Send a copy of this letter to our congressmen

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A friend of mine forwarded this letter to me the other day, it’s a little something he drafted and sent to Senator Dorgan last week:

Dear Senator Dorgan,

Please consider this as a respectful request from a North Dakota citizen to uphold  the entire Bible as my religious right for a belief system. Canada has made it illegal for pastors to preach certain parts of Bible from the pulpit. There is the same talk of this happening in our country. My request is based on the following fact that the Bible does not instruct Christians to hate anyone. Government condemnation of portions of the Bible on the grounds of “hate speech” would be contrary to what the Bible actually teaches. The exact opposite is true. The Bible instructs Christians to love, even if we don’t condone the behavior of the person or even if we believe that God has deemed the behavior immoral.

Canada has outlawed their pastor’s ability to preach homosexuality as being immoral behavior. I am asking you to take a stance to uphold my right to believe what the Bible says and for my right to practice my faith and hear the Bible preached in its entirety without government persecution. Anyone who would claim that the Bible instructs us to hate someone because they are homosexual is a liar. The Bible also says lying is immoral. I hear the sting of people taking the Lord’s name in vain nearly every day. The Bible says it’s immoral to take the Lord’s name in vain. I believe it is wrong to take the Lord’s name in vain. The Bible does not say to hate someone who does it.

This is my plea for the protection of my rights to my faith. I believe this right is upheld by the Constitution. I am sad that the hateful actions of some individuals and groups have been mistaken as “Christian” beliefs. I live according to the instruction of the Bible which is to love all people, even if I believe their behaviors are immoral. I cherish the right to teach my children these same Biblical values. It is possible to stand up for your moral principals without being hateful. Any hatefulness that I am capable of showing does not come from Biblical teaching or the Spirit of Christ within me, but from my own wretched human nature. I work hard to live a life pleasing to God that emulates Christ. I often fail, but please do not mistake the short comings of Christians or those claiming to be Christians as Biblical instruction.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Mike

Mike makes a couple of great points here. First is that we Christians could lose the right to preach the Bible if we’re not careful. You think that can’t happen? Look at the free speech part of the First Amendment; it’s been ripped to shreds by the McCain-Feingold Act. Political and religious speech were of utmost importance to our founding fathers, and now this crazy Congress has vanquished free political speech. Anyone who thinks religious speech can’t be next is living in a dream world.

The second is that Christians are not “hatemongers” and, aside from the Phelps cult, don’t preach against homosexuality out of hatred…at least not while walking within God’s will, that is. Homosexuality is a SIN, there’s no way of getting around that; but so are things like lying, stealing, and blasphemy. You don’t see people proudly proclaiming their sin in “Thief Rights” parades, do you?

Of course not; part of the reason homosexuality is so disgusting isn’t just the physical manifestation of it, but the fact that homosexuals define themselves by their sin. Every single person on earth is a sinner according to the Bible. The way to salvation is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of that sin.

I agree with Mike that we should all be trying to win more people for Jesus according to his will, and let Him help them deal with their sin. That’s what happened when I became a Christian, and millions could tell the same story. And while we stay grounded in the truth of God’s word, acknowledging that there is “none righteous, no, not one,” (Romans 3:10) then we won’t start marching around with picket signs claiming that a homosexual is worse in God’s eyes than a thief, liar, blasphemer, or adulterer. A true Christian won’t walk around judging others; he’ll let the Bible do the judging. We’re just supposed to be bearers of the truth that ALL may be saved.

If you want to stand up for religious freedoms, I invite you to either copy and paste the text of Mike’s letter and send it to your congressmen or to write one of your own. They’ll respond, and I hope to hear how Dorgan’s office responds to Mike’s letter. The only way we make sure our voices are heard is by speaking up!

Does the new Kirkwood Bank logo look familiar?

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This is the old Kirkwood Bank & Trust logo. It’s a little dated, with its bold corporate colors, so it was apparently time for an upgrade. Adding to the need for new branding is the fact that they’re no longer in their old building on South 7th Street, featured prominently in the old logo. Since they’re not going to be using that building any more, it’s time to ditch the shape in favor of…a leaf?

This is the new Kirkwood Bank & Trust logo. I’m an afficionado of branding and corporate identity, so it struck me as familiar the first time I saw it. It didn’t take long to jog the ol’ memory, and…aha! It resembles the Lending Tree logo pretty closely!

I don’t know how much they paid for their new brand, or who did it, but it seems a little close to another prominent financial institution. I don’t know that it’s close enough to cry foul, but it certainly raises some eyebrows.

This reminds me of the time NDSU wanted new branding, so they spent tens of thousands of dollars on a new logo — out of state, mind you — to come up with a new one. What was it? The letters N and D stacked on top of S and U. Wheeeee. To make matters worse, it was basically identical to South Dakota State University’s logo. Truly a remarkable waste of money, even in the context of North Dakota state government.

I wish I was good at logo design…I’m not. I’m good at animating other peoples’ designs, which works good in my current job. But if I was designing logos for a living, I think I’d try a little harder to stay clear of someone else’s trademark.

About that “protest” in front of the Mandan Library on Wednesday

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I noticed we were getting a lot of stares, so I figured I might clarify. It wasn’t a real protest in front of the old Mandan Library building on Wednesday, it was a photo shoot for an album cover. We were shooting a bunch of stills to composite for an upcoming album release, in which we’re filling the steps with protesters. Want more details? I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned. Get it…tuned? Okay, so I’m not funny.

I guess a bent bolt will still work. Oh, and an odd thing about the FargoDome

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In the early 1980’s the radio tower for KQDY-FM took a nasty spill in the middle of the field where its replacement stands northeast of Bismarck. The tower fell, damaging an adjacent stick and ripping the corner off the transmitter building. It’s not the only such tower to do so; in the big blizzard of ’97, the KXJB television tower near Blanchard also took a dive…for the second time. What I thought was unique about the KQDY tower is that the new one’s screwed to the base using the same old bolts.

See the bent bolt sticking out of the concrete base? Apparently that’s not a problem. I guess a guy just has to break out his big honkin’ wrench, jam the nut on there as tight as she’ll go, and rely on the other three to take up the slack. So be it, I guess if the thing were to fall in that direction again it would only disturb the gophers.

As many of you know, I’ve spent the last – wow, almost 20 years – involved in broadcasting and/or video production. I keep my ear to the ground regarding that sort of thing, and thus I picked up this little tidbit about the FargoDome. The ‘Dome has just received an electronic facelift, including new a new sound system. I’ve never attended an event in the FargoDome, although I’ve worked plenty of them and scaled the catwalks high above it and run around on the roof watching the F-16’s. Friends who have attended events in the FargoDome have said the acoustics aren’t that great, and the buzz I heard reveals a possible reason why.

When the old loudspeakers were cut loose from the ceiling beams and lowered down, a shocking discovery was made: over half of them were stuffed with masking material! It seems that they were black when they were put up there, but later on they were painted Bison Green along with much of the gridwork up above. The drivers were stuffed with masking material so they didn’t get coated in paint, and – oops – apparently most of them were never unmasked.

If you thought the ‘Dome sounded a little muffled or muddy…well, perhaps that’s why. But hopefully it isn’t being held together with any of KQDY’s bent bolts.

Oh yeah, my favorite part of the FargoDome: the catwalks. They have long, steep ramps from the stair access along the outer wall to the inner ring of catwalks up above. Those ramps are about an arm’s width across and very long & steep. The catwalks get very dusty, and therefore very slippery. While carrying equipment up to the catwalks I’d often have to just use one hand to carry, with the other used to steady myself up using the handrail. When I was done mounting camera equipment etc. for whatever show I was working up there, I would enjoy taking a run and surfing down the dusty ramps. It was like being on rollerblades, but VERY high up above the ground. WOO HOO! Sometimes I miss my adrenaline junkie days…but then I remember the scars and the creaking noises. I guess memories will have to do for now.

Identify that statue #8

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This one’s going to be super easy because of the background, but it is a relatively new statue. So…have at it! I’m guessing a lot of my readers saw this statue recently, but it’s not like we have a ton of statues around Bismarck-Mandan for me to throw at you. For now, this is my best attempt at stumping you!

Ooops – dry cleanup, aisle 3

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This is the reason the intersection of 3rd Street and Memorial Highway was closed for a while this afternoon. The person driving the semi apparently cut the corner too sharp, catching the guard rail and ripping open one of the belly chutes of his trailer. The contents began to spill out, which is why you can see another truck on the other side (armed with an auger) assisting with the cleanup.

We’ve all had days like this, haven’t we? Everybody makes mistakes, it’s just that the guys with the CDLs (Commercial Drivers Licenses) that tend to make the really big ones. After all, they drive the biggest vehicles!

My new favorite place to eat in Bismarck

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I didn’t know much about Taco del Mar when I saw them moving into the little strip mall on Bismarck Expressway. They’re right next to the Dairy Queen across from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. A friend of mine who knows good Mexican food when he finds it suggested that we go to lunch at the Taco del Mar, and I’ve been hooked ever since!

I wouldn’t consider Taco Bell to be Mexican food, at least not authentic. Taco John’s is at least honest and calls their food “Tex Mex” in some of their signage. Taco del Mar, however, is a lot more authentic. They’ve got an enchilada sauce that I’ll probably dream about after I get done typing this and go to bed!

Patrick, the owner of this franchise, and his wife moved here from Fergus Falls. I had the opportunity to meet them and let ’em know how much I love their restaurant, and they’re really friendly folks! Tell ’em I said hi if when you visit their restaurant.

You can check out the menu at www.tacodelmar.com. Of course I tend to mix ‘n’ match anyway, getting the two taco combo with enchilada sauce on it. But they’ve never had a problem getting it right! Even though I live by my stomach, don’t take my opinion for it – visit Taco del Mar at your earliest opportunity and you will not be disappointed.

On their way to being hostile and abusive in St. Louis!

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GO FIGHTING SIOUX! Yes, that’s right, our beloved UND Fighting Sioux won a hard-fought battle against the University of Minnesota tonight, 3-2 in OT. As I recall, Minnesota is one of those prissy schools who hopped on the PC bandwagon to condemn the name of the North Dakota team, who do nothing but honor Sioux warriors in their use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and the logo which, by the way, was drawn by a Native American artist.

The Frozen Four will take place in St. Louis on April 5th. I wish I could say I’d be there, but sadly I’ll be confined to my couch and satellite dish. In any case, I’ll be cheering wildly for the Fighting Sioux.

Actually, as I remember last year…Buffalo Wild Wings on south 3rd Street was the place to be for Fighting Sioux hockey. I couldn’t find a parking spot within a block, and the place absolutely erupted whenever the Fighting Sioux would score or pull off a good play. It was sweet to see all the UND apparel being proudly displayed and the sense of unity and spirit in the place. Perhaps I’ll be enjoying the games over a hot basket of chicken tenders instead! See you there!

If you’re one of those ridiculous “hostile and abusive” UND-hating types, well, this is your invitation to bring home some Starbuck’s, kick off your Birkenstocks, and watch Dr. Phil. That or just sit around trying to figure out how the rest of the world should live their lives. In the mean time, the rest of us will be enjoying ourselves. I know that must really rub the PC crowd the wrong way, but that’s pretty much liberalism in a nutshell: trying to spread the misery around instead of hogging it all to yourself. Pretty sad, really.

Spooky Saturday

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I don’t think this one’s as nice as my Spooky Sunday photo, but it was neat to be able to try again. This effect was actually pretty easy, taken on a nice sunny afternoon walk with my wife and son.

To get this kind of effect, simply crank down the aperture on your lens (I used F/18 here) and then adjust your shutter speed to get it suitably dark (I used 1/1000th sec). It’s that easy!

Both of my Spooky photos were taken on very pleasant days, yet they have a dark, forboding look to them. Learning to do things like this by using my camera’s controls is really fun! Give it a try.

Thursday night sunset, and an ACC update

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This is another from my new super-wide lens, but from the room which has a more scenic view of Bismarck than any other: the conference room at the Schafer Leadership Center at the University of Mary. A bunch of us artists participating in the ACC Art Show have our business cards and stuff available in this room, as well as a liturgical display in the adjacent lounge area.

The show is taking off to a grand start, as the building saw a lot of activity for tonight’s meet’n’greet night. There were so many folks in the long room where the main exhibits are held that I really didn’t feel like intruding for a better picture. We’ll see what happens Friday night or Saturday.

This is the piece that moved me the most: “Revelation” by artist David Christy of Fargo. His written description of this piece says that he started out intending to paint one 40-inch by 30-inch panel, but it then developed into this nine-panel masterpiece. I bet I went back to it at least three times.

The work in this show spans pretty much every medium that you’d imagine. I watched Nebraska artist David Belitz talk with show patrons while bending a spool of wire into a rose for them. There are sculptures in metal and ceramic, paintings, photography, cloth…you name it, it’s there. Artists have come from the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Student artists from local schools have participated as well. One can walk the halls of the Benedictine Center from one end to the other and enjoy rooms of artwork along the way.

The show runs from 1:00 to 10:00 Friday afternoon and 9:00am to 9:00pm on Saturday. A variety of musical entertainment will perform from 1:00pm to 4:30pm on Saturday, with a bell choir concert at 5:00pm.

I’m told that the show was started by artists who had submitted work in other art shows but were overlooked, despite their quality, most likely because of their Christian theme. Here’s a show where the whole point is to give glory to God, and the work can be judged on its merits as well as enjoyed. Don’t miss this opportunity!