’ There’s no Snow.”
that autumnal solstices stuff and even though
there are already a couple of harbingers of win-
clpsure and pressing for open play until the first
... .wwm
Page 4
Manipulation of
social media
should have its
eonSequences(
Summary: Companies
and hatred in order to buck.
What people have known for a long time to true now sud-
denly a “blockbuster report” and “breaking news.”
From the day the dark shadow of Facebook darkened intemet door-
ways, it’s been used adeptly as a tool to bully, spread lies and create
havoc
across the world.
Last week, Frances Haugen, spoke up and spoke out. She’s a data en-
gineer and scientist, product manager, and now a whistleblower. She dis-
closed tens of thousands of Facebook’s internal documents to the
Securities and Exchange Commission and Wall Street Journal after filing
formal complaints with federal authorities.
The complaints say Facebook’s own research shows that it amplifies
hate, misinformation and political unrest—but the company hides what it
knows. One complaint alleges that Facebook’s Instagram harms teenage
girls. What makes Haugen’s complaints unprecedented is the trove of pri-
vate Facebook research she took when she quit in May:
' She told the TV news program 60 minutes this: “The thing I saw at
Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest be—
tween what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook.
And Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimize for its own inter—
ests, like making more money.”
Further, Haugen laid out the fundamental problem Facebook has — all
that hate is good for business. Content that makes people angry and hos—
tile also makes us engaged, which is the basic business model of Face-
book keep people engaged, sell their attention to advertisers.
Haugen’s internal Facebook information also showed that the com—
pany is fully aware of the damage that Instagram is doing to young peo—
ple, particularly teen girls, and of the process in which those vulnerable
children actually spend more time on the platform even as it batters their
mental health.
In the paSt, and especially the last five to 10 years, politicians and
some
of the more “engaged and enraged” public have railed on news media for
its pandering to one political party or another. “Fake news” has been
all
the rage thanks in large part to a person we know is one of the biggest
liars
on the planet.
’ In the meantime, many of these same individuals have taken advantage
of Facebook’s lackadaisical relationship with the‘truth in order to
spread
more lies. '
What is this if not a definitive erosion of democracy and not being
held to account for lies spewed across the world at the speed of light.
' Facebook audits cohorts in that new stratosphere of: spreading infor-
mation at the fif’li‘glif has brought the t‘i‘uth tellers to
their knees and
all for another dollar iii the bank: :- v v v t
It has run amuck to the point there’s no going back. Not only are the
dollars and cents behind these global carnivores, so too are the
politicians
who’ve take their very large amounts of money.
Someone came up with the perfect description of what Facebook ac-
tually produces — “social pollution.” We’ve seen what actual
contami-
nation has done to our planet and now a social media giant is and has
been doing the same exact thing.
Traditional media outlets, such as newspapers and television stations,
are beholden to laws involving libel and slander. The truth, verifiable
sources and facts are not only essential, but a responsibility. There are
consequences if these duties aren’t held up and rightfully so. The much-
too-powerful social media companies should be forced to follow a simi-
lar set of guidelines.
i: « , I a!“
How to contact your Noith Dakota delegaion
. Sen. John Hoeven
G11 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224—2551
Sen. Kevin Cramer
B406 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2043
(Rep. Kelly Armstrong
1004 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2611
Summer’s officially over today. Forget all
the nice weather might hang around for a bit,
ter in the air.
First and foremost, the golf course is closed.
A few friends and I considered picketing the
blizzard. We were going to make signs that
said, “Divots until December,” and “Hell No,
Alas, there was little motivation and even
less projected participation in that idea.
‘ Another sure sign of the waning season is
the way high school football fans are doing a
lot more math.
The end of the season is near and not only
do playoff positions depend on wins and losses,
teams have to beat certain opponents by so
many points and/or have other teams lose by
precise margins in order to either make the
The Star
OPINION
Dom WORRY... HE’S mos.er
A FORCE. FOR GOOD
Many citizens should be impeached
Citizenship is a public office in
which electors are blessed with cer-
tain rights and charged with civic ,
responsibilities.
Unfortunately, more people de-
mand their rights than their respon-
sibilities so the state suffers from a
chronic deficiency in participation
and judgment.
Government has hit bottom in
public trust, now standing at one—
third the level that prevailed in the
Eisenhower—Kennedy years. Citi-
zens spend more time bad-
mouthing the government than
appreciating it. This attitude is af—
fecting the ability of the govern-
ment to function.
In spite of all the glitches in our
Other Views
By Lloyd B. Omtlahl
up the, cudgels and even tried to
overthrow the government, a simi-
lar effort in the Civil War that re-
sulted in more American deaths
than all other wars combined.
This is not to say that citizens
aren’t entitled to oppose govem-
ment policy they consider adverse
to their interests and values. With
such a broad demographic mix in
policymaking, the will of the peo— ‘
ple is manifested in a democratic
society. And with the expansive
polling being done these days the
will err-he ’peOple'is irrea red reg-
‘
It somethin‘g’is wrong" h the
goVemment, the people must share
the blame. Their erratic response to
public issues reflects their lack of
ability to support wise government
policies.
During the Trump administra-
tion, liberal observers were quick to
point out the president’s personal
flaws. But it was not only President
Trump to blame for the mounting
hostility that now permeates the
whole society. He did get
63 ,000,000 votes, honestly cast and
counted by bona fide citizens.
While Trump is no longer the
major player, citizens have taken
all?!" ,v .w Wu, y. .t -‘-r-
. izens who elect representatrVes Will
the United States, peace can only
be maintained as long as compro-
mise is possible.
’ We seem to have arrived at a
point when compromise is no
longer possible. Opinions are too
rigid to allow giving ground for the
purpose of social peace.
In Washington , compromise has
become a bad‘yvordhbecause the cit-
not tolerate compromise. The coun—
try has become ungovemable.
Equally divided between the two
parties, polls show that partisanship
has increased. If this is a democ—
racy that reflects the will of the peo-
ple, we have to conclude that the
citizens have become more partisan
' and less willing to compromise.
The Republican Party has done
nothing but subtract from the wis-
dom of Congress while the De-
mocrats can’t even agree to
compromise within their own
ranks. .
So if the defects of government
resu1t from an incompetent citi-
zenry, we cannot expect better poli—
cies until the citizens get their act
together. Many of the policymakers
have proposed that the citizenry
needs to have a better grasp of their
responsibilities before the situation
will improve.
The truth is that more and more
people are holing up in their bur-
rows. Instead of developing a
broader View of society, they have
electronic toys for adults and kids
to sit in corners and avoid the gen—
eral society. “Online” may be more
flexible and available but it stifles
the social interaction of young peo-
ple in their formative years.
We have a problem with a lack.
of “cognitive flexibility” which
simply means the ability to men—
tally recognize that change is re-
quired but we are not flexible
enough to respond. All facets of so—
ciety — social, economic and polit:
f‘ical ’4 are “changing so fast that they
“have outrun our ability to compre-
hend and change.
COVID and all of its facets yet
unknown is an example of our in-
ability to comprehend and respond.
COVID and Delta will not be de—
feated by a divided citizenry that
cannot see the need for a near-
unanimous response.
While we may wish that citizens
master the duties of their offices, it
is not going to happen. They no
longer have the perspective or the
will to become rational officehold—
ers in a form of government that re-
quires more than they are willing to
give.
Supreme Court’s authority engulfed by storms
The Supreme Court’s authority,
grounded since the dawn of the re-
public in its preStige and reputation,
now faces the storms that have Over-
whelmed Congress and the Presi-
dency and diminished the
institutional popularity of our politi- ‘
cal branches. A recent Gallup poll re-
v vealed that just 40% of the American
people approve of the performance of
the nation’s highest tribunal. The po-
litical polarization that has torn apart
our grand republic represents a grave
threat to the perception of the court
as an apolitical body rendering de-
tached, authoritative decisions that
preserve and protect the rule of law.
and fulfill expectations of it as a
’ mouthpiece for the Constitution.
Several Justices, just prior to the
opening of the court’s new term,
have addressed public concerns. Jus-
tice Amy Comey Barrett, the newest
member- of the court, told a Kentucky
audience last month that her job was
there’s also point spreads to worry about. Some playoffs or have home
games in the first round.
, In addition, the ND. High School Activities
Association playoff schemes usually mean at
least a full day’s Worth of travel. The best ex—
David Adler, The Alturas Institute
David Adler answers your Constitution questions.
Send them to this newspaper.
to persuade the audience the Justices
are not a bunch of “partisan hacks.”
Justices Stephen Breyer and
Clarence Thomas, the greybeards of
the court, declared that the differ?
ences among the Justices are attrib~
utable ' to . different judicial
philosophies, not polities. Justice
Samuel Alito, one of six republican
appointees serving on the High
Bench, stated — defensively that
year.
some critics portray the court as hav-
ing been captured by a cabal that re—
sorts to “sneaky methods” of
conSidering cases before it, a charac—
terization, he noted, that represents
an “unprecedented” effort to “intim-
idate” and damage the court. These
public statements in recent weeks
dovetail the long-standing effort of
Chief Justice John Roberts to protect '
the court against charges that its
members promote their own political
preferences.
Clearly, the Justices are embarked
on a mission to protect the court’s in-
stitutional integrity and its mission as
an impersonal vessel through which
the court speaks.,This mission is not
new, of Course, for the Justices,
acrOss two-and-one-half centuries,
have viewed themselves as the pri-
mary defenders of the court’s reputa-
Privacy
(Continued on Page 5)
We’re p rinting the best kind of cash
ample of all time was the year when North Bor-
der played South Border in the second round.
With that in mind, fans should keep those cal—
culators handy to not only figure out where their
team will play, but also how much money in gas
it will take to get to their destinations and back.
The best and most pleasing sign of coming
change in season, however, is that we recently
took an order to print some money for the Rolla
Chamber of Commerce for its annual Holiday
Cash giveaways. The promotion has been
going on for decades now and is a good sign
that people continue to support their local busi-
nesses. Now, as a group, those merchants are
giving back to the people who keep the back
bone of our city strong. It’s a fitting idea for
everything else that comes with this time of
mW-mwnmw- .
October 1 1, 2021
Pages from
the past...
10 years ago
October 10, 2011
A poll of more ‘than 25 Rolla
business owners and managers
found a majority are in favor of the
city’s proposed street project but do
not want to see an additional half-
cent sales tax imposed to help fund
it.
Despite the recent high winds that
hit the area, the construction work at
Mount Pleasant School has pro-
gressed enough to put the old gym v :
back into commission. Superintend-
ent Brian Palmer said Rolla will host
its annual volleyball tournament this
coming Saturday, October 15.
The Belcourt Braves pulled off a
historic win last Friday night on the
road. The Braved edged by Dickin-
son Trinity, beating their WestRe-
gion foes for the first time in the
history of the local school, 20—19.
The Rolla Bulldogs took on and
took down a pair of District oppo—~
nents, defeating St. John and Ro-
lette-Wolford in three-game sweeps.
The North Prairie Cougars foot-
ball team overcame a long bus ride,
a strong wind, and their Opponent,
improving their record to 4-3 with a
convincing 53—6 victory over Mid-
way-Minto.
Clarence Davis Jr., a quarterback ,
on the Belcourt Braves football
«team, and Jordan Robert, a junior on
the Rolla Lady Bulldogs volleyball
team, were named Athletes of the
Week.
30 years ago
October 14, 1991
After cooking for hundreds of
students for several years, Sarah
Cahill of Rolla hung up her apron.
Cahill retired recently after 22 years
as a cook at the Rolla school. And
she’s the first to admit she already
misses it. .
Private Sylvester Ronald Keplin
is in basic training in the National
{at Fort Leonard Wood, Mis-
' souri. '
Stella Schimetz, cook/manager
for the food service program of the ‘
Dunseith school district for 26, has
received a certificate of appreciation
and letter of commendation from the
US. Department of Agriculture’s
Food and Nutrition Service.
The Rolette Comets continued to
dominate Region 4 9-man football
opponents as they upped their record
to a perfect 7-0 mark by thumping
the St. John Woodchucks 42-6 in
Rolette.
The Rolla Bulldogs improved to
12—3 on the year with two wins in
three games this past week. The
Bulldogs defeated Rugby 68-48 0
Tuesday night and Pingree-
Buchanan-Kensal (PBK) 49-35 Fri—
day before losing to New Rockford
' 57—29 on Saturday.
Belcourt drivers dominated the
winners’ circle at the Turtle Moun-
tain Speedway in Belcourt Saturday
afternoon as 17 cars competed in
two classes. Charlie Gladue claimed
first place in the street stocks out of
12 cars. He was followed by Blaine
Azure and Joe Ree.
60 years ago
October 12, 1961
, A new front on the building hous-
ing Mongeon’s Ben Franklin Store
in Rolla was recently installed, and
has served to add to the “new look”
on one block of Main Street.
The Turtle Mountain Star was in-
formed Tuesday afternoon that Mrs.
' Robert Gault of Mylo has been se-
lected as one of the 12 semifinalists
in the western half of the state for the
,Mrs. North Dakota contest.
John A. Stormon of Rolla has
been appointed to the University of
North Dakota Advisory Committee,
and will attend a meeting of that
committee at Grand Forks during
UND’s homecoming celebration.
JoAnn Bailey was selected as on
of the candidates for the honor of
reigning as 1961 Homecoming
queen at the University of North .
Dakota in'Grand Forks.
Mr. and Mrs. Pete Edwardson of
Rolla have, purchased the Mylo Cafe’ 1
from Evert Welander, the transaction
made final~ Saturday.
The Dunseith Dragons racked up
their first win of the season by de—
feating St. Mary’s of Devils Lake, 14
to 7, here Friday. The newly formed
pep club sponsored a pep rally be-
fore the game and a victory parade
afterwards.
