It is very gracious of the Minot Voice to give me a voice. Like the Federalists and the Whigs of early American history, the North Dakota Democratic party may be on the road to being a mere memory. Why and how that has happened, I will leave to historians. There is plenty of blame to go around, most of which belongs to party leadership. As a former part of that leadership, it would be cowardly to not accept at least a portion of that blame. Although my opinions possibly have little weight, I celebrate the liberty to express them.
I nonetheless have a wish list for our state legislature. Flood control for Minot heads the list. Anything that improves the quality of Minot State University, anything that rewards our teachers, improves roads and bridges, and anything to diversify our economy from its addiction to oil (a finite resource). These should be fairly uncontroversial wishes. I am confident that these issues are the focus of our main stream representatives.
A few, however, appear to be sidetracked on a mission to crack down on homosexuality. I find that to be a curious goal. Some of my most competent teachers in high school, college and law school were homosexuals. When in college, I was a bartender at an establishment frequented by homosexuals. Some of my most competent advisors when I ran for the North Dakota State Senate as a young man were of that persuasion. Most of the legislators and government officials I encountered in Bismarck who were homosexuals were Republicans. I can’t speak for everyone, but I find it ironic that some of the same people who today question whether Covid is contagious seem to think that homosexuality is.
That hasn’t been my experience. If I were to engage in profiling, the profile of homosexuals I knew was that of exceptional and often brilliant and creative minds in persons whose personal lives were none of my business. I have purposely used the term homosexual rather than gay, because I am not a fan of political correctness. I prefer the dictionary. If both the hard left and the hard right are offended, so be it. It’s great to have the freedom to express one’s opinions.
