Dakota Beacon

This assessment of cultural decline is neither imaginary nor conspiratorial in its thinking. It’s an observable, measurable syndrome. Minus the firm foundation our Founders envisioned, the premise of the Republic collapses. The slow and steady dismissal of Christianity from the public square reaps its reward. And everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.

Now what? Which world view will America adopt to fill the void produced by the cancellation of our cultural foundation? Will America regress into the cultures mankind always knew before the founding of our unique American culture – totalitarian, authoritarian, dictatorial, despotic?

If millennials without knowledge of our history offer the answer of Marxism or socialism, then, yes we regress. If, on the other hand, the answer is “we’ll do something new and different and better” – well, that is no answer at all. That answer contains no context, no definition, and no premise.

I have had absolutely enough of mask wearing.  My advice to you is if you still have one, throw it away.  If your employer "mandates" one, throw it away.  Your health and your future ability to think are worth infinitely more than your job.  I don't care how great it is.  If you are ill-advised enough or unfortunate enough to be in the military - risk brig-time.  You need to consider what is happening to your brain and other organs when you wilfully deprive them of oxygen.  

KEYSTONE XL; BOOST FOR GRAND FORKS; THE LAMOUREUX TWINS; UND SUCCESS STORY; THE F-M FLOOD DIVERSION; MUG SHOTS; PROPOSED LAW IS PUNITIVE; ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; ND A VACICINE LEADER; WINTER WHEAT; THE H-2A PROGRAM; DAKTOIDS

We are not observing the usual retail politics as in times past. Skillful Democrats know how to use their power to define conservatives in the most heinous way. They label them, the media brands them, and the widespread impression sticks in the minds of the American media consumer.

Democrats approach politics from the simple and consistent perspective that any office currently held by a Republican is illegitimate and any office held by a Democrat is sacrosanct. In the end, there can be no equivalency between “Democrat hypocrisy” and “Republican hypocrisy.” The issue is use of power and the endgame of each party is different.

The difference between “resistance” and “sedition,” between “protests” and “insurrections,” is who’s in charge. Democrats “resist” Republican elected officials. Republicans, however, commit “sedition” against Democrat elected officials. Democrats “protest,” Republicans “riot.” The only real distinction is who’s in power and who’s on the barricades.

FRONTRUNNER ND; LEGACY FUND; LLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES CLOSING; SHOCK IN THE OIL INDUSTRY; ND LAWMAKERS HITTING BACK AT BIDEN LEASING BAN; WAR AGAINST WIND; NO MORE BLOCK 9; NOTABLE GIFTS; BEST OF INTENTIONS; IT'S TIME FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA - FARGO FORUM; SOBERING ND NURSING HOME NUMBERS; DAKTOIDS

Leftists have made their intentions crystal clear, calling for 9/11-like “truth commissions,” blacklists and the persecution of Trump supporters. They’re also successfully “cancelling” opponents as they destroy careers, reputations and lives. For how long will we insist on abiding by Queensberry rules while they proceed no-holds-barred?

Painting with a broad brush, conservatives are principle-oriented and, projecting as man will, don’t fully appreciate that the Left is power-oriented. If we’d handled the Soviets during the Cold War as we do our Left, with NATO (no action, talk only), we’d have been singing “The Internationale.”

Only power negates power, and our choice is simple: Accept that and nullify tyranny — or go gentle into that good night.

Nearly 45 million Americans owe over $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. That number is roughly $730 billion more than the total credit card debt in the country. More and more Americans are burdened by student loans than ever before. While these numbers are staggering, the problem is deeper than just dollar figures and amounts. What are the moral and ethical issues involved in this crushing debt? In this article, Dr. James Thrasher looks deeper into the student loan crisis and argues that there are numerous players involved.

The fervent prayer of the Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans would be to get rid of Trump once and for all and to never allow him to enter the political scene again. Fat chance. President Trump accomplished more for America, the middleclass, and conservatism than any president since Ronald Reagan as articulated by Howie Carr in last week’s column. And seventy-five million people know it.

No congressional business to see here; no democracy in action. The entire charade smacks of political theater with a heavy dose of hatred, vengeance, and vitriol. Congressmen and senators deem the impeachment and conviction of a non-sitting US President of primary importance. These elected officials believe they are taken seriously as “doing the people’s business” when in fact they are promoting a political farce. We voted for them. Live with it.

May the farce be with you.

Last week, several independent investors made national news when they caused a Wall Street hedge fund to lose billions of dollars. In this article, Dr. Mark Hendrickson looks at the developments in the GameStop short squeeze and how this relates to the 2008 Wall Street bailouts. He writes, “When small investors lose their shirts by placing unwise investments, do brokerage firms, hedge funds, big banks, etc., come to their rescue? Not a chance. Yet when the big boys were losing their shirts, their Wall Street pals rushed to their aid.”

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES THOMASSON FINGERPRINTS; LLS HOUSE OF CARDS; UNCERTAINTY AT LLS; LLS REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT; ND OIL OUTCRY; WORKERS IN THE OIL PATCH; ND MAY BE ONE OF THE FIRST STATES TO RECOVER; AG JUICES ARE FLOWING; INSURERS DON'T LIKE COAL; DAKTOIDS

Is Justice really blind in America today?  We will watch the final decision in the case of the shooting of Army veteran Ashli Babbitt.  How this is handled could provide a clue.   We should demand equal justice for all Americans on either side of a shooting.  Until we can all believe in this the wounds will fester.

As we have come to expect, aother of Trump's favored picks to dictate to the rest of us got in front of a microphone on CBS's "Face the Nation" last weekend to slam the former President.  In the course of doing this she revealed a lot more about herself, her views and the nature of the "science" of COVID-19, and maybe a bit about ourselvces and our expectations as well.

In 1848, the Communist Manifesto was published in London by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It's manifestation as the “Soviet” system of the USSR represented a far more radical innovation than it would if it were concerned merely with ownership. The nationalization of the means of production involves a radical shift in the power structure, especially in the eminence accorded to the central planning bodies. A “Soviet” system enables the party machine to have a monopoly of power, for they have all but the legal attributes of ownership. Above all, it allows a few who are the new elite to seek to control the total lives of the masses.

It is precisely these “elites” with “monopoly power” that have applied “central planning” in revoking permitting for the privately funded Keystone XL pipeline (projected to transport 830,000 barrels/day) that was approved by the United States and Canada to transport crude oil from the Bitumen Sands in Alberta Canada to markets in the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

Kudos to Howie Carr for publishing a “Thank you” to President Trump in the Boston Herald, 1/18/21. His eloquent words speak for millions of Americans. They are worth quoting.

Many Americans are almost on their knees as our governors and mayors relentslessly shut down our businesses and throw us out of work.  We are set up for juat about any relief we can find.  Now instead of the $2,000 we were promised as a "stimulus", to help us survive until we are allowed to work again, some of us have received $600.  Most of us have been essentially unemployed since last spring.  The $600, however helpful in the shortrun, is really not a serious attempt to help us survive.  The other $1,400?  Well, good question.  Ohio Congressman Steve Stivers thinks we should make guinea pigs of ourselves in order to get it - sit up, Fido!  If this is supposed to be a joke, it's not funny.

LUTHERN SOCIAL SERVICES OF ND; LSS WENT BEYOND ITS CORE COMPETENCY; JESSICA THOMASSON; FROM WORST TO BEST; KEYSTONE XL; CAN WENTS CONTINUE TO FLY AS AN EAGLE?; PUMPING THE DIESEL OUT OF MANDAN; BIG NEW GAS PLANT; NEGLECTED PARK; STATE OF THE TRIBES; DAKTOIDS

Later today, an article of impeachment against President Trump is expected to be delivered from the House of Representatives to the Senate. This will set the stage for a historic trial. In this article, Dr. John Sparks reviews the current situation through a half-century-old case—Brandenburg v. Ohio—and the First Amendment free speech clause. Sparks writes, “Operating within the framework of Brandenburg, the senators today sitting in judgment of Donald Trump should ask two fundamental questions. First, what did the former president actually say in his rally speech?  Secondly, do his words show his intent to incite imminent lawless action? 

Tomorrow, January 25, people around the world will be celebrating the memory of Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns.  His message rings true in all eras, the message of the worth of man, the songs of the heart, bittersweet partings, and patriotism and man's failings - his hypocrisy, his pride, his treachery.  This year, as we look around at the disarray in our own country, its traitors, its heroes and its ordinary, honest men, he seems to speak directly to us today.

Words mean things. The 2020 elections dubiously swept Democrats into total power now controlling all branches of government (one party rule). What better reason to generate an amended lexicon for the 21^st century (not to be confused with Ambrose Bierce’s “The Devil’s Dictionary”)? These are old words revived.

President Ronald Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction... It must be fought for, protected, and handed on…[to our children]… or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children…what it was once like in the United States where people were free.”

The “Author Q&A” is an e-publication from the Institute for Faith & Freedom at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an author of an intriguing new book that we hope will prove illuminating to readers everywhere. In this latest edition, we sit down with Dr. Gary Scott Smith to discuss his new book, “Duty and Destiny: The Life and Faith of Winston Churchill,” which is available as a print book, a Kindle book, and an audible book narrated by Richard Perry Turner.