NORTH DAKOTA AHEAD IN OIL PRODUCTION
Yes, North Dakota is ahead in oil production and in some areas even in computer technology, but oh! It is woefully behind the rest of the country in social justice, anti-discrimination and women’s rights.
The N.D. Senate just passed, by a very narrow vote of 24 to 23, to include its new “embryo
measure.” For those living in a cocoon, the “embryo measure” the North Dakota Senate just passed defines a human being as an “individual member of the species homo sapiens at every stage of development.” Seriously. No one could make this sort of non-scientific, irrational, right wing religious thinking up. I wonder. Does this mean the tiny little round marker on my left thumb means it is a “member of the species homo sapien,” too? Gee, I just thought it was the beginning of a regular ugly old wart. Good thing I don’t live in North Dakota! Because I plan on zapping that whatever it is soon. They also passed a new measure determining no abortions can be conducted if a fetus is beyond 20 weeks. That’s two weeks shorter than the legal United States Supreme Court ruling on Roe vs Wade.
I wonder how many North Dakota tax-paying citizens are also aware these two bills will require the state to expand Medicaid coverage to all pregnant women. The last budget analysis estimates another $9 million dollars annually for this alone. Did I also mention the state is projecting to spend another $60 million just defending the measures?
The only hope North Dakota citizens have presently in stopping these draconian measures from becoming law is with the N.D. House vote. For the sake of every female living in North Dakota, let’s hope there are more people who believe in individual rights and choices in the N.D.
House of Representatives than there obviously (and sadly) are in the N.D. Senate.
I first moved into the Midwestern portion of the country (it was to North Dakota) in 1971. I lived in N.D. for six years before leaving. I was shocked at how little the people in the area where I lived knew about the rest of the world, or even cared about how the world changes for all people in the remaining 49 states. These were not mentally deficient people. Ignorant perhaps, but by nomeans incapable of grasping the idea there was and is a whole world with different beliefs, both politically as well as religious, with needs, ideals, and dreams apart from the standard “well, it’s always been this way and if it was good enough for my great-grandmother, then it should be good enough for me and everyone else as well. So buck up, honey! This is the way it is.”
When we came back to the Midwest we moved to Minneapolis and it was nice to live among people who understood that time stands still for no one, and if life is to progress and be better for everyone, regardless of political affiliation, religious creed, sexual orientation or color, everyone needs to respect others and allow them the benefit of leading their lives to become and to be the people they are with the beliefs they have. We have remained in Minnesota for political reasons. And while I certainly don’t claim Minnesota is a green oasis in the midst of a dry desert, one thing I am sure of is that our politicians for the majority are not trying to take away human and individual rights, or twist already-determined laws for the benefit of those who simply can do it, or for the minority of legislators who somehow believe they stand on higher ground with some egomaniacal concept about how “morally” superior they are.
What’s really ironic about the last passage of laws the North Dakota Senate has made is to compare how they just stripped every female over the age of 15 of her own individual will to make a decision regarding her own body, then ask any one of these same legislators how they feel about having to comply with the federal government on tighter gun control measures. The only people who can make a difference in the single-minded direction North Dakota’s so-called political leaders are taking each and every citizen who pays taxes and votes is by finding people to run who want what is the best for every woman, man and child versus some Neanderthal idea that everyone’s belief system as to what decent and humane “morality” is and that everyone’s should match.
The many caring, thinking and self-sacrificing people of North Dakota must do more to find candidates who have at least some measure of what is progressive, open-minded thinking versus keeping a state that still hasn’t managed to hit a million in population from continuing to lose its best and brightest. If not for your sake, do it for your children’s sake at least!
IT MAY BE TIME TO PRIVATIZE MOORHEAD
To say Moorhead’s latest snow mess wasn’t exactly that—a total mess – would be like pretending some of us just didn’t get any snow! And apparently, that’s exactly what some of those who do plowing for the city must believe. The day after the snow monsoon hit, I backed out of our driveway and was amazed that our street still had not been plowed. It was 2 p.m. the day after. I drove down 20th Avenue south and realized as I was passing several blocks west of our house that all of those streets had been plowed. That’s very odd, I thought, so I went back to the avenue just north of our house and traveled eastward to see just how many streets had been plowed. I got to our street and it was still the same mess, so I moved one more block to the next street. Nope, it hadn’t been done either. Instead of trekking through a non-plowed street three feet deep with snow and risking getting stuck, I opted for the next major artery, which would have been 20th Street south. But – wait a minute! I’m looking at 19th Street south, and it has been plowed out. Onward to 20th and sure enough, it also had been plowed. I called Mark Altenburg who is my council rep and asked what they heck was the deal? He had no idea, but said he would find out. I decided to find out on my own, so I paid a visit to Chad Martin, Moorhead’s head of Public Works and most definitely snow plowing. I explained all the street from 13th to 20th Street south were plowed completely from 20th Avenue south to 12th Avenue south except TWO, which are in the middle of the entire area I described. 17th and 18th Streets south were completely unplowed from 20th Avenue to 12th Avenue south. Could you explain this to me, please, Mr. Martin. No, he could not. And I’m still waiting on an answer from Mark or Chad or anyone for that matter.
Brenda Elmer has a good idea to at least consider. Maybe it really is time to look at private contractors. I’m betting whoever wins a contract to plow snowed-under streets in winter will be able to count in a consecutive order, too!
Questions or comments please send to: sooasheim@aol.com or to P.O. Box 123, Fargo, ND, 58107.