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Teach our next generation about Veterans Day

We in America know what Veterans Day is all about, but do our children? This Veterans Day, take time to teach them. Share this article with them or teach them about Veterans Day in your own words as you can explain it to your children better than I can. Teach them that Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day. That armistice means that the countries that were fighting agreed to temporarily stop fighting. Germany was the only country left to sign an armistice with the Allied Forces, which were the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Romania, and Russia. ...

Marine Corps to celebrate special birthday

This November 10 will mark a special birthday for the United States Marine Corps. Not only will they celebrate their 246th birthday, but also their 100th year of celebrating their birthday on November 10. To help celebrate their birthday, here are a few facts about the Marine Corps: —The second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775. —The Marine Corps was created in the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, PA, and that is where the first Marines enlisted in the Corps. —Along with the Continental Navy, the Continental Marines were ...

ND still living in frontier culture

In the special session beginning on November 8, the legislature planned to validate the frontier culture that has dominated North Dakota policy process since the first oxen broke a furrow in the prairie grass. In the early warning signs we found that the legislature planned to reapportion itself, cut the income tax, reject mask mandates and deny black people their place in history. Except for the household function of reapportionment, all of the other plans constituted 1880 on hold. But before going too far, the nature of our frontier culture must be described so everyone is on the ...

FEMA map appeal benefits our community

One of the lasting effects of the Souris River flood of 2011 is the potential of costly flood insurance premiums for residents living in the floodplain. A recent decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency should give those residents another three years before any significant insurance rate changes will become effective. That’s obviously welcome news for members of our community. The longer we can delay flood insurance premium increases the better. In addition, the extended time before new flood maps become effective allows more work to be completed on the Mouse River ...

Bismarck, we have a spending problem

Next week, the legislature will be in session. It’s required every ten years for the purpose of redrawing our state’s legislative districts to adapt to changing population numbers. Although that is the only objective that must be fulfilled, others will be addressed. The issue of vaccine mandates surely will be. This is not only reasonable, but critical to address during the special session, because delaying until the next full session in 2023 will be far too late. The third big item is to address $1B of Federal money from the American Recovery Plan (ARPA). There is great ...

Some clarifications to redistricting questions

As a scholar who has studied the State Legislature’s process, state and local voting behavior, and the changing demographics of the state over the last twenty years, I took a great interest in the North Dakota Redistricting Committee’s meetings which occurred earlier this Fall. Although my teaching schedule didn’t allow me to attend meetings in Bismarck, I was able to either watch the hearings live, or recordings right after the fact, for every meeting of this committee. One of the key changes proposed by the Redistricting Committee this time around is the splitting of two ...