Category Archives: Expository

Peaceniks on the march in Bismarck…using someone else’s boots

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I didn’t even realize this nonsense was coming to Bismarck. Today I was videotaping with the governor and I noticed that there was a press conference in the Great Hall of the state capitol building. It was some guy from Chicago who’s bringing all kinds of boots to stack out on the law in the capitol mall, hoping to bring attention to the human cost of the war. It was liberalism on display; they had a little feel-good session, the TV cameras rolled, then they all sat around for a half hour patting themselves on the back for all they’ve done. Yep, liberalism. Makes ’em feel good, accomplishes jack squat.

I came by the capitol later this evening to have a look and perhaps ask a few questions. They had boots for each National Guard soldier killed so far in the war on terrorism.

There were rows of soldiers’ boots, with name tags, then a little circle of civilian casualties…women’s and children’s shoes were in that area. One of the people running the event mentioned the number 150,000 in reference to civilians killed over there. “Documented?” I asked? She said no, that she really doesn’t know how many…but it must be a lot. I pointed out that the shoes of people that Saddam Hussein killed would fill the mall, but I don’t think that was the point of this “art,” as they called it.

There was a little tent set up with CD’s, buttons, etc…you know, that stuff that solves all the world’s problems without a shot being fired. Wear a button – make a difference! To whom, exactly, that hasn’t been proven…but it might make you feel good. Don’t forget a magnet or sticker for your Prius.

They were handing out fliers as well, with links to a bunch of peaceful, tolerant, level-headed leftist organizations…

For instance: Iraq Veterans against the War, who marched this spring for:
* No more never-ending oil wars!
* Protect our civil liberties & immigrant rights. End illegal spying, government corruption and the subversion of our democracy.
* Rebuild our communities, starting with the Gulf Coast. Stop corporate subsidies and tax cuts for the wealthy while ignoring our basic needs.
* Act quickly to address the climate crisis and the accelerating destruction of our environment.

Uh huh. Typical leftist talking points: class envy, Big Oil, and global warming. Oh, and demanding that illegal aliens get to vote and change the course of this country.

Or there’s Code Pink, whose website claims:
“The oppressive hand of the Bush administration is reaching women all over the world. In Iraq, women are dealing with increasing violence aimed at them by different groups jockeying for power. The new Iraqi constitution is being drafted under the eye of American occupiers, yet nothing is being done to protect women’s rights and freedoms.”

Women are enjoying unprecedented freedoms in parts of the Middle East thanks to what we’re doing. Of course, for the left, you can’t talk about “women’s rights and freedoms” without their right to murder unborn children falling into that description.

Or Gold Star Families for Peace, followers of the insane Cindy Sheehan:
“This war is a war crime, and our soldiers trying to survive are committing war crimes. We need to bring our troops home. We need to do everything we can to save our soldiers and to save the people of Iraq from our George III.”
I used to feel sorry for that wackbag. Maybe she really is just sick. But she’s a useful idiot for the enemies of this country, as are the rest of the above.

I had a nice chat with Karen Van Fossan of the ND Peace Coalition for a few minutes and videotaped the conversation. If I get it encoded among all the other stuff I’ve got going on, I’ll post it here. It wasn’t confrontational or anything…we just shared a pleasant discourse and parted ways politely. I did ask why, among the organizations whose links she posted, I didn’t see the Patriot Guard riders, she just said that it would be a good organization to list. I asked why there were no shoes for the 3000+ victims of the second World Trade Center attacks, or the first one in 1993, or perhaps something in remembrance of the people beheaded by Muslims overseas, and I didn’t really get a solid answer. The answer is because that doesn’t fit the agenda. You see, while they won’t come out and state it here in good ol’ Red State, USA, the idea behind this sort of “art” is that the United States is responsible for everything bad happening in the world. The rest of the world gets a pass.

I also asked her why the ND Peace Coalition would associate itself with organizations who state that “George Bush is the world’s biggest terrorist” or accuse our troups of being war criminals, and she didn’t have a solid answer for me there either. It’s been said that you can tell a lot about people by the company they keep. I think the same applies to the ND Peace Coalition, especially since one of their tolerant and inclusive members flipped off our church group last week. The North Dakota people weren’t acting like hate-filled loonies like the people whose links appear on the fliers, but yet they did put links to those organizations on the paper.

I don’t think these protesters (oops, they’re calling this “art,” not a protest) are bad people…Karen, for instance, was quite pleasant to talk to. They’re just horribly misguided. I dare say that if they tried to take this little circus on display in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, or any other country with dominant Muslim rule, it would be THEIR heads that roll next. And that’s the truth that these people are not equipped to face.

May’s Camera: 1967 to 2006

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It’s official: May’s Camera is gone. After a run of nearly 40 years, they recently closed their doors, adding yet another blank storefront to the plagued downtown area of Bismarck. It’s always sad to see the closure of a homegrown business with a long legacy…but, that said, I had only been in May’s four or five times. Ever. I wonder how many Bismarck shoppers ever gave them a try?

In a recent Bismarck Tribune article, the demise was attributed to “the digital revolution and the opening of several discount retailers” — I think the Internet is implied. I’d have to disagree there.

First off, the digital revolution should have been a Godsend for any camera shop. For instance: I wanted to get into photography for years. I even sold high-end cameras in the 1980’s on the side while working for KBMY-TV 17 for a while, but never had the disposable income to take on yet another hobby with film and processing costs. It took me 20 years to get an SLR camera; I finally did, now that many of them are digital. I first purchased a simple little digital camera when they got into the $300 range, but digital is the reason I finally shoveled a few grand into a NICE camera and lenses, flashes, and other accessories. I bet a lot of photography customers fit my exact description…buying a low end digital camera, finding they like it, and moving up to the high-end gear. So when someone claims that digital photography is part of their downfall, I think they just plain missed the boat.

Second, the “discount retailers.” A family business should have every advantage over a Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or even an Internet retailer. If you go to any of those three, you’re likely to deal with some guy who 1) has minimal training in the product, and 2) has no incentive for you to be happy or angry with your experience. A guy whose next meal depends on whether people leave his store satisfied should be the guy who makes you feel confident in spending your money with him. He’s the guy who should be declaring his expertise and ties to the community on radio, TV, and in print.

Third, most camera equipment is sold at the same price (aside from some promotional sales) no matter where you go. The reason for that is that the manufacturers know the importance of their dealer network and want to protect them. When I wanted to buy my Canon 20D, for example, I compared the Bob’s Photo price to the Internet to see how good the Bob’s price was. Plenty of dealers claimed to have the same camera for $500 cheaper than Bob’s Photo…but when I said, “I want the Canon kit with the Canon battery and charger, Canon lens, strap, software, and cable,” they all said they couldn’t match the price I got from Bob’s. That’s even before adding the $100 insured shipping on a $1600 camera. On some lenses and things they could beat the local price, but not on the camera. Some lenses I’ve bought online because the price difference was so significant, but I spend my money locally whenever I can…even if it costs me a bit more.

Let’s continue with Bob’s Photo as an example. They do a ton of digital photography sales, probably a lot to guys like me who know they’re a better deal than the Internet and/or want to support a local dealer. The “digital revolution” does not appear to have hurt them. They have several ImageStation and other kiosk-type computer systems set up around the store and are ready to do digital prints to photo paper in sizes as large as 20 inches by 30 inches (and they look great). They have the amateur photo contest every year to help get people interested, and they advertise locally.

Bob’s also took the Internet by the horns. They offer free and paid subscriptions to their website, where customers can set up photo albums for others to see and order prints of their photos without ever having to run up to the store and order them through the kiosk. You can upload your images and order your photos in your pajamas, then pick them up at your leisure – only one trip necessary. The Internet doesn’t just benefit warehouse dealers in who-knows-where.

The local businesses that survive the Wal-Marts and the Internet shopping trends are the ones that employ pure capitalism: offer the best service at a comparable price, and beat the big guys by sticking to what you do best. Local shoppers are looking for a reason to spend their money locally; if they like the reasons you provide, they won’t mind spending a little extra money…then we all benefit locally.

I didn’t really address the hobby-shop portion of the business; in that respect, I’ve got to point out that it’s nearly impossible to compete with Wheels, Wings & Hobbies out on the strip in Mandan. Jeff knows his stuff like nobody’s business, he keeps a ton of inventory on hand (including all those parts I tend to break), and has two big racetracks on site – one indoors for electric cars, and one big dirt track out back for the monster trucks. You want to talk about a guy who need not fear the Internet, I think Jeff’s that guy. I’ve bought two nitro burning RC trucks from him so far, and rely on his expertise in customizing them. Again, he fits into the strategy I mentioned before: be so darn good at what you do that nobody wants to go elsewhere. I bet it works every time it’s tried.

Think you really stand for something? Okay, go stand for it on a street corner

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No, these aren’t protestors…just people carrying out the Great Commission. For an hour on Thursday night, members of the Open Door Baptist Church answered the challenge in this post’s headline, holding up Bible verse signs and quoting scriptures at State Street and Capitol Avenue.

I’m surprised to say that there was a ton of positive response: people waving, words of support, friendly smiles. I’d never been present on one of these events before, so I simply expected the worst. It was a neat experience. First was a round of singing, pictured above, then people split into groups in the corner of the intersection. The guys took turns belting out their favorite Bible verses while the kids held up signs.

Yes, the church did have a meeting permit from the city, and no, this is nothing like certain wackos you may have read about in the papers a short while ago. This is a Bismarck church, a legitimate Christian one, just putting out the word: You must be born again. That’s a term I thought was just feel-good nonsense before I became a Christian… then I realized that Jesus himself coined that term in John 3:3 and 3:7.

So it was an uplifting evening. Some people walking by took some gospel literature, we got to sing, and it was a really positive experience. Like I said, we got lots of honks and waves. The only person to flip us the finger had a North Dakota Peace Coalition bumper sticker on his truck…I guess that helps clarify the liberal position on God.

Most people have no problem getting up and cheering or telling the world about their favorite football team or NASCAR racer. They’ve got t-shirts, hats, stickers, sleeping bags, the works, all emblazoned with logos. But if you put a Bible verse on any of those articles, people tend to take a step back and calling you names. Have you ever pondered why that might be?

A freedom we take for granted

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Despite the best efforts of modern-day “liberals” (or “progressives” or whatever other branding they apply to themselves), we will always be a country that was formed on Christian principles. The quote above is from our second President, written after he signed the Declaration of Independence. It’s amazing to go through old writings of our founding fathers and find that that yes, without a doubt, this is a nation with a Christian heritage. It doesn’t matter how hard people try to deny it.

That’s why our country is so blessed. That’s why we have such hope, such energy, and such prosperity. It was made evident to me in the presentations given by a bunch of the young ladies in our church who joined a missionary organization on a trip to Poland a couple of weeks ago.

This man (above) became a Christian while in a concentration camp at Auschwitz. He survived and prayed for sixty years that someone would come to his home city in Poland, bearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This year, they came. During their week or so stay, over a hundred thousand copies of John & Romans were handed out, and people were invited to a meeting at the end of the week.

The missionaries, and participants from around the US who had joined them, didn’t know what kind of a response they’d get. Decades of communism kills the spirit of the people; they aren’t like we are here. Tough soil to plow, I guess. But when the night came for the meeting, the auditorium they’d rented was filled to capacity! When the attendees had the opportunity to get a free Bible at the end of the meeting, it was nearly chaos. They were so excited, and so accustomed to having to press the lines to get anything, that they rushed the tables. Everyone got their Bible.

The picture above brings tears to my eyes every time. Despite his age, this man is holding his first Bible. He had never had a Bible before, and he’s kissing the one he just got. Shouldn’t God’s word be that precious to all of us? We’ve got it so good here in America that we lose sight of what we have.

I’ve got my study Bible, one in my truck, one in the trunk of my motorcycle…and I don’t read them nearly enough. Jesus said, “to whom much is given, much is required.” I haven’t lived up to that lately. What it takes is to see what it’s like to have lived one’s entire life without that gift. To see this man’s joy in finally getting a Bible, in his language at that, is very convicting.

We live in a country where we don’t get arrested for having a Bible. If we don’t have the five measly bucks to get one at Wal-Mart, someone will give you one. They’re in the dresser drawers at hotels. Maybe that’s why we don’t spend much time with our nose in that book. Take a few seconds to put yourself in the shoes of these people, who were desperate at the thought that they might not get a Bible that night. Then thank God that you live in a country that was founded on the faith in God, who provides all the many freedoms and blessings our country enjoys today.

City of Bismarck resumes annual program to maim motorcyclists

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…who knows, maybe this year they’ll kill one!

I’ve got a really big chip on my shoulder, and my arms, and my legs, and my helmet, and a few other places about this issue. The issue is called “chip seal,” and it’s an extreme hazard to motorcyclists.

I took photos today to illustrate my story, which transpired last night. I was out for a leisurely cruise on the big bike when I came around the corner at the south end of Sertoma park…

Note the absence of any signs indicating that trouble might be lurking around the bend. Note how far from the actual corner the streetlight is placed. A motorcyclist would have no apparent need to think that anything is amiss in this corner…would they?

Here’s what greeted me at the exit of the corner. I will be the first to admit that the photo is underwhelming. It’s just not possible to convey a patch of gravel like this, especially not in a picture 500 pixels wide. But put a motorcycle on it, especially one that is leaned over coming out of a corner, and it’s like throwing a guy on a sea of marbles and giving him a good shove. Imagine how much fun that can be…especially with all those curbs around!

I was seriously injured in an accident due to a similar situation: chip seal gravel spread several inches thick on the crest of a hill, in a corner, where there was no illumination from streetlights. I was the first rider in a group, the only one without a passenger. I hit the gravel leaned over into the corner and almost saved it, but the bike went out from under me. I won’t give you a description of my injuries, because they’re pretty nasty. I’ve got photos and horrible scars to prove it. If I had not been wearing my helmet I would certainly have died…I slid straight toward a curb, hitting it hard enough to take a chip out of the concrete. I was able to push away from the bike at the last instant, thankfully. The gravel rolled up the sleeve of my riding jacket, allowing lots of damage to my arm. It also sliced right through my pants, and that was even worse. The rest I’ll leave up to the imagination. Thankfully we had a doctor, and RN, and a surgical technician there that night…I think God was really taking care of us that evening.

So, along comes the City of Bismarck, spreading gravel in dark corners with no signage. They own thousands of dollars worth of big orange signs saying “FRESH OIL – LOOSE ROCK” but only put them up in well lit areas around downtown. They won’t put them where real danger exists. A couple of years ago I saw a crew chip-sealing Fox Island Road, including the tight unlit corner at the end. I saw the foreman sitting in his truck, rolled up on my motorcycle, and asked if they were going to be putting signs up at either end. I explained that the gravel is dangerous to motorcyclists who can’t see it that easily in the dark. He gave me some smart-ass answer and just stared at me with a stupid grin. These are the people entrusted with our safety, and I guess the signs stay on the truck.

This is an annual thing, obviously. Those of us with a lot of motorcycling experience know that mid-June means surprises are even more likely around every corner in town. How many new riders know that? They stand to learn a very important, possibly painful, lesson that motorcyclists must always be twice as vigilant as your average cage (I’m sorry, car) driver out there.

With all the rich folks riding Harley-Davidsons™ these days, it’d be interesting to see some high-priced attorney lay down his Hog on some unmarked gravel, then heal up just enough to sue the living pants off the city. I’m not a fan of liability litigation, but I’ve been making noise on this matter for over ten years. Nobody’s listening. So if you’re a motorcyclist and are reading this, be warned: the City of Bismarck, in its negligence and carelessness, is setting the traps for you. Pay extra attention when you’re riding out there.

Yellow is the perfect color for this magnet

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An elderly die-hard Democrat in my neighborhood is sporting this yellow magnet on his car among his Dorgan, Pomeroy, and ND Peace Coalition stickers. It’s no wonder to see this sort of thing from the ND Peace Coalition; after all, they’re pretty misguided.

Their website indicates that they believe such moral gems as “…one person’s terrorist being another person’s freedom fighter” or “Terrorism ranges from crackpots or right-wing conspirators such as a mailbox pipe bomber to Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, to anthrax postal terrorists to hijackers crashing airplanes into skyscrapers, all the way to actions by governments who employ large numbers of troops and weapons.”

Of course, you won’t find any mention of ecoterrorists anywhere in there, only right-wing crackpots. For instance, when I worked for ski patrol at a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, we had to inspect our ski lift towers for sabotage from people like this. Loggers had to inspect trees for large nails, put there to make saw blades explode in the faces of loggers trying to support their families, before cutting. But those aren’t crackpots, I guess. Would the peacenik clowns trying to sabotage a ND missile silo last week fall into that category? Of course not…they’re part of the agenda.

Think of the cowardly silliness in this magnet. Protect our troops by bringing them home? What kind of creampuffs do these idiots think our soldiers are? We aren’t sending the Girl Scouts overseas…we’re sending some of the most courageous Americans on our behalf.

I’ll use Alex, a young man from our church, as an example. He’s in basic training right now. He enlisted because he wants to serve and protect his country and its citizens. When he announced his decision, he didn’t say “but I sure hope they keep me somewhere out of danger.” None of the men and women of the Armed Forces did…they volunteer to face danger of all kinds so we don’t have to. I think they’d be offended and insulted if you told them we were bringing them back to US soil so they wouldn’t be in danger.

I’m proud of people like Alex who, while our country faces casualties in war overseas, volunteers because he wants to help and loves our country enough to risk his life for it. I don’t see any of these peaceniks risking their lives for anything…they just sit back and enjoy the freedoms that people with real courage earn for them. Deranged, yes…but it’s their right.

Clowns attempt sabotage at North Dakota nuclear facility. Really.

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Taken from this DefenseTech article:

Clowns attempt to sabotage nuclear missile near White Shield, ND!

Ya know, it takes all kinds. And I guess even North Dakota’s got ’em. After all, we’ve got a Bismarck Democrat comparing South Dakotans to the Taliban and then denying it, and removing his original post from his blog when he announced his candidacy for state House of Representatives.

As far as the clown wackbags, they’re lucky. I’ve heard tales of people who got their kneecaps shot out trespassing at nuclear facilities, and I think the rules of engagement are pretty serious up there if you pose a definite threat.

I’m not sure what to think about the Catholic priest playing the part of activist. He chose to quote the Bible, and out of context at that. I would politely point him to Ephesians 2:8-9 then, and ask him why he’s preaching that sacraments are necessary for getting to heaven. Or I Timothy 2:5, and ask him why he’s trying to usurp the role of Jesus. Perhaps he should spend more time reading his Bible instead of trying to paint missile silos.

Protesting is one thing, but this is treason. Free speech is one thing, trespassing on a nuclear facility is another. If you think treason and its prescribed punishment are too harsh, imagine if they could have possibly done some damage to the facility. That’s part of our nation’s defense system, a system that has helped preserve the right for these buffoons to be so stupid. Hang ’em high, I say.

What protest?

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There were many of us worried about the impending protests against our fallen soldiers. Obviously nobody wanted to see the garbage they’d written. Churches were concerned that people might think that these losers were actually Christian, or even specifically Baptist. Thankfully I don’t think any of that happened. In fact, if not for the coverage in the media, I don’t think anyone would have seen them at all.

I wasn’t going to even post a picture of the protesters; in fact, our stance as Patriot Guard Riders was to not even acknowledge them. It is important, however, to show what kind of pathetic inbreeders we were so worried about.

As you can see in this picture, all they could muster today was a couple of adults and their brainwashed kids. They had a 45 minute window according to their permit, and as soon as that time was up, they were escorted to their minivan and told to leave by our courteous local law enforcement. Amen.

There just isn’t any more to say about that.

Fred Phelps cult to come to Bismarck? Let’s shed some light on things

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Two of our soldiers from Bismarck who were killed in Afghanistan will be laid to rest this Thursday and Saturday. As if this week won’t be hard enough on friends and family of these two brave men, the Fred Phelps cult has notified the town of its intent to protest the funerals.

Who are they? Well, Fred Phelps and his relatives have a “church” they call the Westboro Baptist Church. First off, they’re not a Baptist church. Second, they don’t teach a Christian doctrine. They’re just plain insane. They have a website titled godhatesfags.com where they spew hate and claim to be Christians, which they are not.

Before we go any further, let me be plainly clear about one thing: homosexuality is a sin. You don’t like that? Tough. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take my church’s word for it. Take God’s word for it. The Bible is very explicit in the Old Testament and New Testament that homosexuality is a sin. Take it up with him if you don’t like it.

Rather than quote you verses on that subject, which I’m sure you’ve seen, let me stay on topic and point out that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Or how about a verse that I’m sure everyone in America has seen or heard at one time: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) That “whosoever” includes everybody, Mr. Phelps.

The Bible says that if you’re a liar, you must repent and trust in Jesus. Likewise, if you’re a thief, adulterer or murderer, you must repent and trust in Jesus. If you engage in homosexuality, you must repent and trust in Jesus. See the theme here? ALL SIN IS SIN. It doesn’t matter how great or how small, how culturally acceptable or how disgusting.

If you’re a member of the Phelps cult, listen to this: “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” (1 John 2:9) “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:11) “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15). I think that’s pretty plain about where they stand. If they’ve got a burden about homosexuality they should be out trying to deliver the gospel in a loving way, not simply going out and hating. God isn’t glorified in that.

In times past there have always been those Christians, a group of whom the Phelps cult is NOT a part, who like to point the finger. It started with the first believers, who looked down on the Gentiles. Paul had to whip them into shape: “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:9-11) We’re reminded that we were ALL sinners before coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If God can forgive us, who are we to say he can’t forgive someone else?

Having said that, what this cult (I don’t think cults like being equated with the Phelps Phamily) does is not scriptural, is not appropriate, and is not indicative of Christianity.

Hopefully we can count on them being no-shows, as this article says they often do. According to this Bismarck Tribune article, they’ve notified police of their intent to protest but have not acquired a permit.

Our church, a REAL Baptist church, has done some street evangelization where we hand out Bible literature, maybe hold a sign with a Bible verse on it, and invite people to church. That group was broken up by police because a permit was required. If the Phelps cult doesn’t have a permit, and actually do show up this week, I hope the same ordinance is used to break up their hate rally as it was against a group of Bismarck residents inviting people to church.

Look…there are thousands of people out there, including some presently or formerly homosexual friends of mine, who would love to call me a hater for this post. I’m willing to put up with that; all I’ve done is say what the Bible says. Not just what Clint thinks or what my church or its doctrine say. Just the Bible. I know that’s called “intolerance” and a number of other buzzwords…but I can’t help that. All I can do is say, lovingly and rationally, that we’re all sinners of one sort or another. Fred Phelps and his inbred bunch, though…they’re in a category of their own.

I hope this isn’t the extent of Mandan’s development

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The headline says it all. There’s a fancy new brick building on the west end of the Strip in Mandan – oh goody, another “bookstore.”

First off, I thought all the pornography freaks were just getting their jollies on the Internet…you mean someone actually drives to a store for this garbage? Apparently so…brick buildings aren’t cheap.

Second, is this a new building for the old bookstore, or an expansion…I don’t know. Another thing I don’t know is the name of the one on Main Street. Everyone always referred to it as “the Mandan bookstore,” and THAT is the problem.

What do people think of when they think of Mandan businesses? The “bookstore” and the “tuck-a-bucks,” ie the Silver Dollar and Tree City bars. There are other businesses on the strip, of course, but that just doesn’t quite seem like Mandan for some reason because you don’t actually drive “into” town. So Mandan needs a perception update.

Don’t get me wrong – there are other big construction projects happening in Mandan, although they all seem to be along the Strip. There’s the new Harley shop, built a few years ago. Dusty and Annette have just opened their grand new Open Road Honda building, and it’s amazing. There’s a new McDonald’s greasing up on the intersection of Memorial Highway and 3rd. Riverwood RV has expanded into an enormous facility on the west end of the strip. Wheels, Wings, and Hobbies has relocated from a side road to Memorial Highway and built enormous indoor and outdoor tracks for their customers to race on. Things are happening. Venture into town and you find the Pizza Ranch, which is a fantastic restaurant – but do you ever hear much about it?

So why do I have to bring this up? Because I don’t think Mandan’s getting a fair shake. I’m not saying it’s easy to get the word out…but I’m saying it’s ESSENTIAL to get the word out. Don’t let people continue to associate the name Mandan with pornography stores and stripper bars. Let people know what’s going on!

Look, people have no problem driving to the bars in Mandan. I doubt they’d have any problem driving to any GOOD businesses there too, if properly encouraged. Take dining for example. How many times have you wanted to go out to eat, then sat there trying to sort through the local restaurants in your head, forgetting most of them? Mandan falls through that crack a lot, and unless they get REALLY aggressive about it, they’re just going to continue being a little town across the river from an ever-growing Bismarck.

On an aside…Mandan residents pay the highest property taxes in North Dakota, far higher than many residents in states on all three sides of ND. Why? There isn’t a sufficient revenue from businesses, for one. Bring them in, and let them share the tax burden with the citizens.