Dakota Beacon

THE VEXING QUESTION OF NORWAY; THE TWO KENNEDYS; MODERATE HEIDI; HOW ABOUT A GROCERY UPS?; BUY HIGH, SEL LOW; TRY REALTY IN MINOT; WALLET HUB ELVES; MASSACHUSETTS #1; HISTORIC DIAMOND C RANCH; DRIVERLESS BULLDOZERS; THE DEATH PENALTY; PUBLIC ART IN FARGO; DAKTOIDS

Like it or not, campaign season is upon us. Anyone who listens to the news is caught up in the season by default. Some folks do not like “politics” and will avoid the topic whenever possible.

Most people consider themselves conservative and consciously reject the liberal label. In the 1800s, liberalism stood for progress in all things democratic. Today, liberalism is synonymous with socialism, Marxism and Communism. No wonder liberalism has fallen into disrepute. In the end, it is not so much how one wears a label as how one acts on their beliefs.

How do YOU score?

BETTER TIMES FOR N.D. FARMERS?; COAL WARS; EMT CRISIS BREWING; DIS CARA MUND GET THE LAST WORD?; CARSON WENTZ; A WARY ACLU; EXCEL ENERGY; "NORTH DAKOTANS NEVER GIVE UP"; RACIAL DOUBLE STANDARD; DAKTOIDS

We need to halt the destruction of our visible past before it is all lost forever.  It is difficult to protect statues now that we are deep into a self-induced state of lawlessness where mobs are free to destroy things belonging to the public and to our history, but at least we can stop our public “servants” from planning us into dust.   

Contempt for individual liberty, claims to the contrary, has roots in today’s education system. Specifically, our colleges and universities have become breeding grounds of intolerance. Furthermore, the degradation of civility goes hand in hand with the squelching of free speech.

Since the 1960s, and the advent of the hippie free speech movement, individual liberty has gradually become the target of contempt and incivility. The hippie generation has come of age and now holds tenure in colleges and universities. Today, rudeness and vulgarity manifests itself in such inappropriate restrictions as speech codes and the disinviting of guest speakers ostensibly to guard against “hate” speech.

This is in no way accidental. This technique we’ve seen before under other totalitarians such as the Nazis and the Communists. Free speech is used to gain their objectives. Once achieved, free speech is shut down to protect the leftist gains. So it is in our colleges and universities today.

Orwellian double-speak on Capitol Hill could change the abortion debate in America. In this article, Dr. Joseph Horton argues that the Equality Act – which prevents discrimination from treatment of pregnancy, including abortions – “is a radical attack on freedom of conscience as well as life.” Horton shares several pro-life victories in recent months but stresses the importance of vigilance in dealing with strategically-named legislation, especially regarding issues of life and death. Click below for more.

BAKKEN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS (BMP); THE ND PETROLEUM COUNCIL; FARGO - ECONOMIC MAGNET; TWO INSTITUTIONS UNDER SCRUTINY; PSC MEMBER BRIAN KROSHUS; AMAZON ANDY; THEY JUST WON'T GIVE UP; MINESOTA IS THE LAND OF .....; THE TRIBAL CHAIR; HELPFUL OR WATED?; DAKTOIDS

Every major river in plains states reached flood stage during May and will probably remain high for weeks. Much of the plains states’ acreage remain unplanted.

“Global warming! Climate Change!” cry the Chicken Littles on the left.

Not so fast. There are other reasonable explanations. What are the rational alternatives?

That very line was uttered, reflexively, by Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson Monday night while discussing how one percent of Guatemalans have left for our country in just the last year. It’s a qualifier reflecting that one has been put on the defensive — in a losing position.

No, this isn’t an attack on Carlson, who’s the best mainstream cable news and commentary host in the business. Rather, it’s a cautionary tale: That an intrepid culture warrior such as Carlson can be conditioned to behave defensively — when he should be unabashedly taking the offense (the best defense) — speaks volumes about the effectiveness of leftist conditioning.

MEMORIL DAY; THE INTERIM UND PRESIDENT; UND PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH; ND BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION; POPULATION AND  OIL; MINOT STEADILY 4TH LARGEST; THINK ABOUT CUSTOMERS; JAMESTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT; TARIFF MONEY; FISHER SAND AND GRAVEL; JACK ZALESKI; LAST OF THE PRAIRIE HARDWARES; EVIL EMPIRE; B&B WASHOUT LLC; DAKTOIDS

What distinguishes a job from a calling? As the academic year ends and millions of students find themselves asking the serious question of what to do with their lives, finding vocational role models is more critical than ever. In a touching depiction of John Urschel’s transformation from NFL starter to MIT student, Dr. James Thrasher shares the importance of being “willing to make a major change in your life to pursue your love.”

High school grads may have already learned not to express their opinions. Challenging the PC orthodoxy of affirmative action, racial and gender preferences, gay and lesbian studies, women’s studies, welfare reform, environmentalism or, of late, manmade climate change might stigmatize a college student leading them to be branded as a racist, sexist, homophobe, or worse. Challenging PC orthodoxy in the workplace may land a person in sensitivity training, hauled before an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission hearing, or otherwise jeopardize their advancement.

Only the courageous will resist the PC movement. To ridicule PC is still the most effective weapon. Given enough wisdom and courage, the use of ridicule, mockery, parody, satire, and farce is the best way to deal with the PC fallacies of bad logic and oxymoronic disconnects. Making PC advocates a laughing stock through a variety of mediums is a sure way to disarm these cultural despots. It is infinitely important to show that the emperor has no clothes.

NEW UND PRESIDENT - IT WILL NOT BE EASY; A LIST OF ND CANDIDATES FOR UND; A SPLIT VIEW OF OUTGOING MARK KENNEDY; MIKE JACOBS - DEMS NEED TO GET GOING; RYAN TAYLOR - HE'S BACK; ND WORKFORCE PROBLEMS; "THE MATH IS SIMPLE"; NO "FARGO ACCENT"; REPEAT OFFENDERS; BLIZZARD CHAMP; UNIVERSITY OF JAMESTOWN - MORE STUDENT HOUSING; ODDS AND ENDS; DAKTOIDS

Stare decisis is just a euphemistic way of saying that judges’ decisions — “precedent” — should take precedence over the Constitution. This perverts our system. It undermines the republic. We’re supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The Constitution reflects the people’s will in that it was ratified by the states and because Americans tacitly approve it to this day it by allowing it to stand; after all, they can amend it through their representatives.

On Memorial Day we honor men and women who served their country in the military and who have passed on to their final reward. Over the years Memorial Day expanded to include anyone we wish to memorialize -- especially parents.

That parents influence their kids is an understatement. Sometimes they impart lessons intentionally, sometimes inadvertently. What they do is as instructive as what they say. By setting the example my parents unconsciously taught me without realizing it. That’s how I came to understand one of life’s important skills.

“Plan ahead,” is what my folks used to say. “If you have a plan, you’ll know where you’re going and how to get there.” That was my father’s axiom.

There would be no need, absent the Electoral College, for a candidate to ever set foot in North or South Dakota, Nevada, Maine, Montana, Utah, or any of the 41 less populous states.  That’s right. As of 2010, according the the U.S. Census, more than half of the population lives in the top nine states.  

When man's concept of “communal living” has included one or more vices such as human sacrifices, human torture, thievery, rape, kidnapping, and the murder of innocents, such a culture has historically reaped the destruction it invited.

So be careful not to summarily dismiss communal living… unless it is devoid of the righteous spirituality that can make such communal living successful. And when you see “communal living” that is obviously failing… understand that man's vices, the products of Godlessness, are likely the cause.

U.S. NEWS BEST STATES; OTHER STATES; LET UND SHINE AGAIN; BROTHERTON'S STANDOUT RECOMMENDATION; FORUM COMMUNICATIONS; NEW RIOTING LAWS IN SD; FARM OR FISH?; RED RIVER WATER SUPPLY PROJECT; WHAT TYPE OF IMMIGRANT; DIVERSITY IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY; COLLAR ON THE AUDITOR; IT'S OFFICIAL AT GFAFB; DAKTOIDS

Coup defined: An unexpected stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment. An attempt to thwart a constitutionally elected President by an unelected, “non-political” bureaucracy would fit the definition of a coup.

The so-called “deep state” evolved long before President Trump was elected. The major media in collusion with various Democrat administration hold-overs harassed Republican presidents as far back as Ronald Reagan. That high-level Obama administration functionaries worked actively to elect Hillary Clinton should come as no surprise.

Arlington County, located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., has asked the Commonwealth of Virginia to rename the Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington. Alexandria, Virginia renamed the sections of the Jefferson Davis Highway running through their city a few years ago. This is ironic because the great affection that many generations felt for President Jefferson Davis was primarily a result of the cruelty and injustice inflicted on him by the triumphant North.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON NEWSPAPERS; WHO'S ON FIRST?; ROOSEVELTLIBRARY IS GETTING LEGGS; MINOT DILEMMA; THE KILBOURNE GROUP; MISCONCEPTIONS; SCULPTOR LUIS JIMENEZ; TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE; KRIS SHERIDAN (72); MARGARET LARSON (93); SD GOV. KRISTI NOEM; DAKTOIDS

For most of us it has been a challenge to sort out the players and their actions. Two items are concise and pithy in providing an understanding of the “Russia” probe. The first is the book. “The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump” was written by Gregg Jarrett and published in 2018 by HarperCollins. It offers the clearest overview of a complicated subject. The second is the letter from the White House to the Attorney General with a legal assessment of the Mueller report. The most effective way to communicate on this subject is by quoting the sources with comment.

"I THINK KENNEDY WON"; RELATIVE ABUNDANCE; RECORD BUDGET; RAKING IT IN; GRAND SKY; A RESEARCH ROLE FOR ND; NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE; FARGO COMING OF AGE; A GF HERALD SURVEY; AMY DALRYMPLE NEW EDITOR OF BISMARCK TRIBUNE; THE BUBBLE WILL REST; "HE'S SOMALI, HE'S BLACK, AND HE'S MUSLIM - THAT'S A TRIFECTA"; NOOR JUDGE TOOK RARE ACTION; WHO IS PAYING FOR ND/MN BOARDER WALL?; DAKTOIDS

By this time next year the 2020 census will be underway. In December 2017 the Justice Department asked the Commerce Department to include the following question on the 2020 census. “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” DOJ states this would help verify compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

At this point liberals, progressives, and Democrat leaders blew up. The mainstream media concurred.

The census has not included a citizenship question since 1950. Prior to that, from 1820 until 1950, almost every census asked some question regarding citizenship status. This sets a precedent.

Most all colleges and universities have a motto—but what do they mean and how important are they? Especially as the time comes for high school seniors to commit to colleges later this week. In this article, Dr. Joshua Mayo examines mottos of higher education and argues that they are important—even sacred—when making a choice for college. He writes, “In its pith, its power, its appeal to ultimacy, the motto is a bold cry from the heart of an institution.”

N.D. POPULATION CHANGE; THE FIVE LARGEST ND COUNTIES; MINOT STRUGGLES; WEATHER AND PROPANE IN MINOT; ND RURAL HEALTHCARE; ND TEACHER PAY; MOST NISSED F-M LANDMARKS; A MINORITY VOICE IN DEFENSE OF MARK KENNEDY; UNCERTAINTY IN HIGHER ED; TRACTOR MONOPOLY; MINNESOTA NICE; "LITTLE WOODS" - THE MOVIE; DAKTOIDS

Who is Greta Thunberg? A 16-year-old nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thunberg has become the new face of climate change. In this article, Dr. Mark Hendrickson looks at her rise to fame and argues that the “climate-change cabal has succeeded in making Greta Thunberg a poster child for their movement. Inadvertently, they also have made her a poster child for the cynical exploitation of innocent children.”

One

of Machiavelli’s maxims went like this: “An able statesman out of work, like a huge whale, will endeavor to overthrow the ship unless he has an empty cask to play with.” With a stretch of imagination, choose your whale (fill in the blank -- former presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama or James Clapper, John Brennan, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, a host of Republican Never-Trumpers, and a large field of Democrat wannabes). So, Trump tweets to distract them.

Here is the answer to the question, “What would Machiavelli do?” He would open a consulting firm on “K” Street in Washington, sign multiple contracts with Democrat leaders, take all the taxpayer dollars he could get, and profit handsomely. He might even get hired by the next Democrat administration – if there is one.

In a recent article in The Atlantic, a Wharton School professor proposed a plan where every state would get one senator out of the senatorial seats available and the rest would be apportioned according to population. This plan would give states with higher population more senators. In this article, Constitutional scholar Dr. John Sparks examines the “Senate Reform Act” and argues why it is a bad idea that is bad for America. Sparks writes that this plan would, “deny the political wisdom of the Founders, the history and reasons for the Great Compromise, and one of the stunning bulwarks against the excesses of the tyranny of the majority—equal representation of the states in the Senate.”

This is the paradox of Paris; it is the best of Christian cities, it is the worst of Christian cities.

The people of Paris, a little more than 200 years ago, put the statue of “Reason” on the high altar of Notre Dame and turned the building into a pagan temple.

The blood of martyrs is still there to water Paris, but it will not do so as long as official and Paris-run France persists in glorifying Bastille Day, the Tricolor, “Liberty, Fraternity, Equality” and the Marseilles as national symbols, not as symbols of the Terror.

The revival of Notre Dame must be accomplished entirely by people who realize that they are working on a product of the Age of Faith, not the cynicism of the Republic of France.