A view of Nodak

[jimdahl]

Have you hugged a Nodak today?

Nodaks have a fierce, defensive loyalty to their home state, kind of like certain children of abusive and alcoholic parents who also commit incest.

From an early age, Nodaks are brainwashed with an idea that their state is both filled with untapped potential and, simultaneously, in a crisis because its youths keep leaving.

They are like economic refugees even though they resemble average Americans, except with dorkier, more agrarian clothing.

The big city is scary, but the pain of life in North Dakota can be dulled only by binge drinking. Nodaks at the University need and deserve help, not only with alcoholism but also to obtain affordable housing and assistance with careers so they won't have to go crawling back to America's rural ghetto, the economic hurt bag of the nation.

A later published opinion counterpoint:

At least North Dakota isn't Canada

Letters to the editor

The author defends his original piece by further exploring his "North Dakotans are alcoholics" treatise:

North Dakota's binge drinking, now U's problem

[Let'sGoHawks!]

John Hoff. Nuff said. I didn't know he had left Grand Forks, wow, are we lucky.

[dagies]

I see Hoff finally got to the root of his problems with North Dakotans. He owns some houses, no one wants to either rent or buy them, and one got broken into.

I wonder if he's planning to buy some houses in large parts of the Twin Cities area and leave them vacant for a while and see what happens.

Well, at first I wanted to be outraged at the ridiculous attack this guy made. I'm not even North Dakotan. I grew up in both South Dakota and Minnesota and went to college at UND. But this guy is so far out there he's worth little other than pity. He reminds me of an ignorant person who runs with a homogenous crowd, who rip on people different than they are, and laugh and slap each other on the back.

I'm just glad I'm not like him.

Oh, and one more thing. He's probably one of those "hardy Minnesotans". The kind that live here in the Twin Cities and think they are tougher than the the rest of the world because of the climate they "endure" yearly.

Hell, most of these people couldn't survive 3 hours north of here.

[The Sicatoka]

It's -26F in Warroad this morning.

That's straight air temperature, not wind chill.

Survive that and you too could be known as Christian, Marvin, or The Oshie.

[jimdahl]

John Hoff. Nuff said. I didn't know he had left Grand Forks, wow, are we lucky.

I hadn't put the byline together with the man (subtitle updated). Frankly, I'm not surprised I didn't make the connection, because isn't he a little old to be writing for the Minnesota student newspaper?

[teamsioux]

It's too bad Grand Forks didn't keep him on the city council a little longer....he would of have fixed all the problems.

[PCM]

Someone wrote a blog about this a week ago.

[dagies]

Nice job. I hope it's winging it's way to the MN Daily as we speak.

[PCM]

Nice job. I hope it's winging it's way to the MN Daily as we speak.

Nah. I tried to deal with the Minny Daily before when they printed their bogus information about UND wearing black, no-logo jerseys at SCSU. They corrected that obvious error, but refused to admit to others. They're totally clueless and prefer to remain that way when it comes to anything related to North Dakota. You can't expect much more from the editor who introduced Hoff to the newspaper's reading by saying:

I can easily say our columnists will be the best we've had in years. John Hoff escaped from the earthen caves of North Dakota. You'll question his sanity until you realize that you should really be questioning your own.

They love anyone who confirms their stereotypes about North Dakota and North Dakotans.

But not to worry. Hoff is wearing out his welcome in the Twin Cities, just as he wore it out in Grand Forks. When Scott Hennen was still doing Hot Talk in Grand Forks, a woman who agreed with Hoff's political views called in to talk about her encounter with him. She thought that if she could convince Hoff to soften some of his rhetoric and back off on his always-on-the-attack style, he might stand a better chance of winning people over to their point of view. Unforutnately, their meeting over coffee ended with Hoff angrily shouting her down in public and calling her names. So much for tact and diplomacy.

Hoff's Minnesota Daily columns attacking a local political icon who champions homeless causes drew this response from Guy Gambill, a U of M almunus and member of city and county homlessness advisory boards:

Seldom have I come across less informed bits of journalism than the recent columns by John Hoff with regard to Council member Paul Zerby. Hoff, apparently, has a lack of understanding of the politics of the city of Minneapolis. To attack Zerby on the issue of housing? Ridiculous.

That The Minnesota Daily allowed this preposterous and uninformed string of journalistic malfeasance is a great injustice to one of the most progressive forces on the City Council. If even a minimal amount of research had been conducted these articles would have been in the trash bin.

Yes, Hoff is winning friends and influencing people in the Twin Cities just as he did in Grand Forks. It might take a bit longer before he self-destructs there, but it will happen.

Edited February 16, 2006 by PCM

[Diggler]

Hoff is dumber then a box of rocks and twice as ugly. Add to this that he is like 50 and still thinks of himself as a typical college student is just plain pathetic. He was at UND for like 15 years and accomplished nothing as far as his education goes. Now he is Minnesota's problem and will no doubt waste much of their time and money while once again accomplishing nothing.

[SiouxMeNow]

Hoff is dumber then a box of rocks and twice as ugly. Add to this that he is like 50 and still thinks of himself as a typical college student is just plain pathetic. He was at UND for like 15 years and accomplished nothing as far as his education goes. Now he is Minnesota's problem and will no doubt waste much of their time and money while once again accomplishing nothing.

did he ever graduate from Law School?

[DD603DD]

As someone fairly new to the area, looking at the comments on this article and the article itself makes it sound like Hoff burned some bridges on his way out of town (or while he was in town). Anyone care to enlighten me?

[siouxfan499]

The man is a complete !@#$%!........need anything more?

[jloos]

did he ever graduate from Law School?

He did, I think they let him graduate just to get rid of him. He was studying for the MN bar for the second time the last I saw him. I assume he flunked it again.

His buddy Roland Reimers, who is even more crazy than he is, was kicked out of law school. Thanks to these two I think the law school is screening its applicants a little more.

[Smoggy]

He did, I think they let him graduate just to get rid of him. He was studying for the MN bar for the second time the last I saw him. I assume he flunked it again.

His buddy Roland Reimers, who is even more crazy than he is, was kicked out of law school. Thanks to these two I think the law school is screening its applicants a little more.

Don't forget about his City Council days. Some how he won his ward. Made an ass of himself on Channel 3. Made the ratings for City Council meetings go through the roof, then his ward re-called him.

[82SiouxGuy]

Don't forget about his City Council days. Some how he won his ward. Made an ass of himself on Channel 3. Made the ratings for City Council meetings go through the roof, then his ward re-called him.

He won because no one ran against him. I live in that ward. It wasn't long before people in the ward were trying to figure out how to recall Mr. Hoff.

[PCM]

He won because no one ran against him.

As I remember it, there were three or four candidates running and the top two got on the city council. I believe he was the second highest vote getter. I still don't know how that happened. Maybe it was the UND student vote.

I live in that ward. It wasn't long before people in the ward were trying to figure out how to recall Mr. Hoff.

I live there, too. Recalling Hoff and voting him out of office was one of the greatest exercises in democracy in which I have ever participated.

[82SiouxGuy]

As I remember it, there were three or four candidates running and the top two got on the city council. I believe he was the second highest vote getter. I still don't know how that happened. Maybe it was the UND student vote.

I think you are right PCM. My memory isn't always so good at 2 AM. I think that the students were a major part of his victory. I remember that Hoff was very visible, and not nearly as controversial when he was a candidate. The recall election was a great process to witness.

[PCM]

The recall election was a great process to witness.

The recall election occurred at the same time as the 2000 presidential election. There was a special one-page ballot with a yes or no question to recall Hoff. For some reason, I accidentally checked "No," but I noticed the mistake just before I turned in the ballot. I asked for another one and properly marked it.

Just think, I was almost as confused as those Florida voters.

[Diggler]

Just think, I was almost as confused as those Florida voters.

You are to be commended what with being twice as old as the average Florida voter.

[PCM]

At least one Minnesotan respects North Dakotans for who they are. Check out Garrison Keillor's column in today's Chicago Tribune. He writes about a recent visit to Grand Forks.

He asked about North Dakota, so I told him. Yes, the winters are long and the land is flat, but the people are the salt of the earth. Decency and humor. No pretense. Nobody lives here to show off. The man in the greasy jacket and barn boots might be a multimillionaire farmer, and he will be friendly without patronizing you, and you can tell him what you think, and--I got sort of rhapsodic, though I am not considering moving to North Dakota myself.

A man choosing between Singapore and North Dakota has opened up a broad range of options. I saw him again the next day--Grand Forks is the sort of town where you keep running into people--and he had a big grin on his face. The cold weather seemed to energize him. And he had met other members of his math tribe. He looked good, a free man, the world his oyster, nothing to hold him back.

[dagies]

Very nice.

[Air Force One]

I just read this thread, Wow. It almost makes me feel sad for him.

[redwing77]

I just read this thread, Wow. It almost makes me feel sad for him.

Sad? For Hoff?

No, every time I read his article (once) all I can think of is the TV ads for Prairie Mental Health Clinics and praying that someday Hoff gets help, if not from Prairie, from SOMEONE.

[SiouxMeNow]

Sad? For Hoff?

No, every time I read his article (once) all I can think of is the TV ads for Prairie Mental Health Clinics and praying that someday Hoff gets help, if not from Prairie, from SOMEONE.

(hope he's still paying his property taxes for the shanty in Gilby ) Did he actually graduate from UND Law School?