September 7th, 2016
Will we ever get our priorities straight?
The Pilgrims of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were the first Americans to pledge support of wounded war veterans after members of their “militia” were killed and wounded during the massacre of native Pequots in 1636. Caring for our veterans after 400 years of war has now become a trillion-dollar business.
In addition to all of the costs of my training, and support for active and reserve duty for eight years in the Marine Corps, I have used the…
August 31st, 2016
It’s getting to be a real bizarre world out there
We have The Donald, once a classic psychopathic Democratic ass who is now running for president of 325 million people as a crazy psychopathic Republican elephant. He likes his name in twenty-foot high gold letters on everything.
We have former Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, a religious Dominionist nutcase who believes Barack Obama is the Antichrist, who says he will lead all of us to the Christian Rapture in which the saved…
August 24th, 2016
“He’s got a good head on his shoulders” may have an entirely new meaning
They have done it to mice, rats, and dogs. Humans could be next. About 220 years ago Queen Marie Antoinette of France, famous for her sarcastic “Let them eat cake!” lost her head to the guillotine when the executioner pronounced, “Off with her head!”
Perhaps soon a French doctor will order, “Off with her head!” and then carry it to another operating table so it can be transplanted to a fresh,…
August 17th, 2016
When will Christians recognize the science of genetics?
When some Fargo Catholics walked the seven-mile pilgrimage last week from the “holy door of mercy” on the Sts. Anne & Joachim Church to the “holy door of mercy” of St Mary’s Cathedral, I wonder if they thought of members of the LGBTQ community passing through those holy doors without prejudice, without labels of being “intrinsically evil,” but with the complete “religious freedom” from the Vatican to pass freely…
August 10th, 2016
It’s time to dump the poisoned Olympics into Rio’s cesspool
First it was politics. Then it was money. After that, more propaganda. Now it’s the ugly combination of politics, propaganda, and money.
In the ancient Olympic Games, athletic participation was so pure and honorable that a truce was called, so spectators and athletes could travel in safety to the game sites through wars. The winner got a chariot ride home through the gate or breach in his city’s walls. The winner was…
August 3rd, 2016
The era of cutthroat hyper-capitalism
We have been down this rock-strewn pathway before. It happens about every three generations because humans have short attention spans, and those who forget history usually repeat it.
Capitalism works for everybody only with the condition that we have social mobility--which can only be achieved through education. Everybody has to have a shot at the “good life” by having access to a good education. We now have had about three decades of crony,…
July 27th, 2016
Old and new normals
In the old normal, until the 1980s, we had lynchings by the Klu Klux Klan and others marked by racial hatred and economic inequality. In the last 30 years we have added conceal and open-carry laws and an absolute tsunami of guns on the streets to the volatile mix of race and economics. This is the new normal now—and it will not change until we erase income inequality—or the guns.
Some thought the election of Barack Obama in 2008 to the presidency would herald a new…
July 20th, 2016
Do not pass go, go directly to jail, and never earn any money
Since the light for the philosophy “Greed is Good” was turned to green by Ronald Reagan 35 years ago, local and state governments have increased spending on putting people in jail three times more than they spend on educating the young—and old.
Data from 1980 to 2013, according to the Department of Education, increased spending on putting people in the slammer by 324% while spending on education increased only 107%. In…
July 13th, 2016
Warning: this sex column may endanger medieval thinking
This column is all about sex. Isaiah (44:2) in the Bible reminds us of its importance in the overall scheme of things promoted by The Almighty: “Thus says the Lord who made you, and formed you in the womb, who will help you, do not fear.”
The Bible does talk about how all-powerful God is. He created the vast galaxies, hundreds of billions of stars, the majesty of mountains, and the man and his spirit.
It reminds us that God not…
July 6th, 2016
When robots do most of the work...
We have reached the point with artificial intelligence and robotic machines that thousands of products are purchased each day that have never been touched by human hands until placed in a shopping cart.
So who is getting most of the wealth produced by computers and electronically-controlled machines? Those who have made the computers and the machines--and those who have invested in the factors of production.
According to an article in Alternet, seven…
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By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comDairy Queen restaurants across the country will raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals during Miracle Treat Day on Thursday, July 31. At least one dollar from every Blizzard…
By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu The Northwest Blade, from Eureka, South Dakota, published a wonderful story in August 2020. It’s called “Granddaughter keeps Grandmother’s precious chamomile seeds,” by Cindy…
October 3-5, 2025Memorial Union at NDSU, 1401 Administrative Ave., Fargo With the theme of “Existence is Resistance: Healing Through Unity,” this year’s summit will kick off with a professional development day followed by a…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com Yes, we know, everywhere you look, the world situation is mental. It’s almost inescapable just how tenuous life’s circumstances are. And how they are mostly — pretty much entirely — out of our…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhat are the four freedoms of Donald John Trump? Nearly a century ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said every citizen in the United States of America should have four freedoms: Freedom from…
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 Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com As a follow-up to “The Whale,” a raucous adaptation of the first novel in Charlie Huston’s Henry Thompson series was a good choice for eclectic auteur Darren Aronofksy, whose bold visions…
By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…
Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comPenn & Teller are returning to their roots. The legendary magic and comedy duo will appear on the Crown Stage at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, Minnesota, where they first…
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 Loneliness is on the rise in North Dakota, where there is one of the highest rates of people living alone. The challenging winter can be a major contributor, yet North Dakota is not alone.…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…
