Dakota Beacon

"Brave" in this sense means "splendid, shining with light", "magnificent".  And truly, this tiny country of scarcely more than 5 million has made an outsized contribution to our western culture.  A land of poets, soldiers, inventors, castles and kings, Scotland has always loomed large in our imagination.  The Scottish struggle for independence continued against all odds for centuries, often crushed by English power and wealth.  Yet the Scottish culture stubbornly survives as you can see from the varied videos here.  St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland (as St. Patrick is of Ireland, St. David of Wales and St. George of England).  His feast day was yesterday, November 30, so today we will visit Scotland in his honor.  The Scottish flag is a white saltire on a field of blue.  The saltire, or diagonal cross is emblematic of St. Andrew, who was crucified on a diagonal cross.  Enough now.  Get to the music and enjoy the beauty of the scenery and sounds of Scotland.

Meet the man who was really behind much of our modern world - when you think of radio waves, Marconi comes to mind; when you think of light bulbs, it's Edison.  But these and many, many more of our now-essential devices and to a great extent, the electrical power which makes them possible, including AC current, were the work of a quiet genius named Nikola Tesla.

So you thought the matter of secession was settled in 1865?  Think again.

Today President Trump made it clear that the United States does not stand for the oppression of people who are willing to fight for their freedom.    Apparently China felt empowered to set American policy.  Obviously we can't allow that.

Today, George Washington would be spurned as a bigot, extremist, racist, and partisan for issuing such a Eurocentric proclamation loaded with religious freight and White privilege.

In the recesses of many hearts a waning sense of Christian heritage still lingers like a mist over our culture. As such, a remnant will quietly and resolutely carry on the Spirit of Thanksgivings past.

We can all exhibit grateful hearts. Without an attitude of gratitude, Thanksgiving is just another day of indulgence.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving feast and football. Most of all, give time to reflect on George Washington’s God-inspired words and the Person who made our lives and prosperity possible.

Things are not always what they seem. It turns out that Chick-fil-A didn’t knuckle under after all! They have been covertly in the leftist camp for years.

Eventually irresponsible immigration policies will affect all of us individually.  And likely not in a good way.

Clearly, the true enemy of America in this century is socialism, the desire for “free stuff”. There is an entire “sub-economy” of political donors, politicians, bureaucrats, and their so-called “researchers” that are stealing from the wages of those in the real economy of work, courage, and accomplishment in order to reward special interests within both the “landed aristocracy” and the “economically dependent”, those who either have never had to work or do not ever plan to work. Those of us who are self-actualized and became financially independent due to our labors and risk taking realize that such qualities existed within us at birth and were nurtured throughout our lives by our belief in a Creator that loves us and wants us to spread that love to others.

The Army’s answer to Seinfeld’s George Costanza, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, made quite the statement Tuesday when admitting under oath that he was offered the position of Minister of Defense of Ukraine — three times. Vindman and the Ukrainian official extending the offer now both insist it was a joke, which may be true. But it’s irrelevant.

Should professors teach because students need to learn? Or should students construct their own knowledge? In this article, Dr. Earl Tilford looks at a growing trend in higher education and offers a personal story from a tragic day. Tilford writes, “At 8:00 AM on Tuesday morning, September 11, I gave my first quiz in Humanities 101. … As I passed out quizzes I explained, ‘The terrorist did this to make us change how we live. If we do that, they win.’ Then, with a rage barely sufficient to stifle overwhelming emotions, I loudly declared, ‘They are not going to win!’’’

My pre-Thanksgiving-Day-weekend "Sunday Special" - a song of thanks and a few more songs for those who would like them.  I hope you enjoy the remarkable vocie, passion and technique of one of our greatest singers!  Enjoy.

Here is something for you - especially if your kids are coming home from school with "white guilt" over our Thanksgiving Day holiday.  First, I have a presentation for you and your kids from Michael Medved (courtesy of Prager University).  You might hear some things you've never heard before about our first encounter with the Indians.  Next, a completely different and fresh perspective from an Indian.  Here I am absolutely sure you will hear some ideas you have not heard spoken aloud before.  

Chick-fil-A made a fool's bargain in choosing to abandon its principles and decline to donate to the Salvation Army because the LGBTQ lobby ordered them to.  Threats work.  Values?  Not so much.  This is a textbook example of circular hypocrisy.  It was hypocritical of Chick-fil-A to back down on its decision to donate to a charitable organization because of flak from the LGBTQ groups and profoundly hypocritical for those groups to demand that one entity abandon its principles and beliefs to satisfy them - or go out of business.  How tolerant is that?  It has been said here again and again - tolerance is a one-way street today.  These groups demand that you accede to their preferences but they will never allow you to have your own.#mce_temp_url#

Quid pro quo? Uh, uh. No quid. No pro. No quo. Representative Adam Schiff (Democrat) from California’s 28^th District in Los Angeles County chairs the House Intelligence Committee (oxymoron?). He tried repeatedly to sink Trump’s presidency and every attempt comes up short. This Harvard Law School grad comes across as ineffective, thus it is hard to take Schiff seriously.

From his multitude of screwed up endeavors, he looks more like the ludicrously incompetent Brooklyn mob boss from the novel and movie “The Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight.” The would-be boss, Kid Sally Palumbo, “couldn’t run a gas station at a profit even if he stole the customer’s cars.”

In less than a year, America will head to the polls to elect the president. Tonight, Democratic hopefuls will take the stage for another debate. Do the American people keep falling for the same extravagant claims every election cycle? In this article, Dr. Caleb Verbois examines the many talking points and argues: “We’re like Charlie Brown and every four years we really, honestly believe that Lucy is going to let us kick the football.”

Surprise, surprise!  A new study says we need green space in our environment for healthy living.  Now go and tell your city planners.   And don't let them tell you they know best.  Ambition and greed are ruining my city - maybe you can stop the destruction of yours.

When you know something and are afraid to say it you are effectively muzzled. If you dare not even think it, you have surrendered your intellectual autonomy and have become little more than a state-operated robot.

USDA APPROVED; HIGHLY UNUSUAL CONDITIONS; AMERICAN CRYSTAL - OUCH!; NO MORE FREE GF HERALD; NEWSPAPERS - WHAT'S UP?; CONTESTED ND SUPREME COURT ELECTION; EXHAUSTIVE OR EXHAUSTING?; RAISE THE VOLUME; MORE PIPELINE FIGHTS; PSC HEARING; HUNTER HANSON; JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED; DAKTOIDS

Personally I have little use for ice, but no one could argue that these guys don't make good use of it!  Some things never get old - these performances are among them.  They are timeless.  

It's Saturday, so time for some interesting escape.   This time we explore a unique independent nation - a tropical island in the South Pacific, once the richest nation in the world, now one of the poorest, but fascinating all the same.  Can you find Nauru on a map?  

It is a very short step from a court which wishes an attempted murderer “luck”, as if he were a nephew out for a new job, to the kind of evil seen in the complicity of police and courts in the actual crime of gang rape we see in Britain today.

What if the world had to choose which they'd be better off with, Ellie Gouding or the Salvation Army?  Hers is one more voice in a nauseating choir, weaponizing philanthropy.

When is a search for the truth a “distraction”?

Answer: When the truth might exonerate the intended target of the House of Representatives.

A sprint. A dash. A race to the finish. Whatever the term used, President Trump, and his antagonists in the Deep State and the US House of Representatives are in a race against time. November 2020 is coming and Trump looks like a shoe-in for a second term.

The race is on between the conclusion of multiple investigations now underway targeting those believed to have engaged in malfeasance and criminal activity who thought they could overturn a legitimately elected president and those who would impeach President Trump.

The anti-Trump objective is (you guessed it) to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. Make no mistake. Winning the 2020 election is the ultimate prize and the Democrats with their media accomplices will do anything -- literally -- to win.

Government shutdowns in recent years have greatly inconvenienced innocent citizens and government employees. Recently, Senator Ron Johnson promoted the “Prevent Government Shutdown Act” which aims to prevent the disruptive actions of the past. But is this a common sense bill or is it an admission of defeat for fiscal conservatism? In this article, Dr. Mark Hendrickson looks at Johnson’s proposal and argues that the act “represents a formal surrender to the forces and ideology of Big Government.”

It has been just over a century since the signing of the Armistice, ending the carnage of World War I.  There were 40 million casualties, half of them deaths on the battlefields of Europe.  Have we forgotten so soon?  Yesterday was Veterans' Day here.  In Canada it was Remembrance Day, traditionally a solemn day of gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Sadly, it seems to be out of vogue, or even politically incorrect today to honor them.

AMTRAK YEAH!; THEY REALLY DIDN'T MEAN IT; COMPETITIVE UND PRESIDENT?; DISASTERS; PIPELINE PROTESTERS BOLSTERED; HIGH WAGES NOT ENOUGH; DOLLARS FOR NURSES; MOBILE RECON SYSTEMS; WHAT DOES THIS GET THEM? JOHN CLAVERT - RETIRED POLITICAL SCIENCE TEACHERS; FEWER BIRDS; MISS MONTANA?; DAKTOIDS

One of my grandmother's frequent sayings was, "Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."  She was right, of course.  We spend a lot of time complaining about and despairing of the plight of our culture.  Where are the great songs of yesteryear?  Why are our movies generally of such poor quality and content?  What happened?  Why do the current generation turn to such unfufilling entertainment? Where are the great works of art?  We can keep complaining or we could light a candle.  We can find great art and great artists and support them and appreciate them.  It's Sunday - so take time for this.

One of my grandmother's frequent sayings was, "Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."  She was right, of course.  We spend a lot of time complaining about and despairing of the plight of our culture.  Where are the great songs of yesteryear?  Why are our movies generally of such poor quality and content?  What happened?  Why do the current generation turn to such unfufilling entertainment? Where are the great works of art?  We can keep complaining or we could light a candle.  We can find great art and great artists and support them and appreciate them.  It's Sunday - so take time for this.