Opinion

I missed writing about cooperation during the month of October which was Co-op month. But I sure thought about Cooperation a great deal during that month. I was in Washington, D.C., for the induction of Lori Capouch into the National Cooperative Hall of Fame. Lori is originally from Park River. She joins Evert Dobrinski from Makoti, James Grahl a native of St. Joseph, Michigan and Vern Dosch, of Bismarck, as the North Dakota cooperators in ranks of those exceptional leaders.

I grew up on a farm in Wells County. My dad, James Patrie, loved poetry and I learned his philosophy through the poems he liked. I like those poems myself because they can express complicated thoughts through simple feelings.

BISMARCK, N.D. – A proclamation was issued by President Donald Trump to fly United States flags at half-mast on Thursday, Dec. 4 to honor West Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom who died after a shooting in Washington, D.C. a week earlier. However, the proclamation caught most of Devils Lake unaware as it was issued on the same day and only until sunset.

This past Thanksgiving, that husband of mine and I packed ourselves into the truck and headed to Bismarck, ND, to dine with dear friends who promised turkey, stuffing, gravy, and all the trimmings.

Hello, Devils Lake. Did you miss me? Because I missed you! I missed you like a woman misses her good bra after wearing the sports one all day. I missed you like farmers miss sleep in October. I missed you like the Lutheran Church Ladies miss a fresh pot of coffee when someone dares to brew it without an egg!

I consider myself to be a Christian, albeit a struggling Christian who often fails to live up to the teachings of Jesus Christ, yet tries daily. I will admit that I am not much of an Old Testament Christian but rather focus on the teaching and guidance provided by Jesus Christ. For the most part, your beliefs are personal and can vary from one individual to another. I am troubled by something that is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, that we are to love one another, yet most people regularly fail to do so every day. There is even mention of loving your enemy, which seems almost nonsensical today.

When I called to verify an Op Ed for last week’s Journal it reminded me that there IS something we, as consumers, can do, even if the present climate in our politics persists.

Dear Editor,

The latest Republican con is that the country is a hellhole of crime and only a strong unrestrained dictator can save the country. There has always been some level of crime throughout the country, and there will always be a certain level of crime. The current president is creating a narrative where, primarily in Democratic lead cities (it’s about the 2026 mid-term elections), crime is running rampant and must be contained using military force. It essential to realize that the current president will have very little, if anything to promote as positive policies for the upcoming 2026 mid-term elections. He knows the loss of one house of Congress is very bad for him because of his blatant corruption and disregard of the U.S. Constitution. Democratic lead congressional investigations will prove extremely problematic for our current president. He must create a narrative, however bogus, that crime will run wild if Republicans want to continue full control of the government.

I prayed for my pastor today.