Minneapolis Paper Gets Five Stars

I spent 1.5 hours intently reading the Minneapolis StarTribune on a plane ride home from there on Sunday, July 13. A gentleman in the waiting area at the airport said I could glance at his, but he was taking it home to his wife. I saw so many stories that I wanted to read that I went and bought my own.

With no affinity towards Minneapolis, I was mesmerized and fascinated by many of the stories, first off, the upcoming All-Star game being played there and reading that Major League Baseball booked 14,000 rooms for the event.

A former LSU AgCenter employee and being from Shreveport where the Haynesville Shale has changed the area, I next read about the rail backups that have put Minnesota crops in jeopardy because of the North Dakota oil boom using the trains. Very pertinent information.

While my New Year's resolution was to do something caring every week, I studied the panhandling story. There is a website, www.giverealchange.org, that has tips on how to deal with aggressive solicitation. Minneapolis has a campaign for people to stop giving, instead writing a check to a nonprofit, which is dedicated to long-term solutions such as housing subsidies, job training (many panhandlers have just gotten out of prison) and mental health programs. Food for thought.

Device dangers was on the front page. One of every four crashes in Minnesota is caused by drivers not watching the road. The story showed victims and quoted that in two or three seconds, drivers travel hundreds of feet, so texting is like driving blindfolded. The article noted that you can get pulled over six times and get the same fine, unlike Driving While Intoxicated. Statistics show 2,189 drivers were cited for texting last year, up from 1,718. I harp on Don't Text and Drive.

Now an assistant to a state senator in Louisiana, it stuck out that Minnesota was one of the last to mandate seat belt laws and lower the blood alcohol limit. There doesn't appear to be a groundswell of public opinion that is pushing their Legislature toward banning cell phones in construction zones and other areas.

Then there was a Jesse Ventura update that insulted me. Ventura was appearing in court to sue the estate of a book's author for defamation. The author, who was later murdered, said Ventura was knocked out in a bar fight after making remarks about President Bush and dead Navy SEALs. The writer says, So the guy who sang Werewolves of London while wearing a boa thinks his reputation has been harmed? I had not known the former governor made reporters (I used to be one) wear nametags that said "media jackals." In his own book, Ventura once intimidated some people who had on "Harvard Sucks" T-shirts. He was teaching there, but how? He didn't complete junior college, the writer said.

I never thought about the Hamptons' gap between rich and poor until I read the story in the paper. Nannies, gardeners and pool maintenance people are out of work there in the winter. Forty percent of students are on a free or reduced lunch. Doctors and nurses share homes owned by the hospital because they can't afford their own. People commute three hours because they cannot afford to live there. Never thought about that.

Other stories were about curfews for youth, facial features might determine the length of your life, a travel story about airport cancellations and one on how to be nice to newcomers. Apparently, Minnesotans are a tight knit bunch.

But their stories drew this outsider in. I am so impressed with the StarTribune. But I did think its insert to try to get subscribers that featured mosquitoes all over the place was dumb. We don't like mosquitoes in Louisiana.

St. Maria Goretti

 

St. Maria Goretti's story combined with my notes from talk by Father Carlos Martins

 

Born in Corinaldo, Ancona, Italy, on Oct. 16 1890; Maria's farmworker father died of malaria from a mosquito bite and her mother had to struggle to feed her children. Maria, 11, somewhat became the mom of her five siblings.

 

In 1902, a 19-year-old neighbor, Alexander, grabbed her from her steps and tried to rape her. When Maria said that she would rather die than submit, Alexander began stabbing her with a metal file. He stabbed her nine times, even the spine, then five more in her intestines. Doctors were scared of peritonitis setting in, the same thing that can happen when your appendix bursts. She was dehydrated in the hospital and wanted water. A priest came and told her the Lord begged for water on the cross. Doctors thought the water would come out of the holes of her body and induce peritonitis. The priest asked her to offer up her thirst for sinners. Doctors performed surgery with no anesthesia because they thought it might induce cardiac arrest. She never complained or cried.

 

As she lay in the hospital, she forgave Alexander before she died and wanted him in heaven with her. Her death didn't end her forgivness, however.

 

Alexander was captured and sentenced to 30 years. He was unrepentant until he had a dream that he was in a garden. Maria was there and gave him 14 white lilies. When he woke, he was a changed man, filled with light and the Holy Spirit and became contrite, repenting of his crime and living a reformed life. When he was released after 27 years he went directly to Maria's mother to beg her forgiveness, which she gave. "If my daughter can forgive him, who am I to withold forgiveness," she said. They went to Christmas Eve Mass together. She adopted him.

 

When Maria was declared a saint in 1950, Alexander and the mom were there in the St. Peter's crowd to celebrate her canonization. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII for her purity as a model for youth. The crowd was the largest to date there. The priest believes Alexander will be canonized.

 

She is called a martyr because she fought against Alexander's attempts at sexual assault. However, the most important aspect of her story is her forgiveness of her attacker -- her concern for her enemy extending even beyond death. Her feast day is July 6. St. Maria Goretti is the patroness of youth and for the victims of rape.

 

Prayer cards have been made of Maria. This priest went to see a man about to have an amputation due to a spider bite and placed the prayer card on the body part. Thirty minutes later he did not need surgery.

 

There is a church named after her in her hometown, very close to the sea. Three times it had to be raised due to high waters. But with her body there, it has not sunk.

 

This story takes place all because Maria forgave.

Louisiana's not so bad

Louisiana's not so bad except in education and prison rates and poverty. We got a booklet on state comparisons from the Taxpayers Network and highlighted those of importance:
No. 1 in incarceration rate. Ugh.
No. 6 in poverty rate at 29.6 percent. Only 15 percent in N.H.
No. 4 in senior citizen poverty rate at 24.2 percent. Only 13.1 in Utah.
No. 29 in annual per capita income at $37,021.
No. 49 in cigarette excise tax rates at 36 cents. $4.35 in New York.
No. 44 in spirits excise tax at $2.50 per gallon. Zero in N.H. and $26.70 in Washington.
No. 39 in gas tax at 20 cents. It's 49 cents in N.Y. and 8 cents in Alaska.
No. 45 in monthly wireless tax at 11.33 percent.
No. 38 in patents issued with 369. California has 30,750.
No. 30 in public teacher salaries at $49,634. $72k in N.Y.
No. 5 in residents without a high school degree at 18.1 percent.
No. 49 in those with post high school education at 47.6 percent. It's 66.9 percent in Colorado.
No. 41 on ACT scores.
No. 6 on spending per capita on Natural Resources and Parks and Recreation.
No. 18 on highway spending per capita.
No. 23 on annual miles driven per capita at 9,806. It's more than 16,000 in Wyoming.
No. 21 in highway fatalities.
No. 49 in liability and litigation systems.
No. 8 in spending by state government on police per capita.
No. 17 in state correctional spending per capita.
No. 6 on violent crime rate.
No. 23 on property crime rate.
No. 21 on total arrests rate.
No. 28 on public welfare expenses per capita at $1,420.

KenSUCKy

Late in posting this, but our trip began with a Lady Gaga concert in Dallas and on to Louisville for Hullabalou.

Gaga
Fire/sparks came out of her breasts and crotch and on top of the piano. She said the people outside were the freaks. One girl was dressed in a deck of cards. Gaga looked like a walking lampshade, a fiber optic snowflake and had stage blood on her sternum--changed clothes a lot. Lady Gaga ranges from Catholic girl to Gypsy Rose Lee to Rosie, the Jetson’s robot maid, as someone said.

Louisville Slugger
The wood spins 1,500 times; a farmer comes in and gets 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of sawdust every couple of days. A system sucks it up. Bats are 50 percent ash and maple. The sweet spot is the strongest part of the bat. They pay athletes $5,000 to use their name and picture. Some order 120 a season. They are ready in 48 hours. The bats are branded at high temperature. There are templates on lathes. They are carted on BATmobiles. Pink bats are used on Mother’s Day only. The factory has been there since 1884. They make 1.8 million bats a year.

Churchill Downs
Just wow!!

Maker’s Mark Distillery
It’s been around since 1805. It’s 117 degrees in the distillery; dark helps keep it hot and not see any mildew. The logo was a cattle brand. People once used their own containers, so it’s the oldest retail package market (1889). Seventy percent is corn grown locally, soft red winter wheat and malted barley for the meal that is mixed with limestone spring water on property. The still is 38 feet tall. The red wax dipping is dangerous; they wear gloves and take breaks every 30 minutes. No. 46 is the new recipe for 46th recipe tried. They slam dunk some bottles deep just for fun and those could be worth something on the Internet. Nineteen people are on a taste panel that approves the release after aging over three hot summers. They still roll the barrels by hand.
I remember some of the Maker’s Mark Ambassador gifts being BIG ICE CUBE TRAY, WRAPPING PAPER, TAGS, BOTTLE SWEATER.

Lynn’s Paradise Café—we went in, but the line was too long--wacky décor, supposedly great French toast, has World of Swirl gift shop, it’s where Dali meets Dolly.

9/11 speaker at event I chaired yesterday

BOSSIER CITY, La.—Freedom, bravery, sacrifice and gratitude were the four words stressed in a Sept. 11 speech by Col. Janet M. Deltuva, deputy command surgeon, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base.
She was the guest speaker for the 10th anniversary remembrance of 9/11 at the Liberty Garden at the Bossier Municipal Complex. The event is sponsored annually by Keep Bossier Beautiful and the City of Bossier City.
Deltuva was a first responder at the Pentagon on 9/11. She said Sept. 11, 2001, began as a beautiful day. She said colonels at the Pentagon first thought the plane striking the first World Trade Center tower was a navigational or air traffic control error.
Then the Pentagon shook when hit by Flight 77.
She said she has not forgotten moving in fear at her job in her own country and says a prayer every time she sees or hears B-52s at Barkdsale take off.
“You only need to live for one moment without freedom to appreciate how important it is,” Deltuva said.
She said rescuers at the Pentagon waded through fire, smoke and chest-high debris. “Today, right here, right now, let us not forget our military, our police, our firefighters and our medical and disaster specialists,” Deltuva said.
She recalled an interview of a daughter of a 9/11 victim who said “the people who did this don’t know that you can’t destroy love no matter what you do” and mentioned another interview with a deceased hero’s daughter who said, “How, how can I make myself happy? It’s by making other people happy.”
Deltuva’s 2010 New Year’s Eve resolution was to read the bible cover to cover and co-workers teased her about studying for the final exam. “On Sept. 11, I thought the final exam was in front of me,” she said. “I am so glad I had a relationship with God.”
It would be easy to be scared or angry or judge or hate a faith, Deltuva said, but she instead offered alternatives: Live with compassion, give others a chance, pray for the 9/11 families, honor today’s heroes--the military, police and firefighters and disaster responders—and be ready in your spiritual life.
Mayor Lorenz Walker presented Deltuva a key to the city.
Pat Simon, KSLA anchor and lieutenant colonel in the 225th Engineer Brigade, Louisiana National Guard, served as emcee. He was deployed to Iraq in 2009.
Others on the program were Craig Kennedy, chaplain of the Bossier City fire and police departments; Suzanne Stinson, Pledge of Allegiance, Commission for Women of Bossier City president; Meredith McLellan, national anthem; and Airline High School ROTC, presentation of colors.
Sponsors included Ouachita Bank, Barksdale Federal Credit Union, KTBS and Advanced Air Conditioning. Fans, water and Support Our Troops bracelets were given out, thanks to the sponsors.
The Liberty Garden was built in 2003 to remember those who lost their lives on 9/11, said Mary Ann Van Osdell, president of Keep Bossier Beautiful. It is located between the police and fire departments at the municipal complex.
Elements include fire (flaming torches), water (pool and fountain) and earth (trees, shrubs, flowers and ornamental grasses). Iron work benches are designed like the American flag.
Etched granite panels represent all points of tragedy on 9/11.
Paving bricks in the garden are still for sale. Forms may be obtained from Alison Feaster at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce.
Bricks are $50 and can accommodate three lines of 14 letters. All donations are tax deductible.

Hidden cameras needed among potential jurors

Out of the 40 people being questioned in my group, I was probably the only one who wanted to serve on the jury recently. But I wasn’t picked.

I don’t have a hidden agenda nor am I eager to convict someone; I just wanted to be involved in the process as part of my civic duty.

I wish I had had a hidden camera in the waiting room in which we sat off and on for four days. Has Dateline or 20/20 ever done a story on juror apathy?

Most everyone said they resented being there and it made me question whether fair verdicts are reached. They had their theories on how to get dismissed—“carry a newspaper, be in the medical field, demonstrate intelligence, mention financial hardship, say you have young children.”

They complained about parking, walking, waiting. They had an irreverent demeanor.

I bet if these people didn’t serve, however, they would be the first ones to complain about guilty persons running free.

Many thoughts crossed my mind: Would these uninterested citizens pay attention? Would they hurry through deliberation because they didn’t want to be there? Were people on Death Row put there by these types of people?

To want to serve your civic duty is certainly not liberal, said a friend of mine, who I complained to about the types of people who get selected. “To show respect for the court and the system in general is not liberal. It’s just plain American. To want an intelligent jury of your peers is fundamental to our system of justice.”

Don’t get me wrong, the American judicial system is the best in the world and I don’t have a better idea for choosing jurors.

What was most shocking was how many of the 12 in the jury box being questioned with me were victims of a crime—five. The prosecuting attorney said robberies were most common.

Six in one group of 12 said someone in their family had committed a crime—sons, brother, father, cousin, stepchild.

I could understand emotion coming into play in these situations, if you were related to the defendant, a victim or law enforcement handling the case, but acting like you don’t understand the Fifth Amendment on purpose to get released puzzles me.

Some potential jurors didn’t want to send an 18-year-old person to prison and thought a mandatory life sentence was too severe because of its cost to taxpayers. I know we all have different views, but surely they were just skewing answers to get released.

The judge said to not take it personally if not selected. A co-worker made me feel better, saying maybe I didn’t get picked because I wasn’t the defendant’s peer (if he was carrying a gun when he wasn’t supposed to be, as was implied).

Perhaps they select the people who are reluctant, so as to prove a point and demonstrate their authority over them, said my cousin. “Bureaucrats love wielding their so-called power.”

The standing joke is that when you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty. I think it is the other way around; you are foolish and selfish if you do not want to be chosen. Wouldn’t you want conscientious people judging you?

In 2023, I saw a WSJ letter to the editor that had an attorney thinking the guy carrying the WSJ should not be picked because all he cares about would be the stock market. There was some mistakes in who he chose due to a quick time constraint and the guy ended up being foreman and voted to help the lady who was suing over her car warranty not being honored.

He'd Rather wear out than rust

Dan Rather has circled the globe to report on significant events for 40 years. I got to meet him--one of my mother’s favorite people--at a news conference on April 19 at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Sans sweater, he was still warm and friendly. He walked in, shook hands and introduced himself. “I’m Dan Rather.” And I’m even more impressed.
He spoke later that evening on what he has learned from a lifetime of reporting at the university’s Presidential Lyceum Series. He also visited students in a master class.
Rather has reported on every Presidential campaign since 1960, civil rights, Watergate, from the front lines of “green jungle hell” (Vietnam), in hurricanes and he anchored 9/11 coverage.
A Texan, Rather established the Dallas Bureau for CBS. He was the first to break the story that President Kennedy was dead, “before the government got together and made a formal announcement.”
He called the event “a hammer to the heart of the country.”
Rather said his passion for journalism hasn’t decreased. In the early months of his career, he wondered whether he could make a living.
“My dream has always been to do great journalism work in the public interest,” he said. “It began at an early age and has never waned.”
Rather, 79, said he would rather wear out than rust out.
I asked him who he has always wanted to interview, but hasn’t. The answer is Kim Jong-Il. “I’ve spent 50 years trying,” Rather said. “There is no current indication it’s going to happen, but I keep trying.”
He said he never suffered from lack of confidence, “as is the case with most people in television.”
Rather said most journalists are also greedy. “The constant prayer is to give me the right story,” he said.
Following Walter Cronkite was an impossible act in terms of expectations, Rather recalled. “You succeed him, but you don’t replace him. I said to myself I can’t be Walter Cronkite. I tried to be the best Dan Rather I could be.”
He said journalism is more competitive today because there are more news outlets and the Internet. “Four people shouting is not news,” Rather said. “I don’t believe the eras of anchors with gravitas is over.
“It is difficult to attract a large audience,” Rather said, adding that newspapers are laying off employees and radio doesn’t cover city council meetings anymore.
There is a reduction of resources that puts American journalism is in a crisis, Rather said.
He called it an interregnum, saying the old order is gone and a new business model is not yet in place to help the media survive and thrive
He said he is not predicting, but wouldn’t be surprised if any of the big three networks discontinued half-hour broadcasts.
“The gravitational pull is to do niche broadcasting,” he said.
He added that journalists, in some important ways, have “lost their gut and need a spine transplant.”
Rather said an independent press is the “red beating heart of democracy and freedom.
“We haven’t lost it, but it is in decline and demise,” he said.
Rather recalled being in Louisiana in the early 1960s when the civil rights movement took traction and “changed him as a person.” He said he interviewed a former governor “who smoked very good cigars and drank good whiskey.”
Rather has many memorable moments and said anytime he interviews a President, it is an honor and privilege. He also admired Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa “saving infants from garbage dumps.”
No one asked about the George W. Bush National Guard bias controversy and he didn’t bring up his mugging from the man who said “Kenneth, what is the frequency?”
Rather has received Emmy and Peabody awards. He now produces and hosts Dan Rather Reports, a weekly news program on HDNet.