Valley News Live’s Chris Berg has been very critical of Senator Heidi Heitkamp of late, specifically on the issue of the child abuse scandal at the Spirit Lake Reservation. As I noted previously, Senator Heitkamp has been largely silent on the issue until just recently. Berg’s criticism prompted a phone call from Senator Heitkamp’s Chief…
After Getting Called Out, Suddenly Heidi Heitkamp Cares About Spirit Lake Scandal
Earlier this week Rep. Kevin Cramer called out Senator Heidi Heitkamp over her position on the child abuse scandals at Spirit Lake. Rather than focusing on finding a way to protect the kids on the reservation, Senator Heitkamp and her political party have focused more on making political hay out of some controversial comments Cramer…
Cramer: "Politics" Keeps Heitkamp Silent On Spirit Lake Child Abuse
The Spirit Lake Indian Reservation has dire problems, most recently manifested in the death of a young child that is being investigated by the feds. When a news crew from NBC affiliate Valley News Live went on the reservation to report on the story of the child’s death, they were attacked. A few months ago,…
SAB On Television: Democrat Operative Attempts To Explain "War On Women" Rhetoric
Last night I was on Valley News Live’s 6:30 Point of View show with Chris Berg opposite Democrat party spokeswoman Rania Batrice. We covered a number of issues, including proposals in Grand Forks and Fargo to outlaw housing/employment discrimination against gays and the North Dakota Democrat Party’s “war on women” rhetoric. The segment was a…
Fargo News Crew Reportedly In Altercation On Spirit Lake Reservation
According to a source at Spirit Lake, and a source at NBC News affiliate Valley News Live, a camera crew sent from the Fargo TV station to the Spirit Lake reservation to cover the apparent death of a child was allegedly assaulted. The crew was going to interview Sister Joann Streifel, a tribal elder and…
Dorso Column: Legislature Should Demand Accountability For Tribal Appropriations
If you don’t get accountability from the state higher education system why would you expect it from a North Dakota’s tribal colleges? Back at the beginning of this century the legislature started giving an appropriation to the tribes for jobs training. That number has grown to 5 million dollars. During the 90’s a succession of…
ND Abused Women Advocate Disputes Characterization Of Kevin Cramer "Tirade"
The coverage of Rep. Kevin Cramer’s alleged “tirade” against Native American tribes at a meeting of domestic violence advocates has been a little odd. Based on exactly one account of Cramer’s comments from a known political operative, posting on a left-wing website no less, it has been reported that Cramer supposedly “verbally abused” the group…
Video: Spirit Lake Woman Speaks Out About Tribal Corruption
The “star” (for lack of a better word) of a PBS documentary about abuse and corruption at the Spirit Lake Reservation, Robin Poor Bear (Charboneau), was on Chris Berg’s Valley News Live show last night talking about her experiences. Here’s part one, you can view part 2 here. Valley News Live – KVLY/KXJB – Fargo/Grand…
Kevin Cramer's Spirit Lake Confrontation Sure Seems Like A Set Up
Earlier today I posted about the Spirit Lake Reservation tribal official who accused Rep. Kevin Cramer of “verbal abuse” being a political operative. It turns out that the story goes quite a bit deeper than that, and is actually connected to my having been kicked out of what was bill as a “independent media convention”…
Woman Who Accused Rep. Cramer Of "Verbal Abuse" Is A Democrat Operative
Yesterday news broke that a Spirit Lake Indian Reservation official had accused Rep. Kevin Cramer of “threats of violence” and “verbal abuse” during a discussion over his concerns about the Violence Against Women Act. The woman, one Melissa Merrick, posted her version of events online but so far that version hasn’t been corroborated by anyone…