Gadfly

Don’t want to be shot? Get small!

October 18th, 2017

God didn’t save six million Jews from the Holocaust either

We have become so used to mass killings by firearms in the “United” States that they are generally ignored, except for the really unusual or big ones like Texas Tower, San Ysidro McDonald’s, Luby’s Cafeteria, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Aurora Theater, Orlando, and now Las Vegas.

Then the politicians hit the radio and TV with their very old designed talking points starting with “our thoughts and prayers are…

Read more...


Taking a knee for truth

October 11th, 2017

I’m a white son-of-a-bitch who will always take a knee for M/Sgt McNair

In 1938 I entered First Grade in District 54 in Morrison County, Minnesota, a little white country school with a total of 23 students in eight grades and two two-holers out back.

That’s where I was first introduced to white history, not real history. For the next 18 years, through high school, college, and graduate school I was exposed to white history in various courses, never getting a taste of real history…

Read more...


A lesson for the common good

October 4th, 2017

Norwegians know how to govern -- just ask Ole and Lena

Sometimes we get the idea from Norwegian Ole and Lena jokes that “Norvegians” play with only 39 cards.

There’s the one about Ole calling the airlines and asking how long it takes to fly from Minneapolis to Fargo. “Just a minute,” said the busy and rather irritated desk clerk. Ole says, “Vell , if it goes that fast, I tink I’ll just take a bus.”

Or there’s the one about Ole talking to his brother Svenn, who lived…

Read more...


American healthcare

September 27th, 2017

A mixture of despair, extortion, life-saving treatments, and inequality

Fifty-four-year-old Antony Marino of Wise, Virginia keeps a pair of needle-nosed pliers handy so he can pull out a rotting tooth that’s bothering him. He has never been to a dentist. Forty-nine-year-old Joyce Bays tenderizes the meat she eats with a hammer, and cuts it into small pieces because she has no teeth.

Forklift driver Robin Neal has had Type 1 diabetes since age 10 and has pancreatitis, but her…

Read more...


Character, or the lack thereof

September 20th, 2017

What kind of characters would charge $99 for a case of water?

In the days before the solar eclipse safety glasses sold for $8.95 for a five-pack of certified glasses. The day before the eclipse the price was raised to $59. During Hurricane Harvey, some gas stations were charging $20 a gallon. The other day I saw a local supermarket selling a 24-bottle case of water for $6.95. During Irma a Florida store was charging $99. An airline out of Houston was charging $6,785 for an economy seat.…

Read more...


When does America become Amerikka?

September 13th, 2017

The four horses of the Apocalypse are running wild on the American plains

In the last book of the New Testament, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride around the world on their red, white, black, and pale horses representing Conquest, War, Famine, and Death.

The rider of the white horse held a bow, was given a crown, and rode out as a conqueror. The rider of the red horse was given a large sword to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. The rider of the black horse…

Read more...


Arpaio vs. Kaepernick: who will win out?

September 6th, 2017

Eight of our presidents staffed the White House with slaves

Sometime in the future we may teach real history, not reality history, not fake history. The truth is eight of our presidents staffed their White House with slaves personally owned by them—and ran a government from a capitol building mainly built by slaves.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, James Polk, and Zachary Taylor, all of the guys who signed that statement about…

Read more...


A country rigged for the wealthy

August 30th, 2017

How you can earn $12 million a year in the United States

When Martin Shkreli, who had raised the price of an AIDS drug called Daraprim 5,000 percent while he was CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, was arrested for eight counts of unrelated securities fraud, the court found it very difficult to find a jury of his peers who said they could judge his case without prejudice.

His infamous act had received wide coverage in the country. The judge and the attorneys had to question over 200…

Read more...


A time for war, and a time for peace

August 23rd, 2017

Photo: Wikipedia: Regiment of Armaments surrender Battle of Moscow

‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven’

The recent clashes between white supremacists and American ideals actually started hundreds of years ago in the Jewish pogroms of Europe and Russia, and when the first black slaves were brought to New England in 1619.

About 12.5 million blacks were brought to the U.S., many of them adding billions to slave owners’ profits and the…

Read more...


Crazy like a fox

August 16th, 2017

Can we learn anything after we know it all?

There’s a 100-page book written by a high school dropout that should be read by all high schoolers, college education students, teachers, and politicians.

Michael J.Fox of movie and TV fame wrote his little manifesto, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned,” after receiving a number of honorary degrees and doctorates from leading universities while speaking at their graduation ceremonies.…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry 7Clans Tracker Pixel for Entry FPL Tracker Pixel for Entry hjemkomst Tracker Pixel for Entry farrms2 Tracker Pixel for Entry MidwestRoadTripAdventures Tracker Pixel for Entry EmpireAUG2021

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…

By HPR Staff We’re all a part of building strong, healthy and inclusive communities. But the region’s non-profit organizations do a lot of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time for these organizations to step into the spotlight.…

February 15, 6-9 p.m.Miss Kitty’s, 5855 16th Ave SE, Braddock, North DakotaWhat better way to celebrate the day after Valentine’s Day than with a nut fry? Mind you, we’re not talking about chestnuts roasting on an open…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com As I write this article, it’s January, and the temperatures in North Dakota are negative. I’m living in a house and our furnace just died a forever death after years of quick fixes. Yet,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHow billionaires with brain rot are creating bedlam in the USAOn January 21, 2010, the Republican-dominated United States Supreme Court approved a death sentence for American democracy of 250 to…

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 Gionrickgion@gmail.com So far in 2025, announcements for new restaurant openings in the metro far outnumber closings. This is good news going into the new year for us hungry folk. In my opinion, the positive trend will…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Now streaming on MUBI, Elizabeth Sankey’s essay film “Witches” morphs from what at first appears to be a feminist deconstruction of movie and television representations of the title…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIn 1974, the Jamestown Arts Center started as a small space above a downtown drugstore. It has grown to host multiple classrooms, a gallery, performance studio, ceramic studio and outdoor art park.…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

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 Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On Dec 5, the Turning Point USA chapter at North Dakota State University hosted an event called BisonFest. This event featured Chloe Cole, a former trans kid, known for detransitioning and…

By Jim Fugliejimfuglie920@gmail.com A friend of mine, a well-known Bismarck liberal (I have a few of those), came up to me after church the other day and asked, “So, are you moving out of the country?” I knew he was referring…