A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a really bad bill in the North Dakoa Legislature, HB 1205, which starts banning books from our libraries. I've since learned there's another one, just as bad, SB 2123, which pretty much does the same kind of thing. One's in the House, the other in the Senate, … Continue reading Another Bad Book Banning Bill

Nothing in recent memory has stirred up as much emotion among Bad Lands enthusiasts as the goofy process now underway to rid Theodore Roosevelt National Park of its wild horse herd. The papers have been flooded with letters to the editor, and newspaper editors themselves have even published editorials telling the National Park Service to … Continue reading What To Do About The Wild Horses

I went to the North Dakota Department of Water Resources public hearing Friday on whether they should grant the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad permission to build a new bridge over the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan. To quote from the Department’s meeting notice, “The new bridge is intended to replace an existing … Continue reading How About A “Super Bridge?”

A lot of bad bills get introduced into the Legislature over the years. Most meet the fate they deserve—into the trash. But from time to time a bad bill becomes law because of timing. A Legislator catches a wave of public interest in a subject that’s in the news and takes advantage of that to … Continue reading Rise Up, Librarians. They’re Coming After Your Books.

DEAR PRAIRIE BLOG READERS, As of today I have signed off as a contributor to my favorite magazine, Dakota Country. I'm old, and I'm tired of a lifetime of deadlines. Today, January 1, 2023 (it's gonna take some time to get used to typing that number, and getting it right on checks) is the first … Continue reading Signing Off

Okay, indulge me one more time please, while I write just one more very personal column. Then I’ll shut up for a while, maybe even until after Christmas. I’m sitting in my hotel room at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco. It’s a place I’ve stayed before—sort of. On December … Continue reading Heading Home

The Army docs fixed me up just fine and sent me back to Waikiki late yesterday, just in time for a Goodbye-To-Oahu supper. Joined my family and they splurged for dessert. Today it is off to the Big Island of Hawai'i and Volcanoes National Park (if it is still there). First, a Bloody Mary on … Continue reading VACATION RESUMED!

Yesterday, December 7th, 2022, is a day that will live in infamy (to borrow a catchy phrase from my favorite president) for me. While visiting the USS Arizona Memorial on Pearl Harbor Day, I experienced severe chills in 80 degree weather. I went to the gift store and bought a really cool Pearl Harbor jacket, … Continue reading VACATION INTERRUPTED!

(NOTE: This article is reprinted from the December issue of Dakota Country magazine, on newstands and in the mail this week.) I wish I could tell you there’s a lot to see on Kendley Plateau, south of Medora. I wish I could, but I can’t, because there’s not much to see there. Mostly Bad Lands, … Continue reading Kendley Plateau: “The Heart of the Badlands”

Headlines from this week’s papers: “GOP grows supermajority in North Dakota’s Legislature; Dems have ‘collapsed completely’” “North Dakota sees worst voter turnout this millennium” “DFL wins full control of Minnesota government” “Minnesota voter turnout shaping up to be highest in nation yet again” The Democratic-NPL Party (my party, sadly) in North Dakota is now almost … Continue reading What If They Gave An Election In North Dakota And Nobody Came?