Notes From Up-North

The Lions of Pine County, like Lions all over the world are dedicated to community service. Membership is made up of men and women committed to service and interested in making a difference in their local community. There are eight Lions Clubs in Pine County; Pine Area, Pine City, Rock Creek, Hinckley, Sandstone, Sandstone Quarry, Finlayson and Sturgeon Lake. All of these clubs do exemplary work for their surrounding communities. The Pine Area and Sandstone Quarry Lions are all women. Rock Creek and Sandstone have all male memberships and the remaining clubs are co-ed so there are opportunities to associate with a membership structure that fits your personal needs. These clubs have a significant impact on county residents. Over the years they have built and managed community facilities and purchased public safety equipment. The clubs all support area civic projects and sponsor scholarships for graduating high school seniors. Together they sponsor health screenings for county resi...

A lieutenant, knowing a little about a lot, is charged with supervising those who, knowing some about a little, tend to offer excuses and shirk responsibility.   A lieutenant communicates the mission through NCO’s to the squads and supervises readiness and progress issuing orders to react to immediate circumstances.   Mission; an entrusted task which must be accomplished by those who know some about a little without excuse. Mission Success depends on fidelity and trust up and down the chain of command.   Supervision; tireless observation to assure resources and manpower are efficiently allocated to accomplish the mission. As rank increases the mission broadens.

 Strange as it may seem to most Americans; viewed on the progressive world stage, the United States is a juggernaut that must be stopped! Those familiar with Swift’s tale of Lemuel Gulliver will recognize the similarity to our current condition as a nation. The dawdling doctor miscalculated and lost his way ending in Lilliput and circumstances he could not comprehend or control.  To attribute our national condition to dawdling foolishness is folly that will accelerate National decline.   Listing the failures of the past twenty-six months will not forestall those that are forecast to unfold in the next twenty-two.  We should, however, ask ourselves why our government is pursuing such policies? Are we about to be tied down and rendered defenseless?  Why would our own governors concede the field to our enemies? Why would our own governors threaten us with the law?   Are these the actions of governors sworn to protect the...

  August 26, 2021 I forgo the temptation to state what is, to many, obvious regarding the motivation of the current administration; and choose, rather, to focus on the repercussions this great nation now suffers resulting from administration policies that effect domestic tranquility and international standing. One obligation of government is to secure the nation.   Another   ensures free, unencumbered commerce between states. The principal obligation is to protect liberty through the even handed administration of justice governed by   state and national constitutions. President Biden's Administration fails "the American People" in all three categories. In seven months the Biden administration has seriously diminished the domestic tranquility. A rash of executive decisions designed to undo policies of   the previous administration have left the people to deal with uncertain social and economic conditions. Administration support for an extreme left wing ag...

  What makes me a conservative ? I believe in the inalienable right of men to be free to pursue happiness.  This is the classic liberal idea, part of man’s unalterable natural state. Civilized society restricts man's animal instincts for self preservation by organizing to cooperate in pursuit of the fundamental necessities to survive. We call these restrictions government. The most common forms are top-down and authoritarian in nature. Government of people by people was recently introduced to the world.   Viewed historically, it is an idea that must be considered experimental and, as such, subject to failure. Two competing ideologies vie for supremacy in pursuit of government by the people; Capitalism enshrined in the US Constitution in 1788 and Communism introduced by the Russian Revolution 1917. Capitalism is a   laissez-faire philosophy; unrestricted it will crush the weakest. Communism demands central control of all aspects of society; eliminating an...

  Jan 6, 2021; a grievance was laid on the table of public opinion. There is no excuse for violence at the Capital and those involved should and will be punished.  There is also no excuse for depicting peaceful demonstrators as riots.  I am personally opposed to large public demonstrations since they are subject to being usurped by anarchists leading to unforeseen consequences.  That said, peaceful demonstrations have been normalized political speech for many decades. The question is where to go from here? A long view The Republic can only survive with free and fair elections. A very large portion of the U.S. voting population is highly suspicious based on sworn eye witness testimony.  Our long view needs to focus on correcting that problem.  The aggrieved population numbers approximately 80 million.  That’s a lot of political power currently available to organize and pressure federal and state governments to clean up  elections.   A ...

  Since the demise of the Wig Party Americans have generally aligned themselves with the Democrat and Republican parties. During the industrial rebirth of America following the Civil War the Democrat party emerged as advocates for the “little people” while the Republican party generally supported   laissez-faire capitalism until Theodore Roosevelt’s moved to breakup the big monopolies.  That gradually changed after WWII. FDR’s efforts to bring the U.S. economy back from the great depression of the 30’s created voting habits that persisted until 2016.  In the interregnum President Eisenhower warned of the power possessed by the Military Industrial Complex (Big Money). Big Tech emerged and connected the world via the internet and handheld communication devices. Big Media aligned with big Tech and  Big money. Shadowy big money is corrosive in politics.  For six decades following WWII the people continued to identify personal self interest with one of ...

  We are witnessing a brazen attempt to destroy the Aristotelian construct of Just Constitutional governance.   Democrats, empowered by a cabal of shadowy high tech oligarchs, appear poised to crush the Great Experiment (government of and by the people) entertained in U.S.A. for 244 years. Precisely four weeks (28 days) have passed since the Presidential Election of 2020; revelations of massive fraud committed by the deep state, facilitated by foreign adversaries and widely denied by national media; bring the Republic to a "Y" in the road leading to the future.   If the fraud prevails we veer left and lose our franchise leading to tyrannical oligarchy.   Liberty and just constitutional governance live on the right path. Freedom and just government of   and by the people demands free and fair elections. This is a fight!   A fight for freedom.   A revolution against oppressors; in other words, a fight worth risking everything.   When you fight...

  We would be better served if exposed less.   Television news desks feature two types; field reporters and anchor personalities.   The field reporters address news on-site,   reporting facts for the most part.   Anchors are   on-screen personalities that populate programming 24/7. Media syndicates congregate these personalities to deliver a message.   The underlying agenda is heavily weighted to politics. Media   personalities are generally unskilled, over privileged   narcissists dancing around a narrative; as a group they are out of touch with people, just watch them demonstrate detached interest when exposed in public.   They are grossly over rated opinion leaders;   abusing their position across the board.   The country would be better served if exposed less.   Unfortunately the programming is relatively cheap and effective in delivering eyeballs to advertising content, the penultimate goal off all print and ele...

Independence Day, for as long as I remember, has been a time for a little quiet reflection on the blessing God gave me to be born and live free in the U.S.A.    I first wrote this blog article   on July 4, 2016 and am amending it today. AWO     Life, Liberty, The Pursuit of Happiness 2016 Amended 2020 Art Olstead   “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. Thomas Jefferson; Declaration of Independence, 4, July 1776 These unalienable rights are further defined by the Bill of Rights. Ratified 1779 Happiness depends on the extent to which our needs are satisfied. Basic needs (food, shelter and clothing) must be met before individuals can pursue ...

Art Olstead, 2018 Knowledge of local history develops a sense of place for individuals and pride for communities.  The preservation of artifacts, documents and antidotes presented in proper context creates a fabric that leads to understanding and appreciation of those who preceded.  The effort to preserve and present local history is worthy of public promotion. In the pantheon of historical dissertation and research local history is routinely shuttled to the back of the bus.  Regional, national and international historians are generally regarded as more nuanced and better credentialed with superior access to resources.  Records which have made the   journey to major libraries and academia are animated by lettered historians.  The stories and documents retained by local historical societies are no less important as witness to events that make up the recorded timeline. After all, history happens locally, grand events which effect the sweep of history...

A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States: Its Causes, Character, Conduct and Results.   Author, Alexander Hamilton Stevens, December, 1867 Despite of the peculiar, late 19th Century, views expressed on slavery; this is the most interesting and best documented discussion on states’ rights I have read. I consider this a “must read” for anyone seriously interested in Constitutional history. The title can be found on Amazon. Democratic Congressman Stevens, former Vice President of the CSA and Governor of Georgia presents himself as an erudite and honorable man. The cast of characters; Webster, Madison, Locke, Clay, Calhoun, Adams and others are impressive.   The documentation of the positions they take is worth the price alone. The book is presented as twelve colloquies with an extensive Appendix. The author’s introduction sets up the style of the book.   There is an interesting copy of an original from the Cooper Union Library . The subtitle; “ Ti...

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. Thomas Jefferson; Declaration of Independence, 4, July 1776 These unalienable rights are further defined by the Bill of Rights. Ratified 1779 Happiness depends on the extent to which our needs are satisfied. Basic needs (food, shelter and clothing) must be met before individuals can pursue self actualization; determined by the extent to which cognitive ability is nurtured. The U. S. Constitution guarantees our unalienable rights and is unique in the history of nations.   That document says nothing about needs.   It protects the liberty of the citizens of the various United States.   In recent years political discourse ...

I seem to spend more time these days thinking about the world my grandchildren will inherit.  Our family spent years traveling the Boundary Water Canoe area in Northern Minnesota.  I recently discovered this small piece first written in the mid eighties.   Given the recent appearance of a cell phone tower to service BWCA visitors it seems appropriate to share at this time. Wilderness, like a mistress, is an indifferent temptress. She can break your heart, or send your spirit soaring; some are compelled to experience the embrace again and again; some repel in fear. When vistas disappear and eagles are captive, when the wild river is polluted, we lose the balm that heals our psychic wound. Break the rolling mantle of the far hills with a power line, disturb the silence, dam the river's fury and you diminish her essence. Clear-cut the forest, pollute the water, erect the tower and, as in death, her allure is gone. Only the pictures and sweet memories remain, to fade...

  Beneficiary of a 300 hundred year old experiment in self governance, three generations of liberty loving ancestors and a robust liberal education; I set poised awaiting the high probability that I won’t survive the next two presidential terms and I wonder what my grandchildren will muse when they achieve three score and ten. In the early days when I first became aware of the uniqueness of our constitutional form of self governance I took solace knowing for sure that “right will out!” Later I learned and was disturbed that Rome fell after centuries of splendor and I asked myself why? Now I know part of the reason was that citizens’ took much for granted. There was a time when our elected representatives seemed to actually care and act upon what was best for our country. Individuals thrived in personal liberty and took initiative to promote the greater good while advancing personal ambition. The entire nation rose and sacrificed twice to defend our form of self government unique i...

  I wrote the following “letter to the editor” on Feb 17, 2009 Prudence vs. Imprudence A prudent man with income sufficient to service debt will barrow the last of his credit line in order to invest in assets that he expects will increase production and foster more income. That income will allow him to improve infrastructure, repay the loan and generate a profit. In the end his condition is improved, the debt is repaid and his credit is restored. A imprudent man with income sufficient to service debt will barrow the last of his credit line and spend it on intangible or depleting assets (a new car, expensive vacation). While his income is sufficient to service the debt, the depleted condition of his infrastructure requires a capital investment. Credit exhausted, the infrastructure decays. Our Nation is currently engaged in an experiment. We are a debtor nation. Once we barrowed money from our citizens to fund government expenditures which taxes could not cover. In recent y...

Environmentalism Advocacy of the preservation or improvement of the natural environment, especially the social and political movement to control environmental pollution. Other specific goals of environmentalism include control of human population growth, conservation of natural resources, restriction of the negative effects of modern technology, and the adoption of environmentally benign forms of political and economic organization.  The term refers to any theory that emphasizes the importance of environmental factors in the development of culture and society. Environmentalist An advocate of  environmentalism : one concerned about   environmental quality especially of the human  environment with respect to the control of pollution. Conservationism not a word in Webster Conservation A careful preservation and protection of something;  the preservation of a physical quantity. Conservationist A person who is involved in conservation;  a ...

On my 65 th birthday the government man interposed himself between me and my doctor to tell my doctor what would be best for me. I did and do not like it, but the government man feels it is best. Now the government man is about to interpose himself between you and your doctor in order to dictate what is in your best interest. The government man tells me what kind of insurance I have to buy, but I am after-all older than 65 and the government man determines what is best for me. Now the government man has determined it is in your best interest to buy insurance; soon he will tell you what insurance to buy and if you don’t comply he will force you to pay a tax! As a young man I understood that by consenting to live within a society organized to maximize my freedom I derived great benefits; my life and property were more secure with the arrangement and I could get on with more interesting and less mundane concerns than watching my stuff all day. I understood that the legislators who gove...

  This trip to Hungry Jack has turned into a walk, or should I say paddle, down memory lane.  The last time we experienced this area was 1983.  The occasion was the first trip in the BWCAW for Alisa and Deanna.  That trip actually started at Hungry Jack Lodge.  We were first introduced to Jerry Parsons and his son Forrest; more on that later.  We caught a ride in an old pickup to Gunflint Lake to begin our trip along the Canadian border back to Hungry Jack. This is not a trip narrative, however there are a few highlights that live in our family memory.  There is  bench mark on North South portage where the girls played run around the border a few times;  mom and dad participated as well.   We became wind bound on Daniels Lake only a few yards from the portage to Bearskin thanks to dad’s failure to read the map correctly.  Then there is Deanna’s trauma on the portage to Bearskin in the rain when dad zipped her chin into a ra...

Mom and I sat on the patio overlooking the lake in the direction of Honeymoon Bluff and enjoyed a beverage as the sun went down.  The memories came flooding back created there over the past 28 years.  We invested a lot of quality gamily time here.  We are currently set up in site 11 in the camp ground.  The new lodge looks terrific.  Forrest has really done a great job with the new facility.  The new dinning room is spectacular and they have a menu at the bar.  They even have their own Hungry Jack Lager  now! We plan to do two day trips while we are here.  One to the east end of Hungry Jack Lake with a portage to West Bearskin and return to the campsite.  The second, on Wed. will take us back to the stairway portage.  That is the site where Deanna and I and Shadow discovered a bull moose eating aquatic plants just off the trail! We hit the portages today and the wind hit us!  After paddling to the far end of Hungry Jack w...