Tag: Nation

Marching for life: 2 Trinity students walk at front of of 750,000 during pro-life rally

Reporters and photographers watch as Trinity High School seniors Quinnlyn Nelson, left, and Brittany Berger walk in the March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington on Thursday. (Submitted Photo)

Quinnlyn Nelson said it took her a while Thursday to grasp the scope of the moment.

Nelson and fellow Trinity High School senior Brittany Berger were among a select few students from North Dakota Catholic high schools given the opportunity to lead the annual March for Life rally against abortion at the National Mall in Washington.

The march drew an estimated 750,000 pro-life supporters, something Nelson said she didn’t immediately understand as she held the March for Life banner and walked at the very front of the rally.

“We were marching and we were going up this hill, and we looked back and I couldn’t see where the line ended,” Nelson said. “Knowing there are this many people that are passionate about this cause, this issue, was unbelievable.” Continue reading “Marching for life: 2 Trinity students walk at front of of 750,000 during pro-life rally”

9/11 Memorial both breathtaking, infuriating

Members of the Puerto Rican National Guard look over the 9/11 Memorial.

One of the most interesting — and mildly infuriating — moments of my wife and I’s recent trip to New York was our visit to the 9/11 Memorial.

First, if you haven’t been to New York, understand that there are a lot of tourists there. And it’s not just Americans. People from all over the world visit the city every day, particularly in the summer. New York, especially Times Square, is very much the proverbial melting pot it’s made out to be, and that extends to the tourists. You can be anywhere in the city and you wouldn’t be able to tell if the person next to you was from North Dakota or Germany, Long Island or Italy.

The only place where we noticed a stark difference between American and foreign tourists was the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, which we visited along with thousands of others the Sunday before Labor Day.

Continue reading “9/11 Memorial both breathtaking, infuriating”

It is worth inviting Obama to North Dakota

In late June, I wrote a somewhat satirical column that generated more praise, criticism, website hits and social media chatter than anything I have ever written.

People still talk to me about it today.

It’s title: “Dear Mr. President, an invitation to visit North Dakota.”

I used sharply pointed — call it snarky, because a few of you already have — humor to breach the subject of why Obama has not visited North Dakota during his presidency and why he rarely, if ever, mentions the state despite all the positive things happening here.

Some people loved it. Others wanted my head on a platter. A few joked that my name is probably on a few watch lists and my application to MSNBC had been thrown in the trash.

But the invitation wasn’t real. I never sent it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It was only meant to raise a point.

Continue reading “It is worth inviting Obama to North Dakota”

The monument to America’s memory

Will Mount Rushmore near Keystone, S.D., be America’s greatest monument to history?

What will be America’s monument to history?

Every great civilization has left behind a monument denoting its time of power. Many of those monuments also give us a glimpse into their rise, dominance and eventual fall.

So, what will be the monument future civilizations look to when remembering America? Given that scientists imagine Earth will be around for a few billion more years, give or a take a hundred million or so, it’s a safe bet that the way things are going, America’s lifespan is a bit shorter than that.

One would imagine that more than a few monuments will survive to be relics in a thousand years. I’d put good money on Mount Rushmore being one. After all, it’s still a mountain.

Continue reading “The monument to America’s memory”

Drivers get 77 mpg on Guinness World Record attempt

Wayne Gerdes, left, and Bob Winger fuel up their Volkswagen Passat TDI at Frankie’s West Side in Dickinson on Tuesday.

Drivers stopping at or passing by Frankie’s West Side late Tuesday morning got a glimpse of two men trying to set a Guinness World Record.

Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger spent a couple of hours in Dickinson putting diesel fuel in the white 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedan they have been driving since June 7.

Gerdes and Winger are “co-pilots” on a mission to break a world record for what Guinness calls best fuel economy on a drive through all 48 of the continental United States in a non-hybrid vehicle.

Continue reading “Drivers get 77 mpg on Guinness World Record attempt”