Someone needs to remind the city of Fargo of what the Twenty-First Amendment states. Someone needs to inform Fargo Chief of Police Chris Magnus that the prohibition of alcoholic beverages ended 70 years ago. With what appears to be the beginning of a Naziesque crackdown on the consumption of alcoholic beverages in this town, the City Commission is trying to revoke the liquor license of a popular college bar, the “Bison Turf,” and Chief Magnus has decided to now enforce a four year old ordinance banning the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places by heading an effort to ban people from drinking while tailgating before Bison football games.
First, the Bison Turf issue. I understand that owners of liquor licenses are required to abide by additional rules for their establishments compared with a regular restaurant. But right now, the city commission is instigating liquor license revocation hearings based on the same evidence that was presented in a criminal trial against Turf owner Pete Sabo in which he was acquitted of all charges (such as serving alcohol to minors). Is it the responsibility of the Turf employees to not serve alcoholic beverages to minors? Yes. Should they be held responsible if a few morons of legal age drink way too much and nearly kill themselves? Some people think yes, some people think no. Personally, I think not. If you don’t know when to quit, why should a bar have to act as your mother and tell you to stop? Another problem I have with this issue is that this “crackdown” seems to be directed only at the Bison Turf. There have been many bars that I have been at where people are too drunk to even walk. I’ve seen people try and get up, only to fall over. Yet these establishments are not being targeted for liquor license revocation. So why is the Bison Turf?
As for the sudden enforcement of a “no alcohol” policy in the Fargodome parking lots for tailgating fans before the games. This is one of the dumbest ideas that NDSU, the Fargodome and the city of Fargo has come up with recently (save for the whole “Turn the Fargodome into a Performing Arts Center” idea). There are many people that like to make an entire day out of a football game. They enjoy showing up to the facility hours before the game and have a barbeque with their friends, maybe play catch with their kids, or just talk with fellow alumni. Many times included in this celebration is the legal consumption of a few alcoholic beverages. I ask just this one question, why is it so wrong for a 50 year old alum of NDSU to show up at the Fargodome four or five hours before the game and have a bratwurst or a hamburger and a beer? Is that one person going to have one or two beers before a game, sit at the game for 3 hours, and then drive home excited about a win? Is that a threat to public safety? There have been numerous complaints this year in the media about the lethargic atmosphere at the Fargodome. Banning alcoholic beverages while tailgating is only going to reduce the number of people tailgating, thus reducing the number of excited people entering the Fargodome for the game.
The ban on alcohol while tailgating must be rethought and changed. There have already been numerous editorials in the Fargo Forum about how ridiculous this idea is. This city must be reminded that alcohol is not illegal for those over 21 years of age. If someone wants to be an idiot and drink until they pass out at the Turf, let them be an idiot. If someone wants to have a beer with their grilled chicken at the Fargodome before a Bison football game, let them have a beer. The United States constitution specifically says that the consumption of alcoholic beverages is okay, yet the city of Fargo continues to put more and more restrictions on the legal consumption of alcohol. It is only a matter of time before Chief Magnus pushes for a raise in the legal drinking age or a ban of alcoholic beverages altogether.
Its only September 24, and today I saw the first snowmobile jacket of the season. For one, it wasn’t that cold out today. And two, what the heck is wrong with you??? It was the first one this fall and I’m already sick of seeing them. Do you realize how dumb you look? Are you trying to look like a pickup driving, Miller Lite drinking hick? I understand Fargo isn’t the most cultured city in the world, and I understand that NDSU does have a large agriculture program, but leave the snowmobile jackets on the farm. When you wear a Polaris or Arctic Cat jacket, you look like a big rainbow colored, inbred moron. They have a place for people like you; it’s called Grand Forks. Good Night.
September 11th woke us up to the evil that exists in this world. There are those that wish to kill us simply because of who we are and what we stand for. People in this country are allowed to decide for themselves their future, their religion, and their spouses. The enemies of this country and of the entire civilized world don’t want us to have those freedoms. It is for this reason that we are at war today. We are not at war to dominate the world. This is not a crusade against Islam. This is a battle to defend our very way of life.
There are those today that would have you believe that we are loosing this war. But I ask this, has there been another attack in the U.S. in the last two years? There have been attacks in other parts of the world suspected of having been carried out by Al Qeada and their supporters. But there has not been a single attack in the United States since that fall day in 2001. And why hasn’t there been another attack? It’s because we have a strong enough leader to say to these terrorists “if you mess with us, we’ll mess back.” When the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993 it was treated as a crime, not as a terrorist attack. Until recently, those that wish to kill us saw only weakness in our foreign policy. A few Americans were killed in Somalia in what is now termed the “Black Hawk Down Incident” and we immediately withdrew our forces. In 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait we went to war to liberate Kuwait. But after the Iraqis were push back, the multinational force stopped before they got to Baghdad and Saddam Hussein. These incidents showed the enemies of America only weakness on our part. Now that we aren’t putting up with anything from terrorists or the nations that harbor them, the world is beginning to once again see our strength. Iran is now convinced that the United States will invade if they do not cooperate with the U.N.’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA. And this is a good thing. Now the enemies of America are starting to understand that they will either cooperate with us, or they will die.
And how will September 11, 2001 weigh against the scrutiny of history? I believe it is yet to be seen. When we were attacked, everyone knew that it would be a day that would go down in history. Unlike when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941 and there was already war in Europe and in the Pacific, the world was at a state of relative peace on 9/11. When the Japanese attacked the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, the country knew what was going to happen, war. On December 8, 1941, war was declared on Japan. In 1941, we knew who the enemy was and were knew where they were. On September 12, 2001, there were more questions than answers. It became clear as the events unfolded that Tuesday who was behind the attack, but it was not a nation, it was an organization of people with a perverted hate for freedom. They weren’t all in one central location either. Yes, the main operations of those behind 9/11 were in Afghanistan, but terrorist organizations that wish to target the United States existed and still exist all over the world. And because the War on Terror still isn’t over, I feel it is hard today to accurately place September 11, 2001 in perspective and in comparison with other significant dates in history such as December 7, 1941. But whatever history decides of 9/11, none of us that were alive that day will ever forget the tragedy and horror of the day.
September Eleventh. Two words that will never again be the same to anyone that was a witness to the pure horror of the day. Whether it was on television, on the radio, or in person, no one will ever forget what they saw that Tuesday morning. Two years ago, all of our lives changed. Remember back to that day. It was such a significant event that most of us remember every detail of that day. Here in Fargo it was a beautiful day. I had two classes, but only made it to one. The first I heard of what was happening was on the radio as I was just waking up. The woman on the radio said that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center, and added that it was amazing that the building remained standing. I didn’t think too much of this actually, assuming it was just a small Cessna that got lost in the fog. Besides, in 1945 a B-25 crashed into the Empire State Building. It caused extensive damage and killed several people, but the building made it though relatively unscathed. It wasn’t until she announced that a second plane had crashed into the second tower that I really woke up. I remember listening to reports on the radio while I was in the shower when the first tower collapsed. I watched live on television as the second tower came down.
I also recall all of the erroneous reports that came across that day. There were reports of other explosions that turned out not to be true such as the bomb at the State Department. There were also rumors of gas prices spiking to as much as $8 a gallon. I put gas in my car that day, mostly because I needed gas, but when you hear rumors of $8 a gallon gas, you tend to fill up when it’s still around $1.50. There was a time that I was also thinking about how unusual it was not to see any aircraft over Fargo. There isn’t a very busy airport here, but when you are up around NDSU and the airport on any given day, there is usually at least some air traffic.
The uncertainty of the day is also something that I remember very well. No one knew exactly where this attack was going to lead us. Everyone knew that something had to be done, but no one knew exactly what would be done. As it became evident that Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden was behind the attack, and that they were in Afghanistan, I realized I didn’t know exactly where Afghanistan was, so I looked it up in an atlas. Now everyone knows exactly where Afghanistan is.
President George W. Bush said in his speech on September 11, 2001 the following: “Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.’”
Tomorrow, I’ll take a look at where 9-11 has brought us. I’ll look at the War on Terror, including the battles in Afghanistan and Iraq. I’ll also discuss the long term impact of September 11, 2001 in comparison to another infamous date in American history, December 7, 1941.
For all of those that died that day because they showed up to work. For all those that died because they took a flight. For all those firefighters and police officers that died after rushing into two burning buildings in an effort to save lives. For those families that lost a husband, a father, a wife, a mother, a son, or a daughter. For all eternity, we must never forget September 11, 2001.
In what is probably the biggest upset in NDSU Football history, and what could turn out to be the biggest upset in college athletics this season, the North Dakota State Bison defeated the 3rd ranked and I-AA University of Montana Grizzles 25-24 today. And in Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux beat the mighty University of Minnesota, Crookston Eagles by a score of 59-0. (Story) Why do I mention these two games? For one, the NDSU victory is big news. But more importantly, this shows the difference in philosophy between the athletic departments at NDSU and UND. In their non-conference schedule, NDSU has scheduled I-AA Montana and D-II powerhouse California-Davis. UND on the other hand has scheduled Minnesota-Crookston and Newberry College. NDSU had a series with Minnesota State University, Moorhead for several years, but discontinued the series because it became so uncompetitive it wasn’t worth playing the games any longer. UND still hasn’t figured out that inviting an opponent that you have crushed in the past and will crush in the future isn’t a productive use of game time.
Next year, NDSU is going into Division I athletics, as is South Dakota State. Northern Colorado already went to a Division I schedule this year. With the loss of Northern Colorado this year, and NDSU and SDSU next year, the North Central Conference is going to be left with just six teams. Is UND, a school with a wonderful athletic tradition going Division I? No. And why? Well, no one is entirely sure. Some reports say that it’s because they want to concentrate all of their D-I money on their hockey team. But do they feel that going Division I in all athletics is going to diminish enthusiasm for hockey? I don’t think anything, including a terrible season, can diminish the enthusiasm that UND and Grand Forks have for Fighting Sioux hockey. So why doesn’t UND go Division I? My feeling is this, with Northern Colorado gone and NDSU and SDSU leaving, it opens the door for UND to win nearly every NCC title in nearly every sport. Win a lot of games in the NCC and they can pad their statistics. If they can pad their statistics, they can also ask alumni for more money and pad their checkbooks as well. (But if you ask me, they could ask for more by going Division I too, but Grand Forks is devoid of rational thought.)
UND needs to go Division I. This would pave the way for the formation of a new Division I conference with UND, NDSU, SDSU, and Northern Colorado, perhaps even a new, D-I North Central Conference. This would also keep the NDSU/UND rivalry alive. Reports are coming out of Grand Forks saying that when NDSU goes D-I next year, UND may no longer want to play them in any sport, ending what is one of the longest rivalries in all of college football. UND, switch to Division I. It is the best option for you, the best option for the state of North Dakota, and the best option for the NCC.
Tonight at the Fargodome people had the opportunity to select their seat for the upcoming “Broadway in Fargo” series. I know that the Fargodome was built as a “multi-use” facility, but aren’t they taking that idea a little to the extreme? It was designed for football with the ability to house basketball and (later) hockey. In addition, it could house concerts of varying sizes. But converting the Fargodome into a theater is a terrible idea. This city is lacking in an adequately sized performing arts center, but stuffing 4000 people into a makeshift auditorium at the Fargodome isn’t the answer.
This will only cause problems in the future when Fargo finally gets a true performing arts center. Imagine this; you are a violinist in the orchestra of “The Sound of Music” which is coming to perform in Fargo. You perform wonderfully but due to the terrible acoustics of the football stadium you are performing in, you have an awful experience. Five years later you have the chance to come back to Fargo, but this time in an adequate performing arts center. Unfortunately, due to your horrendous experience at the auditorium in the Fargodome, you refuse to come back because you feel that it was Fargo itself that was the problem.
Fargo does need a performing arts center, but putting theater rigging in the Fargodome and saying that’s the solution to our problem is just wrong. Go read my rant from April 17 where I outline a plan for, among other facilities, a performing arts center for Fargo. People from other parts of the country don’t think much of the intellect of people in this region and putting Broadway shows in the Fargodome isn’t going to help our image. The fact that we’re getting shows like “The Sound of Music” and “Riverdance” is promising for Fargo, but stuffing them in a facility that was never designed for these kinds of performances is a step backwards. Build an adequate performing arts center, continue getting these shows in Fargo, and you will see immense growth in cultural events in this area.
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September 6
September 4