A pro-Israel group has launched an ad, with a $225,000 buy behind it according to their press release, ripping Senator Heidi Heitkamp for supporting the Obama administration’s deal with Iran. The ad features Marine veteran Grant Neal telling the audience that the deal “unlocked $150 billion for global terror.” The ad “will air on Fargo…
A North Dakota School May Be Getting AR-15’s for Security, and What’s the Big Deal?
For some reason a request put in by the Bismarck Police Department for AR-15’s, to be kept (and hopefully never used outside of training) by school resource officers in that jurisdiction is making national news. I can’t figure out why. Is it the model of the gun? The much-hyped AR-15 which has been much derided…
Secretary of State Approves Recreational Marijuana Measure for the Ballot
Today Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s office approved a third ballot measure for North Dakotans to vote on in November. The organizers behind a measure to legalize recreational marijuana submitted 15,777 signatures. Of those 738 were disqualified for various reasons, leaving the measure with a signature total 1,587 more than the law requires. Here’s the…
The Truth Is Inconvenient for Senator Heitkamp’s Political Strategy
Last month I noted that Senator Heidi Heitkamp has put herself in a political position where she needs her constituents to feel pain. The self-styled “independent” voted with the rest of the national Democratic party against the Trump tax cuts. She has positioned herself in opposition to Trump’s efforts on trade. Heitkamps needs North Dakotans…
North Dakota Democrats Schedule Rally With Group Which Supports the #NoDAPL Protesters
According to this report in the Bismarck Tribune, the North Dakota Democratic Party will be holding a rally in Bismarck on Sunday coordinated with the Lakota People’s Law Project (the Renewable Energy Caucus mentioned is, per the FEC, affiliated officially with the Democratic Party). The LPLP is a group which was and still is heavily invested…
Billionaire Who Funded Marsy’s Law Campaign Busted for Drug Trafficking in Las Vegas
The Marsy’s Law campaign here in North Dakota was the pet project of California billionaire Henry Nicholas who has spent millions pushing ballot measures here in North Dakota and elsewhere. In fact, in our state, Nicholas was pretty much the only contributor to the measure campaign, paying for signature collectors and a slick media campaign…
The Public Deserves Details About the Cost of Governor Burgum’s Security
For a while now there has been a lot of hot gossip in North Dakota’s capitol building about Governor Doug Burgum’s travel expenses and his security expenses. The rumors hold that Burgum has traveled excessively and often has an excessive security detail in tow. State Auditor Josh Gallion, to his credit, took a look at…
What Happens if the Ethanol Bubble Pops?
I’m not sure many people in the general public realize just how much of farming today is in service of the ethanol industry. I got to thinking about this thanks to a recent (and fascinating) article from Bloomberg about land use in the United States of America. The representation of land dedicated to ethanol caught…
We Definitely Should Not Use the Legacy Fund for an Alaska-Style Permanent Dividend
My Sunday print column was about North Dakota’s Legacy Fund, a constitutional amendment initiated by the Legislature and approved by the voters which diverts a hefty chunk of oil tax revenues into a fund which now holds billions of dollars for which there is no defined public purpose. In my column I argue that it’s…
Cramer Campaign Asks Conservative Political Action Committee to Cease and Desist, Compares Them to “Scam PAC” Operation
Recently you may have seen a fundraising pitch from a group calling themselves the Conservative Campaign Committee launching a project they’re calling Operation North Dakota. The goal of the operation, per their release on the subject, is to defeat incumbent Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, but her opponent Kevin Cramer doesn’t want their help. Ryan Gill,…