South Dakota War College

Selling Real Estate over at www.patpowers.com

2007-10-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts here, but you can now find me writing my website over at dakotawarcollege.com or selling Real Estate in Brookings South Dakota over at www.patpowers.com

The why's and wheretofores of the upcoming changes at the SDWC.

2007-06-21T08:44:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed by now, after 2 and 1/2 years, I'm in the preparatory stages for moving the South Dakota War College to a new home at dakotawarcollege.com.

*sniff* Blogger platform, I hardly knew ye.

The cool thing is that I've been able to move most all my posts. And the comments are even coming over. Right now it's a matter of tweaking things to get them to work right. I've never been a CSS stylesheet person, but I'm muddling through.

Why the move after all of my success here? There are practical reasons.

I bought the dakotawarcollege.com name a year ago, and I'm glad I did. sdwarcollege.com has been snatched by a squatter in the interim. Renewal was due, and it got me looking at several factors for the continued life of this website.

Blogger is good, but I need more possibility of adding things that might help pay for all of this mess. I wanted the more professional look that Wordpress offers. And more than anything, after 2 1/2 years, I'm maxing out my filespace.

I'm actually running out of picture space on Blogger, which was causing me consternation, in addition to have to pick and choose what to keep on the free one at home. As far as that one goes, 50 meg wasn't cutting it. So this move will boost my file limit to a huge 250 gig.

Administration of the website could at times be a pain. Even with the keycode protection, I'd get spammed. Hopefully, this will help with some of the oversight.

For those of you who are asking, Anonymous posting should still be allowed, but it's going to allow MUCH better spam control. The new software will allow me to pre-kill junk based on keywords.

Where I was limited before, I'll probably spend months just trying to go through everything I could offer.

Now if I could only get the pictures to wrap (or not wrap) correctly.

I wonder why we haven't seen that yet....

2007-06-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

I will be doing some cross posting between here and the new home at http://www.dakotawarcollege.com for about a week, but make sure you get your links updated before we go live and cut the cord...

I'm also starting to get the RSS feeds added, so don't forget to update those, either.

I was getting reports this afternoon that the deadline for Rapid City Mayoral candidates to turn in their pre-runoff campaign finance filings was yesterday. And one of the two candidates failed to make that deadline.

I’ve got a copy of Sam Kooiker’s finance report for the runoff, but I was waiting to post it until his opponent Alan Hanks got his in. But, as was related to me by a Republican activist out there, the deadline came and passed, and it was never turned in.

It might just be an oversight. Or, it might be an attempt to obfuscate several more thousand he obtained from a certain source. But until it’s filed, we won’t know

As soon as I find out more, you’ll be the first to know. But at the moment? We’re all in a holding pattern.

Things are going well.....

2007-06-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

If you want to see what I'm working on as things have been fairly silent tonight, go check out my work in progress here.

(importing over 23,000 comments is proving a bit time consuming...)

Change is coming....

2007-06-20T11:49:00.000-05:00

Change is coming.

I've been thinking this website has been pretty drab for a while, so a housecleaning is in order. If you notice some goofy formatting, or other problems, please bear with me. They'll be fixed in short order.

In the meantime, enjoy the summer day.

Heidepreim: Republicans are the party of hate

2007-06-20T06:45:00.000-05:00

In a comment reminiscent of Tim Johnson's taliban comment that got him into trouble a while back, Scott Heidepreim does him one better, and at the McGovern Day library event this past weekend flat out calls Republicans the party of hate as related by new website Badlands Blue:

Heidepriem said it was a thrill to serve with some of the people here today, the new Senators, and gave credit to the great Democrats who made this possible ("we can't thank you enough"). Heidepriem said he was confident Democrats can take control of the State Senate. Heidepriem talked about his father, also a World War II vet, a Republican but also a progressive and environmentalist. "Why did I change parties," he asked? Because he wanted to be part of a party that was about hope, not "hate."

Read that incredible comment here.

Holy crap!! This is the pandering candidate who says we need to listen more and shout less? But he calls the majority party out as as the party of "hate"? What an utterly undefendable remark.

The bottom line is that Democratic Senator Heidepreim needed a lot of Republican votes to get elected. But once that happened, he's now thrown off the cloth of moderation, and shown himself to be the liberal ideologue we all knew him to be.

After this comment, I hope the Republican Senate wakes up and realizes that Scott isn't about working together - he's about drawing battle lines.

UPDATE - good catch by one of the readers. It was pointed out to me that the Badlands Blue blog is paid for by the SDDP.

Hmmm........

No politics in this post...

2007-06-19T23:46:00.000-05:00

No politics in this post,

But, dang. I want to go put Twister in the DVD player now. From the storms of 2 weeks ago.

Much ado... Much ado...

2007-06-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight my friend Todd Epp is posting again over at SD watch on the Attorney General getting rid of some old furniture. Lately, Todd's getting as bad on dumping steel desks as I am about Stan Adelstein turning on the GOP:

Can you imagine the screaming and hollering if a Democratic governor or attorney general (if that ever happens again in this state) simply threw out a bunch of perfectly operative office equipment then scuffed up the place in the process?
Given the lack of openness in our state government, I doubt we’ll ever get the full story about this mini-scandal.

Read that here. Regardless, let me offer the counterpoint to Todd's opinion. The full story?

Admittedly, I don't have a response on the walls being scuffed up, but that's a common negotiating issue when the State leaves a lease. And if inmates scuff up walls on the way out, they also have expert inmate crews who go in and fix that stuff.

Regardless, looking at the furniture issue, I got some hot inside information on all of that disposed property. What did my spies inside the walls of government hear?

In response to Todd's DumpsterGate, someone compared the dollar value of the items dumped to what those same items brought at the state auction held literally days before that.

The grand total? If I recall correctly, about a hundred bucks.

But the kicker? How much would it have cost the state taxpayers to get the items trucked up to Pierre for storage, advertisement to other agencies, etcetera, and eventual sale at the state auction? About $3900 I was told.

So, basically we dumped $100 worth of old crap in the garbage to prevent us from having to spend nearly $4000 of taxpayer dollars in dealing with it.

Sorry my friend. The only scandal, is that anyone thinks this is a bad thing.

Did I mention I liked Fred Thompson?

2007-06-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

From Rasmussen Reports:

Election Polls 2008: Republican Presidential Primary Contenders

Date

Thom.

Giul.

Romn.

McCain

6/19

28%

27%

10%

10%

6/12

24%

24%

11%

11%

6/05

17%

23%

15%

14%

5/29

12%

25%

16%

15%

5/22

14%

26%

15%

18%

5/15

15%

25%

12%

18%

5/08

16%

25%

12%

17%

Election Polls 2008: Republican Presidential Primary Contenders
Date	Thom.	Giul.	Romn.	McCain
6/19	28%	27%	10%	10%
6/12	24%	24%	11%	11%
6/05	17%	23%	15%	14%
5/29	12%	25%	16%	15%
5/22	14%	26%	15%	18%
5/15	15%	25%	12%	18%
5/08	16%	25%	12%	17%

No complaints here. None at all.....

Senator and Former First Lady Hillary Clinton (D) continues to former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R) by five points and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by nine in early Election 2008 polling. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows Clinton leading Thompson 48% to 43%. The former First Lady has a 50% to 41% advantage over Romney.

and...

A separate survey shows Clinton trailing both former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain. That survey was completed in late May. Other surveys since then have shown McCain’s numbers declining due to his vocal and visible support for the Senate immigration bill.

Read that here. I really don't consider that something to be discouraged about, since Thompson is just starting to talk about being interested in running. The GOP base is already starting to coalesce around him as the front runner, and once his candidacy is defined and articulated, I anticipate he's going to gain on Hillary.

Speaking of Hillary losing votes....

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday switched his party status from Republican to unaffiliated, a stunning move certain to be seen as a prelude to an independent presidential bid that would upend the 2008 race

and...

"If he runs, this guarantees a Republican will be the next president of the United States. The Democrats have to be shaking in their boots," said Greg Strimple, a Republican strategist in New York who is unaligned in the race.

Read that all at Yahoo news.

New Blog Added

2007-06-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to the monkeyballers over at SouthDakotaMac.

There's a new Blog in town at http://www.badlandsblue.com.

You should now see them in the feeds.

(And if anyone wants to start a Republican South Dakota Blog, please let me know the link. It's starting to feel lonely in the wilderness...)

Why should we be surprised?

2007-06-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

BIG hat tip to SD Watch who notes that a play has been developed based on the writings of Leonard Peltier:

A play about convicted murderer Leonard Peltier?
Whether it is good, bad, or indifferent, I don’t see it playing in South Dakota any time soon. Maybe we should all see it, whatever our views on Peltier’s guilt or innocence, but man, this is going to reopen some major wounds in our state.

Go read it here (with a youtube clip).

Yuck. Why should we be surprised about this? "Murderabilia," or the fascination regarding the art and ramblings of convicted killers has been a sick underground trend for some time now. I'd just add this to the pile. To me, it's no more than wanting one of John Wayne Gacy's clown pictures.

Somehow, I doubt the play is going to document what Peltier was convicted for. The killing of FBI agents Coler and Williams from fatal wounds to the head delivered by a high-powered rifle at contact range.

If you're really interested in the history of the event, Take a minute to go visit http://www.noparolepeltier.com, and read a more accurate portrayal of what happened that day.

Should this bother us? RC Council votes to give Cabela's a carrot. A really, really expensive carrot.

2007-06-19T10:26:00.000-05:00

I was reading the Rapid City Journal on-line today, and I noted the story on how Cabela's just got a massive incentive package to come to Rapid City, and how they're going to host a municipal visitor's center:

Touting the future economic development benefits, the Rapid City Council approved agreements and incentives Monday that will bring outdoor outfitter Cabela's here.

The incentive package includes $2 million in economic development funds and 30 acres of land where the Black Hills Visitor Information Center now sits.

In return, the city will get an 80,000-square-foot "destination retail store" that includes hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and boating gear, as well as clothing, gifts and furnishings with elaborate animal displays, aquariums and other sights.

Read that all here. It's not dissimilar to what Brookings did to lure Lowe's to town, where huge financial bonuses are offered to lure employers, which makes it an even more timely statewide topic.

And it's not as if such moves aren't political. In fact, there were come political differences in the Rapid City vote as there were in the Brookings vote.

I am all for economic development. In fact, it's arguably the most important thing for South Dakota Government to be doing in an environment where we desperately need to broaden our economic base.

But on the other hand, it tugs at my conservative heart to see incredible amounts of taxpayer money being spent in such a way. Is spending that kind of money really going to influence and impact the free market in the long term? Is it going to bring in new money from the outside, or is it simply going to redistribute what's available locally.

In other words, it's a conundrum. Would they have come to Rapid City anyway, absent the "jumper cable jolt" of huge financial incentives?

Are communities who decline to pay such incentives cutting off their nose to spite their face? Or are cities that do go the extra mile, mortgaging their future for a short term gain at the expense of their local businesses.

Adam Smith, where are you when we need an answer?

A challenge from Stan's employee

2007-06-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

Part of Kati Jenkins duties at Northwestern Engineering must be to defend her boss, Stan Adelstein. Because just moments ago, she issued this challenge to me under the post I did yesterday...

Kati Jenkins has left a new comment on your post "More RC Mayor Stuff - On the net, and in the paper...":

You are incorrect in your story, PP. "Nix on Six PAC" is not Stan Adelstein's PAC. Check your source again.

Read that here as she falsely assumes I have no idea what I'm talking about. My response?

Click on either of the images to enlarge, or you can go review my source - the actual filing - here.

Sure. Don Frankenfeld's name might be on the PAC, but when I see that Stan was the sole donor - guess what - I think I'm pretty safe in my position that it might be considered Stan's PAC.

Especially in light of the fact that the PAC's donations seemingly had nothing to do with abortion, and everything to do with supporting Stan's slate of candidates - Tom Katus, his handpicked Democratic choice for his seat. Teresa Spry, the Democrat running against his arch nemesis Bill Napoli, and for Dennis Finch, the Democrat who was running against Dennis Schmidt (who turned out Stan's fellow MAINstream founder, JP Duniphan).

But of course, the PAC was all about abortion. (insert rolling of eyes here).

Unfortunately, I've been fighting this battle on this website since before last year. At one time, Stan made a lot of donations that no one would question, and I even worked with candidates who - very graciously and thankfully - got money from him. But soon after that, those donations seemed to take a darker turn.

Donations would go from one PAC through another - for no conceivable reason other than to obfuscate the source. And then they went from playing favorites in open primary contests to openly favoring defeating Republicans. I have a problem with this, and so do many others. In fact (as in the post below) Stan's playing with PAC was the genesis of legislators being forced to deal with campaign finance reform.

Getting back to the point: So Kati - you're trying to tell us all this this wasn't Stans' PAC? Despite him being the sole donor, and it being spent solely for his friends and against his political enemies?

Keep on spouting the company line.

Change is nearly upon us....

2007-06-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

If you haven't caught it yet, there was a new type of filing made with the Secretary of State's office recently. The brand spanking new Statement of Organization seems to have been filed first by the Second Century PAC which has a bit more information than the old one did.

As we approach July 1, you should see a flurry of these types of forms being filed. Especially since there's a $50 a day fine for not getting them in.

If you're involved in politics, you owe it to yourself and your campaign interests to intensely review the new campaign finance reporting guidelines.

What new forms are out there? If you're too lazy to click over to the Secretary of State's website, here's some it below:

The chapter of South Dakota Codified Laws governing campaign finance reporting is SDCL 12-27
New campaign finance chapter will be posted on 7-1-07.

2008 Campaign Finance Reporting Guidelines Book (Printable PDF Version)

Campaign Finance Disclosure Reporting Schedule

Summary for Individuals

Introduction and Legal Basis

Treasurer Duties

Contribution Limitations

Financial Disclosure Statements

Advertising Disclaimer and Disclosure Requirements

Government Prohibitions

Application of Law to Local Government Elections

Filing Options

Judicial Candidate Campaign Finance Policy

Penalties

Enforcement

Reporting Software

Quick Reference Guide

APPENDIX A - Statement of Organization

APPENDIX B - Campaign Finance Disclosure Statement

APPENDIX B - Campaign Finance Disclosure Statement Instructions

APPENDIX C - Supplemental Statement

APPENDIX D - Communication Statement

APPENDIX E - Ballot Question Contribution Statement

APPENDIX F - Statement of Financial Interest Form & Instructions

APPENDIX G - SDCL 12-27 Definitions

Updated Elected Official Statement of Financial Interest Form

If you do one thing before July 1, this should be it. Not only are the limits entirely different:

Statewide Candidate Campaign Committee: $4,000
Legislative or County Candidate Campaign Committee: $1,000
Political Party: $10,000
Political Action Committee: $10,000
Ballot Question Committee: no limitation

But so are the laws, and those are going to be what get people into trouble. Especially the fact that "Reports are due in the filing office by 5:00pm on the deadline day - NOT postmarked on the deadline day." I sense there will be a flurry of $50 fines handed out on that technicality.

Go read it now. It might be the most important thing you do today.

The Argus goes after State Government. Again.And the evil part of me hopes they succeed.

2007-06-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting at my computer recuperating this morning, wrapped in a blanket, after spending most of Father's Day miserably ill with the flu. That must be God punishing me for the tone of anonymous comments on this website.

Anyway, as I'm looking back at what I missed yesterday, it looks like the biggest story from Sunday's news was the state's largest newspaper taking their monthly shot at State Government. Again. This time it's over trying to get a list of all state employees, and what they make. Which inevitably ends up being their take on how most of state government threw up roadblocks, etcetera and so on.

I'm somewhat ambivalent on this issue. I know that if I want someone's salary information on an individual basis, all I have to do is to call up the State Auditor's office, and they'll provide it in very short order. It's certainly not a closed system. But to request the information en masse as the Argus is doing, I'm not sure I see the purpose other than to continue their vendetta.

If they print it, will I read it? You bet. And I'll not only read it, I'll use it. The State Employee list is great for targeting political mailings and fund raisers. I'd go in and target everyone making over a certain amount, and they're almost guaranteed to be political donors of some sort and at some time. At the very least, they're concerned with who their new boss might (or might not) be in any gubernatorial election.

Scoffing at the idea that the employee list might be targeted? It s has been done before, and will be done again.

Traditionally, let me be the first to tell you what an absolute pain in the @$ it has always been to get that information. One year, I had volunteers in front of a city phone book along with a state employee phone book in order to identify them for a mailing. Hunting and pecking one name at a time. And that was the easiest way to do it. Bleaugh. Not the kind of thing you do just on a lark. It's extremely labor intensive.

Now the Argus wants to get it all? Go for it guys. Just make sure you put in your website in a nice table format, with their city of residence. From start to finish, that would take me a whole 5 minutes to run against a statewide voter database. If they post it in a .pdf? Maybe 10 minutes.

My point is that if you're really concerned about someone's salary, call the Auditor's office at 773-3341 with a name, and you'll have the information as quick as can be. If you want to subject these employees to junk mailings galore, then support the Argus.

Because at the end of the day, that's all that exercise will accomplish. Creating just another telemarketing list.

More RC Mayor Stuff - On the net, and in the paper.

2007-06-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

Now, I don't want to say that Tom Katus owes former Senator Stan Adelstein any obedience, but after....

$5000 from Stan's Nix on Six pac,
$836 from his All SD PAC,
$3312 of help as purchased directly by the Stan Adelstein for Senate Committee, and
$9505 as funnelled through Focus South Dakota

it seems as if Tom might feel a little obligated to follow the lead of the person who put him in his Senate seat. (For those of you who want to look at the financials for yourself, Page 6 on Tom's Report).

So it's no big surprise that coming on the heels of Adelstein's continued personal and financial support of Alan Hanks, that Katus felt a figurative yank of the leash.

From Tom's e-mail:

From: "Tom Katus" {tkatus@rushmore.com}
08:23 -0600

Campaign Volunteers and potential fellow candidates,

Yesterday, Alan Hanks met me and asked for help with grassroots organizing for the run off for the Mayors race. Apparently he has very few volunteers because the Republican activists are nearly all Elli, Napoli, Schmidt, and now Kookier supporters. At this time I am not committed to anyone. I have nothing against Sam and rather like him but I am very concerned about his RIGHT WING supporters. Given these choices, I am I am inclined toward Alan but I told him I could not speak for any of you who will have to make your own decisions.

However, I have agreed to convene a meeting of anyone without obligation who chooses to attend @ my home, 821 Upper Pines Drive on Sunday, June 10th at 3:00 pm. I recommend the following agenda:

1) Volunteer activists/potential 08 candidates meet in private and "brainstorm" --1/2 hour
2) Joined by Alan Hanks FOR OPEN QUESTIONS ON ANY ISSUE OR ORGANIZING
3) Volunteer Activist /Canduidates meet in private to discuss individual or group commitments, if any.
4) I will communicate decisons to Alan by phone.

Please RSVP; via Email or phone : 718-0545. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Thanks for your consideration.

Warm regards, Tom

It is interesting that Tom is noting that Hanks is sucking a bit of pond water as far as volunteers are concerned. Not something that you're hearing anywhere else as these campaigns come into the finish line. In fact, it's kind of an unusual thing to paint anything but a rosy picture in this kind of situation.

Anyway, on to part two - A perfect example of the radical right-wing support that Katus and Adelstein describe is evident in the Rapid City Journal letters to the editor from well known "radical right leader" Don Frankenfeld:

Kooiker has the edge for new leadership

Both Sam Kooiker and Alan Hanks are qualified to be our Mayor. Here are three reasons why Kooiker has the edge.

First, experience. Kooiker is on the City Council, where he is an advocate for disciplined progress. Hanks is a kind of serial candidate.

He was on the council once, but his most recent ambition was to be a legislator. Recently, Hanks asked voters for a two-year employment contract, and they gave it to him. He should fulfill his contract.

Besides, Hanks is better suited to his current legislative office.

and...

DON FRANKENFELD
Rapid City

Read the whole thing here. For those of you are sarcastically impaired, the "radical right leader" Don Frankenfeld comment was not serious. In fact, Don would be considered anything but - as a leader in the Republicans for Daschle and several other left-leaning causes since he stood for congressional election against Johnson on behalf of the GOP, Don isn't someone who I'd consider the right's poster child.

But amazingly, despite the Adelstein/Katus characterizations, he seems to think that Kooiker might be ok.

I know there's going to continue to be more to come on all of this. It's going to continue to get worse before it gets better. Stay tuned, and keep on watching as things come down to the finish line.

One vote on deck for South Dakotans' view on immigration, Herseth Sandlin votes NO.

2007-06-16T22:59:00.000-05:00

The Tancredo amendment yesterday to ban Homeland Security funding from cities that are sanctuaries for illegals was one of the first recent tests on where our congresspeople stand on immigration.

And guess where South Dakota's very own was on the measure after her previous statements to protect the needs of dairy farmers to hire illegals (!?!).

Get out of Sioux Falls way.

2007-06-16T08:44:00.000-05:00

A reader who got their paper earlier than I did pointed out the The Argus editorial this AM. Apparently, one of the community leaders, Dan Scott, had a warning for those legislators who aren't excited about Sioux Falls' agenda:

At a Friday breakfast attended by lawmakers, chamber officials and a broad spectrum of city and school leaders, Mayor Dave Munson and others detailed the city's growth and spoke of the important role Sioux Falls plays in the state's economic fortunes.
Near the end, it was Scott's turn. He briefly extolled the city's virtues, then issued what seemed to be a warning to out-state lawmakers who might be tempted to meddle in Sioux Falls' legislative agenda.

"If you can't be excited, I've got one request," Scott said.
"Stay out of the way, will you? We've got a city to build!"

Read it all here.

Now, this reader also pointed out that while this SF local may have made an unfunny joke which came off as Sioux Falls arrogance, they contend that the Argus Leader is guilty of such Sioux-centrism every day.

So here's a good topic for discussion - does Sioux Falls centrism exist?

Who? Dems might have another possible gubernatorial hopeful

2007-06-15T09:58:00.000-05:00

In today's Argus, Dave Kranz is reviewing the list of 2010 Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates. The very short list.

Of course, we have the expected candidate, Scott Heidepreim. And we have the outside chance (because her current gig isn't so bad) Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin. And then we have Mike Huether.

Who?

It also seems another possibility may be arriving on the scene. Mike Huether, a Sioux Falls banker, has been contemplating the idea of running for some time now, and friends have been talking him up. So far no action - until now.

When you host a function at a political event, something is up. Huether and his family will host a gathering at the Mitchell Holiday Inn following the McGovern Day program Saturday.

Read it all here. Where is this coming from?

Could it be that he saw the success of Eric Abrahamson being recruited from the State Library Board Lt. Governor, so he decided to make the leap from his position on the Department of Education's State Aid Task Force?

Seriously, I think some people (on both sides of the fence) entertain these thoughts without knowing what it takes. Heidepreim? I'd argue he knows what it will take. Herseth? With two statewide elections under her belt, her built in organization would give her an automatic advantage on the competition. Dennis Daugaard already has the Rounds stamp of approval, so he likely gets to walk into an existing structure. Even Dave Knudson will likely be running with the benefit of experienced Janklow supporters.

But when some of these people pop up who have never run for office or experienced a campaign before, all of a sudden say they want to be "Governor," or "Senator," I automatically have to take it with a grain of salt. Perfect example - Dennis Wiese was a nice enough guy, but he never caught fire. He didn't have enough money or organization in the face of Jack Billion, who had more of each.

The road of political aspiration is littered (on both sides of the aisle) with people who wanted to be (Fill in the blank here) "_______."

Unless Mike Huether - who I'm sure is a nice guy - has a million he's ready to throw down out of pocket, or an army of volunteers in each and every county in South Dakota, he's going to have a tough time making me a believer.

BTW - as a postscript, mikehuether.com is registered to the electric pulp web design firm (the same firm handling the Abstinence Clearinghouse, Timjohnson.com, and the SD Film Office).

So, something is in the works.

What's the talk in DC today? I hear it's this article...

2007-06-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

Apparently an article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader is getting some buzz in the beltway today. Which one? Not the Gorilla article, but the article on Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin's indebtedness:

In 2006, Herseth Sandlin owed between $15,001 and $50,000 on her Citibank credit card, her report shows. Her report a year ago showed the same. Citibank operates a credit card center in Sioux Falls and, with about 3,000 employees, is among the city's largest employers.

The congresswoman's spokesman noted that just over one year ago, Herseth Sandlin bought and furnished a home in Brookings. This spring, she was married, and she invested in the wedding.
"These kinds of events often cause South Dakotans to put a little extra on their credit card," Russ Levsen, deputy chief of staff, said.

Read it all here. Apparently the part about "investing" in her wedding to a DC Lobbyist is the part that's getting a few chuckles according to those in the US Capitol. Apparently it made insider publication "hotline"

I will say that it's good to see that our Congresswoman knows how it is for the rest of us poor schlubs as we trudge through our day to day lives. (Although, according to the salary note, she isn't doing too badly.) And that there's someone who might actually be paying on their student loans longer than I am.

In line with all of that, I'm not sure what the whole purpose of the article was. Yes, she owes money. So do the rest of us. It must be a slow newsday.

Sorry for the light posting today... In the meantime, more on the immigration issue.

2007-06-14T17:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the light posting today. Aside from there not being much going on, I was watching as two of my daughters tested from their yellow to green belts in Tae Kwon Do.

In the meantime, since it's a hot topic at least on this website, one of the readers pointed out to me the other day that Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin has faced votes on immigration bills before. How did those votes go when it was a GOP controlled House?

H R 4437 RECORDED VOTE 16-Dec-2005 10:33 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act

Herseth voted in favor of the 2005 Bill. And on the Hunter Amendment which was to put a 700 mile border along the US Mexican Border.....

H R 4437 RECORDED VOTE 15-Dec-2005 9:30 PM
AUTHOR(S): Hunter of California Amendment
QUESTION: On Agreeing to the Amendment

She voted in favor of that as well.

And to those votes, I'd say good show Congresswoman. That's what we like to see. So that's why her recent flip flop on the immigration issue is so confusing.

Just because someone might get around any fence she voted to build is not a reason to reward them with "the cookie of amnesty. " No matter what Nancy Pelosi's position on the bill is.

TAR Camp is almost here.... Are you signed up?

2007-06-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

If you are (or have) a teenager who appreciates the finer points of politics, and wants a few days of rest, relaxation and political chatter in the Black Hills of South Dakota - the Teenage Republicans want you!

They want you to send your kid to TAR camp out in the Hills July 22-27th. I believe it's $200 and there are a ton of fun activities for them (Hikes, tubing, waterslides, etc) in addition to hearing from most of our state's leaders including John Thune, the Governor, constitutional officers, etcetera, as have all been out there speaking in past years.

For more information (including the bus schedule of the bus going from Eastern SD to camp) contact PUC Commissioner Dusty Johnson.

I'm proud to be sending my #2 daughter out there this year - my first TAR camper!! So send someone who she can pal around with for my sake.

UPDATE - oops. G0 to http://www.sdtars.com for more information

Are dirty deeds really done dirt cheap? And how did they let out the bid for that one?

2007-06-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

I read with interest the AP story in the Rapid City Journal website on the changes in rules to take care of problems which arose in the last minute stoppage of last year's death penalty, as I'm catching portions in what's being said that I question whether or not they can really do that.

The new policy makes it clear that physicians will not be required to attend an execution. The Legislature put those provisions in law after doctors said taking part in executions would violate the oath that requires them to preserve life or save life whenever possible.

State law and prison policy require that executions be conducted by people trained to do intravenous injections. Officials told lawmakers earlier this year that the state planned to hire people who have conducted executions in other states. Reisch said he cannot reveal where those people are from because the state must protect the privacy of those involved in executions.

"The people who are going to perform these functions will be qualified to do so, and they won't be members of our own Department of Corrections staff," Reisch said.

Read that all here.

So, the people being contracted to do the execution are from another state, and their identities are secret? (Aside from the fact I heard through the grapevine where they were from over the past year since the aborted sentence) I'm scratching my head at that statement. There's a lot involved with this that I would anticipate would be public information, unless excluded from the public domain by law.

If they're a consultant or a vendor, wouldn't those contracts be considered public documents available and on file? And wouldn't the voucher for payment of the aborted execution attempt be public? I understand that information isn't public unless state law says it is (at least according to the Argus vs. the State of SD), but I think the law says much of it is specifically open.

But then again, this is one of those areas that I think the general public is a bit squeamish about. No one really knows - or wants to know - who's doing one of the most thankless jobs. In fact, we're so squeamish about it we're contracting it out.

Which makes you think - How would you go about letting the bids out for that one? And would the letters with the return bids have little logos on the stationery with hangman nooses, or little electric chairs on them? And how low would the low bid go?

In all seriousness, it IS a dirty deed, and we don't care if it's done dirt cheap. We just want it done.

Argus Leader: Gorilla Revealed

2007-06-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Argus Leader reveals tonight that the Gorilla Project is an oil refinery, as some people had suspected. Now, can we pull off getting it?

A Texas energy company is behind Project Gorilla, which is planning the nation’s first new oil refinery in the past three decades, the company confirmed today.

Hyperion Resources of Dallas, Texas, is considering Union County but also other sites in the U.S. as well, officials say.

Plans call for "the most environmentally sound energy center in the United States," the company said in a statement released to the Argus Leader.

"The central component of the energy center will be an oil refinery, which will refine approximately 400,000 barrels of oil per day into clean, green transportation fuels, including ultra-low sulfur gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel," according to the statement.

“Gas prices are the highest in U.S. history, and the U.S. refining infrastructure hasn’t seen a significant change since 1976," Hyperion Project Executive J.L. “Corky” Frank said in the statement.

and...

If the firm succeeds in building a new refinery, it would be the first one built in the United States since 1976, the company said. Over the years, refining capacity in the U.S. "has not kept pace with demand," Frank said.

Read it all here.

What if the internet and blogs had been around earlier?

2007-06-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

I was picking up my daughter and was pondering the recent posts I've done on Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin - going to Greenland with Nancy Pelosi, Flip Flopping on Kyoto, and backing an immigration measure that I can't imagine many South Dakotans are going to agree with.

And it gave me pause because accusations of doing one thing in Washington, yet saying another at home in South Dakota was a familiar accusation against Senator Daschle. Yet, he rarely had his feet held to the fire on votes until election time - and by then, it was long in the past, and nobody cared.

Until the Internet came around and South Dakota Politics held everyone's feet to the fire on those issues, day after day.

So it gave me a reason to post this topic for discussion - If the Internet and political blogs had been around 20 or 30 years ago, would Senator Daschle have had such a long tenure in Washington?

And as for today's politicians, do they have to mind their P's & Q's a little more closely, because they have to worry about citizen bloggers, as opposed to reporters in the Mainstream Media who they can build relationships with?

I was inspired by the "Pelosification" word that I coined. Or maybe I should have termed it "Washington Transformers"

2007-06-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

Go check out xiberpix.com for the software I found to do this.

(And before some of you start going off, can't we poke a little fun? Some of you take this website WAY too seriously.)

Congress Daily: Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin "less stalwart" on Immigration

2007-06-13T09:08:00.000-05:00

According to the inside the beltway magazine Congress Daily, Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin seems to be breaking from her fellow Blue Dog Democrats who oppose legalization for illegal immigrants because.. she says South Dakotans are "practical" on the issue?

Among Blue Dogs, "there's no real consensus" on immigration policy, according to Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss. Taylor, along with Reps. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., John Tanner, D-Tenn., Mike Ross, D-Ark., and Heath Shuler, D-N.C., are among the Blue Dogs who will oppose any comprehensive immigration bill because they believe legalization opportunities for illegal immigrants constitutes "amnesty."

But other Blue Dogs are less stalwart about their opposition. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., said her constituents are "practical" about immigration policy. " They can be realistic about the people already here," understanding that it is unlikely they will all be deported.

Herseth Sandlin has her own reasons for supporting a new immigration policy. In South Dakota , dairy farmers are scrambling for low-skilled workers, she said. Unlike other agricultural employers, dairy farmers rely on their labor all year round, she said. An administration proposal for renewable low-skill work visas that would only last through part of a year would not meet those farmers' needs.

Read it all here (Subscription Required). What's with the continued "Pelosification" of Congresswoman Herseth? First global warming and melting glaciers, and now this?

So what are we to take from the amorphous statement? That Herseth Sandlin seemingly appears to support amnesty for illegal immigrants already here because dairy farmers need workers?

I have a hard time with this, because there are thousands of people who emigrate legally every year. Why should we reward the rule-breakers?

Better to secure our borders than to go "oops, we missed you as you snuck in. Have a cookie."

It looks like Fred Thompson is a go...

2007-06-13T08:25:00.000-05:00

Fred Thompson was on the tonight show last night talking about reluctantly wanting to get into the Presidential race:

Asked by Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" if he'd like the nation's top job, the former Tennessee senator said, "I've never craved the job of president, but I want to do some things that only a president can do."

"So," Thompson added, "the answer is yes."

and...

Referring to his time in the U.S. Senate, he said, "I often say after eight years in Washington, I longed for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood."

Read it all here at the Rapid City Journal. That was a pretty good one.

If you're interested in supporting the candidate who will be our next Republican Presidential Nominee, go to the Official Website at: http://www.imwithfred.com/

Sorry for the mixup.

2007-06-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

It seems I continue to have a troll on the website.

If you've noticed lately, there have been random comments from one section of the website, made in posts past that are reposted under another part of the website under newer comments. I had originally attributed it to a glitch in the blogger software, but as I dig deeper into it, there is just too much coincidence. It looks like someone is trying to muck up the message boards.

So, it's not a glitch. Someone is just being an ass, and is attempting to derail conversation. That's fine. I'll continue to press the issue with their Internet Service Provider, as I did when they were doing it before with drug and sexually based material.

The thing is, if they'd engage in civil discourse and actually add something to the conversation, or at least be entertaining, that would be great. Have at it. But instead, they're doing things that border on creepy obsession. By last count, They've been playing with my website for nearly the last 5 hours now. I'm not on my own website that much.

So, keep it up. As I've said before, your ISP is going to get sick of you or me.

Dang! That was a lot of money

2007-06-12T21:13:00.000-05:00

(Click to enlarge)

Dang, was that a lot of money for the Shaw for Mayor campaign.

A note from Stan Adelstein

2007-06-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

Here's one that hit the e-mail boxes late last week

From: stanford adelstein [mailto:sma@rapidnet.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 7:51 PM
To: (list redacted)
Subject: Another campaign that we cannot let go by default

Dear Friends of Women, Progress and a future of equality,

While DIA is enjoying a well earned rest, our opposition is not. Sam Kooiker has a solid backing of the Extreme right that is planning another election assult. They are going to turn out their vote for Rapid City Mayor in less than three weeks. Those of us supporting Alan Hanks do not have a comparable number of volunteers to match them. Their zealots will do what it takes. Fortunately we enjoy a small majority, from our polling and information.

Why do they care about the Mayor? We beat them in November, and they know that they must rebuild - step by step - at every level of political office. How helpful do you think that a Mayor would be for an Elizabeth Kraus as she runs to replace our friend Mac? What kind of a candidate recruiting effort would the city hall in second largest city in the SD be able to mount? You all know the story -- they built a majority while honest, caring people worked for a future for all.

I would truly appreciate hearing from those of you who could give us some hours the next two and half weeks.

Stan Adelstein

So much for staying positive. What, did Stan even wait a day until going negative on behalf of his candidate?

At the halfway mark. What should be at the top?

2007-06-12T08:38:00.000-05:00

As we hit the halfway mark in 2007, I've been thinking about the news stories that I'd consider the top political news stories of 2007 to this point. I often get to this list at the end of the year, and find myself ignoring important or very noticeable stories from the first half of the year.

So I thought I'd do this for an exercise to see if I still think this way when I hit December. What do I see as the top political stories for the first half of 2007? In no particular order:

1. The Dan Sutton Hearings. How can we forget hiding notes behind furniture, the "hand on wiener" statement, and the hundreds of time they referenced a male sexual organ in the hearings? This was political theater at it's most bizarre, and at it's most anticlimactic. In the end, the punishment was simply a legislative statement of how dumb it was for Senator Sutton to share a bed with an 18 year old employee.

2. Gorilla. What a code name, and it's imagery has eastern South Dakota abuzz. Could Gorilla be the economic engine for Union county that Homestake might mean to Western SD? Could be, but until we know anything, we're all a-twitter as to what it might be.

3. Senator Johnson's Health. There are signs that it's improving enough where he will be returning to work soon. And that's good. But does that mean he's going to run? Without the health incident, there was expected to be no interest in the race. But with it? There are at least two, possibly three Republican contenders out there.

4. The Rapid City Mayoral/Council circus. This is a story that has everything under the big tent: Falsified e-mails, an incumbent being turned out, Big PAC money, political machinations, and a candidate being picked up with a drunken transvestite boy at 1am. Now, it's a "friendly" run-off picking up a harsher tone. There are so many goofy sub-stories running on this, if you take it collectively, it's a big one.

5. New campaign finance/PAC limits. It might not seem like a huge political story at the moment, but it will form a new landscape in the next two cycles. Trust me on this one.

6. Ted Klaudt rape accusations. Ick, and double ick. Here's a guy that many Republicans liked and rooted for. He came off as the little guy on Appropriations, but now we find out he's not everyman, he was the bogeyman. Accused of terrorizing and sexually abusing his foster daughters? Ted might have enjoyed more of the benefit of being innocent until proven guilty, but what he admitted to in his statements to police is horrific by itself - not to mention what he's being charged with. In less gentile times, it would have incited a lynch mob. For sexually related political scandals, Democrats have Dan Sutton, and Republicans got Ted. And Ted is worse.

7. The Herseth/Pelosi Greenland trip. This story seems to have taken on a life of it's own, And it isn't just being talked about here. The mainstream media was reporting on this story as it happened, and hung on every word as Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin would report on the drama of the ice melting. Too bad we don't have glaciers in South Dakota. It seems to have generated a minor backlash as our congresswoman "goes green" in red state South Dakota. Much ado about nothing? Maybe. But as this is at least sticking for a moment on the Democrat's seemingly teflon candidate, I'd bet we'll see it brought up in the 2008 cycle.

8. Dennis Daugaard Gubernatorial announcement. This one kind of hit out of the blue. Announcing for Governor way ahead of the pack, Dennis is marking his territory early, citing behind the scenes competition between he and other hopefuls. And to go along with it, he has an endorsement from his boss, current Governor Mike Rounds. Will the strategy work, and allow Dennis success as Rounds' handpicked successor? Could be, but we still have over three years to figure it out.

9. Bob Prieksat. How did the local guy in charge of the US Fish and Wildlife Service become a political issue? When he was made the poster boy of bad GFP/landowner relations. This issue has organized meetings, threats of canceled state-federal cooperation agreements, the direct involvement of the Governor and his chief of staff, and an almost daily review by the Rapid City Journal. With the UFWS continuing to back Bob, this issue will continue to be in the spotlight for a while to come.

This was a tough one, because I had feelings about this issue, versus including the Nanny state issue (one I feel pretty strongly about). But, as I mulled it over, the next one won out to complete the top ten list.

10. Resurgence of the South Dakota Democratic Party. With a new chairman, and after a reasonably successful election where they picked up a few seats, the SDDP is showing signs of life. Can they translate that into more seats with former Republican legislator Scott Heidepreim at the helm? We shall see, but Republicans ignore the SDDP coming off life support to it's peril.

So there's my list for the first 6 months of 2007. Agree? Disagree? What did I leave out?

Thune votes against the goofy "no confidence vote"

2007-06-12T08:10:00.000-05:00

The Associated Press is reporting that Senator Thune voted against the Democrats' goofy "no confidence vote" on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

Thune and other Republicans successfully blocked the measure; a 53-38 vote to move the resolution to full debate fell seven short of the 60 required.

and...

"In the next couple of months the Senate needs to pass an energy bill, a farm bill, a defense spending bill, a border security and immigration bill, and instead of working on these and other important issues, the Democrats instead have chosen to use limited Senate floor time to play politics with this vote simply to embarrass the president," Thune said in a statement.

Read it all here. They take these types of votes in European parliamentary systems of government all the time.

But the last time I checked, we're not Europe.

Meaningless legislation from a bunch of yahoos who are only interested in symbolism, not substance.

Here's a nice story - SD Bar steps up to the plate for flood victims

2007-06-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

The Aberdeen American News has a nice editorial today on members of the SD State Bar who stepped up to the plate to help the victims of the Aberdeen Flood:

Kudos to the South Dakota Bar Association and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for providing free legal counseling and referrals to area flood victims.

and...

The people affected by the flood need all the support they can get. Free legal assistance will enable many people - who are currently overwhelmed by flood-related loss of homes and possessions, government information, medical and insurance claims - to sort things out without having to worry about one more bill to pay.

Read it all here.

In another life, now many years ago, I worked at the SD Division of Insurance and helped people try to settle insurance claims and problems through research and semi-informal arbitration. 9 times out of ten, it was a matter of correctly interpreting the terms of the insurance policy. You wouldn't believe how many people don't t know what's in that contract.

I can't imagine a flood of this magnitude and the mess that it's made out of people's lives, and having to sort out what the policy says.

I'd concur with the Aberdeen Newspaper - kudos are well deserved for the The Young Lawyers Division of the South Dakota Bar Association and their sense of service to the community.

Huron GOP Picnic

2007-06-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

I missed the event, but the Beadle County GOP Picnic was just held a couple of days ago in Huron. The picnic was held on the patio of Dakota Provision's Corporate Headquarters. Dakota Provisions is the Turkey processing plant that has been a major economic boon to the Huron area in the last year. Dakota Provisions employs around 400 people.

A few people I know were there, and they did send me this photo of Larry Russell and his family chatting with some of the members of the local GOP.

The GOP hosted the picnic under the leadership of Beadle County GOP Chairman Bush Fullerton. Bush runs a great county organization from an organizational and financial standpoint - he's a big part of why we have Republican representation in that county.

The "friendly" Rapid City Mayoral runoff turns negative

2007-06-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

I've had a few calls and e-mails tonight on how the Rapid City Mayoral race is starting to heat up and shifting negative.

That didn't look to be the case from the start when the #2 from the contest to winnow down the number of the candidates gave this quote in the Rapid City Weekly news:

Hanks agreed.

“Sam and I have been friends. We served together on the City Council,” he said. “We continue to be friends. This will be a friendly runoff race.”

Or maybe not. Word on the street tonight is that there's a negative push-poll going on tonight to test negative imagery and messages against Sam Kooiker. And given that there's two candidates in the race, and only one isn't Sam, it narrows down the list of who is behind it.

"What?" You might be saying - "Alan Hanks might actually have said one thing, and done another? Heavens no. " Why would we think there's that sort of track record out there?

Promise made. Promise broken. Promise made. Promise broken.

At least the bar of expectations has been set pretty low.

I'd just like to clairfy that last position.......

2007-06-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin made the unusual step of going so far as to clarify her statement as written in the Pierre Capitol Journal last week on thinking the US needs to join the Kyoto treaty. Despite the fact it could damage farm income:

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is clarifying comments made last week about her recent four-nation trip where she toured with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to see the effects of global warming.

The Democratic congresswoman from South Dakota said last week that she does recognize the need for the U.S. to be involved in international climate negotiations in a post-Kyoto world. However, she still thinks it was the right decision for the U.S. to not join the Kyoto Treaty when it was signed.

Read it all here, along with her specific statement.

AH! A clarification.

I think one of the commenters on the blog was noting that the congresswoman's Greenland trip to watch the glaciers melt and her new "awareness" of global warming was much ado about nothing.

Sure it's not.

Update on the fundraiser Harry Reid is having for Senator Johnson

2007-06-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

(Click to enlarge)

I had posted about this event earlier, but a new "revised" fax has gone out in the beltway with a list of who is going to be there to raise money for Senator Johnson's re-election.

There's a meeting for Ron Paul supporters (and conspiracy theorists). And what happened to the picture?

2007-06-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was doing a little follow up on one of my previous posts, and I noticed a few things about the South Dakota Ron Paul for president supporters.

First, they're apparently having a meeting for South Dakotans who are supporting Ron Paul. Unfortunately, South Dakota's JAILer in chief is hosting it:

When:
Saturday, June 30, 2007, 12:00 PM
Where:
Bill Stegmeier's home
47010 Airport Place, Tea, SD
Tea , SD 57064
605-214-1248

Description:

At the request of many South Dakota for Ron Paul members, I am re-scheduling our first Meetup for Saturday, June 30!

As well as getting to meet and know each other, we will be discussing each others ideas on how to most effectively spread the word about just who this Ron Paul guy is and why he's the only real choice if we want to save this country.

We will also want to discuss ideas on how to recruit new South Dakota for Ron Paul members, or even the idea of starting other Ron Paul Meetup groups in your various counties.

So, lets meetup at my house at around noon on the 30th. Please come plenty hungry as I'll have the cooker going with pork tenderloins for sandwiches. Please bring a side dish of your choice. I will have beer, soft drinks, and bottled water for everyone.

After lunch and our meeting, we can enjoy volleyball, softball, horseshoes, and I have the pool set up for the kids!

So, to recap:

When: Saturday June 30th. starting 12:00 noon.
Where: Bill Stegmeier's house at 47010 Airport Place, Tea, SD

Directions: I'm not actually in the town of Tea. My house is in the middle of a small industrial park on the west side of the Tea airport.

I have a map posted at http://rmsroller-grin...
or you can phone me at 605-214-1248 and I can give you directions.

I Hope everyone can make it, and please bring along your friends and family.

Bill

Donations optional:

USD 5.00 per person

Read it all here.

And second, I notice the picture of Stegmeier with the plastic toy on his shoulder isn't there anymore.

Possibly because it looked ridiculous.

Dave Kranz: For Daugaard, the race is on

2007-06-11T05:27:00.000-05:00

Dave Kranz has an article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader this morning on what Lt. Governor Daugaard is doing to step up his efforts in running for Governor in 2010:

He makes it clear that this is not a "testing the waters" situation.

"I'm definitely planning to run. I was not planning to really get organized or do much this year until I heard other folks are starting to be active, organize and plan," Daugaard said. "So we had a family meeting. Everyone was supportive. It would mean some sacrifice for family, and I would be sensitive to the Board of Directors of Children's Home Society and the Children's Home Foundation," he said.

and...

He is now on the political rubber chicken circuit, attending the Lincoln Day dinners. And who do Republicans often get to hear from at these events? Not Gov. Rounds. If not Sen. John Thune, it's generally Daugaard who speaks.

Mel Olson, past state senator and representative from Mitchell, might not support Daugaard in a general election, but he thinks Republicans would be smart to nominate the lieutenant governor.

"If they (Republicans) have any brains at all, they will nominate Dennis Daugaard. Good-looking, moderate guy, strong record as lieutenant governor," Olson said.

Read it all here. And I think you're safe. I don't think Mel gushes anymore in the article on what a handsome man Dennis is.

I'm not sure about all the attention being given to the 2010 Gubernatorial race. Yes, I know what you're going to say. I print it as well. But not because I think it's necessary. It's because I chronicle the political travails and happenings of the day - not because I feel I need to force the issue.

It's good that Dennis is getting out there, and running for Governor is a long process. But.....

If it's escaping anyone's notice, we're paying far too much attention to the 2010 Governor's race, as if we can't wait to shove the Republican who's in there right now out the door. The last I knew, Governor Rounds has about 3 1/2 years left in his term. And it's about 3 years until that primary election.

So, stop it. Just stop it now. We need to re-focus.

Instead of spending so much time worrying about who's running in 2010, we should refocus about who's running in 2008 (you know, about 1 year from now). In 2008, there are 3 races - and two of them are held by Democratic incumbents.

The good news is we have interested candidates. Several people are exploring the contests, including Joel Dykstra who is considering that Senate race. One of my friends, Larry Russell is noted by his presence at some of the Lincoln Day events, and is possibly considering a congressional run. And others as well are poking their heads out of the sand to test the waters. As noted, I've even heard of one candidate of the 800 pound type who might be interested in the Senate.

Yes, the 2010 race is fun to speculate about, and Dennis is a good guy. But don't lose focus.

We still have a Republican Governor for a while. And it's about the next election first.

What? No Arnold?Western Governor's Association meeting in Deadwood

2007-06-11T04:53:00.000-05:00

You haven't seen much about it in the press yet, but 10 of 19 Governors in the Western Governor's Association are meeting in Deadwood as we speak. The Rapid City Journal talks a bit about what's going on at the three day political soiree:

With ten governors in attendance, discussion about enabling clean and efficient energy sources marked the beginning of the 2007 Western Governors Associations' annual meeting in Deadwood on Sunday.

Although the association represents 19 states, only 10 governors are in attendance for the three-day event. Also present are elected officials from Canada.

The meeting's agenda includes topics about maintaining a strong economy and environment, but the most widely discussed topic of the day was integrating clean energy sources such as carbon capturing and sequestration into the state's energy programs.

and...

The governors present included: Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming, Jim Gibbons of Nevada, Dave Heineman of Nebraska, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Jon Huntsman of Utah, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Sarah Palin of Alaska, Bill Ritter of Colorado, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

Read it all here. What else do you want to know about this event? After I saw that Governor Schwarzenegger wasn't coming, I lost interest. Despite that fact, South Dakota Public Broadcasting is hosting tons of info about this political gathering:

Western Governors’ Association
2007 Annual Meeting
Historic Deadwood, South Dakota
June 10 - 12, 2007
AGENDA

Dress for all events is business casual.
Sunday, June 10
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Historical Main Street
Front of Masonic Temple

Registration and Activity Desks Open 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Plenary I – Carbon Sequestration: Economics and Policies
Enabling Safe, Fast Deployment
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while allowing continued use of one of the West’s most abundant natural resources – coal – for electricity and transportation. The Governors will discuss with panelists the opportunities for and obstacles to large-scale testing and the expedited, safe deployment of CCS. Among the issues to be addressed are: the impact specific public policies could have on investments where CCS is a component; state and federal policies and regulations; and economic costs and benefits. Joining the Governors will be Jonathan Schrag, Executive Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University’s Earth Institute; Gregory McRae, Bayer Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT; and John Harju, Associate Director for Research, Energy and Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota and Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership.

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Transitioning to a New Energy Economy: Keynote I –
Financing Renewable Energy Projects
John O’Donnell, President of Ausra Inc, will address the major issues associated with the investment and development of renewable energy projects, including how public policies influence the investment of capital, the significance of tax credits, and the potential for renewable energy sources to become price competitive with other fuels in the long term. Ausra Inc. is a developer of large scale solar electric power parks.

3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Masonic Temple
3rd Floor
Workshop
Several efforts are underway in the West to address greenhouse gases and green energy. Experts from around the region involved in these efforts will describe the latest status and answer questions from the audience.

3:45 -- The Present and Future of Green Power Marketing in the United
States – This presentation will focus on renewable energy credits in the West and Midwest and will also give insights into the current and possible future of renewable energy and other types of credits in the US. Come and listen to the troops in the trenches and find out how renewable energy credits can work for you. Presenters—Blair Swezey, NREL; Brian Rounds, SD PUC; and Anne Marie Cuneo, NV PUC.

4:25 -- The Climate Registry – State representatives will provide an overview of the Climate Registry and answer questions during an informal Q & A session. More than 31 states from across the country are members of the newly formed Climate Registry. The Climate Registry will provide the measurement and reporting infrastructure to support a wide range of state and regional programs designed to manage and reduce GHG emissions. Presenter: Pat Cummins, WGA

4:45 -- Western Regional Climate Action Initiative – Six states (AZ, CA,
NM, OR, UT & WA) and British Columbia are partners in the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative. The partners will establish a regional greenhouse gas reduction goal by August 2007 and by August 2008 will design a regional market-based multi-sector mechanism, such as a loadbased cap and trade program, to help achieve the goal. Presenters – Governors’ staff

7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Historical Main Street of Deadwood
Reception and Street Fair – All attendees
See the historic streets of Deadwood come alive with an authentic South Dakota street dance featuring a swing and country band. On a night like this, even Wild Bill would trade his boots for dancing shoes! Light food and beverages will be provided.

Okay, just as an aside, who writes this crap? "even Wild Bill would trade his boots for dancing shoes?" Ugh. That might be why Arnold bailed.

Monday, June 11
8:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Historical Main Street
Front of Masonic Temple
Registration and Activity Desks Open 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
Masonic Temple

Governors’ Regional Roundtable and Board of Directors Meeting
The Governors will hear updates on several efforts underway in the region in response to Governors’ policy positions.

Online degree opportunities that integrate coursework from multiple western universities—Robert Mendenhall, President of the Western Governors University

Implementation of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) -- Scott Rayder, Chief of Staff, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Wildland Fire Weather Needs Assessment—Sam Williamson, Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, U.S. Department of Commerce The Governors will also take action on pending WGA business and adopt new policy resolutions.

10:15 – 10:40 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Transitioning to a New Energy Economy: Keynote II – Where Venture Capital Is Going
Ray Lane, Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

10:40 – 11:00 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Keynote – The Farm Bill
Secretary Mike Johanns, U.S. Department of Agriculture

11:00 – noon
Masonic Temple
Plenary II—The Changing Agricultural Economy
The agricultural industry is in a time of change. It is being impacted by the diversion of some crops (such as corn) for energy and fuel production, climate change impacting the severity of weather events (droughts, floods, freezes), a new Farm Bill being written in Congress and ongoing international negotiations on farm subsidies and trade agreements. This session will examine the altering landscape and opportunities for farmers and ranchers in the region. The Governors will be joined by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, U.S. Trade Representative Deputy Ambassador Karan Bhatia and Bill Even, South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture.

12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Transportation Departs to Comfort Inn for Lunch 11:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Comfort Inn Patio
Lunch at Comfort Inn Patio – All Attendees

1:45 - 2:15 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Keynote – Immigration and International Travel
Stewart A. Baker, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Policy, will join the Governors to discuss immigration and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

2:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Transitioning to a New Energy Economy: Keynote III – The Grid
Suedeen Kelly, Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will highlight how FERC plans to assure the integration of electricity produced from renewables and clean coal into the grid and enable the integration of demand response into the wholesale sales marketplace.

5:30 – 5:45 p.m. Transportation for Reception and Gala Dinner at Mount
Hampton Inn and Comfort Inn Rushmore

6:30 – 10:00 p.m. Reception and Gala Dinner at Mount Rushmore

10:00 – 10:30 p.m. Transportation Departs to Deadwood

Tuesday, June 12
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Silverado - Club House
Breakfast

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Plenary III – Coping with Climate Change
According to the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, human-caused warming and sea level rise will continue for centuries, “even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized.” What changes in climate are projected from this warming, particularly in the Western region? What associated impacts can be anticipated, and what can we do to prepare for, and adapt to, these impacts? This session will focus on the expected impacts on nature (water resources, wildlife habitat, flooding and wildfires) and on Western industries (recreation, agriculture, forestry and energy). Joining the Governors for this discussion are: Christopher Field, Director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington; Peter Kareiva, Chief Scientist with The Nature Conservancy; and Bradley Udall Director, NOAA University Of Colorado Western Water Assessment.

10:30 – 10:40 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Presentation of Chairman’s Gavel and Gift
Outgoing WGA Chairman, Governor Mike Rounds, will present the gavel to the newly elected chairman who will give brief remarks.

And for those of you wanting to watch live, check out the webcasts as hosted by SDPTV.

Campaign Memorabilia - 1964 Nils Boe Campaign postcard

2007-06-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

I sometimes forget the wide variety of people who read this website. I had a very, very nice note from "Joyce" who wanted to send me a postcard she got at a sale. She thought of the SDWC when she saw this one.

Yes, this is our "bachelor" Governor, Nils Boe.

Take a look at the postmark date. This was from the Republican Gubernatorial Primary in 1964, where he came off of serving as Lt. Governor for the immediately preceding term.

This type of color postcard was not uncommon for these types of races, and you can find several examples by McGovern, Foss, and other politicians of the era. But I can guarantee you this is the first "Boe" card I've seen.

Joyce - thank you very much for sharing this fun political item.

If anyone else has a unique political item they'd like to share - drop me a note. I'd love to devote a post to it. Buttons, ribbons, you name it. I might tell candidates not to order buttons, but that doesn't mean I don't love them myself.

What should I bring for dinner?

2007-06-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

I had a note a week or so back from the first lady asking me what to make for dinner.

Okay, maybe not quite like that. What's going on is that as a former member of the Governor's staff (back in 2003-2004) I'm included in a group of people they're asking to contribute to a "South Dakota Governor's Residence Cookbook."

The letter noted that proceeds from book sales are to be used (in conjunction with the community foundation) to help fund future furniture and furnishing acquisitions for the residence. What do they want out of me? They're looking for recipes from cabinet and staff - and with each recipe, the contributor's name and relationship with the Gov will be listed.

It's certainly a good idea, but as I try to think what unique recipes I'd contribute.... Well, I'm kind of tight with them.

I think Deb Barnett is the only one who ever got my infamous Hot Wing recipe out of me, and that was through my wife's persuasion. I've perfected it in the intervening years, and I haven't given it to anyone since, so that's definitely no go.

I've got my own Barbecue sauce recipe that I've modified and perfected from a family sauce, and that particular sauce is going on my pulled pork recipe (which has been slow cooking on my smoker grill since early this morning). Again, these are things I don't part with easily.

Don't even get me started on my chicken supreme, which my mom would make since my earliest days of youth. Unfortunately, after I turned 14 or 15, my other siblings finally developed a taste for the heavy cream sauce.

I've got until the end of the week to noodle (literally) on this one, and figure out what to contribute.

It must be a goofy family thing. My grandmother was so tight with her praline recipe, she took it to her grave. She had it down to a science, based on the exterior temperature and humidity. (And admittedly, they were pretty good). So, we'll have to see if I bend a little, or if I have too much of my grandmother in me.

And down the line, if you see something contributed from a P.P. who used to be on staff and it's something besides a recipe for boiling water - you'll know how I came out.

Just another thought on Tom Johnson's 1am TRAN-scendental experience

2007-06-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

Just a passing thought on Rapid City Councilman Tom Johnson's travels with an 18 year old girl who he had no idea was a boy as he/she was arrested for DUI:

Tell me if they have cameras in Rapid City Police vehicles? Because this sounds like it could be a good one.

At the least, it's would be an interesting study to watch on camera as an aspiring politician's career ends.

Who decides?

2007-06-10T08:50:00.000-05:00

There's an article in the Rapid City Journal that describes what could take place if one of the candidates for Mayor, Representative Alan Hanks, is chosen in the runoff election. But it leaves out the other side of the equation:

One question directed to Rep. Alan Hanks, R-Rapid City, during Thursday’s downtown association meeting asked who Gov. Mike Rounds would appoint to the state legislature Hanks is elected Rapid City mayor and resigns his District 32 seat.

Hanks said he can’t speak for Rounds but said the governor would probably not appoint Elli Schwiesow or Stan Adelstein, who squared off in the District 32 Republican state senate primary a year ago.

and...

Technically, if Hanks wins the runoff, he is not required to resign from the legislature. But Hanks reiterated Thursday that he will leave the legislature if elected mayor.

Read that all here. Aside from the fact that I wouldn't depend too strongly on any campaign promise made by Representative Hanks, it should be noted that in both cases, a replacement of some nature would be made since both people are elected officials.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that in the case of Sam Kooiker, a special election would be held to replace his seat if he was elected to the office of mayor.

So, in addition to the choice the voters in Rapid City are going to make on who their next leader is going to be, they'll also be making a choice as to who will decide a new leader for the town. Will the people elect one of their own for a new city councilman, or will the Governor choose a new Representative.

So, who will be the decider? The people or the Governor?

Kind of interesting when you look at it that way.

Argus Leader on Senator Johnson's Return

2007-06-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

There's kind of an interesting story in the Argus today on Senator Johnson's anticipated return to the US Senate where the Senator's own press person is disputing the predictions of Senator Harry Reid who was generally positive about a return date:

Hupke said many people pray for Johnson, following a biblical mandate to pray for government leaders, but they need to hear from the senator himself if positive reports on his health are to be trusted.
A gap in understanding rises from the optimism of Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said Thursday that Johnson has regained 90 percent of his speech and probably will return to the Senate by September. Neither detail is necessarily true, said Johnson's communications director, Julianne Fisher.

"Harry Reid is incredibly enthusiastic, very supportive, and we certainly appreciate that, but doctors have to come first, and doctors are saying 'no timeline,' " Fisher said.
Reid, who's from Nevada, gave a promising report on Johnson after the Dec. 13 hemorrhage and more than once predicted Johnson would be back in the Capitol this spring. It's possible Reid will be correct about a September return, though "sometimes his crystal ball has not been reliable," Fisher said.
and...
"The uncertainty and anxiousness of waiting - that's when our fears can become very noisy, like the father waiting up at night for a call from his daughter," said Daniel Leininger, a therapist and counselor in Sioux Falls. "Without hearing anything, that just makes people more anxious."

Bryan Carey, 22, a loss-prevention worker at Best Buy, said the silence has lasted long enough. "It's a big issue to be able to know what he's thinking," he said.
Others say leave him alone.

Read it all here.

This article is kind of a turn of policy for the A.L., who I think has taken some heat on the issue of not asking such questions regarding when the Senator is going to return. Of course, the immediate opinion is that they wouldn't give any Republican a free pass.

Of course, there are people out there who are already crying foul at this kind of examination.

I think everyone is between a rock and a hard place on this issue. There are the partisan forces which will always be there to some degree simply over wanting to possess the seat for "their team." That's just the uber competitive nature of politics. That mindset is always lurking in the background.

Then there are the forces of just plain human concern for a family member, a friend, or a well-liked public figure. No one bears the Senator any ill will. We want him to get better, and to enjoy life. We all wish him well. Express a concern that it's taking too long? Well, that's just not South Dakota, where we care for the welfare of our family and friends.

Then there's a third force of wanting to ensure that one of the largest voices our state has in the Federal Government is heard. To citizens, staff members doing constituent service work isn't necessarily going to cut it. We need our voice.

The longer the Senator's recovery takes, the more these forces will battle back and forth. Some will be genuine and sincere. Some will be grossly partisan - and that's on both sides of the issue.

I think the main thing that needs to be considered is that the family sees all of this stuff. So, choose your words wisely. They're in a weird place on this as well. They're trying to allow someone very much in the public eye who was stricken with a brain injury to convalesce.

A brief synopsis of what's going on out in South Dakota

2007-06-09T05:59:00.000-05:00

It's 6AM, and I couldn't sleep.

Why? None of my kids had to be hauled anywhere last night, so I treated myself to an icy cold beverage in a frosty mug. The downside of that, is any intake of alcohol causes me to wake up ridiculously early. So, at about 5am this fine Saturday morning, my internal alarm clock started blaring for me to get up. And here I am.

After checking the news and e-mail - What can I tell you about what's going on in South Dakota today?

I've got a parade in Volga I'm taking the kids over to this morning. And I had a note from former Senator Lee Schoenbeck that he's going to abuse his body by doing a triathlon up at Lake Poinsett today. I could handle the swimming and the biking, but the running? Forget it. I'm not sure I have any cartilage remaining in any part of my left leg which tends to hinder such foolish notions.

What else is happening?

Pierre lost a local personality in Radio Broadcaster Del Fischer who passed away yesterday:

Del Fischer died at his home this morning. He was 62 years old.

Fischer’s booming voice was heard for years in this area. He also was a well-known DJ, playing records for various charitable events. He and the late Fred Smith of KCCR were the two signature voices in the Pierre area for decades.

Read that at KCCR.

Dennis Eisnach, The mayor of Pierre, had a bit of a scare himself as he was put into the Hospital with chest pains....

The 71-year-old mayor originally was admitted to St. Mary's Healthcare Center around 1 a.m. Thursday, and then rode with his wife Shirley by air ambulance to The North Central Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls later Thursday morning. Shirley Eisnach said an angiogram has shown that the pain is not related to his heart.

"He'd been sleeping and then work up and said 'I have chest pains,'" she said. "It was one of those things where he just thought, you don't fool around with this, he hasn't experienced this before."

It sounds like the mayor turned out just fine. Must have been losing that guaranteed Schwellenbach rubber-stamp vote on the city council. Read that at the Capital Journal.

I just found out that the Union County GOP is having a Lincoln Day Dinner on August 6th in Dakota Dunes. I'll get more details on that as they come.

Mt. Blogmore isn't showing me any love this AM, as reporter Kevin Woster seems to intimate he isn't familiar with the SDWC, as they debate the merits of the Herseth trip on Global warming.
PP? Who’s that? K.W.
Ugh. (You know, Bob Ellis did do a whole column on SD blogs.) In the same blog post, I will note that I thought long-time South Dakota environmentalist Donald Pay had one of the most intelligent points I've heard to date on the Herseth trip:

What has this to do with Herseth Sanlin’s trip? Probably not much, except that she is getting a first-hand introduction to some data. She could probably get more out of reading 40 years of climate research, but so could the global warming doubters.

Read that here as well.

The Argus Leader takes a look at South Dakota's conflict of interest laws after the Ted Klaudt rape accusation issue brought up the fact that his wife was involved in the Foster care program:

"No complete bright line has yet been drawn between prohibited and permissible legislator business dealings with the state," according to a document prepared by then-Attorney General Mark Barnett in 1998.

That remains essentially the case these days, as Attorney General Larry Long said in a recent interview in which he declined to discuss specifics of the Klaudt contract and possible conflicts.
and...
Senate Democratic Leader Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls recognizes that the conflict provisions are open to interpretation, but he thinks the Klaudt case crossed the line.

He said it's possible for a legislator's spouse to have a state contract involving something entirely separate from the lawmaker's duties.
"The idea of a foster home, though, almost presupposes that both spouses will be directly involved in the process," Heidepriem said.

Read that all here.

That's about all I've got this morning. What else is going on?

Rick Hauffe makes the Huron newspaper

2007-06-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

SDDP Executive Director Rick Hauffe is in today's Huron Daily Plainsman touting Democrat's chances in the upcoming election, as well as touting Brendan Johnson as a rising star in SDDP politics.

Pick up a copy of the Huron Daily Plainsman, and read it for yourself.

I blinked this week, and shot past 800,000 hits

2007-06-07T23:41:00.000-05:00

I was going to commemorate my 800,000th hit, but it shot past me like lightning (on 365,000 page views). At this rate, in another 12 weeks - I'm going to shoot past my 1 millionth website hit.

Thanks.

Herseth: Global warming bad.

2007-06-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

Crystal Lindell of the Pierre Capitol Journal is reporting today that Congresswoman Herseth now backs the Kyoto treaty, a document she had rejected earlier:

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., said she thinks global warming is real and President George Bush needs to do more to acknowledge the problem.

Herseth Sandlin recently completed a tour of four nations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and said the evidence is easy to see.

"From the scientific evidence that's been presented in Washington , from the observations and experiences of the native people, as well as witnessing first hand the melting and what's happened, it confirms even more in my mind that global warming is happening," she said.

and...

"We've got to fill in the detail and keep sort of the pressure on to move forward with the immediacy that I think this deserves," she said.

Herseth Sandlin originally was against the Kyoto Treaty - which assigns emissions limits to reduce greenhouse gasses - because China and India were not a part of the framework. However, now she recognizes the need for the U.S. to join.

"I do think that so long as the United States doesn't participate in the multilateral negotiations, that it makes it too easy for China and India to go ahead and say 'Why should we participate when the United States isn't participating,' she said.

Read it all here.

To start with - the rumor about Herseth's Chief of staff going along on the trip - it wasn't true. Apparently she was on a personal vacation, and not part of the ice melt tour. (Stop sending me that kind of stuff guys).

Otherwise, can anyone tell me how this trip appeals at all to the Congresswomans' constituency - a red state concerned more about economic development than the climate in Greenland?

You know Greenland. The place that used to be green, and was settled by Vikings about 1000 years ago. Until it got cold, which must have been because of global cooling caused by Viking bonfires. But it's ok now. The climate is returning to a previosu state

And speaking of those red state farmers Herseth represents.... What are they going to think of what her change of heart is going to do to them? (Hat tip to SDP). Is she going to rush in and say "Hey guys - I know you have it tough, what with the weather and all. But, that 50% cut in your income - we need to do it for Greenland. So suck it up boys."

Actually this brings up a good point - Didn't she send out a press release in 2006 that brought up the drought? (you know, right before the election).

How soon they forget. The drought was important then, but 8 months later, it's all about global warming in Greenland.

The best drought quote in that article?

Herseth wrote, "It is particularly important that rural Americans know they will be treated equitably. The deafening silence by the House of Representatives is sending a powerful message that Congress is not committed to helping those rural Americans affected by this natural disaster."

And 8 months later, it's about melting ice in Greenland.

As I noted previously, we're still waiting for the Herseth sponsored Pelosi tour of the Conanta basin. And it might even be possible that paying attention to the trouble of South Dakotans would resonate more strongly with the South Dakota electorate.

Investor's Business Daily profiles South Dakotan awarded the bronze star

2007-06-07T22:47:00.000-05:00

South Dakota Bronze Star winner Joel Arends is profiled in depth for his service in Iraq by the latest issue of Investor's Business Daily:

Arends and his men were on patrol one day when one of his soldiers recognized that a man detained on a routine traffic stop had been one of Saddam Hussein's personal bodyguards. They arrested him and transported him to detention.

Another time, Arends got word that four men in masks had been shooting at civilians. "We immediately started a house-to-house search in the area," Arends said.

It all added up to a mission that called for different tactics than in combat. "When you're engaging the public like this, you have to be mindful of the fact we don't want to be perceived as being the occupiers by bursting into their houses without permission," he said. "We're knocking, asking for permission, saying, 'We're asking for your help.' "

His platoon also adopted a day-care center in Baghdad . His men provided security, toys and other supplies to the children.

"We received baby and child hygiene supplies and toys from all across America . And we donated them to this day care in the Karada district of Baghdad," he said.

He says knowing the right thing to do comes from classroom and field work. "It's a combination of applying training and learning on the fly. It's expected of leaders to make the most of the situation," he said.

Being able to make quick decisions comes down to setting priorities, he says: "You have to put the mission first. And you're worried about the people in your unit, and your own welfare last. You knock those priorities down one by one until you get that mission accomplished."

Read it all here. And thank a vet for the freedoms you enjoy.

Mark Barnett is now honorable again.

2007-06-07T18:35:00.000-05:00

I got a call when I was at a conference noting that former AG (and current Deputy AG) Mark Barnett was announced to a judgeship today. I got home and verified it, finding it on the State's website just now. So, from the announcement:

Gov. Mike Rounds announced today the appointment of Mark Barnett of Pierre as judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of South Dakota.

Barnett is currently Chief Deputy Attorney General of South Dakota. Prior to that, he spent nine years in private practice, served as Hughes County State’s Attorney and was elected to three terms as Attorney General.

“I am deeply honored by this news, and very grateful to Governor Rounds for placing trust in me,” said Barnett. “I will do everything I can to serve the public in a fair and efficient way.”

Barnett has been involved in high profile cases since 1981. He has argued and won two reversals in civil cases in the United States Supreme Court. He was the lead prosecutor on two death penalty cases, including the case against serial killer Robert Leroy Anderson. His most recent jury trial ended in a conviction of a Pierre man who murdered his wife and who then tried to frame his own 12-year-old daughter.

Barnett lives in Pierre with his wife, Deb, and their two sons, John and Jim. He will begin his tenure on the bench beginning June 18th.

For the man known as "the honorable" in his former title, now we can all consider him "the honorable" again. Congratulations Mark!

On the road again..... Don't forget the beg button

2007-06-07T07:56:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be out today at a conference - but in the meantime, there's plenty to comment on.

Speaking of that, as some have noted that they enjoy reading for the opportunity to smash me, don't forget you won't have PP to kick around unless you contribute to the tip jar via the pay pal beg button.

Help keep the SDWC on the air. Or the net, that is. (I have expenses too, you know).

And support the advertisers. go visit Sam Kooiker and the demjen.com website as well.

Could the School Funding lawsuit get smashed soon? Let's hope so, for taxpayers' sake

2007-06-07T07:29:00.000-05:00

The Argus Leader is writing this morning that a judge is going to rule of the legality of spending taxpayer dollars to sue taxpayers (via the state) for more taxpayer dollars. All for the sake of the taxpayer:

A judge's ruling on a new lawsuit could kill dozens of South Dakota school districts' funding fight and cost individual board members money.

Board members from three South Dakota school districts have asked a judge to rule that their tax-dollar pledges to support a lawsuit against the state were legal.
and...

Attorney General Larry Long said it's illegal for school districts to sue the state and has sought to audit the coalition to determine which districts have given how much money.

Read it all here.

State of SD/UFWS agreement cancellation still up in the air.

2007-06-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

I've kind of been ignoring this controversy lately. Not on purpose, but I've been tied up with other things. What's been going on?

First, the deadline passed for the UFWS to fire or reassign officer Prieksat (or else).

Then, it was noted that one of the Governor's brothers, and some GFP agents were on a list of people to talk to about illegal game processing.

Then the UFWS cleared Prieksat of any wrongdoing in the whole matter.

And that should bring us to the latest article in the whole chain of events, where the Governor is noting (in tomorrow AM's Rapid City Journal) that has hasn't made a decision yet:

Gov. Mike Rounds hasn't made a decision on whether to terminate law-enforcement agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, his press secretary said Wednesday

and...

Hall told Rounds last week of a plan to add a field agent to the Pierre FWS office and allow Prieksat to focus more on office work. That's part of the discussion between Rounds and Hall.

"We need to get this situation taken care of before a decision is made on the MOAs," Krebs said.

Read that all here.

The big question at this point after Prieksat was cleared of any wrongdoing - which side is going to blink first? Or, have they both agreed to "blink at the same time" - with the deadline for the ultimatum having passed with no action, but Prieksat moving to a more supervisory position at the UFWS?

Options? What options?

2007-06-06T22:34:00.000-05:00

Denise Ross is over at the Hog House Blog noting that when asked about returning to public service, former Senator Tom Daschle noted that

“you never say never but I have no plans at this time,” line and then emphasized how much he enjoys public service. And, "I’ll be looking at options as they present themselves."

Read it here.

There is a whisper out there that some of "his people" want him to consider taking over Johnson's slot if it becomes available. Hmmmm.....

Tom Johnson Speaks (kind of)

2007-06-06T22:19:00.000-05:00

The Rapid City Weekly news has the full story on that little Tom Johnson/Transvestite/underage consumption/DUI thing that happened the night before the election. I don't think this examination of it makes it any less bizarre.

Check out the latest in one of the most bizarre South Dakota political stories I've ever seen:

Police learned the driver, who was dressed as a woman, was actually a man. Johnson said the driver was someone he knows — not a campaign worker, as reported in other media outlets — but he didn’t want to disclose how long he has known the 18-year-old man, whom he knew as a woman named Trina Seviera.
“I’m not going to give you that information,” Johnson said. “This is about turning into a witch hunt.”

Police Chief Craig Tieszen, who is taking media calls on the incident, said he has seen photos of the driver. “Appears to be Trina to me,” Tieszen said.

Johnson said he had not been drinking at all Monday night — “zero, not a drop” — and had been putting out campaign signs after leaving a Rapid City Council meeting that ended late Monday. Johnson said he had no idea his companion had been drinking, but he didn’t want to explain how they had met that night.

“Again, that’s all the information I’m going to give you,” he said.
and...
He said the driver was bailed out “by someone” but would not disclose if he was involved in arranging bail.

Johnson, 50, said he was growing weary of the questions he was fielding from the media. Johnson said he didn’t break any laws, didn’t buy or provide alcohol to anyone and wasn’t aware he was in a car with an under-aged person who was driving under the influence.

He said the man whom he thought was a woman had told him once that he was older than 18. But Johnson, who is recently divorced, declined to offer many details into their relationship.

Read it all here.

What? "Johnson, 50, said he was growing weary of the questions he was fielding from the media." Well, no kidding. I'm sure he is weary of the questions. Because the media, as much as everyone else in the state are scratching their heads at this one.

Somehow, I think it would be hard for any 50 year old candidate to explain why they were in a car with a drunk, 18 year old girl at night. Adding the fact that it was a boy in drag, and the candidate *claims* he had no idea it was, doesn't instill any additional confidence.

In a campaign year with all the utter nonsense that the Rapid City municipal elections have brought forth, this was just the cherry on top.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
- Hunter S. Thompson

Mayoral Candidate Tom Johnson was a passenger in vehicle of campaign worker. Except the campaign worker got busted for DUI. While dressed as a woman.

2007-06-06T07:25:00.000-05:00

Here's the bizarre stuff I mentioned last night from Kevin Woster at the Rapid City Journal:

An 18-year-old Rapid City man faces charges of underage consumption and driving under the influence after a traffic stop early Tuesday morning that involved Rapid City alderman Tom Johnson.

Rapid City Police Chief Craig Tieszen said Tuesday evening that a city police officer stopped the vehicle about 1:15 a.m. for erratic driving and malfunctioning tail lights. The driver of Johnson's car "was dressed like and appeared to be a woman" but was eventually identified as a man, Tieszen said.

Tieszen said the driver initially gave a woman's name but then provided a man's name.

"As far as we know, (he) is legally a man," Tieszen said.

and...

"She was driving the car, and I was putting out signs. That's exactly right," Johnson said. "Campaign people put up a lot of signs before an election."

Johnson said he wasn't aware that the person, whom he knew as Trina Sivera, was actually a man, nor did he know the driver had been drinking.

Read it all here.

I'm sorry, didn't you know? Everyone puts their signs up the night before the election. Darn us for thinking something else.

Oooooookay...... If Tom couldn't figure out if his campaign worker - whom he was in the car with - wasn't #1, a man dressed as a woman, and #2, drunk, then maybe it's a really, really good thing that he lost the mayoral contest.

But you know, it might not have been what it appears at all. They might not have been putting out signs. It could have been a tryout for Tom's production of La Cage Aux Folles.

Or they could have been going to the local showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Everyone knows you have to have some alcohol to get on stage to start dancing "the time warp"in drag.

Really, officer. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

FINAL - KOOIKER and HANKS go to runoff

2007-06-06T00:08:00.000-05:00

From the Rapid City Journal Scroller:

Dowling 135
Hanks 3352 **2
Hargens 311
Johnson 1528
Knipsel 41
Kooiker 3864 **1
Redden 125
Shaw 2317

Sam Kooiker and Alan Hanks are the candidates for a runoff, since neither one received over 50% of the vote. Watch for a fierce and hard fought battle.

And as I said, there's a super bizarre story about one of the candidates (who lost tonight) noted as a passenger in a vehicle who's driver was arrested for DUI. That hit the TV news in Rapid City tonight, and is sure to blast across South Dakota in coming days.

I don't even want to get into it at this late hour. But I'll get to it in the AM.

RCJ's latest...

2007-06-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

Rapid City Journal is reporting in their scrolling bar....

With 21 of 25 precincts in

Dowling 16
Hanks 2394
Hargens 215
Tom Johnson 1020
Knippel 33
Kooiker 2904
Redden 107
Shaw 1643

Yet another update from an observer..

2007-06-05T23:38:00.000-05:00

Sam 2489,
Hanks is at 2199
and Shaw at 1519

From a City Hall observer....

KOTA update

2007-06-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

Check it out here.

RAPID CITY MAYOR
	76% of Precincts Reporting - (2 Seats)
	SAM KOOIKER	2,348	34%
	ALAN HANKS	1,972	29%
*	JIM SHAW	1,396	20%
	TOM JOHNSON	814	13%
	GARY HARGENS	169	2%
	BONNIE REDDEN	93	1%
	PATRICK DOWLING	72	1%
	JERRY KNISPEL	29	0%

Another update....

2007-06-05T23:13:00.000-05:00

Word from a City Hall observer...

Sam has 2002,
Alan 1798,
Shaw at 1261,
and johnson at 715.

And word is that there's a really, really bizarre story out there that broke tonight with one of the candidates.

More results.... as it continues

2007-06-05T22:17:00.000-05:00

Go watch (or read) KOTA's coverage....

I think it's more than the 36% reporting as it was the same as previous results, but the vote totals are more updated...

RAPID CITY MAYOR
	36% of Precincts Reporting
	SAM KOOIKER	1,294	34%
	ALAN HANKS	1,107	29%
*	JIM SHAW	793	21%
	TOM JOHNSON	437	11%
	GARY HARGENS	98	3%
	BONNIE REDDEN	51	1%
	PATRICK DOWLING	38	1%
	JERRY KNISPEL	14	0%

Of the legitimate candidates, Tom Johnson is completely getting his butt kicked. As one politico pointed out as I chatted with him today, mentioning the main point on the Tom Johnson postcard:
"...If that's the main point on your resume, it's better not to list anything."

What's next? The items he put on his college application?

Early RC Returns.....

2007-06-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

I think there's only 6 or 7 precincts in at this point.....

Sam Kooiker 1090
Alan Hanks 768
Jim Shaw 630
Dowling 29
Hargens 74
Knipsel 12
Redden 99

(update - that's 36%)

....In with the new

2007-06-05T20:07:00.000-05:00

I don't have final numbers yet, but I'm told that early reports show newcomer Jesse Naze beat out incumbent Pierre City Commissioner Stan Schwellenbach by over 100 votes. Congratulations to Commissioner Naze!!

Just a little reminder of why we vote from our last election

2007-06-05T08:10:00.000-05:00

It was fitting that this was pointed out to me as we come to one of the first election days after the 2006 General election. Remember November 2006? There was no revolution. People changed offices without shots being fired.

And no black helicopters from the trilateral commission and IRS depositing agents to tamper with our voting machines.....

Maybe. If you're Ron Branson, Bill Stegmeier and the rest of the conspiracy minded JAIL4Judges crew, you're not giving up on that last one yet. Check out the latest from the JAIL4Judges website as they try to convince a documentary producer to take on the 2006 election results and expose the 'fraud' of how they lost the election:

Beverly Harris:

I am Ron Branson, founder of the organization www.jail4judges.org. I am sure you are familiar with our effort to bring judicial accountability to South Dakota, and what happened as a result.

Basically, we were ahead in the polls approximately 3 to 1 throughout the campaign, and a poll taken after being barraged with false and misleading information, four days prior to the November 7 election revealed that we remained still ahead by eleven points, i.e. 51% to 40.

On election day, the reported outcome of the election was 89% against with 11% for. There being no reasonable explanation, many are shocked.

We are taking independent polls of the voters in South Dakota, which has resulted in only a 1% change in our support base from that of the poll taken just four day prior to the election, i.e. 50%.

I am encouraging the seeking of both a criminal and a civil remedy, the latter being in Federal Court outside of the State of South Dakota.

I am currently viewing a video tape moderated by Edward Griffin, a friend and acquaintance of mine. I find this video very interesting. Inasmuch as this matter in South Dakota involves criminal acts of the entire government of South Dakota, the implications of this matter is earth shaking and beyond imagination.

Prior to the South Dakota vote, I documented all that was going on in this election on our website, www.sd-jail4judges.org. Not one word has been changed or altered in any manner on this website, which website now stands as evidence of the facts known prior to the election.

You may reach me at VictoryUSA@jail4judges.org, or on the phone at (605) 214-1301. Bill Stegmeier in South Dakota, who sponsored Amendment E, is spearheading an effort of taking our next course of action. He may be reached at (605) 940-0354, or at his email, billstegmeier@yahoo.com.

Because of the implications, I think this matter is worthy of blowing wide open this issue of manipulation of the voting process, using South Dakota Amendment E as an example. At issue here also involves the judiciary throughout this entire nation, as the Chief Justices of several of the various states have spoken out in the newspapers and media condemning our effort of bringing about judicial accountability to this nation, starting with South Dakota.

Please do get back with me on this. God bless.

-Ron Branson
National Founder of JAIL4Judges

Read all of the JAIL4Judges nuttiness here. And I find it quite interesting how the once disavowed Ron Branson is supposedly walking hand-in-hand with Bill Stegmeier as he did before Ron was savaged in the South Dakota media.

Did I leave someone out? How could I forget this website's special pro-Amendment E 'friend' Bonnie Russell. Bonnie, who ran a website which was sometimes with the JAIL4Judges people, and alternatively called Ron Branson a clown, is still using a bit of the same shtick she used before - claiming disdain for the JAIL4Judges movement, but promoting the identical sort of judicial paranoia which fuels the movement:

From nojail4judges.org:

"The bogeyman is here! Or so Tom Barnett wants South Dakota Legislature to believe.

Barnett, who alternately turns from shrill to snarly while speaking as a lobbyist before the legislature, constantly rails about JAIL4JUDGES.org

The man actually quotes from the ramblings of the "Journal."

A Quick Reality Check.

Barnett brings up "the California group" without of mentioning there is no group.

Barnett doesn't mention the website he quotes represents one man's First Amendment right to write absolutely ridiculous rants. Rants Barnett uses to instill fear.

As such, the wacky site does seem to suit the needs of Tom Barnett whenever he wants generate funds, and reporters are partly responsible for continued fear, by not asking hard questions.

and...

While we applaud free speech, we encourage others not to take seriously the site with omitting the "No" in front of the above domain name.

There is no "effort" backed by this individual. There are however, credible inroads being made towards judicial accountability in other states.

Read it all here. So, apparently she hates Ron, but promotes the exact same thing. The only difference is Bonnie makes money off if it.

Am I done picking on the JAIL4Judges people yet? How can I be done just yet?

On the presidential poll I posted a few days ago, someone opined....

Ron Paul is the only great candidate for GOP Pres, and I'm disappointed he's not one of the choices in your poll.

I must confess, I had to look it up on the Internet to find information out about the man (not exactly Top of Mind Awareness). So how could I consider slighting Ron Paul in future recognition on this website?

(Click on the image to enlarge. Really, you have to.)

Yes, Bill Stegmeier is apparently some sort of organizer for the Ron Paul for President effort in South Dakota. With the plastic dinosaur toy perched on his shoulder like a parrot - here's Ron Paul's face in the state.

Somehow, I think my slight of not including Mr. Paul on future presidential polls may continue.

And remember - for those of you with elections, get out there and vote today. Otherwise, guys with plastic toys on their shoulder might get a say in our government.

I'm going to add to the dogpile on the Argus on this one.

2007-06-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

Greg Belfrage jumped on the Argus, and SDP joined them this morning. I'd have to add a "me too" on this issue.

Now comes a column from the Imperial Editor of the Argus Leader, Randell Beck. Beck is taking issue with those who are concerned the public isn't getting enough information about Johnson's condition.

Beck says, "Anyway, it's my guess those who are griping about the shortage of information on Johnson's health didn't vote for him in 2002 and won't vote for him next year if he does seek reelection."

This is the kind of hypocrisy from the Argus Leader, and especially Beck, that I find infuriating. When he and the Argus want more information on completely trivial matters, such as the names of those attending the governor's hunt, their motives are above reproach. However, those wanting more information about Senator Johnson's condition are "griping" for political reasons. Does anyone really believe the Argus Leader's position would be the same if this were Senator John Thune?

Read that all here. Mr. Beck has been johnny-on-the-spot whenever he's perceived a hint of withholding information on the part of the Governor. But now he's devoting a column to why we don't need to know?

I hope he remembers that the next time he cries foul at being accused of favoritism.

Candidates in? And tomorrow is election day.

2007-06-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

Over at the Hog House Blog, Denise Ross has been reporting recently on who is planning on jumping into the legislative races. She has Stan Adelstein who claims he will run as a Republican... (I'm not going to start. It's too easy), and Craig Tieszen of Rapid City who she notes will run in 34 as a Republican.

I'm also hearing of others out there who are planning to make the leap in the fray this next fall. One in particular is former Democratic Legislator Deb Fischer-Clemens.

I'm told through the grapevine that she's gone as far to approach her employer about the idea, so look for that to be a possibility. It's still very early, and minds change over time, but as Democrats continue to look to past successes for future candidates, she could spell trouble for the GOP.

In the federal races, I haven't heard anything more in the past few days on Jim Seward jumping in the US Senate contest against Tim Johnson. Right now it's standing at Sam Kephart in, Joel Dykstra very strongly leaning towards being in as he makes the GOP event rounds, and that it. Or is it.....? I have heard of one juggernaut of a candidate who could be contemplating it, but that person is still so early in the process, I had to give a black oath of silence just to get it out of my source. (and no, it's not the gov).

Otherwise election day is tomorrow, and there are a few races I'm watching with interest.

I'll always have a soft spot in my head.... er, heart... for local Pierre races. The Naze/Schwellenbach race could signal some drastic changes for the municipality as (god forbid) people actually start to run for something besides open seats. If Naze wins by running on a platform of reasonableness in fees, it might finally mean a city government has to pay attention to that sort of stuff.

In a poll that was done a year or so ago, the Pierre city commission had unbelievably low approval among the voters - in fact, it was so low, it was a net negative. The mayors was higher, but not by much, and that was based on the fact he's a pretty likable guy (and I would agree). So, tomorrow's election might signal change for the good.

The other big election is of course the Rapid City Mayoral Race. This bloodbath of an election year may not yet be over tomorrow, either. If no candidate receives a certain percentage of the vote, it would go into a runoff contest between the two highest vote recipients.

I've heard several things on this, including that if this happens, it might not be Mayor Shaw as backed by Doug Hamilton (and publicized by Lawrence and Schiller) who ends up in the top 2. IF that happens, I've heard Kooiker and Hanks could be the contenders. But that still a lot of speculation at this point.

More to come....

When the going gets tough, the tough get weird.

2007-06-03T17:36:00.000-05:00

I got a copy of the big full page anti-Kooiker ad that was placed by Doug Hamilton and Mike Schumacher's PAC, the Elect Better Government PAC that donated Tens of thousands to Mayor Shaw's campaign this election.

And it seems little more than a re-hashing of some of the old nonsense that's been surrounding this mystery contract since day 1.

(Click to enlarge)

There's three checks listed at the top of the ad from Doug Hamilton to Mike Schumacher. And, well, ok. I don't think that's any shock. But supposedly they're supposed to tie into this mysterious contract that was filed with the Secretary of State. And the ad demands that Sam supposedly come clean about all of this.

But absent any evidence to the contrary, I'd say it still hangs on the other side of believability.

I see evidence where Mike likely knew about the checks. And where Doug knew about them, but nary a signature from Sam can be found.

And then there's the contract which I contended some time ago was completely unbelievable. To summarize some of the suspicion surrounding the contract....

#1 - The contract was filed with the Secretary of State (the same day) that Kooiker announced for Mayor.

#2 - The contract was signed for 350 hours of work, on a date which would have left fewer hours until the election than were in the contract - by less than half.

#3 - The contract was filed with the Secretary of State, period. Anecdotally, I'd note that nobody, and I mean nobody does this. It's not a requirement in state law - the only thing that's required is a report of expenditures. Which begs the question, why? It makes no sense.

Then there's this ad itself. Politically, I'm not sure what the purpose is. There's nothing on it calling him unfit for office because of it. It just has a bunch of checks to Mike Schumacher from Doug Hamilton, and the goofy contract. And that's it.

It makes no sense. But then again look at the track record of the people involved.

One said that he had taken Hamilton money in the past, and he no longer intended to do so. The same one pointed out this questionable filing with the Secretary of State's office, despite the fact doing so was not a benefit to him.

Then there's the other person involved...

The other one's noteworthy accomplishments include admittedly abandoning his friend for money. As per the Rapid City Weekly -

Schumacher said he was talking about helping Councilman Sam Kooiker get into the mayor’s chair, but a better offer came along.

How much Schumacher will be paid has yet to be determined, as the contract is not yet complete, he said.

Read that all here. As well as abandoning his City Commission seat as this came out:

I gave them the option, at this point, to apologize to the citizens of Rapid City and this council and I’m disappointed that he hasn’t yet. Councilman Schumacher has written fictitious e-mails with a fictitious name on it.”

The false e-mails, with a clearly false and somewhat obscene name, were sent to the Rapid City Council members in June. More were sent to council members in December 2006, Hadcock said Tuesday afternoon. False letters to the editor have been sent since 2002, she claimed.

Read that here in the same newspaper. To me, all of that seems about as smart as printing unredacted checks in the newspaper with all the financial routing numbers on them to allow an incredible amount of financial theft to occur. (Bank routing and checking account numbers? Duh.)

Anyway, now as in the beginning, we have two men and two stories. It's up to us to choose who to believe.

Sam Kooiker who seems to have a track record of telling the truth, whether it has benefited him or not.

And then there's Mike Schumacher, who is on record as abandoning his former best friend for money. And declined to run for office again as he was outed by a fellow city commissioner for dirty tricks such as sending false e-mails.

Two people telling their sides of a tale. It's simply up to us who to choose the version of the truth to believe.

BTW, what's with the dates of the checks? The contract was "supposedly" written 5/31. The first check was written 6/21, less than a month after the election. But then the following two were at the beginning and the end of August, nearly two months later?

Having done consulting work of this nature, That invoice/billing system makes no sense in light of the contract. Even fishier.

Bat-ter up! Enviros say no to green energy

2007-06-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Senator John Thune is quoted in the Washington post today commenting on an enviro-mental proposal to slow down wind energy development because of concerns that bats and birds might have trouble navigating the big blades:

John Stroud, the co-chairman of Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy, is fighting a wind power project in Rahall's district, saying it will spoil scenic views and endanger bats.

and...
GOP Sen. John Thune, who has introduced legislation that would give the industry more incentives, was more blunt.
"This proposal is badly misguided and is a step in the wrong direction," said Thune of South Dakota, one of the windier states. "Congress should not be blocking the development of one of the nation's cleanest energy resources ... I will fight any efforts to stymie its development because of unfounded concerns for bats and birds."

Read it all here.

Is it just me, or does it seem a bit nutty that after they've beat the drum of greener energy for decades, when people and industries have found ways to make that kind of technology feasible, now the enviromentalists find reasons so they don't want us to start using it?

oy.

Cartoonist Jason Folkerts takes on the Herseth icecap trip

2007-06-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

South Dakota Editorial Cartoonist Jason Folkerts takes on Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin's trip to Greenland on the editorial section of the Argus Leader, as well as his own website:

People aren't sitting kindly in SD as they hear about her chatting it up with Belgium scientists (all the while there are pressing issues needing her attention back home). If you thought the polar ice caps were cold Stephanie, wait till you get back to the heartland.

See the entire cartoon, and read it all here at http://jasonfolkerts.blogspot.com.

The New direction of the ELCA?

2007-06-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

I was reading with some interest the large article in the Argus Leader today on Pierre ELCA pastor Dave Zellmer who was just named bishop of this large South Dakota Lutheran denomination. Why? Those in the political arena have heard his name mentioned a bit over the past year or so:

When the South Dakota Mainstream Coalition was initially formed in June 2005, many people, especially Republicans, had lots of questions. Since then, few of those questions have been answered.

The Coalition was founded by seven South Dakota Republican senators: Ed Olson of Mitchell, Tom Dempster of Sioux Falls, Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls, Stan Adelstein of Rapid City, Royal “Mac” McCracken of Rapid City, J.P. Duniphan of Rapid City, and Duane Sutton of Aberdeen.

The group of so-called moderates formed the Coalition because they felt their disagreement with the Republican base on a number of issues was not welcome. According to a report by David Kranz in the Argus Leader, executive director Senator Ed Olson of Mitchell said that the battle over the life and death of Terri Schiavo was the catalyst for the formation of the group. The same article also quoted Olson as saying, "Many of us don't like the idea of putting specific religious beliefs into state law."

Also regarding the formation of the coalition, Adelstein said, “In some ways, it comes down to religion.”

Permanent officers and board members have since been elected: Ed Olson is the executive director, former state rep. Mel Olson of Mitchell is the chairman, and former state senator Arlene Ham is vice chairman. Other members include former state health secretary Katherine Kinsman, former state director for Rep. Bill Janklow David Volk, Dakota Wesleyan University president Bob Duffett, Reverend Dave Zellmer of Pierre, banker Gary Schofield, former state rep. Jan Nicolay, and Reverend Kathryn Timpany of Sioux Falls.

Read that all here. If you think that's just a passing matter of notice, look at the quote in the Argus today from the bishop-elect:

As a bishop, Zellmer also must confront the larger issues that have roiled his denomination in later years.

Everyone in the state dealt with one issue, he said, pointing to last fall's constitutional amendment declaring marriage only between a man and a woman.

"I was not comfortable with the way it was worded," Zellmer said. "Not because of gay and lesbian people but how it might affect older folks. And I have some concerns about heterosexual couples living together without benefit of marriage."

Read that whole article here. He's been elected to a position of leadership for tens of thousands of South Dakotans, and one of the first things he feels he should address to South Dakotans is the gay marriage amendment that was decided last year?

Now, I'm not going to throw stones at this point, but let's just say that the previously expressed agenda of the founders of the MAINstream coalition seems a bit far off from what you would expect of the more devout on issues such as abortion and the definition of marriage.

It also brings into question whether or not this represents a ideological shift in the ELCA in South Dakota towards Democratic Party tendencies at the same time that mainstream Catholicism shifts more towards conservative values and the GOP. I'm convinced that religious realignment such as this signals tons of uncertainty in expectations for traditional political coalitions.

Only time will tell where it all falls out.

*Update* - hold the farm. I had a note from one of the readers, BK - who was there at the election. He notes that I'm not looking in the right place (Argus and MAINnstream Board membership). And that we should instead compare Zellmer to the outgoing Bishop, making this actually a conservative shift for the group.

So, who's correct?

The Washington Post talks about prairie dogs today

2007-06-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post is talking talks about the South Dakota prairie dog controversy today, and the plight of ranchers versus environmentalists:

For years, South Dakota politicians from both parties have championed the ranchers' cause, questioning why prairie dogs should be allowed to prosper at the expense of private landowners who hold federal grazing permits. As recently as April 26, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) asked Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to guarantee financial compensation to people whose livelihoods are affected by the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret to Wind Cave National Park.
The U.S. Forest Service, which manages federal grasslands, approved a management plan in 2002 that made black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs a priority. Two years later, as the drought deepened and prairie dog populations expanded, the agency permitted poisoning to stop them from burrowing onto private land.
"We were trying to be good neighbors," said Don Bright, the agency's Nebraska-based regional director.
A group of environmental groups sued. A settlement created a buffer zone where U.S. authorities deposit poisoned oats. Yet few were satisfied. Bright said a continuing study led to the current environmental impact report.
The report is expected to say that prairie dog colonies can be further restricted on federal land without posing a new threat to the ferrets, then lays out five alternatives, including one designed by the South Dakota and Nebraska governments and one by local officials, Bright said Friday in a telephone interview. He described them as a spectrum of options, from doing nothing new to poisoning a relatively large number of acres in the grasslands' interior.

Read it all here.

Poll Results, and a new one. Who's the SD Favorite Republican in the Presidential contest?(...not that it matters terribly)

2007-06-02T16:10:00.000-05:00

Just some unscientific poll results from the two I conducted about a week ago.

And a new one for you to cut your teeth on.

KELO Land: E-Board Page Discussions moving forward

2007-06-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

According to a KELO-land news report, the legislature's executive board is moving forward with discussions of how to change the legislature's page program after recent incidents involving Democratic Senator Dan Sutton, and Republican Representative Ted Klaudt:

First it was accusations that state Senator Dan Sutton of Flandreau shared a bed with a legislative page and groped him. Now former lawmaker, Ted Klaudt, has been arrested for raping his foster children who also served as pages.

Executive Board Chairman Republican Representative Larry Tidemann of Brookings says, "I don't think it's a page problem, it's a human problem."

But Representative Larry Tidemann's executive board is going to take a look at the page program Monday to make sure there aren't any more problems in the future.

Tidemann says, "I think it's good to visit and see what needs to be done and to have that discussion."

Read it all here at KELOland.com.

Herseth: Melted Ice is dramatic

2007-06-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

Our congresswoman is back in the good old U.S. of A. after taking a European Tour with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And she has a few things to say about global warming as reported by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Just back from a weeklong, four-nation tour to learn what other countries are doing about climate change, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D, said that in Greenland, she saw melted ice flowing from glaciers caused by global warming.

"That's pretty powerful," she said Friday. "To see the ice that had broken off from the main glaciers is dramatic."

and...
Pelosi, D-Calif., praised the European Union's aggressive new energy policy, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
and...
Herseth Sandlin was more diplomatic. She said Bush's proposal was a first step, but "we have to fill in with the details." She agreed with Pelosi that more must be done to slow the long-term effects of global warming.

Read it all here in the Argus.

We're still waiting for an announcement of the Herseth Sandlin sponsored Pelosi tour of the Conata basin.

Republican Senator Jason Gant getting an award today

2007-06-02T06:46:00.000-05:00

The Madison Daily Leader has an article noting that State Senator Jason Gant is being feted today in Pierre for his work on openness in State Government:

Jason Gant, a state senator from Sioux Falls, and the South Dakota State University Collegian staff will each be given the Eagle Award Saturday in Pierre. Each year the award recognizes an individual or group demonstrating outstanding efforts to protect the public's right to know.

Gant is being recognized for his work in the legislature to promote open government issues. In 2006 he sponsored legislation that directed the attorney general to conduct a study of what records held by state and local governments are open and accessible to the public or confidential.

Read it all here, as the SDSU Collegian is also being honored as well.

Back up at an all time high

2007-06-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

After a few months where traffic has dropped off, as session waned, and the political news slowed down, my hits went back up to levels nearly meeting my all time high between 31,000 and 32,000.

Dang. And thanks for your continued readership. Don't forget to patronize the sponsors websites (DeMersseman, Jensen, Christianson, Stanton and Huffman as well as Sam Kooiker for Mayor).

And don't forget that your donations through the pay pal "beg button" on the right hand side of this website helps to keep it going. So, donate today if you enjoy the SDWC.

I hear this was Nancy Turbak's case...

2007-06-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

Someone tells me that this case was being helmed by Senator Nancy Turbak on Eugene Kent's behalf:

A man awarded $27.4 million by a jury after a federal court trial in Aberdeen now stands to get nothing.

In 2005, Eugene Kent of Sioux Falls won a civil lawsuit against United of Omaha, an insurance company with which he once worked on a health insurance policy. But the St. Louis-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has overturned the decision.

and...

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeals overturned Kent's loss of income claim, leaving him with nothing. Among other things, the appeals court noted in its decision that “the South Dakota Supreme Court concluded that Kent had violated 'seven provisions of the Insurance Code,' and that the decision to revoke his license was not 'too harsh a penalty' based on Kent's misrepresentations, fraudulent conduct and general dishonesty.”

Read it all here in the Aberdeen American News. A review of the prior hearing indicates that what I heard could be true:

EUGENE P. KENT,
Plaintiff,
v.
UNITED OF OMAHA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
Defendant.
[2006 DSD 7]

United States District Court
District of South Dakota—Southern Division
CIV 02-4214

MEMORANDUM OPINION
AND ORDER

Nancy J. Turbak, Turbak Law Office, P.C., Watertown, SD
Attorney for Plaintiff.

What does it mean politically? Not a darned thing. But it does confirm that Nancy is one of the top trial lawyers in in this state, as I've heard more than once. Even if her client doesn't get to keep the $27.4 million.

Speaking of Senator Turbak, in addition to her legal duties, she did some pro bono defense work on behalf of our congresswoman in the Argus Leader today:

Critics need to think again, says state Sen. Nancy Turbak, D-Watertown.

"What the radio ads really suggest is that Rep. Herseth Sandlin should be trying to micromanage local flood relief or at least exploiting that disaster for photo ops instead of meeting with scientists and European political leaders to work on the most immediate environmental challenge facing the planet Earth," Turbak said. "That kind of small thinking gets South Dakota nowhere. The cheap shots taken at the congresswoman are disappointing but not too surprising, since they apparently come from folks who love to criticize whatever she does, wherever she goes, and even how she wears her hair."

Read that in David Kranz's Argus Leader column.

Brown County Lincoln Day Dinner - The contenders...

2007-06-01T14:38:00.000-05:00

I promised to make note of the people who were at the Lincoln Day Dinner who might be running for statewide office in the coming years, and there were several of them at the dinner last night

State Representative Joel Dykstra, who is anticipated to be a challenger for the US Senate seat this next fall, was at the dinner meeting and greeting the party faithful in attendance. Sam Kephart (who has already announced officially) and Jim Seward, who got a lot of attention at the Spearfish Dinner didn't make it, but they were there in spirit.

Former Thune Congressional Aide Larry Russell made a bit of a splash at the event. As I had related earlier, Larry had a tough time getting in the door because most everyone who walked in the place was either bending his ear, or pledging their support for him if he chooses to make a "Russell Congressional race" a reality. I personally heard a couple of sitting Republican legislators give him the thumbs up for support.

If Sioux Falls Councilman Pat Costello decides to get into it (as rumored), he's already going to have a steep hill to climb.

Sorry about this one Matt - My camera batteries died before I could get a decent picture of Matt Michels at the event. Matt is spoken of as one of the potential GOP contenders for the 2010 Gubernatorial race, which seems to be getting as much as (if not more) attention than the 2008 Federal races.

Speaking of the 2010 Gubernatorial races, Lee Schoenbeck and Dennis Daugaard seem to be regularly featured speakers at Lincoln Day Dinners this season. Lee, who is often mentioned when people make lists of their Gubernatorial picks, with his razor sharp wit and high energy delivery gave the crowd a rousing speech about how values are what made the country great, and will continue to keep it strong.

And below, Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard gave a very emotional and heartfelt speech about the origins of the GOP, and the historical environment that the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, took office in.

Dennis, of course, has already announced he's going to be running in 2010, and has already received the endorsement of Governor Rounds. The remaining 2010 Contender, Senate Majority Leader Dave Knudson, didn't make it to the event.

S0 there you have it - the 2008 and 2010 contenders. All at the 2007 Brown County Lincoln Day Dinner.

The Book that Thune Donated

2007-06-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

I had written a bit on the incredible gift that Senator Thune sent for the Brown County Lincoln Day Dinner fpr the Brown Co GOP to raise money with.

I was told you could see him on C-span running around and getting it signed while some Senators were milling around after a vote. So here it is in more detail.

Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott, Thune himself, Mel Martinex, Johnny Isakson, Richard Burr, Jim DeMint, Pat Roberts, Jeff Sessions, and Saxby Chambliss all signed this beautiful book about our Nations' Capitol Building.

What a neat item - and now it includes the signatures of 11 Senators - any of whom could rise to be president someday.

SDWC: Trying to get to the bottom of things....

2007-06-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

There's been a bit of fussing on the blog in the past few days over the fact I noted that I "heard" that Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin might have taken her chief of staff with her on the Peolsi European Global warming tour.

Some demanded that I confirm it, some said the whole staff went, some acknowledged that I actually said "I heard it" and that's the only confirmation I had, and to take it with a grain of salt.

So, in order to remove the confusion, I dropped congresswoman Herseth's chief of staff a note to get to the bottom of it:

Tessa -

I'm trying to clear up some information that was passed along to me with regards to whether you, as Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin's Chief of Staff, accompanied her on her recent trip to Europe.

I keep hearing yes and no, and yet others ridiculously inflate the numbers into including many members of the Congresswoman's staff. I'm hoping you can provide me some accurate information.

Would this actually be correct, or is it simply political rumor? I would appreciate it if you could clarify this for me.

Thank you for your response.

Regards,

Pat Powers
South Dakota War College Political Website
http://dakotawarcollege.blogspot.com
dakotawarcollege@yahoo.com

I thought that summed it up directly and politely. While I might disagree with the Congresswoman from time to time, and point out where others might tease her, I do respect her, and she was certainly more than cordial to my wife when she was out visiting with her. So, I'd rather get it from the horses' mouth, so to speak.

At this point, I got an autoresponder from Tessa's e-mail ......

I am currently out of the country until June 5th and will not have access to messages. If you need immediate assistance, please contact the Sioux Falls office at 605-367-8371.

So, until I hear back, continue to take the report with a grain of salt.

Speaking of all of that, the leader of the trip, Nancy Pelosi had this to say about the junket that Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin participated with:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi today promised action this year on far-reaching global warming legislation that would mandate limits on greenhouse gas emissions while creating an incentive system for polluters to trade carbon credits.

Pelosi said she is coordinating with a half-dozen House committees on how to create an emissions “cap and trade” system that would offer economic incentives to reduce greenhouse gases.

“If a country is not willing to put forward a cap and trade legislation, it can’t be taken seriously” on global warming, said Pelosi, who spent part of the past week touring the declining arctic ice caps in Greenland.

Read that all here.

Capital Journal SMASHES incumbent in their endorsement of the new guy

2007-06-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

I heard about this, and had a friend send it to me from Pierre, and I couldn't help laughing as I read how badly the paper smashed incumbent city commissioner Stan Schwellenbach as it endorsed the challenging newcomer Jesse Naze:

Ouch.

Go pick up a copy of the Pierre Capital Journal and go read.

Not enough time in the day...

2007-06-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

Hey -

I got quite a few pictures from the event last night, which Senator Thune unfortunately had to miss, but he sent an incredible gift for the group to raise money with. Check out this book signed by 11 US Senators. In fact, during a vote I'm told you could see him on C-span running around and getting it signed.

I'll go more into depth about this as well as talk about the surprising numbers of potential candidates there including Joel Dykstra, Matt Michels, and this guy on the left....

I think it took Larry Russell at least a half an hour to get into the banquet hall because there were so many people who wanted to bend his ear after they heard he could be a challenger for the US Congressional seat.

I'll leave you these teaser photos, and get back to it this afternoon. I've got to run in the meantime.

OMG. I can't stop laughing.....

2007-05-31T13:59:00.000-05:00

Go check this out....

Also, it's been suggested that Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Jon Bon Jovi have the same hair.

Read it all here at the politico blog..

I'm off to see the wizard.....

2007-05-31T13:24:00.000-05:00

Maybe not the wizard, but I'm at least off to see the Senator.

I'm tagging along in a carload from the Sioux Falls area heading towards Aberdeen for the Brown County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. U.S. Senator John Thune, Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard, former President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck, and others will be speaking tonight.

Photos to follow - I'm even bringing a camera.

If there are any candidate or potential candidate sightings, you'll be the first to know.

THey're out protesting in front of Herseth's office shorty

2007-05-31T09:57:00.000-05:00

The Argus is reporting that the protesters will be assembling out in front of Herseth's office shortly:

At 10 this morning, the Code Pink anti-Iraq War group is scheduled to protest in front of the office of Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., at 326 E. 8th St. in Sioux Falls.

Read it here.

Gov Staffer leaves to go to TSD

2007-05-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

I missed this one until now. Kim Olson, wife of Representative Ryan Olson, is moving out of her space in the Governor's office and taking up residence at the Department of Tourism and State Development:

Kim (Juffer) Olson has been named the state’s Economic Development Director and the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Tourism and State Development, Richard Benda, Secretary of Tourism and State Development announced today, May 29, 2007. Olson currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Mike Rounds.

“Kim has been working as the Department’s liaison with the Governor’s Office for the past several years so this is a natural transition for her,” Benda said. “Kim is already up to speed on the majority of our economic development projects so she will literally be able to hit the ground running,” he said.

and...

Olson, her husband Ryan, and their daughter Olivia live on a farm outside of Onida.

Read it all here.

Kim was always a pleasure to work with in the Governor's office during my time there, and I'm sure she'll do just fine over at TSD. Kim, congrats and good luck from the SDWC.

It looks like flip/flops might be the proper attire for one person up for election in Pierre next week.

2007-05-31T08:34:00.001-05:00

I must have moved from Pierre a little too early, as I missed this wild ride of a city commission meeting.

As part of the setup, the city recently proposed raising fees on electrical late fees and reconnections. In some cases, they'd be raised nearly 1000%! Democratic Mayor Dennis Eisnach has wavered back and forth on the issue, while Commissioner Stan Schwellenbach had come out strongly in favor of them, and made no bones about it. 1000% increase? "That might be a good thing." Good. Let them eat cake.

But wait a minute..... Stan's also up for re-election next week.

From the Capital Journal (May 16th):

Schwellenbach said fees need to be raised because it's been almost 25 years since they've gone up, and they city is not making enough money on some of the services it provides.

and...

However, Naze said the proposed increases are too high and should be adjusted for inflation - which in many cases would mean smaller increases - rather than the needs of the city to recoup costs.

"I would oppose, definitely, that high of fees for people," he said. "I could see an increase as far as inflationary dollars. The inflation price on that cannot be 100 percent, like some of them are suggesting, or 1000 percent."

and...

Schwellenbach said that might not be a bad thing.

Read that all here. But what a difference a day makes. Or, possibly it's just two weeks closer to the election. From the Capital Journal on May 30th:

The commission voted 3-2 in favor of leaving the reconnect fees the same for those who've had their power turned off because of a delinquent bill. Eisnach, Jason Glodt and Stan Schwellenbach were the three "yes" votes and Larry Weiss and Laurie Gill were the two "no" votes at the regularly scheduled meeting.

and..

Schwellenbach - who is up for re-election next week - has said in the past that he was for the reconnect fee raise because the city gives residents plenty of notice before their power is turned off. However, after the meeting he said the election is not the reason he voted against the fees.

The commissioner said he changed his mind after talking to the mayor about the issue and learning about the possible credit counseling.

Read that here. Sure.... It has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the election. It's ALL about credit counseling. *cough* baloney... *cough*

KCCR NEWS: Klaudt hires attorney familiar with the Pierre courthouse.

2007-05-31T08:21:00.000-05:00

After initially using House Speaker Tom Deadrick to represent him at initial hearings in his trial for multiple instances of misconduct against foster children residing in his house, KCCR news in Pierre is reporting today that former Representative Ted Klaudt has hired a familiar face to the Hughes County Courthouse to represent him:

A preliminary hearing for former state legislator Ted Klaudt, which was scheduled for Thursday in Pierre, has been moved to June 27th.

Klaudt is facing four counts of second-degree rape in Hughes County. He faces 10 other counts in Corson County.

According to court documents Klaudt has hired Rapid City attorney Timothy Rensch. Rensch represented Pierre resident Brad Reay in his murder trial earlier this year. Reay was ultimately convicted of first degree murder in the death of his wife, Tami.

Rensch has already filed his first motion for discovery asking for physical evidence as well as statements of Klaudt and potential witnesses given to investigators.

Read it all here.

Yes, for those interested in knowing, this would be the same attorney who in the Brad Reay trial offered up a defense that the 12 year old daughter killed her mom. (and we go to the update...)

Update - okay, one commenter is calling me out on my characterization -

The client offers a defense, not the lawyer.

Rensch has to argue on behalf of his client, and put forth the defense his client insists upon, unless the lawyer KNOWS the client is lying.

I know you don't have the foggiest idea of how lawyering works, PP, but you should be a little more careful about how you characterize this stuff.

Well, I might have a bit of an idea how things work, but I will concede that my phraseology as I hammer this out might not jibe with the canons of law (so bear with me). I certainly want to be fair, as I've been told Rensch is a good defense attorney, and I wouldn't wan to sell him short. Maybe a better approach would be put this to the attorneys reading out there -

Given Rensch's background and prior courtroom experience, what type of defense should we expect in the Klaudt case?

We need it, but it wouldn't have done any good?

2007-05-31T06:21:00.000-05:00

Senator Gene Abdallah is on Keloland.com today making note that we need a code of ethics. Because it wouldn't have done a darn thing?

Republican Senator Gene Abdallah of Sioux Falls says, "We have to have a code of ethics like everybody else has a code of ethics, every other department or agency or business."

Senator Gene Abdallah is a member of the executive board. Monday the group is meeting to discuss the page program and other lawmaking issues. But just weeks after a former lawmaker was arrested, two legislative leaders have sent a letter to the board asking them to also appoint a committee to study a code of ethics.

Abdallah says, "But there's bi-partisan support for a code of ethics and we'll certainly look into it along with the entire page program."

And while Abdallah believes lawmakers need a code of ethics, he doesn't think a code would have stopped the allegations facing former House member Ted Klaudt.

Abdallah says, "What good would the code of ethics have done there. I mean a person doing those kinds of things knows they are going to go to the penitentary. They are certainly not going to be spooked off by a code of ethics, but we still I think need one."

Read it all here at KELOland.com. Um.. Er...

Someone tell me when this all starts making sense.

Never-to-be-Senator-again Adelstein decides to go toe to toe with Moi

2007-05-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

The person who spent so much time and effort trying to pull the Republican Party apart like a child fighting over a prized doll over the past couple of elections just made a fatal mistake. Under a prior post, Stan Adelstein actually is trying to intimate that I might be spreading falsehoods about him.

He's actually accusing me of being "full of beans." The man termed by reporter Bob Mercer as the Republican Frank Kloucek is actually challenging my documentation of his activities? Heh.

Heh heh.

Here we go. First, what Stan challenged me with:

PP - you are full of beans.

First of all Schoenbeck - not known for his honest recall lies.

The only conversation that I had with him about appointments was held with Majority Leader Bogue present - to avoid just this kind of thing.

I do not remember exactly what I said, but the gist was "how can you so deliberately insult someone old enough to be your father by my appointments." He replied that he resented my primary support of my house colleague who was term limited (Republican) Claire Konold. Claire and I had tried to turn around the reduction of funds for "Technical Education," and I had hoped we could be more successful in the Senate - since Schoenbeck did not give much of a damn about education - if it was not for Law.

The one thing I do remember is my closing remark to him "sometime in the quiet of the night, ask yourself what _______ (his foster mother when had been sent to Rapid City) would say about your insults."

Obviously and logically there was no "Lee campaign," to which I could "throw funds" -- the election was over, and he had just become President Pro-tem - so the suggestion of "thrown funds" is a calendar impossibility.

Since he was not the PPT in the campaign, I could not have asked for an appointment - no one knew he would ever have such authority - and most were sorry when he did.

Funny, how PP can repeat an obvious falsehood.

I NEVER said what you claim "during session - called his fellow Republicans extremists who needed to be defeated in the next election." After the session, long after, at a rally in Rapid City for the referendum on 1215 I said "if you are angry about how some voted on this bill - do not send them back" I NEVER referred to "Republicans" and never would have. Whatever I said, as quoted above was on camera and NOT during the session. Once again there was no referendum until AFTER the session.

"tens of thousands" show me the record. That again is baloney. Except for Napoli and Klaudt I did not oppose seated Republcans -- I did not repeat -- DID NOT.

I like and enjoy honest discussion disagreement of principle - but you PeePee - have chose to put into print at least three obvious falsehood. Do you have sense of integrity as Blog Author - any sense at all?

Stan Adelstein

Stan, are you ready to rumble?

1. The only conversation that I had with him about appointments was held with Majority Leader Bogue present - to avoid just this kind of thing.

My evidence? From the e-mail sent to the entire Republican Caucus April 22, 2006, and to my knowledge never refuted.

From: Lee Schoenbeck
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 10:14 PM

To: (List redacted by PP)

Subject: FW: Adelstein

Just saw Stan's message that he left me off of --- he of course didn't tell you the whole story. When I ran in 2002 Stan sent a check and I accepted it. I had supported him for national committeeman many years before and viewed him as a friend. The only thing that changed after that was the pro-life legislation that I supported and he opposed. He then supported my opponent.

After you all elected my pres pro temp - he immediately called and started threatening that he thought I planned to run for state wide office one day and I needed his support - he spelled out certain committees he expected to be on and that he expected to be a chairman (that would be taking positions some of you occupied). As you can tell by the appointments he received, I don't cow-toe to anybody's threats and I particularly am offended by anybody trying to play me off against the interests of the caucus. Stan is a bad thing to have in any caucus - a cancer. I am proud that Jerry spelled it out - it is too bad we didn't use our rules to expel him when he behaved so unprofessionally at last summer's meetings.

Sure, there might be a "he said" situation here. But I feel pretty good quoting one side. Especially when the person refuting it (Stan) is a bit fuzzy on the details, and the other one still remembers it as if it was yesterday.

2. I NEVER said what you claim "during session - called his fellow Republicans extremists who needed to be defeated in the next election."

My response? I don't have one personally. I'll just let the newspaper do the talking.

Rapid City Journal 3/3/2006 (that would be during session)

"A former Appropriations Committee member, he labeled Greenfield as “an ultra-conservative extremist” who helped organize the “last-minute ambush of public radio by extremists.”

and....

“We need to know who voted and how they voted. And we need to not only refer this bill and kill it, we need to vote them out,” he said. “I’m convinced that we have the majority of South Dakotans behind us.”
- Rapid City Journal 3/10/2006 again, before the last day of session

Even more clear than my first point, Stan's refutation was utterly without merit. In fact I would liken it to a male bovine waste product.

Thirdly, and oh, so more sweetly here's the doozy:

3. "tens of thousands" show me the record. That again is baloney. Except for Napoli and Klaudt I did not oppose seated Republcans -- I did not repeat -- DID NOT.

Here's his mistake. Because I know his PAC donations probably better than he does.

$10,000 to the Democratic Majority Project from one of PACaStan's many PACs (All South Dakota). And who got the money?

I can pick out at least two or three running against incumbent Republican legislators. Hmm. $10,000 is pretty close to tens of thousands of dollars. But let's keep adding to it to beat my point into the ground.

Here's $25,000 to Focus SD, a Democratic organization that's attacked John Thune and the Governor as coming from Stan's business Northwest Engineering. I suspect Stan funneled that money towards them for Finch, Spry and his buddy Tom Katus.

Oops. Here's another load of cash for them from Stan - directly out of pocket this time.

$31, 469.67. I think that brings the total past $65,000 spent to elect Democrats this past election. But am I done yet? OF COURSE NOT.

The Nix on Six PAC was fronted by Don Frankenfeld and surprise, surprise, solely funded by Stan Adelstein. The amount Stan put into it? $15,000. This PAC was supposedly set up to oppose abortion (ooops - correction here - to oppose the abortion ban. Thanks "Mom"), but how much of that money went towards that?

Of course none of it did. It went to Democratic candidates. $5000 to Katus. $5000 to Spry, and $5000 to Finch.I'm at $81,469.67 for my Stan PAC money to Democrats this past election.

And lest I forget, let's go back to your All South Dakota PAC which gave SO MUCH to the Democratic Majority Project...

Here's a nice little $836 dollar donation to Scott Heidepreim the reigning Democratic Minority Leader. If memory serves me, I think he might have been running against a sitting Republican legislator (Sitting Senator Dick Kelly if you forgot about that one).

So, that would seem to place Stan's rather pronounced statement that "I did not oppose seated Republcans -- I did not repeat -- DID NOT" somewhat into question. And with over $80,000 PLUS spent on his Democratic efforts, I think I'm on pretty safe ground saying that he spent tens of thousands to defeat Republicans.

So Stan thinks he's going to come into my house (or blog) and he's going to call me out on what I'm writing? Stan, your measure has been taken. And you have been found wanting.

Now THAT's what I'm talking about.

2007-05-30T15:52:00.000-05:00

Fox News:

Fred Thompson Expected to Announce White House Candidacy in July

I think I might finally be able to get interested in presidential politics.

More PAC wars out in Rapid City. And I must have missed that note.

2007-05-30T08:29:00.000-05:00

The Rapid City Journal is reporting this morning that there's a PAC war afoot in the mayor's race between Doug Hamilton and Stan Adelstein as the hours tick away before the election:

Shaw reported $70,499 in two payments from the Elect Better Government PAC, which is linked to businessman Doug Hamilton. Another $250 was received from the South Dakota Realtors PAC.

and...

Alan Hanks has raised about $22,000 including about $10,000 of his own money, $8,754 in individual contributions and $3,250 in PAC contributions, primarily $3,000 from the All South Dakota PAC funded by Stan Adelstein.

and...

Sam Kooiker raised about $20,800, including $14,128 from individuals, and $6,700 from PACs including $5,650 from the Committee for Open Government, $800 from the homebuilders PAC and $250 from the Realtors PAC. Kooiker reported $18,265 in campaign-related expenses, and he has about $2,800 remaining.

and...

All South Dakota PAC, whose only contribution was Stan Adelstein's $7,000, gave $1,000 to city council candidate Bob Hurlbut, $3,000 to mayoral candidate Alan Hanks, $1,000 to school board candidate Margie Rosario, $500 to city council candidate Deb Hadcock, and $1,000 to city council candidate Ron Kroeger.

Read the entire story here.

Hmph. You know, I seem to recall a comment under a post from Representative Hanks which stated:

Rep. Alan Hanks said...

Let me put a stop to all speculation right now.

If I win, Adelstein has already told folks including the Governors folks that he would not ask for or accept an appoint to the open House seat.

As for campaign donations from Adelstein, I have not accepted or been offered any.

If Adelstein offers to donate to my campaign, either as an individual or through any PAC, and if I accept any donation from Adelstein, I have promised PP to report it to him, even if it’s only $10, the day I receive it.

Rep. Alan Hanks

Read that comment here under this post. I think Alan (who has advertised here in the past) is a nice guy, but I know that since he made this post on April 4th, my e-mail box hasn't said anything about him deciding that, yes, he would take PAC money from Stan Adelstein in the mayoral race.

What was the genesis of this? Alan had chided me as trying to make overt attempts to connect him to Stan because I had brought up that in the past, he had ran a PAC - the Rapid City Action Committee -

who's sole source of income was the same Adelstein PAC which donated to him in this mayoral campaign.

I wasn't trying to overtly make the connection, but it's in black and white filed with the state that "his" PAC's sole source of income was one of Stan's network of PAC's. So I thought it noteworthy to indicate.

Hence the assurances as posted on this website by Alan that if he was going to take PAC money from Stan, there would be full disclosure beyond what was in the financial report in the interest of being completely open and honest. And I think you all know that I would have printed it.

If a State Representative sends me something, it's at the top of my list, and I usually take pains to be fair and let them offer their opinion. For gosh's sakes, I even give Frank Kloucek space from time to time. I might not agree, but I do honor the office, and those guys are there, not me. And as much as I've chronicled Stan's PAC activity, it's a guarantee I would have made note of it.

Anyway, according to the Rapid City Journal this morning, yes, Alan did take campaign money from one of Stan's PAC's in this mayoral race. The very one that had funded his PAC in 2006.

Did he honor the promise he made to the people who read this website? All I can say is that in the past month, I haven't seen an e-mail of that nature. Not a blurb in my in-box on him deciding to accept the same PAC money he had eschewed earlier. In fact I double checked again this morning. And checked again after that. Nope. Nothing I can see.

That would seem to bring up a cliché about campaign promises, but I'm on the other side of the state, so whether they are honored or not in this instance doesn't matter to me. It's up to the people who assess the candidates for office to determine who is the most fit to be considered their leader.

So, I'll leave it up to the voters to decide. All I can provide at this point is an anecdote.

Photo from the glacier....

2007-05-29T19:56:00.000-05:00

(Click to enlarge)

UPDATE: Go check out Jason Folkerts Cartoon on the subject. No Mammoth, but still funny...

Boy, those SDSU logo choices must have really stunk

2007-05-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

I see from Argusleader.com tonight that my alma mater, SDSU, has opened up the logo contest to everyone in the world after three choices offered by a design firm flopped miserably:

The SDSU web site has several designs posted by Phoenix Design Works of New York City. Now the university is opening the design process to anyone interested in submitting a logo. The winner gets $1,000.

Deadline: June 30, through the SDSU Web site, www.sdstate.edu, and click on the button “Jackrabbit Design Challenge.”

Read it all here. And actually go here for the direct link to the challenge.

Gee, what a shock. Someone get the CPR paddles. (yes, that was sarcasm)

2007-05-29T15:06:00.000-05:00

Denise Ross is writing over at the Hog House Blog that *gasp* Stan Adelstein will try to run for his old seat against Tom Katus. Please. Someone pick me up off of the floor. I can't believe it. (sorry, that was sarcasm if you didn't get the inference over the keyboard).

Katus said Stan’s made it clear that he, too, is interested in that Senate seat, but he just shrugs. He repeats that he and Stan had never been close friends or even political allies, despite the public perception of a sort of Wonder Twins partnership. After Stan lost his primary to Elli Schwiesow in ‘06, he provided some help to Katus’ campaign against her, say in the form of some polling, but it was no cabal. They haven’t been close, nor unfriendly, since Katus took office, he said.

Stan and I had an interesting meeting about a month ago. He said, “I’m not inclined to run against you. You’re doing such a good job.”

And in vintage Stan rationale: “Of course, I wouldn’t run against you. I would run for the seat.”

After you go get your barf bag, go read it all here.

I don't think I've ever made it a secret that I hate what Stan has done to the GOP. I'm not referring to his many charitable works, and the noble things he's done. I'm talking about his political machinations. Because they haven't been for any great and pure purpose. It's just been in the name of shameless self-promotion.

He took a simmering division and threw gasoline on it, and then when he didn't get his way, he cozied up to the Democrats as he offered himself as a possible Lt. Governor for them, as well as being little more than a whelping (use your favorite euphemism for a female dog here) in funding their legislative crusades in Western South Dakota this past cycle against the GOP.

For gosh sakes, getting money from him actually cost people their race in 2006. Now he's going to run for the seat and expect everyone to get behind him as the alternative to Tom Katus? Bleaugh. No thanks.

I think I'm the same as many Republicans. I'll wait for door #3 to open up.

From the sound of these commercials, maybe Herseth should have stayed home.

2007-05-29T14:57:00.000-05:00

If you think I'm tough on her, 2 commercials began running today in South Dakota markets regarding Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin's trip to the ice caps:

60 Second Glacier Commerical

30 Second "Come Home" commercial

Ouch.

Tim Johnson releases more photos of the Senator working at home

2007-05-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

Senator Tim Johnson's office has released a couple more photos of him working out of his house with his Chief of Staff.

Who do you like in the Republican Presidential Contest?
	Rudy Giuliani
	Mitt Romney
	John McCain
	Fred Thompson
	Mike Huckabee
	None of the above

pollcode.com free polls

South Dakota War College

Selling Real Estate over at www.patpowers.com

The why's and wheretofores of the upcoming changes at the SDWC.

I wonder why we haven't seen that yet....

Things are going well.....

Change is coming....

Heidepreim: Republicans are the party of hate

No politics in this post...

Much ado... Much ado...

Did I mention I liked Fred Thompson?

New Blog Added

Why should we be surprised?

Should this bother us? RC Council votes to give Cabela's a carrot. A really, really expensive carrot.

A challenge from Stan's employee

Change is nearly upon us....

The Argus goes after State Government. Again.And the evil part of me hopes they succeed.

More RC Mayor Stuff - On the net, and in the paper.

One vote on deck for South Dakotans' view on immigration, Herseth Sandlin votes NO.

Get out of Sioux Falls way.

Who? Dems might have another possible gubernatorial hopeful

What's the talk in DC today? I hear it's this article...

Sorry for the light posting today... In the meantime, more on the immigration issue.

TAR Camp is almost here.... Are you signed up?

Are dirty deeds really done dirt cheap? And how did they let out the bid for that one?

Argus Leader: Gorilla Revealed

What if the internet and blogs had been around earlier?

I was inspired by the "Pelosification" word that I coined. Or maybe I should have termed it "Washington Transformers"

Congress Daily: Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin "less stalwart" on Immigration

It looks like Fred Thompson is a go...

Sorry for the mixup.

Dang! That was a lot of money

A note from Stan Adelstein

At the halfway mark. What should be at the top?

Thune votes against the goofy "no confidence vote"

Here's a nice story - SD Bar steps up to the plate for flood victims

Huron GOP Picnic

The "friendly" Rapid City Mayoral runoff turns negative

I'd just like to clairfy that last position.......

Update on the fundraiser Harry Reid is having for Senator Johnson

There's a meeting for Ron Paul supporters (and conspiracy theorists). And what happened to the picture?

Dave Kranz: For Daugaard, the race is on

What? No Arnold?Western Governor's Association meeting in Deadwood

Campaign Memorabilia - 1964 Nils Boe Campaign postcard

What should I bring for dinner?

Just another thought on Tom Johnson's 1am TRAN-scendental experience

Who decides?

Argus Leader on Senator Johnson's Return

A brief synopsis of what's going on out in South Dakota

Rick Hauffe makes the Huron newspaper

I blinked this week, and shot past 800,000 hits

Herseth: Global warming bad.

Investor's Business Daily profiles South Dakotan awarded the bronze star

Mark Barnett is now honorable again.

On the road again..... Don't forget the beg button

Could the School Funding lawsuit get smashed soon? Let's hope so, for taxpayers' sake

State of SD/UFWS agreement cancellation still up in the air.

Options? What options?

Tom Johnson Speaks (kind of)

Mayoral Candidate Tom Johnson was a passenger in vehicle of campaign worker. Except the campaign worker got busted for DUI. While dressed as a woman.

FINAL - KOOIKER and HANKS go to runoff

RCJ's latest...

Yet another update from an observer..

KOTA update

RAPID CITY MAYOR

76% of Precincts Reporting - (2 Seats)

Another update....

More results.... as it continues

RAPID CITY MAYOR

36% of Precincts Reporting

Early RC Returns.....

....In with the new

Just a little reminder of why we vote from our last election

I'm going to add to the dogpile on the Argus on this one.

Candidates in? And tomorrow is election day.

When the going gets tough, the tough get weird.

Bat-ter up! Enviros say no to green energy

Cartoonist Jason Folkerts takes on the Herseth icecap trip

The New direction of the ELCA?

The Washington Post talks about prairie dogs today

Poll Results, and a new one. Who's the SD Favorite Republican in the Presidential contest?(...not that it matters terribly)