It’s almost here. 2024, An election year. I get the feeling that most North Dakotans, like their fellow Americans, shudder at the thought. That’s okay. Politics in America, which I used to call “my favorite spectator sport,” has taken a sad turn away from what used to be the path to the most successful democracy … Continue reading So Which Cabinet Post Should Burgum Pick?

I wrote last week about the battle between the Short family and the Billings County Commission, and how it is going to finally go to court in January. The Short family, descendants of the late U.S. Congressman Don Short, own the land on the west side of the Little Missouri State Scenic River—the west end … Continue reading Where’s The Most Expensive Pasture Land in North Dakota? Looks Like It’s In Billings County.

The heirs of North Dakota’s United States Congressman Donald Levingston Short are going to get their day in court. You can join them if you sit quietly in Courtroom 1 of the United States Courthouse in Bismarck on Monday, January 22, 2024. At precisely 9:00 a.m., U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor will gavel the audience … Continue reading Billings County Lawsuit Hearing Scheduled

Eventually, I kept saying, everyone is going to get Covid. Everyone. Eventually. My “eventually” time came this past week. Lillian and I came home from New York with raging cases of Covid. It’s the worst disease I’ve ever had. It’s the sickest I’ve ever been. For a full week. We came home late Saturday night. … Continue reading If Covid Wants You . . .

Okay, so we don’t have a Speaker of the House. And there’s no one stepping forward from the ranks of the U.S. House Republican caucus to grab the gavel. Well, no problem. The House can pick anyone it wants to be the Speaker, according to Article I, Section II, Clause 5, of the U.S. Constitution, … Continue reading Doug Burgum For Speaker?

Okay, this is kind of a big deal. I’ve been friends with Tweed Roosevelt for almost 30 years. We’ve hunted and fished and sat around campfires together in North Dakota, and we’ve spent wonderful days and nights at his home on Martha’s Vineyard. Now, this week, I’m just going to sit and listen to him. … Continue reading Another Roosevelt In North Dakota This Week.

I swear, I thought this was a spoof story, a la The Onion, until I got down to the bottom and saw this:  "NAGA president Eunice Davidson released a statement through thegroup’s media advisors Global Impact Campaigns. Global Impact Campaigns is run by marketing and PR veterans who have worked as strategists for various government, … Continue reading Bring Back The Name “Redskins.” Now I’ve Seen It All.

In a file cabinet at the Billings County Clerk of Court’s office in Medora there are four checks totaling $54,975 waiting to be picked up by members of the Short family, owners of a ranch about a dozen miles north of town. County Clerk of Court Juliana Hammerstrom is not holding her breath waiting for … Continue reading The Check’s In The Mail . . . Er . . . At The Courthouse

Note: This is a re-run of something I wrote a dozen years ago today, September 11, 2011. And now I'm going to forget what today's date is and have a good day in the garden. Yes, it has been a long ten years. On August 29, 2001, I sat beside my wife’s bed as she … Continue reading September 11 Thoughts Revisited

Okay, a couple of months ago I bit on Doug Burgum’s now-famous gambit to send $20 gift cards to anyone who would send him a dollar to help him qualify for the debate last week. I sent him a dollar on July 17. I immediately got an e-mail that said “Thank you for your donation! … Continue reading Gift Cards, Golf Balls, Toddler Shirts and Koozies. Good Grief.