New at Say Anything: No Sex Please, We're North Dakotans

There's a bill before the North Dakota House that would mandate abstinence-only education in the state's public schools.

I imagine that most people would agree with at least some of the concepts outlined in this bill (North Dakota H.B. 1229). Others, not so much. I'm not particulary interested in hashing out which ones are good or bad, true or false, appropriate or not. That's because while I personally may agree with some of these and disagree with others, I don't think this is an area public schools should be concerning themselves with. I'm a firm believer that it is the purview of parents to take the lead in dicussing sex with their kids, in whatever form that conversation may take and whatever approach those parents may prefer. As someone whose own parents never had "the talk" I understand one major argument in favor of this sort of program. If the parents won't do it, it's up to the school. Except that it's not, anymore than a parent who doesn't buy their kid new shoes means it's up to the school to do it.

(Read the rest of this post, as well as the bill, at Say Anything.)

Fargo Tea Party Draws More Protesters Than Democratic Delegates

On a day when the temperature was in the 40's, the wind was blowing, and a light rain mixed with snowflakes fell, the North Dakota Tea Party drew more people to protest outside the Democratic Convention than there were delegates inside the Fargo Civic Center to hear them. A crowd of over 400 sang the national anthem, made their voices heard on healthcare and other issues, and vowed to take back government.

The proceedings were very civil; frankly, the only unpleasantness I witnessed were a few people wearing laminates from the convention crossing through the proceedings while Partiers were trying to talk and a man attempting to sing over the young lady performing the anthem. Neither of those things is anything to get bent out of shape over. But compared to the protesters, the conventioners were the only group who could boast any impoliteness.

The much-ballyhooed security brought in to keep the peace were singled out by more than one speaker (Rob roamed the crowd with a microphone letting anyone who wanted to talk have a go) with praise. By 2:15 the guards (actually Fargo police officers) had left.

Master of Ceremonies Scott Hennen, in a bit of theater, set up three chairs with the names of Byron Dorgan, Earl Pomeroy and Kent Conrad affixed and invited the namesakes to come out and take questions from the crowd. I don't believe any of the three were present other than Pomeroy (who, for some reason, arrived in a limo with the Presidential seal displayed on it. It was upside down, which for all I know is some nod to protocol. Regardless, it looked odd). The Representative declined the invitation.

(Crossposted from Say Anything)

Goin' Partyin'

Tomorrow is the North Dakota Democratic convention. It's being held at the Civic Center in downtown Fargo. Outside the convention the North Dakota Tea Party is going to be holding a rally. I'm going to attend the rally along with Rob Port of Say Anything and some number of SA readers/contributors.

I'll be bringing my cameras (video and otherwise) to record some of that horrible right-wing violence I've been hearing so much about lately. Expect reports/picture/video in this space over the next couple of days. It should be interesting.

Remembering The Flood of 2009

Just about one year ago today I spent my first full day out tossing sandbags to fight the great Fargo flood of 2009. I remember the day I went to build dikes and found that the below-freezing temperatures had turned the sandbags into ill-fitting blocks of ice. Fun times. If you're in a mood to reminisce, you can check out my gallery here. In the meantime, here are a few photos from back then:

From A Torrent To A Trickle: North Dakota Should Expect Less Federal Dollars In The Future

Byron Dorgan is leaving the Senate. When that happens, North Dakotans should expect to see a sharp decrease in the amount of federal dollars funnelled to the state.

In its annual report, Taxpayers for Common Sense attributes North Dakota’s continually high ranking to the level of influence its Democratic congressional delegation wields.

Dorgan is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Water and Energy Development. In that position, Dorgan has secured millions of dollars for state projects including flood protection, rural water development and university research.

So North Dakota is a national leader in sucking at the government teat. Yippee. I realize that trumpeting how much federal tax dollars you bring to the state coffers is a point of pride for politicians. It's expected from a dishearteningly large percentage of the population. Dorgan's replacement is not going to be in a position to siphon anywhere near the numbers he could. Dorgan was so "successful" that he eclipsed another North Dakota representative, Earl Pomeroy, who was credited with only $200,000 in individual earmarks. In defending his record while brushing aside tranparency concerns raised by the group Taxpayers for Common Sense, Dorgan said:

“The reason they call them earmarks is to implicitly to suggest that they are unworthy, and that’s simply not the case,” Dorgan said. “These are wonderful investments in North Dakota’s future. … Part of them are investments we are owed, and part of them deal with flood control and building jobs.

“If they don’t think those are wise investments, then we have a real disagreement,” he said.

Which is a wonderfully obtuse way of knocking down a strawman. The call for transparency from Taxpayers for Common Sense doesn't mean it thinks the investments are unwise. Of course, there's a lot more money coming to the state in the form of farm bills and other programs. Those get left out in all the talk about "flood control" and "building jobs". What Dorgan should be asking is, if we are "owed" so much money by the federal government, why are they taking so much from us in the first place? In the long run this means that the percentage of the bloated federal budget pie that gets sent back to North Dakota will be smaller. From that standpoint I understand the allure of having an old hand in the Senate. But shouldn't the goal be to reduce the pie?

(Crossposted from Say Anything)

Fargo Preparing For The Worst

Fargo mayor Dennis Walaker declared a state of emergency yesterday as the city gears up for another possible flood fight. It's considered a formality, a way to speed up the process of getting federal help if the worst happens.

Walaker is on record as saying he thinks all the dire spring predictions are premature and I agree with him. Bits and pieces of the area flood every spring. You put a city on a flat, open plain, situate it next to a river, and bombard it with snow and sub-freezing temperatures every winter and you're going to get a lot of water come springtime. That water has to go somewhere. Last year it went everywhere.

Last year, though, the National Weather Service downplayed the risk and gave overly rosy forecasts that they ramped up each week until we were underwater. I think this year they are desperate to avoid taking criticism for being too optimistic and so are compensating too far in the other direction. To read some of the reports this year, we're going to need an ark.

I think in the end it will be okay. We'll get some minor flooding (like we always do) and everything will return to normal. If not, well, I suppose I'll be out sandbagging again. The great thing about this prediction is everyone is hoping I'm right.

Hoarfrost

Some pictures I took this morning outside the office. They aren't the best as the thick clouds played havoc with the lighting:

(Click on the pictures to see them in 800 x 600.)

Winter Scenes

I promised my sister in Georgia some pictures of the snow. Word is that a blizzard was headed their way (accumulations up to an inch!) so I expect the town is shut down for a few days. I took a walk around the block (morning temperature: 2 degrees) and took these:

(click images to see them in 800 x 600 resolution)

So... Much... Snow

Well, we made it back to Fargo on Monday and were welcomed by the site of our house and driveway covered in about 24 inches of snow, plus whatever my neighbor threw on top with his snowblower. We started to shovel but about an hour in it became obvious that we were going to use our whole vacation to clear a path to the garage. We called a guy who made short work of it.

As an added bonus, we have a mountain of snow in the back yard which we can convert into a super cool fortress of badass:

Future site of Fort Awesome

Macy will be with me all this week, so we will be busy creating a lifetime of memories, as well as a place from which to bombard passersby with chunks of ice. Man, am I a great dad.

You Know What Would Be Great? More Snow, That's What

Our area is expected to get 8-14" of snow over the next 24 hours. This will guarantee that the last vertebrae in my back are torn asunder trying to clear the driveway. No travel is advised tonight, even in town. Once the storm finishes it's grim march of death across Fargo, we'll get a better idea of what effect the snowfall will have on the river levels. Hopefully we won't be looking at a higher crest out of this.

The Microsoft Fargo campus is now closed until at least Thursday. It's been a long time since I've been to work. I hope I still remember all my passwords.

Scenes from the Red River

Macy and I took a quick trip over to the Main Avenue bridge (aka Veterans Memorial Bridge, at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and John F. Kennedy/Bishop Desmond Tutu/George Washington Carver Street) to get a look at the Red River:

So far it looks like we are good to go as far as the crest. The level has gone down a little which is a good thing, obviously. If we can avoid too much precipitation over the next few days we might be done with this whole thing. The area is slated to get some snow tomorrow and Tuesday. Just how much we get will determine how much worse things get.

We also found some time this weekend to take in a temporary boarder:

The whole thing was very taxing on me.

Fargo Flood Watch 2009 (part 9)

Everything is pretty quiet today. The river has actually gone down about 0.4 inches today. Anytime the water goes down, that's a good thing. They have halted snadbagging operations. I drove past the Moorhead sandbag central location and it was empty of people. This is the same place I filled sandbags for about 5 hours on Thursday. Basically we are in wait-and-see mode.

The roads are open again and I was able to get across the river to pick up Macy and bring her home, so the family is all together now.

Fargo Flood Watch 2009 (part 8)

Lots of updates for everyone:

• The Feds arrived in the region today in the form of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security (for some reason). Hopefully they arrived late enough that they can't get in the way too much.
• Parts of Moorhead and Fargo near the Red River are under evacuation orders today. Leaky dikes are to blame in Fargo; the move is being called precautionary. Moorhead is in more dire straits.
• The river is still expected to crest sometime tonight or early tomorrow between 41 and 42 feet. If that pans out, everyone will breathe a big sigh of relief because...
• Fargo officials are confident enough in our flood fighting prowess that they called off sandbagging operations as of 6:00 pm.
• As far as I know, all my friends and coworkers are relatively safe, either by dint of being on higher ground or having sufficient dikes in place to protect their homes.
• There's a ban on travel in the city today. To help give people a reason not to drive, all non essential businesses (hospitals, grocery stores) were asked to remain closed today.
• Donna and I are good; there have been no sewage/storm drain problems which is the only thing we're really worried about in our area. Fargo mayor Dennis Wallaker stated today that the system looked normal and wasn't showing any signs of strain. Amazing if true, but we'll take it.
• Macy is supposed to be with me tonight, but because I can't get to Moorhead to get her she is going to stay with her mother tonight. Hopefully I can get her tomorrow.
• School has already been cancelled for all of next week because...
• There is a big storm brewing that should hit south of us some time early next week. This is bad because the Red River has to be different and flow northward. More precipitation south of us is a bad thing. No word yet on what this means.
• I didn't do much flood fighting today because of the travel ban. Donna and I walked to a nearby school that is being used as a temporary shelter to see if they needed help/supplies/whatever. We were turned away by the Red Cross and told to go to the main office to register and await instructions. Did I mention we can't drive anywhere?
• Not sure what happens tomorrow; if I can help anywhere (and get there) I will go out to help. Otherwise, it's just wait-and-see.

Fargo Flood Watch 2009 (part 7)

What a day. You haven't lived until you've sandbagged in a snow shower. Really, I mean that. Ted Cihak and I helped build a sandbag dike along the Rose Coulee about 300 yards from the Microsoft campus. We turned that mother out, if I may say so. Ted is a retired Technical Sergeant with the Air National Guard, so we looked pretty spiffy in our authentic military grade gear. He is also a developer on my team at Microsoft.

After that we headed to Moorhead's sandbag central to fill sand bags. We originally intended to go to north Moorhead to help out there, but every route was choked. We sat on Interstate 94 at a literal standstill for about fifteen minutes before taking a handy exit and trying a different route. When that proved just as useless, we changed our plans.

The new crest forecast is for 42 feet sometime Friday, with the possibility of 43 feet on Saturday. This is a problem as the main dike was just raised to 42 feet. Not to mention all the individual homes who will need to build onto their existing defenses after thinking they were done. There is a lot of work left to do and not a lot of time to do it.

I talked to my manager Gary tonight. He is taking a boat out later to his sister-in-law's house. I was out there on Tuesday and a truck was all we needed. The water is rising fast around here.

Thankfully we are dry at our place, though I refuse to shovel the 6+ inches of snow that fell yesterday. It's supposed to get above freezing this weekend, so let the sun do some work for once. Sorry Mr. Postman.

Donna and our friend Alyssa Short (of Angel in the Kitchen fame) made a Sam's Club run and bought tons of food to donate to some of the local rallying points in the flood fight. How awesome is that?

I am exhausted right now, and I am going back out in the morning. So enough talk. Look at some pictures while I drink a beer:

As always, check out more of my pictures here, and see professional pics here.

Fargo Flood Watch 2009 (part 6)

I'm back in hte game this morning as Macy is with her mother. A coworker and I are going to try to get back up to north Moorhead this morning. It will be tough as many roads are closing, but we are going to head to Minnesota State University -- Moorhead's campus and try to hitch a ride. MSU-M is being used as a staging area.

There's still a lot of snow on the ground from yesterday's storm, so this should be fun. Wish me luck.

Fargo Flood Watch (part 5)

Fargo is now under a Winter Storm Warning as the temperature has plunged below freezing. This is good in the short term as it will stop the water from rising in most places, but long term it could prove disasterous (okay, more disasterous).

Fargo and Moorhead schools are closed today because of the weather, so I am home this morning with Macy playing dad, which is pretty nice.

And for you anxious readers (all three of you) it means I will have more time today for blogging then I have the past couple of days. Lucky you!

Fargo Flood Watch 2009 (part 4)

Well, another day of sandbagging behind me. Courage to all those hardier, braver and cooler souls than me who are still at it. Lots of road closings all over the place, including stretches of Interstates 29 and 94.

My manager Gary and I roamed the area helping out in a few different places today. The rivers are expected to crest Friday at last report, so we should know towards the end of the week how screwed we (as a community) are. I think I mentioned this before, but if I didn't: my house is pretty safe. If we get flooded, it means Fargo can officially be renamed Atlantis.

Here are some more pictures:

Again, find more pictures at my online gallery, then check out what a real photographer can do.

Fargo Flood Watch 2009 (part 3)

Whew. I was at it a lot shorter a time than a lot of people out there, but I am exhausted. It doesn't help that I'm not in as good a shape as I was in my Air Force days. I am heading back out in the morning, so blogging will be light. I'll put something up later in the day or the evening though.

As promised, here are some shots from the flood fighting front. They were taken in two basic areas: north Moorhead, MN and West Fargo, ND.

For more of my amateurish photography, check out my online gallery.

For better photography, check out my friend Dave Arntson's site (he's a professional).

Fargo Floodwatch 2009 (part 2)

Well, I got the call. I am heading out with some teammembers to sandbag a fellow Microsoft employee's house. Thankfully I am prepared. I also have my camera and if I get a chance I will snap a few.

Updates later....

Fargo Floodwatch 2009 (part 1)

Fargo is gearing up for spring flooding, as the National Weather Service is setting the upper bound on the crest of the Red River at 40 feet, well above flood stage. Volunteers are already filling sandbags around the city to help top off existing dikes and create strategic walls in needed spots. A Facebook group has also been created to help marshall volunteers.

My house is presumably safe; beyond the water we get in the basement everytime a bird dribbles I'm not expecting any flood waters to make it to my part of town. But Microsoft Fargo is already prepping for flood fighting. We have an internal online resource where people can go to volunteer to help sandbag or ask for help in sandbagging.

I myself am planning to pack a bag with clothes and tools appropriate to flood fighting so I can go at a moments notice from work if needed. It's been awhile since this sort of effort was needed (1997 to be exact) in Fargo. Hopefully the NWS will be off in its prediction and the crest will be much lower, but it's not looking that way right now.