Dakota Beacon

Two weeks ago, a leading Cold War defector who exposed communist disinformation died from complications of COVID-19. Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking Soviet Bloc official ever to defect to the United States, was 92 years old. In this article that first appeared at The American Spectator, Cold War scholar Dr. Paul Kengor details the fascinating life of Pacepa and pays tribute to the man who helped expose the Soviet Union.

It's been a year.  We have been discussing and arguing about masks for a year now.  It was last March that Fauci told us that we should NOT wear masks.  He has been on again, off again now for a year and shows no signs of stabilizing or picking a side on this.  We should just ignore this man.  He has made a fool of himself, but worse, he has been making fools of us.  The science, which everyone says we need to listen to, is in.  The masks are doing no good and they are doing potentially great harm.  We can see with our own eyes the demonstrations of mask effectiveness and of masks' potential to damage us through poisoning us with the chemicals and fibers they contain and the gases which they trap and the basic fact that our breathing is artificially restricted.  Our lawmakers are more interested in their public image with the groups demanding mask mandates than with the science and the truth.  It is time we confront this before we lose even more of our freedom and our health.  If you doubt my message, just go outside in the fresh air and take off the mask.  Do you feel better?  Let that be your signal.

HITTING ON THE LEGACY FUN; SEND US YOUR CARBON DIOXIDE; URBAN ND GROWS MORE LIBERAL; MEDICAL MARIJUANA; RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN ND; AN ANNUAL ND LEGISLATURE; STAND-YOUR-GROUND; UPPER UPSCALE; TIGIRLILY; ALTRU HEALTH SYSTEM; NARCOTIC DEJA VU; SD ATTORNEY GENERAL; RAVNSBORG DODGES A FELONY; DAKTOIDS

Two revealing tidbits show the true motives of radical environmentalists. Vaclav Klaus, former president of the Czech Republic, spoke at the National Press Club, May 27, 2008. He warned America that we were being hoaxed with global warming. “I spent most of my life under the communist regime…which brutally violated human freedom….[I]t was in the name of the Marxist or the proletariat, this time in the name of the planet. Structurally, it is very similar….[I]t is environmental alarmism.

“We are now at the stage where the facts, reason, truth are powerless in the face of the global warming propaganda.

“The green movement is trying to dictate, control, regulate, mastermind our lives. They want to discuss how many children we can have…what kind of cars we can use, how big the refrigerators we can have. I speak as someone who knows what it means to eliminate freedom,…what it means to regulate, to command, to mastermind the economy from above…Environmentalism is an ideology that wants to control the world.”

One reason conservatives never saw a culture war they couldn’t lose is that they insist on using Queensberry rules, even as the Left fights no-holds-barred. Consider, for example, two scenarios.

When leftists discover someone “committing conservatism” — such as when former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was found to have donated $1,000 to California’s Proposition 8 — they accept nothing less than the person’s termination. In fact, they never want him to work again. Ergo “cancel culture.”

When leftists effect something truly outrageous, such as the anti-white “Deep Equity” school curriculum being implemented nationwide, the reaction is different. Conservatives may fight back against it as they did with Deep Equity in Chandler, Arizona, but they’re generally satisfied if the social engineering is abandoned. They don’t go for blood. In fact, so often have I heard prominent conservative figures say in such a situation, “Look, I don’t want anyone fired.”

Well, I do.

WHENCE THOU GOETH; TRIBE VERSUS TRIBE; SHOULD BIG HAIRY BRUTES COMPETE WITH GIRLS?; BURGUM: WE’RE GRATEFUL; DREAM REALIZED; COAL WRESTLES WIND; BLACKOUTS; MINIMUM WAGE; UPPER MIDWEST INCOMES; WHOSE BIAS?; MINNEAPOLIS TAXPAYERS SHOULDN'T HOLD THEIR BREATH; DAKTOIDS

Today I am enjoying the incredible music and genius of Jose Jose, El Principe!  I invite you to join me.

Since the virus epidemic we have seen a growing abuse of power by our mayors, governors and other officials.  We must now take a critical look at where this has taken us and the effect on our lives. freedom, economy and our well-being and health.

"The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny."  (Aesop)

Nearly a year after his death, an investigation has reported that Ravi Zacharias, head of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, engaged in sexual misconduct. In this article, Dr. Caleb Verbois details some of the findings and argues, “Sadly, Ravi’s story is not unique among Christian ministries.”

This assessment of cultural decline is neither imaginary nor conspiratorial in its thinking. It’s an observable, measurable syndrome. Minus the firm foundation our Founders envisioned, the premise of the Republic collapses. The slow and steady dismissal of Christianity from the public square reaps its reward. And everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.

Now what? Which world view will America adopt to fill the void produced by the cancellation of our cultural foundation? Will America regress into the cultures mankind always knew before the founding of our unique American culture – totalitarian, authoritarian, dictatorial, despotic?

If millennials without knowledge of our history offer the answer of Marxism or socialism, then, yes we regress. If, on the other hand, the answer is “we’ll do something new and different and better” – well, that is no answer at all. That answer contains no context, no definition, and no premise.

I have had absolutely enough of mask wearing.  My advice to you is if you still have one, throw it away.  If your employer "mandates" one, throw it away.  Your health and your future ability to think are worth infinitely more than your job.  I don't care how great it is.  If you are ill-advised enough or unfortunate enough to be in the military - risk brig-time.  You need to consider what is happening to your brain and other organs when you wilfully deprive them of oxygen.  

KEYSTONE XL; BOOST FOR GRAND FORKS; THE LAMOUREUX TWINS; UND SUCCESS STORY; THE F-M FLOOD DIVERSION; MUG SHOTS; PROPOSED LAW IS PUNITIVE; ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; ND A VACICINE LEADER; WINTER WHEAT; THE H-2A PROGRAM; DAKTOIDS

We are not observing the usual retail politics as in times past. Skillful Democrats know how to use their power to define conservatives in the most heinous way. They label them, the media brands them, and the widespread impression sticks in the minds of the American media consumer.

Democrats approach politics from the simple and consistent perspective that any office currently held by a Republican is illegitimate and any office held by a Democrat is sacrosanct. In the end, there can be no equivalency between “Democrat hypocrisy” and “Republican hypocrisy.” The issue is use of power and the endgame of each party is different.

The difference between “resistance” and “sedition,” between “protests” and “insurrections,” is who’s in charge. Democrats “resist” Republican elected officials. Republicans, however, commit “sedition” against Democrat elected officials. Democrats “protest,” Republicans “riot.” The only real distinction is who’s in power and who’s on the barricades.

FRONTRUNNER ND; LEGACY FUND; LLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES CLOSING; SHOCK IN THE OIL INDUSTRY; ND LAWMAKERS HITTING BACK AT BIDEN LEASING BAN; WAR AGAINST WIND; NO MORE BLOCK 9; NOTABLE GIFTS; BEST OF INTENTIONS; IT'S TIME FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA - FARGO FORUM; SOBERING ND NURSING HOME NUMBERS; DAKTOIDS

Leftists have made their intentions crystal clear, calling for 9/11-like “truth commissions,” blacklists and the persecution of Trump supporters. They’re also successfully “cancelling” opponents as they destroy careers, reputations and lives. For how long will we insist on abiding by Queensberry rules while they proceed no-holds-barred?

Painting with a broad brush, conservatives are principle-oriented and, projecting as man will, don’t fully appreciate that the Left is power-oriented. If we’d handled the Soviets during the Cold War as we do our Left, with NATO (no action, talk only), we’d have been singing “The Internationale.”

Only power negates power, and our choice is simple: Accept that and nullify tyranny — or go gentle into that good night.

Nearly 45 million Americans owe over $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. That number is roughly $730 billion more than the total credit card debt in the country. More and more Americans are burdened by student loans than ever before. While these numbers are staggering, the problem is deeper than just dollar figures and amounts. What are the moral and ethical issues involved in this crushing debt? In this article, Dr. James Thrasher looks deeper into the student loan crisis and argues that there are numerous players involved.

The fervent prayer of the Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans would be to get rid of Trump once and for all and to never allow him to enter the political scene again. Fat chance. President Trump accomplished more for America, the middleclass, and conservatism than any president since Ronald Reagan as articulated by Howie Carr in last week’s column. And seventy-five million people know it.

No congressional business to see here; no democracy in action. The entire charade smacks of political theater with a heavy dose of hatred, vengeance, and vitriol. Congressmen and senators deem the impeachment and conviction of a non-sitting US President of primary importance. These elected officials believe they are taken seriously as “doing the people’s business” when in fact they are promoting a political farce. We voted for them. Live with it.

May the farce be with you.

Last week, several independent investors made national news when they caused a Wall Street hedge fund to lose billions of dollars. In this article, Dr. Mark Hendrickson looks at the developments in the GameStop short squeeze and how this relates to the 2008 Wall Street bailouts. He writes, “When small investors lose their shirts by placing unwise investments, do brokerage firms, hedge funds, big banks, etc., come to their rescue? Not a chance. Yet when the big boys were losing their shirts, their Wall Street pals rushed to their aid.”

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES THOMASSON FINGERPRINTS; LLS HOUSE OF CARDS; UNCERTAINTY AT LLS; LLS REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT; ND OIL OUTCRY; WORKERS IN THE OIL PATCH; ND MAY BE ONE OF THE FIRST STATES TO RECOVER; AG JUICES ARE FLOWING; INSURERS DON'T LIKE COAL; DAKTOIDS

Is Justice really blind in America today?  We will watch the final decision in the case of the shooting of Army veteran Ashli Babbitt.  How this is handled could provide a clue.   We should demand equal justice for all Americans on either side of a shooting.  Until we can all believe in this the wounds will fester.