Hopefully other states learn from Iowa’s mistakes

February 6, 2020

Patience, urged Republican Party officials in Iowa earlier this week. Give the Democrats time to ensure results of political party caucuses on nominees for president are reported accurately. Give GOP officials credit for adopting a “there but for the grace of God go I” policy. But mistakes made by the Iowa Democratic Party leadership are a virtual how-not-to-do regarding important processes in politics. For many years, Iowans have held the distinction of being a bellwether state in presidential election years. Their town-meeting style caucus system of naming favorites for both ...

North Dakota’s bighorn sheep worth saving

February 5, 2020

They’re back. Welcome home. In case you missed it, there was an important homecoming recently when bighorn sheep were released near Mandaree on the Fort Berthold reservation. It’s been 150 years since bighorns roamed that part of the state and their return was celebrated by those who understood the significance of the effort to restore the bighorn population. “There are historical accounts from our tribal members of hunting them with bow and arrow,” said Cory Spotted Bear, Twin Buttes councilman. “Crows Heart, a full-blooded Mandan and one of the last of the old timers, ...

Ensuring color-blind justice is ongoing concern

February 4, 2020

It may be impossible to devise a foolproof safeguard against bias on the part of jurors in criminal trials. Last week, Keith Tharpe reminded us why we need to keep trying. Tharpe, 61, died last week in a Georgia prison — still under a death sentence dating back to 1991. He was convicted of murdering his sister-in-law in 1990. From reports on the case, it appears prosecutors had plenty of evidence. But after his conviction and sentencing, his attorneys filed appeals. They cited bias by one juror. After years of appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to a lower court ...

More attention to emerging diseases needed

February 3, 2020

We are told frequently that we ought to be worried about the seas rising, because of climate change. But another type of sea — of viruses and bacteria — also is rising. Ought we to be as complacent as we clearly are about it? At this writing, Chinese officials had said the death toll in a viral epidemic there had risen to over 300. Nearly 14,000 cases of the disease had been confirmed, they said. Given China’s past reluctance to admit the seriousness of outbreaks, it is entirely possible the numbers are far in excess of those reported. In any event, a few cases of the ...

We can’t afford to police the world

February 1, 2020

The Associated Press reported this week that U.S. officials are considering reductions in the number of our military personnel in Africa, at a time when extremist violence is increasing on the continent. Such consideration is “a move that worries (U.S.) international partners who are working to strengthen the fight in the tumultuous Sahel region,” the AP added. It is true that Islamic terrorists are an increasing concern in Africa. As the AP noted, they have staged attacks recently in several countries. Violence has displaced more than 500,000 people in Burkina Faso. But, ...

Bolton may have ax to grind

January 31, 2020

There seems to be some sentiment in the U.S. Senate, even among a few Republicans, for calling former national security adviser John Bolton as a witness in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Fine. But doing so ought to open a Pandora’s Box on which some Democrats would prefer to keep the lid closed. Bolton is making headlines because of his new book, in which he writes that Trump told him he planned to withhold U.S. military aid from Ukraine unless that country’s leaders opened an investigation into Joe Biden — who, at least for now, appears to be the leading ...