PCM

When I you made this statement about the FBI the first time, I thought you were just being flippant. Apparently you really are that naive.

Unless you have better information than the FBI, which investigated the Nazi sympathizer accusation over a four-year period, it is an untrue statement. Hiding behind the "it's part of an opinion piece" argument is sillly and makes you look irresponsible.

It sounds like you're using actual facts. I might consider doing that some day.

I wrote Josh an e-mail with my thoughts on his column and he wrote me back a nice e-mail to which I responded. I was fully prepard to let it go until he came here to stir things up again by offering lousy excuses and lame rationalizations. That was his choice.

I decided to try my hand at this opinion stuff. Folks, I have to tell you, by adhering to the standards set by the student journalists who weighed in on this thread, it's kind of fun. I highly recommend it. ------------------------------------ April 22, 2005 Michigan reeks and can't compare to ND By PCM: Part God, Whole Sudo-Reporter I can

That's right. I think it's why you should do a story called "The Other Side of Ralph Engelstad." It'd be a real scoop. I'm thinking that it has Pulitzer potential.

A "journalist" who digs the hole deeper each time he attempts to defend himself.

You still don't get it. Nobody is saying that you should use your column to rehabilitiate Engelstad's image. They're saying that it's wrong for you to use it to advance misconceptions about the man that you admit to knowing are untrue. It's not about what you didn't do, it's about what you did.

Obviously. That's also obvious. And we have the right to disagree with his opinion, do we not? After all, he came here seeking other opinions, and that's exactly what he got. Deal with it. Did you actually read what he wrote here? He said: In fact, in the e-mail Josh sent me, he said he'd defended Engelstad many times. The issue isn't whether Josh holds Engelstad in as high a regard as some North Dakotans. The issue is that while he admits to knowing that Engelstad has done many good things, he instead uses his column to advance the misconception that Engelstad is a "Nazi sympathizer." Writing an opinion piece doesn't absolve a journalist from the responsibility of truth and accuracy. This is a concept that both you and he don't seem to understand, which makes me wonder what they're teaching in journalism school these days. Really? That's the first I've heard of it. Maybe you should assign a reporter to do a story... If you spent any time here, you'd know that most regulars agree that REA is too large to provide a good basketball atmosphere.

Agreed. Ideally, that's what you want in a college president.

As sporting events go, I think we can all agree that the recent China vs. Norway hockey game eclipses the Rose Bowl in size, scope and importance. After all, most people in the world know where China is while only a fraction of Americans know where the Rose Bowl is.

Oh, please! I much prefer the more recent hieroglyphic format.

As if there's any difference.

Who's making the Beta tapes for airmail?

Don't worry, jk. Your post fits right in with this thread. Because the game was international in scope and little Norway beat the largest country in the world, it tops any athletic event in which Michigan has ever been involved.

You can call it heavy handed. I call it protecting what's legally theirs.

Maybe. I don't know. Why don't you ask them? Why don't you e-mail Fox Sports and ask their permission to post the Spirko clip on a Web site? Perhpas the use of such clips falls under the "fair use" provisions of the copyright law. I don't know. I'm not a lawyer. For that reason, I don't assume that just because somebody else does something that it's legal for me to do it. I'd rather not find out the hard way that it isn't.

Me either. I also can't believe that you need any help from me in telling off your ex-husband.

I understand the point because it's the same one I've made to my children. They've been to Sioux football games, Sioux hockey games and Sioux basketball games. They've experienced the thrill of UND winning national championships in hockey, football an basketball. They've had Sioux athletes visit them in their classes in school, some of whom they've seen on TV playing in the NHL and NFL. Where I grew up in South Dakota, we had nothing that came close to this. When the local high school basketball star shot baskets with us at our neighborhood court, we considered that a big deal. In my mind, it's still a fond memory. So I tell my children that they should appreciate what they have here in Grand Forks because it's something special, something that most kids never experience. The difference between how you make your point and how I make my point is that I don't tear down my hometown in the process. I don't feel the need to exaggerate the negatives to build up the positives. I don't use misconceptions that I know are false to make my case. You do, and that's why North Dakotans and Sioux fans take exception to your column. This is where you lose my respect, Josh. As a journalist, your job is to reveal the truth and provide accurate information, not to reinforce misconceptions or repeat falsehoods. How can anyone outside North Dakota expect to know anything different about Ralph Engelstad when you choose to follow the herd by repeating a misconception that you know is wrong? Your response to this criticism is, at best, disingenuous.

You defend his right to state his opinion, but then slam those who express an opinion disagreeing with his. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

This is where you make your big mistake. As redwing77 notes, it's all relative. When I attended South Dakota State -- primarily a basketball school -- I never sat in a USD-SDSU game in Frost Arena thinking, "Gee, if only I went to a Division I school, I'd be seeing a much better game and having more fun." It never occurred to me that I was missing out on anything by attending a Division II school. For me, the games in which the Jackrabbits and Coyotes played were as good as it got. Aside from the emotion and intense rivalry, part of the excitement was seeing the best high school players in South Dakota playing against each other. One Jackrabbit player was good friend of mine from my home town. Another player lived across the hall from me in the dorm, and I became friends with him, too. These players were the cream of the crop from Class A and Class B state tournaments I'd attended or watched on TV. I felt I had a personal attachment to the players and, therefore, the game. I'm not going to belittle Michigan students just because they didn't experience basketball the way that I did. The same goes for some of the Sioux playoff games I've atteneded at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. I've witnessed some terrific football games at which I've literally screamed myself hoarse. I never think about how much better a Michigan game would be, although I don't doubt that they are many times better in terms of spectacle, atmosphere and quality of play. If you're a football fan, the best you can get at a school the size of UND in a town the size of Grand Forks is pretty darn good. I arrived in Grand Forks in 1992, about the time that the Sioux football program began its rise from mediocrity to surpass NDSU and begin its drive toward a national title. Sure, playing in national bowl game on New Year's Day is a much bigger deal. And winning the Super Bowl is an even bigger deal than that. But for Sioux fans watching their team win its first-ever national championship, there was nothing bigger or better or more special. You need to put things in their proper perspective. Everyone in North Dakota knows that college football and basketball here isn't a big deal to the rest of the country. So what? It doesn't stop the fans from enjoying the games or the players from enjoying their accomplishments.

The same goes for athletics under Kupchella. If they'd gone downhill on his watch, I could understand some of the rancor. But the exact opposite is true, and yet people still rip him. It makes no sense to me.

Although I didn't agree with his handling of that situation, I think it's very important to remember that while Kupchella was still wet behind the ears as a college president, he was sent into that particular minefield without a map. I'm still not sure why it happened. It shouldn't have. If you ever visit the BRIDGES Web site, you'll see that the name change proponents seem to dislike Kupchella as much as those who favor keeping the Sioux name. And that's why I can empathize with the guy. No matter what he does on that issue, he can't win. Nor can I blame him for wanting to put the issue behind him when there are so many other more important matters with which to deal. It's true that he is no Tom Clifford or Kendall Baker, both of whom I've had the pleasure of knowing. But to say that Kupchella's "totally unaware" of the importance of athletics at UND is, in my opinion, a false statement. I've heard him speak a number of times on a number of occasions about how much pride he takes in UND's athletic teams. I believe he was very sincere. During my career, I've dealt with a number of bosses who criticized me because I wasn't as enthusiastic or as gung-ho as they thought I should be. They had absolutely no problem with me or the quality of my work. They simply didn't like the fact that I didn't have their attitude about work. It's always made me wonder why, to some people, attitude is more important than results. The world is full of people lacking in the enthusiasm and personality departments who have accomplished great and important things. On the other hand, I've known many people with tons of enthusiasm and loads of personality who never accomplished a damn thing in their lives and probably never will. They are all flash and no substance. That's why I tend to judge Kupchella by what he's actually done for UND that's meaningful and worthwhile. Yes, it would be nice if he were more of a people person, more outgoing and more of sports fan. But that should be of secondary importance in the grand scheme of things.