Dakota Beacon

Sousa once said, “If you read of Sousa retired, you will read of Sousa dead.”  He worked tirelessly all his life - a life dedicated to music.  He was to America of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries what the Strauss family was to Vienna a generation earlier.  

Cancer – a powerful word that raises concern and alarm. The emotional power of this single word conjures thoughts of deadly malignancies, interminable suffering, and death. “Skin cancer,” however, sounds more benign because of its visibility and by not being hidden within the body.

I speak from experience on this topic, so let me offer words of encouragement to the would-be skin cancer patient.

If Donald Trump wants as his legacy the title of The Great Negotiator, he is missing the boat with his demands that Israel act stupidly in order to bring a temporary hiatus in the Hamas war.  It is the first principle of any negotiation that you come out with the value you seek.  In Trump’s case, all he seems to want out of this is that everyone over there just shut up, and if this means to placate the bullies, it is a pretty flimsy end.

There is so much disgust with the Biden administration that people are resisting slamming Trump, but we can’t let Biden become the excuse for poor performance by the Trump people.  If we are going to compare everything to Biden’s behavior as President, we might as well have elected Daffy Duck.  

My Golden Years lie at hand. Entering that realm proves to be a feisty adventure. Obviously, I have not been here before, but I’ve observed enough of this time in life from relatives who have walked the path before me. They imputed an education not gleaned from books.

My parents, rest their souls, were examples to me as they wended their way through their seventies and eighties although they probably didn’t realize it. They unconsciously pursued their parental duties instructing me via their actions.

My dad was a great planner. Some people are just that way. With obvious foresight, he visualized events as they probably should take place. His ability to anticipate any number of circumstances was both a blessing and a curse.

Raising vegetables and feeding the livestock takes time, planning and investment. There are always people who want short cuts and who put little in and expect results. Maybe that is why I thought of the county fair and the legislature.

There are always a few who opt for a sound bite over an extra session to work over a bill. Maybe they want free money from the state, or an advantage that can help a specific piece of legislation, or the approval of a pet project.

But there are also those (probably the majority) who know the value of hard work and patience through the process to get things done.

Throughout his book Hegseth details more, much more, about the domestic assault on the American military. How did diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as well as critical race theory (CRT) become so prevalent at all military service academies? Why the push to place women in the infantry while denigrating men – especially white males? On the answers to these questions and more Hegseth waxes eloquently. His book offers great insight into the thinking of the person who, with Senate confirmation, will be our next Secretary of Defense.

In years past, as the old year ended, The Passing Scene posted, with comment, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Ring Out, Wild Bells.” The same held true for Robert Burns, the Bard of Scotland, and his poem “Auld Lang Syne.”

This year, a lesser-known piece by Burns seems appropriate. Titled, obviously enough, “New Year’s Day” this little ditty renders a tip o’ the hat to Father Time.

The attempted use of federal funds to pay off the college debt of individuals was perhaps the most flagrant example of the degree to which the current administration is out of touch with United States citizens. The waste of federal money and manpower is the only outcome that remains due to the relatively prompt rulings by the Supreme Court confirming the unconstitutionality of these obvious attempts to bribe young voters.

To her (although she’s not afraid to tell you what she wants this year), Christmas begins with Christ and who He is and why He came as a tiny human.  

To her, it seems there are so may other messages out there that detract from the purpose of the holiday.  She would like it better if it were different. I had to admit to her that I felt much the same way and we both decided there might be away to share with those who hadn’t thought of Christ in Christmas or if the birth of Christ was an afterthought.  

The conversation got me thinking as to how I would approach some of my friends and colleagues.  I think the discussion might begin with a question or two of them to draw them out of the chaos for a few moments.  Maybe something like “What do see in people at Christmas that you don’t notice at other times of the year?”

A central bank/consumer debt earthquake and associated economic Tsunami are looming worldwide. Solutions will apply “simplicity” toward easing the massively stressful lives of earth’s inhabitants. And those that lead the transition from COMPLEXITY to SIMPLICITY will be remembered in history books far more than those who caused the complexity in the first place. What, on Earth, am I talking about?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s bring the best of times -- and the worst of times. Family and friends gather to socialize -- and drink. People celebrate and exchange gifts -- and drink. Folks ring out the old year and ring in the new -- and drink.

Alcohol consumption throughout history was always integral to human experience. Over millennia cultures routinely produced and consumed alcohol for religious or social reasons. If a substance could ferment, it has been distilled and consumed for its exhilarating effect. Grains, fruits, even milk, ferment to render an intoxicating liquor.

During the Holiday Season alcohol consumption climbs precipitously. Office parties, house parties, bars, and lounges afford many opportunities to imbibe.

As the North Dakota Legislature begins the 69th session, I would challenge legislators to pass bills through a grid with the question, “Is this the best outcome for the citizens I was elected to represent in the long term?” in the forefront of their minds. 

As any legislator will tell you it is easier when there is NO money, because the answer is an easy NO.

But since the state is flush with cash and there are big balances in all the accounts it will more difficult to just say NO. It will be tempting to give in and spend like liberals.

We are being lied to again.  There should be criminal penalties for all involved in this scam and for all who are acting against the interests of the American people.  We must demand answers amd immediately.  We should insist that our military shoot down these aircraft or else explain what our government is up to.

Dylan Thomas credits his love of reading as follows. “My education was the liberty I had to read indiscriminately and all the time, with my eyes hanging out.” Christmas ‘tis the season for giving! What better way to say “I love you” than with the gift of a book? Books as gifts may be edifying, instructive, or just plain entertaining. Suggested books which follow are all quite readable but are not superficial.

We are not “a nation of immigrants” and should instead see ourselves as one people under our Constitution.  There is and should be no guilt in this.  We have a right to our country.  What we might disagree about amongst ourselves notwithstanding, we are a country of our own.  No other nation is expected to throw open its gates.  

“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” - Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels

President Donald Trump’s friendly critics utter gentle swipes against him. “There is a new sheriff in town.” “He is not a conservative.” “He has been known to side with Democrats.”

What follows will not be found in the legacy media whether TV or print. These observations gleaned from alternative sources offer a perspective of Trump that bewilders the Ruling Class.

It is time for the North Dakota Legislature and Governor-elect Armstrong to give all property owners across the state a tax break. I suggest they eliminate property taxes on the primary residence of all North Dakotans who make North Dakota their home.

Corporations, co-ops, associations all weighed in on Measure 4 and said they wanted to pay property taxes. So let them. Give this tax break to North Dakota homeowners.

Halloween and Veterans Day 2024 are history. Autumn marches on. In this season many folks assume an attitude of gratitude for what we have and how we got it. Not surprisingly, this sentiment of “giving thanks” involves overindulgence at a well-set table. But that is another story.

Our situation is unusual in that the public has resoundingly rejected this Vice President and the policies this administration has represented.  We are about 2 months away from the swearing in of the person that was elected to replace this mess.  Will we last that long with the “Biden” administration pursuing war full steam ahead?  

“The temperature is rising!” “The temperature is dropping.” The temperature is staying the same.”

We argue the “facts” of climate change (even as parts of New Jersey were just buried under 11 inches of global warming). One side wants the facts to show that man is disrupting the climate, while the other wants them to show that he’s not. But an almost never posed question should be asked:

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that our industry is causing global warming. So what?

Character matters - even in 2024.  It always has, and for good reason.   Our country suffers when our leaders pursue a lifestyle of libertine abandon.  Firstly, we are compromised along with them, and secondly, if we decline to be we are denied the talents they would bring to important positions.  No one is perfect, no one has led a perfect life, but there must be some kind of acknowledgement and accountability and reform or we should not allow them to lead.

Why do the “scientific community” around these scientists referenced herein seem to have blinders on, ignoring such consequential research? Why didn’t the Wijngaarden and Happer research come to the attention of politicians and higher education leaders who direct research funding? Or did they just ignore their research because it may take away a portion of their funding?

Are these researchers correct? If so, how many trillions of dollars have been wasted globally on climate studies, their politicization, the attempted global destruction of the fossil fuel industry, and associated CO₂ sequestration? Will there be any accountability for the globalist Klause Schwab, his World Economic Forum, or the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) if these researchers are correct and Anthropogenic (caused by humans) Global Warming (AGW) is a myth?

Today’s cultural stress does not compare with the Great Depression or World War II. Those American experiences strained the public fabric but did not destroy its underlying unity. By contrast, today’s society has descended into the stress of divisiveness not seen since the Civil War.

For those who still read, a calm and refreshing reflection of better days gone by will be found in the gentle rhymes and verses we knew as young people growing up. Some may object by calling such an exercise a form of escapism. They contend that we will never return to the “good ol’ days.” But a counterpoint must be voiced. Such reflection is no more an escape from reality than would be any form of entertainment.

This could explain the discrepancy in the polling numbers. Pivoting to North Dakota’s election, there were no surprises.

Why? 

Because Republicans have built on North Dakota’s most successful politician in history, Ed Schafer. 

Ed Schafer’s campaign theme “Schafer Means Business” was pivotal in North Dakota’s political direction.