Dakota Beacon

Riley's down-to-earth poetry, written for common folk, earned him the reputation as the most popular American poet ever.

For over a century, textbooks have labeled it the turning point of the Civil War. Not surprisingly then, it is the most visited Civil War battleground. But, none of this was known to the participants at the time. To understand the battle from their perspective, one must imagine oneself back into their shoes.

. . . “State coffers are overflowing”; large sums are also being saved; the gap is closing fast; the "Dutch disease"; “If the farm bill leaves me alone, I’m OK”; tax increases in every nook and cranny in Minnesota; scathing evaluations of certain college presidents; sleight of hand used by the GF School District; Jacobs “plans to step down at the end of March”; A ND obituary can be short and sweet; "When I think of North Dakota I think of perseverance. . .”; “Semper Fi”; outlaw motorcycle gangs; The reservation wants the profits from those alcohol sales; a “boom-bust” cycle; Score one for the Forum; His strategy now is to tap discontent in western counties; DAKTOIDS . . . .

Who, by the way, ARE our “enemies”?  Would they be people who would deprive us of our freedom and our Constitutional rights and laws?  Would it be those who want to destroy the nation founded by Jefferson, Adams, Washington? 

He really did mean what he said. Barack Obama has unilaterally declared war on America's standard of living; he has decided what he will allow Americans to have and not have.

Young people were raised in schools that make little distinction between "education," "indoctrination" and "training." Today's understanding of education is to prepare young people for the work force, an abstraction inherited from the former Soviet Union via UNESCO. Education for the purpose of producing functional, moral citizens is a forgotten concept. What passes for education places young people further behind their counterparts from second and third world countries in math and science. This is where "The  Myth of the Rational Voter" cued my interest.

I never met anyone who didn’t like and come to respect Bill Clark. Think about this: Could you name another person, in the Reagan administration or out, praised by figures as diverse as Edmund Morris and Cap Weinberger, Edwin Meese and Lou Cannon, Maureen Dowd and Michael Reagan, Human Events and the New York Times, Time and National Review, and even Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush? As to the last pair, when we prepared the biography of Clark for publication, it wasn’t a huge surprise when we got endorsements from both Carter and Bush. Only Bill Clark could inspire something like that.

. But reality is quite different: there are, practically speaking, “good” people and “bad” people, the well-meaning and the self-serving. And possessing discernment enables one to distinguish between the two groups.

. . . Tribal Consultation Conference at UTTC; ND had a special role in the appointment; unusually permissive; Bravos and Buffalo Chips; carried away by enthusiasm of the moment; expanded ND Heritage Center; Another story that may have a bad ending; ND’s rural school history and the hardships of the Depression; DAKTOIDS. . . .

. The first and most ordinary question of public policy – how does this proposal serve the public good? – is not even germane.

So, as we now stand, Americans are gathering in opposition to Obamacare much as the Scots gathered around William Wallace.  If you saw Braveheart you will likely never forget that scene . . . the one where the nobles were prepared to abandon them when they saw Longshanks’ legions, but the people of Scotland would not let them.  Thus was born the reign of Robert Bruce.  He was finally moved to become a leader rather than the “wait-and-seer” his father hoped he would be.  The leaders are what we are missing here.  We have a few – Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and a handful of others- but we need the others to join them.

Unless something changes -- and quickly -- the economic stability of our society does not appear to be promising. Today, the chickens of past policy excesses are coming home to roost, as they always do. What were these politicians and union leaders thinking?

 When a child comes along, everyone in the family plays a role.  

The bill, called the “Florange Bill”, is actually about to change the very essence of property rights in France and enforce the collectivization of production that will actually dispossess entrepreneurs from their property.

. . . the Common Core Initiative should not be taken lightly or brushed off as a "new" approach to more successful outcomes. Are there too many unanswered questions? Is it too experimental to risk our children's education?

. . . income mobility in the U.S.; The state captured six of the top ten national spots; ND has these qualities in abundance; Williston is the fastest-growing micropolitan area; District Court filings are rising at a double digit annual rate; Mexican drug cartels are bringing violent crime; make U.S. Hwy 85 four lanes; we must invest in a sustainable economy; North Dakota’s oil patch is a more favorable setting for fracking; A battle of titans; How not to deal with a problem faculty member; The victim of a crash involving at 1915 Model T; What do you have there, Brother? the state’s one-room school culture; DAKTOIDS . . . .

. . . “Our agents and drug task forces are becoming overwhelmed.” Who is the most partisan of us all? NDSU studied grocery prices in ND; the congratulations didn’t last long; independent tribal courts; The angst surfaces in many ways; Violent crime by Somalis in ND; the civic competence of the North Dakota electorate; Fargo Brewing Co.; “Subway sandwiches”; meth and shoplifting seemed to be involved; Tony sang, danced and played the accordion and piano; DAKTOIDS . . . .

I don't know whether Zimmerman is a racist. But I'm tired of politicians and others who have donned hoodies in solidarity with Martin and who essentially suggest that, for recognizing the reality of urban crime in the U.S., I am a racist."

Mother always remembered who I was, only because I visited her every few days. Family members who skipped a week or two would fade from her memory. “Which one are you?” she would ask. It rips you up when your mother or grandmother doesn’t know you anymore.

If there are any ties to slavery and racial hatred in America today, one look no further than the diplomatically protected Saudi Arabian mission to the United States. Instance after instance of Saudi slavery and human trafficking occur almost every day with no mainstream media coverage.

The less an election inspires interest, the more only the interested cast ballots. And interest in something is a prerequisite for competence. Recall elections help remove the idiot vote from the equation.

The ideology that causes Judge Aquilina to believe that political action—policies, laws, even constitutions—can make reality conform to one’s political vision is the very ideology that already has devastated Detroit.

She simply cannot be trusted.  Her judgment is obviously impaired.  The moment she feels personally slighted, out come the claws.  She is much like an immature school girl who keeps her “enemies list” in her locker. 

. . . thank our good friends in South Dakota; proud of being from North Dakota; Minnesota income tax rates have become among the highest in the nation; Minnesotans will see increased taxes across the board; breaking up the food stamp-agribusiness political alliance; consideration of criminal charges; The Williams County Commission (Williston) has backtracked; persistent inquiries into the investigation; ND oil production moves steadily upward; new energy economy in our state; a Haitian convicted and jailed for drug dealing; DAKTOIDS . . . .

Max Boot contends, and I fully agree, that these four generals  deserve a lot more public appreciation than they have been given. Should a  personal indiscretion, as in the case of Petraeus, McChrystal and Allen,  negate overwhelming military contributions and achievements? Now they are  gone and they will be difficult to replace.

We’re facing, in essence, unchecked data collection as part of a significant and sweeping federal educational mandate. Are we ready for this, and all its repercussions?

There really is no precedent that matches the blatantly political move by Attorney General Kathleen Kane. Even the lead counsel in the ACLU’s lawsuit against our marriage law called her decision “an earthquake moment.” In a television interview during last year’s primary campaign for attorney general, then-candidate Kane stated, “The attorney general does not have the right to pick and choose which laws he or she enforces.” She said doing so injects politics into the job and, “That’s a dangerous proposition.”

The pattern is clear: again and again, we see the people speaking plainly, while officials waffle and eventually violate their oaths, meddle in the supposedly sacred judicial process, and ultimately place their own will above that of the people.