Tomorrow night, President Bush is expected to officially announce the end of major hostilities in Iraq. It seems as though, because the war didn’t go as poorly as the media had predicted and, in some cases, hoped, they have been focusing on every minor incident that may cast an unfavorable light on coalition troops. Take for example the two incidents over the last two days in Fallujah. (A.P. Article on Excite) Am I saying that these incidents should not be reported? Of course not, but we need to examine more closely what was behind these incidents. Some early reports I heard of the first incident in which more than one dozen Iraqis were killed, simply reported that American troops opened fire on a protest. What wasn’t initially reported was that these protesters were, at very least, throwing rocks, and many troops reported being fired upon. Even if just rocks were being thrown, how stupid are these people that they throw rocks at heavily armed troops that are still in a state of war? That is an aggressive act and our troops have every right to defend themselves.
Speaking of stupidity and ungratefulness, there has been much in the press lately of protests by Iraqis demanding the coalition troops leave Iraq. Although it is impossible to determine how widespread these protests are due to the leftist media in this country, I still find it simply amazing that these people are exercising a right that they just received to demand that those that gave them this right leave. At least when we liberated France after World War II, they waited more than a week to begin their anti-American lifestyle.
Now that the war is nearly over, we can start to concentrate on domestic issues. We can now look more closely at the Democrats’ filibuster of judicial nominee Miguel Estrada simply because he has a different belief as to when life begins in regards to the abortion debate. Now they are preparing to filibuster another of the President’s nominees due to her pro-life stance. Has there been another time in history when such a litmus test has been used in federal judicial nominees? Were people denied a seat on the bench because they felt that segregation or slavery laws, though constitutional at the time, were wrong? But this is another subject for another day.
I want to close by saying these few words: don’t boycott the “Dixie Chicks” because of their anti-Bush sentiment, boycott the “Dixie Chicks” because of their awful music. Good Night.
Before I begin my outline for the massive new facilities project, I just want to say that I have just an uneducated guess as to how much this would cost, how long it would take to build, or how it would be received by the community. This is my dream, but I feel that convincing the people of Fargo to go for such a massive plan would be almost impossible. People in this part of the country are very set in their ways. And I feel that, since this project involves demolition of a current facility, there would be almost no way that citizens of Fargo would approve of a plan on such a massive a scale with this much cost. MPL
The first step and possibly the biggest hurdle in getting this project approved would be the demolition the Civic Auditorium and City Hall in downtown Fargo. The city is currently and foolishly dumping millions into the Civic in renovations for a facility that is second rate at best. For concerts, it isn’t very good since the stage is rather small. For basketball, it isn’t too bad, but it certainly isn’t the greatest facility in the world. As for trade shows, it’s been superceded by the Fargodome and other local convention centers. And there is no ability for the Civic Center to house hockey, leaving Fargo without any decent hockey facility.
In place of the Civic Auditorium and City Hall would be built a new City Hall and large performing arts center. A single large facility consisting of the new City Hall and performing arts center would be a great addition to downtown Fargo. Since Fargo lacks a large performing arts center, and the city commission has been working on "downtown revitalization" for years, I feel that this would be a perfect addition to the city in a perfect location as an anchor to downtown revitalization. My vision for the design of the performing arts center would be much like the Washington Pavilion’s 1800 seat "Great Hall" in Sioux Falls, SD. I envision the new performing arts center in Fargo to be slightly larger than the Great Hall at the Washington Pavilion (2000-2200 seats), but with the same basic design.
The downtown aspect of this project would also include a parking ramp just to the east of our new City Hall/performing arts center complex where a parking lot stands today. By building a parking ramp in this location, it would be simple for the downtown Fargo skywalk system to be connected to this parking ramp. Thus, most of downtown would be connected by heated skywalk to a large parking ramp. In the future this parking ramp could even act as a bridge to expand the skywalk to Moorhead since the Heritage Hjemkomst Center and Moorhead Center Mall are just across the Red River from that location.
Of course, if we demolish the Civic Auditorium, we would have to replace it. And if we’re going to get rid of one facility, the replacement for that facility is going to have to be bigger and better. By building a new facility with 6000-8000 seats capable of housing basketball, hockey and small concerts, Fargo would be expanding entertainment options exponentially. It would be a much better facility for small concerts than the Civic currently is due to more seating options and larger stage sizes. It would be an excellent new facility for basketball in the city of Fargo. And it would be the only decent hockey facility in the Fargo area. As for the location of this new facility, I feel there are at least a couple of options. One option would be near the Fargodome, much like the plan that was shot down by voters in 2000 to build an arena for NDSU hockey. (NOTE: NDSU didn’t and unfortunately still doesn’t have a hockey team.) This may be a decent location, but I feel that a location in southwest Fargo, around 45th Street, south of I-94, could be an even better location. Should it be built in the area around 45th Street and 32nd Avenue South, people from out of town would have easy access to the facility since 32nd Avenue has an exit to I-29, and 45th Street has an exit to I-94. Of course, these are just two options and there are certainly many more locations adequate for this new arena.
A massive project like this would most likely be paid for in Fargo with an extension of the current half-cent Fargodome sales tax and possibly corporate sponsorship. (Wouldn’t you like to see the "Microsoft-Great Plains Arena" in Fargo?) And I would imagine that at least $100 million would have be spent on this project. Consider a $15 million parking ramp, a $50 million arena, and $35 million for the City Hall/Performing Arts Center complex. But look also at the benefits of these facilities. Immediately noticeable would be jobs. Should all aspects of this project be undertaken at once, there would be hundreds if not thousands of new construction jobs open in the city. After the construction, people would have to be employed to run these facilities. Ushers, stagehands, ticket booth workers, security guards, and even tour guides would be employed at the performing arts center complex. Concessions workers, set-up crews, event staff, and more ticket booth workers would be needed for the new arena. And I haven’t even mentioned the possibilities for entertainment options that these new facilities would bring. Minor League Hockey, Phantom of the Opera, the "Canadian Brass," and even Arena Football could come to Fargo should these facilities open.
I would love to see these new facilities in Fargo, however, I am realistic. Expanding the sales tax another 20 to 30 years wouldn’t go over very well with the people of Fargo. Demolishing a facility that is usable, albeit not great, is very unlikely to happen in this city. I believe a day will come when the people of Fargo will realize that we need these new facilities. Fargo doesn’t have a performing arts center and we’re missing out on all that a facility such as that can offer. The Civic Auditorium is not a good facility and will someday need to be replaced. The current City Hall is bursting at the seams and needs either a major expansion and renovation, or a new City Hall must be built. Why wait 20 years to bring Fargo these facilities that we need and would benefit from? Why wait 20 years to make Fargo a destination for people to come from across the country? Why wait 20 years to secure the future of Fargo?
Talk about this subject on my new Forums.
Fargo is about to have yet another minor league sports team come and go within the next two or three years. The AWHL (America West Hockey League) announced plans to bring a team to the Fargo area to play in the Coliseum on the north side of Fargo. Despite the fact that Fargo has already gone through several hockey teams (Ice Sharks, Bears) and basketball teams (Beez, Fever) and a football team (Freeze), the AWHL feels that a junior team, playing at a lower level of hockey than the now defunct Ice Sharks (USHL) played at, will be successful in a market that hasn’t supported minor league and junior sports in the past. (Except of course for the Red Hawks, an enjoyable summer outing.) And the best part is the AWHL is going to have the community name the team. Here’s my suggestion: the “We’re-not-going-to-be-around-for-more-than-two-years-anyway-so-we-don’t-need-a-name’s.”
But why aren’t they going to work? For one, the facility. The Coliseum is not the best hockey arena in the world. There aren’t any seats on the glass, it’s very cold due to the fact that there is no insulation on the aluminum walls (face it, it’s a giant, square soda can), and the rink is very small which will cause this lower level of hockey to slow down even more. There’s also going to be competition from other local sports. NDSU, MSUM, Concordia College, and UND all will have Basketball and Hockey games competing against the new AWHL addition the “we’re-not-going-to-be-around-for-more-than-two-years-anyway-so-we-don’t-need-a-name’s.” (Man, I hope that name wins the contest.) Do you want to go to a game that is barely better than high school hockey, and sit in a freezing hockey arena, or do you want to drive 75 miles north of Fargo and watch one of the best college hockey programs in the country in one of the best facilities in the world?
We also need to realize that the public doesn’t support the Fargo teams. The facilities may be a part of it, but there must be more of a reason than the facility. The Beez in their final season were one of the best teams in the league, yet they got around 600-800 at each of their games. The Ice Sharks were also moderately successful on the ice. I recently picked up one of my programs from a game several years ago and the Ice Sharks had players like Jeff Panzer (2001 Hobey Baker finalist and member of the 2000 UND National Championship Team), and Karl Goering, and Andy Kohler (both goalies on the 2000 UND National Championship Team), so they clearly had quality players on their team. But why the public doesn’t attend these games and support these teams, I have no idea.
Tomorrow, I’ll outline a plan that I have for a massive new facilities project in Fargo. The project would include an anchor to downtown revitalization, a new City Hall and Performing Arts Center complex, and a new small arena (approximately 6000-8000 seats) for basketball, hockey and small concerts. Be sure to check back tomorrow the see this outline.
There is talk right now in Fargo about banning smoking in all restaurants and bars. While I am not a smoker, I oppose this ban. I feel it should be the decision of the owner of the restaurant or bar to say whether or not to ban smoking in their establishment. I don’t think it’s fair to mandate that all restaurants and bars go smoke free. Can it be annoying when I’m eating a meal to have someone smoking nearby? Yes. But I can choose to go to an establishment that doesn’t allow smoking. Frankly, I would tend to select a restaurant to eat at that does have a ban on smoking as would many others. Businesses that outlaw smoking would see an increase in clientele due to the smoking ban. And those that wish to go out and smoke at a bar or during their meal can find a place that doesn’t prohibit smoking. Giving people options is the key. Just because it bothers me and most others, it doesn’t mean that it has to be banned outright.
And what of this great health benefit of a smoking ban in communities? A report recently surfaced saying that in Helena, Montana, since their smoking ban went into effect, heart attacks dropped significantly. Today, an article in the Washington Times seems to refute that evidence. Apparently, the number of heart attacks in the time frame of this study went from an average of seven per month to four per month at St. Peters Community Hospital. Can we take seriously statistics like these? I’m sure I could find a sample of people that smoke that live perfectly healthy until they are in their 90’s. And with statistics like that, I could make an argument that cigarettes make you live longer, but does it mean that it’s true? Read the article when you have a chance. It goes much more in depth on the issue.
Now comes the fun part of the rant. This is where I tell all of you that smoked for years and now have cancer from it to stop complaining, stop suing the tobacco companies, and just live with it. YOU put the cigarette in your mouth. YOU lit it up. YOU inhaled. YOU smoked three packs a day. YOU started smoking when you knew it was unhealthy. It isn’t the fault of the tobacco companies. It isn’t the fault of the government. It is YOUR fault. I have great sympathy for those that have been affected by smoking related lung cancer. But I don’t have any sympathy for the person with the cancer; I have sympathy for their family. That smoker made the stupid decision to start smoking in the first place and now their entire family is suffering emotionally as they watch that smoker slowly die. It is YOUR fault that your family is suffering.
One final thought: you know all of those commercials done by The Truth? Every time I see one of those commercials, it makes me want to have a nice, cool menthol. Have a good night.
The state senate did yet another bonehead thing today to the state of North Dakota. The senate defeated a 75 mile per hour speed limit on interstate highways as well as increased fines for speeding. Do they think that North Dakota is an urban state? I can understand reduced speed limits in areas with heavy traffic, but North Dakota hardly has heavy traffic crossing through it on I-94 or I-29. Why shouldn’t I be able to go 75 mph (legally) as I drive out to Bismarck? There isn’t exactly much to look at on the drive out there and I’d prefer to go as fast as I can to make the trip as short as possible. True, it would only save a matter of minutes, but those are minutes I can spend doing something else besides driving. (Perhaps shopping, or sleeping, or having a snack at the local Perkins or something. In other words, spending money and improving the economy.) One of the concerns was that more people would be hurt in accidents at a higher speed. I may not be an expert, but if I'm in killed in an accident at 75 mph, I probably would be killed in that same accident at 70 mph. If the state legislature is not willing to allow the state to progress, why don’t they just ban cars altogether and make us all ride around in covered wagons like it was many years ago?
The policies of this state are outdated and need to be brought into the present so we as a community can advance in to the future. The insistence on maintaining family farming is just one problem. A corporation can come in and more effectively and efficiently farm the same amount of land that several families farm today. The insistence on saving small town North Dakota by sinking money into them is another problem. Small towns will never die out. There will always be people that want to live in a community of one or two thousand people at most. But sinking millions of the state’s dollars into towns like Barney and Thompson to keep small town North Dakota alive is ridiculous. If the current trend of state dollars going almost exclusively to small towns continues, the somewhat larger communities, such as Minot and Williston, will die out. At some point, the state of North Dakota will wind up being one city, Fargo, with 300,000 people of all ages and small communities consisting of a total of 100,000 people, all over 50 years old.
Once again, I implore the state government to do something different in this state. Obviously, current policies are driving people out of the state. According to the most recent census estimates, just two counties in North Dakota gained population from July 2000 to July 2001.These counties were Burleigh and Cass, the counties surrounding Bismarck and Fargo. The government must do everything it can to bring jobs requiring a Bachelor's degree to this state. We must bring various forms of entertainment to North Dakota. Not everyone in this state finds it exciting to look at prize winning cattle at the county fair or to see the blue ribbon winning corn at the 4H festival. Just because a policy worked 50 years ago, doesn’t mean that the same policy is going to work today.
Dates Index: 1 | 8 | 16 | 17 | 30 |