HometownSource Blogs

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s…. another pathetic reality TV show couple.

I was home sick last week with a nasty virus that had me so fatigued that I couldn’t even lift the remote control.  Literally.  If I could have, I would have turned CNN off and not had to sicken my brain with useless balloon boy information.

I was watching the three hours of live coverage thinking, what’s the big deal?  OK, so maybe a boy floated away in a balloon.  That sucks, but the sad reality is that it’s just one boy, and his dad shouldn’t have allowed unsupervised access to his grown up meteorological toys.  Then the balloon lands and it was reported he wasn’t in the balloon.  Did he fall out?  I hope not, but if he did, I’m not going to lose sleep over it (honesty can be distasteful).  Then the search begins for the missing boy who, as reported, could not have fallen out of the balloon.  At that point, I was almost as sick of the boy as I was actually sick (and my toilet can tell you of that B-level horror story), but I still cared more about Calie Anthony in the realm of little kids and mysterious disappearances.

But then Larry King came on and Wolf Blitzer was interviewing the reality TV star parents of the now located, perfectly healthy and annoyingly adorable balloon boy.  The boy was asked by the father if he heard his parents calling for him, desperately trying to locate the child that hours earlier could have been fatefully floating to his death.  The boy answers his father, “Um hum,” with a voice inflection that an adult would use to imply, “What a dumb question.”  The father looks up at the boys mother (who we would later find out he happened to meet in acting school) and she looks back with an oddly familiar parental pattern on her face that suggests, “I can’t believe my six year old just said that.”  But the boy didn’t swear, he didn’t say something that sounded dirty, so “What the heck was that look!?!?” I asked myself. Read more »

I am going on record as saying that the Minnesota Vikings will win two games this year because of Brett Favre. And they might get a new stadium.
That is to say, they will win two more games than they would otherwise.

Granted, he might contribute or be the cause of three or four losses — throwing a key interception late in the fourth or three interceptions in the first half of a game which takes AP out of the equation in the second half — but he could be 50 years old and still be worth at least one win on his own.

I grew up in Appleton, Wis. (25 miles south of Green Bay), and slowly learned to hate the Packers which evolved into a hatred for the face of the franchise.  On the 9 o’clock news in Green Bay, this is how they open up:

“Tonight, a school bus filled with elementary students rolled over on I-94, killing 15 kids and injuring 20 more… but first… Brett Favre’s status for Sunday’s game is unknown as #4 has been sidelined from practice this week with a sore thumb.” Read more »

In full disclosure, I’m a dog lover. So much so that my fiancèe, Jenny, and I refer to our dogs as our kids.

We treat them as such – giving them unconditional love and attention while still scolding them in our own gentle way when they need to be taught a lesson.

In fact, the proud parents that we are, we can often be found at Wilson Dog Park, nestled on the east shoreline of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud. There we can be seen showing off Bailie’s (our German Shepherd/ Rotweiller) leaping abilities with a Frisbee or Jersey’s (our Chocolate Lab) knack for sniffing out a dead fish and rolling around in it until she’s covered in carp.

To further display my bias on this issue, I should mention that Jenny and I met at Wilson Dog Park more than two years ago. We’ve always given credit to Bailie (originally my puppy) and Jersey (originally Jenny’s pup) for the dog park romance that followed. The dogs were even part of the proposal. One day this past January, they were playing in a snow-covered dog park when I called Jersey over to perform the latest trick I had taught her. I pointed at a spot on the ground and said “Jenny watch this,” turning to Jersey and commanding “Dig, dig, dig!” Jersey pulled off the perfect trick, shoveling snow away to reveal a mysterious box that I had buried beneath the surface. I got down on one knee and … yada yada yada … you know the rest…. she said “yes” and we’re getting married next month.

That said, I guess I have the area’s dog unfriendliness to thank for my upcoming nuptials. Read more »

When I accepted a job at the Record right out of college in 2007, my family asked me, “What’s the economy like in Little Falls?”

New to town, I didn’t know that answer, so I asked my editor at the time, Joyce Moran.

“The boatworks are Little Falls,” she said.

I think I, like many others, took that statement for granted, never really thinking about what it means. But now, as reality sets in, we’re going to have to understand it.

Genmar Holdings, Inc. – with one of its five manufacturing headquarters in Little Falls (Larson, Glastron and Seaswirl) – announced last week that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

And now, Genmar founder and CEO Irwin Jacobs is hoping to rally his industry together, calling upon the federal government to see the necessity of providing financial support to the boating industry in the same fashion it did with the automotive industry. Read more »

Some parents out there might be familiar with the sting of having a door slammed in your face by an angry child who refuses to talk to you.

I remember being there once, running to my room after a fight with my dad and closing and locking the door behind me, just in time to avoid my mother’s inquiring mind.

But, inquiring minds persist, and eventually I told her everything and felt better about being open and honest. And she was informed, able to help me cope with problems and move forward.

For a moment, let’s use that scenario as an analogy for closed door meetings held by local governmental bodies. Read more »

*The following opinion ran in the Morrison County Record’s March 8, 2009 issue

I’m white, I’m 25, I’m male (both physiologically and psychologically), I’m straight, I’m quite liberal-minded and I’m an agnostic.

Whoa, what a relief. It feels good to get that off my chest so the product of this opinion can be transparently judged. Oh, who am I kidding, it won’t be. I probably made it worse for myself because now the opinions set forth will be considered part of a “secular agenda.”

Anyway, two weeks ago, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that when it comes to talking about issues of race, we are “essentially, a nation of cowards.” As I understand it – from public criticism, letters to the editor and radio show call-ins – Americans didn’t like Holder’s take on things. Specifically, rural Americans did not like his commentary.

Then you probably won’t like mine.

In my opinion, Holder was both too harsh and far too lenient. The word “coward” has obvious, negative connotations that cannot and should not be applied to the majority of Americans. However, on the flip side, his scope was limited and failed to address the real issue. Holder was focusing solely on issues of race during his speech and ignored other table talk issues of my generation which are still being held hostage, by some, as taboo topics. Race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, gender identity, political views, philosophy, both physical and mental health and sexual orientation – these and more are all diversity issues. The diversity in politics alone is taken for granted.

A black Republican used to be considered an oxymoron, but now the RNC’s new chairman, Michael Steele, is an African-American. A pro-life Democrat is tough for some to grasp, even though local state Rep. Al Doty, DFL-Royalton, IS pro-life. A gay Republican is, again, considered an oxymoron, even though Morrison County has one in state Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley.

Heck, there is probably an 80-year-old man who dresses like a woman, votes as a party-line Republican, practices Scientology with his life partner Bob and works at an abortion clinic.

You can take issue with any one, two or three qualities of that man’s life, but don’t judge him by them.

How did we become so diversiphobic (OK, so I made the word up, but you can infer its meaning)?

It’s the complexity of diversity issues that baffles Americans into conversational submission. Rush Limbaugh said it best (I fully intend on never using those words, without severe sarcasm, again), “People are scared to death to talk about….”

Now, Rush isn’t a shining example of how to talk about diversity, because his incendiary rhetoric does not contribute to conversation; its commercial purposes don’t advocate civil discourse. But too many people get over-offended by Rush’s comments (though some can’t be defended), and end the conversation.

Explain to me how we will effectively change the minds of our philosophical opponents by immediately running to the “I’m offended” position.

In writing this, I unfairly assume that my religious status as a non-believer will cloud the argument that there is a need to more openly discuss our nation’s diversity. But if it does, it would prove my point.

If I failed to discuss openly my diversity, I would be contributing to what I perceive to be a problem. Maybe you think there isn’t a problem, that we talk about diversity too much. I know it’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation, but just don’t fall back on the “Why should I care if that doesn’t affect me.”

The complexity of diversity issues isn’t shrinking, and as it grows, it only becomes harder to fully comprehend. So let’s start better understanding it now.

In surveying a classroom full of high school students this past election cycle, a vast majority identified themselves as liberals. In talking with them, they said they couldn’t discuss politics with their parents because they didn’t think alike.

Sad.

The ability, and more importantly the willingness, to effectively discuss diversity issues is what makes this country great.

So let’s do our part. Let’s talk.

“The idea that we can’t afford attention to history is ridiculous and terribly shortsighted.”
— Elmer Andersen, former Republican governor of Minnesota and founder of the Morrison County Record’s parent company, ECM Publishers.

Back in 2003, Minnesota was faced with a $4.2 billion deficit. In looking for ways to save money, the state targeted history. The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) budget was cut by $4.2 million, forcing MHS Director Nina Archabal to cut the hours of 240 workers, reduce hours at history museums and consider closing the doors to the Hill House in St. Paul and the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River.

In the end, the sites remained open, but valuable resources were lost.

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock recently, you know that a similar scenario is playing itself out at the state capitol this year, with a proposed 15 percent cut in state appropriations to the MHS threatening the very existence of the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site in Little Falls. Read more »

It’s ability to inform is, in my opinion, diminished by its ability to overwhelm, intrude and waste time. But let’s face it, Twitter is all the rage.

I don’t care that you’re “making a spaghetti dinner for (you) and (your) boyfriend while wearing (your) favorite green T-shirt” and I REALLY don’t care that you’re “trying to pull (yourself) out of bed.”

If people truly cared about those things they’d call you, go out to dinner with you or meet up with you for a cup of coffee, not “follow” your “140 characters or less” when they should probably be working or paying attention in class.

But these days, that’s probably less true.

While I’m often the first to cite generational gaps as evidence that “our parents just don’t get it” or “you have to change with the times,” I just haven’t been able to buy into the latest products which harvest invasive qualities that grow exponentially with their respective popularity. Read more »

If you’re thinking about touting the Little Falls boys hockey team’s undefeated regular season, brace yourself for resistance.
“Who have they played?”
The inherently snotty voice inflection which accompanies those four words will drive you crazy.
When the Flyers completed a perfect regular season Thursday night with a 9-1 win over St. Cloud Apollo, they did not silence the state of hockey’s doubters.
In fact, they most likely only created more. Read more »

Asking a pocket-locked population if they approve of President-elect Obama’s transition transactions is popping the question a little too soon in my mind, although 79 percent approve of him so far.

While I don’t think the public’s marriage to Obama will end in divorce (mainly because the most recent husband was so bad), I do think the honeymoon period should wait until after the ceremony.

We haven’t seen him withdraw troops from Iraq, we haven’t seen him put more troops into Afghanistan, we haven’t seen him improve the health care system and we haven’t seen him make college more affordable.

Yet, Americans are reacting to Obama’s job so far as if they just got front row tickets to a Jonas Brothers concert. Read more »

Check this video out and feel free to comment.

There have been so many TV shows and documentaries on this topic, especially recently, and now CNN is jumping on the bandwagon.  I certainly want to believe, but I’m still just an interested skeptic.

I will be following this CNN series closely.  What about you?

This election cycle, you didn’t have to go far on your backwoods radio dial to hear the fear cheers from Sean Hannity.

And, one of his memorable moments, that continues to live on with his show, is his attack on Obama’s 2007 speech in which he said this in regards to our War on Terror:

“we’ve got to get the job done there (Afghanistan), and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.”

Also, be sure to watch the short video clip of this speech (somewhat out of context, but how it’s been used by Hannity and others).

Now, I would like to discuss how dead on Obama was with this comment, and how his words are still powerfully important in regards to news reporters over the last few months which have detailed U.S. airstrikes killing innocent civilians. Read more »

Read CNN’s latest story on Californians passing a gay marriage ban.

Now, the point of this post is not to suggest reasons why we should be open to gay marriage (although I, as a 24-year-old, white, heterosexual male, support gay marriage), but instead I would like to call attention to one horrifying reason a popular Republican gave today for why the gay rights movement has not caught on.

This afternoon, I was listening to my long-time radio buddy Bill O’Rielly, with whom I do not see eye to eye in regards to many political issues (but I like hearing the broadbanded opinion of the right).  Taking calls on the gay marriage ban in California, O’Reilly took the opportunity to editorialize with his “for the people” facts and said that “80 percent of gays hate the kind of gays who participate in the gay pride parades.”

I know what you’re thinking… whoa… O’Reilly is on top of his facts again.  He must read the Onion.

UPDATE— Read this editorial and share your views on it.  Also I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this discussion so far, because it’s been a breakthrough to get this level of participation. Read more »

If there is one thing we can all gather from the disgusting partisan politics displayed this election season, it’s that we have no place to go but up.

We have an economy that continues to reward the rich and punish the poor, an education system that is growingly unavailble to the poor and a government devoted to promoting itself as the greatest government in the world while proclaiming that “God supports this message.”  (If I hear America is the greatest country God every gave this earth come from Obama’s lips I will take back my vote).
It’s unfortunate that the same people who call for unconditional patriotism are the people who claim victory for our health care system and claim there is no such thing as class warfare while at the same time leading Americans to believe that we must “win” the War in Iraq.

Sometimes, I’m dusgusted to be an American.

But Tuesday night, when Barack Obama made note that we are but one of many, we are one small part of a greater whole, I was proud to be an American.

This is me hoping that Americans fully comprehend the luxuries we are afforded, and the luxuries we can afford.  This is me hoping that Americans decide to invest in those who are unable to understand the definition of “luxury” because of the class divide we promote in this country.  This is me hoping that Barack Obama lives up to the promise of improving the economy by taxing those more fortunate, improving health care and education and redefining the “necessity for war.

Tuesday was the majority of Americans rising up.  This is me hoping that continues.

Last night on CNN, the “best political team” in America took turns bashing the Coleman/Franken campaign disgrace.

Noting the storied history of Minnesota politics, the CNN analysts and both Democratic and Republican strategists said Coleman and Franken have devalued the poltical process by acting like “children” with attack ads.

I could not have agreed more!

It’s a shame that we had to make the national news for something like this, but soon it will all be over.  I can only hope that when it’s over, our state is able to come together and overcome the “devisive politics” which have overwhelmed many of us over the last three months.

Minnesotans… you’re better than Coleman and Franken.  Rise above.