Last Word

Portland to the prairie: returning to my roots

July 27th, 2016

By Tessa Torgeson

Home is a tangled web at the core of all of our stories -- that beautiful ugly mess that we try to escape, sometimes denying the way that it shapes and morphs us. As we mature we realize that home is more than a dot on a map. Like it or not, home is a place that we will one day return to, although each of our pilgrimages veer in different directions. Home can haunt us, but it can also heal us.

I grew up landlocked smack dab in the heartland of Bismarck, North Dakota. I…

Soggy tea bags vs. concrete jobs

July 27th, 2016

“…by 1934 money was moving out through PWA [The Public Works Administration] into the hands of contractors, manufacturers, engineers, laborers, truckers, carpenters, architects, and deep into the arteries of the economy.” – James MacGregor Burns, Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox, 1956

“Forty-seven percent of self-identified Democrats describe themselves as economic and social liberals, according to a Gallup poll released last June (2016). That's up from 39 percent in 2008 and…

That is not who we are

July 20th, 2016

By Anonymous

As we all click click click on our computers or phones, protected by the shield of the illuminated screen, we find ourselves obsessively reading manifestos in favor of political, economical and societal change. Sometimes we even muster up the courage to post a statement ourselves. It satisfies us; we find ourselves full with the feeling of altruism.

This virtual reality has us convinced that we are each advocates for every social issue, every minority, every Constitutional…

Snakes and ladders

June 15th, 2016

By Zac Echola

Fargo's city commission voted, among other tax incentives, to loan about $6 million to three of the richest people in the state, at least one of whom is still referred to as a philanthropist by the local daily in stories having nothing to do with philanthropy.

Meanwhile in Omaha, Nebraska, philanthropists there raised $7 million to create a new free library of laser cutters, 3D printers, computers and meeting spaces. Do Space gives gigabit internet to anyone in the public.…

Shopping center alert: inappropriate child labor

June 8th, 2016

Nikki Berglund was in her restaurant, Luna Fargo, 1545 University Drive South, in the Southside Shopping Center, at the beginning of the lunch rush.

“A little boy around four years old came in by himself and was selling plastic flowers with pens attached.”

“We asked what he was selling them for and he said so he could ‘go to Disneyland’”

He had no adult with him. Berglund asked him where his mom was. “He pointed to a vehicle outside. At no point did he make eye contact with…

Back to the Future with North Dakota Democrats

May 6th, 2016

“Democratic-NPL lawmakers called on Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple this morning to call a special legislative session to address…budget cuts to human services and property taxes. [They]said the budget cuts should be amended legislatively to fully preserve property tax cuts made to residents as well as programs used by North Dakota families that could be negatively impacted. The…proposal would move approximately $40.6 million from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund to…

BRUSH UP YOUR ORWELL, AND YOUR MOLLY IVINS!

March 30th, 2016

“Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now…” - Cole Porter

“When the white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom he destroys.” - George Orwell

“…there’s not a thing wrong with the ideals and mechanisms outlined and the liberties set forth in the Constitution of the United States. The only problem was, the founders left a lot of people out of the Constitution. They left out poor people and black people and female people. It is possible to read the history of this…

Process vs. Perception in the Iowa Caucuses

February 22nd, 2016

“Here's a warning about watching the Iowa caucuses: There's not a lot to watch and the process is mostly incomprehensible.” - USA Today, 02/01/16

“Even as candidates fight from state to state, the real objective in their minds is the total number of delegates needed to secure the nomination. Achieving that number means ginning up enthusiasm, especially among base voters in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, because the more energy generated, the…

A Short History of the Middle East

January 18th, 2016

By Elaine Beitelspacher

In light of recent events I have spent some time educating myself on the history of the Middle East. Needless to say, this is an enormous topic and I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I have learned a few things that I think would be helpful for people to know. To make a very long story short, the history of the Middle East is a history of the rise and fall of empires. There were the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans and the Ottoman Turks to…

Better leadership needed for vibrant North Dakota future

January 18th, 2016

by Merrill Piepkorn

Over 50 years ago, Bob Dylan penned the lyrics, “The times, they are a-changin’.” It seems as though the current North Dakota state legislature is reluctant to accept what has happened since: The times, they have a-changed. While our present lawmakers seem bent on building barriers to social change, I believe that most North Dakotans — certainly those in my district, District 44 — embrace social change, acceptance, and individual responsibility.

I am announcing…

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