Kelly Armstrong: A Fresh Breeze Across MAGA Land

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

North Dakota is a large, basically empty, Republican state with a Republican legislature, a Republican governor, and a distinct white, conservative view of the world.  Not much of that is likely to change, but  occasionally small fissures in any fortress may emerge.

The state's previous Republican governor, Doug Burgum, is a multimillionaire native of the state who some say bought his way into the office in 2016 and served two full terms through 2024.  Burgum had higher ambitions and entered the Republican primary race for President in 2024, but just being a multi-millionaire wasn't enough to win that prize.  Burgum quickly learned that the road to the White House was littered with billionaire enablers, and his campaign fizzled not long after its launch.  Running for higher office did provide Burgum with the opportunity to be noticed by Donald Trump, and when Trump was elected and finally began looking for someone to tend the nation's buffalo and figure out ways to further exploit the natural resources of America's public lands, he turned to Burgum to be his Secretary of the Interior.

Now that Doug Burgum is safely on the cocktail party circuit in DC,  North Dakota has elected itself a new Republican governor, one who presumably, like Burgum, would do nothing to interfere with the state's steady push into right-wing extremism.   Kelly Armstrong is a native of North Dakota who served as the state's lone member of the US House of Representatives before being elected governor of the state last year.  He is a former attorney and volunteer firefighter.

Kelly Armstrong has an obvious and sincere interest in the well-being of the youth in his state.  He played baseball in high school, and, as an adult, has coached boys' baseball and girls' softball. and he and his wife are parents of two teens, a girl and a boy.  In just a few months as governor, he has already made his mark on the state's educational system by signing a bill that prohibits student phones in school, a move which he contends will free students to concentrate on their academic work.  

This week, however, a piece of legislation involving children came to his desk which Governor Armstrong did not sign.  The Republican-controlled state legislature had coughed up a bill which tried to control the availability of certain books to minors, a decision which the governor felt was better left to families.

The bill that Armstrong blocked would have required public and school libraries to put books which reportedly featured explicit or obscene material in areas "not easily accessible" to minors.  The bill also called for the prosecution of librarians who did not comply.  This past Tuesday Governor Armstrong released a letter explaining hiss decision not to sign the bill.  In it he said:

"While I recognize the concerns that led to its introduction, Senate Bill 2307 represents a misguided attempt to legislate morality through overreach and censorship.  The bill imposes vague and punitive measures on professionals and opens the door to a host of unintended and damaging consequences for our communities.

"In the last ten years The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Of Mice and Men, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Kite Runner, 1984, and To Kill a Mockingbird have all been targeted by obscenity laws.  I don't pretend to know what the next literary masterpiece is going to be.  But I want it available in the library.  And if a parent doesn't think it is age-appropriate for their child, then that is a parenting decision.  It doesn't require a whole-of-government approach and $1.1 million of taxpayer money."

Wow.  With a thoughtful and reasoned attitude like that, Kelly Armstrong's time as governor of North Dakota may be short-lived, but he will not soon be forgotten.   The enlightened politician is a fresh breeze across MAGA Land, one that has been sorely needed for a long time.

Salute, governor!