Dakota Beacon

The Environmental Protection Agency will require American motor-fuel refiners to increase the amount of corn-based ethanol that must be blended into motor fuels this year. Is this a good thing? Will it help lower the cost of fuel? In this article, economist Dr. Mark Hendrickson looks at the new regulations and argues that the policy may cause more harm than good. He writes, “Environmentally, using millions of acres of land to grow corn for fuel reduces wildlife habitat, accelerates the depletion of water tables, and increases pollution due to extra use of fertilizers.”

 Happy Independence Day! To celebrate, we invite you to read this article by Dr. Paul Kengor as he explores the views of the founders and the early republic. Kengor writes, “Americans should look back at their founding as based on the principles of 1776—that uniquely great achievement for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that was the Declaration of Independence. These were principles for all of humanity, though they would indeed take decades to fully implement for all Americans, both black and white. Their full achievement would lead to nothing less than a Civil War.”

In the wake of Roe being aborted, some liberal politicians, such as senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Susan Collins (R-Me.), are crying foul because they claim that SCOTUS justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch deceived them over stare decisis (respect for precedent) during confirmation hearings. What’s unsaid is that stare decisis is itself a deception. In fact, our Founders would be aghast at the standard. Why? It’s simple:

On June 21, the Supreme Court ruled on a case that has generated scarce media coverage. It was an important ruling for religious liberty—a third in a series that counters state’s “Blaine Amendments.” In this article, constitutional scholar Dr. John Sparks details the recent case and highlights how “this decision recognizes that parents desire and ought to have real educational alternatives.”

Independence Day is upon us and understanding our Christian heritage is vital to preserving our liberty. A person need not be a Christian to grasp the fundamental wellspring of our unique concept of freedom. Now is a good time to reflect on our Biblical tenets of government.

The culture and government of any society fundamentally reflects its religion as a driving force. Whether the culture of the American Indian, a Muslim society, or the beliefs of the Papua New Guinea people, the mores, norms, and law – the very understanding of right and wrong -- are driven by closely held religious beliefs.

Over the weekend, many states began working on laws surrounding abortion. It is predicted that nearly half of the states will have legislation within months. Many people are celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs—and yet, many people are protesting. So, what does overturning Roe really mean for America? In this article, Dr. Paul Kengor looks at the decision and details the potential rise of abortion states. He writes, “For states like New York and California, this process has already begun. The governors there are eager to fly the Roe flag as premier destination centers for abortion.”

A common way to put Made-up Sexual Status (MUSS, aka “transgender”) activists on the spot is to ask them “What is a woman?” They’ll hem and haw because their current emotion-based creed dictates that the only possible definition is “anyone who identifies as a woman.” Some sexual devolutionaries, however, may come back with what a YouTube commenter under a very clever, topic-related Babylon Bee video claimed. “Let's be real, conservatives do not have a tenable definition of woman,” he stated. “[C]onservatives don't talk about their definition of woman — they know it's not good enough.” Okay, then, challenge accepted. I’ll talk about it:

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that abortion should be returned to the states. Many people are talking about the political aspect of the ruling. But what is the role of the American church in a post-Roe country? In this article, Dr. David Ayers calls for church leaders to step up. He writes, “Sound teaching on all that the sanctity of human life means, rooted in the larger themes of Christian theology and anthropology, must characterize our churches. Too many pastors and priests rarely if ever address this sensitive issue, from the pulpit or other teaching ministries.”

“Green energy” may be all the rage, but it also may not be the panacea we are led to believe. The crusade may be more of a farce in three acts than a solution to a questionable problem.

Eventually, massive amounts of waste must be dealt with. Wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries have a short life span, on average about 20 years. Conventional energy machines last at least twice as long. Mills cites the “green energy” advocate named the International Renewable Energy Agency (in coordination with the United Nations). They calculate that by 2050 the disposal of worn out solar panels will constitute over double the tonnage of all of today’s global plastic waste. Wind turbines and batteries will add millions more tons of waste.

Comedian-cum-commentator Bill Maher has of late been making some new friends and enemies and raising many an eyebrow. At issue are his Real Time monologues in which he has taken his “side,” the Left, to task for “woke” insanity ranging from canceling people over innocent quips to convincing children they can be the opposite sex to whiny “millennial” entitlement. It reminds many of the #WalkAway movement and of billionaire industrialist Elon Musk’s recent resolution to vote Republican. Nonetheless, Maher never actually becomes “red pilled”; one way or another, he makes clear he’s firmly on the Democrat plantation. There’s a good reason for this, too — a psychological reason.

You need to understand the history and theory of population manipulation designed to lead to leftist takeover using public money to fund propaganda outlets.

Everywhere you look in the state of North Dakota you see winners who were endorsed at their local convention and now will be the candidate for the GOP in November.

Because of this we won’t have to worry about the legislature bending to the governor’s will because he lost on Tuesday, and they won.

Because they won, other Republican legislators may now stand up and not cower for fear of retribution.

Because they won, we won!

The haunting refrains of Harry Chapin’s song “Cat’s in the Cradle,” like "planes to catch and bills to pay … when you coming home, dad?” started to play in my mind recently. A Fortune 500 company recruiter asked to join me in my office after a day of on-campus interviewing. He immediately locked in on, and asked about, the picture of my wife and four kids. With a quavering voice, as if speaking from his soul, he issued an unexpected directive to me: “You go home at five o’clock, Jim, and be a devoted and available husband and father!” He then explained what he called his well-intentioned, but heartbreaking, life story.

Paying attention to and playing with words becomes second nature to a person who writes. We live at a time of prolific word creation and new words are invented every year. In 2019 alone Merriam-Webster Dictionary added over 1,100 new words. Unfortunately, many young people, especially social media regulars, have little appreciation for the rich repository of archaic English words.

And then there are words that never quite made it into popular diction. As a light break from the heavier screed produced in The Passing Scene, the following comprise a rather curious read. Consider some of these underdogs.

Word is that the Senate has the necessary votes for federal gun control legislation designed to, among other things, pressure states into instituting “red flag” laws. These measures are controversial because they involve suspending a person’s rights (i.e., seizing his weapons) without due process. Wherever you stand on them and federal firearms laws in principle, however, a simple fact is under-emphasized in this debate: Laws mean little if not enforced.

What’s more, they’re actually instruments of evil if only enforced to the degree where good people will comply.

Here’s another fact: Corresponding to the general unwillingness among left-wing district attorneys to punish criminals (who aren’t also political opponents), these officials, though claiming firearms are a plague, aren’t punishing most gun crimes. Odd, huh?

America is being proven to be ill-equipped to lead the world in the 21st Century.  Our population is nearly illiterate, has little idea of our history or culture, has virtually no concept of geography and less of math.  We have a lot of people who seem proficient at the current state of technology - computer-literates - but that technology is rapidly outdated, with last year's knowledge not sufficient for next year's challenges.  One young man I know opined recently that no one who is age 70 or more has any business in politics because they don't understand computer technology.  If these are the kinds of values we are relying on to lead our country out of the morass we are in, God help us.  On the other hand, there is a dramatically growing interest in alternatives to our schools - one of the few healthy outcomes of the "covid" episode.  And perhaps the one that will save us.

As we drift into the middle of June, 2022, we must remember the people who are still being held without trial and without bail in disgusting and shameful gulags right here in the heart of America, in our capital and other places, for merely exercising their First Amendment right to assembly and self-expression.  Jake Lang, one of their number, has managed to produce a documentary (it's one way to while away time in over a year of solitary confinement) which sets forth the true account of the events which have falsely been temed an "insurrection" by our country's enemies.

Americans face a mountain of social and economic difficulties imposed intentionally. One fiasco after another impacts Americans: open borders, inflation, doubling gas prices, defunding the police, high increase in violent crime, CRT indoctrination, sexualizing children, food shortages, baby formula shortages, Afghan abandonment, disrespect from other nations. This summer Americans can look forward to rolling blackouts, diesel rationing, further increase in gas prices, and unreliable air travel.

Our suffering is inconsequential compared to the transformation sought by our “betters.” These difficulties result not from incompetence or inefficiency. They have been imposed -- intentionally. Additionally, seventy percent of President Biden’s cabinet are President Obama carryovers. This, too, was quite intentional. Transformation of America is the Progressives’ goal and it is a full court press. Using economic coercion to bring America to its knees and reforming us is part of the Great Reset. The Great Reset depends not only on the obliteration of free markets, but of individual liberty and free will as well.

Recently, the House passed a bill that will allow the Federal Trade Commission to fine oil companies if they increase prices in an excessive way. Are oil companies the cause of today’s high fuel prices? In this article, Dr. Mark Hendrickson examines the House bill and details the real reason prices are so high: the economic law of supply and demand.

With threats of nuclear war, a destroyed economy, unbelievable cost of essentials like gas and food shortages, not to mention the ever-present threat to our Constitution, it is sometimes possible to lose sight of the other threat, the one posed by our medical establishment and Big Pharma, consorting with government and corporate employers to kill us - the so-called "covid vaccine".  Certainly no less a threat than nuclear war, this "vaccine" has already been pumped into millions of gullible or job-pressured victims, and now it is being forced on our children, even infants.  Besides the strong evidence suggesting that it permanently impairs the reproductive system (many of these kids are likely to be sterilized), now studies are emerging showing the rapid development of a previously rare brain disease - Creutzfelt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which should alarm us all.  CJD, always a death sentence, usually takes years to reach its end; in those whose symptoms are brought on by the "vaccine", however, this is not the case.  And, by the way, there is no known treatment or cure for CJD.

I have a confession to make - I might have been party to this problem... but I can actually say, "I was wrong when 'I Am'".  Ask my wife. (My comments/thoughts in red)

Adding to the misery of 2022, with its rotten economy, $5/gallon gas, food shortages and empty shelves, ugly, horrific "vaccine" injuries and deaths, the imminent threat of nuclear war over the narcissistic machinations of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, the wretchedness of even having to see or hear Joe Biden or any of his despicable entourage, we now have one of the periodic trigger events intended to strip us of our rights to self-defense (after which all of the other rights will dissolve like pouring hydrochloric acid on a cake).  I am referring to the recent Uvalde and Buffalo shootings.  There is more here than meets the eye.

Surely no one today can be ignorant of the burden that inflation imposes on Americans. To use the old saw, “There are too many dollars chasing too few goods.” Indeed. The price of goods and services will increase when the demand exceeds supply. Consumer competition for scarce resources drives prices upward. Or, the cost to produce the goods and services increases. The increased cost then passes on to the consumer. This is part of the business cycle. But, in our situation, the US Government has printed an overabundance of dollars. Our “leaders” have obligated to spend trillions of dollars we don’t have. Can you spell D-E-B-T? Consequently, our inflation stands at a near 40-year high.

But wait! What’s all this talk in the news about a coming recession?

If Roe v. Wade is reversed or curtailed by the U.S. Supreme Court, abortion will be turned over to the states. If the states are allowed to legislate abortion, what happens next? In this article that first appeared in Crisis Magazine, Dr. Paul Kengor details statements from leaders of two states to paint the dreary picture. He writes, “Some states will embrace it far and above others. Which states? The answer is pretty simple and predictable: Go to political maps of presidential elections and look at the so-called blue states vs. red states; that is, Democrat states vs. Republican states.”

Today, our casual and routine familiarity with sex has bred a kind of childlike innocence about it. In pagan antiquity, Eros was feared and respected as a capricious and omnipotent daimon (as Socrates describes him in the Symposium). It was not until the Renaissance that he metamorphosed into the cuddly putto with whom we are still familiar from Valentine’s cards. But even in the Renaissance, everyone knew that Cupid’s innocence was a sentimental snare. With all our supposed modern skepticism, we tend to take Eros and the erotic at face value.

Historically, the Sexual Revolution has ushered in an era of unprecedented ignorance about the deeper moral and philosophical meaning of human sexuality. Social revolutions are almost always intellectually beggaring in this way, insofar as they require that revolutionary societies unlearn the accumulated moral and social wisdom of the immemorial civilization that preceded them. The essential fact about revolutions is that they revolve; they roll back the wheel of human progress to the point that they are sometimes forced to reinvent the wheel.

Soon, the Supreme Court will rule on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case concerning a Mississippi law preventing elective abortions beyond 15 weeks gestation. It is a case that could cripple the ruling of Roe v. Wade. How did we get Roe in the first place? In this article, constitutional scholar Dr. John Sparks details the case that set the stage for the Roe ruling 50 years ago. Sparks writes, “The seemingly innocuous case of Griswold, with its new privacy right and novel interpretation of the Ninth Amendment, became the foundation for Roe v. Wade.”

Again Americans are dealing with heartbreaking tragedy in the murder of 19 children and 2 adults by a lunatic gunman, this time in Uvalde, Texas.  The NY Times was right out of the gate with what they thought was relevant reporting - 1) the shooting was not a staged "false flag" event 2) the shooter was not transgender; 3) the shooter was not an illegal immigrant.  So there you have it - it was all the fault of some kind of egged-on white supremacist cis-normal legal citizen doing this on his own.   Although some have suggested it was too convenient in turning attention away from the WHO treaty or the economic collapse we are seeing or the Durham reports, or the disaster building in Ukraine or the imminent threat by China, there is never a need to force anything like this.  There are, among 350,000,000 people, enough insane shooters to do the job without any such plans.  All they need to carry out their personal agendas is the right climate - unarmed classroom teachers and administrators, easily idenfiable "school guards", cowardly police "in authority" to run interference and it's bound to happen somewhere.  Just like if you said you won't prosecute looters, you will have looters.  You don't need to recruit them.  That is what the "climate" will do for crime.  In Uvalde, Texas, the climate was perfect for this, as it is in most schools across America - they are killing fields.  The policies of our public schools encourage this kind of tragedy.  We could change that.

This year Burgum’s PAC is expected to fund opposition to endorsed candidates in at least a dozen legislative districts.

Bruce Gjovig, chairman of the Region II (Northeast) for the GOP and member of the GOP State Executive Committee, says he finds this troubling. While he says he welcomes the competitions that arise in the primary, he thinks the governor “should be cautious about wading into legislative races.”

“It's important to maintain a separation of powers,” Gjovig said. “The executive branch should not be determining the composition of the legislative branch.”

Memorial Day traditionally honors the memory of the deceased men and women who served in the US military. Over the years the holiday expanded to include anyone we wish to memorialize. In my case, my father was a career military man who served in WWII in the South Pacific and in Korea during the war while my mother, as a good soldier’s wife, kept the home fires burning.

I made the following observations a few years ago, but they are worth noting again this Memorial Day.

Maybe now that Tucker Carlson has taken note of the imminent threat to American sovereignty, some of the people might just wake up and make some calls.  This is an existential threat to our nation.   Is this how the Republic will end?  In a "deal" with Dr. Tedros?  We won't go down finally in defeat by a stronger nation, but rather through the treachery of those we allowed to take control of our government from within?  It's up to us to stop this and we don't have much time.  SHARE THS.