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Obama deflection campaign sets its sights on North Dakota, land of corruption
Well, we do have Byron “Skybox” Dorgan who was embroiled in the Jack Abramoff scandal a while back. The media played that as a Republican scandal, but Dorgan (who’s on the Indian Affairs committee) was seen in Abramoff’s skybox at the MCI Center four years before he claimed in a press release that he’d “never met” the man. Next thing you know, he’s returning the money he never got from the man he never met…no worries. The lapdog ND media gave him a pass.
Now we have Senator Kent “Countrywide” Conrad, who is under investigation for getting a sweetheart mortgage deal on property in Bismarck. He too claims he had no idea what was going on, but an NBC News special report interviewed the guy whose job it was to MAKE these politicians know that they got special treatment. I actually lived in the 8-plex he got a loan for; Countrywide’s policy is to loan on no larger than a 4-plex.
Conrad owns this apartment complex near the capitol and claims it as his legal address so he can continue to live on the east coast complements of ND citizens. Even better: he provides another apartment in this complex to Senator Dorgan! I never saw either of them at this apartment building when I lived there, leading me to conclude that they keep those addresses on paper only so they can continue to run for reelection as North Dakotans. Oh, and Conrad gave some money to Habitat for Humanity as penance for his unwitting cronyism, and the KFYR’s and Bismarck Tribune’s of the state sucked it up like always.
These two alone have enough corruption for the entire state. As far as the USA Today report goes, we in ND have fewer people than other states, but plenty of government. The ratio is tipped. Besides, we prosecute our criminals (except for Conrad and Dorgan, we send them to Washington) when they abuse their public office. This whole thing is irrelevant, though; it’s just a ploy to deflect attention from Illinois, the state of the Obamessiah, who the media helped elect and will continue to shield as long as he’s able to hold office.
Previous posts about Conrad’s and Dorgan’s “residences” can be found here and here.
All is the way it should be, finally
I was about to wonder if they’d be skipping it this year, given how atheists all over the place freak out at the sight of something representing Christmas or Christianity and try to sue it out of existence. Look how they tried to sue the city of Fargo for having a Ten Commandments monument on city property! But then I got a note on Facebook from Attorney General Wayne Stehnejem saying that December 9th was the night the windows would light up. I waited eagerly, and tonight the windows (and star above) were lit. Fantastic.
It just seems that little bit more like Christmas now that Bismarck’s most prominent landmark is part of the display. Familiar things like this are what make a hometown more lovable!
Kira’s Tree
This little tree reminds me of the tree in Charlie Brown Christmas; perhaps that’s why I like it so much. Standing just over a foot tall, it’s a tough little conifer. My friend’s daughter planted it as part of an Arbor Day project from school last summer, and it has since survived encounters with the lawn mower and an uncle’s tractor tire. It’s a beautiful little tree, especially decked out in a fresh coat of thick frost.
Regardless of weather, I love getting up and chasing down unique photos. This frost didn’t hang around forever, and it was provided by just the right conditions of warm river water and cold, harsh wind. I may not take the best photos in the world, but I try to make each one indicative of a moment that was unique at the time my shutter clicked. There are plenty of those moments to be had in Bismarck and Mandan, and I’m going to continue to capture my share of them.
Red
These berries hang from a tree on the North Dakota State Capitol grounds, one of my favorite hangouts ever. When I was in high school and for a short while after, that was my favorite haunt. I had a lot of friends there, and it’s a great place to hang out at night. I particularly enjoyed reading on the steps of the library, playing frisbee in the parking lot, or coloring (yes, box of 64) under the lights. These days I think loitering near the capitol at night will get you thrown out or fined. Too bad…it’s a waste of a great place.
Who was showing their Christmas spirit Saturday night, and who wasn’t
Until (and after) they get the capitol lit for Christmas, make sure you frequent Northview Lane this Christmas season! Oh, and if I may make one last suggestion:
That’s all for now. Put in your Vince Guaraldi disc, get some hot chocolate, and head for Northview for a dose of Christmas spirit!
No, this isn’t from a new Superman movie
This photo came about when I ran out to the Garage Mahal to grab a plastic dish out of my “bachelor fridge.” I had a bowl of my notorious “Four Alarm Hamburger Noodle Bachelor Chow” in there, and it had seen better days. I figured now would be a good time to put the bowl and lid back into service. The frost that had formed on the lid, however, was begging for a photo. That’s what you see above. I took a quick shot with my macro lens while the frost started to melt, then went back to doing dishes. I wouldn’t mind seeing frost like this outside sometime, too! Remember this frosty photo?
Space Invader?
I struggled with the orientation of this photo, since it looks quite like a little digital alien like this, or flipped upside down. Please turn your monitor or laptop upside down to view it the other way.
Fallen Farm #37667
I never tire of photographing windmills and old farmsteads. Some days I think they seem cliche’ or that I’m overdoing it, but I have to remind myself that each one of them is special. They’re an endangered species of sorts, too. Tony pointed out that even in Alaska, one can tire of a certain type of photo. For example, you can only take so many Alaska mountain shots before one tires of it. Unique photos are elusive, and need to be hunted down…that’s part of what makes them special.
Variety is the key, I suppose…that’s why I’ve tried to vary my subject matter a bit lately. It’s important to keep a diverse palette of photo styles and subjects, so that none of them ever seem tired. That’s especially true of the North Dakota features which are so near and dear to my heart, and which inspired this website in the first place.
Finally got a brain (life size, too)
It turns out I’ve got experience there, after decades of bouncing my body off the earth (and whatever else gets in the way). I’ve stuffed my skull slightly through a friend’s windshield, trashed a few motorcycle and mountain bike helmets, taken a few hits to the head in karate (you can’t block ’em all), and I don’t even remember what else. I probably don’t remember because of my history of traumatic brain injuries! I’ve had some extended hospital stays to nurse my bruised melon in Montana and North Dakota. As far as I can tell, however, there has never been any permanent dain bramage.
Side effects of TBI’s can include headaches, nausea, dizziness, impulsiveness, difficulty finishing tasks, memory loss, and I forget the other ones I highlighted in the video. Strange…I can’t get past memory loss!
Anyway, I now have a brain. Stay tuned to see if I use it.