February 21st, 2018
By Gary Olson
olsong@moravian.edu
Radical: Derived from the Latin radix, which literally means the root or base. In political terms it means penetrating beyond conventional explanations and getting at the root cause of a problem.
In her book Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag puzzled over people who still express surprise about all the suffering in the world at human hands. She wrote, “No one after a certain age has the right to this kind of innocence, of superficiality, to this…
February 21st, 2018
“He (Abraham Lincoln) would have proven the best friend the South could have had and saved much of the wrangling and bitterness of feeling brought out by reconstruction under a President (Andrew Johnson) who at first wished to revenge himself upon southern men of better social standing than himself, but who sought their recognition, and in a short time conceived the idea…to become their Moses to led them triumphantly out of their difficulties.”
- Ulysses S. Grant, 1885
“(Kaiser)…
February 14th, 2018
By Gary Olson
olsong@moravian.edu
The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas; the class which is the ruling material force in society is at the same time the ruling intellectual force.- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Setting aside the 3 to 4 percent of the U.S. population that can be classified as psychopaths (‘snakes in suits’ at the highest levels of government, business and the military), what can we say about an entire society that displays a culturally…
February 14th, 2018
The Kremlin’s campaign to help Trump win the White House had a primary goal. That was to bring about an end to America’s economic embargo. (The secondary aim was to shove a finger in the United States’ preexisting social and ideological wounds. This had succeeded well enough.)…But it had backfired…Kremlin officials…had a poor understanding of U.S. institutional politics. They failed to appreciate the separation of powers or the constraints on a president—any president.
–…
January 17th, 2018
By Gary Olson
olsong@moravian.edu
“Kissing a man without a beard is like eating an egg without salt.”
— Dutch proverb, probably written by a man.
“Kissing a man with a beard is like going on a picnic. You don’t mind going through the bush to get there."
— Minnie Pearl, probably channeling her inner man
My first real girlfriend sported a Fu Manchu Mustache. My second let me brush, oil and trim her voluptuous full beard. But I’m already getting ahead of myself.
Long before American…
January 17th, 2018
Minotaur– An ancient Greek monster with the head of a bull and body of a man.
- Encyclopedia Britannica
“Therefore, the tormented spirit that glared out of bodily eyes, when what seemed Ahab rushed from his room, was for the time but a vacated thing, a formless somnambulistic being, a ray of living light to be sure, but without an object to color, and therefore a blankness in itself. God help thee old man, thy thoughts have created a creature in thee; and he whose intense thinking…
January 17th, 2018
By John Phillips hpr@hpr1.com
In 2010 there were over 1.5 million individuals declaring bankruptcy. Although many courts decline to ask reasons for filing bankruptcies, many legal experts believe that over 60% of bankruptcy are the result of the inability to pay for medical bills in the United States. With such a large portion of bankruptcies being the result of exorbitant hospital bills, it begs the question "Why is the American healthcare system one of the most expensive in the…
December 27th, 2017
“Treason – the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of one’s country or of assisting its enemies in war.” – Webster’s Dictionary
“(Thomas) Jefferson seems to have had none of (James) Madison’s fear for the tyranny of majority opinion. Let everything come out, and the judgment of the common people will be sound. Over and over again, he writes of the essential ‘goodness and wisdom’ of the common people.”
– Alistair Cooke
The desperate and fearful hatred…
December 13th, 2017
By Tony Gehrig
tonygehrig@gmail.com
I do not blame any company for seeking incentives. Rather, I blame the government for giving them away. Incentives represent an unfair and unsustainable tax system that affects real people.
Some proponents, mainly those receiving the incentives, are attempting to rebrand incentives as a good thing for everyone. Many even advocate for expanding them even further and for longer durations.
In Mike Allmendinger’s recent letter published in The Forum, and…
December 13th, 2017
“…no clean power is without its drawbacks, and every kind of energy source has its pluses and minuses.”
– Henry Petroski, author of "To Engineer is Human"
“For highways (Robert) Moses, America’s greatest builder, dispossessed 250,000 persons—more people than lived in Albany, Chattanooga, Spokane, Tacoma, Duluth, Akron, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Nashville or Sacramento. For his other projects, he dispossessed tens of thousands more; More significant: a disproportionate share of them…
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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 28- March 2Ramada Hotel & Convention Center, 3333 13th Avenue. S, FargoLove comics? Fargo-Moorhead Comic-Con is calling fans of all ages because this is your gateway to all things pertaining to comic fandom. Check out…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com 2025 marks us halfway through the roaring 2020s. Boy, am I glad I didn’t bob my hair for this go-around. It feels like we’re off to the wrong roar, opening Pandora’s box of what-the-Fox…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHomo Sapiens are now old enough to know betterAccording to fossil experts — so far, Homo sapiens have been around for about 300,000 years, evolving slowly from a few other Homos, until most of the…
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 As a food enthusiast, there’s nothing better than attending a local event featuring hotdish. And as far as hotdish events go, no place does it better than the fine folks at Brewhalla and Drekker…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Lizzie Allan The silver anniversary of the annual Fargo Film Festival will take place from March 18 to 22 at the Fargo Theatre. From its beginnings a quarter of a century ago, the showcase of cinematic talent across multiple…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Everyone has heard the adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” However, it is safe to say there are far more than a thousand in Mickey Smith’s photographs. When one hears…
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 Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.com Some days I just sit out by Bad Medicine Lake in the no internet zone. (Well at least last time I checked, there were no bars on those roads towards Rice Lake in the back country.) That’s…
