M.I.A.: Power Cord

I have survived Red State Penetration Mission 2005. I have journeyed to Dickinson, ND and back and live today to tell the tale. But unfortunately I have a serious situation, as of right now the power cord to my laptop is Missing In Action or for you military types "MIA." It is because of this I can not blog a lot until my power cord comes back. The good news is that today my letter to the editor of The Dickinson Press was finally published for all of western North Dakota to see. I am told though that people do tend to respond to other peoples letters from time to time. So over the next few days I need to check The Dickinson Press for any potential fall out. Here is my letter to the editor of The Dickinson Press:

7-5-05 letter -- Bush needs a mainstream nominee
Tuesday, July 05, 2005

To the editor:

With the recent retirement of Justice O'Connor from the Supreme Court of the United States, it is important that President Bush appoints a main stream judge to serve on the bench.

The main reason for this would be to prevent another "nuclear option" showdown in the United States Senate. If President Bush were to appoint a right-wing judge to the court, Democrats would have no option but to filibuster the nomination, much like we are seeing today with the nomination of John Bolton to the United Nations ambassador position.

This filibuster and possible use of the "nuclear option" by Senate Republicans would do nothing but harm the country and prevent the Senate from doing its job of serving the people.

So what should President Bush do right now? I think the best thing he needs to do is to start a dialogue with not only his Republican counterparts in the Senate, but also with Democratic leaders as well, to formulate a good and steady nomination of a mainstream judge back to the Supreme Court.

If Bush were to not work with the Democrats, then the Senate is at risk of shutting down, which will do nothing but hurt the country and prevent federal money for issues that matter such as education, health care and veteran's benefits.

We should take a lesson from our neighbors to the east in Minnesota, where they are experiencing a state-wide government shut down as a result of partisan bickering and non-cooperation. This bickering and non-cooperation can happen in the Senate only if the President decides not to work with Democrats.

So President Bush, it is time to start working and reaching out to Democrats and start working together in order to prevent the Senate shutting down and achieving its main goal, serving the people of this country.

Jared Stene
Dickinson

Note: In order to increase my chances of being published thus completing my mission objective, I signed and wrote the letter as a citizen of Dickinson, North Dakota. Which at one point I technically was a few years ago when I stayed in North Dakota for a number of weeks.

Haven't been to North Dakota before?! Wondering what's out there?! Take a look:

Farm land that is preventing all of those strip malls and Starbucks developing. Man where did the good old days of urban sprawl go?

Adventures in New Salem, ND:

World's Largest Cow: Salem Sue


Jared trying to milk the World's Largest Cow, and nothing came out.

More Red State Penetration Mission 2005 adventures/updates when my power cord returns from MIA status.

RSPM 2005 Update

After traveling about 10 hours and 8 minutes I have finally arrived in Dickinson a town deep inside the very red state of North Dakota. To my disappointment, the Dickinson Public Library DID NOT have free wireless as according to several Wi-Fi websites. But I infiltrated the Dickinson State University's library and now using the internet through them. Though I will not have time to post my mission journal with random thoughts and experiences through out the trip, I will however show you a couple of pictures that I snapped along the way.


A magazine rack in a Bismarck, ND gas station. Apparently porn is a top seller, nevermind those other news magazines for they don't have cool pictures.


A new urban development in Dickinson, ND.

When I arrived here I started to read the local newspaper The Dickinson Press. I turned to the opinion section and started reading one of the letters to the editor. Apparently Dickinson is a hot bed for vicious public opinion, here's one of the two letters I read:

7-1-05 letter -- Young boy would like his bike returned
Friday, July 01, 2005

To the editor:

Trae is a little guy for his age, but he likes to be able to do what the big guys and girls do – ride his bike with training wheels; try to roller blade. His sister and brother take the lead, he follows.

His little heart was broken the other night when he ran home to go to the bathroom and went back to the skate park, only to find his training wheels and the rest of the 20-inch bike gone. Trae is only 6 and wants to have his bike returned so he can ride again.

Please return it to the Dickinson Police Department, no questions asked.

Mrs. Jerry Gullickson
Dickinson

After seeing this letter I've decided that I too shall write a letter to The Dickinson Press. I feel that I have a very good chance to get something published before I go. So that is one of my goals so far of Red State Penetration Mission 2005. Now if I will be able to come back tomorrow and give an update I am not sure, but I will certainly try my best to escape here to take advantage of the internet.