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Tuesday, December 06, 2016

SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - DECEMBER 10, 2016

THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS gave an eviction notice to an estimated 5,000 pipeline protestors who are camped on Corps land near the Missouri River. Anyone there after December 5th is subject to trespassing charges. However, the federal eviction threat has little or no teeth. Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault and protest organizers indicate they will ignore the notice. Gov. Dalrymple indicated delays by the federal government and its failure to enforce the eviction make the situation more dangerous.

“IS THERE A WAY PAST STANDING ROCK?” -- Heading of a column by Mike Jacobs. The column didn’t resolve the question. Jacobs said, “Of course, the protest at Standing Rock is not about a pipeline. It is much more: a cry from the heart of indigenous people who have come to assert their humanity and to demand our attention.” He added, “We need to revise our attitudes toward Native people.”

LEAFY SPURGE “It seems that some national media outlets have bought into an agenda that determines everything said by protesters is true and everything said by law enforcement officers is not true.” -- A Forum editorial awarded Leafy Spurge to those masquerading as news reporters at the pipeline protests and to usually responsible news outlets for accepting slanted stories. The Forum urged state leaders to speak more forcefully because ND “is losing the argument on the national stage.”

VOICE OF DISSENT In general, people in ND support the actions of law enforcement and state government in dealing with the pipeline protests. If anything, there is a feeling Gov. Dalrymple should be more visible in the dispute. State Senator Connie Triplett from Grand Forks doesn’t share that opinion. She accuses Dalrymple of bullying the Corps and creating ill will toward the federal government. Triplett asserted Dalrymple’s administration “set state-tribal relations back a generation” and she urged governor-elect Doug Burgum to resolve the standoff. Thus far, Triplett is an exception among the governor’s political opponents, most who are unwilling to exploit the pipeline protests. Triplett lost a bid for senate reelection.
SEN. HEIDI HEITKAMP meets today with President-elect Trump. Rumors indicate the discussion will be about a cabinet position. Could this be a sly maneuver to gain a Republican seat in the senate?

REP. COLLIN PETERSON has represented the 7th Congressional District in western Minnesota for about 25 years. The district includes Minnesota’s border with North Dakota. He is a conservative Democrat in an otherwise Republican District. His recent interview by the Washington Post was carried by both major newspapers in the Twin Cities. His reflections on recent elections seem relevant to ND since he represents a Red River Valley district with demographics similar to ND.

RURAL VOTERS ARE DIFFERENT Peterson says his district cares more about agricultural policy and trade than they do about gun control, LGBT issues or questions about minority representation. He says that since the election the people in his district “it’s kind of like they’ve been unleashed.” The WP asked “What do you mean by ‘unleashed’?” Peterson responded, “A lot of it is backlash against all this political correctness that’s going on.” He said his voters, “They have a different view of the world than people do in these urban centers. They have a different lifestyle, and they don’t want to change it.”

THE NATIONAL BUFFALO MUSEUM in Jamestown is starting a preservation fund for White Cloud, the albino bison that was part of the museum herd for 19 years. The museum will attempt to raise $70,000. A Jamestown tourism executive said, "The project would also provide an appropriate and climate-controlled space in which to display White Cloud."

ARE MALLS DYING? “With some exceptions, such as West Acres Mall in Fargo, malls are a dying breed around the nation and being replaced by outlets.” -- Comments by a developer proposing a massive outlet mall called Fargo Outlets at Timber Creek. The development faces many hurdles including negotiating tax credits with the city of Fargo. The developer represents that Fargo Outlets would be the only outlet mall between Barnesville, Minnesota, and Boise, Idaho.

OILY DEAL The former CEO of Northern Oil and Gas in Wayzata, Minnesota, has agreed to repay $8 million of “ill-gotten gains” to investors in an oil terminal in New Town. Michael Reger will make the payments pursuant to an order from the SEC.

A SOMALI REFUGEE attacked and injured 11 people this week on the Columbus campus of Ohio State University. The incident made headlines across the nation. Unexplainably, there was little mention of the incident in the online Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. This can’t be a coincidence. Explanations could range from fear of encouraging copycats to deference to the Twin Cities Somali population which is the largest in the nation. Columbus also has a relatively large Somali population.

CHEEK-TO-JOWL “Our state’s foremost institution of learning sits cheek-to-jowl with the complex that houses our significant immigrant population.” -- Commentary by Susan Schaefer in the Star Tribune. She said Riverside Plaza is a massive complex that sits high above the west side of the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis and is home to approximately 4,400 low income Somali immigrants. Riverside is also called “Little Mogadishu.” High on the other side of the river is the prestigious U. of Minnesota School of Architecture/College of Design. Both facilities were designed by Minnesota architect Ralph Rapson.

DAKTOIDS: Tim Huckle, CEO of BCBS-ND, says the state has had better experience than most states with Obamacare. He said, “In short, we haven't lost any competitors, our rates have been more stable, and we actually have more product offerings than the states around us” . . . In tomorrow’s FCS playoffs, UND will play the U. of Richmond in Grand Forks; NDSU will play the U. of San Diego in Fargo . . . The state of ND borrowed an additional $7 million from the Bank of ND to fund costs of controlling the pipeline protests. The state earlier borrowed $10 million for the same purpose.

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