For some
people, the great thing about the new Republican party is that Donald Trump
made it OK to call people stupid. Hell, you can even be rewarded for it. You can
be the most popular person in your row, even without any intelligence, as long
as you stay loyal.
In North Dakota,
all you have to have in many races is that R behind your name. Intelligence and
skill don’t matter in those districts. They’re decided in the primary. State Senator
Oley Larsen is an example of that.
There are
many individuals on both sides that see Larsen for what he is. A man that
rushes to the front of the pack hoping to get noticed just for a chance to
lead. What I’m about to describe has taken away any chance he may have had.
State
Senator Oley Larsen posted a photo of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a training
camp in Somalia. In the photo, Congresswoman Omar is holding a weapon. Larsen
points out that this is an Al-Qaeda training camp. He also points out that she
is trying to block this picture while he encourages everyone to share it.
The problem,
is the photo isn’t
true
. Congresswoman Omar wasn’t even born yet. It’s
hard to be training to be a terrorist when you’re not even alive.
Not everyone
from that side of the aisle is stupid. Majority Leader Rich Wardner took Larsen
to the woodshed. Wardner had named Larsen President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
A leadership position. Wardner asked him to resign that position and suggested
he issue an apology. He did neither. Governor Burgum then asked him to do the
same. He
didn’t
.
So let’s go
back to calling someone stupid. It’s not right. Even though Donald Trump made
it OK…it’s just not right.
Oley Larsen
is a quarter bubble from level.
Good riding
with you.
(Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on Twitter @JoelKFGO.)
