South Dakota War College

I'm making this live again, just for the sake of doing so. But you might consider this archive "SDWC Classic" in that it represents the first iteration of the Dakotawarcollege.com website. For current posts, check out my blog which has been running strong since February 2005 at www.dakotawarcollege.com !

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 ma...

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....

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. 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.

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 pa...

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.

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 in...

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% 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 ...

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...)

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...

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...

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 cand...

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 Campa...

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 ...

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 Republic...

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 (!?!).

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 Fa...

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 Fo...

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. Ap...