Dakota Beacon

It was 101 years ago that Zorro first appeared in American pop fiction.  Wildly popular in almost every genre from animation to live action to comic books, radio drama, ballet and musical theater, this durable classic was the creation of a pulp writer, Johnston McCulley in 1919.  It's the perfect antidote to boredom if you like swashbuckling heroes, swordplay, gallant gentlemen, nasty villains and damsels in distress!  Take yourself on a vacation to Spanish California of the early 19th Century!  You'll find a couple of movie versions for your weekend entertainment.  It's one way to spend a Saturday at home!

Europe is under assault not only by a crippling epidemic and attendant economic devastation, but more importantly at the moment, by an invasion underway led by Turkey.  I say "led by" in that Turkey is supplying the immediate accommodation of it and intends to dominate the Islamic movement in Europe.  How is it doing this?  Well, it's leader, Recep Erdogan, was first given a green light by our own President Trump.  Not only did he pull a token U.S. force out from under the Kurdish allies who had been helping to push back against Turkey's aggression, but he put the maraschino cherry on top by making one of his perfect phone calls to Erdogan to more or less give him the go-ahead for his plans.  So that was at least moral support from us for this outrage.  Then the E. U. had already committed itself to an extortion racket, paying juiceman Erdogan billions of dollars for protection  which he turned around and invested in the equipment and armament he is now using to invade Greece.  The E.U.'s answer?  Another large payment to Erdogan.  Why should he ever stop?

Last year President Trump made a point of telling the nations of Europe that they have not pulled their weight with regard to the costs of maintaining NATO.  A lot of Americans agreed.  Some of us questioned whether NATO was still relevant.  It might be argued that Russia is no less a potential aggressor than the old Soviet Union which NATO was formed to contain, but NATO's standards for membership seem to have dropped.  When we admit Turkey to membership in a "non-aggression pact" are we just a little ridiculous?

The headlines are full of threats to our existence.  It is almost impossible to imagine what life was like for us in the West a mere ten years ago.  Even as we try to prepare for the onslaught of a mystery virus that has already killed thousands and shut down entire nations, we are seeing headlines which sound like a reenactment of the Turkish wars on Europe in 1683 - at the gates of Vienna.  A 9th Century culture is poised to overrun and destroy that of Europe.  They have a powerful weapon - the sensitivity of the West to the cries of children.

AN ANNOYING POSSIBILITY; HAWKS ARE SAFE AT GFAFB; JAMESTOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT'S LADDER TRUCK; SECOND CHANCE ND SUPT. OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION; SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR; DAPL REDUX?; MANNA FROM USDA; AMERICAN CRYSTAL SUGAR; THE COAL CREEK POWER PLANT; GREAT RIVER CHARGES COAL CREEK LOSSES; GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME; BEST OF THE WORST COLLEGES; NO PITY FOR COMPETITION; THOSE WERE THE DAYS; ROY OTTINGERAND SON; DAKTOIDS

To better comprehend the level of Christian martyrdom in Nazi Germany, may I suggest reading Chapter 6, “The Nazi Juggernaut” of Robert Royal's book “The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century” copyrighted in year 2000, available at Catholic.com for a modest donation.

If readers, especially the youthful among them, come to understand that totalitarian monsters gravitate to whatever political vehicle is available to them, efforts to expose the truth will go a long way toward preventing history from repeating itself in this contentious 21^st century. The old saying “Believe nothing you read and only half of what you see” is very good advice. Totalitarians of every stripe have a way of twisting the meaning of words in the dictionary as well as the teachings of the Bible. Beware of false witness.

The Coronavirus will have a tremendous impact not only on people's health and social lives, but on the world economy and on political careers as well.  A crisis of this sort and magnitude could have some terrible consequences for those whose decisions have been flawed by poor judgment.  We may see some changes in leadership in South Korea as well as other countries.  It didn't have to be this way.   The South Koreans have a characteristically poetical way of expressing this moment of decision:  the "golden time".

I don't know about you, but I can hardly listen to any more clever Trump tweets about the dismal Democrat candidates.  He has more important things to do and he's not doing them.  It is too late now to contain the deadly flu virus and this is, despite his protests, largely his fault.  He did NOT seal the borders.  He has not ensured that people are quarantined when they return from outside the country.  The Canadian border is wide open, for one thing.  And he's bragging that we have something less than 200 miles of some kind of "wall" on the Mexican border.  And all the while planes are landing and sick people dispersing throughout the nation.  This man and his government have learned nothing from history.  It's too bad.  Lucky thing he's so damn funny.

Even as our attention has been on the big "what if's " of the coronavirus, the world keeps turning, or churning.  The people of the Greek Isles barely have time to waste on coronavirus - they are dealing with an invasion by Turkey.

As the winter winds down everyone's attention is divided between the winnowing process of the Democrat primaries and caucuses and ominous sounding news of the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus.  Schools in Japan are closed, doctors in China and government elites in Iran are dying, filming is halted in northern Italy as actors and crew are sick, the streets and shops are empty.  Up until very recently it was a far away kind of problem, our fears sitting on the back burner as we entertained ourselves watching the field of Democrat presidential hopefuls dwindle.  Now, thanks to sloppy management, our State Department ushered in over a thousand sick people from China (why were they even there?) and Japan.  Now there are those who are urging the shutting down of crowded events.  Some commercial ones are canceled, but the political ones are going on as though nothing were wrong and it's 1950 all over again.  President Trump says not to worry, brags that he's kept America safe (from his rally in New Delhi).  Everyone's go-to for the truth, Rush Limbaugh, irresponsibly called the whole epidemic a "hoax" by Democrats just to make Trump look bad.  Meanwhile, those who study these things are beginning to be alarmed.  

Today’s hot topic again is “global warming.” Or is it “manmade climate change?” Whatever.

News flash: “World to End Tomorrow: Women and Minorities Hardest Hit.” Washington Post? New York Times? CNN? Could be any of them. That headline would be laughable if it weren’t so stupid. Yet, the left portrays the gloom and doom of “manmade climate change” in just this way. They peddle fear above a functioning intellect.

We owe our Creator a deep debt of gratitude. We can show that gratitude by practicing good stewardship, managing the resources we were given, and adapting to our environment – not changing it.

Here’s a question to ponder: If people think the male-female athletics performance gap is very slight, will they be more or less likely to oppose having men claiming womanhood enter women’s sports? Remember when answering that such men generally have treatments (e.g., testosterone-suppressing drugs) that partially eliminate their biological advantages.

It’s ironic that female athletes are now increasingly being challenged by men in dresses (figuratively if not literally) and no longer can demur. You’ve come a long way, baby.

We need to speak up and clear the air.  We can no longer afford political correctness.  The ancient tale of Aesop, wherein the Squirrel declined to enter the Lion's cage because he had seen other animals go in but none come out.  He was smart enough to profit by the experience of others rather than find out first-hand.  The Squirrel got away.  Will we?

Whose fault is Coronavirus?  Some in the media are quick to blame Trump.  Perhaps he is at fault.  He's doing a lot of things wrong.  He should not have traveled to India at the same time he was bragging about halting incoming flights from areas infected with the virus.  He should, above all, have put down his tweeter and started reviewing the personnel files of people who are making the key decisions - decisions contravening his own.  And we need to quit running to rallies and give serious thought to the core problem in our government - the fact that it has outgrown its britches.  

From the Land of Song, we celebrate St. David. Learn a little bit about the patron saint of Wales and celebrate.   With a lot of soul-stirring music.  Listen.  It is unforgettable.

On this last day of Black History month, we look at one of the great American writers of the 20th Century, Ralph Waldo Ellison.  Ellison's life and character were complex.  At one time a Communist believer, he found that Communism was, in the end, a betrayal, specifically of Black people.  His own life took a circuitous path to literature - he was a student of music and then of sculpture first, finding his way to writing later.  Once he found his pollitical bearings, he was forthright in renouncing Communism.  He was totally opposed to "Black Power" or anything which he saw as promoting racial division.  For this he was bitterly criticized by other Black leaders and writers.  He viewed people rather as part of the human race rather than subdivisions thereof. 

We have needed to do something about the on-going mutiny in some of our cities and counties - and even some whole states.  I refer to the so-called "Sanctuary Cities" issue.  Some of our jurisdictions have blatantly refused to enforce the laws related to illegal immigration.  The result has been disastrous.  The case of Kate Steinle's murder is just one well-known example.  Clearly we have to call a halt to this.  For some time President Trump has been threatening to take action to bring these feckless agencies to heel.  The 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals has handed down a decision at long last.  There is something to celebrate here but perhaps more to give us concern.

Socialism – the Equality that is Poverty itself...

“I’ll respect you in the morning” is what I half expect to hear. Of course, the Democrats now invoking the Founding Fathers’ memory in their effort to impeach President Trump won’t respect our colonial progenitors at the next dawn anymore than they did at the last one.

Nonetheless, the Left has interrupted its regularly scheduled programming of trying to tear down the Founders’ reputations and life’s work — the Electoral College, the First and Second Amendments, and the Constitution generally — to claim that those Enlightenment men are on their side.

Crystal Wright gives us her views on police brutality, self-reliance, women's rights and much, much more in a brief talk in Dallas.  Contrast her ideas with what you heard if you tuned into last night's Great Debate.

In a revealing interview on 60 Minutes last Sunday, the victor in the Nevada Democrat caucus, defended the Castro regime in Cuba, saying it is "unfair to say everything was bad".  He could try telling that to some of the people who risked their lives to escape, to the people still held captive, enslaved by this system.  There is a reason why Communist nations have always shot those trying to escape, why they monitor them when they are out of the country on business, sporting or cultural trips.  A reason why those without families at home are not allowed to leave.  Maybe you saw the movie White Nights, the story of an American who defected to North Korea and a dancer who had once successfully escaped Russia.  Fate brought him back into the chains of Communism.  Cubans can identify with this Russian.  They know what it is to struggle for liberty, to hunger for freedom, to risk their lives and more for it.  Sanders tosses them aside.  Well, he doesn't "like" authoritarianism, but then, how else can you hold a people captive?  And the bigger question - why would you need to?

One of our country's most important experts on the threat of jihad has apparently been murdered.  But the story being put out is suicide.  Those who knew Phillip Haney know he did not commit suicide and we should all be aware that he had information which was dangerous to some dangerous people.  We have lost a valuable soldier in the fight for truth and for the safety of Americans.

Over two millennia …Christians have been forced to grapple with many questions: What is a state? How do we recognize its authority? What are its limits?

Can we distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate states? Is rebellion ever justified? Must the state defer to the Church? Must the Church obey the state?

THE FRACKER’S DILEMMA; GRETA THUNBERG MURAL; BISMARCK ARTIST DEFENDED; THUNDBERG MURAL IN FARGO; ND LEGACY FUND EARNINGS COMMITTEE; PIPELINE OPPOSITION; REDUCTION OF DRONE FUNDING MAKES GF NERVOUS; BERNIE'S LATE TO THE PARTY; SLOW, SUBTLE EMBEZZLING; TRUTH IN ACCOUNTING; SINKHOLE STATES; EAGLES UP, MEADOWLARKS DOWN; DAKTOIDS

It's Sunday!  And for me, the best part of it is having another opportunity to share with you some of the great treasures of Western culture.  Today we have some of America's brightest stars and creators of classical and film music, from the Metropolitan Opera to the world of Hollywood.  These amazing artists come from all corners of America but they share amazing musical talent and dedication to their art.  Please take time out this weekend to enjoy the masterful performances by these stars.

One of the most powerful stories of the journey from destitution and abuse to millions is the subject our our Saturday Special.  The inspirational story of Chris Gardner is one of heartrending hardship and a determination to give his child what he had been denied throughout his life - a father.  

It is difficult to understand the mental mechanics of someone who would support Bernie Sanders for president.  He, himself, is no mystery at all.  He has been transparently Marxist for as long as he has been a public figure, which is a long time, long enough for him to have evolved if that had been possible.  We should be appalled that this man could even be under consideration as a candidate.   And it sounds, if we are listening to his dedicated core of followers, as though we can expect a long, hot summer this year with promises of violence.  Let's hope this dies out before the Democrats' convention.

Bernie Sanders is ranging about the country emphatically promoting a lot of terrible ideas.  One of them is rent control.   We all want to pay less and many short-sighted people think that all they need to do is pass a law against "greed".  it doesn't work.  Greed, on the other hand, can actually be put to work to help both the landlord and the tenant.

Canada looks a lot like us.  We have some similar issues also.  Canada might actually be the canary in our coalmine.  It is presently being wracked with disruptions in its transportation system due to some nefarious machinations from outside the country.  Foreign interests are investing quietly (and illegally) in phony protest movements which are destroying the economy of Western Canada and causing undue hardship on the people throughout the nation.  There is high-level fraud at work in this and we need to know what's going on with our neighbor.  It is best to know before we share the same experiences.

American Culture:  A retrospective look at Motown and the great Black American artists of the musical renaissance of the mid-20th Century.