February 27th, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Will a Political Party That Burns Books Ultimately Burn Who Reads Them?
My choice for second-worst political party in modern times is the Monster Raving Loony Party organized in Great Britain by Davis “Screaming Lord” Such. His platform had two major goals: (1) tow Britain 500 miles further out to sea to improve its climate, and (2) put glowing phosphorescent material in all dog food so that pedestrians walking in the dark would not step in doo-doo…
February 27th, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail,com
Three Men Who Turned Me Into a Social Liberal and a Moral Capitalist
My political beliefs were not forged by Greek philosophers, Nobel economists, politicians, and historians. They were born and matured by words of steel by three writers of fiction: Howard Pyle, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare. In District #54 in Morrison County we averaged about three kids per grade, give or take (I graduated from Eighth Grade with Jim and Adeline). Our…
February 19th, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Should That Be a Question on the Job in the Richest Country in the World?
Back in the 17th century, Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play mused about life and death, heaven, purgatory and hell, religion, and whether suicide might be an answer to all of life’s problems in the greatest soliloquy ever written. Here are a few lines:
To be, or not to be, that is the question; whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,…
January 29th, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
The Roman Empire Lasted About 600 Years
How long will the American Empire last? The English historian Edward Gibbons covered the rise and fall of the Roman Empire in six volumes published in 1788 and 1789. He covers 98 AD to 1590 AD in his epic work. Among his six volumes he has an excellent summary of why Rome failed in just one sentence: “The Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian invasions in large part due to the gradual loss of civic virtue among…
January 23rd, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Insanity, Racism, Bigotry, and Narcissism Have Created a New Religion
Up until the presidential election of 2016 there were an estimated 2,600 religious denominations in the world. On November 3, 2016, enough White Power Christians morphed into Trumpians to make 2,601. As a person who has been involved with both Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations for 82 years after going through First Communion at seven, I was not surprised that a recent Gallup…
January 20th, 2022
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Photo by Sabrina Hornung
When Will The Do-Nothing Congress Fund Parks for The Ninety-Nine Percent?
The Raymonds are state and national park people. Our farm was four miles from Lindbergh State Park along the Mississippi River at Little Falls. We spent many a wonderful weekend and holiday under the huge pines and fishing for northern pike and walleye in the river above and below the dam.
The park, formerly a farm of 110 acres, was given to the state in…
December 20th, 2021
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Is It the Common Good for Billionaires to Sail $500 Million Superyachts?
The new Republican Party and Abraham Lincoln set out 161 years ago to save the United States from break up. James Russell Lowell, The Atlantic magazine’s first editor, wrote: “The Republicans know that true policy is gradual in its advances, that it is conditional and not absolute, that it must deal with facts and not with sentiments.”
I have been a reader and subscriber to…
December 4th, 2021
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
When Will It End? Gun Culture Has Killed 1,500,000 Americans in 50 Years
On Thanksgiving Day, 25-year-old Philadelphian Edilberto Miguel Palaez Moctezuma was eating his turkey dinner with his family at their dining room table when a stray bullet hit him. He was quickly flown to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. There was an argument among some neighbors about missing liquor which resulted in an exchange of gunfire.
On November 29, a Fargo…
November 28th, 2021
By Ed Raymond
The Spread of Luxury and Poverty in the Middle of a Pandemic
The wealth gap between the top ten percent and bottom ninety percent has reached staggering proportions. In 1970 the wealthiest families owned about 20% of the nation’s household wealth. Today they own more than 35%. Elon Musk, who often pays no federal income taxes, made $38 billion in one remarkable day on the New York Stock Exchange. In the first 19 months of the COVID-19 pandemic U.S.…
November 21st, 2021
By Ed Raymond
fargogadly@gmail.com
Onward, Christian Soldiers, Marching as to War, With the Flags of Trump…
The North Dakota Legislature enshrined itself in theological Trumpocracy by passing a bill to prevent the teaching of Critical Race Theory, attempting to protect innocent White kids from the embarrassment of learning the actual history of the Divided States of America.
Trumplican lawmakers said it would not prevent teachers from teaching historical factual “events.” Let’s…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen By his own account, Edwin Chinchilla is lucky to still be in the United States. As a 12-year-old Salvadoran, he and his brother were packed into a semi with a couple dozen other people and given fake…
By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…
February 21, 6-8 p.m.Turtle River State Park, Arvilla, NDEnjoy a self-guided hike in the picturesque woods of Turtle River State Park. The trails will be lit with luminary candles. After the hike, warm those bones by the fire at…
By Sabrina HornungThe quote, "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” from George Orwell’s iconic novel “1984” has come up in conversation more times than…
By Ed Raymond‘Dakota Attitude’ should be read by all North Dakota studentsI 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 …
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…
Friday, March 13, 4-10 p.m.Brewhalla, Fargo, 1702 1st Ave. N., FargoPolish up those dancing shoes and come hungry for this ticketed event you won’t want to miss. Expect unlimited samples paired with wine and beer from 20+…
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 Reagan Mueller Movie theaters have always been a place for people to take time out of their busy lives to watch the latest releases on the silver screen. In such a bustling world, it can be difficult to find the motivation to…
By Jacinta ZensWhile researching the upcoming exhibition, “Re-Arming Language: Post-Graffiti Artists,” which opens March 5 at the North Dakota Museum of Art (261 Centennial Dr. in Grand Forks), I spoke with graffiti expert and…
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 Liverani In January 2026, the 2026-2030 dietary guidelines for Americans were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They are supposed to be revolutionary and a “reset” from the previous ones.…
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…
