Category Archives: Other

Guess where Byron Dorgan probably isn’t moving back to?

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A statement in this dated press release from Byron Dorgan has some speculating that he is unlikely to return to North Dakota:

“I have written two books and have an invitation from a publisher to write two more books. I would like to do some teaching and would also like to work on energy policy in the private sector.”

That’s all fine and dandy. I read his first book, Take This Job And Ship It, and found it to basically be a bunch of campy anecdotes with the following simple message: Unions good. Business bad. Government necessary. Rob Port put it best when he described it as “a study in economic illiteracy.”

As Senator Dorgan’s term in office comes to an end, that press release has led a Washington Examiner columnist to speculate that Byron will become a lobbyist rather than returning to the state he’s called home for all these years.

And what of his desire to teach and work “in the private sector” (ie, pad his pockets as a lobbyist or “consultant”)? Somehow I doubt that will bring him back to the shoebox apartment (owned by Kent Conrad) pictured above.

I’ve long surmised that Dorgan and Conrad simply kept these little apartments, with their olive green appliances and ratty, hand-labeled mailboxes, for the sole purpose of keeping a North Dakota address on paper for residency…thereby providing them eligibility to run for re-election as North Dakotans. With that no longer necessary, I suspect somebody else may soon be occupying Apartment Number Six.

That’s good, because the LLC which Gaylord Kent Conrad (GKC) owns and sold his apartment buildings to for $1.00 could probably use the income. There’s a recall effort underway regarding the Senator, and Politico has an interesting note about Senator Conrad:

“The 62-year-old Conrad said he’s deciding ‘whether or not I want to do this another eight years.'”

Of course, I wouldn’t expect Kent Conrad to return to North Dakota, either. Not when he’s got a million dollar house on a Delaware beach that didn’t show up on his financial disclosure reports.

These two have been masquerading as North Dakotans while living the life of Washington DC insiders for far too long. We’ve reclaimed one office in the Senate, one in the House, and it’s time to take back our remaining seat in the US Senate. Chances are you won’t see these guys hanging out on East Central Avenue once that happens.

Meet the new Lieutenant Governor of the great state of North Dakota

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Drew Wrigley was announced as the new Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota today. You may remember him as the US State’s Attorney under the administration of George W. Bush. He’s the one who prosecuted Alfonso Rodriguez for the murder of UND student Dru Shodin a few years ago. He was replaced by a big Democrat Party donor/operative once the Obama regime took over in 2009.

The announcement was made by our next Governor, current Lt. Governor Jack Dalrymple. Since Governor John Hoeven is moving on to the United States Senate, Lt. Gov Dalrymple will assume to role in a fashion that hasn’t taken place in North Dakota in 75 years.

It was a very happy (and well-attended) event at the Great Hall of the North Dakota State Capitol. The second Mr. Wrigley stepped out, the place erupted in cheers. I was pleasantly surprised and excited as well! I wish both these men the best and will pray for them as they prepare to take over the executive branch of our state government.

I see the newspapers are all using stock photos (or none at all) for this story. I sent one to Rob at the Say Anything Blog along with the news of Wrigley’s selection just before the announcement was officially made. I guess that chalks one up for us crazy bloggers! Not that we’re keeping score…

Let the Day Begin

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Here’s to the babies in a brand new world,
Here’s to the beauty of the stars…
Here’s to the travelers of the open road,
Here’s to the dreamers and the bards…
Here’s to the soldiers on the desert dunes,
Here’s to the farmers in the fields…
Here’s to the preachers of the sacred Word,
Here’s to the loving God who heals…

Here’s to you, my little loves, with blessing from above, now let the Day begin.

Just sharing a friendly good morning with you and the windmill perched near Farmer’s Livestock southeast of Bismarck and some lyrics modified from one of my favorite songs by The Call.

If I had to pick the question I have been asked most frequently at the Republican Victory Party or even online yesterday, it would have to be a variant of “what will you blog about now?” My stock answer has been “sunsets and windmills!” Of course, the lead photo of this post is a sunrise, but I’m sure you get the picture (pun intended).

I started this blog as a photo diary of a guy who loves Bismarck-Mandan and North Dakota in general. It shall remain exactly that. Desperate times call for desperate measures, they say, and we certainly are in those. I won’t rule out a political post from time to time, especially with a lame duck session of Congress to deal with yet. A Republican sweep in North Dakota makes things much more optimistic here at home, but let’s not forget that we’re in very pivotal times for our country. I may periodically comment on things as a result. Regardless, I intend for things to return to “business as usual” here at the ol’ Blog.

Get out and vote! No, I’m not promising pizza, gas cards, or a free TV like the Democrats

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Get. Out. And. Vote. Can’t make it any more plain than that. It’s time to take the first step in setting things right in our government. Here are a couple of quick resources to help you out:

Here’s a link to several maps showing you which legislative district you’re in: LINK

Here’s a link to find out where your polling place is so you can cast your vote: LINK

The link above is part of the Secretary of State’s VIP (Voter Information Portal): LINK

Oh yeah…about the free TV thing. Plains Daily and Say Anything are reporting that the Spirit Lake Tribe was caught offering gas cards to people for transporting people to the polls. The person who hauled the most would receive a flat screen TV. THIS IS ILLEGAL. Here’s the law (PDF).


This is the same law Earl Pomeroy’s cronies violated up at UND, using a Student Government van to transport college students to the polls and providing them pizza. UND’s legal counsel put a stop to that one right quick.

Get out and vote! If you see anything irregular, like someone bringing in vans of mentally disabled people and filling out their ballots for them, MAKE IT KNOWN. Take photos. Shoot video. Provide it to the Secretary of State’s Office IMMEDIATELY. Get it on YouTube, get it online. Make it public.

Let’s not allow North Dakota to become another Minnesota, where ballots are suddenly found at the last minute, waiting to give a liberal Democrat the victory. Don’t think the Democrats won’t do it if they think they can get away with it. I’ve just shown two examples of how they’re already trying.

Let’s settle this the old fashioned way: by overwhelming them at the polls! Vote, tell your friends to vote, tell your family to vote. See you tomorrow.

Earl Pomeroy and Social Security Privatization (and whining)

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I don’t watch much TV, but even the little bit I do watch made me sick of Earl Pomeroy’s claims of Rick Berg wanting to “privatize Social Security.” Especially since it’s Pomeroy that wanted to do an even riskier thing back in the late 1990s!

I’m not the only one – RJ over at RegularGuyRant.com as done some great work in compiling news articles about Mr. Pomeroy’s history with Social Security privatization. It paints an entirely different picture than what our hapless Congressman would have you believe.

Watch the video, then enjoy the link to the Regular Guy Rant for all the supporting documentation.

Were Earl Pomeroy and Dem-NPL Party attempting to illegally buy college votes with pizza?

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If you’re politically minded, and these days we ALL should be, you need to regularly visit RJ’s Regular Guy Rant blog site. Yesterday he posted information about two events in Grand Forks, one of Earl Pomeroy’s last liberal strongholds. A flyer from one of them is shown in the photo above. Note the new Dem-NPL “Obama-ish” logo at the top, indicating that this event has to do with the Democrat Party.

PlainsDaily.com, a news website which you should also visit regularly, started to do some investigating. In addition to the possibility of vote-buying with pizza, these events appeared to be using college resources to give students a ride to the polling place. This is specifically illegal (read the PDF). Adding to the controversy is the fact that UND Student Government vans were apparently used. Is this appropriate use of state government property, since those are likely state vehicles owned by UND?

UND apparently agrees, because their General Counsel has put a stop to the program. According to the Plains Daily article, “That program has been canceled because UND General Legal Counsel has determined that the program violated the North Dakota Century Code section 16.1-10-06.1.”

The best quote of the whole debacle comes from RJ’s post: “Anyway, one of my friends at the college told me that the rally generated ten voters and at least one of them just rode the bus so he could vote against Earl.”

Personally, I think this sort of thing needs to be investigated to see exactly which laws were broken and who’s responsible. If the Dem-NPL Party organized a voting drive in which they were buying votes with pizza and providing free transportation in violation of state law, then they need to be dealt with punitively. But, since it’s Democrats, the whole thing will probably receive “ho-hum” treatment from the ND media and simply vanish.

The big question is: will all the hijinks make a difference in Earl Pomeroy’s struggle to remain a Washington insider Democrat lapdog? My gut says no. In the mean time, if you hear about a similar event taking place, make it known. It’s illegal, and they’re Democrats. The two go hand in hand.

I’ve found your new septic service

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I left work early today, knocking off at 11 am and heading out with my cameras in the truck to see what I could see. While turning around to go back and get a different shot I spied this truck, and was able to meet its owner. Wait for the punchline…

Yes, I know, this is a rather unconventional name. I’m aware of the connotations. It’s a little crude for my liking, but I’ll make an exception in this case. Make note of the phone number, because if you have a septic system you may wish to choose this guy to service it…

With a sense of humor like this and political orientation in line with most North Dakotans I know, I predict success for this small business. The back of this truck (the punchline I described earlier) is hilarious and say sin a few words everything you need to know about the North Dakota political environment.

As we send Byron Dorgan packing due to his surrender and look forward to converting Earl Pomeroy to civilian status at the ballot box in two and a half weeks a week and a half, we’re going to need a legislative pumper truck to evacuate much of the damage they’ve caused or in which they’ve had a hand. See, this truck is good for so many metaphors when it comes to Washington, DC!

2010 TEA Party photos (and bonus video)

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As promised, here are some of my favorite photos from last weekend’s TEA Party rally, held on the steps of the North Dakota state capitol building. It was a well attended event despite the cold and wind.


Boy, it would have been nice to have brought my own chair. Of course, since I was running around with a camera, it wasn’t very practical to be dragging furniture with me. It would have been comfy to huddle under a blanket though, if I didn’t have so many photos to pursue.


My favorite TEA Party sign of the entire day. Brevity is the soul of wit.


This gentleman came in a close second. Way to have fun with it!


Not only did this guy sport a TEA Party shirt and funny sign, but that’s also a Canon EOS camera around his neck. Good taste!


Viva la Reagan revolucion! President Reagan was MY President. I was in sixth grade when he was shot. I didn’t reach voting age during his terms of office so I never got the chance to vote for him, but I would have in a heartbeat if I’d been able to do so.


If you’re ever looking for a guy to explain currencies, commodities, and world markets…this is your guy: Eugene Graner of Heartland Investor Services. He can make the complex understandable. If you want a good nuts-n-bolts explanation of how disastrous our government’s fiscal policies are, he can present it to you in a way that’s easy for a non-economist to follow…and with a strong dose of common sense.


One of my favorite “political guys” is Gary Emineth, the final speaker of the day. He’s the one who opened up the North Dakota Republican Party to citizen activists like myself and was steadfast in making people realize that Republicans and grass roots conservatives like me who are leary of simple party affiliation are fighting for the same causes. Things like the GOP Chairman’s Luncheon and the Take Back Washington Rally are ideas that came from Gary. He had a fantastic speech too, but more on that in a little bit.


Indeed. This is a shirt from a 2009 rally, actually, but I just like the design better than the ones they had this year. It’s a good question to ask: what WOULD our founding fathers do?


Rick Berg, our next United States Congressman, was present. He had a table where people could meet him, ask him questions, and sign up to volunteer. Guess what? Rick’s political opponent in the upcoming race was conspicuously absent. Which one of them is in touch with North Dakotans? Hint: he’s pictured above.

Mr. Berg didn’t take to the microphone. He didn’t use this as a campaign stop or rally. He didn’t attempt to make this event about him or his campaign. In fact, his name didn’t even appear on the flier. He simply came to the event with some of his campaign helpers and a little table, and he talked to people and was available to listen. I got to meet him and let him know I’m doing my part with those silly little YouTube videos and stuff.


Music by Gordon Court. He has played at other events as well and has some catchy politically themed songs as well as Christian and contemporary music.


Here’s a succinct sample of Gary Emineth’s speech toward the end of the event. I often forget that my new Canon 7D can record video, but this time I remembered. I thought you might like one of the more inspirational bits of his speech, and I wish I’d remembered about the video feature when Gene Graner was speaking! You need to hear these two guys every chance you get.

Keep up the enthusiasm, my fellow North Dakotans! Let’s set things right in November!

To help prove they’re out of touch with North Dakotans, Dem-NPL adopts new Hopey-Changey™ logo

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I know you guys probably don’t go to the website for the Democrat party here in North Dakota, but I got a tip on this from a friend. Visiting the site gave me a hilarious sight:

A new logo! Of course, given the line of work I’m in I pay keen attention to logotypes and branding. That’s why I have a “Signs, Logos, and Typos” category of posts here on the ol’ Blog. As I often do, I whipped together a little comparison:

As you can see, it’s a recycled version of the Obama “O” logo, which is certain to get plenty of positive response in a state that didn’t vote for him for President and is fed up with Democrat policies in Washington…oh yeah, and who rejected Obamacare quite handily! Keep it up, Democrats! Good luck with all that recycled Hope™ and Change™.

Of course, if the Democrats were really so proud of their young President, maybe they could incorporate it in their campaigns. Not likely. They could have some starry-eyed kid intern run around and put stickers on all the O’s of the Pomeroy signs out there (as I’ve done in Photoshop above). After all, I’ve looked around and noticed that there are NOT VERY MANY out there. Lots of Berg and other Republican signs dot the landscape, though! But let’s go back to the Democrat Party website for a second:

Here’s a list of press releases on the home page. Apparently they’re sending Conrad and Dorgan all over the state to endorse, re-endorse, and re-re-endorse Pomeroy in the hope that something will stick. Riiiiiight. Hey, just a second…I have evidence of how well THAT is working:

I took this photo ten minutes into an event listed on the Pomeroy website (I’ve made a shortcut for you at www.tinyurl.com/no-events, named for the year and a half in which it was left blank as he hid from his constituents). The “event” turned out to be a Democrat Party rally, with Conrad and Dorgan scheduled to attend, and you can see the enthusiasm filling the room. Nope, actually that’s just empty air filling the room. Here’s a link to the larger version, click and count the people. Considering half of them were probably staffers, it’s a pretty good show of the pathetic level of support and turnout enjoyed by Earl Pomeroy and his Democrat Party.

I had to leave for 7pm church, but I hung around long enough to see if a crowd was going to develop. It didn’t. I did get an earful of Heidi Heitkamp trying to rally the few by decrying “the failed policies of the Bush Administration.” She used that tired keyphrase so often that I was about to yell “DRINK!” on the next one. Then again, the logo proves that NEW IDEAS are not something that rattles around in the vacuous head of a North Dakota Democrat.

You can put all the logos on the Democrat (not Democratic) Party that you want, it’s still going to remain the home for displaced leftists, communists, marxists, and anti-American wackbags. Pro-abortion, anti-gun, pro-government, anti-defense, rabid-environmentalist, anti-religion…all those things define sects of the Democrat Party…an organization and ideology so out of step with North Dakota and America in general, all they have left to do is try to rebrand themselves. Now that Americans, including North Dakotans like me are paying attention, we’re not going to fall for it. Ever.

Good luck on the facelift, Democrats…see you in two weeks.

Take some time to participate in the 2010 TEA Party – Saturday at the capitol!

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Tomorrow’s the day! Another TEA Party will be held at the North Dakota State Capitol grounds from 1pm to 2:30pm. If you remember the last TEA Party event, you know that it’s a great time to get together with fellow citizens and rally toward the cause of taking back our government! Who says liberals can have all the fun? Remember, Hillary Clinton says it’s patriotic!

Here’s the information, which speaks for itself. I’m excited to hear all of these speakers, and Gordon Court provides funny politically-themed music as well. There will be opportunities for you to participate with your passionate input as well, unlike at an Earl Pomeroy rally!

See ya there, Saturday at 1pm! Come early, and bring your friends.