Palestinian cause has come to First Lutheran

Note the closed captioning in this photo! Take a close look. Isn't modern technology amazing? The photo is a screen shot from my First Lutheran Church in Morris. We're on YouTube. FLC is dealing with the slings and arrows that come with being considered "liberal." That's guaranteed with our affiliation with the ELCA. A whole new church was launched in rural Morris a few years ago in reaction to trends in the ELCA. The ELCA churches seek to hang on. My church had its image reinforced recently with the appearance of the guest you see in photo. The political left in America is most associated with sympathy for Palestinians. I am disappointed that the sympathy or at least empathy cannot be more broad-based. But that's the way it is. First Lutheran has had the man in photo as our guest more than once. I have been totally impressed by him, 100 percent. You look into his eye and you see a wonderful, sincere person. But listening to the Palestinians' plight in a receptive way makes you a "liberal," I suppose. Why? Maybe it's because so many of the "extreme" Christians see Israel as the fulfillment of Biblical prophesy. Donald Trump was totally sympathetic to Israel. Oh wait a minute, that was probably a "transactional" thing as is the case with everything Trump. He saw he was getting the support of the USA's "evangelical Christians." He saw that as an essential part of his base. He held up his finger in the wind and acted accordingly. And by going out of his way for Israel, did he help set the stage for the now-violent reaction by those on the other side in that part of the world? Israel is not a homogeneous nation politically. That counters the perception you'll get here as you consume the Israel lobby-influenced news media. Many Israelis have wanted to see restraint in the name of promoting peace. Certainly to save lives if nothing else. The man in the photo you see above is Michael Zoughbi. The West Central Tribune of Willmar wrote that "Michael and Carmen Zoughbi are among the thousands of Palestinians whose civil rights are being restricted by Israeli government occupation forces." Wow! The Forum-owned Willmar newspaper would allow that sentence to pass as objective news coverage? I personally have no problem with it. I believe it. But man, in light of what has happened recently? And in light of the pro-Israel mountain of media bias toward Israel? I am sick of Israel. I wish it would go away. Jews can live among us everywhere. I couldn't care less that they reject the New Testament. And good luck to our First Lutheran Church of Morris. We'll need it.

 

Just got an email from Michelle Fischbach's office that proclaims in its heading: "Representative Fischbach stands with Israel." It's such a drumbeat. So non-nuanced.

 

Is it legitimate to care about the Palestinians? We are being overwhelmed now with media bias that tells us Israel is the only cause worth advocating for. Is this because of the Israel lobby in America? I believe it is identified by the initials "AIPAC." I have read there is a more moderate (reasonable) Jewish-oriented organization called "J-Street." 

The CW seems to be that the younger Jews don't particularly care for such hard-edged advocacy for this nation called Israel. I must ask: Is it prudent for the U.S. to align itself in such intransigent fashion with a religious nation-state? 

So are Jews a religion or are they a race? I believe the correct answer is both? I do not profess to having encyclopedic knowledge. And I wouldn't even care to plunge into that. That's because I think people should just be treated as people, with caring and empathy all around. So I feel that it is entirely reasonable to care about the Palestinians. Also to "call a spade a spade" when Israel and its military do things that I think are unreasonable and barbaric. 

Even talking like this can get you into trouble. Which I think is a big part of the problem. I don't care to get into the weeds understanding all the conflict in that region of the world. I have the sense that Arabs ought to hold forth there. Let it be their place. Oh to be relieved of all the frantic-sounding headlines about conflict in connection to Israel! 

At a certain point it is just not worth the trouble anymore. 

Democrats and liberals tend to be far more sympathetic to the Palestinians, or so I have read of late. It's impossible to arrive at an opinion these days without being pigeon-holed accordingly. According to this dichotomy that the media loves: "left" and "right." 

And of course the oversimplification can be ridiculous. The right seems to get disoriented more readily than the left. The right has been pro-military intervention so often, as with the Iraq ventures led by the Bushes. But now? The right's leader - you know who - says we ought to stop foreign military intervention. How do these people reconcile that? 

Oh to have had "the right" be more disposed to pacifism in the 1960s, the Vietnam war years. Why couldn't we have just used sanctions and special ops back then? I suppose we could have just sent more money to the causes we supported. But wasn't so-called "South Vietnam" riven with corruption? So I read at the time. We "sent in troops." 

Too many people had watched too many WWII-themed movies. So Americans experienced the violence vicariously, watched the likes of Paul Anka play military "grunts" (in "The Longest Day"). John Wayne and Robert Mitchum were in "The Longest Day." Entertainment based on violence and death totally out of hell. It was vicarious for us all. It numbed us. 

So we were more inclined to be passive about how we were "sending troops" to Vietnam. We felt this was what we were supposed to do. Just like in "the good war" of WWII. What a horrific parallel to suggest. 

And you know what? Despite the overwhelming message from the media now about "supporting Israel" - so emotional and irrational much of the time - I don't think the people would countenance "sending over troops." I could be wrong. 

After so many questionable ventures with sending our young men into harm's way, e.g. Afghanistan, I think reasonableness has finally sunken in. After so long, after so much tragedy coming to American families. 

So what is to become of Israel? I do not believe Israel is even justified as existing. My thoughts are much like Jimmy Carter's, who caused a firestorm when he put out a book the title of which used "apartheid" in connection to Israel. Why the firestorm and why all the hand-wringing? Was it because the fanatical, possessed advocates for Israel thought Carter was onto something? That is often the explanation for such things. 

I have no time for anything that can be considered even loosely analogous to apartheid. Can't we all just treat each other as human beings? Leave the Arab world alone. They will do a fair amount of fighting among themselves anyway. Can the Jews handle being spread out over the world to be accepted as common citizens? Just like Lutherans? 

Well, Martin Luther was actually one of the most notorious anti-Semites in world history. His arguments were based on what? I have a hard time understanding the basis for anti-Semitism. My outlook is the desired one: let's try to put aside all such schisms. I have never felt wronged by a Jew. I'd have a hard time picking out Jews in our population. Mostly they look like regular people. A big nose? Why would anybody care bout that? 

Is the problem that Jews do not accept Christ as the savior, do not accept the New Testament? I can imagine this causes a problem for a lot of people. It means nothing to me. Everyone has a right to their opinions on such matters. Is it any wonder that young people have been drifting away from the organized Christian faith? 

Has anyone suggested dropping the "Lutheran" name from church bodies? I cannot put out of my mind the horrible bigotry that Martin Luther vented against the Jewish people. Why would anyone want to belong to a church that celebrates such a person? It is irrational just like the continuing power of MAGA in America is irrational. 

Our congressional district out here in western Minnesota has become so "red state," we now have a GOP hopeful challenging Michelle Fischbach from the right. And I would not bet against him. So the wild ride continues.

 

The reason I get emails from Fischbach's office is that I contacted her not long ago, asking her if she still stands behind her statements of Jan. 6, 2021. So I'm on her email list even though I never got a response from her. She voted against certifying the election results. So she's more of a MAGA person than Tom Emmer.

 

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

 

Too one-sided? NL-S and BBE thrash foes

Many high school football games these days are a little wild with points being scored in a real flurry at times. This trend accelerated with Covid although I'm not sure of the direct connection, I mean with the disruption of routine. 

I think the people who run these programs like to see offense because it is more appealing for the fans/parents. Football like anything else is a product to be marketed. Sounds a little cynical but it's true. The elaborate new facilities like what we have in Morris must be sold to the public. Considering the public's investment, it really is essential. 

All of this makes an impression on yours truly as I have followed high school sports for a very long time, remember the low-scoring and frankly boring nature of so many games of an earlier time. 

These thoughts enter my head on this Saturday morning as I check area results. Holy cow, we see a score of 62-12 with New London-Spicer winning, St. Cloud Apollo losing. I have always viewed St. Cloud Apollo as a viable school in a most viable community. 

So much for St. Cloud being able to thump its chest all the time. I was going to write "weak sister" but that's misogynistic. Wait a minute, I just wrote it. Have a sense of humor. But alas, people tend not to. 

There is more to be said about the wild NL-Spicer vs. St. Cloud Apollo game: the Wildcats of NL-Spicer led at halftime 56-6. Absolutely unbelievable. Couldn't the second half have been called off, let everyone go home, protect players from being injured? On the latter point, maybe high school football itself should be canceled. But then, where would the colleges get their players? 

St. Cloud State and Ridgewater-Willmar have shown the way forward: they have indeed canceled football. Would be hard to do this in our Morris: we have the bright shiny Big Cat Field. But wait, St. Cloud State put up a new football stadium in 2004. I scratch my head profoundly. 

A 56-6 lead at halftime? What kind of athletes did St. Cloud Apollo have out on the field, anyway? I hate to sound disparaging but this kind of mismatch was not worth the trouble. What kind of tackling attempts did they make? The game must have been cringeworthy at times. 

Can Apollo keep its program going? Do you suppose a lot of parents in the granite city have elected to pull their sons out of football for the prudent safety reasons? Well I'd compliment them. 

NL-Spicer scored 28 points each in the first and second quarters.

BBE 48, LPGE 7

I occasionally go beyond the bounds of our Morris and write about the Jaguars of BBE. My old newspaper compatriot/friend Randy Olson holds forth there. He has had some super teams to write about over the years. Right now is a good example: his BBE football Jaguars. They too poured it on vs. their opponent. They stayed perfect at 7-0 with a 48-7 thumping of Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at Long Prairie Friday. Congratulations Randy. 

Oh my, the final score tells but part of the story. Most significant was how the Jaguars absolutely devoured LPGE in the first quarter. Not first half but first quarter, let me stress, as the Jaguars rolled up a 42-7 lead. I repeat: that's in the first quarter alone. I really have to wonder: whither the future of the St. Cloud Apollo and LPGE football programs? Really seriously, the kids won't want to hang in there performing at this level. How can they keep getting numbers? 

Are we seeing a widening gap between the haves and have-nots? The risk here is that the have-nots may just shrivel up and no longer exist. What was it like for the St. Cloud Apollo and LPGE fans to watch on Friday? Wouldn't they have preferred just keeping their sons at home? Wouldn't it be a no-brainer for the sons to just want to be at home? Are they wired like yours truly? 

I never played football. I can offer all sorts of critiques but I never had to demonstrate any ability. On the plus side, I never risked serious head injuries like from all the sub-concussive hits. Why parents tolerate this I do not know. 

For the short term anyway, the NL-Spicer and BBE players and fans can be quite happy. I guess that's what it's all about. Those are our cultural norms. Baked into the cake. 

So congratulations Randy. Randy Olson is a real trendsetter in the newspaper business by harnessing the potential of his website for truly dynamic outreach. Like even with a video podcast. His philosophy on all this is 100 percent the opposite of what we see here in Morris with our paper. He swears his approach helps his business and I believe him. The Morris newspaper website is so dormant and lifeless, it is an embarrassment. I would like to suggest we are better than that. 

The BBE Jaguars are ranked fifth in Class A. They rolled up 277 rushing yards compared to 41 by the Thunder. 

BBE's first three touchdowns were by Jack Lundberg, Luke Dingmann and Braeden Michels. Then came LPGE's only score of the night, accomplished by Jose Botello. BBE rolled up four more TDs which were by Ryan Jensen, Owen Paulson, Luke Illies and Dingmann. So several different Jaguars were in on the scoring action. 

Lundberg had a team-best 78 rushing yards on just four carries! Dingmann was pinpoint with passing with nine completions in eleven attempts, 59 yards. The receptions were spread around. Kameron Hiltner had an interception. Ethan Mueller sacked the quarterback.

  

I would have preferred writing about the MACA Tigers today. The Tigers fell to the  Perham Yellowjackets Friday at Big Cat. Score was 21-6, so definitely not an "up" night for our team. I could not find any game details online beyond the score. We have lost a great deal with Brett Miller leaving the radio station. And the newspaper is just flaccid with its website.

  

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

"Duck hunter's weather" for football tonight

Early fall is starting to give way to late fall. Last night it was miserable in terms of weather. The nasty stuff stays with us today (Friday), which could limit the turnout for the Tiger football game. The Tigers are hosting the Yellow Jackets of Perham. 

Our last two regular season games are home at Big Cat. I wonder if the schedule-makers like to arrange for home games here late in the season. Our fine facility of Big Cat makes end-of-season football more palatable than if these games were played at the standard type of fields. Such as? Such as what we had here in Morris before Big Cat. We had Coombe Field, receding ever more into the past in our community's collective memory. 

It was a charming place in its own way. Many of you would remember. But it differed in some significant ways from what we have now. Man, if our Morris residents of the mid-20th Century could leap forward in time to see what we have now! I'll have to stop by the game tonight at Big Cat and see how the fan turnout is. I expect it will be decent despite the duck hunter's weather. But I could be wrong. 

 

Still stunned?

The Tigers are coming off perhaps the most exciting win in the program's history. What a story unfolded way up north at East Grand Forks last Friday! Our coach went for the win at the end with a two-point conversion play. And the Tigers did a run up the middle. Failure would inspire some second-guessing. But the Tigers most certainly did not fail. 

It was victory night for the orange and black over the Wave of EGF. 

I am proud to have blogged at length about the game the net day. It was a labor of love. Did either the newspaper or radio station do that in such a timely way with their online resources? It is not necessary for us all to wait for the mid-week print newspaper. Get in the year 2023. Or maybe I should tell that to the newspaper people. 

As for the radio station, it looks like Brett Miller is no longer there. It looks like their website performance is going to drop off considerably. We'll see posts that are nothing more than "scores." I don't want to just see "scores," I'd like a few details and highlights. Aren't you on the same page with me? Well, I never assume that. 

Sometimes I make a point like this out and around, and then I get a reaction like "I don't think anyone cares." I got that retort from a main street business person just this week. So I said "let's put it on the water tower: nobody cares." This is Morris, the town that let our annual summer festival just up and die. We can see the phrase on the water tower along with "We're going to be gone." So often we hear that from our friends, especially in summer. "We're going to be gone." 

It happens in the fall too when people take off for "the Cities." Let's capture the essence of the community on the water tower. 

Brett Miller gone and is anyone going to fill his shoes? We lost Marshall Hoffman a while back - a huge blow for media consumers. Again, maybe "nobody cares." Well I seek to try to provide some dynamic sportswriting when I can. Of course maybe "nobody cares." This is Morris MN.

Volleyball struggles

Not an encouraging season for the MACA volleyball program. The Tigers went 1-1 over this past week. We defeated Montevideo on Tuesday 3-0 at Monte. The Thursday story was a 1-3 loss to Melrose at home. Alas the Tigers are 8-14, 5-8 in conference. There is one regular season match remaining: on Tuesday at Minnewaska. We can't expect much if any post-season run. 

Shoot, I cannot find individual stat highlights for the Tigers from this week's matches. Brett would probably have delivered on this. I can scrape some details about our opponents from the West Central Trib site. The WC Trib removed us from their official coverage territory a couple years ago. I really think they would accept calls from MACA coaches if the coaches were to try. That's my two cents worth today as we look out the window and see "duck hunter's weather." 

Remember the year of the Halloween blizzard? We are on the doorstep. When I was a kid, we heard stories about vandalism out and about on Halloween. Our poor high school principal was reported to be a victim. Today in this new age with video surveillance cameras in so many places, I think there's far less of a tendency to consider pranks and vandalism. 

My neighborhood has not had trick or treaters for a long time. When my generation of the boomers was young, trick or treating was standard activity in nearly all neighborhoods, was considered quite safe and acceptable for everyone. Yes, times do change. A Norman Rockwell painting could preserve the old reality. "Trick or treat." 

Over the years we began to hear more about organized parties for kids at Halloween. Better supervision I guess. Of course, since Covid it seems all social-oriented activities have taken a step back. 

The "Minnesota Scores" website reports our home football games as being at "UM-Morris." But isn't the facility supposed to be 50/50 with the high school? Has our MACA softball program even made use of Big Cat in spring when the weather isn't quite ready for the usual place? The Cougars have certainly played games at Big Cat and I was thrilled when I observed that for the first time. 

Last spring it seemed we ended up with just one month of softball, as the decent weather was so late in arriving. Makes me wonder about all the money that got plowed into the "softball complex" which I still describe as a boondoggle. I'll discuss that with anyone. Don't expect the newspaper to bring up the issue.  The paper only tries to put sweet frosting on everything in this community. "All the kids are above average." Is there room on the water tower for that too? 

The volleyball win over Monte on Tuesday was most enjoyable for everyone with MACA: the 3-0 sweep. The West Central Tribune has "stats not available" for MACA. We do get the scores. The Tigers swept their foe 3-0 with scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-12. 

So, "stats not available" for MACA. Well, let's take a look at the host Thunder Hawks who had two players each with two serving aces: Taya Weber and Teagan Epema. Addie Olson performed seven set assists. Avery Williams led kills with six followed by Emmie Koenen with three and Maren Nelson with two. Madison Picht had an ace block. Epema with her ten digs led here.

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

People my age are tired of Israel

First, I share thoughts about the Gophers vs. Michigan football game of this past Saturday on my "Morris Mojo" podcast. Here is the link:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brian1610/episodes/Gophers-crushed-by-Michigan-52-10-e2aal6o

 

People of my generation, the boomers, have had news thrust at us about Israel all our lives. A certain weariness builds up over this. Is the existence of Israel really so essential? I think the members of my generation would be relieved if it just came to an end. 

Many of us tired of how the media has a consistent bias toward Israel. How Israel gets portrayed as the force for good automatically, sans truly sober analysis. 

"world atlas" image

So Israel was created as a haven for Jewish people in the wake of World War II and all that happened. Is there any menace like the Nazis hovering at present? I mean in Europe, away from the Arab world? And the Arab world has been pissed because of the existence of Israel. 

Columnist Dave Barry got tired of the pattern of news coverage once. Every tidbit of conflict as with the suicide bombers got such headline attention. And it became prolonged. The media defines news as something we don't necessarily expect. We call it "man bites dog." Barry had enough at a certain point. Time after time, prominent headlines about violence directed at Israel. 

To put this in earthy terms, is Israel more trouble than it's worth? I strongly believe it is. And I don't see Israel as having always been this angelic force, confronting the bad guys. Oh but "Israel is a democracy," we're told. 

The whole concept of democracy has become dicey in our USA. Trump wanted to overturn it. He had so many compliant people behind him like our own congressperson here in western Minnesota. I mean, she bought into the basic Trump strategy of delay. Delay leading to what? Buy time to keep Trump in office, we can assume. So Michelle Fischbach made her big statement on January 6 in which she talked about "voting irregularities too voluminous to ignore." 

Michelle Fischbach, District 7

There is an established system for challenging the handling of elections. Fischbach voted against certifying the election results. Her ultra conservative colleague Tom Emmer did not choose to do that. So with the Republicans making democracy look questionable in its essence, should we really be that impressed with "democracy" as a prime principle to respect in connection to Israel? 

Obviously Trump wants to assert himself as an autocrat. He wears this on his sleeve. No elections then? Well an election system would continue but with all sorts of impediments to true democracy. Elsewhere around the world this is called "sham elections." But Congressperson Fischbach would probably proclaim we truly have democracy. Make it a crime to bring food and water to someone standing in line a long time to vote? A crime? You know the kinds of things that Republicans can do. 

Our elected leaders now have way too much of a knee-jerk tendency to support Israel. A recent news item suggested that our elected leaders are behind the times relative to the broad public. The broad public does not consider it so essential to thump our chests and "support Israel." It is taking time for the popular sentiment to influence the power brokers. 

I do not feel that Israel has a "right to exist." I agree fully with the late Helen Thomas who despite her extreme skepticism about Israel, was right at the top for being a respected establishment journalist. Remember how she got to ask the first question at press conferences so often? Going back to Nixon. And how she should have been seen as a hero to the feminists. She did in fact build up some feminist cred - I would have lauded her - but she was no friend of Israel. 

And I agree with what she said fully: she said the Jews of Israel should just "go home." She told them to "go back to Europe." Just filter out, go find your place, and then this tinderbox in the Middle East could recede to peacefulness. 

I have always felt very sorry for the Palestinians. If the Palestinians could have their homeland restored, I think I would literally cry. The advocates for Israel have so often grated on me. I feel an annoyance like what Dave Barry expressed. 

Israel supporters including a U of M attorney who was well-known at the time - last name of Rotenberg - outwardly protested the media's use of the term "suicide bomber." Rotenberg made some comments on TV. He should have been concentrating on his work for the U. The Star Tribune had a readers' ombudsman at the time who took pains to try to explain why "suicide bomber" was a rational and even suggested term. It took a mere ounce of common sense. 

Obviously the Israel advocates can practically go mad when they take umbrage at something. Makes you suspicious about their whole cause. It is easy to see the Israelis as the "bad guys" in many instances. 

So what did Rotenberg and others want to see in place of "suicide bomber?" Well, the suggested alternative, bought by Fox News, was "homicide bomber." OK that's juvenile - let's call a spade a spade. And what is Fox News? With Greg Gutfeld in their ranks, they are juvenile. "Homicide bomber." 

Well of course the bomber has intentions of hurting and killing people. That's just understood. What makes the suicide bomber distinct is the person's willingness to take his own life. You would not expect that. So it's "man bites dog." 

My generation wonders if we will leave this world having been relieved of the litany of Mideast conflict or Mideast turmoil stories. Israel is at the flashpoint. Why can't it just go away? The Jews of Israel can "go home." They can do this for their own safety. 

Anti-Semitic? I barely know what it is based on. All ethnic groups have some popular images attached to them. I do know Jews are intelligent and driven people who value education. Hardly seems like liabilities. I guess they can go far in business or in their professions. Seems like the American way to me. 

Mom told me once that so many Jewish people are highly intelligent because "they are a pure race." Is that really a pejorative comment? I don't think so. It means they are lucky I guess. But all of the stereotypes of Jewish people point to them having potential to accomplish a lot. Well congratulations. 

I personally have great admiration of "Jewish intellectuals." I'd love to be able to pass myself off as one of them! I admire these people because they have a fine understanding of parody humor. Many people have trouble understanding such humor - you might say it goes over their heads. I think parody reveals a lot, gets to the essence. 

Maybe Jews go out of their way to help each other. Well I imagine it's a common human trait of finding "your own" to be more relatable. I'd appreciate them not pushing me out of their circle. 

So I'm not at all like Billy Graham and Richard Nixon whose anti-Semitic thoughts in connection to Hollywood entertainment got on tape. Jews are highly perceptive and analytical people in the entertainment business. They know what people want and give it to them. 

Ah, network TV entertainment of the 1960s. Would be good for America to have a dose of that now. Compared to Greg Gutfeld.

 

Of course we love our UMM

Paying attention to UMM

A friend needled me the other day about a suggested habit I have of complaining? I had thoughts to share in an emailed rebuttal.:

 

Was I a complainer a couple years ago when I expressed dismay at UMM having its big spring concert of choir and band in Alexandria with no repeat performance here? Was I that far out in left field for saying something about that? Or this past spring, when we had such a low-budget graduation ceremony? Was I just an irritating complainer? We're a four-year school with a music major, not like Crookston, and we can't have a band and/or choir for graduation? Well for many years we did, and it was super, and I guess we took it for granted. 

No printed programs for graduation? Was I a "complainer?" You had to use your Smartphone? Is that a universal now? Even if it was, the printed program would be nice as a tangible souvenir. How can I in good conscience give money to UMM again? Can you rebut me on this? 

UMM needs to end the free tuition thing for the Native Americans. If it's not based on an actual treaty, then the policy should end because of the Supreme Court wiping out affirmative action. If it's not ended, then it just shows the court's decision meant little - just words. Am I a complainer when I talk about the U president we had here for three years who just kept sending her resume around? There actually was a shake-up with the board of regents, if you read between the lines in the Star Tribune. Why did we need a shake-up? The legislature is supposed to keep an eye on these things. Is it even required to have a board of regents? Now we have an interim U president. Someone joked "we should just get a Paul Giel type and let the University run itself."

Was I a complainer about the UMM Homecoming concert? No current students, an outrageous $10 admission charge? Are you sure the $10 charge wasn't just a suggested free-will offering? Am I a complainer when I note that the University choir, Melissa Hanson's group from before, now appears dead? Laura kept it going in name only last year, I gather. The University choir (non-auditioned) concerts were once an "event" on campus. But UMM is no longer interested in doing dynamic things, if anything at all, because all these things "cost money," and UMM just wants to rake in money from people like me. I'm starting to think it's a scam. There was no charge for the University choir concerts and they attracted kind of a "raucous" student audience - that was fun. Gone with the wind. Again, we took it for granted.

First Lutheran needs to do the little things well to make sure we have a stable congregation with enough money coming in. Times have changed just unbelievably. But we should try to keep going. I'm not sure we even need a permanent minister. But the weekly service should be sharp. It was terrific to see Naomi Fynboh up there. I would have loved to stay on Sunday, but I thought "here we go again" with the mic problem. It never ends. And to think I took the trouble to shower and shave and put on a sportcoat. At least I looked good for my friends at DeToy's.

 

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

What a win for the Tigers, 15-14!

What an incredible game for the MACA Tigers last night (Friday). Trot out the superlatives, any and all of them would be appropriate. The win and its very dramatic nature made the lengthy trip north worth it for our fans. I personally do not like such distances. But the Tigers and fans, hopefully more than a few of the latter, made the trek along I-29 over the barren but peaceful landscape. 

I personally have traveled along I-29 many times, would listen to the old Garner Ted Armstrong radio show. This was in the 1970s. These days I try to stay put. 

But what an adventure the MACA fans had last night up north. Absolutely, totally unforgettable. The Tigers were playing the high-quality Green Wave team of East Grand Forks. So East Grand Forks is separate from the main Grand Forks. The Wave had a win skein of three going. These three wins were over Perham (13-9), Fergus Falls (17-14) and Thief River Falls (23-14). Their season had started out with a 33-7 win over Crookston. 

So this was an oft-potent team that the Tigers were facing. The Tigers have shown to date that they can score a lot of points but also give up a fair number. How would they fare in their big Friday test? Incredible: we won at the end with the final score 15-14. We snatched victory from the jaws of looming defeat. I can imagine the exhilarated feelings of MACA fans on the long ride home. 

MACA has a 4-2 record now, 3-2 in conference. We're doing well as road warriors, now with a 3-1 showing in road games. We're 1-1 at Big Cat Stadium. We now have two games remaining. Next up: Perham at home on Friday. Then it's Fergus Falls on the 18th, Wednesday, also at home. We hope the weather facilitates.

 

What a game!

Now let's plunge into the most satisfying details of the Tigers' 15-14 win at EGF. A poised quarterback Drew Huebner connected with an equally poised receiver Riley Asmus with just four seconds left. Asmus made his catch in the back of the end zone. This was a 30-yard completion. 

But we're still not on top with the score. We'd need to grind things out some more. So we lined up for our essential conversion play. Essential for tying the score? It could have been that way with a conversion kick attempt. But no, the orange and black lined up for two! 

Going for the win! You know that if this had failed, the second-guessers would be out. I'm sure the old Vikings' coach the late Bud Grant would have gone for two! In that spirit, our coach "went for it" along with his totally focused group of Tigers. They weren't about to make the long trip home having been denied. 

Coach Pope called for the offense to be "spread out wide." The pigskin got handed to Owen Anderson. The run went "up the middle." Failure on a play like this would no doubt bring hand-wringing by our fans. A run up the middle? But the coach is a wiser person than I. His scheme worked. Anderson's run worked. 

The play was strategic but most of all, the kids executed. Two points for the Tigers! A win in the final 15-14 score. Incredible! 

Coach Pope said he did not hesitate in making the decision to go for two. "Two to win," he commented to a newspaper reporter. "You're on the road. We have faith in the guys." 

I believe Tulane University also goes by the "Green Wave" nickname. The EGF facility is called "Senior High Field."

Our fans had some worry late in the game that the EGF offensive line was wearing us down. This looked to be a factor as EGF scored on a two-yard run on third and goal by Clyde Anderson. At this point we are down 14-7. The time remaining: 67 seconds. 

The kick return had no promise for us, as it was short, so we took over at our 30. No timeouts remaining for us! Goodness! The Tigers advanced big on the second play with a 29-yard pass, Huebner to Jackson Hallman. It was an over-the-middle pass. Now the ball is at the EGF 38. 

Huebner-to-Hallman worked again for eight yards. Not entirely good news because the clock kept running. This was because Hallman was stopped short of a first down. 

The Tigers assembled for a rushed final snap. Paydirt! Huebner sent the ball in the air a fair ways. Meanwhile Asmus found himself double-covered. Recipe for failure? It was a recipe for success. Asmus is a 6 feet-4 sophomore. The EGF defenders collided with each other. Asmus gathered in the precious pigskin at the very rear of the end zone. 

Drama enough, but the Tigers would have to succeed on the two-point conversion. Owen Anderson finished things off to put this key game in the win column. 

The MACA volleyball team won by sweep over Benson on Thursday. Please click on permalink below to read my wrap on "Morris of Course." Thanks so much and God bless.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2023/10/tigers-sit-at-6-10-after-sweep-over.html 

 

Surveying local media

I am finishing my first draft of this post on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. So what are the other media doing on the Tigers' big game? It's nothing but fun to write about this, isn't it? Just my opinion. 

The kmrs site has a heading "Friday night high school football." And what do we get? Scores. Just scores. What a letdown. Shall I even check the Morris newspaper website? I will waste a few seconds doing so. Yawn, you know what I find there, nothing but UMM. People need to start getting on the paper about this. We see "Volleyball rocks North Central." Obviously UMM. UMM has its own totally go-to website with all the bells and whistles. So strange how our local commercial media just chooses to duplicate that. A real head-scratcher. 

The Morris print paper only comes out once a week.

Our MACA athletes ought to be front-center. Even if the coverage is not always perfect or timely, just give it a try. Just "riff" a little. The commercial media outfits have people who are paid to do this. 

So my role is what? An independent unattached journalist? Well so what. People might say "Well you're not with the paper any more." Well so? Today's upperclassmen were born at about the time I left the Morris paper. 

Just because I left does not mean my brain cells have deserted me for writing. I hope some local people are aware of what I do. Further, I wouldn't mind getting some formal acknowledgment sometime. Maybe this is drastic but I wouldn't mind getting a mention at the fall sports banquet/program. Like in the old days? Someone told me Jerry Witt did this once after I left the paper. 

I really poured it on with coverage of MAHS Homecomings. Oh, C-A too! I still have vim and vigor today.

 

Addendum: I mentioned being very familiar with I-29 from my travels in the 1970s. I did that in my 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado, perhaps the greatest car ever made! Our family acquired it from the late Bill Dripps. You see a photo of it below. I pose with my mother Martha. This was during the "disco times" of the 1970s. You had to be there to understand the decade. For example, "The Gong Show."

Note my "1970s look."

 

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

Such pleasant "Goldilocks" weather

(photo by B.W.)

We're maybe in the most pleasant time of the calendar. Mid or early fall, the term depending on the exact weather conditions. Remember the "Halloween Blizzard" in Minnesota? Well right now in early October it appears we are most blessed. No frost yet but that could come at any time. Looks like I'm safe to publish this post with the pronouncement of no frost. 

The second we get a taste of freezing, my zinnia flowers in front will be instantly "zapped."  They have been beautiful as usual this summer. They continue a tradition that my late father started. He had another trait of appreciating trees. Maybe in a previous time this was nice. But the property has gotten overgrown and I have had Craig Beyer over several times. 

Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) was an ideal time for soaking in the "Goldilocks" weather of early fall out along the biking/walking trail. I will remind y'all that the city has tried to get a grant approval for extending the trail system. Out to the golf course, or so I've heard. At last word the answer has been "no" on the grant request. Those who'd favor this might "work on" the appropriate local officials to try to get this idea through. 

Morris is not a lakes recreation community so we need to build on whatever other natural assets we have. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Lake Crystal could be transformed? But I guess it's not in the cards. So people still seek to "escape" Morris for the Alexandria area so often. I feel no such pull. But it seems rather the norm, especially among the more well-heeled among us. 

Morris gets so slow in summer, I was concerned over this past summer that I might show up for church at First Lutheran and find maybe just 5-6 people in the whole building. That fate did not arrive. Right now the church appears to be stabilizing again. We have been sort of "at the edge." We have the reputation of being "liberal" in a variety of ways. We listen to public health experts on covid. We take climate change theory with 100 percent seriousness. We are inclined to support women's reproductive health rights. 

All these things would seem to go against the grain in 2023 America, unfortunately. We have no problem with gay people. And we certainly are not a hangout for the MAGA crowd, heavens to Betsy no. There are other churches locally that fit the bill quite well for that. 

I have reached the point of almost giving up waiting for the end of MAGA. All my rational senses have told me it's really crazy and irrational. But it's out there and has been giving off an odor for so long. It has been incredibly stubborn - I've never seen anything quite like it. So I repeatedly try to explain it, so I can at least rationalize the grounds for why so many people have been taken in. 

Are so many people really so vulnerable to being drawn into a "cult?" Is that human weakness really so pervasive? I recognized Donald Trump as a total charlatan from before he was elected in 2016. I have felt a little restrained trying to point this out. I have had friends drift away. Maybe I am a little "liberal." But I do strive to be fair-minded. 

I will listen to an intelligent conservative any time who wants to cite real facts. Conservatism definitely has its place. 

Democrats be damned for how they have had this alliance formed with teachers unions. I am convinced that the Democrats lost the Virginia governorship because Terry McAuliffe was tone-deaf about this. So he campaigned openly with the national union head in the days leading up to the election. 

This affinity with teachers unions has been an Achilles heel for the political left. The political right was too stubborn for too long resisting basic gay rights. 

Is it possible that now, finally, Trump's accumulating legal troubles will slowly penetrate the brainwashed minds of MAGA? Get through to the parishioners of certain Morris area churches? I have identified a couple of these before. I imagine some people will be pissed off if I do it again. Why should I care really? 

I have not yet checked the news this Thursday a.m. Of course there will be another "batch" of headlines focusing on Trump. We'll see little thumbnail photos of him as if we need reminding of what he looks like. The cloud continues to hover over all of us. 

All this while our congressperson Michelle Fischbach apparently feels we must focus on the possible impeachment of Joe Biden. Really truly. I have been on her email list for a while, although I "unsubscribed" just the other day. I had had enough, had come to know what she was all about. She voted against certifying the 2020 election results. She thought there might have been "voting irregularities." 

Aren't there standard legal channels by which objections on this front can be made? Weren't there in fact a number of failed lawsuits? Something like sixty? So when all that failed, the conservative crowd sought to take matters into their own autocratic hands with the coup attempt. 

What's the matter with all you people? Couldn't you all see the abject outrageousness of all that? Evidently you couldn't. Whither the future of the United States of America? Y'all will miss democracy when it's gone, I guarantee it.

My current podcast on "Morris Mojo" reflects on last Saturday's U of M Gophers' football win over Louisiana Lafayette. The link:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brian1610/episodes/Football-Gophers-win-35-24--improve-to-3-2-e2a2lfs/a-aae76uv 

"Out Here in Morris"

by Brian Williams

(sung like a school "fight song")

 

Out here in Morris 

We will always get it done

With a college that implores us

To work hard and have our fun

Go Morris!

Out here in Morris

We will work to victory

So let's all join in a chorus

And fulfill our destiny

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

What's in a name? Interesting question

School sports team nicknames can be quite the thing. A tempest in a teapot sometimes? Who would really care about a particular nickname? The matter has gotten thorny in certain places. Best example: University of North Dakota. 

A nickname is a trivial thing and yet the matter can become hugely controversial. It lasted years at UND. I think there was a cooling-off period before the new nickname was anointed. So they're now the "Fighting Hawks." And you know what? No one seems to care much if at all. The nickname is routinely used and life goes on for everyone. 

We here in Morris have been guaranteed no controversy with our names. As I have stated previously, we have the default "big cat" names. When Carolina and Jacksonville entered the NFL as expansion teams, both chose the safe default route in this age of political correctness. Carolina is the "Panthers" and Jacksonville is the "Jaguars." We here in Motown have "Tigers" for the high school and "Cougars" for the college. Makes our school administrators breathe a sigh of relief to be sure. "Nothing to see here." They then can return to their many other problems. 

Wally Behm once told me that whenever a new administrator checks in somewhere, his whole job is to tackle a bunch of "problems." 

The Benson school has been quite distracted by the nickname/mascot matter, hoo boy. I am certain that the board and administration at Benson wishes like heck that it never had its nickname. A particular nickname does not confer any special enrichment whatsoever. It's a throwaway type of thing. Administrators can thus pull their hair out over this. 

The Benson administration might not confess to the hair pulling but I'll bet it's true for them. (Years of experience in the small town media has instilled in me the feeling that school administrators typically do not say what is really on their mind.) 

Poor Wally: a heart of gold, intelligent, with a sense of humor and sense of humanity. But. . . He had a common affliction among school administrators: difficulty in adjusting to changing times, trouble realizing that in the end, you must always defer to the parents. Stay fixated on the latter and you'll always be fine. 

Wally was the "principal to the boomers" (generation) of this community. Such people did yeoman's work, would be preserved with fondness in any community's memory. No other generation has ever been quite like it. We were the first generation of young people to be marketed to. 

 

The what?

As I survey the sports nicknames out and around, I'm struck by the one out of Idaho. Not Boise State but rather University of Idaho, which plays in Division I but not at the absolute top level. It's at the second from the top. This can get confusing. So don't lump all Division I's together. 

U of Idaho came to our attention in a big way with the horrific-beyond-words quadruple murders. I have never seen such an explosion of "true crime" interest as what transpired in the weeks following the murder of the four young people along "King Road." 

The "NewsNation" TV network plunged in with Ashleigh Banfield. One night she noted that while all the media attention was not appreciated in Moscow, Idaho, the attention really gave the impression that the community and its campus were "a really charming place." 

Indeed, a city of 26,000 which in the national media might be presented as a "small town" - you know the stereotypes. But 26,000 makes the place bigger than Willmar - I see it as a quite viable place. Actually not too big and not too small. What might be a good example of the latter? Morris maybe? We hope the national media stays away from here. 

Well, U of Idaho has the sports nickname "Vandals." The what? Is there an alternative definition for the word that I don't know about? It turns out, no. The mascot is a man with a thick beard and a crown. A Viking? Well no. The U of I tells us that the nickname began about a century ago "because of the defensive style of the basketball team." 

Makes me think right away of our Hancock girls basketball team from when the notorious Dennis Courneya was coach. Aggressive as could be. I think "ugly" would be an objective description, of the style of play and not the girls. 

I use "notorious" in connection to the coach because he ended up in infamy, having to serve prison time. Nevertheless, his tenure at Hancock was such that his team could fill the UMM P.E. Center for post-season games. Maybe there should be a museum exhibit on this. It was truly a phenomenon. I fear we in Stevens County have largely forgotten. 

Hancock had a terrific rivalry with Wheaton. How did our Morris Tigers fit in? Not at all, not a trace, because our girls athletics in the high-profile sports lagged terribly in that time period. Why did Morris put up with this? Well, I could maybe write a book. Academic stuffed shirts? Perhaps. (Jim Morrison would laugh about that.) 

But I felt it was seriously sad, especially in our "progressive" community of Morris with its university which I would think would want girls/women to be high-achieving. I have never hesitated from asking difficult questions in this community. I have suffered for it. If I was so totally wrong with some of my inclinations, why couldn't people just ignore me? Maybe I had more merit than they acknowledged, but I wasn't swayed by certain "sacred cows."

 

Music for U of I

I got inspired to write a little song tribute to U of Idaho on Sunday. I call it "Hymn for U of I." Would it get any attention if I were to have it recorded? Honestly you never know about these things. Analyzing attempts at popular music is about the most unscientific thing you can imagine. 

U of I has a music department named for Lionel Hampton, the great jazz vibraphone player. So I raise a toast to University of Idaho! I invite you to read my song lyrics:

 

"Hymn for U of I"

by Brian Williams

 

We rejoice in higher learning

Out west in Idaho

Cutting edge for all we need

Building wisdom, planting seeds

Idaho, Idaho

For the good we applaud

Real vision here in Moscow

It will do the job

We can wonder why it happened

Four lives erased so fast

Xana, Kaylee, Madison

Ethan was a fine young man

Idaho, Idaho

Essence shining like gold

They will remain beside us

Never to grow old

BRIDGE:

Take a stroll on the "Hello Walk"

Feel its energizing vibes

Feel the atmosphere of Kibbie

Makes you glad to be alive

We salute our School of Music

Hampton is how it's known

Mallets were his stock in trade

Jazz the genre that he made

Idaho, Idaho

Music makes us agree

No place can match the value

Of our pedigree

We unite behind the Vandals

Strange name we know it is

Nothing reckless, nothing crude

We'll just take on any school

Idaho, Idaho

Touchdowns to our delight

Join hands for all who know that

U of I is right

BRIDGE (new lyrics):

Vandals are a breed of passion

Fun and serious collide

When the chips are down there's action

Makes us glad to be alive

We accept the snow in winter

Out west in Idaho

North of Boise, close to God

Friendly faces, no mirage

Idaho, Idaho

Mem'ries form that will flow

We'll stay a part of you

No matter where you go

 

 

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