Exhausted because I have had unexpected craziness.
With the Olympics beginning, let's look at some of the best moments from the Olympics over the last few years. Enjoy.
This week we head to Antartica!
I love my wife and kids, and I love living in Minnesota and being a radio host, but I have to be honest. If I was offered a 3 or 6 month tour to Antartica, I would do it in a heartbeat!
Antartica is really the last great wilderness on the planet. Mostly untamed, it would present an opportunity to say you had gone and worked someplace really unique. I'm also amazed at the trip it takes to get there; as small as our world is, it takes a lot of effort and time to get there.
And no matter what job a person would have down there, you would be in some way helping one of the greatest scientific communities ever assembled. I might not be a scientist in any of the major fields of desire for Antartica, but everyone there, from the cooks to the mechanics to the cleaning people, EVERYONE is part of one of the most dedicated scientific communities you'll ever see. You're doing something important there, and that's wildly appealing.
It also seems to be apparent that most of the people who do go work in a support role in Antartica come from NASA to work on small engine repair, come from a 5 Star restaurant to make pizza, or deliver their Master's Thesis to take a job scrubbing bathrooms. So far no call back on my application...
PBS' Nova went there and sent back some great videos on life in Antartica. My bags are packed and ready to go when needed!
Howdy all!
I want to preface this Friday Link with a note. This week's post isn't about shaming people's diets. I have three kids and there are plenty of nights I've had to grab something convenient for dinner and run with it. My kids ate mac and cheese, hot dogs, occasional fast food and pizza.
I'll add my family made the decision to try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and to try to make as much of our food as possible. While for many people that sounds simple, that is freaking expensive. Many people eat convenience food not only for ease and schedule sanity, but because much of it is the most affordable food out there.
Do what you like, and be happy. This is more informational than anything else. I think these videos stuck with me because with my recent health crisis, I've been on a bit of a restrictive diet. One of the biggest things I had to reduce was processed foods.
The BBC put out a series on the rise of eating processed foods in England, but I think this is pretty close to how many people in the United States eat too. It's amazing to see how processed foods have infiltrated most people's diets, but let's start there. What makes a processed food, processed?
Next up, now that we know what makes processed foods processed, how much has a diet changed over the last few decades? Is it really that bad? Once again this is the UK, but I think it translates directly to what's been going on in this country.
It's the weekend of Independence Day and I hope you are able to enjoy. Considering most of the state is a fire waiting to happen, I'd suggest holding off on fireworks, but my guess is my pleas won't be heard over them. Please be careful and enjoy the 4th!
I'm mailing it in this weekend, as I'm still recovering from my medical issues. Making my life easy, and your life funnier, by going to one of my favorites, RiffTrax.
This short on 'Patriotism' from RiffTrax is brand new, sensational and (my guess) was court ordered for 'Hogan's Heroes' Bob Crane. Mike, Kevin and Bill (He's the cool one!) make you laugh. Isn't THAT America!
We are well into the season of summertime celebrations, community get togethers which occur over the weekends in big cities and small towns across Minnesota. If you haven't enjoyed one, especially some of the adorable small town celebrations, I highly encourage a road trip. Explore Minnesota has a full rundown of festivals and events across Minnesota all summer long.
Sadly, there's another unfortunate tradition which will occur across the state this Independence Day weekend and throughout the summer. While the United States' Stars and Stripes is by far the most common flag you will see across the state, occasionally you'll witness the flying of the Confederate flag as well, the flag of the enemy of the United States, an insurrectionist army which attacked the United States in an effort to continue slavery as a way of life.
Let me be very clear. As a veteran of the US Army, I do understand the 1st Amendment, and if you so choose to express your Freedom of Speech by flying that flag, that's your right. I won't respect you, but I do respect your right to display the flag of an enemy of the United States (fact). I'll proudly be flying the Stars and Stripes. The point of this note is to express my concern over official vehicles (fire trucks, police cars, vehicles carrying local elected officials) which seem to pop up in some of these community celebrations/parades, proudly displaying the flag of the Confederacy.
In Minnesota, this is especially a heinous act when you look back at the bravery and sacrifice of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg on July 2nd, 1863.
Although this post is about to become a history lesson, this isn't about debating critical race theory, or whether we should even mention the traditional Native American name for Fort Snelling (Bdote, which is cool!). This isn't about revisiting a white-centric cultural hero, like Columbus, whose undeniable negative checklist far outweighs his contributions. This is about whether the same people who claim to be proud Minnesotans can claim to be so if they embrace the flag of the Confederacy, and in turn ignore the near immeasurable sacrifice of the 1st Minnesota.
In the late afternoon of July 2nd, 1863, little more than five years after Minnesota had become a state, the Union had a major hole in its line on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. The 2nd day of fighting had been brutal with the Confederacy looking to end the war once and for all by overrunning the Union line. As the Union troops were trying desperately to hold the hill, a major hole opened up and near 1200 southern troops marched forward. The only unit which could stop them was the grossly outnumbered 1st Minnesota. They had 262 men.
They never hesitated. The 1st Minnesota charged into the fray. The chaos and insanity which unfolded in the next few minutes is hard to comprehend. Within five minutes, 215 of the 262 men of the 1st Minnesota fell. When the soldier carrying the Minnesota colors was killed, another dropped their weapon and grabbed the flag. Five times that happened IN FIVE MINUTES. Minnesota's brave, courageous and desperate sacrifice held until reinforcements arrived. The 82% casualty rate still stands as the US Army's largest loss of life of any unit which still stood at the end of the battle. Minnesota's colors never were captured, and are on display at the Capitol in the rotunda. Most important, the Union line held for the day.
In case I'm burying the lead, Minnesota saved the Union from the traitorous Confederates on July 2nd 1863. That's not just an opinion. Major General Hancock who had ordered the 1st Minnesota into the Confederate line considered them to be entitled to the rank of "saviors of their country." Minnesota has a large memorial in Gettysburg describing their sacrifice. I wept openly in its shadow.
There are a few books dedicated to that pivotal moment at Gettysburg, and that pivotal moment of the Civil War, which I encourage you to read. I don't do the 1st Minnesota the justice they deserve.
When I've seen a Confederate flag on an official vehicle or on an official display at a Minnesota festival, I don't go and try to rip in down. I don't scream about how the people who put it up are racist. I simply ask if the people flying the flag know anything about the 1st Minnesota. They always say no. I then inform them of whose side they are taking by flying the Confederate flag, usually as they clearly get more and more uncomfortable with their decisions.
Now that you know about the 1st Minnesota's history, it's up to Minnesotans to determine if flying the Confederate flag is appropriate (although I can argue flying it around the United State's Independence Day seems misguided). If you do fly a Confederate Flag in an official capacity in Minnesota, then do not tell me you're a proud Minnesotan. A proud Minnesotan would know their history and would always put the 1st Minnesota First, well ahead of the enemies of Minnesota and the United States.
Although I had a bit of a health scare, I did manage to make it out and take a few photos this year. Here are some of the better flower photographs I took fro the first half of 2021.
This week we salute Conan O'Brien as he ends is run on Conan on TBS.
He is an absolutely hilarious host and deserved FAR more stardom than he got.
Conan's predicament was once David Letterman was no longer in Jay Leno's sights, Conan became the latest victim of that guy's massive ego. Leno leaves the Tonight Show, Conan takes over in summer of 2009 (which was a very entertaining run, albeit for 6 months). As Leno immediately regretted his decision, the gears started to undermine Conan. This was something Howard Stern warned him about three years before Leno unceremoniously replaced Conan.
Conan was never given a chance, Leno brought his beige version of the show back. Rumor has it NBC told him when they decided to make the change to Fallon that he was told in no uncertain terms it was over. Didn't help Conan, but Leno exposing his own pettiness damaged him greatly.
But Conan is Conan and he has so many great bits from the last 11 years on Conan at TBS. My hands down favorite bit is Clueless Gamer, which I have posted on the Friday Link before. I love this because I’m Conan on this game. Gamer friends try to get me to play a game, it becomes a joke and I ask what's the point.
Here's the best of Clueless Gamer segments. ***Warning, Bad Language and Adult themes!***
Howdy all.
We start today with the loss of Frank Bonner, aka Herb Tarlek the sales manager of WKRP in Cincinnati. The actor passed away on Wednesday.
I've posted a few times about this show over the years, and I always say the same thing. Whomever wrote WKRP in Cincinnati worked extensively in radio, because myself and pretty much every other radio person I've ever worked with knows those characters extensively. While Venus, Johnny Fever, Jennifer, Bailey, Andy and The Big Guy all are really familiar, the two most iconic characters were Les Nessman the newsman and Bonner's Herb.
Herb Tarlek was such a great character. The show is dated with some inappropriate language for today, but his character represented late 70's early 80's smarmy salesman so well. A lot of great episodes featured Herb, but an underrated gem is the late first season episode Fish Story. Basically it involves the station mascot (Herb in a WKRP Carp suit) fighting with the radio station mascot from WPIG (by the way, pay toilets!). I did have to help break up a fight between two radio station mascots in Iowa one time. Like I said, very real!
This is a quick behind the scene feature which talks about how they really didn't want to do this episode, but it became a huge hit. Enjoy. God speed Frank.
Also this week is the return of The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper as he got to interview Mike Lindell (the my pillow guy) as he was doing his...rally(?) in Wisconsin. Klepper's point about how Lindell's claims are exactly like a Bigfoot show (There was no evidence this week, but if you turn in next week, MAYBE they'll see one then!) is so freaking perfect!
It was so good that Lindell, a man who never met a camera he wouldn't try to hog for as long as possible stormed off. Beautiful!
Have a great weekend everyone!
PLEASE get vaccinated! Stay healthy, stay safe!
Let me begin by saying HOW DARE YOU! Seriously! As your pews empty, as your congregations shrink, you once again take a religion that's supposed to be based on peace, love, welcoming, and understanding and turn it into a weapon of hate, to help your PERSONAL political motivations over the teachings of Jesus and God. You are heretics, you are fools, and you are wrong.
If you're wondering what this is all about, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, lured and seduced by political power waved at them from Republican politicians who want to turn Catholicism in the United States into a conservative political litmus test, have decided to personally attack Joe Biden by trying to write rules to prevent the President from receiving communion in church. Joe Biden is a devout Catholic, and attends church regularly, more since any president since Carter, but that's moot. The Bishops are out to persecute him. We see right through these 'Bishops of Hate' at their true motivation for what they are doing. It about PERSONAL political power.
My disclaimer: I'm Catholic. You do, or don't do, whatever it is you do or don't want to do.
My family is Catholic. My wife and I married in the church, going through the Catholic training, and we renewed our vows there too. My three kids were baptized in the church, have all had their first communion, and two of the three have been confirmed. We've gone through Sunday school and church camps. We were regular attendees of service, going at least 40 weeks a year. We attend a more liberal church and I love it. I've been to fire and brimstone churches, but I'm not a big fan of leaving a service with a list of people I'm supposed to hate in the name of Jesus. I've served on church committees and have volunteered.
For the record, I'm against abortion. That's a personal decision and one every individual should make for themselves. My faith tells me we are all judged by our own actions on this planet, so I can't point to someone else and say "they told me to do that." Make your own decision, as that is your choice to make. I wrote about my personal feelings almost 5 years ago right here: Abortion
It's been a rough few decades for the Catholic Church. The child sex abuse scandal which reached across the globe was deplorable, evil, unacceptable and heart breaking. I saw the church attendance cut in half. No one can blame the parishioners who left. Slowly a few came back, but the numbers still have not recovered from that disgrace, and nor should they. If you're wanting to praise the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for attacking Joe Biden, you are also praising many of the same people who were in leadership positions within the church when the child sex scandal occurred, and some of them likely knew. Many leaders within the church enabled the abusers FOR DECADES. You want to make them heroes, that's on you.
What the USCCB is saying is that since Catholic teachings state abortion is wrong, that Joe Biden, as a Catholic President, MUST be the most anti-abortion President ever. If he doesn't force his Catholic views on all people, including all non-Catholics and non-Christians, then he's enabling abortion and should not receive the communion.
Anti-abortion policy is a Catholic teaching, and depending on the zealot's interpretation, even goes as far to say, 'what a blessing babies conceived from rape and incest are.' The reality is the Bible is a mixed bag when it comes to abortion. Sure, there are a lot of passages that back up life, undeniably, BUT there are passages which seem to go the other way too. (quick side note: There are a lot of Catholic leaders who will say "you need to follow this passage verbatim" when a passage backs up their point of view, but when it's a passage which doesn't, the next lines are "let me tell you what they meant." FYI). Number 5:11-31 outlines a conversation between the Lord and Moses which gives 'how to' instructions on having an abortion. Exodus 21:22-23 originally only referred to the health of the pregnant woman, not the baby/fetus at all, only having been reinterpreted in recent years by political opportunists, and Psalm 137:9 is pretty straight forward. The Bible is also chock full of stores where pregnant women, babies and kids are violently killed! When you think about Noah, you always think of a boat with animals, not all the pregnant women, fetuses, babies and kids God killed with the flood (It's true!). But there's also one other slight problem with anti-abortion teachings in the church...
Jesus never once condemned abortion. Not once.
I know these Catholic Bishops will say the entire Bible and all Biblical teachings are sacred (well the ones the church allowed to be taught) but the reality is what makes Christians and Catholics 'Christians and Catholics' is the story of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the story of Jesus, from birth to resurrection, and at no point in the four Gospels does Jesus ever state "Abortion is wrong never do it!' It's not like abortion wasn't a practice back then. It was. It's not like Jesus doesn't give a lot of other direct commands. He did. He never condemned it. That's a fact.
The USCCB has decided to boil the Catholic faith down to one sin, and use that as a condemnation stick. Once again, my church is telling me who to hate, who to shun, who to dismiss, who to marginalize, who to segregate, who to demonize and, by proxy, who to vote for in political elections. No thank you!
And let's just cut through your fake veil of righteousness. The USCCB have snuggled up to the most loathsome of people, including Trump, a man who is straight out of Biblical villainy. Whenever anyone in the Catholic Church embraces a far-right conservative politician, they are GLEEFULLY snuggling up to people who have ripped the Gospel of Matthew from their Bible. You remember Matthew 25: 35-45:
You tell me what is a bigger sin USCCB, realizing your political office goes beyond your own personal religious beliefs and allowing individuals to make their own choices in life, or a group of self-serving Bishops who have allowed major teaching of Jesus himself to be thrown out, eagerly bastardizing their own faith, because they want to be welcomed into the far-right political club for personal power?
When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to feed the hungry, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly. When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to give water to the thirsty, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly (Flint, Michigan anyone?). When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to clothe the needy, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly. When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to help the sick or visit prisoners, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly. When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to WELCOME IN STRANGERS, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly!!!
USCCB, don't you dare call anyone else a 'cafeteria Catholic' when you are the ones, AS SUPPOSED LEADERS IN THE CHURCH, pick and choose what teachings of Jesus to ignore or downplay. You're the ones with the compromised morality. And let's also admit the truth. Joe Biden could cave to every one of your demands and you still wouldn't embrace him. You'd find some other made up outrage to lean upon because this has nothing to do with religion, only politics, and the political power you individually crave.
With all apologies to the more reasonable and educated leaders within the Catholic Church who I've enjoyed guidance from, including Pope Francis, I can no longer take this constant betrayal. Consider this my official resignation from the Catholic Church. I'm taking my monthly donation too! I will not be part of this organization if this is what EVIL people are determined to turn it into. There are too many other churches who are not looking to weaponize Jesus.
And what should scare the USCCB is this reality. I'm not going to be the only person saying this today. I guarantee the Catholic Church just lost a lot of parishioners. And another truth, it's not like your actions are going to even register a blip on new attendance to your 'masses of persecution.' But you don't care, USCCB. This was always only about you.
Goodbye.
Slow and steady wins the race! This week my health is slowly starting to recover, but because I'm taking it slow, and recovering, my focus is mainly on that. I'll get back to the blog soon. I promise.
This weeks Friday Link has three very different clips. We'll start with the US verses Mexico final of the CONCACAF Championship, and epic game which was a nail biter until the end. This is a Spanish language broadcast. Go to 12:10 in the video. The US, up by 3-2, had a handball in the box late in the 2nd overtime. The pure joy the Mexican broadcast team had at the delivery of the ensuing penalty kick was crushed when the US goalie blocked the tying goal, eventually leading the US winning the game.
USA! USA! USA! Epic game.
Howdy! I'm back from a fairly serious health crisis. I'm feeling better, and thanks to all the nurses, doctors, support staff and volunteers at Methodist Hospital who took care of me. It will take a few months but I should be back to normal before long.
This week's list of videos are just some of the ones I found over the last two weeks that made me laugh. Seriously, this was tough at times, so you appreciate a good sincere laugh.
First up might be the best video I've seen in awhile. I think that dog and cat are regretting a lot.
Hi all! I hope you are well. I'm still trying to recover from a health issue. I have a bad feeling this will take awhile.
Let's start the Friday Link with a story which I'm shocked is not a FAR larger story. UFO's are real! I'm not talking about a wild rant from the weird haired dude from the History Channel who thinks everything that ever happened was 'Aliens!' I'm talking credible witnesses and copious evidence.
60 Minutes did a great story on this. To be fair, this might not be aliens, but rather technology from another country which far exceeds ours (which is terrifying on a different level) but the way these pilots talk about it, they're clearly saying what we are saying; Aliens!
We start off the Friday Link this week with a fond memory.
On the radio show today I recalled the old Poodle Club in south Minneapolis. It was where we would go hang out when I went to Brown Radio School, which at that time was down on Lake Street. Although much more of an adult establishment, it got me recollecting on other lost places from my past.
I remember (vaguely) going to Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor as a kid to celebrate my birthday. I'm pretty sure it was over by Southdale, but I couldn't find any franchise information about the location over there. It was a throwback ice cream parlor which featured the Mount Everest of ice cream treats for a kid, The Zoo. It had a bunch of cool plastic animals and pretty much every ice cream and topping they had.
When I saw this piece on You Tube from Life in America, I distinctly remember being in the restaurant at some point. I also remember the piano playing ragtime music. Fond memories of the history we've lost.
I've had a bad week.
It started with my hip surgery getting cancelled at the last second, to having to figure out a diagnosis for the serious health problem which was VERY serious.
Today I'm exhausted. Nothing wakes you up from your complacent slumber faster than a serious health problem.
That being said, I'm glad it's Friday and I have a lot to look forward to this weekend.
Tonight my videos come in two varieties. Informercials and Korean Street Food!
I love informercials! The way they can convince you to buy a crap product you do not need is amazing. I had the chance to watch a lot of them while I was in the hospital this week. Late night TV is plastered with them.
But some of the products actually work and are REALLY good products. Watch Mojo has a list of the 10 best Informercial products ever made, and I'll admit, I have two of them. Also look for my friend Nancy Nelson show up hosting in the #1 Informercial! I love her so!
Short and sweet today as I have a meeting I can't miss.
Absolutely one of the best Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes ever produced, featuring the Canadian Steve Rogers, Zap Rowsdower (Is that a make up-less clown?)!
Enjoy 'The Final Sacrifice!'
Something I can't deny; I'm older. I try to do some things from when I was in my 20's and I'm in pain for a week. I try to eat like I did at 19 and I'm doubled over in pain. It's normal, but as this new reality settles in, you do get a much better prospective of the elderly family and friends who went before you.
Today I'm getting hip replacement surgery. In 2018, I started noticing what I thought was a pulled muscle or ligament in my leg. It gradually got worse and worse. I got it checked out in 2019. I was shocked to find out I have arthritis in my hip, pretty bad too. Eventually it would need to be replaced.
For a temporary measure, I opted for a steroid injection into my hip joint and it worked great! For about five months into 2020 I felt fine. I got another shot in June of last year and that seemed to hold out through the summer. All this time I was very active, hiking like a fool 4-5 times a week through parks and trails in Minnesota. I also got back into biking, something the insane amount of bike trails around the Twin Cities makes incredibly enjoyable.
But then came December. The bike went into the garage and the walks were less frequent. Finally, when we started getting really cold, I took a few weeks off. It was then I noticed the pain in my hip and leg was getting pretty unbearable. I went back into the doctor and got a third steroid shot into my hip, but three weeks later I was starting to feel the pain again.
When the weather started to turn warmer, I was convinced I could just get back out onto the paths and the pain would start to fade away. Not so much. Two to three mile walks I did with ease last summer had become shockingly painful. I got the bike back out and after some initial success, it too starting hurting far more than I was comfortable with.
It's time. I need to get this done, and so I'm off to have what is a pretty amazing procedure done, supposedly outpatient (there is a slight chance I might be in the hospital for a night. We'll see).
It does present an interesting psychological problem: Has my hip been hurting really bad for awhile now and I just pushed it aside, but now with surgery coming I'm no longer having to be the 'brave soldier,' OR is the hip pain really not that bad but as I approach the surgery my mind is convincing myself it's much worse than it really is? Interesting...
Everyone who has this procedure tells me the same thing; it's a life saver. One listener, a teacher in St. Paul, wrote to tell me you won't realize how much you're compensating for the bad hip until it's fixed. He added there is an undeniable dark cloud over the head of anyone who is dealing with long term pain, a cloud that manifests itself over time. When that starts to clear, it's glorious.
I'll watch a lot of TV, and I'll get shuffling around as quickly as possible. I'm grateful to be in the position when I can have this surgery.
One of the things I've thought about: what would my life would be like 100 years ago with this same problem? My life as I know it would've been over. I'd be in a wheelchair or hobbling for my remaining days, most of them in constant pain. Modern medicine is truly amazing. Now if we can only make sure everyone can get affordable access to it. People in America shouldn't have to make due with 100 year old medicine.
A busy week here, with the biggest news being the three guilty verdicts handed down by the jury on former Minneapolis police officer, and murderer, Derek Chauvin. Finding some justice for George Floyd felt nice but the truth is we have a long way to go to really be able to say real change is happening in America. As we celebrated the Chauvin verdict, we also saw the funeral for Daunte Wright, the black man tragically killed after being pulled over in Brooklyn Center on a racially profiled police stop.
One step forward, and another step back...
The Friday Link this week is about a few more lesser stories which made this week shockingly busy. Let's start off with the Oscars, which air of Sunday. Delayed due to COVID, it's pretty competitive this year. Looking past the Oscar nominees, WatchMojo put together a great list of movies which were complete snubs from the Academy Awards. All of these movies were released with the intention of trying to get some nominations, but they all failed. I remember many of these films being marketed as slam dunk Oscar contenders. Not so much...
In 2019, after former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was convicted of 3rd degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Justine Damond, a very deserved conviction, I said on my radio show "Now we see what it takes for a Minneapolis cop to be convicted of clearly murdering a citizen of the city. They have to be black."
Noor was Somali-American and while I don't necessarily want to get into the detail of his case, I made the comment back then "what happens from this point forward when a white cop is found to have done a comparable crime, or even worse, and we have undeniable evidence of the white cop's guilt? If that white cop get's convicted of their crime, then (although it can clearly be labeled 'minor incremental change') it would show all cops can be held accountable for their crimes. If the white cop gets found not guilty, then we know the only way the public will get justice is if the officer involved in the crime wasn't white."
A little more than a year later, former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin (who is very white and looks like a villain in a Spielberg film) was filmed crushing George Floyd to death on Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. He drove his knee into the neck of Floyd, who was handcuffed and displayed minimal resistance, FOR THE 9 MINUTES AND 29 SECONDS CHAUVIN HAD HIM PINNED. Most of the time the Minneapolis cops were piled on top of Floyd, he was already dead.
As the jury now begins to determine Chauvin's guilt as it takes over the case from the court, the test I alluded to in 2019 begins.
Let's just cut the crap. Chauvin is guilty. He's guilty of all three charges against him, 2nd degree murder (unintentional), 3rd degree murder, and 2nd degree manslaughter. The prosecution in the case MORE THAN proved their case. They showed the video, they brought in the eyewitnesses who pleaded with the officers to stop killing Floyd, they talked to the emergency responders who realized they were called to a murder scene, they presented the senior members of the Minneapolis PD who all called Chauvin's actions out of line and inexcusable, they talked to Chauvin's trainers who all insisted Chauvin was trained to never do what he did, and they brought in medical experts who (using the video itself and science) proved the cause of George Floyd's death was the officers killing him, mainly Chauvin.
Meanwhile the defense sounded incompetent at times. They so wanted to character assassinate Floyd, vilify the witnesses, and dismiss the experts, but every time they tried they sounded ill prepared and desperate. Their own witnesses not only didn't display any evidence which contradicted reality, they were picked apart by a far better prosecution team who even had the defense witnesses backing up their version of what happened.
And then there is the video, all 9 minutes and 29 seconds of it.
Yet the outcome of this trial is far from galvanized. I find it next to impossible to think the jury would vote not guilty on the manslaughter charge, but a lot of legal experts have said the convictions on 2nd and 3rd degree murder are not guaranteed.
Police in Minnesota benefit from two things. The first is police accountability rules written by Republicans which basically create a zero accountability standard for police (unless you're a black officer). All any police officer has to do is scream "I was SCARED(!)" and it becomes near impossible to convict them in Minnesota.
I've often made this analogy: A Minnesota cop could be off duty, drunk as a skunk in a bar. They could go up to someone and say "I hate you and I'm going to go get my gun and shoot you!" They then, drunk, drive home, get their weapon, drive back to the bar and raise their gun at the person they threatened. At that point the soon to be victim raises his hands to attempt to surrender but is shot and killed by the off duty drunk cop. It doesn't matter the intent, recklessness or premeditation of the situation, all the officer has to do is scream "I was SCARED when the victim raised their hands, and I feared for my life." Under that specific scenario, there's a 50/50 chance the Minnesota cop walks free.
Insanity!
Chauvin's lawyers have tried to modify the "I was SCARED(!)" argument. They have insisted the crowd begging the officers to get off of Floyd were scaring them (even though they never threatened the officers and there were five officers on the scene, including one specifically doing crowd control). They also implied Floyd had to be subdued like he was because at any moment he could become bequest with super strength and throw the officers off of him like he was the Hulk. Neither of those defenses seemed to work on the jury.
The other benefit to white Minnesota cops (and all white cops for that matter) is there's a substantial portion of the population who'll never convict a white police officer of a crime. No matter the evidence, they just won't do it. For some it has to do with a family member who is/were an officer, but for most it's a more evil internal decision. Cops keep bad guys in line, and for most of these people 'bad guys' can be defined as Black, Latino, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Liberal, LGBTQ and any other group they dislike. They might not like the tactics they use, but they tolerate them because of who is being abused by the police's heavy handed approach.
The defense also tried their hardest to tap into any juror who might share these thoughts. Not only did they focus on George Floyd's drug use (even though there wasn't enough drugs in his system to warrant any concern), but the entire closing argument was a buffet of excuses for a pro-cop juror to lean their wrongful non-guilty assertions against.
For goodness sake! The defense's argument is Floyd didn't die of being crushed into the pavement, but rather of an enlarged heart, CO emissions from a car, non-existent drugs in his system and paramedics who should've gotten to the scene faster. Only a cop apologist would find such a ludicrous argument feasible. It'd be like saying "sure the shark ate him, but in reality he died of cancer seconds before being eaten. THAT was the real cause of death."
Crazy.
But yet here we are, wondering what the jury will find Chauvin guilty of, if anything. If 'not guilty' is read repeatedly when it comes to the verdict, I feel this city (and this country) will explode with anger. If 'guilty' is read three times, I think this city will become the sight of the largest dance party in history.
Either way we'll have a definitive answer to the test.
This has been a tough week in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We were heading into the third full week of testimony in the trail of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, and then on Sunday another tragedy struck the city. Daunte Wright was murdered by Brooklyn Center police on what can only be described as a racial profiling traffic stop which ended in horror as the officer seems to have confused her service weapon for her taser, a mistake which is frankly hard to believe.
And we are in the middle of other wave of the CoronaVirus, this time mostly caused by people going on reckless Spring Break trips and kid's sports, which have become super spreader events in the state of Minnesota.
...(deep breath in, deep breath out)...
We start tonight with Julie Nolke, a Canadian (she says "eh" a lot!). She's a very funny actress and comedian with her own You Tube channel. She came across gold with her 'Explaining to Her Past Self' series, little vignettes on how her future self is trying to educate her past self. I really liked her explaining the pandemic to herself, one year later.
This was a smile I needed this week.
This week we delve back into history.
First up is a British version of the Townsends You Tube Channel. Townsends does a lot with historic cooking in America, and Modern History TV has a similar series of videos, only dealing with the foods of ancient Britain.
We're getting a look at commoner food which is being prepared and presented as it would've been in Medieval times. On top of that, the food actually looks really good! Seriously, I'd gladly become a peasant if I can eat a meal like that every night!
Speaking of Townsends, we have another video from them tonight too, but this time they are not talking about food, but rather one of the oldest houses still standing in the United States.
As many of you know I'm a Catholic. When I bring up religion it's not about trying to covert anyone. That's why I often say this disclaimer: You do, or don't do, whatever it is you do or don't want to do.
Nor do I talk about being Catholic to give anyone an insight into my life, although I've been very straight forward. I'm a Progressive because of my Catholic faith. Frankly I'm stunned anyone can read the Bible's New Testament, especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four books of the Bible which relay the story of Jesus, THE REASON WHY ANY CHRISTIAN IS CHRISTIAN, and be anything but a Liberal. Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, taking care of the sick, welcoming in strangers from strange lands...it's all pretty clear.
I primarily talk about my religion for one reason. The Conservative Right has taken Christianity, a faith built on love, compassion, peace, welcoming and caring, and turned it into a weapon of hate. They use Christianity to push a very narrow political agenda. What's amazing to me is how the Conservative Right has gotten so many "Christians" to ignore the teachings of Jesus himself, and boiled down Christianity to a handful of angry tropes, primarily 1) Anti-LGBTQ, 2) Anti-Abortion, 3) Pro-death Penalty, 4) Pro-guns.
I bring up my religion to try to stop far right loon balls from mutilating Jesus, his teachings and the Bible itself.
For the record, nowhere in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John does Jesus, THE MAN WHO MAKES CHRISTIANS CHRISTIAN, condemn the LGBTQ community (he doesn't), or demand women should have no choice in their own healthcare (he doesn't say squat about abortion, and by the way the Bible is FULL of questionable treatment of babies and the unborn!). And it's frankly laughable a man who was publicly executed in a horrific manner would be pro-death penalty. As far as weapons, Matthew 26:52 pretty much makes any Christian pro-gun argument moot (and just silly).
The Far Right work around on Jesus is to downplay his direct teachings (or outright ignore them), hype up other books of the Bible to promote their point of view (primarily Paul's letter to the Romans, which was Paul not Jesus, and Leviticus, a barn burner of a book from the Old Testament which is a really a double edged sword. You might want to read that book completely before calling it "gospel."), try to take passages out of context, or outright making up religious passages which have nothing to do with Jesus.
The reason for this is simple. The Far Right's politics is far more important that their Christian Faith. They also know their politics, for the most part, is incredibly anti-Christian, so they eagerly distort the teachings of Jesus to make their politics seem righteous.
This is why I'm writing today. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to talk to a Far Right Chrisitan about Jesus' teachings, especially in regards to feeding the hungry, healing the sick and welcoming in strangers from strange lands, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM says something to the effect of "Oh I'm for doing all of that, but..." They always have some political excuse which suddenly overrides the religion they say is the most importing steering principle in their lives.
Didn't used to be this way. This bastardizing of Christianity as a political weapon began in the 1970's in the aftermath of Nixon's resignation, and became a much more prominent movement in the Reagan 80's. Since then, this Far Right version of Christianity has become more and more focused, forcing many of their followers to abandon large swaths of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and only focusing all of their attention on one or two political issues.
I remember when churches rarely said anything which could be construed as political. Now it seems politics is constantly being preached in some churches, even occasionally mine! I remember when former Arch Bishop Nienstedt demanded all priests in the Diocese take an anti-gay marriage stand in the 2012 election. My church's priest, Father Kennedy, came out and said [paraphrasing] "The diocese has given me a list of political things I'm supposed to tell you, but I won't. You're intelligent people, you can make up your own minds about things." He got a standing ovation for about two minutes.
Considering this deformed version of Christianity has been around for 40 years, you have an entire generation who have grown up around it. Have the 'hate über alles' Christians been able to resonate with the average person? Gallup just released a poll which shows not only has this new version of 'hate Jesus' not resonated, but people are abandoning religion as an institution at a stunning rate.
Starting in the 1930's, when Gallup first asked "do you belong to a house of worship," the results show 70+% of Americans did. It stayed above 70% all the way up until 1999. Then a change started to happen. People started leaving organized religion in droves. By 2018 people who said they belonged to a house of worship was down to 50%, and this year, for the first time ever, we actually have less than 50% of Americans who have a regular place of religious worship, 47%.
I'm convinced this is a direct result of taking the love, compassion, peace, welcoming and caring out Jesus' teachings. Why would anyone be part of the church when the first thing they tell you is who you have to hate. The church leaders have no one to blame but themselves. In their strive for political power, they themselves allowed their religion to be mangled beyond recognition. When the people who were supposed to be the keepers of the faith were the ones who were forsaking it, they pushed parishioners out the door, firmly.
To be fair, the Gallup poll does refer to all religions, but in the US, the only way you are getting this level of decline is if people are walking away from Christianity. There are many other reasons for some people not belonging to church. The sex scandal in the Catholic faith was a big reason, but most of that attrition happened before 2015, and these numbers hare still dropping, and fast. I don't know too many football fans who go to church any more unless their team plays a night game. But to be fair to sports fans, the question is not how often you attend church, but rather "do you belong to a house of worship?"
Maybe this is why some of the more extreme Far Right Christians are trying to find ways to force Christianity onto others. Until they stop with the politically butchered version of Christianity, the number of people walking away from church will continue to rise.
I don't see the Far Right stopping anytime soon.
Apologies! I'm in the middle of Spring Break week with my kids so this is the only post I have for you this week.
I've really enjoyed the Marvel Series on Disney+. WandaVision was exceptional and did not shy away from the idea that the hero can become the villain in a blink of an eye.
The second series Marvel has released is Falcon and The Winter Soldier. This series takes two of the lesser characters from the Captain America comic book universe and gives them their own series, and as enjoyable as Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are in the title roles, it's Wyatt Russell who is stealing the show.
The replacement for Captain America in the Marvel world is actually a character in comics more known as the US Agent John Walker, and he's quite the jerk. Seriously as kind and righteous as Chris Evans character was, Walker is a hollow shell of the original Cap. I was very concerned they would try to soften the character, but so far Wyatt Russell is absolutely crushing it.
Wyatt is the son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell and before he got into acting was quite a good hockey goalie, even playing college level. The Friday Link this week starts off with a few cuts from Off Camera with Sam Jones. The first cut is how Wyatt, as the son of two very famous Hollywood actors, had to find his own path through hockey.
Howdy everyone!
Let me start with a plea. Take the pandemic seriously until it's over. Right now across Minnesota we have outbreaks being fueled by these new variants which are threatening to move Minnesota back into a shut down pattern. Wash hands, wear a mask, social distance and try to limit contact with large groups.
The good news is if we all do that now, soon we should be able to return to a pre-pandemic life. Governor Walz has opened up vaccinations for everyone 16 and older in Minnesota starting on Tuesday. Get vaccinated and stay safe and this will be over a lot faster.
This week, short and sweet with Mystery Science Theater and their classic riff on The Unearthly ("Ladies and Gentlemen the Edgar Allen Poe Marching Band!"). It also includes the classic shorts Posture Pals and Appreciating Our Parents!
Be healthy and be safe!
Have a great weekend!
Sometime you get a perfect storm; an absolute idiot proposes and absolutely idiotic idea. When it happens, magic occurs.
The latest example of this involves the idiotic Minnesota Representative Jeremy Munson. There have been a lot of dumbs things this clown has done, but prior to this, probably the stupidest was when he started dishing out medical advice to diabetics. Munson does not have (to my knowledge) diabetes, nor is he a licensed medical professional, but neither stopped him from handing out insulin advice in a WalMart parking lot.
Wow! That's stupid!
Munson has outdone himself with his latest suggestion, that basically the western 2/3rds of Minnesota should secede from the state of Minnesota and join South Dakota.
