Madness takes its toll

While there's news aplenty, it's becoming increasingly difficult to take much of it seriously. Most of the headlines at the moment concern the silly recount effort underway in Wisconsin. There's not a chance in hell that the results will change, but we're going to be treated to a plethora of chin-scratchers from the assembled punditocracy. If you have 800 words to fill, it's a great way to do it.

What is underlying the recount, however, does bear some scrutiny. I'm frankly a little worried about how unhinged people have become about the election of Le Gran Orange. Every day I read things like "he must be stopped" and "he cannot be president" on my social media feed. Such statements require a question -- if Trump must be stopped and cannot be president, what are people prepared to do to stop him? Are people on the Left willing to mount an insurrection?

I don't think they are, nor do I think they are capable of it. Still, I wonder about how long the madness can go on.

The Mayor of New Brighton

This Star Tribune article on the latest nonsense out of New Brighton city hall generally speaks for itself, but one passage deserves special note, as it neatly crystallizes the problem at the helm:

Instead, consultant Barb Strandell, who has worked with squabbling city councils around the region, will lead a “team-building” exercise in January that may include personality assessments.

Strandell learned how steep her challenge is at a recent preparatory session when Mayor Valerie Johnson declared: “I don’t want to walk into another meeting where the first words are, ‘You are not a dictator!’ ”

When Strandell sought to cut in with a soothing, “Well, now, just let me say …” the mayor was having none of it.

“No, I’m going to keep talking,” Johnson said. “It’s my meeting.”

Keep talking, Mayor Johnson. Keep talking.

We'll come back to this topic in the coming days.

Fidel Castro is dead

RIP doesn't seem appropriate for a guy who should have gotten the Ceaușescu treatment. Castro will have to hope his Maker is more merciful than he ever was. A reminder of who Fidel Castro really was seems in order. A good place to start is the Babalu Blog; there's plenty at the link.

Meanwhile, it's also worth remembering this photo, in which Castro's brother Raul blindfolding a man about to be murdered by one of his brother's firing squads:

Monsters, Inc.

I'm also certain you will see the name of the dictator Castro overthrew, Fulgencio Batista, thrown around as someone who was worse. Batista was a monster, yes, but a tyrant is a tyrant. Life in Cuba won't change appreciably until Raul Castro and his partners in tyranny are gone. I hope that day arrives soon.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Right Where We Left Off Edition

We now return to your regularly scheduled HYYYYYYYPPPPPPE!

A fine addition to anyone's Black Friday. Plenty o' hype out there at Rosedale today.

I thought everyone was sleeping off the turkey. That's what you were doing last night? Or were you mainlining the NyQuil again?

You must have me mistaken for some other Mr. D.

No, I don't think so. You're over the counter medicated and way under the line in your prediction skills. Watch me work!

Meeshegan Harbaughs (+6.5) vs. A School in Ohio Buckeyes. If you've been watching ESPN at all this week, and why would you, but anyway I'm sure you have, you know that this game has even more HYYYYYYPPPPPE! than normal. It's a straight elimination game, but with a twist -- if Ohio State wins, there is a good chance that they will be watching the Big Ten Championship Game on television, assuming Penn State does their job against a woeful Sparty squad. I've gone on record as saying I do not like either head coach of these respective institutions, and I consider them to have underachieved at their current jobs. You are thinking to yourself, but Benster -- hasn't Urban Meyer won a national championship at Ohio State? True. I'll give him that. However, he is in danger of wasting yet another golden chance at a national championship. Meanwhile, Harbaugh needs to win this game. Although I hate to do this. . . Ohio State 42, Michigan 39.

Hmmm. I thought Michigan's calling card was their stout defense. Hmmm. I'm not sure I agree with your analysis, Seabiscuit. But you're used to that. I think both teams will want to have an explosive offensive day, but neither will be able to get much going. So all other things being equal, who would you put your money on -- J. T. Barrett, or Wilton Speight? Ohio State 20, Michigan 16.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+15) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers. No matter what happens tomorrow, the Badgers have already punched their ticket to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game. Because of the odd tie-breaking rules, even if the Badgers lose tomorrow, they would win a four-way tie. However, the Badgers have to win this game to keep their hopes alive for a New Year's Six Game, or even a berth in the Playoff. The Gophers are a good team, but this is asking a lot of them. Badgers 31, Gophers 20.

I agree with you -- this line seems too high for the Badgers. The Gophers are solid across the board and they do play defense pretty well, although they do seem to have a distressing penchant for picking up targeting penalties. I think that Tracy Claes needs to get that cleaned up for next season, and yes, I think he'll be coming back for another season. What's been interesting to see about the Badgers at this point in the season is the emergence of yet another stud running back, Bradrick Shaw, who is the heir apparent to both Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbawale. And let's face it, Shaw is a lot easier to spell than Ogunbawale. Too much talent in Red this time. Badgers 35, Gophers 21.

Tennessee Tuxedos (+5) vs. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz. We haven't been paying a lot of attention to da Bearz in recent weeks, and that's because they are irrelevant. They are down to Charles Arnie Matt Barkley as their quarterback. In case you don't know who Arnie Barkley is, Old Dude has a video clip from his dim and distant past:

If you wonder why old dudes of Old Dude's generation are so thoroughly screwed up, this is proof that there was more disturbing stuff out there on Saturday mornings than just Sid and Marty Krofft. As for the game, Tennessee is gonna roll, unless they use this guy as quarterback:

Tennessee 90, da Bearz 2.

I don't think Gino's gonna want to send you any venison sausage with a pick like that, Seabiscuit! The only good news about this season in Chicago is now it should be pretty easy to get rid of Jay Cutler once and for all. Time to start over, again. Titans 31, Bears 10.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+4) vs. Philadelphia Iggles. I'm going to say it right now -- the Packers are not dead. They did look better on offense last week. Yes, the defense was a dumpster fire, but there's progress. Here's the other thing -- all the Packers need to do is win on Monday night and then the schedule starts to get a bit more manageable. Yes, they have the big bad Seahawks coming to town, but they still get the Lions and Vikings, so they have a chance to make up some ground on the frontrunners. Anybody that says the Packers are dead is trying to sell you something. Packers 24, Iggles 17.

I guess I'm trying to sell you something, then. I think the Packers have a chance this week, but it's going to be tough. I don't see enough help coming back on defense and at this point, without a running game, there's little reason to believe the Packers are going to be able to keep opposing defenses off balance. I think we need to do a bit of soul searching this year. Right now, this team isn't good enough to win consistently, or even that much. Perhaps that's my 70s-era skepticism coming back to the fore, or maybe I'm traumatized with the Barkleys reruns. Eagles 28, Packers 20.

Oh Old Dude of Little Faith. Believe, baby! They said the same thing in 2003, and 2013. Anything is possible. And for all the Packer fans out there, it's time to back the team and stop screaming for people to get fired. Ben out!

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Emergency Turkey Edition

Good morning, football fans! It's that day to eat turkey and watch a few turkeys cavorting on the field in Detroit. What could be better?

I have an itemized list of things that could be better.

You don't have to be like this guy:

Looks more like D every year

Get happy, Geritol Fan! It's a glorious moment! It's football, darn it! And this year the Vikings get to do the dirty work that the Packers usually pull, which is reminding America that (a) the Lions are still in the league, and (b) probably are happy they can't be relegated.

We shouldn't be talking about relegation, given the way our boys are playing, young fella.

That is a topic we'll discuss tomorrow. For now, watch me work!

Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) vs. Detroit LOLions. So check it out, old dude -- the LOLions are favored on Thanksgiving Day! I don't know if that powers that be have already had their turkey, because that line makes no sense at all. The Vikings managed to get out of their funk last week against a reeling Cardinals squad, while the LOLions have been quietly taking care of business against a string of weak opponents. One of the few enduring truths of the world is that the LOLions are only playing today because of tradition. They will embarrass themselves. That's also a tradition. So if you want to avoid talking to your family about politics, you can always make LOLions jokes. Vikings 49, LOLions 24.

I know this is odd to you, since you've never actually seen it before, but the Lions are pretty good. The Vikings did show a pulse last week, and there's no question they can still play defense, but I don't think they have a hope in Hades of scoring 49 points today. It all depends on getting to Matt Stafford. If the Viking rushers can keep him sufficiently harassed, the Vikes have a good chance to win. I'm going to say they get close, but not close enough. Lions 24, Vikings 20.

If the Lions score 49 points today, Old Dude has promised to eat a TV dinner! That should be incentive enough for the Purple. Ben out!

Get ready

I'm certain others have made this point before, but it's worth remembering -- as a practical matter, Democrats don't represent much any more other than municipalities. And that means it's going to get interesting for governmental entities at other levels:

Looking at the fiscal nightmares facing places like LA, which now spends 20 percent of its annual budget to cover pension liabilities, and Dallas, we wonder how much longer residents will be willing to live in nearly-insolvent cities. There’s a lot of talk these days about urban renewal, with greener waterfronts and hipster gentrification driving up real estate values and making previously-decrepit neighborhoods hot spots of culture. But today’s urban havens are built on a very unsteady foundation of blue city governance. At what point will the costs of maintaining today’s blue cities outweigh the appeal of what we might call “Brooklynization”? It’s not just rising housing prices that could drive people out; imagine the tax rates which could be necessary to pay off pension liabilities. Particularly for families looking to make an investment in real estate, cities may start to look much riskier.

This conflict is only going to get more contentious over time. And you will be forced to choose a side.

Just so you know

Man, I'm getting tired of all the shrieking on the Left.

Gravy

In the Star Tribune, a guy who is taking things very well:

Somewhere around 1:30 a.m. the morning after the election — an insurgency of white, rural Americans lacking college degrees having taken its revenge upon itself and the rest of us by granting power to a self-styled strongman with a long record of race-baiting, tax-dodging, creditor-stiffing, self-dealing, model-chasing, lie-disseminating and the hosting of rallies where journalists were confined to pens and subjected to taunts and promises of death printed on T-shirts (please, commenters, do tell us again about the Hillary Clinton e-mails) — I staged the only act of protest left in my immediate control.

I sent an e-mail to an in-law, telling him that his genial hockey buddy and Trump supporter friend Johnny was no longer welcome on Thanksgiving.

I’m not a hater. Johnny’s a good guy. He means well and has done nice things for me. I’ve known him 20 years. But I can’t feed him any more of my potatoes. 

It's a shame -- I understand the bile gravy he serves with his potatoes is quite tasty. We'll come back to that. There's more:

I made it to 3:30 the next afternoon before embarking on my next round of social housecleaning. By text, I put the question to a different relative, a note that read, let’s see, oh yes, here it is: “Please tell me you guys didn’t vote for that monster.”

Before the election, I had developed a vague inkling that this relative and her significant other — generous, warm, and good parents the both of them — might possibly have been considering a vote for the strongman. When six hours passed and she hadn’t replied, my forebodings only grew stronger — we trade texts about our kids in a heartbeat. At some point I sent over a curt follow-up: “I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’ ”

“Don’t get hostile,” she shot back. “I didn’t vote.”

And then you read on, and you start to wonder if it's a put-on:

On the third and final night of this reckoning by text, it was time to engage with a young cousin by marriage:

“Did you vote for Trump?”

I had been primed for confrontation with the young man, whose head is harder for me to impale on a spike because I have known him since he was a child. But he’s 30 now. And more to the point, when he arrived in my home last year for Thanksgiving and began pelting me with Sean Hannity talking points on the subject of police shootings of unarmed motorists, a thought suddenly occurred to me: Why was I making this guy such delicious gravy?

It's all gravy, fella. Then we get to the point:

Trump did us all a favor by showing exactly what would happen if an opportunist and political parasite with a compliant host party normalized the American subtext of racism, then brought it to a vote. Some of us see that as a vote to be subjected to a million small acts of social correction, not engagement.

So you don’t have to make the Trump supporters dinner, or remain their friends on Facebook, or keep sending them holiday cards. In fact, it’s probably better that you don’t, not if you don’t want to normalize the election of a man who seems poised to penalize his critics, run a hotel business with the national Treasury, bunker down under the counsel of blood relatives as all tyrants do, and foment anger within his base. Some of us have pushed away family over far less. And once you’ve taken a stand, they might have to think about what matters more to them — their fondness for the strongman, or you.

The choice might be easier than he imagines.

Benster and D Pick Your Games---Destiny of the Chosen Edition

Old dude, for the Packers and the Vikings, it is time for the real versions of those teams to finally step up and play well in games that they have to win. Make no mistake, both teams have really been terrible the past two weeks.

Or as America's Greatest Living Philosopher would have it:

And it has been as fun as watching a small child try to ride a bike. You are just looking for when the other shoe drops.

I remember getting my bell bottom pants legs caught in the bike chain. Lost more than my shoe on a few of those adventures.

I've seen the pictures, Geritol Fan. You didn't have a bike; you were riding on the back of a Conestoga wagon.

Actually, it looked more like this:

Nice ride, old dude!

Man, that's uglier than your won/loss record in this feature!

But not uglier than our featured teams have been playing!

I might agree, I might not. It is time to pick these games, and next week I am home and we can do Benster and D old school style. The HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPPPEEE! will be unreal. Watch me work!

Northwestern Wildcats (-2.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers. This line really makes no sense. The Gophers have been a good team and still have a faint hope of getting to Indy to play for a conference title. Northwestern certainly isn't a bad team by any means, but the Gophers are a much better team. Once again Vegas shows a bias that has no reasonable answer. I expect the Gophers to win, though I am sure that they are looking forward to getting the Axe next weekend for the first time since Glen "Mase In Your Face" Mason was the head coach. Gophers 21, Wildcats 10.

It's been a long time since the Axe stayed in Minneapolis. The larger issue for the Gophers will be stopping Northwestern's running attack. I think they will, but it won't be easy. Tough one, but the Gophers prevail. Gophers 20, Wildcats 16.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-28) vs. Purdon't Boilermakers. The Badgers were a team given no chance to win. Colin Cowherd even proclaimed that the Badgers were going to be lucky to get an invite to the Quick Lane Bowl by going 6-6. Well guess what, Colin? Never underestimate that Wisconsin is well coached, and always will play at a high level. If the Badgers win at Purdue and beat the Gophers, they will play either Michigan or Penn State, meaning that at worst Wisconsin might go to either the Rose Bowl or the Orange Bowl. With Louisville already losing on Thursday to Houston, with a win Wisconsin should be no worse than 6th in the next rankings. Purdue is not going to be an issue, since they are, what exactly, Sir Charles?

I thought so. This game should be a good way to have the Badgers establish themselves as a legit threat to sneak in the back door to the playoff. Badgers 49, Purdon't 13.

The largest challenge for the Badgers will be physically getting to the stadium. That wind is nasty tonight! But assuming the Badgers don't travel to West Lafayette on the Edmund Fitzgerald, it should be pretty easy. Badgers 38, Purdue 7.

Arizona Cardinals (+1) vs. Minnesota Vikings. As is the tradition here, whenever the Purple plays the Cardinals, we can't resist playing this. As always, if you are a Vikings fan, I suggest that you do not click this video.

That call never gets old. And funny enough, the Vikings are in danger of having what happened that year repeat, since they have looked terrible since the bye week. Mike Zimmer looks like he is not figuring things out fast enough, and you have to wonder if the Vikings players have been giving their best efforts. The Cardinals have not had a good year, but they have been improving in recent weeks. Local guy and Holy Angels alum Larry Fitzgerald should be a huge factor. If the Vikings struggle early, then they can't go in the tank and the fans need to back them and give them energy. Thankfully, Vikings fans are among the best in the league at doing that. Cardinals 21, Vikings 17.

Can the Cardinals rush the passer? Historically, yes. Do the Vikings block well? No. This could get ugly. Cardinals 31, Vikings 14.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+2.5) vs. Washington Gridlocks. The Packers really looked about as terrible as I can remember last week in Nashville. The offense played decently well, but the defense looked like they had gotten the wrong sort of film. This game is mission critical for the Packers, who need to avoid getting in an early hole. Thankfully, the Packers did play very well last time they came to suburban D.C., and I expect that this is the week that the Packers finally put a complete game together. Packers 24, Gridlocks 14.

You are fortunate enough to have not lived through the dark ages, young fella. It was brutal stuff. Here's an example from 1980:

Did you see the Packer defensive back? He looked like he was hailing a cab. Awful. Can the Packers get it turned around? I hate to say this, but. . . Redskins 27, Packers 23.

I know that we are only picking the four games this week, but really those were the only interesting games this week that I actually care about. I can't prove da Bearz are still in the league. We'll research the matter for next week. Ben out!

Home truth

Via Mark Steyn, a great quote from C.S. Lewis on the nature of argumentation:

I complained that the tone of undergraduate criticism was too often 'that of passionate resentment'. You illustrate this admirably by accusing me of 'Pecksniffian disingenuousness', 'shabby bluff' and 'self-righteousness'. Do not misunderstand. I am not in the least deprecating your insults; I have enjoyed these twenty years l'honneur d'être une cible and am now pachydermatous. I am not even rebuking your bad manners; I am not Mr Turveydrop and 'gentlemanly deportment' is not a subject I am paid to teach. What shocks me is that students, academics, men of letters, should display what I had thought was an essentially uneducated inability to differentiate between a disputation and a quarrel. The real objection to this sort of thing is that it is all a distraction from the issue. You waste on calling me a liar and hypocrite time you ought to have spent on refuting my position. Even if your main purpose was to gratify resentment, you have gone about it in the wrong way. Any man would much rather be called names than proved wrong.

More than 50 years on, nothing has changed. Steyn amplifies the point:

To be honest, I'd be mildly impressed were any of the #NotMyPresident types to hold up a sign accusing Trump of "Pecksniffian disingenuousness" and "shabby bluff", but it doesn't seem to be Miley or Katy's bag, and Pecksniffian uses up too many Twitter characters for a viable hashtag. That said, Donald Trump is pachydermatous on a nuclear scale and clearly relishes l'honneur d'être une cible (look it up, snowflakes). So you're gonna need something new. Like maybe try refuting Trump's positions rather than labeling the millions of voters who support them. Oh, and while we're at at it, you might politely suggest to Messrs Oliver, Colbert and Noah that there's never been a better time to embark on a mid-life career change and move into comedy. If the object is to win the next election, sneering is not a substitute for argument, or entertainment.

I'll save you the trouble of looking it up: l'honneur d'être une cible means "the honor of being a target" and comes from Edmond Rostand's 1897 play "Cyrano de Bergerac." As always, the rest of Steyn's piece is worth your time.

Narrative

A true story in the service of a false narrative:

A small wooden placard with a message involving the Ku Klux Klan was found this week in a basement classroom of Irondale High School.

A school spokesman said the Post-It Note-sized wooden tile with the message "The KKK wants you!" was discovered by a handful of students who immediately reported it. The spokesman said the student responsible has been identified.

"We're dealing with the student appropriately," the spokesman said.

As most readers of this feature know, we have a pretty strong relationship with Irondale High School. One contributor to this feature is a graduate of Irondale, while the other is currently a student there. They also happen to be my kids.

This is the work of one, troubled kid, who has been suspended more than once for pulling stunts of this sort. There's no evidence that the kid is actually a Klan supporter. There are about 1500 kids at IHS; I would imagine the other 1499 would denounce the Klan. The only thing that's changed since Trump's election is that reporting on crap like this is a way to get an easy headline for KSTP. Anyone who has ever gone to high school knows that some kids like to do outrageous things to get attention. It's a universal experience. To pretend otherwise is ludicrous.

Melvin Laird, RIP

A blast from the past:

Melvin R. Laird, a former congressman who served as President Richard M. Nixon’s defense secretary at the height of the Vietnam War and designed policies that eventually led to the American withdrawal from combat operations, died Nov. 16 at a hospital in Fort Myers, Fla. He was 94.

The cause was complications from congestive heart failure, said a son, David Laird.

A shrewd and influential Wisconsin Republican, Mr. Laird became his party’s leading expert on military affairs during his 16 years in the House of Representatives.

Out of party loyalty, he reluctantly agreed to leave Congress and become defense secretary in January 1969, at a moment when U.S. troop strength in Vietnam — around 550,000 — was nearing its peak. During his four years at the Pentagon, Mr. Laird dramatically reduced U.S. troop involvement in the conflict, supported the cause of bringing home U.S. prisoners of war held under horrible conditions in North Vietnam and worked to end the deeply unpopular draft.

Laird represented the 7th District in Wisconsin, a vast area in the north and central part of the state. He was an old school guy and he looked like one even then. I remember seeing a lot of Laird on television when I was young, because he was regularly in the news. He wasn't as controversial a figure as his predecessor at Defense, Robert McNamara, but he had a plan and he stuck to it. Among Nixon's men, he was one of the few who was completely free of the taint of scandal. He was an advocate for openness and accountability in the federal government, which was also at odds with how Nixon preferred to operate. And once he left Washington, he didn't cash in as a lobbyist. Instead, he went to work for Reader's Digest. I don't know that you can find many people in Washington like Melvin Laird anymore. Would that we could.

Charges in Castile Case

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi made his decision yesterday -- Jeronimo Yanez will face charges in the shooting of Philando Castile:

Philando Castile’s fatal encounter last July with St. Anthony police Officer Jeronimo Yanez lasted only a minute, but quickly escalated from a “respectful and compliant” exchange to one steeped in confusion and fear.

In an extraordinary move by a Minnesota prosecutor, authorities said the officer, not the civilian, is to blame for the tragic events that turned a traffic stop in a Twin Cities suburb into a flash point in the national debate over racial profiling and police use of force.

Yanez pulled Castile, a 32-year-old, over at 9:05 p.m. July 9 on Larpenteur Avenue near Fry Street in Falcon Heights. By 9:06 p.m., the young officer had fired seven shots into Castile’s car, killing him as his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter watched.

For those actions, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said at a news conference Wednesday morning, Yanez will be charged with three felony counts — second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. He’s the first Minnesota officer charged in an on-duty killing in modern memory.

The number seven matters here, because it suggests that Yanez panicked. I am guessing the charge of second-degree manslaughter is designed to get a plea agreement. The definition of second-degree manslaughter is here:

609.205 MANSLAUGHTER IN THE SECOND DEGREE.
A person who causes the death of another by any of the following means is guilty of manslaughter in the second degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both:
(1) by the person's culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another; or(2) by shooting another with a firearm or other dangerous weapon as a result of negligently believing the other to be a deer or other animal; or
(3) by setting a spring gun, pit fall, deadfall, snare, or other like dangerous weapon or device; or
(4) by negligently or intentionally permitting any animal, known by the person to have vicious propensities or to have caused great or substantial bodily harm in the past, to run uncontrolled off the owner's premises, or negligently failing to keep it properly confined; or
(5) by committing or attempting to commit a violation of section 609.378 (neglect or endangerment of a child), and murder in the first, second, or third degree is not committed thereby.
If proven by a preponderance of the evidence, it shall be an affirmative defense to criminal liability under clause (4) that the victim provoked the animal to cause the victim's death.

Emphasis mine. The key word is unreasonable. What will a jury decide is reasonable? A lot hangs on the decision. I am, as I write this, about 100 feet away from St. Anthony Village. I will be watching events closely.

And now, some haiku

Bitchin' and moanin'
Eight years in the wilderness
Better post a meme

Two, four, six, eight, now
Is the time to fulminate
Man, he destroyed Trump

Soros and Chomsky
Proof positive that bile is
A preservative

Nancy Pelosi
Just the person you'd ask to
Lead a youth movement

***

Write your own haiku
Put your verse in the comments
Quite easy to do

Virtue Signaling in Mudville

If anything, the election last week has made social media even more hateful than it was before the election. I don't know if the lefties on my feed can keep their dudgeon high for the next four years, but it sure seems that is the goal. The signal to noise ratio has never been worse.

I keep my politics here; only rarely do I bother with commenting on posts of a political nature on social media, primarily because so many of my college friends are so far off the deep end that it's not worth risking friendships over engaging in, ahem, discussions. I want to see their family pictures, or stories about their lives. I don't really need to see them denounce Stephen Bannon for the 13th time today; I got the point at least a half-dozen posts ago.

Perhaps it will change, though.  I'm noticing this -- while the number of propaganda posts are increasing on my feed, the actual number of comments and "likes" I see on each are going down. We aren't into discussions any more, we're all about the virtue signaling. It would be easier if Facebook and other similar sites simply gave you the option to add a halo to your icon, much as you can superimpose a French flag screen over your icon every time the French get hit with another terrorist attack. It would be a real timesaver.

At least it will be amusing

If you thought Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges wasn't entertaining enough with her Lucille Ball-meets-Jiang Qing persona, here comes some competition:

Nekima Levy-Pounds, a civil rights activist and critic of local police practices, will announce Tuesday that she is running for mayor of Minneapolis.

Levy-Pounds, 40, an attorney who stepped down in October as president of the Minneapolis NAACP, said she’ll make her formal announcement at a news conference in front of the Minneapolis police Fourth Precinct on the anniversary of the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark. A white Minneapolis police officer shot Clark, a black man, in a scuffle Nov. 15, 2015. His death prompted protests and an 18-day encampment outside the precinct in north Minneapolis.

Might be time to bring back the pirate guy.

Leon Russell, RIP

Leon had success in his solo career -- still, he's probably best known for his work with Joe Cocker on the famous "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour back in 1970 or thereabouts, as Leon peers out from underneath his top hat:

But he played on a lot of other songs, including "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes. He had a remarkable career. RIP.

#Never is here

I've had both a #NeverTrump logo and a "Hillary for Prison" logo on my sidebar for most of the year. I've removed both. So now what?

My #NeverTrump stance flowed from three beliefs:

• I assumed his boorishness and inexperience would make him too toxic to be elected and deliver the White House to the Clintons. I was wrong about that.
• I believed he would govern as a Democrat, but with less of a pants crease than David Brooks might prefer. That may happen.
• I also assumed that, if, mirable dictu, Trump would get the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he would turn out to be a fraud and a charlatan and would destroy the Republican Party brand. That may happen, too.

So, where does that leave me? I’m willing to take a wait-and-see attitude on Trump. If he uses his power wisely, I will support him. If he doesn’t, I’ll remain critical. I don’t think it’s really that different from where many of my fellow citizens are. And it's the stance I would have if somehow a different Republican were standing where Trump does today. My loyalty doesn't belong to any person, because every person has flaws.

While it was hardly inevitable that Donald Trump would be president in 2017, it is inevitable that 2017 and the years to follow will be a struggle. Trump can do things to make life better, but the heavy lifting will have to come from all of us and most of the work ahead is beyond Trump's control. Time to get to it.

Benster And D Pick Your Games -- Razor's Edge Edition

Old dude, seems to me that a lot of our football teams are needing to get a victory to stay the course, or bad things could happen.

Yes. It's been somewhat of a disappointing season on a number of fronts, but nothing is decided yet.

Agreed. The Packers, Vikings, Gophers, and Badgers are all facing games that are going to be tough to overcome, but all are games that should make a difference.

At least on some of the college campuses, the fields will be wet from all of the tears.

We need a cleanup on aisle academia! And that is why football is still a lot more fun than politics, because at the very least there is a clear winner and loser, and you do not have to be a Republican or Democrat to enjoy a game. But enough about politics, it is time to unleash the HYYYYYYYYYYYPPPPPPE! Watch me work!

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+7) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Gophers have quietly moved into a tie for the lead in the Big Ten West, and if they win out are looking forward to a trip to Indy to play either Michigan or A School in Columbus. If Nebraska loses again, they are pretty much done, since they do not have the head to head tiebreaker already over Wisconsin, and will not have it against Minnesota if they lose. As of this writing, Tommy Armstrong might not be ready to go after his scary injury last week, and the Nebraska offense looked bad without him. Gophers 31, Cornhuskers 24.

This one is interesting. The Gophers have, for the most part, taken care of business. Tommy Armstrong makes the Nebraska offense go. The Gophers tend to be "bend, but don't break" on defense, so it will be interesting to see if they can keep the score low.  That's the formula for success in this game. Nebraska 20, Minnesota 17.

Illinois Fighting Illini (+22.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers. I have to be honest with you, this game just makes me a little nervous. Wisconsin has the inside track in the West, and have a very winnable game against Purdue next week, and get Minnesota at home. Illinois is a team that always plays Wisconsin very close, and the Old Dude and I both have a lot of respect for Lovie Smith and the job he did with the Bears. Illinois is a team that struggles a lot, but the Badgers need to worry about looking ahead, and I wonder if the offense will improve. Wisconsin 20, Illinois 17.

The point spread seems a bit high for the Badgers, who are offensively challenged. Illinois will get better under Lovie, but they aren't there yet. Check back in two years on the Illini. Badgers 28, Illinois 14.

The 128th Bronze Turkey Game: Monmouth College Fighting Scots (NL) vs. Knox College Prairie Fire. This game is one of the most heated games that most college football fans are unaware, but for me as a Knox student, this game is the one I want to win every single year. These schools do not like each other, and are separated by 10 miles. As a former AD of Knox once said, Knox and Monmouth could be playing each other in tiddly winks and people would watch. Monmouth had dominated this series for well over a decade, but I have a feeling that this time the Bronze Turkey will finally leave Monmouth and return home. Knox 27, Monmouth 7.

Uh, no. Monmouth is clearly the class of the league and while your Prairie Fire squad is plucky, they are gonna get crushed. Sorry, young fella. Monmouth 59, Knox 14.

Minnesota Vikings (+1) vs. Washington Gridlocks. The Vikings are suddenly in trouble, and quite frankly I do not understand why. Yes, they have had injuries, but you can say that about every team in the league at this point. Remember, 13 years ago the Vikings got off to a hot start, and then the bottom fell out. Washington is a solid team, and the Vikings should be able to win this game even though they have to go on the road. But I said that last week, and the Vikings lost. If the Vikings somehow lose this game, then Mike Zimmer will start to feel his seat warm up a little. Redskins 31, Vikings 10.

This game will tell us a lot about the Vikings. The Redskins are okay at best and a beatable opponent, but you have to wonder if the offensive line can hold up. Sam Bradford has been under siege and I don't think that changes this week. Redskins 24, Vikings 16.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-2.5) vs. Tennessee Tuxedos. The Packers are also in trouble, and are facing a road game stretch that they need to have a winning record on. Tennessee has been a very improved team, and the Packers do tend to struggle playing outdoors in the South, though the temp will not be as high as it was in Jacksonville. All the Packers need is to just have a complete game on offense and defense, and avoid putting themselves into an early hole. I think the Packers are going to win, they just have to play well enough and do enough to win. This game is going to be not as pretty as other games, but at this point, we need a win. Packers 17, Tuxedos 7.

Can the Packers stop an elite running back? The Titans have one. If DeMarco Murray goes for 150 yards or more, it's a long day for the Pack. In either event, this one is a shootout. Packers 38, Titans 27.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope everyone has a good weekend. Enjoy the football, I know I will. Ben out!

Asked and answered

The marching orders came down:

The first order of business, however, is to grieve, to rage, to confess confusion, to shake with fear. Only when we let ourselves feel fully do we free our minds enough to think clearly about what is next. 

That's the order of Betsy Hodges, the mayor of Minneapolis. And the order was fulfilled:

Several thousand anti-Trump protesters blocked Interstate 94 in Minneapolis for about an hour Thursday night, causing a major traffic backup in both directions.

From about 8 to 9 p.m., throngs of protesters who had marched onto the heavily traveled road after a rally at the University of Minnesota chanted and hoisted signs, some of them sitting on the road, others locking arms and facing lines of police officers. They eventually left the freeway via Cedar Avenue.

Let fury have the hour, anger can be power
D'you know that you can use it?

Expect a lot of use in the coming days. And don't expect the instructions from Mayor Hodges to get any more helpful.