This should work well

Quote of the day, from French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer:

“We need to stop being a country that listens to those who cry the loudest,” Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told LCI news channel.

I'm sure more high-handedness will be exactly the solution France needs.

Housekeeping

Changed up the background a bit. Always want to keep it reasonably fresh. May do some more tinkering on the edges in the coming days. Hope you like it.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Don't Talk about Playoffs Edition

So, Old Dude, let's talk about playoffs.

You're kiddin' me.

Baby, I'm not foolin'.

I gotta whole lotta love for playoff action, even if  a certain team we don't like is involved. But we'll troll Gino later. And I have a good one for our pal Gino. Watch me work!

Indianapolis Colts (+1) vs. Houston Texans. First, a little housekeeping. Jim Mora has nothing to do with this Colts team. This game is not exciting to me. Yes, I said I have a whole lotta love for the playoffs, but these are two of the most generic teams in the NFL. The Colts were left for dead in October, but they have been red-hot down the stretch. I think the Texans blew a chance at a first-round bye and the Colts are a bad matchup. Colts 21, Texans 6.

Keep it coolin', baby. I'm at best lukewarm about this one myself. It should be a good matchup but I'm still trying to figure out how the Colts are winning. I think the Texans are a better overall team. And since they are at home. . . Texans 28, Colts 23.

Seattle Seahawks (+2) vs. Dallas How Bout Dem Cowboahs? Great. These clowns again. Two of the most obnoxious fan bases in the league and they get the prime-time slot. And two of the coaches we love to hate. It's Rah-Rah Cheat Carroll vs. Jason "Sparky the Sea Lion" Garrett, always clapping his hands. My rule of thumb for the playoffs -- is your quarterback a proven performer. Russell Wilson fits that bill. Dak Prescott? Not yet. I think Seattle will jump out early and take Zeke away, which means Dak will have to win the game on his own. Can he do it? He has about as much chance of that as Skip Bayless has of getting a meal in Green Bay without the cooks spitting on his burger. Seahawks 28, Cowboahs 0.

Mmmm, a bacon cheeseburger with loogie sauce! It might be more palatable than this game, actually. I share Benster's contempt about these two franchises, but I agree with his analysis. The Seahawks have done this before. The Cowboys? Not since Benster had a rattle in his hands. Expect some rattling tonight. Seahawks 24, Cowboys 13.

Los Angeles Chargers (+2.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens. If you're looking for an upset this weekend, this game is going to be the one. The Ravens, for my money, are the best defense in the league. I'm going to be interested to see how the Chargers start, considering it's an early kickoff on the East Coast. I know Lamar Jackson has never started a playoff game, and I'm going against what I've written earlier. If I'm an NFL coach, Baltimore is a team I do not want to see, either tomorrow or down the line. Ravens 17, Chargers 10.

I would love to see Phillip Rivers have one last playoff run to cement his place in history as a great NFL quarterback. He's had a wonderful career, but often he's been away from the cameras, as the Chargers are only sporadically a glamour team. Baltimore is a very tough place to win, though. This Ravens team is nasty and built for the playoffs. They will be too much. Ravens 24, Chargers 20.

Philadelphia Eagles (+6.5) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck. Gino would like to remind you that his Bears are the NFC North Champions. I would like to remind Gino that he has a namesake who committed this crime against music:

Gino's been lost, living inside himself all season long. But now come the playoffs and the defending champion Eagles are coming to town. Do you remember this playoff game?

That was a weird game. Bears fans, including our man Gino, have been claiming their team is for real all season long. I must admit they are a legitimate team. That being said, they are playing the defending champions. This season won't be a failure for the Bears, but I don't think they can win. Eagles 35, da Bears 31.

I must admit the Gino Vannelli is a nice touch. I'm also glad you spared us all a look at his chest hair. Anyway, this is a matchup that will put hair on your chest for sure. The Eagles were much better down the stretch than they had been, but there's a reason they are a #6 seed, beyond the obligatory Vikings reference. The Eagles aren't consistent. The Bears have been remarkably consistent all season. The key, as is often the case, is can Mitchell Trubisky not lose the game. This week, I think he survives. Besides that, I really want to see a Bears/Rams playoff game next week. Bears 24, Eagles 14.

Clemson Tigers (+5.5) vs. The Crimson Tide of Alabama, in Santa Clara. This is the National Title Game that nobody wanted, but here it is anyway. I'm sick and tired of both of these teams. It was fun the first time, but this is like a cash grab sequel. I would like Clemson to win, since they are slightly less annoying than Alabama. Maybe next year we could have something new and different. Better get rowing that boat, there, P.J.! Clemson 34, Alabama 33.

Do they still make Brylcreem? It seems like a perfect product for the Clemson coach to market. A little Dabo do ya? Well, do ya, Clemson? Alabama really ought to petition the NFL for an expansion franchise at this point. I am with Benster on this one -- it's bad for the game if you have the same two behemoths battling it out every year. As for this game, Alabama is better. Again. Yawn. Alabama 41,  Clemson 30.

Well, that's a lot of territory we covered, old dude. And up to now, I haven't even used the word HYYYYYYYYPPPPPPE! But I got it in. Contractual obligation. Ben out!

Adult Supervision

I heard it more than a few times last year -- we need to elect Democrats to keep Donald Trump honest and to provide adult supervision. Meet one of the new supervisors:

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) — who was sworn in earlier Thursday — is coming out of the gate swinging at President Donald Trump.

According to accounts from multiple reporters, the new Congresswoman made a sharply-worded pledge to a crowd at a reception held by the progressive group MoveOn near Capitol Hill on Thursday night.

Axios’s Alexi McCammond reports that Tlaib quoted her son telling her, “Look mama you won. Bullies don’t win.” Tlaib reportedly replied, “You’re right, they don’t. And we’re gonna go in and impeach the motherfucker.”

You see this cat Trump is a bad mother (Shut your mouth)
But I'm talkin' about Trump (Then we can dig it)
He's a complicated man but no one understands him but Rashida (Don Trump)

She seems nice. It's already obvious that we'll have plenty to blog about in 2019.

The Return of Guilty Pleasures -- Fearless Maria Brings the Ol' College Snark

Wait a minute -- look. Who is that sitting to my left?

Your worst nightmare. In color!

Fearless Maria is back in the saddle after a multiple year hiatus from our feature!

It's true. I was on sabbatical in Canada, and then Uganda, and after that I was held hostage for multiple years by the Irondale High School Music Department. But now I'm here. . . and I know you've missed me!

Your adoring public awaits. Well, at least Bubba and maybe Crankbait.

And Gino? Please, we all want Gino!

Gino too.

Well, I guess the lack of humor around here scared everyone else off. And probably the oversaturation of Benster HYYYYYPPPPE! There's only so much your readers can take, Dad!

Good point. So what have you been doing with your life? Besides that Uganda thing.

Well, it's true, I did a lot of music during my high school years, none of which I feel Guilty about, because it was always quite a Pleasure! Now I am going to college at Saint Louis University, moving my talents and reputation towards the Deep South (that's a joke, son), although you'd think it was the Deep South because on more than one occasion, I've been asked if I go up to Canada often because I live in Minnesota. Geography isn't for everybody, I guess.

That's true -- besides which, I'm pretty sure your snowshoes are in the shop.

Yep. Right next to the skis and the Polaris.

So, you remember how this works, right?

Vaguely. I seem to recall that we pick videos of bad 70s songs and then we critique the music and their pathetic fashion sense.

That's right. Shall we begin?

Yes, we've kept them waiting long enough. Sorry, Gino!

So, do you want to do the honors?

Since we've been gone, I think we can depart from any rules, because no one really remembers them anyway. So. . . a Guilty Pleasure from back in the day, since your audience is not likely to have heard anything recorded after about 2005. We'll start here:

That's right. A complete collection of every 80s video cliche known to man, with 80s hair and an astonishing amount of synth.

It's tough to top that one. It's a buffet line of stupidity!

I think what really draws your attention about this piece is how the spectacle of the scenery seems even more overbearing than Bonnie Tyler's screeching in the last two choruses. The song itself could probably have some potential if taken seriously. But having a bunch of teenaged boys parade around like demented Hogwarts students is something most people couldn't take seriously. It's almost like seeing roadkill on the side of the road -- you know it's really bad, but you can't look away.

It's something, all right. But since I want to keep this post PG-13, I won't go any further. Meanwhile, here's a 70s one-hit wonder featuring a dude playing Fearless Maria's favorite instrument:

I don't think the marimba player's outfit would have worked in the Irondale drumline, or even in this decade, but aside from his curious mallet choice (don't use xylophone mallets on a marimba, kids) he did a fine job. I didn't realize it was Phil Mickelson on vocals with the golfer's hat, either. Otherwise, a pretty straightforward song. Okay, so it's my turn. Let's try this one:

Wow. 80s overkill!

The hoop earrings were a nice touch. Meanwhile, you gotta love the complex thought that was put into the lyrics and the erudite rhyming pair of "go-go" and "yo-yo." The costume changes were about as smooth as they can be for the 80s, transforming from the baggy white shirts to the pre-Michael Jordan short shorts. And yeah, the back-up singers really had it going on, even though you'd have thought anyone singing "go-go" would wear go-go boots.

Did you say go-go boots?

You've been same-in, when you oughta be changin'.

You realize those aren't actually go-go boots, right Dad? But I'll say this -- pretty risque for 1966, but you have to love the confidence in the performers. 

A lot of these women are probably in their 70s now.

Yeah, they could do a comeback performance, but those little tennis balls on the walkers might get in the way. My turn again!

This video turned out to be an unintended (well, by us) showcase of 60s fashion. Some of these looks are really coming back. Not necessarily the buttoned overcoat, but the plaid skirt and knee-high boots could appear on a number of students at SLU. I'm not sure about Diana Ross's outfit, but the vocals are spectacular and it's a well-written song. 

One of their best performances, I'd say. One more:

Chaka Khan has better hoop earrings than George Michael. Overall, it seems like the group has a good energy and matches well, with the exception of the keyboard guy with the floral shirt and the pimp hat. The audience is groovin', but I suppose when in Rome (or Philadelphia), it's an occupational hazard. 

So, we're done here. Your choices are:

"Total Eclipse of the Heart," Bonnie Tyler
"Moonlight Feels Right," Starbuck
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," Wham!
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," Nancy Sinatra
"You Keep Me Hanging On," Supremes
"You Got the Love," Rufus

Put your pick in the comment section, just like you always have. And I'm glad to be back. I have to go back to St. Louis next week, but we'll do a better job of keeping up with this feature. Or maybe the Kardashians. But who cares about them, right?

Indeed. Vote early, vote often!

The Seventies are disappearing right before our eyes

It doesn't happen every day, thank goodness, but yesterday we lost three people who were, in their own ways, fairly prominent figures in the entertainment world of the 1970s and 1980s.

The first one we heard about was "Mean" Gene Okerlund, who started out here in the Twin Cities working with Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association as an announcer/interviewer, who then parlayed that gig into fame and fortune with Vince McMahon's various wrasslin' empires. Okerlund didn't have a lot of dash; I always thought he looked like a claims adjuster. But it's difficult to imagine the wrestling world without him. Here is an example of his early work in Minneapolis, featuring the one, the only, Da Crusher:

It's actually subtle -- he lets Da Crusher bluster on, occasionally giving the audience a somewhat worried expression, yet his "questions" invariably lead the viewer where Mean Gene wants the interview to go. Professional wrestling is all about stagecraft and narrative and Mean Gene was a one-man Greek chorus.

Later in the afternoon, we found out that Bob Einstein, best known (I think) as Super Dave Osborne, passed away. Einstein started out his career with the Smothers Brothers, playing an absurdly by-the-book officer named Officer Judy. This bit with another dude from Milwaukee, Liberace, is hilarious:

I loved the Super Dave shtick, which started out as a goof on Evel Kneivel but became something far more amusing. Einstein did a bunch of these Super Dave bits; this one is a personal fave. It's essentially an elaborate setup for an obvious sight gag, but it's a lot of fun a long the way. Trailers for sale or rent:

Einstein's genius was never breaking character -- he was as good at deadpan comedy as anyone I'd ever seen. What was even more amusing and amazing? His younger brother, Albert Brooks, is a master of the neurotic comedy style. Einstein also played the Marty Funkhouser character on Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" series; those bits are often hilarious but most of them are NSFW, so I'll let you head to YouTube for those on a separate visit.

Finally, we learned that Daryl Dragon, best known as the "Captain" in his musical pairing with his wife Toni Tennille. This song was unavoidable in 1975:

Dragon and Toni Tennille had a five-year run through the back half of the 1970 where their music was regularly part of the Top 40. He was also a well-known session musician who did extensive work with the Beach Boys. We haven't seen much of these two in recent years, but they were able to draw an audience long past their heyday.

We are now 40-45 years past many of these performances, so it's not surprising that the performers are leaving the stage. Still, it brings me up short.

Beto, Beer, and Benster

Hey man, pull my Beto:

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s livestreamed New Year’s Eve chat — featuring the former Harvard prof cracking and swigging a beer — is being widely panned as inauthentic pandering, with some political operatives calling it a desperate effort to compete with young contenders.

“It’s called ‘pulling a Beto,'” Democratic consultant Scott Ferson chuckled, referring to up-and-coming progressive Beto O’Rourke, a possible 2020 rival of Warren.

When you're less authentic than the fraud from El Paso, that's saying something. There's more:

Ferson and others noted that the 69-year-old Warren has not been known for the down home, digital fireside chat approach, and it seemed contrived.

“She’s never really made this type of appeal,” GOP strategist Ryan Williams agreed. “She’s nervous about newer younger faces in the Democratic party. She’s making a pretty desperate attempt to make it look like she’s cool.”

“Elizabeth Warren seems more like a chardonnay senator than a beer senator,” quipped Tobe Berkovitz, a Boston University politics professor who was a longtime Democratic communications specialist. “It’s just sort of trying too hard … and people have pretty good radar for that sort of thing.”

Two years into the Trump administration, there's one thing he does that's consistently amazing -- he makes all his opponents look terrible. They denounce, they flail, they pretend to be something they're not. It's difficult to suss out how much of that is Trumpian bad juju and how much of it is simply people revealing themselves when the cameras arrive. But I have a suspicion.

A story: when Benster was young and playing Little League baseball, he didn't have a particularly strong arm, which limited his ability to progress much beyond that level. Because he didn't have a strong arm, his coaches generally didn't think to use him as a pitcher. As a result, Benster only got to pitch a few times, but when he did pitch he could be pretty effective. Why? Because he didn't have a strong arm, his pitches almost seemed like lobs to the kids he was pitching to. They would just about fall out of their shoes trying to kill the ball as it approached. He would strike out a few kids and most of the ones who did hit the ball tended to hit weak ground balls to the second baseman. Almost no kid he faced had the patience to wait on the pitch long enough to hit it hard, even though they would take ferocious swings. As long as Benster threw strikes, he'd get kids out.

As we watch the lineup of Democratic candidates come up to the plate in this cycle, watch what happens. I predict a lot of them will be taking ferocious swings, but won't make solid contact.

Hello 2019!

All sorts of possibilities

Welcome to 2019. Time to fill more black screens.

The joy of a new phone

So I got a new phone yesterday, an iPhone XR. That moves me from the technological hinterlands to the front lines -- it's not the fancy dan, top-of-the-line XS Max, but it's close enough. It's an expensive move -- new phones for the whole family set you back a few thousand dollars these days, especially when you outfit each phone with an Otter Box case. It also means an annoying round of password changes and technological song and dance moves to get everything you need moved over. But the benefits are already obvious, especially since the battery on the new phone is so much better than what I had before with my old Android phone, which could go from a full charge to "Danger Will Robinson" after about a half-hour of use. And although I haven't really tested it yet, the camera on the new phone has a lot more capability than the post-modern Kodak Brownie that my old phone had; with my continuing interest in photography, that's a positive change. And, as you can imagine, the kids are in heaven.

It also means I'm now in Apple world, for better and worse. I don't have any particular allegiance to any technology company; why the hell would anyone feel that way? Apple fanboys have always struck me as weird, but Android essentially shovels every move you make to an algorithm; as we continued to discuss getting new phones within our family, I would see ads on my old phone for new cell phones and cell phone providers. It's long been evident that we are under constant surveillance, not by Big Brother per se, but rather by a set of Silicon Valley frenemies who act like adversaries but aren't, really.

It's tough to stay away from the fray, really. Modern cell phones are ingenious gadgets and capable of doing amazing things. It is a marvelous tool to have in one's hand, but the servant becomes the master if you're not careful.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Dreams/Nightmares Edition

Old dude, the Vikings are 60 minutes away from the land of dreams, hoping to erase the memory of the Philly fans tormenting them and placing the Iggles into the dustbin of history. Dreams can come true, but dreams can also tatter into nightmares. Should the Vikings lose and the Eagles win, their dreams will be shattered, and the hot takes will be burning.

Souhan already has a sack of Kingsford in his shed for the occasion.

I imagine that these takes will make a certain former sportswriter shudder.

I'm not certain I know which sportswriter, but why choose?

I'm feeling the HYYYYYYYYYPPPPPEEEE!, and am ready to talk both pro and college. Watch me work.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+12.5) vs. Clemson Tigers, at Jerry World. Notre Dame feels that they are the underdog. A lot of people will disagree, because the Irish have a sense of entitlement that is hilarious to me. To be fair, they beat everyone they had to this year and belong in the playoffs based on that fact. Clemson has been around forever and are less annoying, but they always seem to win and it would be great to have a little bit of diversity in national title contenders. No team has a divine right to anything in sports. I think the Irish are better equipped to win this game because they don't have to answer questions about drug samples every 10 seconds. Irish 31, Tigers 23.

I think you hit the issue in the last sentence, Seabiscuit. Clemson is going to be missing some key players on defense, especially the mountainous Dexter Lawrence. This is a better Notre Dame team than we've seen in a while, but I'm not convinced they are good enough to beat Clemson. Clemson 28, Notre Dame 21.

Chokelahoma Boomer Sooners (+14) vs. The Crimson Tide Of Alabama. As a Packers fan, I will be watching this game with great interest. I really don't care about either team, but Lincoln Riley and Nick Saban are rumored candidates for the next head coach of the Packers. In the interest of full disclosure, I would prefer Alabama to lose so that Saban can come to Green Bay and start The Process. The Tide have a quarterback controversy again, and were lucky to escape Atlanta with their lives. I know that A School in Columbus is mad that they got screwed out of the playoffs. However, if you lose badly at Purdue, you have zero right to complain. I like Oklahoma in this one, even though Oklahoma historically has their fans down in the really important games. Oklahoma 45, Nick Saban to Green Bay? 21.

I've heard those rumors as well. This is the better of the two playoff games. Alabama is like a monster at the end of a slasher movie -- you swear they're dead, but somehow they survive. I don't think there's a controversy per se, but I wonder if Jalen Hurts doesn't see a grad transfer season in his future. Oklahoma can score. Alabama can stop you from scoring. Something's gotta give. Alabama 31, Oklahoma 28.

Detroit LOLions (+9) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers. If you call yourself a Packers fan and quit watching in the fourth quarter last week, please hand your fan identification card into your local Packer Fan Club branch. The Packers fought against long odds, and are a lot better than their record says they are. To all the loyal Packers fans who did not quit on the team last week, you are the real fans and should be commended for your loyalty. This team has shown true grit and determination, something that could lead to the start of something better. I think the Packers should win because they are all playing for their jobs. Packers 31, LOLions 0.

So I hear Matt Patricia might be in trouble in Detroit. Seems to show up late for his own meetings. The Lions have deteriorated this season and it's becoming evident that firing Jim Caldwell after last season was a mistake. The Packers had a nice rally last week against a dismal Jets team. Does it mean better days are ahead? I'm skeptical about that. But the Packers will beat the Lions this week. Packers 34, Lions 24.

Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck (+5) vs. Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings fan I talked to claims to not be nervous. That's the right take, but I can see why Vikings fans are nervous. They need to win here or have the Eagles lose against the Gridlocks to make the playoffs. Gino would like to remind you that Bears NFC North champions gear is available at a store near you in the Chicago area, though I want to remind you that the Bears did not sweep the Packers despite holding a 20-0 lead in the fourth quarter of the first meeting. Da Bearz are playing for a playoff bye this week, and they won't lie down at all. Should the Vikings lose this game, there is going to be a lot of sniping in the media around here if they miss the playoffs. I want to watch the world burn, and I am a simple man. Da Bearz Still Suck 24, Vikings 10.

I take Henry Kissinger's stance about this game -- it's a shame they both can't lose. Desperate team at home wins, but the Bears take their revenge in Chicago next week. Vikings 23, Bears 17.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

The nub of it

Ann Althouse identifies why it's becoming just about impossible to blog in the age of Bad Orange Man:

I can barely read the news these days (and I absolutely cannot watch it on TV). The negativity toward Trump is so relentless, cluttering up everything. It's crying wolf times a thousand. If anything is worth taking seriously, I'm afraid I won't be able to notice.

That's it. If we're in mortal peril 24/7 and nothing actually happens, why the hell should we take any of the caterwauling seriously? In his always-entertaining year in review opus, Dave Barry notices the same thing:

So when 2018 finally dawned, we were desperately hoping for change. It was a new year, a chance for the nation to break out of the endless, pointless barrage of charges and countercharges, to move past the vicious, hate-filled hyperpartisan spew of name-calling and petty point-scoring, to end the 24/7 cycle of media hysteria, to look forward and begin to tackle the many critical issues facing the nation, the most important of which turned out to be…

…the 2016 election.

Yes. We could not escape it. We were like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, except that when our clock-radio went off, instead of Sonny and Cher singing “I Got You Babe,” we awoke to still MORE talk of Russians and emails; MORE childish semiliterate presidential tweets about FAKE NEWS and Crooked Hillary; MORE freakouts by cable-TV panelists predicting that — forget about the previous 300 times they made the same prediction — THIS time impeachment was IMMINENT, PEOPLE. IMMINENT!!

Meet the new year: same as the old year.

I can't take 99% of what I read in the MSM seriously. It means nothing.

A few days off

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was pretty good. We spent a few days back in my home town of Appleton, Wisconsin, a prosperous small city of about 75,000 people, not including the sorta suburban areas to the west, north, and southeast of town. Add those in and you get to about 100,000. I took some pictures; here is the doorway of St. Therese, the church where my parents were married in 1963 and I made my First Holy Communion in 1970:

Doors of my life

We got back to Minnesota on Christmas Eve and went to Midnight Mass (well, it was technically 10 p.m.) at our home parish and then had an uneventful Christmas Day and Boxing Day at home. It's been a busy stretch for us; we were in St. Louis the previous weekend and we've been furiously trying to catch up since Thanksgiving. One of these days I might even write our annual Christmas letter.

Apparently Trump is in trouble again, or maybe after yesterday he isn't. It's tough to know, really. It's becoming increasingly difficult to figure out what's happening, because all news is so heavily encrusted with bias it's tough to sort out what really matters and what is purely invective. Is it more important that Trump didn't visit the troops, or that he did, or that he might have had foot problems 50 years ago? Is it more important that the stock market had a rough patch, or is it more important that it went up 1000 points yesterday? Apparently the government is shut down, although signs of government are everywhere and there's seems to be no trouble with tax withholding, either.

I am going to try to get back to a more normal blogging schedule now that we're back in town. I hope the coming days are joyful and prosperous for you as we approach the coming year.

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter Edition

It's Christmas, so hopefully you don't have to have a New Year in jail at the end of the holidays. The good news is that there is football.

It's a bald Robert Mueller!

Merry Christmas, Mr. Benster!

The talk radio anger around here seems to have calmed down on the Vikings, but they still would be facing a difficult road.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. And they have promises to keep.

Are you plagiarizing Robert Frost again? You're more like Scott Frost.

I'd rather be Faux Pelini.

Lay off the egg nog, old dude! We have work to do! It is time to pick some games. Walk me work.

Minnesota Vikings (-7) vs. Detroit LOLions. The caveat is that I did not see the Vikings game last weekend due to being out on assignment, but they responded to the heat being thrown their way and should be fine getting into the playoffs. The problem is that the Vikings have only beaten 1 team with a winning record, and not beaten a team with a winning record on the road. I know, they technically didn't lose to the Packers at Lambeau, but they didn't win that game, either. The Vikings are likely to slot into playing the Bears or the Rams on the road, potentially on a short week. I think they can beat the LOLions into submission comfortably, but they might not clinch their spot right away. That leads to an interesting scenario, which is what to do with Da Bearz next week, because they could be playing them twice in a week. Vikings 28, LOLions 10.

The Lions are pretty much done at this point. Vikings have motivation. That will be plenty. Vikings 24, Lions 13.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-2.5) vs. New York J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS! Well, the good news is that the Packers won't have to worry about keeping Philbin around after this year. At least they fought the Bears for a while and did not roll over and die. The biggest thing they need is to get a coach who is a proven winner and someone who can lay into Aaron when he acts like a diva. The man I think is right is Nick Saban. I know that Saban struggled as an NFL head coach, but he is a proven winner and he would jump at a chance to coach the Packers, a team who has arguably the better brand than Alabama and would get to join Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, and Pete Carroll as coaches who have won a national title and a Super Bowl. In fact, only Switzer can say he won both those titles at teams that are blue bloods of their leagues. The Packers have sucked on the road this year, but they should win with no pressure and trying to get good tape for Saban. Packers 31, J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS! 20.

If the Packers are going to win on the road, this is the place to do it. I think some guys have a chance to make a case for the next coach, whoever he is. Packers 28, Jets 17.

Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck (-4.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers. Gino would like to remind you that the Bears are NFC North champions and that you can get that gear at a retail store near you. I would like to remind you that the Bears still blew a 20-0 lead in a game that will be remembered forever by all football fans, while the rematch will be forgotten. The Niners are a tough nut to crack, especially on a West Coast road trip. My one criticism is that da Bearz have played all their tough games at home, and they need to win a difficult game on the road. The NFL is a copycat league, and I think someone will figure out how to beat da Bearz, who let the Packers hang around last week before winning. They are a good team, but a bit of a front running team. This game will be closer than you think. I'm not a gambler, but keep that in mind at the betting window. Da Bearz Still Suck 24, 49ers 22.

If the 49ers had their regular quarterback, I think this would be interesting. But the Bears have a chance to get a first round bye, so they'll take care of business. Bears 31, 49ers 20.

Enjoy your holiday weekend, and if you don't like your family feel free to watch football or basketball with them to do something that they might like. Ben out!

B&W

St. Anthony, Minnesota

Mind Over Mattis

It's the rarest of all things in modern Washington -- a resignation in protest:

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. 

Those are the words of James Mattis, the current SecDef, who is resigning, most likely, because Donald Trump wants out of Syria. Is this a crisis? No. And Mattis is correct; if he can't get on board with what Trump wants to do, he should resign. In that regard, he's a hell of a lot more honorable than nearly all the major figures in the Department of Justice who have treated their offices as sinecures and sniper's nests.

Is Trump wrong about leaving Syria? I don't personally think so. Trying to discern the good guys in that particular place is a fool's errand. We have been doing the empire thing for over a century and over time I've grown increasingly skeptical about the value of what we do in many parts of the world. Engaging with the world does not mean subsidizing it. And we continue to put many people in harm's way for reasons that are often contradictory.

I'm glad James Mattis served our country. He is an honorable man. I'm sorry he is leaving, because honorable men and women are in short supply within the Beltway. Trump will find another individual to serve in his administration. We'll see how it plays out.

The things in Der Spiegel make me nervous/I don't want to go to Fergus

Small-town Minnesotans in the mist:

In February 2017, my husband and I attended a concert at our local theater, and were sipping some wine in the lobby before the show started. Several people came up to us at separate times excitedly, and asked, “did you meet the German guy yet?!”

I hadn’t, but my spider senses perked up when I heard that he worked for Der Spiegel, a magazine based in Hamburg, and that he was writing about the state of rural America in the wake of Trump’s presidency.

I know I’m not the only rural advocate and citizen that is wary about the anthropological gaze on rural America in the wake of the 2016 elections, and has struggled with how or whether to respond to the sudden attention and questions, when before we really didn’t matter to mass media at all.

The German guy is Claas Relotius, who appears to be a Teutonic Stephen Glass. He tells tales and confirms biases for a living by pretending to be a reporter. And he came to Fergus Falls last year to let his worldwide audience find out what they wanted to believe was true.

As it happens, he made up most of what he claims to have seen. The linked article from Medium is the work of a Fergus Falls resident named Michele Anderson, who wants the world to know Fergus Falls isn't what Relotius related:

Relotius has received accolades for his daring quest to live among us for several weeks. And yet, he reported on very little actual truth about Fergus Falls life. In 7,300 words he really only got our town’s population and average annual temperature correct, and a few other basic things, like the names of businesses and public figures, things that a child could figure out in a Google search. The rest is uninhibited fiction (even as sloppy as citing an incorrect figure of citywide 70.4% electoral support for Trump, when the actual number was 62.6%), which begs the question of why Der Spiegel even invested in Relotius’ three week trip to the U.S., whether they should demand their money back from him, and what kind of institutional breakdown led to the supposedly world-class Der Spiegel fact-checking team completely dropping the ball on this one.

Anderson then goes on to catalog the falsehoods Relotius offered his readers, including a few highly amusing ones:

3. The town obsessed with American Sniper
“There is also a cinema outside of town, where fast food stores are lit up. In this cinema, a flat, rectangular building, there are two films on a Friday evening. The one, “La La Land”, running in empty rows, is a musical, a romance about artists in Los Angeles. The other, “American Sniper”, a war film by Clint Eastwood, is sold out. The film is actually already two years old, almost 40 million Americans have seen it, but it still runs in Fergus Falls.”

True? Of course not:

A source you can't trust

There's more, a lot more, at the link. It's all familiar enough -- I remember when David Broder came to my home town back in the 1990s and told a bunch of lies about what he'd seen. As always, if a story seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Another day, another open thread

I have gone through bouts of writer's block before, but rarely one of this duration. Here's a black and white image for your perusal:

St. Francis Xavier College Church, St. Louis, MO

And here's another image from nearby, also on the campus of Saint Louis University:

Busch Student Center

Two very different places, but only one block apart.

It's the only way to be sure

It's becoming increasingly clear that 2019 is shaping up to be all about getting Trump impeached. He will not be removed from office, though, just as Bill Clinton was not removed. So what's the point?

The always entertaining Kurt Schlichter has the solution:

This is all a lie and a scam. And Donald Trump can and should use his pardon power to highlight this fraud before he drives a stake into the heart of the elite’s soft coup play.

He should pardon everyone.

I mean everyone. 

Pardon Flynn, and Manafort, and Papadopliswhateverhisnameis. Pardon Stone and Corsi. Pardon Don, Jr., Jared, and Ivanka. Pardon Melania and Barron. Pardon Pence, and Pence’s pets. And then he should pardon himself.

For everything. Take it all off the table. Strip the elite of its ability to coerce perjury and ruin lives for the sin of dissenting.

Pardon everyone, for everything. 

It’s all a lie and a scam anyway, and there’s no sense pretending this is all some kind of legit truth-seeking exercise in support of lofty and noble principles. It’s a tawdry frame job by a failed elite desperate to hold on to the power that the people revoked in November 2016. We owe the ruling class no respect; there’s no reason to pretend this Mueller farce is anything but a transparent attempt to claw-back the authority the elite forfeited by being terrible.

We have more important things to do than play this game. Time to clear the chessboard.

Back from St. Louis

It's a long drive from the Twin Cities to St. Louis, with a significant chunk of it in Iowa. With stops for gas and a meal, it's typically about a 10-hour trip. I spent most of my usual blogging time this morning trying catch up with the news I'd missed over the weekend, but I'm not convinced anything significant is actually happening.

I do like St. Louis generally and Saint Louis University in particular. It's a pretty campus in the heart of the city and it feels like a refuge from the urban squalor that is often associated with the area. We ate at good restaurants and enjoyed some excellent company. It's been, and will continue to be, a great place for Fearless Maria to attend college.

If you think something else merits discussion, please feel free to have at it in the comments section. I will be back to more regular blogging tomorrow.

Traveling shoes

As Benster noted last night, we're on assignment for the next couple of days. We will return to regular programming next week. Meanwhile, have another open thread!