rape, "according to the general understanding of the word rape." So DJT raped a woman and this has been adjudicated through our legal process. 

But wait, the Trumpians don't necessarily respect our legal process any more. Without our legal system, where would the U.S. be? An autocracy where the people at the top are able to nullify elections? Wait, that is precisely what the Trump group attempted, came dangerously close to succeeding. 

These efforts were aided by our own U.S. congressperson out here in Jason Aldean country. That's Michelle Fischbach. Looks like she does not want to answer questions about her public stance on Jan. 6 now. 

Michelle Fischbach

Wouldn't Ms. Fischbach want to show that she is proud of her own judgment? She was worried about "allegations of voting irregularities too voluminous to ignore." Rather vacuous assertion. She might clarify. So she was on board with Ted Cruz, "Mr. Happy" of the U.S. Senate. 

Maybe y'all are fans of Jason Aldean. I was barely familiar with him until the current fuss about a current song of his. It celebrates small town America as a bastion away from the big cities. The message about gun-toting small town folks caused a stir. It was just too much. CMT pulled the song from its rotation. 

 

A day for a pivot?

So I thought Tuesday of this week was a day for feeling special drama, a turning point for this nation in realizing we just had to turn away from Trump. In the evening I sensed an actual glow of relief. In the next 24 hours a familiar realization entered my head. Hey, it's not happening. We see another raft of headlines about legal machinations involving the Orange Man. "Judge Cannon" is a household name. Why should she be? 

It's all in our faces again. And I need not even make my rounds in our community of Morris to realize that the Trump crowd is not budging - the Apostolic Christians, conservative Christians and others. It's like their eyes are glazed over. 

Trump's ultra-conservative Supreme Court made a ruling on affirmative action. Might it have a detrimental effect here in Morris? I mean, with our plum of an asset in the U of M-Morris which has its multi-ethnic building and offers free tuition to Native Americans? Think that's a good thing? 

That's not the point. The point is about whether UMM can stay on course with its multi-ethnic attitude in light of the tone set by the court. Is the free tuition thing still tenable? Might it be challenged? Trump sycophant Stephen Miller already has an organization set up ready to go, powered by conservative "lawyers" of course to go after any straying educational institutions. This crowd spares no one. 

Remember that UMM has always been a precious asset for our local economy. Your vote matters and elections have consequences. If you're drifting along feeling the whimsy of a Jason Aldean song, get a life. Don't let entertainers influence you so much. They are just creating a product. They learn how to shape it in order to market themselves. It's not "real." 

My current post on "Morris of Course" is inspired by the Aldean thing. The heading is "Country music needs to recognize good business." I invite you to read with this permalink, and thanks. - BW

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2023/07/country-music-needs-to-recognize-good.html 

 

Get real

The dichotomy of the charming small town and the evil big cities is a gross oversimplification. People in small towns are afraid of violence too. Big cities are "where the people are," so if they are experiencing corrosion, we're all in trouble. 

Yes, we're all in trouble, period. Trump pulled the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. He says climate change theory is a "hoax." You absolute rubes if you follow the Orange Man's lead on this. Look at the headlines about excessive heat across the U.S. over this past week. This kind of heat kills. 

The reason Republicans don't want to see drastic action to curtail climate change, is that this is the kind of problem that really calls for "big government," and that's anathema for them. A Democratic leader would call for various bold actions to keep the U.S. on a healthy course. 

Forget about which party ends up looking like a "winner" or a "loser." It's not about that. It's about whether we as Americans can continue to enjoy life. So quit listening to Jason Aldean. 

But why am I writing all this today, if I have concluded it really seems futile? Tuesday did not turn out to be a turning point day with Trump. This never happens. Think of "Groundhog Day" where we keep re-experiencing the same day. Get up in the morning, there's Trump's picture at the top of a news web page. Articles that quote lawyers. Legal stuff that seems never to reach resolution. "Judge Cannon." 

This space alien type of person "Marjorie Taylor Greene" who now "inflicts Hunter Biden nudes on America." That's a headline on the Drudge Report this morning (Thursday). What would my late parents have thought? They could not have even begun to understand. 

Now we're supposed to panic about "Meghan and Harry separating." But I'm more worried about climate change. 

People around our Morris, to the extent they would pay any attention to me or even acknowledge my existence, would sniff and say I am merely a "Trump hater." I have "Trump derangement syndrome." And then they'd go their merry way off to some church Sunday morning that reinforces all their co-called beliefs. 

Here's a headline from the Washington Post this morning: "Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll." I may be an island all by myself, here in Jason Aldean country, but such environs are my home. The worm will not turn. Any argument with a Trump supporter just ends with the Trump person saying "so what?" How is the rape thing going to affect how the U.S. is perceived around the world? Time for a new song?

 

On Tuesday when my feeling of optimism was higher, I posted the comment below with a Yahoo news article:

Let's try to sense what's going on: The building momentum of Jack Smith's work is changing the perception of the whole Jan. 6 aftermath. It is no longer so foggy, not that it should ever have been foggy. The fog is clearing and there will be a near-consensus on the seriousness of the infractions. Thank God our legal system could come through in the end. And now that "the end" seems to be setting in, people in prosecutorial positions everywhere do not want to "miss the boat" by being left behind, of seeming negligent. Smith is figuratively "leading the charge." Someone had to do it. The walls are finally caving in on MAGA, but the process was like pulling teeth. Where would we be without Liz Cheney, a hero for the history books?

"DSW" submitted a response:

The January 6th Committee, and their exceptional work, greatly assisted the prosecutors, giving them a clear road map. The Committee's work helped the DOJ move on this.

 

"sbisch" responded to my comment as follows:

As time heals all wounds, so does it have a history of exposing the truth, whether it is what you want to believe or not.

And here's "Carl's" two cents worth:

Had you told me 20 years ago Dick Cheney's daughter would save our republic, I would have had you committed.

 

"Delton" replied to me as follows:

It was never at all foggy. The apparent fog was really just a smoke screen thrown up by the MAGAs. But their supply of fuel is running out.

Here's a comment from "A":

If Liz Cheney didn't have a dog in the fight of making 1/6 more significant in history than the Bush/Cheney counterterrorism failure of 9/11, then I would hold her in high esteem.

 

"Gail" responded:

Jan. 6 was never foggy for anyone with a brain that has not been rotted by the MAGA movement.

"TFG" (the former guy)

Here's the two cents from "AO63." Note: This individual refers to "TFG" which I find is "The Former Guy."

Remember. . .if these criminal plans had "succeeded" in keeping TFG in power, nobody would have been accountable.

Here's the response from "JM":

Many of these politicians are wealthy and have powerful contacts that shielded them from repercussions from their actions. The law has finally caught up to them. They committed felonies and tried to overturn the will of the people like they do in third world countries. We are a nation of laws; if you commit a felony, you better prepare yourself for a miserable life in prison. These fake electors deserve 25+ years in prison at the bare minimum.

 

And from "Steve":

Liz Cheney, a hero? Her father was instrumental in sending thousands of young American service members to their deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, solely so he could enrich himself and Liz by extension.

From "LuAnn":

She is a hero. Liz was treated so unfairly by her own. It’s a shame.

 

"BG" chimes in:

I am not as optimistic. Parts of the legal system have been corrupted (see Supreme Court) and there are plenty of MAGA clowns in high positions in the judiciary. Plenty of these traitors will sell their souls to be on the Trump "winning" team if they think they can benefit in some way (such as career promotions, fraud, or fund-raising). We saw that in his previous administration. And most got away with it!

The "Luthuanian Observer" responded to me:

I realize this article is about fake electors being charged in Michigan, but since your comment brought up Jack Smith's name, my comment in regard to the work that Jack Smith is doing, would be the hope that Mr. Smith goes after some of our elected officials in Washington, and that they be held accountable for aiding and abetting Trump's illegal attempt to stay in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election.

 

Here's "Virginia's" response:

And Adam Kinzlinger. I'll never forget how he and his family were threatened because he was faithful to his oath to uphold the Constitution. Trump's sick militia even threatened his infant son. Time to clean house in OUR direction and vote the demons out of office and all the corrupt entities who've committed crimes on behalf of the deranged cult leader.

From "Al":

Do not cry victory yet, Teflon Don can still win with the help of the MAGA House.

 

From "Buffwheel":

I can see clearly now the reign is gone.

Moving on, less optimistic (frown)

Here's a comment I posted with a Yahoo News article yesterday (Wednesday):

 

Dream, dream, dream. Yesterday (Tuesday) was one of those days I thought was a watershed, where "finally we are done with Trump." Jack Smith was building momentum. So surely the smart top Republicans could get together and chart a path with Mr. Orange pushed off to the side. IT NEVER HAPPENS. Now it's dawning on me. "Groundhog Day."

Here's a response from "Mechant":

Oh Brian, denial at this level does not say anything good about your mental health.

Thanks to "John," I think, for this response:

You seem slow, are you?

 

Ah, there's a million stories in the naked city. I find these discussions stimulating. Pray for our nation.

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