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Finally Roxana Saben has been released from an Iranian prison and returned home among much publicity.  I’m not sure what all the politics were that were involved in this, but I’m glad she’s not any longer in danger in an Islamic rogue state.

Are all Islamic states rogue?  Decidedly not: Egypt and Jordan are two that, to me, clearly aren’t.  I will not dispute thta the Islamioc Republic of Iran is.  But I think it helpful to realize how they got that way.

In World War II, Iran was sympathetic to the Axis powers, as wee most of the middle east countries.  However, they had oil that the Russians wanted,and we wanted  them to have.  Further, we didn’t want the Axis, particular the Germans, to have it.  What to do such a situation?  Why, occupy them of course and support an oppressive regime, in this case that of Shah Pahlvi, to keep the people in line.  It is not clear to me why humankind and the Western posers, in particular the US, have never realized that doing so has its consequences.  Eventually, the people revolted, threw out the Shah and became an Islamic republic, which, for very understandable reasons, was anti-American, anti-Russian and, for reasons not as clear, anti-Israeli.

As a general rule, I am not as sympathetic with victims that intentionally put themselves in harms way as I am with others.  For example, when people follow hooligan teenagers instead of calling the police and just leaving them alone, then if they are harmed by the hooligans, they have contributed to their own harm.  Now, I am not saying that Roxana should have not visited Iran: she likely had good reason to do so.  And I don’t think she was a spy.  Not because she couldn’t have been, but because I don’t see what she could have contributed to our intelligence on Iran.  As a sidelight, missionaries and peace corps workers are very suspect when it comes to the espionage game.  But she did, once in Iran, visit Israel.  Rogue nation or not, the middle eastern Islamic nations, except for Egypt and Jordan, take a dim view of people entering, or re-entering, their country with an Israeli visa in their passport.  Often, they don’t survive the experience.

So we are all glad that Roxana made it home safely.  It could have been a lot worse

Not long ago I was visiting Rochester, MN, when I heard on the local news that the Red River of the North had fallen below flood stage.  This event probably made national news.  In each case I’m sure the community of people in the Fargo-Moorhead were deservedly lauded for their spirit, work ethic, etc.  The only question I have, is what really did happen?  Why are we consistently able to dodge bullets when many others cannot.

I’m a little less than convinced that we have a stronger work ethic in this area than others.  It may appear than way since there are so few decent paying jobs in the area, so most jobs go to those with strong work ethic.  The car wash worker in Fargo would probably have a much better job in Chicago, say, giving the appearance our lower paying service jobs are filled by people with stronger work ethic than those in Chicago.

We also have three institutions of higher learning in the area, giving us a large force of willing sandbaggers.

One thing I think we do have going for us in fargo is the lack of willingness to wait for someone else to solve our problems for us.  Perhaps our devastating winters have something to do with that.  Nothing teaches us better that we will have to take the consequences of our actions, or lack thereof, than a North Dakota blizzard.  Who can forget the thousands of people in New Orleans huddled on the frreeways waiting for someone to help them during Katrina.  The situation is different, but I bet if that were 94 in Fargo Moorhead, that’s not what we would have done.  It is perhaps notable that New Orleans has huge pockets of poverty depending on government assistance while the government of North Dakota could hardly be called socialist.  Yes, I know, the governments, but according to Mayor Wallaker, the federal government had advised him to evacuate.. He refused, and we won.

It should not be lost on anyone that perhaps we’ve become far to good at this.  Winnipeg, Grand Forks and Wahpeton all have far less flood concerns after huge infusions of federal cash to give them flood protection after cataclysmatic floods.  It certainly is not lost on the North Dakota congressional delegation.  Let’s hiope they can get someone’s attention before we have a similar disaster.

Finally, plaudits to Dennis Wallaker, who was instrumental in both recent flood fights.  In fact, since he need protection by armed guards during the flood of 97 to protect him from those that threatened his life due to some of his decisions to not protect some areas, maybe we’re not as cohesive bunch as has been portrayed.

So, is there a point or lesson in all this?   A couple, I think. Work ethic or no, we understand that the best way to ensure our destiny is to do what we can to control it ourselves.  And I think there is an element of “North Dakota Nice” in all this: most, but not all, cooperated with the authorities it closing their businesses, staying out of town if we did not have business there, even if we couldn’t physically help.

Sometime about the middle of last week I read Mike McFeely’s column in the Forum. suggesting that the media was making way too much of the swine flu situation.  Now, I have nothing against McFeely and have no intention of entering into a debate, but I do wonder why a sports columnist wants to weigh in on this issue.  I don’t read the Forum, so maybe I don’t understand the situation.  But in any event, McFeely’s column raises some interesting issues.

One of Mike’s complaints is based on the low number of cases so far reported in humans.  How does he think pan-demic’s start?  Read the history of the Black Plague, which what passed for science in those days had no idea what to do with.  Still, with a little knowledge, they could have greatly reduced the devastation: stop killing and torturing cats, for example.  Instead they turned to superstitious religion, which if anything made things worse.

In some ways we’re not much different today.  Diseases like the swine flu start in animals and initially don’t infect humans.  At some point, however, there is enough human contact so that the virus gets its DNA sequencing confused by a virus that does infect humans, producing a new virus that does infect humans.  Don’t hold me responsible for having my scientific facts straight, but it’s something like that.

So at this point what we have is a virus that infects humans about which we know nothing. Science has to first isolate the virus, figure out how to kill it inn order to make a vaccine to give the population.  It is my understanding that doing this in a year is good time.  But let’s say science could do it in a month.

We all know, or should know, why pyramid schemes are illegal.  Let’s apply it in this case.  Suppose an individual is infected with  the virus.  That day, he shakes hands with two other people.  The next day these two contact two other two individuals each, and so on.  At the end of thirty days there are two to the thirtieth power people infected, or approximately one billion!

Science has promised us a pan-demic sometime in the not too distant future.  When it happens, it will start like the swine flu is behaving now.  Let’s hope this isn’t it, but even though we probably can accuse the media of sensationalism(when can’t we) it’s best that we stay informed, I think.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax “tea

party” Wednesday with his stance against the federal government and for states’ rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, “Secede!”

An animated Perry told the crowd at Austin City Hall — one of three tea parties he was attending across the state — that officials in Washington have abandon

ed the country’s founding principles of limited government. He said the federal government is strangling Americans with taxation, spending and debt.

Perry repeated his running theme that Texas’ economy is in relatively good shape compared with other states and with the “federal budget mess.” Many in the crowd held signs deriding President Barack Obama and the $786 billion federal economic stimulus package.

Perry called his supporters patriots. Later, answering news reporters’ questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

“There’s a lot of different scenarios,” Perry said. “We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.”

He said when Texas entered the union in 1845 it was with the understanding it could pull out. However, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point if it wanted to but not the right to secede.

Texas did secede in 1861, but the North’s victory in the Civil War put an end to that.

Fargo Phantom, ND — President Barack Obama’s overall job approval rating has been highly stable since mid-February, averaging 62% since Feb. 16, as well as in the most recent week, from March 30 through April 5.

Still enjoying a honeymoon period, Obama’s approval rating has fallen only slightly from its 67% starting point even as he has outlined an ambitious agenda that has been controversial to some with regard to the costs to taxpayers and the proposed expansion of the federal government’s role in the economy.

So far, Obama’s actions have served to turn off only a rather limited number of Republicans. He began his term with a 41% approval rating among Republicans — not outstanding but certainly healthy when juxtaposed against the largely single-digit approval ratings for George W. Bush among Democrats in the last year and a half of his presidency.

Obama’s approval rating among Republicans declined rather quickly in the weeks after his inauguration and was 27% this past week. So even though he still claims a substantial minority of Republicans as supporters, this group is about one-third smaller than at the outset of his presidency.

Meanwhile, Obama’s approval ratings among Democrats and independents have been highly stable. Last week’s averages of 90% approval from Democrats and 60% from independents nearly match the averages for his presidency to date.O

FARGO, N.D. (FargoPhantom.com)–Looking for a great weekend to just get away from fargo? Well I found just the place to stay in downtown minneapolis.  I really think the Van Dusen Center has to be the most romantic place to stay in in south minneapolis.  The website claims the following history….The Van Dusen mansion is one of the most flamboyant late 19th-century residences in Minneapolis. Most of its contemporaries in the Stevens Square-Loring Heights neighborhood have been razed.

George W. and Nancy B. Van Dusen built the 12,000-square-foot mansion and 3,600-square-foot carriage house. in 1892. The structure is a mixture of Richardsonian Romanesque and French Renaissance revival architecture, giving it the look of a castle. It was built as an ostentatious symbol of the accomplishments of an otherwise low-profile company president. George Van Dusen founded Minnesota’s first and most prosperous grain processing and distribution firm in 1883.

Later that evening I went to a Restaurant called Murrays Steakhouse located close to the Target Center. It has to be one of the best steaks Ive ever eaten in my life. Everything there was Ala Carte.  There was a woman that plays the piano, and for $20 a woman will come to your table and play the Villain for you, any song  that you want.  The whole night cost about $160.00 food and wine.

The whole trip including Hotel was well under $600 a night. And yes it was a night to remember. If your significant other does’nt appreciate it my advice is to find another other….just kidding..seriously

for more details

Warning: Holy Crap is Congress Corrupt and We Have the Goods… WATCH video.

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Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker cautiously expressed hope that the river would stay below 44 feet _ the limit of the reinforced dikes. Walaker said there was not enough time to build the levees any higher.

Fargo escaped devastation from flooding in 1997, when Grand Forks was ravaged by a historic flood 70 miles to the north. This year, the river has been swollen by heavier-than-average winter snows, combined with an early freeze last fall that locked a lot of moisture into the soil. The threat has been made worse by spring rains.

“I think the river is mad that she lost the last time,” said engineer Mike Buerkley, managing a smile through his dark stubble as he tossed sandbags onto his pickup truck after working 29 straight hours.

Some 1,700 National Guard troops helped reinforce the dikes and conduct patrols for leaks. Police restricted traffic to allow trucks laden with sandbags, backhoes and other heavy equipment to get through. Continue reading »

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FARGO, N.D. (FargoFloods.com) March 26,2009  MeritCare Hospital is Closed due to the Fargo Flood on the Red River in North Dakota. The first time in histoy that Meritcare has been Evacuated.  Meritcare insists it Ready.says Dr.Pitts

After consulting with local and state emergency services, to ensure the safest possible evacuation of patients from the city, MeritCare is initiating the evacuations of hospital patients as of 8:30 p.m., Thursday, March 26.

MeritCare Hospital and MeritCare South University Hospital are starting the process of evacuating hospital patients out of the Fargo-Moorhead area tonight.

MeritCare is working with local and state emergency operations centers to coordinate the safest transfer of patients to available hospitals that will be able to continue their required care. Some of the hospitals include Abbot Northwestern, Minneapolis, North Country Hospital, Bemidji, Minn., Sanford Health, Sioux Falls, S.D., and St. Alexius, Bismarck, N.D.

MeritCare’s first priority is ensuring a safe and orderly transfer for patients and their families. MeritCare is communicating directly with patients and their families regarding their transfer and plan for continued care. Patients are being transferred by LifeFlight, ambulances and buses. Medical providers including physicians, nurses and EMT’s are accompanying patients, depending on the level of care necessary for each patient. Necessary medical equipment and supplies are also being transferred with each patient.

The number of patients being evacuated is 180 and includes patients with care needs ranging from minor to critical.

The Emergency Center at MeritCare’s downtown location will remain open. We will be stabilizing patients and transporting them to other hospitals.

On Friday, MeritCare Southpointe and West Fargo Clinics will remain open for primary care walk-in care only; all other primary care locations in Fargo-Moorhead will be closed. Walk-In Clinic, Children’s Walk-In Clinic and Fast Track locations will remain open. The Infusion Center will be operating out of the South University Day Unit for scheduled patients only and out-patient dialysis will be open.

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FARGO, N.D. (FargoPhantom.com)–From the front line on the flood of the Fargodome.  Everyone working together to meet the need for sandbags in our town.  March 25 2009

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SandbagSavior.com

100s of Flood pictures taken on the way in to sandbag.

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FARGO, N.D. (FargoPhantom.com)– - Shifting from confident to jittery, flood-fighters in and around Fargo, N.D., intensified their dike building Wednesday after a dire new forecast called for the Red River to swell to its highest level ever by Saturday.

Authorities used airboats, helicopters and large military trucks to rescue dozens of trapped residents in the North Dakota towns of Oxbow and Abercombie. And if the rising river weren’t enough to heighten anxiety, 8 inches of snow blew in with ice and wind to handicap sandbagging efforts and close highways not already swamped with floodwater.

“It’s uncharted territory,” Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said. “If nature has anything else to throw at us, it’d have to be a tornado.”

The mayor pleaded for more sandbag volunteers and urged exhausted crews to raise the dikes another foot — to 43 feet — before Saturday’s expected crest of 41 feet. That would eclipse the 1897 record level of 40.1 feet in Fargo and the 39.57 feet reached during the devastating 1997 flood.

Beginning today, Fargo officials will start distributing evacuation information.