Dakota Beacon

It is no secret that the U.S. economy has grown slowly in the years since the Great Recession of 2008-09. But just how slow has the growth been? In this article that first appeared at The Daily Caller, Dr. Tracy Miller examines nearly 70 years of economic data and points out that, “Over the first five years of Obama’s presidency, the U.S. economy grew more slowly than during any five-year period since just after the end of World War II.”

If it is not "white racism" which causes black-on-black crime, and it may be something other than racism which causes disciplinary disparities and the number of school drop-outs, the breakdown of the black family is a more likely cause for such disparities.

Lauren Bacall is being remembered as a glamorous actress, a star from Hollywood’s Golden Age, and the wife of Humphrey Bogart. These are valid and worth noting as the world reflects upon her life. But was she, like some have suggested, a brave fighter for freedom who confronted McCarthyism and anti-communist “witch hunters” in Washington? In this fascinating article that first appeared at American Spectator, Dr. Paul Kengor examines the facts and details what really happened in October 1947 when Bogie and Bacall went to Washington.

A cautionary tale for ND oil; Kildeer bypass accepted by business people; ND University president "striking out on his own"; South Dakota - #8 most corrupt?; Growing up in Mitchell; Former Fargo Police Chief emerges a s winner in CA; Twin Cities racial equity checklist; Sergeants-at-arms for polling stations, Noor beats the Somolis; Booze and no seatbelts...; ND 125th birthday; Prairie Roses for Uptown thinking; DAKTOIDS

Euphemisms become cynical when used to cover or conceal the misappropriation of funds, illegal behavior and unethical activities. Companies don’t fire people. They “let them go” or place them on “administrative leave.” Nor do companies engage in layoffs. Rather, they “downsize” or conduct “involuntary separations.”

Politicians employ euphemisms in the “gentle sell” to sway their audience and to endear them to voters. Consider the “Affordable Care Act.” Federal, state and local governments give euphemisms a bad name when they use language to obfuscate. As master craftsmen of euphemisms, government agencies tend to grind out verbal inversions of exquisite quality.

English is a rich and versatile language. Recognizing euphemisms can be fun. Understanding euphemisms may protect us from deceit.

Is ISIS an immediate threat to the United States? Can the U.S. stop ISIS without going to war? In this interesting article, Dr. Earl Tilford examines the current situation in Iraq and discusses what the global impact would be if ISIS successfully creates a caliphate in the Middle East.

Christopher Manion asks the bishops to focus on the real refugees - the Iraqi Christians who face the threat of death daily. "While they ignore the extermination of countless Iraqi Christians, our politicians scramble to welcome "refugees" from Central America."

There is a deeper reason. After 9/11, Dick Cheney led a campaign to convert our country's domestic life into a state of siege. The so-called "War on Terror" would last to the generation of our grandchildren, he said, and it required the phenomenal growth of the domestic National Security State. According to Frontline, Cheney even kept the most sensitive (and possibly illegal) surveillance programs from George W. Bush, instead directing his own lawyer, David Addington, to store the records in his private safe.

UND and Fighting Souix timidity; After North Dakota; Minnesota leads Upper Midwest in income, spending growth; Graves was a registered sex offender knowingly accepted by Reinke; Influx of oil workers has brought an increase in cases involving drugs and alcohol; Minnesota’s “arrogant overreach”; Sen. John Hoeven is attempting to arrange a $1 billion loan guarantee; ND Journalism Illuminati; $350 million project brings power from Minnkota’s western ND coal plants; Prostitutes play rough in Fargo; Ebola? in Mineapolis?; First American to die from Ebola resident of Coon Rapids, MN; Food filled backpacks - Harley owners of Jamestown; Jamestown street dance at the “World’s Largest Buffalo"; Daktoids

In fact, assimilation of many of these newcomers isn’t just unlikely, it’s impossible. This is because we have in our midst more than just an ethnic echo chamber — we have a burgeoning nation within our nation.

Indeed, we must find meaning in our retirement. Again, in “The Chosen” Chaim Potok writes, “A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one’s life with meaning.”

Are men and women truly equal? If not, should society continue to push to make them equal? In this must-read article, Dr. Jason R. Edwards examines the response to a recent domestic violence incident involving NFL star Ray Rice and observes that, “Either our love of equality or our embrace of civilization must give way.”

If there was humor in any situation, Phil was the man not only to find it but to magnify it to hilarious dimensions. I can't really describe him, but he was, to put it very pedantically, the functional equivalent of Sir John Falstaff. Think of a Falstaff who had gone straight, studied Aquinas, and retained his sense of humor and imagination, giving a wonderful twinkle to every occasion, and you've got at least the faint idea of Phil.

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.