Dakota Beacon

Religious factors are extremely important. The United States is in its 14th year of a religious war with Islamic radicals. Failure to recognize the true nature of this war makes devising an appropriate strategy nearly impossible.

But accepting white privilege as supposition is prejudice itself. If someone wishes to claim this phenomenon exists, the burden is on him to prove it; it is not on those who would have to prove a negative. 

To date, President Obama has issued 195 EOs. But, Obama has resorted to issuing another form of executive action – presidential memoranda. Like EOs, they don’t require action by congress; they have the force of law and have consequences just as far reaching. He has used memoranda to make policy on gun control and immigration. He has issued 198 memoranda, more than any other president. Combined with his EOs, Obama has taken more executive actions than any president since Harry Truman.

The good news is that power still resides with the people -- if they will use it. First, Congress must restore its legislative authority. Second, Congress must stop deferring to the President to fill in the details of laws it passes. Finally, there is always hope that a wisely vetted president with integrity will rescind damaging EOs implemented by other presidents.

So for now, the 529 plans will remain intact. That’s the good news. This episode illustrates, however, the ill-informed advice the president received from his staff on this issue.

Mandating that such firms provide health insurance makes those firms and those workers who would prefer cash compensation worse off. It also makes workers whose hours are reduced worse off.

WHOA, NELLIE! ; THE REAL DRIVER OF RECOVERY; FAR TOO CLEVER; DIVERSITY IS WANING; NOT A LOUD VOICE; IN ALL MODESTY; SHE HAD THE LAST LAUGH; HIDING ON THE RESERVATION; LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD; PERCEPTION TRUMPS REALITY; BE CAREFUL; DAKTOIDS

For the record, the total snowfall in Central Park, NYC was 5.5 inches. And though it was heavier in some other areas, let’s get something straight: in a supposedly free country, you don’t tell people they can’t travel because of some snow.

(Good test run for martial law, though.)

Limited to one four-year term by the state constitution, Jim worked to promote the presidential candidacy of Ronald Reagan. After Reagan’s election in 1980, he tapped the oral surgeon from South Carolina to be his Secretary of Energy with the mission of shutting down the Department of Energy.

Lois Lerner and the IRS conspired with attorneys of the FEC to thwart conservative organizations that opposed the Obama administration. Exchanges of e-mails show that enforcement attorneys from the FEC asked Lois Lerner for confidential tax information about conservative groups. Yet another set of e-mails confirms the FEC received detailed, confidential information concerning tax status and returns of conservative groups. This is a serious violation of federal law. It illustrates how the IRS and FEC were working together to cripple conservative opponents of the Obama administration.

Keep IRS abuse information in mind during this tax season. Also, remember the expanded enforcement authority given the IRS under Obamacare. Finally, observe carefully the legislation acted upon by our Senators and Congressmen regarding Obamacare.

As one attorney recently observed, “…any government big enough to take care of all of us is big enough to destroy any one of us.”

BOTH ND SENATORS AGREED; OUTRAGED, BUT VAGUE;  THE BOARD IS THE PROBLEM; A FAMILY OF ACHIEVERS; HE DESERVES A TEDDY; CHICKEN FEED; GRIGGS COUNTY; POOR AND GROWING; THE ANNUAL STATE OF THE TRIBES ADDRESS; HOLSTEINS ARE EXPENSIVE; WILLISTON; DIRTY, DIRTY; TARGET CORPORATION; LIVING BEYOND; DAKTOIDS

• • Common Core in North Dakota is a means of fundamental transformation of the state’s education system.
  • The Obama Administration designed and financed education reform has as it’s core, the  technological application of assessments using computer data systems.
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  • The assessments are explained by the U.S. Department of Education as using psychometric analysis techniques through the assessment process to build databases of student cognitive function and thinking processes.
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  • The citizens of North Dakota were not informed of this. Parent and students are unaware of what data is being acquired via “assessments.” No one was told. No one was asked.
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  • ND DPI has entered ND citizens into a contractual obligation that has the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) manage the consortium that ND is a member of (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium).
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  • The division of the graduate school of education at UCLA managing Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is referred to as CRESST.
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  • CRESST is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
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  • The directors of CRESST are psychologists as are a majority of the staff.
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  • Over half of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium primary individuals are psychologists either through education degree or academic publication.

Here is the critical issue and a political one at that. Once again the sucker punch is delivered in “soft speak,” that is, in the name of “fairness.” The FCC gains control over how the ISPs manage web traffic on their networks. Supposedly the FCC is the “honest broker” ensuring the ISPs treat all Internet content “fairly.” Determining what is “fair’ is at the heart of the controversy. Allowing politicians and bureaucrats to determine “fairness” creates a very scary bogeyman.

I think he'd be on our side – not Obama's.

RECORD BREAKING; THE FIGHTING SIOUX; NOT SO FAST UND; PAULA BROADWELL; ND HAS WHAT CUBA NEEDS; FARMLAND RENTALS; CLASS AND RACE; SELF-CORRECTING; BOOM BABIES; CRAZY COLD; WHAT DOES SHE HAVE IN MIND?; DAKTOIDS

The effect of increased arbitrary use of executive power, abuse by regulators, and the growing relevance of privileged forms of capitalism—usually labeled “crony” capitalism—have been taking down the United States in the rankings.

Two bills introduced this week by Speaker of the House Philip Gunn also propose to do away with PARCC and Common Core.

States that have pulled out of their Assessment Consortium

There is a lot of loose money floating around congress. This is our money – yours and mine. If left in the hands of our congressmen and senators it is at risk. Listening to our congressmen and senators speak lightly of the big bucks they oversee, the risk becomes obvious. They would much rather take our money and spend it than take less money and conserve it. To hear them caterwaul you would think the federal government is perpetually short of funds – which it is because congress never controls their spending addiction.

There is a further inherent risk when dealing with large dollar amounts like those in taxes, the federal budget and the national debt. Their very magnitude makes the numbers surreal. For what it is worth, one million is one one-thousandth of a billion. And, one billion is one one-thousandth of a trillion. At this level, one could easily lose several billion dollars in a mathematical rounding error. Those lost dollars are dollars best kept out of the hands of congress and the bureaucrats and in the hands of families trying to pay for college or a mortgage. Those lost dollars should not be laundered by the government. Why should we trust congressmen and senators to toy with these dollars as if they were playing Monopoly?

How big is “big?” Maybe that is the wrong question. The real question is: How much is enough?

There have been some questions in the minds of Americans as to whether recent grand jury decisions have properly held police officers accountable for their use of force. In particular, in the Eric Garner case, there appears to be many unanswered questions about the grand jury’s decision.

STATE OF THE STATE; ANOTHER CICERO HE IS NOT; ROUGH PATCH AHEAD; STATE OF THE JUDICIARY; TEX HALL; HEY, WANT A DEAL?; CRIP GANGS; HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE BAKKEN; THE MINNESOTA ANGLE; LAYING IT ON THICK; FOSTER COUNTY; DAKTOIDS

TOO GOOD TO LAST; BOOMING BAKKEN CITIES; CASSELTON; OIL PATCH TRAFFIC; BISON GAME DAY; TEX HALL AND TROUBLE; FIGHTING SIOUX STILL NOT DEAD; DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY -- IF IT’S NOT ONE THING IT’S ANOTHER; KEYSTONE XL; WHAT’S AHEAD

So ironically, if you can truly live up to your faith, it’s not a faith worth living up to. Thus is the Christian a bit like the devoted golfer: He strives for the ideal of never making a mistake while knowing he can never achieve it.

Another problem with President Obama’s executive order is that undocumented immigrants who are granted work permits can use those permits to get drivers’ licenses in most states, and according to the “Motor Voter” law, they are to be encouraged to register to vote while getting a license. Thus, it is possible that millions of illegal immigrants will be voting in elections beginning in 2015.

This was prompted by a comment of my son, who said that growing up there were really two stories that had made an impression on him - “The Emperor's New Clothes” wherein a little boy told the truth and finally cleared the fog away in the village (read it again for yourself, hat-tip to Mark Twain) and “The Wizard of Oz”, where in the end, the whole illusion was being effected by a little man behind a curtain. It was all a fraud in both cases.

Which is it that is the “good” Islam? We keep hearing about the “bad” Islam, Islamic terrorism and aggression, but that supposes a benign form, that somewhere lurking beneath the terrorism is a “religion of peace”.

FARGO’S BIG YEAR; RISING OUT OF THE PRAIRIE;TAPPING THE BRAKES; SLOW MIGHT BE GOOD; RETURN OF SANITY; FARMING WAS ERRATIC in ND in 2014; TAKING STOCK OF ND; REGIONAL HARMONY; TRYGVE OLSON; THE MSP BLUES; WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?; A TRUE ECCENTRIC; SOMETHING IS NOT WORKING; I-94 IS A DRUG CORRIDOR The ND; MINNESOTA; DAKTOIDS

On December 20, 2014 the Fargo Forum and the Grand Forks Herald printed a letter to the editor authored by the proponents of the Common Core State Standards. For ease of recognition I will refer to the group that consisted of Andy Peterson of the Greater North Dakota Chamber, the Aimee Copas of the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders, Jon Martinson of the North Dakota School Boards Association, and Nick Archuleta of the North Dakota public employees organization called ND United as the “ProCores.”

The ProCores make quite a number of claims of fact and to the honesty of those opposing Common Core in North Dakota. The majority of their claims are outright false. 

The ProCores are hiding the fact that Common Core is much, much, much, more than the simply the “standards.” Note that although the Common Core supporters have been repeatedly challenged to participate in open debate they refuse, only participating in highly structured settings where they are protected from hard questions and deeper analysis. It may be that the reason that the Common Core supporters seemingly have no interest in open debate is because they may not want full examination of Common Core being in reality the full of implementation of Obama Administered designed systemic education transformation.

“I’ll take North Dakota winters anytime, Joe. Only the strong come north. Our winters do tend to keep the bugs down and the riffraff out.

“And something else for your appreciation, Joe. You’ll really fall in love with North Dakota in the spring. Nothing like a hard winter to make springtime seem like Heaven.

“Thanks for your concern, Joe. But, we have it made here in North Dakota. You should come up and visit us. Coffee’s hot and the conversation’s lively. It’s still true: Seeing is believing. Happy New Year!”

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE; BUBBA LOOKED DISCOURAGED; A NEW TYPE OF REFUGEE; SHOPPING IS BETTER IN ND; MESS OF AMERICA; ATTACK THE MESSENGER!; A BOLD APPROACH; A MORE CAUTIOUS APPROACH; JOHN STRAND WILL TRY AGAIN; BALANCING THE INS AND OUTS; DICKINSON IS ROARING; WHEEL FISH HOUSES; DAKTOIDS

The great gift of Christmas is that God became man and became man's atoner. This is a gift He offers to everyone, even though many choose not to accept it.