Dakota Beacon

For California, the adoption of the Common Core standards represents a huge step backward which puts an end to its hard-won standing as having the top math standards in the nation. The Common Core standards will move the U.S. even closer to the bottom in international ranking.

Have we arrived at another new stage in the progressive march? In light of the reaction to the recent Hobby Lobby decision, it is time to revisit the progressive movement’s ever-changing stance on abortion. In this important article that first appeared at American Thinker, Dr. Paul Kengor examines a troubling trend in the evolution of the progressive movement—especially when it comes to vital matters of life and death.

Have you seen the new “short suit?”; Food and Drug Administration ordered all cheese makers to stop using wooden boards on which to age their cheese; Required Phillips to design cakes for same-sex ceremonies but to institute RE-EDUCATION CLASSES for his staff; Barney Frank is free, free indeed; World’s first “throuple.” Doll, Kitten and Brynn Young are now a married threesome; Meanwhile, congressmen and senators have returned home on vacation to win your hearts and minds

Boom is stabilizing and the mix of job openings is shifting, Oil tax money and ND "hub cities", Fargo - Forbes list of Best Small PLaces for Business in America, WSJ - Fastest-Growing Airports Are in ... North Dakota, Lloyd Omdahl - reluctance to accept huddled masses, Jack Dalrymple - hard work and integrity of the Norwegian people, Rob Port - ND's most conservative and liberal towns, Ralph Kingsbury - ND will consist of three "Dakotas", And - he had a friendly face, A quite man made his mark, Snooper's Tons of Fun - and handcuffs, Jesse Ventura - underdog

The toxic passions of nationalism have succumbed to the moral neutrality of multiculturalism and a deathly low birthrate, which will accomplish in the long term what the Great War nearly did in the short term: civilizational suicide. Once bristling with weapons and purpose, Europe survives as a patina of modernism covering a museum of forgotten furies, all protected by the United States.

"This downward spiral may have reached its ultimate expression this year. Framers such as Madison would have been mortified by the scene from the most recent State of the Union address. Obama appeared before a joint session of Congress (and members of the Supreme Court) to announce that he intended to go it alone in achieving his policy goals, refusing to yield to the actions of Congress. One would have expected an outcry, or, at least stony silence, from a branch that was being told it would be circumvented. Instead, there was rapturous applause that bordered on a collective expression of institutional self-loathing."

The apostles of the New Morality expect the rest of us to abandon a moral code thousands of years old, to ignore our own consciences, and to submit to a new fashion we find not only repugnant but impossible.

The rapidly increasing power of bureaucrats controlling our lives should scare the bejesus out of Americans. The good news is that more people are coming to recognize the assault by government on their liberty. The bad news is that some of these same people keep electing the same congressmen, senators and president that perpetuate the abuse. Apparently some voters don’t have a problem with expansive government programs. Nor do they have a problem with government confiscating wealth and bureaucrats redistributing it.

Erosion of liberty takes many forms.

It is the shared observation of many that Obama’s plan to grow government control over the American people is wildly successful.

Is everyone feeling comfortable – or losing faith in government? That is the question.

I still love my cool-aid drinking Democrat relatives as dearly as ever… but only lately have I begun to fully realize why they were and are “card carrying” Democrats…they are first Minnesotans… selfish… they want their stuff… and they want it NOW! And future generations be damned.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t point to the obvious… Conservative Republicans with selfish motivations represent about 2/3 of the party in North Dakota. And therein lies the challenge for future Republicans… reverse the selfishness/selfless quotient from 2:1 to 1:2 in order to save our country from socialism…the “equality” that is poverty itself.

Restoration of the Fighting Sioux nickname, The Standing Rock Tribe was not allowed to vote, Nicknames and slogans for towns in ND, $500,000 for the purchase and maintenance of the first sculpture, No more free coffee for Steven Goldmann at the Boomtown Babes Espresso in Williston, Deny visas to countries that refuse to repatriate their criminals, Refugee Fatigue, ND ranks #1 in the economic well-being of children, It’s disturbing to watch the violent-crime rate increase, Ventura claims the book shredded his reputation, Piglets tumbled from a fast moving truck over 20 miles on I-29, DAKTOIDS

It should not surprise us that a Calvinist has become a Moslem. The two religions have much in common.

As we approach centennial remembrances of World War I, many will rightfully pause to reflect on the battles, the tragic loss of life, military power, and the events that led to the Great War. One hundred years later, the world faces an important question: Where are we today? In his fascinating article, Dr. Marvin Folkertsma examines this question and ponders if greatness is still possible.

Part III - Relative Merits of Various Taxes

North Dakota is not at war with anyone, although some would argue we are in a serious “battle” with the EPA. It’s time to eliminate the tax that our founders believed should only be assessed during wartime… the state income tax.

Why would we hold home owners and business owners hostage to a tax that is unequally applied, increased annually to the level that valuation increases allow, and is increasingly employed to compete with private enterprise? Such a beast as the property tax must at least be reigned in and at best be eliminated. The use of the property tax should, at a minimum, be limited to the public services that benefit the property owner directly… police, fire, sewer & water service, public transportation, and their associated maintenance & administration.

Government should not be taxing food, clothing, shelter, or personal transportation… the essential elements of living.

Israel’s war today is really with Iran. Hamas and Hezbollah serve as Iran’s proxies. As Iran continues testing the resolve of the West, their ultimate target is not Israel. It is America. Eliminating the Jewish state is only a stepping stone.

An increasing number of states, particularly through the Islamic-dominated United Nations, resolutely reject any legitimate self-defense measures Israel adopts – specifically forward and active defenses. Meanwhile, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and much of the Islamic world call for death to Israel. The cry is echoed by Muslim populations throughout Europe.

What is Israel to do?

As I became aware of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in North Dakota an interesting phenomenon became apparent. The supporters of Common Core want to talk about only “The standards”. At the March 27, 2014 Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce meeting billed to examine the “facts and fallacies of Common Core” the proponents would talk of nothing except “the standards” and the beauty of those standards which I have come to characterize using the descriptors of “unicorns, pixy dust, rainbows, and butterflies."

What the North Dakota DPI neglects to mention in any way is that as a condition of adopting the beautiful “Standards” top-to-bottom, side-to-side education changes are underway. Why does no one supporting Common Core talk about this? Are education leaders not telling the Governor, the legislators, the principals, administrators, teachers and the citizens about the scope of Common Core? It does not seem so odd when you understand the substance and extent of those reforms. Are we dealing here with the COMMON CORE TROJAN HORSE, which is a complete, state wide SYSTEMIC EDUCATION REFORM? Are Common Core supporters silent ….for good reason …. on purpose?

WHAT IF JESSE WAS STEERING?, TOP DOG, CRIME IS UP, FOLLOW THE MONEY, VOTER IDENTIFICATION ND, LET HER BE THE JUDGE, IF AT ONCE YOU DON’T SUCCEED, ADMINISTRATORS GET THE BIG MONEY, THE TONE AT THE TOP, THE NEW MELLOW COBB, BOXCAR BETTY, BORN IN A SHACK, DAKTOIDS

Nearly 31 years ago, a Korean passenger airliner was shot down. The recent downing of Malaysian flight 17 is strikingly similar. In this fascinating article that first appeared at The American Spectator, Dr. Paul Kengor examines President Reagan’s initial reaction to the news of KAL 007 and points out that Reagan’s response is worth studying and emulating.

COMMON CORE – LIBERAL CONTROLLED…IN SECRET…BY DESIGN: Expanded Narrative Documentation of Part I

After “Systemic Reform” of North Dakota’s education system to the Common Core model and structure, education policy will be almost entirely beyond the control of the state’s citizens, as the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium will ALWAYS be dominated by either 9 (7 being of the 10 most liberal states in America) or as many as 14 Democrat/Liberal states versus 6 or 7 Republican/Conservative states. The PRIVATE consortium whose rules will be constantly changing and which will always make decisions beyond the scrutiny of North Dakota citizens by design of it’s governance structure.

The New York State Teachers Union, the huge National Education Association, and the Chicago Teachers Union -- all identifiably on the Left -- have allied with conservative groups and individuals in intense opposition to the new program.

Representative Josh Boschee, D-44 appeared on June 19th on KXJB's 6:30 POV with Chris Berg to participate in a discussion about the recent lawsuit challenging North Dakota's definition of marriage. During the interview he was asked a question by a viewer suggesting that his credentials as a human-rights advocate are questionable in that he voted against all pro-life legislation including HB-1305, which bans abortion for the purposes of sex-selection or genetic abnormality.

Boschee's vote suggests that he supports the right of parents to choose to abort children who are determined to be homosexual should such a test ever become available.

Jarrett’s influence extends to all executive departments and agencies and beyond. Everyone in Obama’s administration bows to Jarrett.

Here are three examples. Under Obamacare, Jarrett pushed for the Health and Human Services mandate requiring all religious groups and believers to fund abortion drugs and contraception. This included institutional churches such as the Roman Catholic Church. Vice President Joe Biden and Obama Chief of Staff Bill Daley advised against the policy but lost out to Jarrett.

In another example Jarrett advised Obama on three occasions to cancel the mission to take out Osama bin Laden. Three times Obama cancelled the mission.

Jarrett is urging Obama to back a 2016 presidential candidate that will reinforce his legacy by continuing to support his policies. That person is not Hillary Clinton. Jarrett has been meeting with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and urging Obama to support her nomination for president. Keep in mind that she successfully advised Obama to appoint Van Jones as “green jobs czar,” Mark Lloyd as “chief diversity officer” within the Federal Communications Commission and Cass Sunstein as White House “regulatory czar.”

As a young student, I dismissed concerns about government intrusions on individual privacy with the smug statement, “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.” I find the vast majority of the current millennial generation with whom I interact on the college campus ascribe to that same philosophy.

I LIVE FOR THIS, ALT FOR NORGE, A SEASON OF DISCONTENT, LET THE VOTERS DECIDE, POPULAR MYTH, RESERVATIONS ARE NOT A GOOD IDEA, CAUSE AND EFFECT?,  MINNESOTANS HANG THEIR HEADS, CALIFORNIA LEADS ND, CALIFORNIA LEADS ND, MOST MALIGNED, KHAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?, HEY - WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?, DAKTOIDS

It gets worse. In “the most breathtaking power grab I’ve seen in a long time,” according to Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, the EPA proposed rules that would extend its jurisdiction over the nation’s “intermittent and ephemeral streams and wetlands,” generated by occasional wet seasons, or simply when it rains. Careful! That pond in your backyard could be toxic! Same with ditches and streams that are miles away from navigable waterways. This extension of control over private property and citizens’ everyday lives is breathtaking. And in spite of a recent Supreme Court decision curtailing the agency’s powers, the EPA’s proclivities remain clear.

We thought we could steer the Iraqis into a form of government like that of Europe and North America; not surprisingly, we failed. Finally, instead of withdrawing in an orderly fashion, President Obama, who understands nothing about foreign policy, simply pulled the plug virtually overnight and opened the door to far greater evils.

Building a fence around your house controls access to your property. You control who enters, who eats, who sleeps and who uses the facilities. The same is true of our nation. 

South Korea has had a fence for 50 years to thwart North Korean infiltrators. South Korea’s experience has been a success with very few North Koreans penetrating the barrier.

Concrete barriers blocking approaches to our federal buildings and military installations are a standard feature in thwarting truck bombs.

If fences don’t work, why is the White House surrounded by a fence?

No barrier is fail-safe. A fence may not be one-hundred percent effective all the time, but it will slow the flood of illegal immigrants to a controllable trickle. After that, discussion can be opened as to what to do with the 11 million illegals already here. Many options may be considered legislatively once the border is sealed.

One Congressman has suggested a million-dollar prize for the person who can recover Lois Lerner's "lost" emails. That person will need it, because he'll never eat lunch in this town again, and the IRS will harass him, his extended family, and his friends forever. He might even be risking his life.

She is now in the habit of redefining the fundamentals. She has detached herself from the roots that once anchored her, and now she’s off the hinges, drifting along with whatever whim and fancy and cultural “change” that ever-shifting progressives demand at the moment.

Part II - Comparing Various Forms of Taxation

 A. Consumption-based Taxes

B. Income-based Taxes

C. Wealth-based Taxes

D. Commerce-based Taxes

E. Hidden Taxes