Gadfly

14,000 Blinks

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…

Read more...


​A Surplus of Sopranos

December 18th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

The Donald Is Playing ‘Mac the Knife’

There have been several centuries-old historical records when men and boys were intentionally castrated to provide a specific social function. The Republican Party and Donald Trump have just started another record.

Eunuchs in the reign of Semiramis 4,000 years ago served as servants and slaves, as domestic workers, singers and entertainers, concubines, sexual partners, religious leaders, royal guards,…

Read more...


​Omelet or Wings?

December 15th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

What Is Abortion Really About? Religion, Science, Economics, Politics

In a recent cartoon, God is perched on a beautiful cloud and is looking down at a chicken and an egg ready to cross a road. The caption is: “Remember, you must both leave at the same time!”

Is God attempting to answer the question of which came first which has bedeviled, stupefied, and perplexed Homo sapiens since they created thousands of gods? Scientists have determined at this…

Read more...


​Liberty or Stupidity?

December 4th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadly@gmail.com

A Critical Fact: To Fully Understand a Country, One Must Know Its History

We have state legislatures attempting to prevent pre-schools through universities from teaching the real history of our country. We have school boards firing librarians and banning books that may provide students critical historical perspectives about where they live. Some conservatives want to “protect” their “sensitive” children from feelings of guilt about being White.…

Read more...


​Black-White Striped Flags

November 27th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

farhogadfly@gmail.com

Why Not Pass Black-White Flag Laws to Label Who Lies, Cheats, and Stinks?

We have “red flag” laws in 19 states to keep weapons out of the hands of malcontents and the mentally unbalanced who threaten family members and others with firearms or other weapons.

The American Psychiatric Association has estimated that six percent of the population will go “bonkers” each year and need mental health treatment. That means up to 20 million of us could be…

Read more...


​Democracy or Reich?

November 19th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

That’s the Big Question Today: To Be (Democratic) or Not to Be (Autocratic)

Here we are, only 400 years after our major trouble started with the Mayflower and other ships landing immigrants and slaves on “American” soil named after an Italian entrepreneur named Amerigo Vespucci. He explored possibilities here twice between 1497 and 1504—for Spanish and Portugal kings and queens. I don’t have the room to cover any of the 65,000 years it took to…

Read more...


​Some Senators Are Real Horses

November 16th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

A Trivia Question: How Many Horses Have Been Elected Senator?

There is ample critical historical evidence that horses, or their varying parts thereof, have played important roles in the governing of nations for over 2,000 years. Emperor Caligula, who ruled Rome from year 37 to 41, had the qualities of Donald J. Trump as presently listed in the latest Manual of Mental Disabilities---except for one. He trusted someone.

Caligula determined that his…

Read more...


​Adults Doing the Hokey-Pokey

November 5th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

This Country Is Going to Hell While Politicians of Both Parties Are Dancing

It’s been many years since Corky and I did the Hokey Pokey, that dance where you forced your extremities, including your head, to flail and shake to a musical Caribbean-like beat furnished by various instruments. The common lines were similar, only substituting body parts: “Put your right arm in, take your right hand out. Put your right arm in, and you shake it all…

Read more...


​Truth, Lies, and Tapes

October 31st, 2022

By Ed Raymond 

fargogagfly@gmail.com

Free Speech Costs Billions and Contains Billions of Expensive Lies

Our politicians lied from the very beginning with that infamous phrase: “all men are created equal.” That is, only if you were White and owned property could you vote. Many signers of that declaration owned Black property. The big lie continued for almost a century until 675,000 Americans died in battles over freeing Black slaves and allowing Black men to vote. But then the White…

Read more...


​The Death of a Baby

October 24th, 2022

By Ed Raymond

fargogadfly@gmail.com

Why Did One of the Most Civilized Countries Commit Crimes Against Humanity?

At the end of World War II I was thirteen and enthralled by aircraft carriers, 70-ton tanks, B-29s, and uniforms. Since then, I have read a dozen books and hundreds of articles about the Holocaust, and Corky and I have spent many hours in the Holocaust Museum in Washington. I have always wondered why human beings from one of the most civilized countries in the world could commit…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry artfest3 Tracker Pixel for Entry GFArtFest Tracker Pixel for Entry Blackbird Tracker Pixel for Entry Kolpack Tracker Pixel for Entry FPL Tracker Pixel for Entry artfest1

Recently in:

By Dr Christopher Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Sollera For nearly fifty years, this region has known us as Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. We have answered late-night calls. Sat in hospital rooms. Walked with victim survivors…

By Michael M. Miller Francie M. Berg, native of Hettinger, N.D., edited an impressive book, “Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota,” published in 1983. She grew up on a ranch near Miles City, Montana. Her son, Richard Berg, is…

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 Sabrina Hornung As the school year comes to a close, a new crop of young people are starting a new chapter in their lives. As a former young person, I’d like to offer my unsolicited advice. As cliche as it may sound, be the…

By Ed RaymondWere women created to do the work of God?One of the first requests made by new Pope Leo XIV was to invite an expert on the alt-right conservative Catholic organization known as Opus Dei to brief him about its…

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 GionThe scarfing of canned fish and seafood products by online food influencer types is hard to miss on social media these days. Some of the consumed morsels range from exquisite to downright nasty. However, there are many…

June 3-6, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.FARGODOME, 2800 N. University Dr., FargoDo we dare call RibFest the ultimate summer kickoff in Fargo? Well, we just did. Enjoy succulent ribs, pulled pork, brisket and so much more. Featuring top notch…

By Greg Carlson Filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan gives longtime pal Martin Short the celebrity documentary treatment in new Netflix movie “Marty, Life Is Short.” With a half century of show business experience under his belt, Short…

By Sabrina Hornung The Plains Art Museum has been a trailblazing force in the North Dakota art scene since its inception and it’s not slowing down any time soon. In fact, this summer they are preparing to break ground on a major…

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 Cholesterol is probably one of the first molecules I have ever heard of in my childhood. Most of the relatives on my mother's side had high cholesterol in their blood, and apparently, levels above a certain range…

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 Jim Fuglie I was out for a walk on a fine Bismarck spring evening, strolling down 4th St. alongside the state capitol grounds, when I noticed some dirt work being done on the spot where the former governor’s residence had…