Author: Jim Fuglie

My friend Darrell Dorgan used to be a darned good journalist. Still would be if he hadn’t retired. But he’s a careful observer of the world around him, especially the political world, and he sits down at his computer from time to time and hammers out things worth reading. Here’s an example he sent me … Continue reading Our Treasury Secretary is A Soy Bean Farmer. Yeah, Right.

I don’t usually comment on national issues in this space. I have plenty to worry about in my own state, and my own back yard, to spend much time worrying about things I can’t control or influence. But this President . . . I was reading through my online newspaper subscriptions this morning, and I … Continue reading Politicizing Government

Tomorrow is the deadline for submitting comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding their plan to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Act, which prohibits roadbuilding, drilling for oil and harvesting timber—in essence all development except cattle grazing and rancher access—on the Inventoried Roadless Areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service. That decision would … Continue reading Repealing The Roadless Rule Is A Really Bad Idea

A good friend and golfing buddy, Sam McQuade, died this morning. He was felled by a stroke a couple years ago and lived his last weeks at Missouri Slope Nursing Home, something he could never have imagined he’d do. He’s only been gone hours, but I’m sure he’s trying really hard to meet up somewhere … Continue reading The Budman’s Gone. Dang, We’ll Miss Him.

Kevin Cramer and I have been friends for more than 30 years. Surprised to read that?  Well, as Paul Harvey used to say, here’s “the rest of the story.” Our friendship began at a chance meeting at the back of the bar in Peacock Alley, in the old Patterson Hotel in downtown Bismarck. It was … Continue reading Time To Do Something Positive

Most (maybe all?) of my readers don’t know that I went to college on an athletic scholarship. Well, for the first year, anyway. More about that in a minute. First I want to talk about golf. I grew up playing golf. My dad was the club champion at his 9-hole sand green course in Hettinger … Continue reading My Golfing Days Come To An End

Saturday is Bruce Hagen’s birthday. He would have been 95. He passed away quietly Thursday of old age. So I want to tell you my favorite Bruce Hagen story. He won’t be able to read it, but if he could have, he’d remember it. I’ve already told it to a few of you, too. Here … Continue reading My Favorite Bruce Hagen Story

I have a lot of friends, which is mostly a function of my age. You can accumulate a lot of them in seven-plus (okay, almost eight) decades. Among them are Jim and Loah Clement from Mandan, North Dakota. I’ve known them since we were all three learning to walk. We grew up together in Hettinger, … Continue reading Reminiscing

Here's an e-mail plea for volunteer help at the North Dakota Heritage Center. I know a lot of my readers are old and retired, like me, and if you have free time and want to have fun in it, call Beth Campbell at the Heritage Center, 328-2666. Or send her an e-mail at bcampbell@nd.gov. Lillian's … Continue reading Help Wanted

I know, I know, that headline might be redundant. Some "Children" and "Legislators.” Luckily, I have two good Legislators, Sen. Sean Cleary and Rep. Bob Martinson, who both voted against SB 2307, the school and library censorship bill. But not so my third Legislator. I won’t print her name here, but her initials are Karen … Continue reading Caution: Some Language May Not Be Appropriate For Some Children And Legislators