Beware the loppy-eared king of the hill

This fella (and his roommate, who was barking in a different corner) now stands taller than the fence meant to contain him. If you thought that BEWARE OF THE DOG sign was serious before, I’m sure you’ll be on the lookout now! My guess is that neither of them have any intention of leaping over the chain link, but one can’t be took careful.

That late night steam image I had referred to earlier

A few posts back I mentioned a photo in which the plumes of steam from the Amoco BP Tesoro refinery were heading in one direction and the steam from the Heskett Station power plant were heading another. Here it is. I spotted this while out by Hawktree one night on Highway 1804, so I pulled over to capture it. I’ve no idea what would cause this phenomenon, but I figure it’s probably a pretty rare occurrence!

Senator Kent Conrad wants to tax you per every mile you drive

According to this article, self-proclaimed “budget hawk” Gaylord Kent Conrad, on-paper resident of North Dakota, wants to bridge the gap between his spending and government revenue from the taxpayers by…yes, another tax!

Chairman Kent Conrad, D-ND, raised the point during a hearing Wednesday, Feb. 24, on the subject of President Obama’s recent budget request for 2010-11. Conrad highlighted some of the options.

“And these include increasing the gas (fuel) tax; charging for each mile traveled; adding more tolls; continuing general fund transfers, which I strongly oppose; and identifying other funding sources,” Conrad said.

“Now let’s be frank, none of these are popular options. But we have to find a way to close this funding gap. We are going to have to start making tough choices.”

First off, it would be hilarious how Kent Conrad keeps claiming to be a “budget hawk” if it wasn’t so sad, and the consequences for our nation so dire. But the way he wants to bring those budgets into line is never by cutting government spending! It’s always about bleeding the taxpayer a little bit more.

Imagine what that’s going to do to rural North Dakotans that have long drives to get into town, or the farm families Kent Conrad claims to represent when he leaves his million dollar beach house, bought at a cushy rate from Countrywide Financial, to fly back to North Dakota for a bit and pretend he’s representing North Dakotans for a while. How about poor people who can’t afford newer, more fuel efficient cars? It seems that the people these Democrats claim to stand for are always the ones who take the biggest pounding as a result of Democrat policies!

Uh oh…you mean that beach house in Delaware didn’t show up on his required financial disclosure reports? Say it ain’t so, Gaylord! Hm…it seems that he has stricken his real first name from even his Wikipedia entry. It’s the “G” in GKC, the name of the corporation he set up and to which, for the sum of one dollar, sold the apartments he uses to claim North Dakota residency on paper for himself and Senator Byron Dorgan so they can run for re-election.

We can’t get this tax-hungry crook out of office fast enough.

Pusillanimity and Partisanship in the Fight for our Nation

(This is an article I wrote for the January 2010 issue of the Dakota Beacon.)

pu·sil·lan’i·mous: adj. contemptibly timid.

par’ti·san: adj. disagreeing with Democrats.

Liberals are wordsmiths. They have to be; they have no ideas of worth, a predicament demonstrated by their inability to come out and simply say what they want to achieve and why. The very term “liberal” itself characterizes their craft, in that it used to have a good connotation until it came to mean them. With that the case, they shriek and recoil with revulsion when described as “liberals” and instead cling to the term “progressive.” Of course, once that term gets connected with them and their ideology, they’ll have to jettison it in favor of another trendy label. They will probably always have one label for their enemies, however: “partisan.”

The term “partisan” has had its own negative connotation as well, often meaning someone who reflexively or instinctively clings tenaciously to one side of a disagreement. Perhaps that was a bad thing in the distant past, but these days the policies of the left must be reflexively and instinctively opposed. If we’d had some ferocious partisanship opposing the New Deal, the Great Society, or other such failed entitlement programs before they were enacted, we might not find our nation up to its eyeballs in debt!

When liberals are faced with a debate of ideas, they immediately change the game to one of name calling. It makes sense when you take into account that they’re really in the branding business. That’s why we have a litany of legislation with titles totally opposite of the substance of their text. That’s also why they label their advocacy groups with such innocuous name as Centers for the Public Good. Since ideas, at least ones that survive in the realm of sanity, aren’t their strong point, they instead resort to bludgeoning their opponents with insults. Their favorite, of course, is “partisan.”

I’m happy to be labeled a “partisan” if it means I oppose liberal Democrats at every turn. For politicians on the right, however, it seems to be the worst sort of punishment one could be asked to bear. For decades Republicans have cowered in fear of being branded as “partisans” by the liberal Democrats and their advocates in the media. Having bought into the lie that “moderates” will turn in distaste from anyone perceived as a partisan, these Republicans shrink from the term as a vampire would from a brandished crucifix. It’s no wonder we conservatives decry the absence of leadership on our side. Nobody seems ready to stand up to – gasp – the labels wielded by the liberal Democrats!

For those of us who simply want to work our jobs, live our lives, practice our faith, raise our children, and have the government impede us as little as possible, only one term can suitably describe these sissified Republicans: pusillanimous. Their contemptible timidity saddens those of us who count on them to champion our cause, stand up for our Nation and its founding principles, and stand guard against further bureaucratic government into our lives. Rather than fighting on our behalf, they’re dithering and dodging in the hopes that everyone in the establishment will like them. That is not a sign of character, and it’s certainly not leadership.

Show me a candidate for local, state, or national office who has the guts to come out and say, “I oppose abortion and will be a fierce partisan in my stand against the murder of innocent children in the womb” and I’ll be chomping at the bit to give that man or woman my vote. The same goes for issues such as national security, tax reform, border security and immigration enforcement, or the myriad rights which the leftists are trying to strip from my fellow citizens and me in total defiance of the Constitution. I want a partisan.

The leftists have their fierce partisan fighters…where are ours? We seem to be the only side with defectors in this war for the future of our nation, culture and heritage! For instance, I was sickened by Sen. McCain’s promises to “reach across the aisle” to work with Democrats. He’s a remarkable man, but he’s obviously been in government too long if he can’t see the fact that some things need to be wholly opposed because they’re wrong. Period.

Hypothetical: Let’s say the North American Man/Boy Love Association decides they want to codify into law their right to prey on young children (don’t think they don’t dream of that day). Naturally the decadent left, with President Obama at the helm, champions this “bold new initiative to bring about relationship change for adults and children all across this great nation.” Dorgan, Conrad, and Pomeroy ride the party line as usual, parroting talking points about how all North Dakotans want such legislation and it’s good for North Dakotans while whining about “out of state money” financing any campaign to oppose them. First off, they’d never name it the “Legalizing Child Rape Act of 2010.” No, it’d be something like the “Fairness in Relationships Act” or something obfuscating like that, like so many dishonestly named bills in recent years.

The point I’m trying to make with such a drastic example is: just exactly how do you “reach across the aisle” and work with something like that? Do you “compromise” by “only” lowering the age at which a predator can sodomize a child? Do you “only” lessen the penalties for someone convicted of such an offense? No. The correct answer is that you do not cross the aisle to work with the Democrats on the issue, because they’re WRONG. Yes, it is that simple. It is just as simple when it comes to government taking over the health care system, labeling carbon dioxide a harmful pollutant, or considering treaties that turn our nation’s sovereignty over to a bogus international climate regulatory organization as well.

When the Democrats seek to grant citizenship to millions of criminals who are in our country illegally, you don’t cross that aisle. When they want to cripple our nation’s energy supply to placate rabid environmentalists, you don’t cross that aisle. When they want to destroy our economy in the name of falsified “climate change” pseudo-science, you don’t cross that aisle. Sure, it will cut down on the number of invites you receive from Meet the Press, but standing your ground is the right thing to do. I say again:I want a partisan.

We partisans are finally influencing things in Washington, however. When even the most liberal of Republicans won’t vote for cloture on the health care takeover by the Democrats, that’s an indication. Call it self preservation on their part if you wish, but the fact remains that they’re taking notice of how their constituents feel on this matter. It’s too late in that we lack the numbers to stop such legislation outright, but the indignance of the Democrats at the Republican rejection of this bill shows that they’re nervous about owning it one hundred percent. What we need now, and what conservatives have been craving for some time now, is some leadership. If we’d had an articulate conservative leader in the last election, Obama would still be in Chicago with his thug pals.

Sorry, Senator McCain, the last election proved that Americans couldn’t be less interested in an aisle crosser. Step by step we’ve watched as you establishment Republicans let the government chip away at our freedom as it grows larger and more unwieldy. Bit by bit the radical left has won victories in driving Christian faith from public view, hamstringing our military, and bludgeoning citizens with the multiculturalist and politically correct movements. It’s time for you Republicans to start acting on our behalf or get out of office and make way for someone who will. We desire to see someone who’s got the nerve to roll up their sleeves and oppose all this lunacy. Your days of being contemptibly timid and remaining in office are over. We’ve had enough pusillanimity; now show us some partisanship…or we’ll find someone who will.

Eight Senate “Coal State Democrats” Write Challenge To EPA, North Dakota’s Senators Conspicuously Absent

According to this article from CNSNews.com, a letter from Jay Rockefeller is challenging the EPA’s attempts to regulate CO2 and bludgeon traditional providers of energy. It was signed by seven other Senators:

“The letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was signed by Democrats Mark Begich of Alaska, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Carl Levin of Michigan and Max Baucus of Montana.”

So much for that clout and tireless fighting for North Dakota that we hear about from Senators Conrad and Dorgan, eh? They can’t even stamp their name on a letter standing up for our state’s energy producers.

How’s that Hope™ and Change™ working for you, my fellow North Dakotans? Right now our state is the only one bucking the recession trend. The federal government wants to put a stop to that, and our Senators can only sit like good little Democrat pets and vote the party line. Where’s all that seniority, clout, and experience they brag about every election season?

Boundary layer

I was out watcing airplanes with the toddlers the other day when I spotted this neat effect in the plumes across the river.

Notice how the steam from the power plant hits a certain level, then veers off horizontally. The billows rising from the refinery are doing something totally different, and reaching higher in this instance. It reminds me of a late night photo I got of the refinery and power plant from Highway 1804 north of Bismarck. The steam from the refinery was forming a horizontal line straight south, and the power plant’s steam was heading straight north. I’ll have to look that one up later.

This is a result of the steam hitting a layer of air with a different temperature (and, I presume, a resulting change in pressure). Yes, I did take some astronomy and meteorology in college, but I’m sorry to say I don’t remember many specifics. It makes for a neat photograph, though.

Winter windmill and a bit of shoe advice

I used to think a North Dakota winter was too bleak to provide many photo opportunities. I soon learned otherwise. On those hazy days, one simply has to look a little harder. On those crystal clear days with the sun glaring at you from low in the sky, you’ve got to be a little craftier. Then there are those really stark, dramatic skies that make a rare appearance over winter. That’s when you hope for something like this. Frozen landscape below, varied sky above, and a decrepit old windmill placed just right in relation to the sun. Yep, I like the ingredients in this one.

I didn’t even have to hike too far, and my shoes were already wet. I wear mountain biking shoes when I do winter photo hikes, because they wick moisture away from my feet. They also have hard rubber cleats, which helps with traction in certain conditions. Then there’s the fact that my Shimanos are one of the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn.

Anyway, back to my original line of rambling. No matter what the conditions, North Dakota remains a fertile playground for a would-be photographer. From fluffy snow and blanketing fog to spiky frost and stark, glaring sun…North Dakota winters have a little bit of everything. You need only be brave enough to venture out into it, camera in gloved hand.

Frosty pioneers


Brr. (What more is there to say)
 

One nice thing about these foggy winter mornings is the blanket of frost deposited on everything. I happen to like winter fog, except in the evenings when I’m trying to take pictures of northern lights or other celestial subjects!

By the way, I recently spotted evidence that this statue once existed without a sidewalk leading to it, and with stone posts and a chain surrounding the statue and a flower bed.

Washington Times: “Make way for the Bismarck Earmark.”

A short while ago in this post I pointed out the fact that President Obama’s plan to nationalize even more of our nation’s economy, in this case student loans, would pull the rug out from under 30% of the Bank of North Dakota’s loan business. At the time, KXMB quoted Senator Kent Conrad as declaring that he’d fight to get an exemption for North Dakota’s “socialist bank.”

Now, according to this Washington Times story, Senator Conrad is going to try to make good on that promise. My response to this is not that it’s good for North Dakota; no, it’s symptomatic of a problem in Congress. Even worse, it’s distracting from the real problem: President Obama’s attempts to socialize even more of the economy.

The federal government is broke. It doesn’t have any money; it’s up to its eyeballs in debt. The last thing it should be doing is promising to loan out more money, but even more so to legislate itself a monopoly and take the student loan industry completely away from other banks. Someone should ask Senator Conrad the following: if this takeover of the student loan market is bad for North Dakota, then how can it be good for the rest of the nation?

Instead of addressing the real problem, the radical left agenda of his political party, Senator Conrad is trying to put a “bureaucratic band-aid” on the situation by pursuing special favors for his state. That doesn’t serve our state or our nation well. Instead of more politics as usual, Senator Conrad needs to use the example of the Bank of North Dakota as a reason why the federal government should not mess with the banking industry even further.

The only thing Senator Conrad has accomplished in this case is make North Dakota look like Louisiana or Nebraska, states rightly vilified for seeking special treatment in dysfunctional legislation that the people don’t want. Way to go, Senator. We North Dakotans sure are Hoping for Change when you’re up for re-election!

It’s a matter of perspective, really

I spotted this unique moon last night, actually. It was even more of a sliver than it is tonight, since it’s waxing from a recent new moon. What caught my eye is that the crescent appears completely horizontal, something I don’t remember seeing before. I knew I wanted a photo last night but I had two little toddlers to take home after our swimming excursion. No worries, I thought…I’ve got tomorrow night. Well, tomorrow became tonight, and it brought with it some challenges.

That’s an actual photo up there, folks. I did not cut out the moon and paste it next to the capitol, nor did I enlarge it in any way. Thus the title of this post, and the challenge I faced in chasing this shot.

First, I needed a prominent foreground object to showcase this moon. What better object than the capitol? That’s what I thought, although that presents its own challenges. Read on…

Second, I needed to get far enough away from my foreground object. Why? So it would appear small, and thus make the moon look relatively large. I can’t vary my distance from the moon to any significant degree, but a little bit makes a BIG difference with the foreground object, even one as large as the capitol. But with distance, my challenge was compounded. Why?

Third, I needed to be able to get a clear shot of the capitol from just the right position to get the moon next to it. Think that’s easy? Not hardly. I needed high ground, and even a few dozen yards makes a big difference in the perspective.

Fourth, I had to find this magic location at just the right time to catch the moon approaching the capitol. I didn’t want it above the capitol, nor did I want it directly beside it. I knew I didn’t want to Photoshop it, either…so I had to get it all right.

That’s why it was such a fun and stressful challenge to get this shot. I had to triangulate relative distance, position, and time for things to work out. This shot is the result of standing on a freezing sidewalk, shooting between two houses and just past/through a small tree. It worked. I was able to catch this unique sliver of moon next to our cities’ most prominent landmark, and I was able to do it without any digital trickery. Then it was a quick grocery errand for my lovely wife, and back here to share the photo with y’all.