This will probably be my last post on Rep. Dwight Kiefert’s (R-Valley City) adventures in semi-literate social media commentary, but I couldn’t help but post his response to his claim that “homisexuals” are “metally ill” being made public. The Fargo Forum has picked up on the story – days after it first appeared here on…
Republican Lawmaker Calls Homosexuals "Mentally Ill" After Supreme Court Ruling
This week was a week of controversial rulings from the Supreme Court, and not surprisingly those rulings elicited a lot of emotional responses on social media. But one North Dakota lawmaker may have let his emotions get the best of him. Rep. Dwight Kiefert, a Republican from Valley City, took to his personal Facebook account after…
North Dakota Senate Says No Letting School Districts Arm Employees
In North Dakota there is a big resource gap between rural schools and urban schools. The urban schools have large tax bases which allow them the sort of budget flexibility it takes to hire law enforcement resource officers. The rural schools, not so much. So a creative solution to the problem is legislation which would…
No Prayer Is No Solution
As an atheist I’ve never really had much of an opinion one way or the other about religious invocations before public meetings. It’s not my thing, so I tend to be ambivalent, but I understand how those who adhere to one spiritual school of thought or another can find them inspiring and uplifting, particularly coming…
Republican Group Takes Down Apology Over Muslim Invocation
Once the controversy over a Muslim invocation that was supposed to have been delivered to the state House of Representatives began making headlines (I was the first to write about it on Thursday) the Republicans who objected to the invocation began making apologies. Rep. Dwight Kiefert, who has been at the heart of the controversy,…
ND Lawmaker Hints At Boycott If Muslim Leader Is Invited Back For Invocation
The decision by some house lawmakers to reject an invocation which was to have been delivered to North Dakota House on Ash Wednesday has created no small amount of controversy and attracted national media attention. Now a lawmaker at the center of the controversy is hinting at a boycott, and his political party is putting…
Audio: Rep. Keifert, CAIR Representative Discuss Controversy Over Muslim Invocation
I was the first to post about the controversy in North Dakota’s state House yesterday concerning some protests over a Muslim leader delivering that day’s invocation (he ended up skipping the House and reading it to the Senate instead). Today, to bring the story full circle, I had on Rep. Dwight Kiefert (R-Valley City) and…
Muslim Group Calls On Republicans To Apologize For Opposing Islamic Invocation
The Minnesota chapter of CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) is demanding that North Dakota Republicans apologize for opposing an invocation that was to be delivered earlier this week (on Ash Wednesday) to the state House. As I wrote at Watchdog today, Dr. Nadim Koleilat of the Bismarck Muslim Communinity Center, delivered an address to…
Republicans Object To Muslim Delivering Invocation To Legislature
I usually don’t pay much attention to the invocations given before legislative floor sessions. From what I’ve observed, they invite a number of leaders across denominations to deliver an invocation each day as the lawmakers gavel in for floor work. I’ve seen everyone from Lutherans and Catholics to Native American leaders give the invocation. Yesterday…
From The Left: School Gun Bill Seems Appropriate
I may surprise a few people this week, but after closely studying House Bill No. 1195, I am inclined to support it. The bill give school districts the authority to designate an individual to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds, but only after undergoing background checks, additional training on both firearms and violence prevention,…