Dakota Beacon

Consider a bit of history. Some readers are old enough to remember the following. In 1992 Ross Perot (Reform Party, TX) threw his hat in the presidential campaign running against incumbent President George Bush (R) and newcomer William Jefferson Clinton (D). Perot effectively siphoned votes from Bush and we ended up with Clinton.

Four years earlier, at the 1988 Republican Presidential Convention, George Bush gave his famous pledge – “Read my lips. No new taxes.” In 1990 he reneged on his pledge earning him the anger and distrust of the American voter. As a perfect product of “the swamp” he deserved the public’s ire.

Be careful how you vote.

Whether we’re talking politics, economics OR religion, there are plenty of challenges to the American way of life as we’ve known it. For most of our relatively short tenure as a country, we’ve met the challenges with a smile and a commitment to roll-up our sleeves and work harder.

We’ve survived two world wars, the sting and a stigma of Vietnam, the Middle East crisis. And we haven’t merely survived, in some of the afore mentioned categories, we’ve actually thrived—because of our history and because of our people. All of them—the whole motley melting pot!

In 1998, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution establishing April 6 as “Tartan Day” in recognition of the enormous contributions of the people and leaders of Scotland throughout its history, to the American Revolution, our Constitution and, of course, the settling of America.  Many of our presidents and other significant leaders have had Scottish ancestry but even more importantly, our freedoms have ancestry in those set forth by the Scottish nobles, clergy and barons who signed the document that came to be known as the Declaration of Arbroath.  In March I had the privilege of presenting a brief lecture on this topic at the Fargo-Moorhead Celtic Festival, and many were surprised at the close ties which bind the Scottish experience to that of our own in America.  It occurred to me that perhaps an explanation of Tartan Day and its significance to America might be long overdue.  Therefore, I thought that I would post, with minor adjustments, my comments from the event in Moorhead last month.

Biden’s open border policy (yes, policy) no longer turns heads. As a scheme implemented immediately upon taking office, Biden continues to welcome millions of unknowns into what once was our nation, the United States of America. So, who lives among us? Newcomers arrive with vastly different standards, values, and mores. Assimilation long ago became a moot point.

Our dominant media leave the impression that illegal entrants constitute the poor and underprivileged from strife torn countries in our hemisphere. Not so. Open borders attract illegals from most of the countries around the world.

Criminal elements coming across the US southern border conjure images of tattooed MS-13 gang members, sex traffickers, and drug smugglers. These criminals make the headlines as they should. But many of us will never encounter these people or their crimes.

Many Americans, however, will more likely encounter low level criminal activity. The following offers one great example.

Plenty of people have tried to wrap words around the concept of power; but nothing is as significant as personal experience. Sunday is the Christian holiday of Easter. We celebrate it with stuffed bunnies and egg hunts. We might even have a few thoughts about the death of a man who lived just over 2,000 years ago.

But as we look into the timing and circumstances surrounding his death, we discover something. This was an event that was all about power.

Get “saved” and know you are going to heaven. That was my earliest impression of what it meant to receive Jesus Christ. Of course, that truth remains self-evident. But then what do you do between the time you accept Christ as Lord and Savior and the time you die -- or He returns? Do we impose our own set of rules trying to be “good Christians” in our own strength and risk reimposing a form of law? That would be a reversion back to the Law itself from which Christians were delivered. Either way God’s people never could keep the Law. We could also join the “white knuckle club” and hang on for dear life until we die. Is that what Christ’s death and resurrection was all about? Surely there must be more to this Christ thing than simply joining a religious club, going to church and Bible study a few times a week, and hoping for the best. In fact, there may be something else at play.

The past few weeks have been a textbook case of gaslighting the public.  At the moment I am referring to the absurd lies being promulgated by the British Press, handed to them by the Royal Family from their fantasy factory behind the gates of “The Palace”. 

You may think that one of the longest words in the English language would represent something of some or even great importance; you would be wrong. The meaning of the single word title is “the act of estimating that something is worthless.” Outer space (the space itself; not the trillions of astronomical objects that sparsely populate it), being devoid of anything at all, is probably what comes to mind when estimating worthlessness. Cryptocurrency should represent a close second.

A headline caught my eye from The Agenda (a publication from The Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank). “Failing Grade: US Drops to 25th Place in Index of Economic Freedom.” That headline reported the release of Heritage’s 2024 INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM.

A related and equally troubling headline stated, “2024 Index of Economic Freedom: World Economic Freedom Reaches a 23-Year Low; U.S. Economic Freedom Continues to Diminish.”

A Camden coach ran over and tapped one of the exiting officials, Kevin Torres, on the shoulder, and “a group of Camden coaches pleaded for the referees to meet,” reported NJ.com. The refs then consulted for a short time — and overturned the call. Incredulity among sober observers was the result.

Then there was a secondary result: accusations of anti-white bias.

You see, Camden appears an entirely black team, while Manasquan appears entirely white.

There’s an old song that runs through my heard every time every time I read something circulating through the newspapers or on social media these days.

Especially something like I read about a young man taking a conservative position on social issues in ND.  The song goes something like this: “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything...” I’m referring to State Representative Brandon Prichard Republican from District 8.  

He has been an outspoken critic of establishment Republicans calling on them to adhere to the principles laid out in the party platform.   While I am not in agreement on a 100% of his statements, but then who is with all politicians. I happen to know the young man under scrutiny. He serves in the legislature.

Irish culture recognizes more than shamrocks, leprechauns, and green beer. Music, literature, textiles and, more recently, technological products from Ireland’s burgeoning industry flow from the Emerald Isle.

A small but pleasant Irish gift comes in the form of a poetic format enjoyed by generations of people. Enter the limerick. This rhyme style took its name from Ireland’s county and town -- Limerick. Here is a classic example of a limerick penned by American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Perfection is not a prerequisite for praise. A father will proudly tout his son’s accomplishments without mentioning the boy’s occasional mischievousness. Likewise, talking about our country’s successes doesn’t necessitate disclaimers about her sins.

Stop saying, “We all know our country is not perfect.” It’s not a sign of virtue. It’s a marker of leftist victory

Speeding headlong toward campaign season brings citizens face-to-face with the prevalence of “fake news.” Many media types and internet gurus desire to sway an election.

What is fake news and what are fake news sites? Conventional wisdom holds that TV and traditional print journalism moved to the left long ago and do not reflect a conservative point of view. For the sake of brevity, focus on the internet and social media.

Would you consider getting involved?  

That’s one of my goals as I write to the naturally grounded conservatives of ND.  To dial back to defining and engaging the components of conservatism as the grassroots—those “people of inland America” as Walt Whitman referred to us, to show themselves for who they are once again.

Move over, Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney. There’s a new brand in town finding woke ways to reduce its market share.

I learned this shopping in a local supermarket Wednesday, when I noticed a rack with unusually colorful bags of Smartfood popcorn. Since the brand has been introducing new varieties in recent years, this wasn’t surprising. What did raise my eyebrows was that the bags were a sexual devolutionary special edition roll-out for, it seems, Valentine’s Day, but were still around. (Is it too much to hope it’s because they’re not selling well?)

What is “lawfare?” Who has a clue? In a word, consider lawfare a form of political combat. The term is a blend of “law” and “warfare.” One definition would be the leveraging of legal mechanisms to damage or delegitimize an opponent or to deter an individual from exercising their legal rights. Another definition refers to the strategic use of legal systems and institutions to achieve specific objectives. Lawfare can take various forms including wasting an opponent’s time and resources through legal actions and winning a public relations victory by framing legal disputes in a certain way.

Are the days of a strong work ethic in America gone? A recent survey reports troubling data that may suggest the virtue of hard work may be rapidly fading. In this article, Dr. James Thrasher reviews the study and argues, “The initial societal effect of a disappearing work ethic is being felt, and the long-term impact could be devastating.”

President Joe Biden stands as a legend in his own mind. The phrase “a legend in his own mind” humorously describes a person who believes they are of greater importance or notoriety than they are.

In the quiet corners of his thoughts, he strides through realms unseen. He battles shadows and phantom foes. Even if the world forgets him, he will be a hero in his own dreams. So, was in the 1962 episode of CornPop. Biden challenged a tough guy named CornPop, leader of a Delaware gang called “the Romans.” As Biden tells it, CornPop backed down.

 I was born and raised in small town America.  I should say, I was raised in a small town in North Dakota which in itself is a small city with a 450-mile main street. As a youngster you could say I was introduced to “life on the farm” which consisted of being tied to a stool while my mama and big sister did the morning milking, and riding the laundry basket to the cellar in anticipation of a scene from the wizard oz (I never could open my eyes during the part where the nasty old lady was riding her bike out Dorothy’s bedroom window), and starting country school at age 4.

Europe must fully support Ukraine’s struggle for national survival in the face of attack from the evil remnants of totalitarian Soviet Communism. Israel must destroy evil terrorism that threatens its survival with as little collateral damage as possible while 100% fulfilling the mission. As proven in the entrance halls of Lakewood Church, evil must be dealt with as efficiently as possible to result in optimum community cohesion. Lastly, but most importantly, each one of us can strive to treat others as we wish to be treated.

Liberty requires vigilance. Ben Franklin knew this to be true as he answered the question posed to him at the conclusion of the Second Continental Congress debates and revisions of the Constitution. Nearly 250 years later we can see what he meant when he said: “A Republic - If you can keep it.” Not every country is up to this task.

Not every person knows what it really means to live in a free society, much less what he/she should be doing to keep the miracle of America alive and well. Much has been written on the subject. And just as much has been ignored.

Dr. James Thrasher on why Ivy League alumni and donors are disgusted and demanding change. They have had enough. The good news is that there is a way forward and it’s buried in a bit of higher education history.

Black History Month merits mention. We are halfway through February and the media falderal going with Black History Month just does not seem prevalent this year.

I call upon the wisdom of my two most edifying scholars, one white and one black. These would be historian Dr. Victor Davis Hanson and economist Dr. Thomas Sowell.

Too old? That’s ageism, you bigot! Canceled you must be.

The idea of a septuagenarian SWAT team comes to mind after watching a viral video of a Chilean all-female team’s grand failure at the recent UAE SWAT Dubai Police Challenge (yes, there is such a thing).

’Twas a sight to behold.

Embarking upon an obstacle course, all but one of the women quickly got stuck dangling on a cable above a pool of water, with one immediately splashing in. It was a scene that lit up the Internet and invited mockery, such as the comedic version of the incident below, set to Benny Hill music.

When Pope Benedict XVI wanted to lead the church into the third millennium of its existence, he turned to something termed "Ressourcement," which involves a “return to the authoritative sources” of Christian faith, for the purpose of rediscovering their truth and meaning in order to meet the critical challenges of our time.

Ressourcement is about revitalization, renewal, and in the context in which I’m using it today, memory. Just like the Pope who himself was a brilliant thinker so do we need the iconic company of thinkers who have imagined the Western world we have found ourselves in.

We, who are of an age to have learned something of history in school,  will know that WWI - which changed the world forever - did not start because someone assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.  It began because of a web of defense alliances which dragged all of Europe into an all-out war between the great powers of the continent.  We are seeing this dynamic right now, in real time.  Maybe there is time to stop before we see WWIII.  The problem is that we are governed not by those we elect but by special interests and bureaucrats - chiefly the CIA.

There was a time when we looked at our country with a sense of pride, we believed that we were the “good guys”, the ones who supplied humanitarian aid when needed, the ones who kept an army to defend our way of life, not to create an empire, as other great powers before us have done.  Somewhere along the line we lost our way.  For a long time, now, America has been run by unelected bureaucrats and government organizations which were never supposed to be a part of our national character, such as the CIA, created following WWII.  (How many wars have we won since 1947?)  As a result we are now becoming regarded by the world as an overbearing bully and even, now, a terrorist nation.  It is a dilemma because most Americans don’t want to be this or to be seen as this.

The only sure-fire way to know if a man and woman are sufficiently compatible is cohabitation first to test the relationship and then marriage, right? A new study says: wrong. In this article, Dr. Jospeh J. Horton examines the growing number of cohabitations and how data indicates this trend leads to instability.

It is that time of year again and Valentine’s Day fast approaches! What is a lover to do when ingenuity strives to meet expectations?

Whether the man pursues the woman, or the woman leads the man unwittingly down the primrose path, eventually people face a choice. Either they muster all the creativity possible, or they walk the same old path trodden last year and the year before. The challenge: Valentine’s Day must draw out creativity beyond even that of birthdays and anniversaries.

On the material side, thoughts immediately turn to gifts, notions, and trinkets. Presents should demonstrate your knowledge of the recipient’s personality. Valentine gifts also prove whether the giver noted the hints, clues, and words provided over time.

Is it a game of 4-D chess . . . or just game over?