South Dakota War College

(With apologies to my favorite show on ABC) I was perusing the Internet the other day, and pulled up the stop2006.org website - the effort being pushed by Senator Bill Napoli to stabilize property assesments. And on the website, they had a .pdf image of the brochure that they must apparently be using. I looked at it, and I had mixed emotions in reading what was there to support their position. It's not that it's bad. It took someone a good hour or so using Microsoft Publisher. But, I wouldn't give it a ringing endorsement as 'good' either. Actually, it's a little confusing. The STOP is very easy to remember - but, used in this case, the S.T.O.P. along next to the stop sign seems a bit of a double negative. Without knowing it's source, you might ask - are we supposed to stop the petition? Are we supposed to vote for it? I DON'T KNOW! I'm so confused! And once again, another example of not paying attention to detail. They forgot the disclaimer. Not

Am I the only one who thinks a chicken feed in the middle of South Dakota cattle country might not resonate with the voters? Since it's the 29th annual, I might have to actually research back 29 years and see how many Democrats have been elected in Fall River County. (And doesn't anyone remember the disclaimer anymore?)

I'm not going to do my usual noon post and night post today. I'm trying to work on a little bigger instructional article after I saw the brochure for one of the statewide ballot initiatives. It might take me a while to do it. You'll understand once you see the post. Hopefully I can get it done over lunch and after work tonight. That being said, next week's postings are going to be somewhat skinny. I'm going to be in Eureka on Wednesday. Shortly thereafter, I have to make a blazing trip down to SF for a job interview. (God forbid. Might I be able to live in the house I've purchased in Brookings?) If time allows, I might stop and chat with the SD Watch founder. Othewise, don't forget I have all the RSS feeds to the left. Take a glance and read.

What is this? I talk about two factions in the party disagreeing, and suddenly our friends across the aisle are reporting that a GOP party implosion is impending and threatening to let the party registration change cards fly ? Don't get your hopes up yet. We might seem dysfunctional at times. We may squabble. We may call each other names like RINO, and Wing-nut. We may publicly brawl in the media. We may abuse each other in ways that seem really not very nice. Why? Because we're like family. A big family with all the quirks and personalities that you might find in any large extended family. Believe me, we're not eating our own. I've seen examples of that cold indifference, when people are tossed to the wolves. And I've experienced it. It's not very nice. This stuff lately? This is nothing. If anything, we're squabbling at the dinner table right now. Everybody is still communicating, because we realize we have to. People are talking about what destination th

I actually got noticed by the RCJ's Mt. Blogmore today on my post about the rumored exploration committee for candidate endorsements. That was kind of nice. I'm now known as "One of the myriad of blogs on South Dakota politics," although, that's a little long for a name tag at the SD Blog Convention. Speaking of the Rapid City Journal - did anyone see Saturday's column by all the Republicans ? Dang. I can't believe noone has written about it yet. (or maybe I missed it because I was moving) It was hell and brimstone - true believer stuff. Here's a few snippets: Ronald Reagan helped to define the Republican Party by uniting a coalition of Americans who believed in strong national defense, traditional moral values and conservative economic principles. Recently, a group of Republican state senators and a group of Republican U.S. senators, circumventing party leadership, have sought to undermine the Republican platform and the principles for which the Repu

The Northern Valley Beacon apparently doesn't care much for some of the advice for Dems that SDP and this blog were passing on, as evidenced from the big words in their posting today : And here come the kibitzers. They offer fatuous advice on what the Democrats need to do. They trot out their inventory of platitudes and presumption, all delivered in the most patronizing of manners. No one ever told them that patronization is the most serious form of insult. Blogs need the intellectual equivalent of barf bags on airplanes for those who wander into the turbulence of their presumption. Correct me if I was wrong and you were not referring to us, but the point Jon Schaff at SDP and I were attempting to make was that much of the things we are pointing out comes not from us Republicans. It's coming from those within your own party. Jon was quoting Democrat George McGovern and some polling statistics. I was referring to fellow blogger Todd Epp (another Dem) and an unnamed Democrat wh

SDBWM is taking over SD Watch for Todd Epp for a little while, while Todd attends to family, business, and Harrisburg high school girls soccer. I always enjoyed his site, and I'm looking forward to his must reads! Now if we could only get Guzon Borglum Online to start posting again. Then life would be complete.

Shirley over at the South Dakota weblog " Ruminations " noted that she's expecting her third child . Boy? Girl? I don't know. Just as long as it's a Republican. ( okay, that was a joke ). Please stop over to her blog and congratulate her on this blessed event.

Wow! Lots of stuff happening on political parties lately. Todd Epp who is taking a short break on blogging had this to say about the Democratic party : In my dealings with the state and local parties and groups since the 2004 election, I have pushed an agenda of attacking and of getting candidates and money for 2006 NOW. This has largely been rebuffed. I hear things like "this is a ten year process" or "we have plenty of time." We don't. If the S.D. Democratic Party and its county parties continue on the current do-nothing path, we will be a complete irrelevancy in just a couple more election cycles at the state and local levels. Sure, we might get a Tim Johnson or a Stephanie Herseth elected once in a while, but that will be because of their skills and their organizations' efforts, not the Party's efforts. I have come to the conclusion that some of the South Dakota Democrats in positions of authority are afraid to go on the offensive. They are afraid