• Train Strikes Semi and Minnesotans talk funny

    So this semi was hit by a train in Minnesota. Spoiler Alert, nobody dies and it’s not much of a crash, but those Minnesotans sure talk funny, which is weird because I’m from Minnesota. I sure hope I don’t talk like that doncha know.

  • Police shooting

    I was going to blog about the Broncos winning the Super Bowl, but after our local cop shooting yesterday, that doesn’t seem very important.

    We had our first cop shooting in Fargo since the 1880s yesterday. From what I have read, the shooter had a criminal record. He shot two people back in 1988 killing one of them. He served a short time in prison. I just have a few simple questions:

    1. Why such a short sentence for murder?
    2. How did this guy get a gun?
    3. Why is nobody talking about where the gun came from?
    4. Are felons right to own guns more important than cops lives?

    I know stronger gun laws alone won’t put an end to gun violence, but doing something has to be better than nothing. Getting shot is becoming as American as apple pie, and I don’t like it. I don’t know what it’s going to take, but I don’t see it ending any time soon.

  • Let our new generation take reins

    I seldom post anything from out local newspaper because the links use to go behind a paywall after a couple of days. I don’t even know if that still happens anymore. Yesterday there was a letter to the editor that really nailed it. Here is the link. If that link dies I pasted it bellow.

    Let our new generation take reins
    I  am a 35-year-old married man and father of two. As I get older, I have become more aware of what is taking place in this country I love. It was my generation that was sent over to Iraq and the Middle East; it’s my generation that went through a recession as we were all starting families, graduating and starting out in the world.

    I watch these old men in their 60s and 70s who are running the country, running our states, running our cities and even our neighborhoods. They say experience is what’s needed. I don’t believe in that anymore. I believe change is what’s needed. I believe it’s time for my generation to take a part. We have been through a lot with the war and with the recession.

    The Patriot Act

    Our first impression of adulthood was 9/11, the day that changed the world. We have all had friends or family members sent to the Middle East who didn’t come back the same or even come back at all. Then came the Patriot Act.

    My parents see Edward Snowden as a traitor, a whistleblower. I see him as a patriot; this man sacrificed everything for our freedom. Do people realize the National Security Agency was listening in on our private phone conversations, watching what we search for online, what we buy, where we go?

    I hear the argument that if you’re doing nothing wrong, then what does it matter. I ask you: What is the point of freedom? What was this country founded upon? How can it not matter? The president wants Snowden to come home and face trial for his charge of espionage, a law that was developed during World War I, to which he will have no possible defense. Drop this egregious charge and bring him home. I want to hear more of what he has to say.

    Freedom?

    One of our biggest freedoms is the freedom of religion. We are free to believe in whatever we so desire. But why does that mean all these politicians like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, think everyone should follow their religion. Only a man and a woman should be married is what he stands for, along with defunding Planned Parenthood. Is that freedom? First, how can you really care if two men or two women want to be married? Do you realize that this isn’t much different than having a whites-only restaurant? In 20 years when we look back, this is what people will think?

    Live and let live – let people be who they want to be. Is that not freedom? Is that not what this country is all about?

    Second, Planned Parenthood. When I was in high school, my girlfriend and I wanted to be intimate. We were afraid to talk to our parents. So we went to Planned Parenthood and talked to someone about our options. They were welcoming and answered all our questions. Do you really think kids learn all about sex in one semester of their seventh-grade health class?

    Time for change

    These are just some of the issues I believe are just common sense. Where did we lose ourselves and how do we get it back? It’s our turn; it’s up to our generation to change things. This will not happen overnight, but I do believe the first step is to get rid of career politicians; this election has to be anti-establishment. That will send a message.

    Enough is enough; it’s time for a change. I don’t care if you’re right or left, man or woman, gay or straight, rich or poor. I just want change. It’s time for our generation to speak up, get involved and leave this country in a better place for our children, because, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, isn’t that really what you wanted for us?

    By Nicholas C. Daley from Fargo on Oct 11, 2015 at 12:23 a.m.

    Nicholas my friend, you nailed it.

  • Do what you gotta do

    So I was downtown yesterday and noticed protesters outside the Red River Women’s Clinic. I believe it’s the only abortion clinic in the state of North Dakota. My guess is that this is a pretty common occurrence. I very seldom get downtown so this is the first that I’ve witnessed. They seemed to be protesting pretty peacefully which I have no problem with. I don’t agree with them, but I’ll defend anybody’s right to protest as long as they are doing it peacefully. I just question the point of it. Abortion seems to be a pretty black or white issue. I very doubt a few signs are going to sway anybody’s mind either way, but whatever. Do what you gotta do.

  • Dead people can vote in North Dakota

    So apparently if you vote absentee, and then die before the election, most states throw out your vote. Twenty-seven ballots have been thrown out in Minnesota this year already. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Sure if a person died before the election they wouldn’t have been able to vote, but they weren’t dead when they voted. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to know that people go through and throw out people’s votes. So if a soldier, fighting for our country, gets shot dead Monday, his vote no longer matters? That just doesn’t seem right to me. If a person voted legally, it should count in my book, and in North Dakota it does.

  • Who is the Venus transit skydiver?

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    During the Venus transit I was out trying to get some pictures, but unlike the recent eclipse, I couldn’t get anything good with my point and shoot through my binoculars. The above image was taken by a local Fargoan. How cool is that? The photographer caught a skydiver in the image. Our local paper is trying to find out who the skydiver was.

    Image credit: Flickr

  • Flood season is here again

    Flood season is in full swing. Currently the Red River is at 38.28 ft. Flood stage is 18 ft. It is hopefully going to crest this weekend at 39.5 ft or so. If that happens it will be the third biggest flood in the past 125 years, only 1997 and 2009 were worse. My Wife’s Aunts house is on an island now. She will be staying with us for a week or so until the water goes down.

    The people in this area a great though. We step up and do what it needed to protect our city, and oddly have a fun time doing it. Here are a few videos of springtime in Fargo. Maybe a spring break destination for you in the future?

  • Fargo fire made news on the Consumerist

    So this fire was just a few a few blocks from my house a week ago. Our crappy cable company made the news on the Consumerist for charging people for their burnt up cable boxes. I don’t know why the Consumerist thought the fire was in South Fargo, MN. It was actually in south Fargo, ND, but whatever, it was a crazy big fire, and everybody pretty much hates our cable company.

  • Cost of Living

    Cost of LivingI am always curious what the cost of living is like in other cities. The cost of living is relativity low in Fargo, so the pay in Fargo also tends to be lower than in other cities. CNNMoney has a nice little calculator to compare the cost of living in different cities. It’s fun to see what a comparable salary would be in other cities. Our housing costs here are relativity cheap. I searched a few cities and couldn’t find one with higher housing costs. Utilities on the other hand seem higher here than most places. Probably due to our awesome winters. (Link via Lifehacker)