March 18th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
Has Christianity Gone Bankrupt Because of Evangelicals, Stupidity, and the Vatican?
The word “bankruptcy” refers to money because of the word “bank.” The word “bankruptcy” originated in Italy from banca rotta, which literally means “broken bank.” The term developed in the 16th century Renaissance, from Italian money changers and lenders sitting on benches behind tables in…
March 13th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
We Have Had a Mix of Disaster, Chaos, Rotting Capitalism and Socialism for 400 Years
Capitalism leads to a branch of slavery where men and women are in bondage to the plutocrats and oligarchs who have acquired monopolies—unless socialist programs are utilized to restrain economic inequality. We don’t have property deeds for humans as we did before 1865, but bondage remains the same.
Let’s look at the legal definitions of slavery: “Bondage to a…
March 4th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
The 14th Century Wife of Bath Would Appreciate a 21st Century Spa
So would her creator, Geoffrey Chaucer, a justice of the peace and customs agent who wrote the first novel, The Canterbury Tales, in Middle English, in the 14th century. It was his plan to write 120 stories told by 30 pilgrims traveling to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket, a chancellor at age 21 to Henry II, one of the volatile Henrys to serve England as king.
They were buddies when…
February 11th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
The Only Solution to Clean the Washington, D.C. Cow Gutter: A 50/50 Power Split
The only way our democracy will survive attacks by the Republican Party is to make sure they keep investigating what the Democrats in power are doing “wrong” instead of doing “right.” We sure as hell don’t want them to actually start governing because they have no clue how to govern a democracy. The national socialism model of Hitler, Mussolini, and Trump is no way…
February 4th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Can a Sick Society Recover from Plagues, Pandemics, and Pandemonium?
I wanted to check the dictionary definition of “pandemic”: Widespread; general; universal. In medicine: Epidemic over an especially wide geographic area. A pandemic disease.
Just under pandemic was the word “pandemonium”: “Any place characterized by uproar and noise. The capital of Hell in Paradise Lost. A demon, spirit.” I thought I’d better check “plague” before…
January 29th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
To ND Republican Legislators: Ignorance and Religion Is no Excuse
As a Minnesotan for my first 22 years and as an eight-year letter-winner in baseball and football in my high school and college years, I am a fan of University of Minnesota athletics.
I particularly watched Golden Gopher football during the 1970s because of the play of quarterback Tony Dungy, the first Black to play that position at Minnesota. He was named “Most Valuable” three years…
January 21st, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Should Politicians Be Arrested for Practicing Medicine Without a License?
After World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust, European playwrights who survived the war wrote plays about man’s existentialism and had the characters express what happens to a society, country, or world when human existence lacks total meaning or purpose and communication among the…
January 8th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
It’s Time to Kill a Virus that Has Killed a Million and Costs the U.S. $35 Million a Day
Legend Wheeler of Washington, D.C. found his father’s loaded gun in the living room of the family’s apartment, pulled the trigger, and killed himself while his father was in court for a hearing for two firearms offenses. Legend’s mother had often complained to his father about leaving loaded guns around the apartment. Legend was one year old.
In 2015,…
January 7th, 2023
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
To ND Legislators: Are Women Equal to Men and Shall All LBGTQ+ be Stoned?
It is well known that many politicians who have played doctor when toddlers continue to play the same game and vote on medical and scientific issues they know nothing about after being elected to public office. Some believe Satan is very busy spreading a horrifying sexy virus around which will condemn participants to Hell.
What nonsense. A couple of decades ago Norwegian…
December 27th, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Why Is the World Such a Terrible Mess When We Have 4,200 Religions?
‘Twas said Hitler was kind to his secretary and was inconsolable when one of his favorite dogs died. How did he feel about killing six million of the eleven million Jews living in Europe, as well as starting a world war that may have killed more than sixty million?
Hitler was confirmed in 1904 as a Roman Catholic. His mother was a practicing Catholic while his father was a…
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By Bryce HaugenNot everyone detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an undocumented immigrant. After a Jan. 12 scuffle at a local Walmart, Tim Catlett, a resident of St. Cloud, Minn., was held at the Bishop…
By Kooper Shagena Just off of I-94 and Highway 83 on State Street in Bismarck, an abandoned Kmart sits behind an empty parking lot, watching the cars roll on and off the interstate exchange. It has been standing there quietly since…
Saturday, January 31, mingling at 6:15 p.m. and program at 7 p.m.Fine Arts Club, 601 4th St. S., FargoThe FM Symphony is getting intimate by launching a “Small Stages” chamber music series and it's bringing folks together via…
By John Strand If you are reading this editorial and you too are worried sick about the state of our country, keep reading. Maybe we can inspire each other. It was near closing time. We were discussing our values crisis. So this…
By Ed RaymondA mind that snapped, cracked, and popped at one hundredI 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…
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…
By Rick GionSince the much-dreaded Covid years, there has been much ebb and flow in the Fargo-Moorhead restaurant scene. In 2025, that trend continued with some major additions and closings. Let’s start the New Year on a positive…
Saturday, January 17, doors at 7:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe Slow Death is a punk supergroup led by Jesse Thorson, with members and collaborators that include members of The Ergs!, Dillinger…
By Greg Carlson There is a great scene in the middle of Kelly Reichardt’s excellent movie “The Mastermind” when protagonist James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor) is chastised by criminally-connected wheelman Jerry (the…
By Jacinta ZensThe Guerrilla Girls, an internationally renowned anonymous feminist art collective, have been bringing attention to the gender and racial imbalances in contemporary art institutions for the last 40 years. They have…
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 Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com At the beginning of the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Grinch is introduced as having a smaller than average heart, but as the movie progresses, his heart increases three…
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…
By Vern Thompson Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words…
