Gadfly

​Democracy for sale

October 29th, 2014

Democracy For Sale: Going Once … Going Twice … Sold To The Billionaires!

Since the Republican Supreme Court decided to dump parts of the Voters Rights laws passed almost 50 years ago, most states controlled by Republican legislatures and governors, including North Dakota, have attempted to pass hundreds of restrictive voting laws, particularly the requirement to have a photo voter ID. Some have been successful. After all, a great deal of fraud has been committed in voting precincts!…

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​The Universe Guys

October 22nd, 2014

The Universe Guys Aren’t Even Saying “10-4’’

Astronomers have discovered about 600 planets swirling around the stars that could possibly have more intelligent beings than us roaming in their confines. Ten of them are about earth’s size and receive about the same amount or sunlight. Since 1955 we have spent billions of dollars attempting to contact extraterrestrials on these other planets. The program Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) started in earnest in 1960…

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​Bricks are flying

October 16th, 2014

When Do The Bricks Start Flying?

The most dysfunctional part of government is Congress, put in that position by two 5-4 Supreme Court decisions about “free” expensive speech named Citizens United and McCutcheon. A reader sent me a copy of Stephen Pastis’s “comic” strip called “Pearls Before Swine.” The subject of the strip is titled “The World According To The Supreme Court” with a statement from the McCutcheon decision: “Spending large suns of money in connection…

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Chastity and conception

October 9th, 2014

Of Chastity Belts, Coat Hangers, And Conception

One might think that after centuries of beheadings at Taliban prayers and wretched souls burning at stakes, humans would have figured out by now that sex and religion don’t mix at all. Since Adam and Eve and Steve and Daisy Mae – or versa vice – were born of myth, ribs, and real sex, it seems that humans are extremely concerned about who’s getting too much sex and who’s getting too little. I have been going to churches for my 82…

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