Liars and the liars they lie to
They can spin all they want, but there's 787 million reasons why they're liars. Fox News was sued by Dominion Voting System for ruining their company. Time and time again, Fox News used their platform to defame Dominion and accuse them of conducting election fraud in the 2020 Presidential election. Fox claimed over and...
Apr 21, 2023
Don't bet against him
Brady Prochnow, or Buddy as my daughter Ashley nicknamed him (for Buddy the Elf), is a 6'5", 16-year-old kid with a heart even bigger than his size. He's my sister Julie's grandson, and the youngest of Mike and Bobbie Prochnow's boys. The type of kid that always checks in on his grandma and stops at his elderly ne...
Apr 14, 2023
Hot lunch and hot water
The fight over all kids getting a hot lunch at school continues. The Republicans in the North Dakota Senate killed a bill that would have given those meals to our students. Then you all kicked in. Through the radio, as well as my last post, I've asked you to call, write, and stalk your legislators until they reconsider...
Apr 06, 2023
No free lunch
I never really counted on a groundhog to tell me when it's going to be spring. It might be the fact that we live further north, but in my 61 years, I can only remember one time when farmers were scratching around in the middle of March. If you do want a critter to give you an indication of spring, I'd look for the firs...
Mar 31, 2023
Who's to blame?
I've always thought of the North Dakota State Senate as the place where the idiotic bills go to die. It's always been the more deliberative chamber where reactionary house bills that came from the lower chamber were given the attention they deserved. Which isn't saying much. That isn't true anymore. The Democrats are s...
Mar 02, 2023
Get yourself a good lawyer
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wants another divorce. She has called for a "national divorce," hoping to split the country into "red" Republican states and "blue" Democratic states. Despite the fact that Abraham Lincoln solved this back in the 1860s, she's now upset that political id...
Feb 23, 2023
Has 40 years changed anything?
It's never a bad time to take a step back and look at the history that shapes, and in some ways, defines us. This week, we had the chance to do just that with the 40th anniversary of the Medina shootout. It's been 40 years since Gordon Kahl and his ultra-conservative followers murdered two U.S. marshals and wrecked the...
Feb 15, 2023
She was something
I'm going to more funerals than weddings these days. I suppose that's to be expected at my age, but it still doesn't feel right. Many of the funerals are for parents of friends that I know I need to attend. These friends that are such a huge part of my life need to know that I'm thinking of them. This weekend, Sue and ...
Feb 02, 2023
So much for local control
If you want to be a legislator in North Dakota, getting on a ballot as the endorsed candidate for either party really isn't that difficult. You simply attend your district convention for whichever party and have someone nominate you. In the Republican Party, you have to pay to be a delegate, but anyone can still attend...
Jan 26, 2023
It's an easy fix
The Bison are still the best football program in the country at the FCS level. A loss in the championship game to South Dakota State doesn't change that. SDSU still has a way to go to show that year after year, they're the team that will make Frisco their Southern home. But when it comes to the Bison, there are signs o...
Jan 12, 2023
Happy New Year
This is the last time I'm going to get a chance to write to you through this column in 2022. That means it's a good time to look back at our discussions, and look forward to what they might look like in 2023. Hopefully conversations where we aren't afraid to disagree, but rather afraid of how we may act if we do. In lo...
Dec 30, 2022
Why?
Whenever a politician resigns in midterm, there will always be questions asking, "Why?" Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford is gone. He decided to leave the Burgum administration after six years of being the right arm of Governor Burgum. But we still wonder why. Why would an individual that has done everything...
Dec 20, 2022
He switched
I knew John Hoeven when he was a Democrat. I knew John Hoeven when he was a progressive Republican. Now I can say I know John Hoeven while he's an ultra-Conservative. And just like other ultra-Conservatives, his pledge to you is to get the government out of our lives. That is, until he needs it of course. Time and time...
Dec 02, 2022
Cheap Shots - Nov 25, 2022
Mike M - SELLING Selling fresh cut Christmas Trees in the Wahpeton St. John's church parking lot. $65-$130 depending how big the tree, 7-12 feet range Kathy - SELLING Signed Muhammad Ali boxing gloves, letter of authenticity included $1,000. 701-799-2624 David - SELLING Vintage Empire blow molds, large plastic figures ...
Nov 25, 2022
The Bowls
There were two big Tupperware bowls in my house growing up. One had a flat bottom and probably looked old the day Mom brought it home. The other was yellow and modern-looking, and it fit inside the older container. Its primary purpose was for popcorn, which meant it would get used a lot. I keep thinking about all the g...
Nov 23, 2022
Kurman Communications, Inc. / CC
It's your job to find out
It's going to get worse. This is the part of campaign season that older politicians, like myself, tend to dread. It's interesting as hell, but often will just make you cringe. I've said many times that the reason people poll is because it works and gives insight. It does vary depending on who does the polling and when ...
Oct 31, 2022
Conservatives?
If you're going to be a hypocrite, you should at least be honest about it. The ads that John Hoeven and Kelly Armstrong are running are textbook incumbent ads. They take credit for what people want, and blame others for what they don't. It's fair to ask whether they're for the Federal Government being in our lives or n...
Oct 25, 2022
ND Ethics Commission responds to Joel Heitkamp's complaint
Joel Ethics Commission (1) by Tyler Axness on Scribd
Oct 21, 2022
She's not afraid
I feel like everything I write or say about North Dakota's U.S. House race needs to have a disclaimer, assuring you I do really like Kelly Armstrong. Let's just get it out of the way and I'll admit that I do. I find him to be honest and unafraid of tough questions. That doesn't change the fact that we disagree on polit...
Oct 14, 2022
It's a race
Republicans are learning that women vote too. After the overturn of Roe, women learned they shouldn't have taken for granted rights they've had for so long. The right to choose what happens to their own bodies was taken away, or at least in many states it was. A recent poll, conducted by DFM Research and outlined in a ...
Oct 06, 2022