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ND NEWS

This from The Forum's editorial.

The Forum
North Dakota and Minnesota senators should vote for a U.S. Senate rule change that would allow an up/down simple majority vote on the president's judicial nominees. Or better yet, minority senators should scrap their filibuster altogether, thus avoiding a rule change tussle.

The use of the filibuster to block consideration of the nominees might be within the rules of the Senate. But using the 60-vote hurdle to prevent qualified nominees for U.S. circuit courts from a confirmation vote is at best abuse of the filibuster, at worst in-your-face obstructionism by minority Democrats.

And they offer up some advice for the Democratic tag-team as well...

Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., should put partisan considerations aside and help secure a Senate vote for the president's choices for the circuit courts. If a few sensible Democrats vote with Republicans this week to return the filibuster to legitimacy, some of the tarnish might be polished off the Senate's image.

Here's what I think Senate Republicans should do at this point:
#1) Let the Dems filibuster their hearts out for a few weeks. It will get them loads of negative press and make them look like the babies they are to the American people.
#2) Eventually change the rules to an up or down vote.

This is a winnable PR fight for the Republicans. I think Americans side with the Right on one of the Left's big knocks on Priscilla Owens (parental consent for abortions on 12 year old children) and they should bring up the fact that a grand total of zero of Clinton's judicial nominees were denied an up or down vote because of a filibuster by Republicans.

I received a letter back from Kent Conrad (D-ND) after urging him not to filibuster these qualified nominees. His response suggests he will follow party lines on this issue. If he doesn't cross the line he will definitely be giving his 2006 challenger more ammo with which to attack.

That being said, I feel this whole hissy-fit on each side is just a build up to the real fight---the Supreme Court nominations later in the term, as early as this summer. That's when the real fighting will begin.

More on the issue from the guys over at TakingBackND here.

ND NEWS

Our neighbors to the east once again have their 2nd amendment right to carry a concealed weapon. The MN House easily passed a bill reinstating the right to carry a concealed firearm after a similar 2003 bill was overturned by the courts because it passed as part of an unrelated bill.

The most heated debate came as a result of the following provisions:

The Forum-
Bill supporters turned back nine efforts to restrict guns in many places, including churches, schools, theaters and bars. Guns would not be permitted in schools, but would be in their parking lots.

I have no problem with these provisions, but from the article it looks like the liberals from the Twins Cities area were pretty up in arms. I am interested in hearing what everyone's take is on the school parking lot provision. That is where the most heated debate took place according to last night's newscast. In fact one of the Republicans that I campaigned for last November actually voted against the bill based on that one detail.

ND NEWS

According to the reasoning behind this e-mail from Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) to North Dakota Democrats, Earl should be absolutely irate with Kent Conrad (D-ND).

The Forum- Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., took action within days of The Forum's May 2 report that the White House has been courting Jim Poolman to run against him.

In an e-mailed fundraising message to Democrats, Pomeroy wrote: "As you can see from the article below which appeared in The Forum, Washington partisans once again have their sights set on North Dakota's House seat." The letter includes the May 2 edition of Political Notebook.

Pomeroy asks supporters to "help offset the money the White House and other national Republicans are certain to flood our state with in an effort to take me out" and send him $250, $100, $50, "even $10 - whatever your family budget allows."

And so why should Earl by irate with Gaylord Kent???

TakingBackND- So far this year 96% of the money raised by Kent Conrad has come from outside interests and PACs. I'm sure we in North Dakota are getting the attention we "pay" for.

According to Earl's own logic and reasoning he should be irate with Kent Conrad. After all it is Conrad who already has accepted the "flood" of money from "Washington partisans." Conrad's big money boys from Washington account for a whopping 98% of the donations of $200 and over.

I won't be holding my breath for the Earl Pomeroy outburst over the "flood" of money that Conrad has already accepted from "Washington partisans" the way he blew up Jim Poolman for the money he feels Poolman is "certain" to accept some time in the future.

ND NEWS

I've finally returned from my back and forth travel between Fargo and Omaha. As some of you know I'm going to dental school there next fall and got a chance to check out the city, found a place to live, and toured Offutt Air Force Base just south of the city.
Anyways, I missed out on blogging on some big stories out of North Dakota, but it looks like Rob did an excellent job covering the stories. I won't rehash everything all over again but I did want to get in a few quick takes.

BRAC List:
What a huge range of emotions in the state. Elation in Minot, despair in Grand Forks.

Minot, the smallest town with the largest base, absolutely needed to survive this round of cuts and they did. With many other northern border bases either shut down completely (i.e. Ellsworth in Rapid City) or downsized considerably (see Grand Forks below), Minot AFB is in great position to survive future cuts as well.

Basically there was no news for Fargo's Air Guard base. They knew the old F-16's were on the way out and that a new mission awaited the "Hooligans." BRAC only confirmed that.

And then there is Grand Forks AFB, set to lose 80% of its active personnel and 350+ civilian jobs---ouch. They now turn their attention on escaping the BRAC choke-hold once again. They have done it before (1995) and city leaders feel that they can do it again. I remain much more skeptical.

Hoeven Top Governor in Nation:

No surprise there. It seems every time I open a newspaper and see his name, nothing but good news seems to follow. He runs a tight ship over in Bismarck and has avoided almost any turbulence with the North Dakota taxpayers over 4+ years.

Since the Democrats took control of our Senate seats nearly 20 years ago, there has never been a potential challenger to the Democratic dynasty like the one Hoeven presents. Most of you know that he is seriously considering a run against Kent Conrad (D-ND) next year. As it stands now, he has all of the momentum in the world to pull off the upset. That and plenty of support (read: money) from GOPers on the national level. He hasn't announced anything yet, but behind the scenes he is wisely building the base for a successful run if he chooses to do so. Let's hope he does. Let's hope he wins.

ND NEWS

Here is the North Dakota information section of UporDownVote.com. It has the contact information for our 2 Democratic Senators in Washington as well as a generic message that you can copy and paste to your e-mail. It only takes about 2 minutes to do both.

Here is the entire generic message:

I am writing to urge you to support President Bush's nominees to the nation's federal courts during the 109th Congress. President Bush has nominated qualified jurists who will uphold the laws of the land and not legislate from the bench. These nominees deserve your support.

If you cannot support the President's judicial nominees, however, I urge you to do your constitutional duty and at least give them the courtesy of a vote. During 2003 and 2004, some U.S. Senators took the unprecedented step of filibustering President Bush's judicial nominees. In fact, 20% of President Bush's circuit court nominees did not even get an up or down vote. This is totally unacceptable!

Our courts are the backbone of our judicial system. Without judges on the bench, our judicial system cannot operate effectively. As a result of the vacancy crisis facing many of our federal courts, our system of democracy is being jeopardized. You can do something to correct this problem by ensuring that the President's nominees get a vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

It is in that spirit that I urge you to support the President's judicial nominees and give them the vote they deserve.

Thank you for your consideration.

These 2 are in a bind on this issue, Conrad especially. We all know that he is up for re-election next year and needs to satisfy his constituents or forever be known as Tom Daschle II. Unfortunately for him I suspect his party leaders and the majority of his constituents have deep disagreements on this issue. It'll be interesting to see what Sen. Conrad decides to do.

ND NEWS

As I predicted earlier in the day, the proposed 1/2 cent sales tax extension to fund a Renaissance Center in downtown Fargo fell to defeat---big time. With 100% of the polls reporting it looks like a 71-29 landslide against the extension. Nice move Fargo.

I had a hunch that the measure lacked enough support for the 60% majority needed to pass, but by no means did I expect such a lopsided blowout. And the good news is that the cost of this special election ( reportedly $30,000+) wasn't paid for on the taxpayer's dime.

As I posted on a couple of weeks back, there wasn't a viable tenant to ensure consistent revenues for the Center. That's why this project never got off of the ground. The people of Fargo realized that a $40 million facility in downtown could not be held afloat by a bush league minor league hockey team. It simply wasn't worth placing a $40 million bet on minor league hockey to succeed in Fargo.

ND NEWS

According to an article in the Forum this weekend, it appears as though our 3 Democrats in Washington may have some ties with the big ethics scandal currently swirling around House Majority Leader Tom Delay.

The Forum- In mid-March, Washington, D.C., watchdog groups and news reports listed Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., as a suspected ethics violator, along with embattled Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, because of a trip to South Korea.

Last week, BusinessWeek Online implied Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., was a recipient of the "avid schmoozing" of Jack Abramoff, a DeLay associate and tribal lobbyist now under federal investigation by a panel of which Dorgan is vice chairman.

And about two months ago, the Arizona Republic reported Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., had "received at least $2,000 from tribes linked to Abramoff."

After reading the entire article, the ties to Jack Abramoff do not seem very striking and I highly doubt any disciplinary actions will be taken on any of the three. Reps for each of the three adamantly deny any links to Abramoff and say that the proper paperwork was filed with federal election officials. But then again Tom Delay's reps are taking the same type of tone.

This ethics debate is far from over and by the time it is, I suspect many, many more ethics violations will be brought to light as Republicans retaliate. This one's gonna get ugly.

If Delay continues to take heat with these ethics charges, thus damaging the image of Republicans nationwide, I think this photo from last week may certainly foreshadow his fate as House Majority Leader.

ND NEWS

I just got back from voting in the special election here in Fargo on the proposed Renaissance Center in downtown that I posted on here. The only measure on the ballot is the proposed 1/2 cent sales tax extension to fund the Center so I would safely say that voter turnout is going to be very low today. At the polling station in my neighborhood this morning I only saw 1 other voter in the time that I was there.

A poll out by the Forum suggests that although 60% of Fargoans opposed the tax extension, those most likely to vote are in favor of the extension. A 60% majority is needed to pass the proposal. My guess is that it will fall to defeat but get around 50% of the support from today's voters.

Polls close at 7 PM Central and I will be updating this post as soon as the results are in tonight.

More info on the Renaissance Center here.

UPDATE:
As I predicted earlier in the day, the proposed 1/2 cent sales tax extension to fund a Renaissance Center in downtown Fargo fell to defeat--�big time. With 100% of the polls reporting it looks like a 71-29 landslide against the extension. Nice move Fargo.

I had a hunch that the measure lacked enough support for the 60% majority needed to pass, but by no means did I expect such a lopsided blowout. And the good news is that the cost of this special election ( reportedly $30,000+) wasn't paid for on the taxpayer's dime.

As I posted on a couple of weeks back, there wasn't a viable tenant to ensure consistent revenues for the Center. That's why this project never got off of the ground. The people of Fargo realized that a $40 million facility in downtown could not be held afloat by a bush league minor league hockey team. It simply wasn't worth placing a $40 million bet on minor league hockey to succeed in Fargo.

ND NEWS

Here's a quick little pop quiz for everyone. Tell me who was the sources of each of the following quotes are:

Taking Back ND-

1) "[Investing] will earn a higher return and keep social security sound for 55 years."

2) "Most of us have no problem with taking a small amount of Social Security proceeds and putting it into the private sector."

3) "I was at the Social Security summit at the White House, along with 40 of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats. And there was virtual unanimity of opinion that we simply have to get a higher return from the social security investments."

4) "[E]ven after you take account of the stock market going down and maybe staying down for a few years shouldn't we consider investing some of this money, because, otherwise, we'll have to either cut benefits or raise taxes to cover them, if we can't raise the rate of return."

5) "[W]hat I believe we should do is to invest a modest amount of this in the private sector, the way every other retirement plan does. The Arizona state retirement plan does; every municipal retirement plan does; every private plan does."

My initial thoughts were top ranking GOP officials, namely President Bush. Never did I suspect any of these staunch privitization opponents:

1)President Bill Clinton (State Of The Union, 1/19/99)
2)Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Fox News Sunday, 2/14/99)
3)Sen. Kent Conrad (Fox News' Special Report, 1/20/99)
4)President Bill Clinton (Remarks Via Satellite To The Regional Congressional Social Security Forums, Albuquerque, NM, 7/27/98)
5)President Bill Clinton (Remarks to the citizens of Tucson on Medicare and Social Security, Tucson, AZ, 2/25/99)

Harry Reid's quote should be on a bill board on every highway in Nevada. I guess waaay back in '99 privitization was a good idea, but not now. Now he calls it a risky gamble that will gut social security. This couldn't be more partisan politics again could it?

ND NEWS

This out of Minot (ND) about a star high school wrestler who beat up a liquor store clerk until she gave him back his fake I.D.

The Forum A five-time state champion wrestler and North Dakota State recruit accused of assault will be able to attend his high school graduation, despite an earlier order by a judge that Kenneth Haugen be jailed during the ceremony.

Northwest District Judge Douglas Mattson has signed an amended judgment that allows Haugen to be released from jail for 21/2 hours on May 22, the day of Bishop Ryan High School's commencement.

During graduation, Haugen will be escorted by a third person who is not a member of his family. That person must be approved by the court.

Haugen pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor charges of misrepresentation of age and simple assault. He was ordered to serve 10 days in jail starting May 20, the last day of classes.

Authorities said Haugen tried to buy alcohol at the Grog Shop in Minot last Sept. 5, and assaulted the clerk who confiscated a fake identification card. Police said a security videotape showed Haugen knocked down the clerk and struck her until he had retrieved the card

I guess this has been an ongoing news story up in Minot throughout the year as this kid wrestled his way to another state championship again this season. I wonder if they say he wrestles like a 21-year old?

My problem with all of this lies in the actions of NDSU. They are allowing him to wrestle next year and I am assuming (hopefully correctly) that he will be on scholarship. It doesn't sit well with me that a kid who didn't beat up a liquor store clerk is going to be passed over for a limited number of scholarships for someone who did beat up on a female liquor store clerk. Perhaps someone can confirm or refute whether or not he gets a scholarship.

ND NEWS

Today in Fargo there is a fund raiser over at Hornbachers on 32nd put on by the ND National Guard 141st Engineer Combat Battalion to raise money for "Mrs. M" and her family. The family is from Iraq and they played a critical role as informants for our own North Dakota soldiers from the 141st. Unfortunately "Mr. M" payed the ultimate price for his efforts as he was murdered by insurgents this past January. Because of this "Mrs. M" and her children now fear for their lives in Iraq.

The soldiers of the 141st have now made it their mission to get this family out of harms way in Iraq and into a safe home here in Fargo.

The Forum- "This family was such a huge part of saving American lives, especially North Dakota lives," Beckert said. "They gave us such good intelligence to curb that terrorism."

But since "Mr. M.'s" murder in January, his family's concern for safety has steadily grown. Members of the 141st have made it their personal mission to help get the family to the United States...

Capt. Grant Wilz of Bismarck hopes $10,000 in money and/or household item donations will be raised to help the family during their first six months here.

"He was a true patriot for the liberation of Iraq," Wilz said of "Mr. M."

"We want to do this effort " to assist this family in their transition from life in fear and poverty in Iraq to hopefully making a life of their own," he added.

Wilz said "Mr. M.'s" family is under "significant threat and danger," so he can't say when they will leave Iraq for Fargo.

If we didn't know enough about the character of our soldiers defending us overseas, we do now. What a loyal bunch of guys.

I think this story also says something about the people of Iraq. We saw it during their elections earlier this year (remember the purple fingers?) and we have seen it again now. These people are willing to put their own lives in danger in order to live in freedom, away from the oppression and tyranny of the Hussein regime.

I actually just got back from Hornbachers where I had brats and got a chance to talk with some of the soldiers. That was the best $20 brat I ever had. The soldiers of the 141st were playing a slide-show for the crowd of all their pictures from Iraq. Definitely not the type of footage that would find its way to the American television viewer via the liberal media . You know, soldiers blowing bubbles with little Iraqi kids, Iraqi men waving American flags, U.S. soldiers piping running water into areas of Iraq that have never had running water before, repulsive stuff like that.

Basically the kind of footage that makes the Left cringe in horror.

Click here for more information on "Mr. M"

If anyone is willing to help out this courageous woman and her 7 children click here for donation options.

UPDATE
Here's a picture I took of our Conressional Rep Earl P0meroy (D-N.D.) out braving the elements and serving up some brats for the sizeable crowd in attendance.



According to everything I've read, Earl is helping our soldiers out by cutting through a lot of immigration red tape to get this family to saftey in the US. Hats off to Rep. Pomeroy for helping the soldiers carry out their new mission.

Also, Gov. Hoeven was scheduled to be at the fund-raiser. Unfortunately I missed out on him. That would have been another great pic.

ND NEWS

Call it bizarro-North Dakota. In lieu of the upcoming base closures the city of Concord, CA is working overtime to see to it that their military base will be closed.

USA Today- This city of 124,000 northeast of San Francisco has taken the unusual step of asking the Defense Department to close a naval weapons station here. Its sprawling acres are far more valuable for development in the USA's priciest metropolitan housing market than the station's 100 civilian jobs, the city says.

That's hard to fathom given the hoopla in this state about fighting tooth and nail to keep our 3 bases around. As crazy as it sounds, it is a pretty wise decision on the part of the city. This rarely used base looks like it has a lot of potential of development and real estate. How ironic would it be if they kept theirs and we lost one of ours??

ND NEWS

As some of you already know, North Dakota is in the process of choosing a design for our state quarter. Here are the 2 finalists:


I'm not too excited about either, though I'd vote for the Buffalo design if I had a gun to my head.

Here is Conan O'Brien's idea of what the ND state quarter should look like....


And South Dakota's.....


Funny stuff. Maybe the latest version could be a drunk ice fisherman or even better---a meth lab. Who wouldn't love to see a meth lab on the back of the North Dakota state quarter. Any other ideas???

ND NEWS

The Forum's editorial in today's paper takes on the issue of air base closures here in North Dakota, definitely a popular topic. However, the stand they take I imagine will get some unpopular reviews.

The Forum- The case to keep the Air Guard's best fighter unit in Fargo must be based first on the value of its mission to the nation's defense, and second on its economic value and historic ties to the region."

Those words also apply to the big Air Force bases at Grand Forks and Minot. All three bases, after all, exist to defend the nation. That is their paramount purpose, their mission. That they also are economic engines for the region is important, but should not be the primary reason for keeping them open

I have to agree with them 100%. While all North Dakotans appreciate the economic impact that these bases give to our state, this impact is only a by-product of their primary purpose. That purpose is the defense of our country. If our bases are not what America needs to defend itself for 21st century warfare, then we as North Dakotans have to respect that decision, even if we don't like it.

And memo to Senator Kent Conrad and Co. Your petition sign-up list will have zero impact on the BRAC decision. Quit trying to shamelessly get publicity over this issue.

ND NEWS
Kind of a surprise....

Tax Commissioner Rick Clayburgh resigned today to take a job with the North Dakota Bankers Association, effective May 31.

The Republican office-holder, who was elected to his third term last November, submitted his letter to Gov. John Hoeven this afternoon.

Clayburgh was considered by most as an up and coming Republican with the potential to knock off one of the 3 Democratic Congressmen. He got 48% against Rep. Earl Pomeroy in a 2002 loss and seemed to be poised for future success. Outside of Gov. John Hoeven and former Gov. Ed Schaefer, Rick Clayburgh was at the head of the pack for our side.

It seems as though he just wanted some job stability and not have to worry about getting re-elected again and again. I'm sure that takes its toll on a family. If Gov. Hoeven chooses not to run against Sen. Conrad in 2006, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is because of reasoning like this. I think we sometimes make the faulty assumption that all politicians have an undying drive to move up and up in their careers regardless of the sacrifices. I wish Rick all the best in his new career.