Dakota Beacon

Do you ever feel like Alice in Wonderland?  I know I do.  Everywhere we look we find evidence that nothing is what it seems, labels are misleading us, the behavior of some of our people in authority is - to say the very, very least - bizarre.  We have this in both parties, both as matters of personal conduct and accepted social function and as a matter of official public policy.

For instance, it must really be confusing for loyal Democrats these days.  What is a Democrat to do?

Like it or not, imposing values is what arranging civilization is all about.  And like it or not, you’re part of this process.  The only difference among any of us is in what and how much we impose — and in that some of us actually understand this is precisely what we’re doing.

So we can avoid talk about morality if we want, but it will do nothing to ensure that morality won’t be imposed on us.  It only guarantees a descent into error that, ultimately, ensures that immorality will be. 

The consequence of hate crime laws was entirely different from the intent. The intent was to prevent a crime based on the threat of severe punishment. The effect is to punish the perpetrator for the thought behind the crime.

The truth is that Americans have a choice. We can look at reality, facts like those presented here and in my two previous posts and realize that jobs will always be destroyed as other jobs get created due to progress. Or we can brood and demand that politicians "protect American jobs." One approach has always led to increasing wealth and income. The other approach always shuts down the engine of prosperity.

The sad fact is - there are far less speculative ways to kill a billion or so people than carbon emissions.  The trigger of the murder  weapon may lie  in the proposed cure  - the suppression of CO2. and its effect on world food production; and the victims will likely be the poor, not the rich .  Here’s how its going to work.

Nothing in Joe's writings justifies the abuse he has taken over the years. There is no greater proof of the nobility of his heart than the way he endured so much undeserved abuse with good humor. He remained faithful to the truth while others lied about him. Although he died of complications of diabetes rather than from a poisoned sword, he nonetheless died, like Hamlet, a noble and consistent friend of truth in a nest of villains.

The audacity and elitist arrogance permeating the "who is rich" debate screams from a comment made by, surprise, an academic. Observing that taxpayers who earn in the $200,000 to $250,000 range don't consider themselves "rich," UC Berkeley economics professor J. Bradford DeLong, a former Clinton Treasury official, says:

It is pathetic and embarrassing that somebody with five times the median household income, someone in the top 2 or 3 percent of the population, thinks of himself as just another ‘average Joe.’

Actually, what's pathetic is an academic who has never created a job or worked in a for-profit professional capacity in his entire life considering himself qualified to pontificate on the issue of rewarding achievement in the private sector.

“They cynically, contemptuously targeted the Religious Left. And it’s downright depressing to see the success they had. They knew these liberal Christians were trusting souls, who agreed with them on certain sympathies—workers rights, civil rights, wealth distribution. The communists exploited that trust…. So, the communists lied to liberals. And as the communists operated covertly, not openly admitting they were communists, they enlisted liberals in their petitions, marches, protests, publications. Without these duped liberals/progressives, the communists were dead in the water, exposed as the tiny fringe they were.”

In this latest e-publication from The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, “V&V Q&A: On ‘Dupes’ and the Religious Left” (789 words), the Center kicks off a series of weekly interviews with Dr. Paul Kengor, professor of political science and executive director of the Center, on his latest book, "Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century." This series focuses on a dominant theme of the book: the Religious Left.

History is clear on the track record of interference: Markets and economies grow much stronger over the long term when political interference is minimized. Keeping the "helping hands" of all-knowing libs out of the economy will spur a healthier and stronger economy.

Reality will then have made liberal interference look dumb--which it always does.

The three-day period from October 31 to November 2—All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day—used to be known as the time of the “Festival of the Dead,” and was commemorated throughout Europe.  A festival of this type has also been observed at or near the first of November by Peruvians, Hindus, Tonga Islanders, Australians, and Ancient Egyptians.  It is at this time, almost everywhere, that attention is paid to the appeasement of the dead. 

The larger public needs to be reminded that taking or regulating banks, health insurance, automobile companies, and (if the EPA has its way) nearly every pot, puddle, and breath of air in the country, is not in keeping with America's traditional understanding of constitutional boundaries. And yet, the ruling class, with its fits of labeling, launches into tirades against these Constitution-citing Americans, accusing them of fascism.

Excessive taxation generates negative feedback. As individuals' spending power drops, businesses sell less. Manufacturing output drops, followed by business income and tax revenue. Stated simply, when government confiscates too much income, the economy weakens and people grow poorer. Worse yet, increasing the rate of confiscation won't ever take in enough to eliminate the government debt nuisance to taxpayers.

But refusal to grasp such truth permeates the left side of the sociopolitical spectrum. Barack Obama dedicated an entire book to describing how his father's dreams, not reality, inspired a personal-turned-presidential agenda. Now most Americans see nightmares in Obama's dreamed-up schemes.

Getting the “big head” is a deadly sin, Profile of North Dakota, Painter James Rosenquist, a complimentary glass of chardonnay, I have no money for anything, UND’s focus will now be quality more than quantity, biggest corporate fraud in the history of Minnesota, ND is one of eight low debt states, Gordon Kahl, historically bad rural roads, the solution seem rather obvious, new gifts for constituents, DAKTOIDS

No matter which method you choose, please vote.  I know of no better way to thank those who defend us and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, than to cast your ballot.

In recent comments to CBS’s Leslie Stahl, Carter blasted Kennedy, blaming him for the Carter administration’s inability to pass a national ‘health plan.’ Carter described Kennedy as ‘irresponsible and abusive.’ ‘The fact is that we would have had comprehensive health care now,’ Carter told Stahl, ‘had it not been for Ted Kennedy’s deliberately blocking the legislation that I proposed in 1978 or ‘79…. It was his fault. Ted Kennedy killed the bill.

These words are being written en route from Adelaide, home to a Melbourne whose already thuggish public culture has been rendered that little bit more desolate by the news that Joseph Sobran is no longer with us. Others undoubtedly shall bring their expertise to bear regarding Joe's importance to America. Perhaps a few words might be appropriate on the topic of Joe's importance to Australia (a country he never visited), or, at least, on his importance to one particular Australian.

To paraphrase an old saying: News is News is News. But most of us know that “News” is managed: it’s manipulated, dressed up, revealed in part, or delayed in reporting, or not reported at all. Depends upon the news source doesn’t it? We have learned that the old and trusted sources of news are no longer trustworthy; we refer to them as the Main Stream Media, MSM for short. The short list of MSM’s would be: Television networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS (Public Broadcasting); Cable networks CNN, MSNBC; radio network NPR. On the print side of news is the Associated Press, called the AP--the giant of the news industry who supplies (sells) prepared copy of the news to perhaps 90% of our nations newspapers; exceptions may be large daily papers who have their own reporters and writers such as the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and perhaps a few others. Many of these papers will include stories from AP in their daily press; the exception may be the Wall Street Journal with a rare printing of an AP story when it is germane to their article.

One particular time in church, my son was looking through a stack of pictures my wife had given him, as the scripture reader walked up to the lectern.  When the reader got ready to read, my son saw a picture of himself and he yelled out, “Who’s that bonehead?”......

Since the beginning of this thing which humans call "industry," the natural progression has been for jobs to originate in a high-cost place of origin, usually where the product being built was invented. The jobs eventually end up in a low-cost manufacturing operation somewhere else. This is an economic truth. One can pretend not to see, but one cannot avoid the truth--not for long.

The American free market has been operating with staggering success for two centuries. Over that time, the American economy has been the fastest-growing economy that the world has ever known. We've had the fastest-growing prosperity in the history of civilization. The free market made it all possible. And the darned thing runs best when left free.

The libertarian chant, “I don’t care what you do, just lemme alone” sounds very reasonable, indeed.  But as hate-speech laws, forcing people to buy health insurance and a thousand other nanny-state intrusions prove, when people become morally corrupt enough, they don’t leave you alone.  They tyrannize you.  A prerequisite for anything resembling libertarian government is cast-iron morality in the people.  And we should remember that, to echo Thomas Paine, “Virtue is not hereditary.”

On the broadest level, Dr. Ritenour and I are both interested in the relationship between social conditions and human action. We are both advocates of free markets, believing that they contribute more to human thriving than other arrangements. We also agree that there is a moral dimension to human action, and that the system of exchange established in any society is, thus, a moral issue as well as a pragmatic one. Within that common ground, however, there is still much to discuss.

Crowd behavior is a good measure of Norsk Hostfest’s success. The entertainment, music and displays are all family oriented and consequently draw decent people. Then again, good behavior may also stem from the older more mature attendees. The gentle cultural appeal naturally draws a gentler crowd. Add to this the fact that, with a few exceptions, Hostfest is alcohol-free and you have a sober more docile gathering.

Uniquely, Norsk Hostfest celebrates cultural pride among those of Nordic heritage and descent. In this era of political correctness where Europeans are often portrayed as more of a liability than an asset, it is refreshing to witness a healthy self-respect for Caucasian heritage.

Barack Obama will relentlessly seek and sometimes find fleeting moments of feel-good. But as the recipe condemns yet another generation of low earners to low earning, Obama’s relentless seeking will distract him from making the connection between the lousy results and the recipe.

The scattered feel-good moments will never be enough to satisfy. So the man will go on scouting for victims that aren’t yet aware of needing to be saved. For Barack Obama, finding something to make him feel good inside will be a lifelong job.

Eric Sevareid, Norwegian Cowboy, Yellowbird is tribal press secretary and spokeswoman, ND retains the national extreme temperature record, it seems like he was a director of almost everything, medical inflation is running about 9%, move to ND the poverty rate is only 11%, Bristol Palin will take time away from “Dancing With the Stars”, The Forum awarded Leafy Spurge, Rep. Earl Pomeroy’s close race, laws regulating ND pharmacies, ugly little architectural appendages next to bars, They are embezzlers, ND median household income rose

Perhaps the biggest lie about “conservatives” is that they are selfish, out for only themselves. In fact, how I ferret out “imposters” is with simple tests of selflessness.

Near the end of a recent meeting of self described “fiscal conservatives”, a member of the group asked “what is a fiscal conservative”. I literally jumped at the opportunity to say “we’re selfless!” I further explained that all of us who regularly attend these meetings are pretty much self-made men and women who understand that what we give back, our legacy to our children and grandchildren, is the most important thing to us. I can’t deny that a few sets of eyes in the group were surprised at my answer; they are the conservatives that haven’t quite got the “true conservative” thing down to a science…