Dakota Beacon

Spring comes late to the northern plains. The fields have been clothed in drab for months. As spring struggles to free herself from winter’s icy grip that struggle has been known to linger almost into early June.

The eventual conqueror that she is, spring breaks forth in all her glory with an assault on the senses. One of Robert Browning’s sonnets begins, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Forgive the personification, but here is how much I love spring.

This week, Hon. Neil Gorsuch testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Did the three-day hearing shed any light on how Gorsuch may interpret the law once he is confirmed for the Court? In this article that first appeared at National Catholic Register, Dr. Paul Kengor highlights some of Gorsuch’s testimony and writes, “Gorsuch’s views stem from a very deep, very rich, and very old tradition known as natural law.”

The dignity of work cannot be discounted, even by the “slick skimmers” that profit as unproductive middlemen in the political, banking, legal, real estate, tax preparation, and other occupations that neither provide a useful product nor a valuable service. It should not surprise us to find out that politicians, bankers, lawyers (over half of politicians), realtors, tax preparers, and the rest of the skimmers are all in cahoots with one another.

 Government, on the other hand, punishes bad behavior. At least it should if it is to satisfy its originally intended role to counter the evil tendencies of mankind. Government as a benefactor is largely an illusion. Government involuntarily takes from certain elements of society (some would even call it thievery) in order to re-distribute to other elements of society. To the extent that government distributes unearned rewards, it removes the individual's dignity that normally arises out of hard work.

WRONG TIME, WRONG PLACE;  WHO WILL PAY?; BITTER IRONY; ESSENTIAL WASTE; GF NEEDS SOMETHING; CRAIG COBB; THE ENCHANTED HIGHWAY; CROP GROWING CONDITIONS; 
JCPENNEY; HAPPINESS; MINNESOTA’S ROADS & BRIDGES; ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS; DAKTOIDS

The American Health Care Act—proposed by Republicans as a replacement for Obamacare—been called a bill that everybody dislikes for one reason or another. In this article, Dr. Mark Hendrickson asks: What explains this unhappy situation? Hendrickson looks at the pros and cons of the AHCA and argues, “The American Health Care Act may be a bitter pill to swallow, but if we don’t take the medicine now, our entire economy could quickly become seriously ill.” Click below for more.

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD; WEAK CASE FOR RECALL: "THE MATH ISN’T WORKING VERY WELL."; OMDAHL HAS A HUNCH; “SUSPICION OF HIGHER EDUCATION'; U.S. ATTORNEYS; SUSAN BALA; RONALD MCMARTIN JR; XCEL ENERGY; FARGO IS REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER; QUICK IN AND OUT UND; END OF EAS?; WANT TO EXERCISE YOUR CORVETTE?; DAKTOIDS

The assault on free speech at Middlebury College, and similar efforts to silence free speech at colleges and universities across the country, show us where a failure to transmit our history, our culture, and our values can lead. This attack on free speech should be of concern to both liberals and conservatives -- the very future of a free and open society is endangered by mobs who would silence ideas with which they disagree. When such mobs are made up of students at respected institutions of higher learning, we must ask ourselves what we have done to encourage such anti-intellectual behavior.

On December 27, 2016, exceptional economist, educator, writer and columnist Thomas Sowell published his last column. At 86 he decided to “hang it up” in favor of his hobby -- photography (http://www.tsowell.com). Sowell has written dozens of books and thousands of columns. His columns were carried regularly by Creators Syndicate, Forbes magazine and Scripts-Howard. (As such, his column was carried in The Minot Daily News.) Occasional pieces have also been published by the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, Newsweek, and The Times (London) among others.

The 2016 presidential election shed more light on the political division in America. But does this division now go beyond politics? Is there a “chasm separating our country’s elites from regular citizens” that could produce problems for the United States? In this article, Dr. Marvin Folkertsma argues that some who champion extreme policy change do not always practice what they speak. He writes, “Although developments in our country have not reached the crisis levels that destroyed Rome … clearly the existence of vast, interconnected swath of overseers—actors and activists, professors and pundits, politicians and bureaucrats—who are insulated from reality and the consequences of what they say and do, spells doom for America.”  

ND IN VANGUARD; JUST A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING; ND REP. KEVIN CRAMER; THE WINTER OF ’66; FUN ON AMTRAK; A HUGE TRUCK CRANE; INDIFFERENCE?; LEAVING ON A HIGH NOTE; “GO INSIDE ‘LITTLE MOGADISHU'; ILLEGALS HEAD NORTH; HELP FOR SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS; TURNOVER; PARKING METERS

Wednesday was International Women’s Day. Many women across the globe participated in organized events. But did the vast majority of women and corporate sponsors understand the dark history of this event? In this article that first appeared at The American Spectator, Dr. Paul Kengor offers a look at the timeline of International Women’s Day from its beginning in 1909 to present day. Kengor writes, “The fact is that the origins of International Women’s Day are communist-socialist.”

Written some years ago, I believe that Joseph Sobran's writings are just as timely today and the themes Sobran discussed are perhaps more pressing and deserve our deepest consideration. Daily we experience the never ending assault on Western Civilization, which itself would not have taken its present form without the influence of Christianity that is deliberately being marginalized and attacked; I suppose now it is nothing less than heresy to the “ruling class” and Social Justice Warrior/Cultural Marxists to acknowledge that fact. Yet to deny truth is to deny reality; and those who are reshaping the world in their image are making something monstrous, something we experience all around us, a world that seems rooted in relishing violence and human degradation.

In major cities across America it is common to encounter someone panhandling on the sidewalks. We recognize that many, if not most, panhandlers have had extremely difficult lives. But have you ever struggled with what to do when you encounter a person with a cup in hand asking for money? In this article, Dr. Gary S. Smith argues that compassion is always the correct response but there may be better ways to help than simply giving money to strangers on the sidewalk.

One little critter, with his rump pointed north, took a gust under his feathers and flew off.

Two and a half months ago sugar plums danced in the heads of Christmas dreamers. As the world turns, visions of spring now dance in the heads of those tired of winter. Yes, indeed. Spring is just around the corner.

In a well-considered maneuver, President Donald Trump offered Planned Parenthood a deal they couldn't refuse; but they couldn't accept it either. It has been reported that the President offered to leave the abortion giant's funding in place if they simply ceased to perform abortions and abortion-related services.

I've spent many evenings by the fire this winter reading James Michener's historical novel, “Texas”. I had started reading it a decade ago but was diverted from it by a severe case of political activism.

Midway through the novel, old Mexico's social order (caste) was revealed, included eighty-five categories reflective of a person's percentage of Spanish, Indian, Negro and Chinese blood. A Spaniard born in the Iberian peninsula (Spain) was a “peninsular” (gachupin) possessing a glorious heritage. A Spaniard born in Mexico to peninsular parents was a “criollo” (Espanol) possessing a prideful heritage. A likely Spaniard who could not prove that both parents were Spanish was a “limpio (clean) de origen” possessing an almost acceptable heritage. This social order insured that the purity of the Spanish race was protected and the infiltrations of lesser strains identified. The levels of social order below these so-called “superior” heritages.

FORM'S MIXED VIEW OF TRUMP; REFUGEE COST; EMERSON, CANADA, NORTH DAKOTA TAXPAYERS; OIL OUTLOOK; DICINSON STATE UNIVERSITY; BAD LOANDS; JCPENNY; LEND ME YOUR NEWS; INTERSTATE 94; THE LIGNI9TE COAL INDUSTRY; A NATIONAL CHAMP; THE BOHEMIAN MELODY BOYS; 

The following tribute to General McMaster recounts his role in a legendary battle of the Persian Gulf War. This battle, little known by the American public, is intensely studied in military schools as a classic of modern tactics. Within twenty-three minutes a U.S. Army cavalry troop, out-manned and out-gunned 5 to 1, reduced an Iraqi motorized rifle brigade of the Republican Guard to scrap iron without itself suffering a single casualty.

This is the story of McMaster’s role in the Battle of 73 Easting, the last great tank battle of the 20^th Century.

DAPL PROTESTS; PROTESTS WERE PROFITABLE FOR SOME; STANDING ROCK FACES A HOLE; ND ATTORNEY GENERAL; THINNING THE RANKS; GOOD IDEA UND; UND INSTITUTE FOR UNMANNED AND AUTONOMOUS RESEARCH; BET IT SELLS WELL; A “MEAN-SPIRITED STUDY”; A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY?; TWO ND BUSINESS LEADERS; FULL OF BEANS;  CHANGES AT MDN; DAKTOIDS

if Lincoln was so great, we must ask why nobody seems to have realized it while he was still alive. The abolitionists considered him unprincipled, Southerners hated him, and most Northerners opposed his war on the South. Only when the war ended and he was shot did people begin to transform him into a hero and martyr of the Union cause.

Shard. A piece of ceramic, metal, glass or rock typically having sharp edges. Often enough The Passing Scene is just that -- a shard. The objective is to nick the intellectual bombast surrounding us in order to deflate the pompous superficiality of the contemporary pop-culture. Here are a few shards.

Is former President Barack Obama the 12^th-best president in U.S. history? According to a newly released C-SPAN presidential survey he is. Dr. Paul Kengor, the executive director of the Center for Vision & Values, was one of 91 presidential scholars who helped determine the C-SPAN list. In this article that first appeared at The American Spectator, Kengor examines the survey, offers insight into the criteria, and argues that some “liberal scholars were not able to separate their partisanship when it came to objectively judging Obama.”

A CONFRONTATION; DO THE NUMBERS; A TITAN STRUGGLE; REORG HURTS KULM; UND PRESIDENT MARK KENNEDY; GANG OF THREE; SAME OLD EMPIRE BUILDER; THE FORUM IS SORRY; EMERSON, MANITOBA; DEVILS LAKE; PETTY GRIEVANCE; WINONA LADUKE, DAKTOIDS

A new Gallup poll found that nearly 84% of recent U.S. college graduates did not believe their career services office was very helpful to them. This stunning number may indicate that something is absent in many career services departments across the country. But what is it? In this article, Dr. James Thrasher, senior fellow of career services at Grove City College, studies the Gallup poll along with other recent statistics and argues that many career services have a missing link: Vocational calling. 

Betsy De Vos maintains that if you like your government school, you can keep your government school. If you don’t like it, then having a choice becomes a means of escape for parents to improve their kids’ education. The not-so-well-to-do families have a friend in Betsy De Vos. For this the unions and bureaucrats will never forgive her.

The sale of health insurance as interstate commerce is often cited as a pillar of healthcare reform by proponents of market-based solutions. But is it actually possible? In this article, Richard Kocur examines the health insurance market and argues that a solution is possible—but it may be a slow process. 

Newsflash: When a branch of government is continually trampling the rights of others and violating the Constitution, we’re already in a constitutional crisis. Showing the judiciary its impotence isn’t the disease — it’s the cure.

Only power neutralizes power. It’s shocking how we’ve betrayed the letter and spirit of our nation’s founding and have allowed the courts to run amok. We can continue drinking the judicial-supremacy Kool-Aid and committing national suicide, or we can drain the swamp infested with black-robed tyrants. It’s impotence for them — or irrelevancy for us.

THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE; LINGERING COSTS OF PROTESTS; THE STANDING ROCK TRIBE; GOV. DOUG BURGUM; THE NEW SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER; SECOND PRIZE; REFUGEES; FLEEING TO CANADA; FARMLAND PRICES IN ND; CRAIG COBB; ALFRED FRAPPIER

In late 2016, the family of an 8-year-old Cub Scout in New Jersey accused the organization of expelling him for being transgender. Recently, the Boy Scouts of America said it will begin accepting members based on their gender identity rather than an individual's birth certificate. In this article, Dr. Joseph Horton looks at the Boy Scouts recent announcement and argues that popular culture is forcefully promoting the belief that gender is determined by feelings instead of biology. Horton warns, “Well-meaning parents caught up by the glorification of gender transitions in popular culture are risking significant psychological and physical damage to their children.”

For the uninitiated, that’s short for “cisgender,” a silly term for someone who, shockingly, actually identifies as the sex he was born as. That’s awfully presumptuous of Alison, though. How does she know I’m cis? Maybe I aim to supplant Milo Yiannopoulos as the new fabulous thing on college campuses. Speaking of which, it’s bad enough when college-age lunkheads use the term. Becker is 39 years old. Not only that, but when I mocked her for parroting the cis nonsense and, uh…impugned her intellect (okay, I called her an airhead), she responded with the following: