Gadfly

​Big thoughts from small towns

February 16th, 2026

By Ed Raymond

‘Dakota Attitude’ should be read by all North Dakota students

I have been meaning to write about this book by James Puppe for several years, but the world has been in such a mess I thought I should write about messes. Last week it was reported that a huge pipe had broken in Washington and sewage was running in devastating amounts into the Potomac River and polluting it for many miles downstream. With the politics we have coming out of the Oval Office in the White House…

Read more...


​Deport liars to Mars

February 10th, 2026

By Ed Raymond

Trump, White House, cabinet and advisors are documented criminal liars who should be deported to Mars on Musk’s rockets

So, our Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) police are out in the country arresting the worst of the worst, convicted criminals, predators and liars so they can be detained and then deported to countries that have a certain overwhelming stench. Our government is looking for as many as 22 million of them.

ICE should have started the search in…

Read more...


​Artificial Intelligence versus Artificial Stupidity

January 5th, 2026

By Ed Raymond

A mind that snapped, cracked, and popped at one hundred

I wasn’t going to read a long column called “Centenarian: A Diary of a Hundredth Year” by Calvin Tomkins celebrating his birthday on December 17 of 2025 because it was 14 pages of small type in The New Yorker.But, being a compulsive reader, I started it.

He hooked me immediately because his mind was still young and his word selection was enticing — although with a severe case of macular degeneration (he was…

Read more...


​Winners of the Ignoble Hall of Shame and Hate

December 29th, 2025

By Ed Raymond

We have millions of candidates from 108 Billion people on Earth

With population experts estimating that at least 100 billion Homo sapiens have lived and died on earth, that means we have had millions of blessed and cursed Great Leaders, some real bad dudes and a dominating duchess or two before the 21st Century — and we have thousands since the century after Jesus Christ. I am going to concentrate on three great candidates for the top winner for entrance to the International…

Read more...


​Jean-Jacques Rousseau was right

December 29th, 2025

By Ed Raymond

“When the people have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich”

About 250 years ago my poor French ancestors had nothing to eat so they rebelled against the crown of Louis XVI and Queen Antoinette — after he had helped Americans defeat the British — and stormed the Bastille in Paris, the symbol of monarchical power in France on July 14, 1789. The royal prison of France had only seven prisoners in a country with 26 million people, the most population of any European…

Read more...


​Bigotry and Heat

December 29th, 2025

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

Will the human species destroy ourselves with bigotry and heat?

The most inspiring of our leaders in the last century was Prime Minister Winston Churchill of England at the beginning of World War II when he declared: “Never give in — Never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” He also was smart enough to recognize “A lie gets halfway around the world before the…

Read more...


​Wealth without wisdom

December 9th, 2025

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

Will we move up from Homo sapiens to Human empathians?

The big question is, will the world’s billionaires who are now Homo sapiens gain enough human empathy to save the world from themselves — and heat? The world currently has more than 3,000 billionaires and many millions of multi-millionaires who want to move to the level of Bezos and Musk, the trillion dollar man. A very strong majority of both have the attitude expressed by New York City…

Read more...


​From Terrible Trujillo to Tempestuous Trump

December 2nd, 2025

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

Will the Divided States of America end up selling bananas?

Sixty-nine years ago, I was in charge of an advance party of the 6th Marines Regiment assigned for training in the Caribbean at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with stops in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Our job was to set up housing, latrines, tents, water supplies and recreation areas for about a four-month training schedule. In addition, it was also our job to spend…

Read more...


​A gold throne for King Donald

December 2nd, 2025

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

Why not put all of our gold at Fort Knox to common good?

With all of the gold and marble Donald Trump has been splattering and gluing around the White House and Oval Office, why don’t we put all of that gold in Fort Knox, Kentucky at work on Capitol Hill and the White House and the new ballroom? Why not have the Secretary of the Treasury bid on the solid gold toilet put up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York City on November 18? The bidding started…

Read more...


​Charge of the lost Democrats

November 24th, 2025

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

Democrats have MAGA, MAHA, MAWF, and Trumplicans to fight

My favorite analyst of things religious and political is Finton O’Toole who uses plain English, curses, temper, and knowledge to make a point. He has just published the autopsy of the death of the Democratic Party in the 2024 presidential election in the New York Review of Bookstitled “The Lingering Delusion.”

As he examined the dementia of President Joe Biden and the empathy and policies…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry Blackbird Tracker Pixel for Entry potluck Tracker Pixel for Entry Bismarck Tracker Pixel for Entry Potluck2 Tracker Pixel for Entry Empire Tracker Pixel for Entry FPL

Recently in:

Summer is a tough time for families who depend on free or reduced-price school meals, so YMCA of the Northern Sky will provide nutritious, no-cost meals to kids 18 and under through August 26. Breakfast and lunch are available…

By Jeff Armstrong Despite a history dating back many centuries and a reputation as fierce resistance fighters, the Kurds remain the largest stateless nation in the world. Divided by colonial post-WWI borders and subsumed into four…

June 6-7StatewideYou grab a line and I’ll grab a pole — and if you’re a North Dakota resident, you can head on down to your favorite fishing hole, no license needed (for this weekend, anyway). All other rules still apply…

By John Strand It took us over 30 years for us to reach out and ask for your help. The High Plains Reader has always been subscription free and paywall free. Our content has — and always will be — free to access for all of our…

By Ed RaymondCongratulations! A world record held by Trumplican Party and NRA!During the Minnesota Legislature’s discussion of gun controls, Republican State Senator Drew Roach of Farmington said he would never ban assault…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

July 8th, 5:30-8 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead We’re celebrating America’s 250th birthday, Minnesota style. Moorhead Parks and Recreation and HCSCC are hosting the ultimate potluck. Whether you’re bringing…

Tuesday, June 30, 7 p.m.Parachigo, 14 8th St. S., Fargo Inspired by folk and rock influences, Bielanski's upbeat catchy tunes have gone worldwide — literally. He’s played 2,500 shows, 311 of which were performed last year alone.…

By Greg Carlson The feature directorial debut of established internet phenomenon and entertainment hyphenate Hayley Kiyoko — known unironically to her fans as “Lesbian Jesus” — carries with it a curious backstory becoming more…

By Jacinta Zens I recently sat down for a chat with ceramicist Louie Albertson, Clay and Studio Program Manager at the Plains Art Museum. Before the interview, I had the pleasure of getting to know him a bit as a colleague when I…

Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Eli Liverani It was in the mid-90s when I heard of homeopathy for the first time. I was at university, and it was through word of mouth. Some friends were seeking homeopathy to solve minor health issues, such as weight gain,…

January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…

Chris M. Stoner I was recently dismissed from my role as drag show director and emcee for Dakota OutRight, a role I had been fulfilling for more than two decades. The reason given? My political commentary during shows, while…