SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - OCTOBER 31, 2016
THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE was near the top of national news today -- the reports in most cases were written by AP writers in ND (MacPherson and Nicholson). Headlines in a California paper read “Police evict protesters” -- a picture was captioned “DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE >> Activists Burn Construction Equipment.” Similar headlines could be found in today's Twin Cities newspapers. Hundreds of armed state and local police backed by National Guard pushed protesters from private land. No serious injuries were reported, although protestors used Molotov cocktails, rocks and, in one case, a pistol against police.
JAILS ARE OVERFLOWING as a result of DAP arrests. Yesterday, 140 were arrested bringing the total to over 400. Eight jails are holding protestors including jails as far away as Cass and Stutsman counties.
MIKE MCFEELY began his October 20th Forum column with an assertion with which most would agree -- that narratives about the Dakota Access Pipeline in national media have differed signIficantly from those in the ND media (that changed somewhat today -- see above). The national media has tended to accept a sympathetic view of the protests held by certain political leaders, celebrities and environmentalists. The ND media saw the protests as potentially dangerous to public order, as well as illegally blocking legitimate and vitally needed infrastructure.
HE SEES REDNECKS McFeely did not remain neutral: He characterized the national media as “much more balanced,” while the local media was characterized as a lapdog for the manipulations of the governor and lieutenant governor. According to McFeely, they say: “Protestors are bad, the state and cops are good, pipeline company is blameless victim.” McFeely proudly included himself among the few reasonable holdout voices left in the state.
“THE FORUM EDITORIAL BOARD is not endorsing the Republican candidate for president this year. It won't endorse the Democrat, either, or a third-party candidate.” -- So began the Forum’s self-designated “Historically Rare Move.” Editorial Page Editor Jack Zaleski said, "We made the call that both candidates don't measure up for the most important office in the land, some would say the most important office on the globe." The Forum found that Clinton’s scandals and Trump’s personal behavior made them both questionable choices.
“UND PRESIDENT MARK KENNEDY has spent his first few months in office selling his plan to change the university's focus. His vision is that the school prioritize three strategic initiatives: unmanned aircraft systems, rural health, and energy.” -- From a letter in the GF Herald by UND Prof. Jack Weinstein. He contends those priorities change the nature of the school and will be achieved at the expense of UND’s traditional programs. Weinstein says this constitutes a change in the school’s charter which should be reviewed by the Legislature. Expect Kennedy to respond that the three initiatives emphasize areas where UND can achieve competitive advantage and gain prominence -- traditional strengths should also benefit.
DOUG BURGUM faces financial housekeeping in the likely event he is elected governor. He is an investor in at least six companies. He owns the Kilbourne Group, Fargo’s largest downtown real estate investor and part of the partnership developing a $100 million, high-rise building on Broadway in Fargo. His investments may need tailoring to avoid conflict of interest situations.
WENTZ PREVAILS Another happy weekend for ND football fans. NDSU got back in the win column by defeating W. Illinois University 21-13. UND continued to deliver nice surprises, beating Idaho State 28-21 for a sixth-straight win. The Vikings vs. Eagles game, also seen as Bradford vs. Wentz, was a mixed performance by Carson Wentz, but a worse one for Sam Bradford. The Vikings’ undefeated season ended and a sports columnist in the Twin Cities conjectured the Eagles used their familiarity with Bradford’s weaknesses to strategically rattle him.
BOBBY VEE Maybe you didn’t know. In 1999, “rock and roller” Bobby Vee was selected for the ND Hall of Fame (the Rough Rider Award). Vee (73) was born in Fargo and died this week near St. Cloud, Minnesota. He first came to prominence when his band, the “Shadows,” replaced Buddy Holly after he was killed in a plane crash on the way to Fargo. Bob Dylan was briefly a member of the Shadows.
GERMAN TO THE CORE The first clue is his name: Wendely Vetter. The next is his birthplace: Strasburg ND (the heart of Lawrence Welk Country). The Reverend Monsignor Wendely Vetter (83) died recently in Grand Forks. He was ordained in 1960 and served nearly every part of the Red River Valley in a wide variety of assignments. The Rev. Vetter specialized in assisting separated, divorced and widowed people and developed a program which became an international model.
DAKTOIDS Every year since 2010, U.S. News & World Reports ranked Valley City State No. 1 or No. 2 among public regional colleges in the Midwest . . . 2016 is being called the “best ever” corn crop in ND with yields averaging 137 bushels an acre.
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