After Dr. Dean's healthcare group pegged her as a solid supporter of Obamacare, a charge she quickly denied, Herseth is still holding on tight to the fenceposts and doesn't want to let anyone know where she stands:

South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin says she remains undecided on a sweeping health care reform bill unveiled by House Democrats on Thursday.

and....

In a release, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Tom Erickson said Herseth Sandlin needs to take a stand now that the Democrats "have laid their cards on the table."

Read it here.

Keep riding that fence, Stephanie. Keep riding that fence.

Aye’s --  Ahlers, Elliott, Fryslie, Krebs, Lange, Lucas, McLaughlin, Merchant, Putnam, Street, and Vehle

No’s – Cronin, Juhnke, Knudson, Steele, Vanneman, Verchio

There's a lot more to pick the votes out of, as there were many parts to the package, but this was a big one. (And you read it here first.)

All 6 Democrats voted to raise taxes, along with 5 Republicans. 6 Republicans voted against it.

President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his nascent initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and replace unilateral American action with international diplomacy and cooperation.

Nobel observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline.

and...

In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses."

Read it all here.

Two weeks, and he was nominated? Good gosh, you'd think that someone thought he was the messiah.  (Oops, I forgot. Some people do.)

If we're basing awards on ideas and possibilities now, Obama had better quickly come up with an idea for a screenplay.   It's almost Oscar nomination time.

"I believe, and my father believes, that he needs to be walled off 100 percent in the process and that also means no letters of endorsement or calling anybody or asking for favors. I'll stand on my record and nothing else," Johnson said.

Read it here.  And this one from him:

"What needs to happen in their minds is that my father will not make the nomination for the position. Nor will he lobby or advocate on anyone's behalf. He will be taken out of the process.

"When we look at situations in the past where senators have nominated their offspring, we are not going that route. If I decide to apply, I want to stand on my record, not my last name. No preferential treatment," Johnson said.

Read that here.    And it's what we were told by Tim Johnson and his staff:

Traditionally, Sen. Johnson would nominate qualified candidates to the White House to fill the spot because Johnson and Barack Obama are Democrats. But because of the potential for a conflict of interest, Sen. Johnson is not participating, according to his spokeswoman.

"The senator has taken a very hands-off approach on this one," Julianne Fisher said. "He's just going to allow the people applying to deal directly with the White House."

Read that here. And another instance of his staff claiming it here:

A spokesman for Sen. Johnson maintains that the lawmaker and his staff have stayed out of the process, even though as the senior lawmaker from the state Johnson would, by tradition, be able to make a recommendation for the job.

Read that here.

Well, after all of that pontificating that Senator Johnson would stay out of the process, guess what he did.

At the first sign of trouble, Senator Johnson dove head first into the process for his son's nomination for US Attorney and went back on his word:

When Brendan Johnson, a 34-year-old Sioux Falls lawyer, applied for the post of U.S. attorney for South Dakota last January, he made one thing clear to a local paper: His father, Sen. Tim Johnson, would have nothing to do with his seeking the job. “My father said, ‘Don’t consult me. Don’t update me. I’m not going to be involved in the process,’” he said.

The elder Johnson made the same promise.

But last week, when Brendan Johnson’s nomination unexpectedly ran into problems, the senator and his aides began a behind-the-scenes effort to find out what happened. The South Dakota Democrat contacted both Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) to figure out what the delay was.

and...

But there’s also a potential political benefit for the White House in making Johnson happy, Republican sources note. Johnson is a potential swing vote on a number of important legislative initiatives favored by President Barack Obama, including health care reform, climate change and the Employee Free Choice Act. Johnson is also a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, which will be taking on a major regulatory reform bill for the financial services industry this fall.

“Keeping Johnson happy is a good thing from the White House’s point of view,” said a Senate GOP aide.

and...

“After a constant barrage of Democrat attacks against the Bush administration for supposedly politicizing the U.S. attorney selection process, now Sen. Johnson and his son would like South Dakotans to believe that there aren’t any nepotism issues at play here,” said Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Spain added: “The fact that Sen. Johnson’s son — an individual who has hardly been able to keep his political ambitions to himself — is the lone candidate for the job is hardly a coincidence.”

Read it all here.

Senator Johnson was going to stay out of it?  

I think my grade school children note it properly - "Liar, liar, pants on fire."

This is nothing more than the Johnson Family building a political dynasty. His son was seeking one of the most important federal posts in the state, and at the first sign that there might be a complication, yes, dad stepped in directly and personally to intervene on his son's behalf.

If they wanted to avoid the charges of nepotism, they should not have committed it in the first place.

BLAKE CURD ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR SOUTH DAKOTA CONGRESSIONAL SEAT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2009 Contact: Georgia Hanson 605-351-1880

“…there is too much Washington in South Dakota. It’s time to take more South Dakota to Washington.”

(Sioux Falls) – Dr. Blake Curd, Sioux Falls physician and Republican member of the South Dakota State House of Representatives, today announced the filing of his Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission for the 2010 election for South Dakota’s At-Large Seat in the United States Congress. Curd, 42, was elected to the State House representing District 12 in Lincoln and Minnehaha counties in 2008, and is an Orthopedic, Hand and Microvascular surgeon practicing in Sioux Falls.

“As a doctor, it is my work to heal sick and injured people every day. As a Congressman, I will work to heal a very sick and injured federal government. These days there is too much Washington in South Dakota. It’s time to take more South Dakota to Washington,” said Curd.

“As South Dakota’s elected Representative I will work to restore our Congress to its intended form, one that listens to and represents the people I am privileged to serve. We cannot mortgage our way to success and prosperity. I will work tirelessly to restore true fiscal responsibility to our nation while ensuring that the federal government does not continue to trample on our freedom and liberty under the ruse of protecting and caring for us. We must curtail pork barrel spending, earmarks, and legislative arrangements that reward the few while hurting the country and South Dakota. We must seriously pursue energy independence. We must promote policies that encourage us to turn to each other for assistance when help is needed and away from increasing dependence on government solutions.”

“For decades Congress has inserted the federal government ever deeper into the lives of our citizens under the guise of assistance and compassion, the result of which has been a gradual yet constant erosion of our freedom and liberty. Congress continues to demonstrate that its appetite is insatiable and is dangerously close to accumulating a debt that America will never be able to repay and shackling future generations with the chains of that irresponsibility. This must end and this must be reversed.”

“Regardless the outcome of the current bills before our Congress, health care will continue to be a significant issue. The Democrats will continue to try and insert government in the personal and private relationships between ourselves and our doctors, dictate what health insurance we must have, and what treatments we can afford. We need people that have fought for patients, fought against disease, fought for what is right when the insurance industry has denied treatment, and stood up to the status quo to improve our health. As a member of Congress I will deliver real experience to health care and promote real solutions that work and are effective.”

“Elections are about choices. I believe the people of South Dakota deserve a choice between the current representation and a fresh new perspective on the federal government and its role in the betterment of the lives of our citizens. I look forward to a vigorous debate on the issues and challenges facing South Dakota with the current representative, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin,” concluded Curd.

Curd served in the United States Air Force, was stationed at Ellsworth AFB for a time, and moved to Sioux Falls in 2001. He and his wife Debbie have been married for 16 years and are the parents of three children. They attend Celebrate Church in Sioux Falls. A full biography of Dr. R. Blake Curd follows, and is available at www.CurdforCongress.com.

###

Bradley Byrne
Biography of R. Blake Curd, M.D.
R. Blake Curd, M.D. is an Orthopedic, Hand, and Microvascular Surgeon practicing at the Orthopedic Institute in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is the immediate past chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center.

Dr. Curd was born to Richard A. and Nancy L. Curd in Atlantic, Iowa, and reared in Omaha, Nebraska and the Greater Kansas City Area. His father served a long and distinguished career in both State and Federal Law Enforcement. His mother was an international entertainer who became a stay at home mom raising Blake and his brother Derek who is an electrical engineer currently living in Niwot, CO.

Curd graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine with degrees in Biology, Chemistry, and his Medical Doctorate. He completed an Internship at David Grant Medical Center, Travis AFB, CA and a residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, TX. Curd completed a Fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at Indiana University and the Indiana Hand Center. He is an Associate Professor for the Sanford School of Medicine.

Curd began his career in the United States Air Force Reserve in 1987. He entered active duty service in 1991 and was honorably discharged with the rank of Major in 2000. Curd was stationed at Travis AFB, CA, Ellsworth AFB, SD, Lackland AFB, TX, and Camp Pendleton, CA. During his time in the service Curd completed his medical training in Orthopedic Surgery and deployed to the Middle East and the Pacific Theater. While stationed at Ellsworth AFB he deployed to Kuwait where he was assigned to a combat search and rescue squadron in support of Operation Southern Watch. As a Flight Surgeon Curd has logged hours in the T-37, T-38, HH-1H Huey helicopter, HH53 Pavelow helicopter, HH55 Pavehawk helicopter, KC-10, KC-135, B1, B52, C130, C5, and C141.

Curd is Chairman of the Board and Interim President of Surgical Management Professionals. He serves as Manager for Medical Facilities USA, and is a member of the Acquisition committee for Medical Facilities Corporation. Curd is a member of the board and current Treasurer for Physician Hospitals of America.

He ran for the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2008 winning a four-way primary in May and was elected to office in the November General Election. He is currently serving his first term in the South Dakota House of Representatives and is on the Local Government and Health Committees.

Blake has been married to Debbie Curd, a registered nurse, for sixteen years. The couple have three children: Elliott, 13, Rilie, 11, and Zachary, 7. The family attends Celebrate Church in Sioux Falls.

Dr. Blake Curd should do well in his efforts against Congresswoman Herseth. Congratulations to him, and good luck.  It appears from the e-mail he’s using the consulting services of Georgia Hansen, who is also involved in Vernon Brown’s mayoral contest.

Contrast this with the announcement that came this AM from Secretary of State Chris Nelson:
 

For Immediate Release:

October 2, 2009

Nelson Announces for United States House of Representatives

Secretary of State Chris Nelson announced today that he will be a candidate in 2010 for the United States House of Representatives.

Nelson said, “The vast majority of decisions currently being made in Washington harm the ability of South Dakotans to prosper financially and live freely. It is time South Dakota elected a congressman who is willing to vote against legislation which deepens the federal debt and votes for a smaller federal government. It is no longer acceptable to push today’s problems off as a mortgage on our children’s future.

“South Dakotans want to prosper in their jobs and their businesses. I want to help that to happen by bringing fiscal responsibility to federal spending and not increasing the tax burden on our citizens. Congress today is considering many kinds of indirect taxes through your employer, your energy supplier, and your purchases. South Dakota’s House member must be willing to stand up and be a strong, representative voice for our state’s families, small businesses and ag producers.

“As South Dakota’s next congressman my votes will be guided by these principles:

· Fiscal responsibility must be a priority – This means not spending money on today’s problems with money which must be repaid by our children and grandchildren.

· The size of the federal government must be reduced – This means managing and regulating by the federal government only as a last resort. Most government functions can be performed more efficiently and effectively by state and local governments.

· A strong defense is vital – The most important function of the federal government is our security.

· Encourage opportunities for economic prosperity – allowing citizens to keep more of what they earn by minimizing taxes and allowing our economy to be fed by private sector growth not the federal government.

“As Secretary of State I have enjoyed serving the people of South Dakota for many years. I understand how to run government efficiently and effectively. I’ve seen how poorly written federal legislation costs taxpayers money. I am eager to bring my experience in running state government to the federal level.

“It is time for the right kind of change in Washington. Change for less borrowing and spending, less government intervention in business and society, and more opportunities for economic prosperity. I want to be part of making that change happen!”

The pair had been previously joined by Thad Wasson.

It's been said that this cycle is one of the most opportune times to be  Republican, and coupled with Congresswoman Herseth being in a period where her campaign account is down from the same time in previous elections, this might be a time where she's going to face more adversity in her electoral efforts.

In previous races, Herseth Sandlin has been notorious for dodging debates and any unscripted opportunities for comparisons against her GOP opponents. With the tenor of the debate in Washington this year, she might not be afforded that opportunity.

GIven the quality of the candidates placed against her, this could the the year the GOP retakes the seat.

What I’m hearing is that even with Obama’s bailout, the budget situation at South Dakota State Government is troublesome enough that state employee pay raises are a major items again on the chopping block, and it looks as if state employees will go a second year without a pay raise.

In addition, it looks as if the Governor is also rumored to be proposing to reinstate the same cuts that were flirted with this last year,  such as Birth to 3, and School for the deaf. Of course, with School for the Deaf involved in a lawsuit over it’s mission under the constitution, and B to 3 having a very, very organized constituency, those aren’t the low hanging fruit they once were.

So, as opposed to an across the board departmental budget cut (which is needed), it sounds as if they’re going to pick and choose favorites as they did this past year.

Considering what happened last year – good luck with that.

Of course,  stay tuned to see if any of this holds true.

But as I said – No raises for 2 in a row, and cherry picked budget targets is what I’m hearing.

And in the face of our government spending reality versus reduced income, Obama’s bailout just wasn’t enough.

About 78 percent of the voters opposed an opt out Tuesday which would have allowed the county to collect up to $500,000 more in taxes a year for five years. About 21 percent supported it.

and...

Commissioners will meet in a special session Wednesday to finalize a county budget without the additional $500,000. They expect to cut about ten percent from most departments.

Read it all here.

Voters aren't in the mood to buy any tax increases. In this case, to the tune of 79% of them.  Roberts county voters were demanding across the board cuts from already stretched local governments.

Translate this to the greater stage at the state, where state Government has grown by leaps and bounds, in the midst of structural deficit spending.  Any tax or fee increases are going to be met poorly by the electorate, who will likely take out those frustrations on anyone who proposes or votes for them.

So, you guys and gals who are going to Pierre this next session?  You've been warned.

In recent days, state Rep. Dr. Blake Curd of Sioux Falls has shown up on that list, having spread the word that he is a possible player in the race for his party’s nomination for U.S. House.

(read it here) Granted, I didn’t feel the need to ask Joel Rosenthal about it, and Larry Pressler must be out of town, or he would have been asked to weigh in as well.  But it’s still old news at this point.

Twenty years ago, when I started in politics and being a political activist, there were certain writers and columnists who were “must reads” in terms of breaking political news.

Most might have changed homes (in terms of he dead-tree press) by now, but in terms of evolution, only a few have made the transition to blogging. And even fewer are using the digital medium to break stories – and the internet has reached a point where it’s the place where most are looking for their daily dose of political rumors and gossip.

I think it just shows that it’s getting tougher for the print media to keep up with the pace of news in this digital age. Many of those in writing for the papers are finding themselves having to compete, or facing being viewed as candidates for extinction.

Now, most newswriters have their stories on-line out of necessity, or because their parent company has a website, and they need content. But I’d argue only three mainstream political writers in South Dakota use blogs to break stories (and to varying degrees of success).

Kevin Woster was the first, and foremost entrant into the field of blogging with one of the anchors of the SD Blogosphere, Mt. Blogmore. Mt. Blogmore was an absolutely outstanding example of how a mainstream media outlet could use blogging with political and other news to be topical, immediate, and relevant. Along with Bill Harlan and Denise Ross (who has since come over to the dark side, and went strictly on-line with hoghouseblog) they dominated the South Dakota Blogosphere.

Unfortunately, their parent company screwed it all up. With the departure of Ross and Harlan, Mt. Blogmore went from being the best to being neutered, rebranded in a corporate manner, and now can go for days without a post from it’s own writers.  I can’t say I’ve cited it as having breaking news or anything edgy in months (January).    Kevin remains an outstanding writer, but his best tends to be saved for the Rapid City Journal, and not the venerable mount.

Dave Kranz (who I cited above) used to be “the man” and even as recently as 2002, I can rememeber getting up early to find out what he had written because in politics, it was that important.

Ah, but the Argus Leader and blogging.  Never let it be said that our State’s largest newspaper can ever mix with the pajama clad. Dave has had a couple of false starts in blogging as the Argus Leader still can’t make up it’s mind as to whether “Hitler would have a blog,”  or whether everyone in the world should “get published” at the Argus,  so they can try to squeeze a few extra bucks out of on-line advertising to bolster what it’s losing from falling circulation.

I like Dave, and early on his blog had promise, as he’d partially break a story, giving us a teaser on what he was going to write about in the coming days -  enticing us to follow up in the dead tree edition. I know I did. But his Prairie Politics page is an example of how to take the promise and to dash it on the jagged rocks of indifference.

What has been his blog activity as of late? 2 posts on February 3rd. One on May 26th. Then, one each on July 8th and 13th.  That’s it.  I’m not sure why anyone is bothering, and it’s a gross under-utilization of what could be a great and very readable political blog.

Bob Mercer is the latest entrant from the political columnists of the dead-tree press from decades past to take a stab at blogging. So far, a notable exception who is making the transition well, and is now embracing the on-line genre. Bob has been keeping his stuff very fresh, very current and topical. Pure Pierre Politics has a lot of promise. Not every post is a long in depth story – in fact, many are quite short.  But it is consistency that counts and he’s been doing a nice job.

If he can keep it up on a  long term basis, Mercer’s website could be the place to go for breaking mainstream news. The only thing hamstringing him at this point would be the fact you have to register on the site to leave comments – I did it, but it removes the immediacy and impulsiveness that most commenters are looking for.

As the mainstream media continues it’s foray into blogging, there are new entrants from that side of the fence. David Montgomery of the Capitol Journal brought the Cap Journal into the arena with Behind Government Lines. And Seth Tupper at the Mitchell Daily Republic’s blog the Republic Insider has been very good about covering breaking political news.

As the media shifts from a paper focus to on-line, and people are seeking news on less of a fast-food mass media basis, and looking for the personal touch of blogging, it remains to be seen if we can continue teaching some of the old dogs we grew up with all the new tricks.

Stay tuned.

Pat Powers writes mainly over at his home website

dakotawarcollege.com (and forgets to post it here like he should be.)

California is well known for it’s nut production. As well as it’s produce.

And here’s Nancy Pelosi to make sure we all know it.

An uncharacteristically emotional Nancy Pelosi is warning Republicans — and other groups getting whipped up over the health care debate — not to incite unstable supporters who might repeat acts of violence that struck San Francisco in the 1970s.

A top Pelosi aide later confirmed reporters’ suggestions that her statement — a reference to the City Hall murder of gay rights activist Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone in Nov. 1978 — an earth-shattering experience for Bay Area Democrats like the speaker.

and…

Republicans — still upset at Pelosi’s charge that disruptions by town hall protesters were “un-American” — were quick to take issue.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Tx.) is the first House GOPer to take issue with Nancy Pelosi’s contention that the vehemence of anti-health care reform rhetoric could lead to a wave of violence akin to that which hit SF in the ’70s:

“Speaker Pelosi is right that the American people are upset, but it is her own words that continue to fuel voter frustration in America,” Sessions said in a statement sent to POLITICO. “No longer content with criticizing concerned citizens for being ‘un-American,’ the Speaker is now likening genuine opposition to assassination. Such insulting rhetoric not only undermines the credibility of her office, but it underscores the desperate attempt by her party to divert attention away from a failing agenda.”

Read it here.

This is who we have placed in charge of our country. Nut jobs who confuse legitimate political dissent and discontent with violence and assassination.  Feckless politicians who refer to the opposition and protesters as unhinged.  Now, where else have we heard this type of rhetoric recently?

I seem to recall is happening in Iran, where we’re cheering the protesters, and hoping they succeed in political change.

But in our country…….?

In case you're interested, you can check out the latest fundraising letter for Sioux Falls Mayoral Candidate Mike Huether.

Despite his recent comments that he's abandoning "support for specific candidates and concentrate on campaigns outside electoral politics," it looks as if Steve Hildebrand still has time for a local candidate, since it appears the Huether mayoral campaign is an effort being directed straight out of the Hildebrand Strategies Firm.

There had been unconfirmed rumors, specifically on the SouthDaCola blog that Steve Hildebrand directly has his hand in the Mike Huether mayoral candidacy, guiding the effort.   Last night, I got this note from the campaign providing creedence to those rumors... :

Theron McChesney sent a message to the members of South Dakotans for Mike Huether.
--------------------
Subject: Volunteer request

Mike just sent out a volunteer request.  Do you have time to help him out?

Theron

<snip - there's more to it, but I'm trying to keep this short>

If you don't recall, Theron McChesney is a staffer for Hildebrand Strategies. From his bio there...

During the 2006 cycle he consulted the campaigns of U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Robert Byrd and Kent Conrad on networking, website and email marketing. Theron also provided technical assistance to the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families in their successful effort to overturn South Dakota’s total ban on abortion and continues to consult for the organization.

Read that here.  

So, despite claims to the contrary over his anger at Obama over moving too slowly on gay rights, it looks as if the Hildebrand Strategies consulting firm has not totally abandoned individual candidates just yet.

 

This topic started off in Pierre with a really sketchy report, that didn't tell the public anything at all...

Local mother Danyel Doolittle heard about the incident like many people around Pierre — a chain e-mail forwarded around the community claiming a man exposed himself this week to two children at Rawlins Library and then followed them to the Oahe YMCA. And like many people, Doolittle was scared by the prospect of that happening to her children.

“I know the perverts are out there,” Doolittle said. “But to actually have something like that happen in a public space where we consider our kids to be safe — that’s terrifying.”

Pierre police said they are investigating the matter and aren’t yet certain what actually occurred. They are looking for a man pictured in a still frame taken from a security camera attached to the chain e-mail. Assistant Police Chief Elton Blemaster said police aren’t yet ready to say if a crime had been committed.

“We just need some more information,” Blemaster said. “We’re looking for the one gentleman who can provide it for us. If we knew who the person was and we saw a definite crime on camera, a warrant would have probably already been issued or at least in the works.”

and..

Though the chain e-mail says the photo is being circulated at the request of the police, Blemaster said the e-mail and image were not generated by anyone at the police department. He said he does not know how the original sender got the image.

Read it here in the Capitol Journal.  In case you're wondering what was in the chain e-mail....  (I'm blotting out the names and identifying information, since I have no idea whether or not it has any basis in fact..)

-----Original Message-----
From: (REDACTED)
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 2:23 PM
To:
Subject: Picture

Hello Everyone

I am attaching a picture of a man who was fondling himself in front of my niece and nephew and the Pierre Library and proceeded to follow them to the YMCA, the police ask my sister to pass the pictures around to see if someone might know him. Please let me know by emailing back. Please forward the attachment to others so that they may be warned and possibly someone might recognize him! We need to get this out there in case he is still around Pierre or South Dakota for that matter. Please if someone recognizes him please contact the Pierre Police Department @ 605-773-7410.

The parent in me has a specific gut reaction to accusations of someone fondling themself, milling around the library, and following kids to the YMCA next door, which houses the largest after-school program in the city. Of course, the rational person in me scratches my head that someone took it upon themselves to get this kind of footage and start shipping it around to half the town in Pierre.

What if it's not true? What if there's a plausible explanation?  Has someone now been branded that actually might be without guilt? Troubling questions in light of e-mail vigilantism.

But then there's the other side of the coin.  The horrendous story that came out of the news yesterday:

An 11-year-old California girl kidnapped in 1991 while waiting for a school bus has been found alive, and a convicted sex offender is accused of raping and fathering two children with her while he and his wife held her captive in their backyard.

Despite the shocking revelations, the discovery of Jaycee Lee Dugard brought sudden relief to her family 18 years after their young girl disappeared.

Dugard had been kept with the two girls, ages 11 and 15, in a series of tents and sheds hidden behind the Antioch, Calif., home of Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday at a news conference. The couple has been arrested on several charges stemming from the discovery.

Dugard and her two daughters are "in good health, but living in a backyard for the past 18 years does take its toll," Undersheriff Fred Kollar said.

Read that here at Foxnews.com.  My immediate reaction is that this is one of those cases which causes people to consider life in prison too light of a sentence for the type of monsters that would commit such a crime.

In light of this type of story, the reaction from a few parents in Pierre is more than understandable.  Because anyone who hurts, or has designs on sexually abusing a child needs to be removed and segregated from society.

In fact, South Dakota legislators are talking about the topic of sex offenders over the legislative interim. Why? Because right now, we have a one size fits all approach. It's very topical, as just week, KELO reported on it:

Senator Gene Abdallah is the chairman of the committee looking at the changes. Abdallah says some of the offenders on the sex offender registry don't deserve to be on it their entire life.

"We've had examples of 16 and 18 year olds dating, and he's considered an adult at 18, and she's not, and something happens and he gets on the sex offender registry and is on there for life," Abdallah said.

Abdallah doesn't want to call it weakening the laws, he says he is still in favor of keeping some of the most serious offenders on the registry for life.

Read that here.

And Abdallah is right. South Dakota is placing people on the registry who 40 or 50 years ago would have been marched to the church by extremely unhappy parents because a high school couple got pregnant. In 2009, we live in more enlightened times, which means now that a high school sweetheart gets reported to the police, and they can be labeled a sex offender.

While they might be 2-3 years apart in age, they might have been in the same high school class, or one, possibly two grades apart. A situation that many parents might not find offense to while they're dating. They might have found it "darling" or "romantic." But then the kids get into things best left to adults (who themselves are known to exercise poor judgment) and now formerly encouraging parents are calling the state's attorney.

Which makes it that much more difficult for that man-child who is now a parent to support his progeny, since he's likely been jailed, and on the registry. Even worse, the law is going to be applied inconsistently, based mainly on whether a parent is mad enough to report it.

The incidents this week simply highlight the fact that one size does not fit all.  We spend time, effort and money policing and prosecuting high school romances in the same manner we treat child predators. Instead of selectively prosecuting stupidity, we need to divert them to counseling, education (and possibly job training), and go after true predators with vigor and the full force of the law.

High school romances resulting in a pregnancy and those who attack and kidnap and kill children for sexual gratification are opposite extremes on the spectrum, and our legislators need to figure out a logical place to draw the line between folly and criminal conduct.

In the case that arose yesterday, we find that the pervert who captured the child 18 years ago was a convicted sex offender. He was a parolee who was under supervision most, if not the entire time this happened. Sexual predators who prey on children have such an incredibly high rate of recidivism society has more than ample cause to track them and their movements, and to ensure that they never have the chance  for it to happen again. THAT's where our resources should be devoted.

Not to policing high school romances.

What are they up in arms about? A press release from the South Dakota Republican Party which took Gubernatorial candidate Scott Heidepriem to task for his membership in an exclusive country club, his car, having an expensive house, etcetera.

I have to agree with many of the comments coming out of this fray. One’s success in business is not something that should be punished. They should hold it up, and be proud.

Geting back to the criticism, many of the same people who are howling about it in July of 2009 were doing the reverse in February and March 2008 when the South Dakota Democrats came after Steve Kirby. While Republicans did it with a press release this week, back then, people involved with the party and the Johnson campaign went so far as to not just criticize Steve Kirby's success, but they staked out the Kirby home and stalked his family.

Republicans aren’t staking out anyone’s residence, but as we listen to the howls, it brings to mind the saying "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own?

It harkens back to last March, when there was a campaign letter that came out of the Johnson campaign:

From: Steve Jarding, Tim Johnson for South Dakota
Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 1:11 PM
Subject: Fight Kirby's Millions

Dear _____,

Send multi-millionare Steve Kirby a message: Thousands of Tim Johnson's grassroots supporters will match you, dollar for dollar.
For the last few months, Republican leaders in Washington have been trying to recruit a wealthy candidate in South Dakota to challenge Senator Tim Johnson.

It is a tactic born of desperation. The Republicans are out of ideas and on the run. They believe a multi-million dollar campaign to throw mud on Tim is their only chance of winning South Dakota's Senate seat. If recent news reports are right, they may have found a millionaire willing to foot the bill.

Steve Kirby, a Sioux Falls multi-millionaire and former Lieutenant Governor, is said to be weighing a run against Tim. If he runs, he will have unlimited funds at his disposal for attack ads to distort Tim's record and smear Tim's good name. I am asking for your help to make sure that doesn't happen.

Donate to Tim's campaign, and give us the resources we will need to fight back against Kirby's millions. Let Republicans know that it will take more than a huge bank account to win this Senate seat.

We're running our campaign the right way. We depend on people like you for our resources -- your dollars pay our campaign staff, keep our offices open, and will pay for TV and radio ads to talk about issues that South Dakotans care about. That means this isn't just Tim's campaign for Senate -- it's yours, too.

It takes more than a fat wallet to be a good senator. It takes grit, determination and a vision that South Dakota and our country can be better places than they are today. Tim Johnson has spent his career fighting for people who can't fight for themselves -- and with your help, he will keep doing it.

Donate to Tim Johnson today, and give him the resources he will need to wage the tough campaign ahead. He's no millionaire -- but with your help, we can stand up against Kirby's multi -millions.

If every one of you gives what you can today, no matter how small, then we will take a giant step toward victory next November. You will send a message to Steve Kirby that if he wants to take on Tim Johnson and take on you, he'd better be prepared to drain that bank account of his dry, because we will match him dollar for dollar.

This is a critical time for our country. Steve Kirby cares little that home foreclosures are growing, while incomes are not; that health care costs are skyrocketing while 47 million Americans lack health insurance; that jobs are being outsourced even though American workers are more productive than ever; that we are mired in a war without end that is mortgaging our children's future. Tim Johnson does care. But, he cannot keep fighting for us unless we give him the resources to win this race.

Please, support Tim Johnson today. Donate to his campaign, and give us the resources we will need to win in November.

Sincerely,
Steve Jarding
Campaign Manager
Tim Johnson for South Dakota

As I noted, I have to agree with many of the comments coming out of this fray. One’s success in business is not something that should be punished. They should hold it up, and be proud. And by the same token, those involved in the process should consider avoiding class warfare and punishing success as a bad example in 2008 that should not be followed.

Of course, this places Scott Heidepreim, the person at the eye of the political hurricane in a bad position. At the same time he’s complaining about Republicans waging war on the basis of his financial holdings, his campaign is being managed by someone who used those same tactics – and worse - only 16 months ago in an effort to keep a successful businessman out of the race at all costs.

I’ll take Scott Heidepreim at his word, and go so far as to agree with him that political warfare based on the size of your wallet has no place in South Dakota politics. However, for him to be considered sincere, he needs to take a long hard look at the log in his own eye, and reject those who openly use those tactics.

One of the primary goals of the poorly worded measure was to get rid of “pay to play politics.”  This measure was mainly funded by out-of-state organizations, most of which was funnelled in through the SDCAC, so it could be hidden from voter’s eyes.

One of the few donations that the measure would fess up to (as opposed to hiding it through the SDCAC) was from the Americans for Tax Reform, as you can see below…

…..where they kicked in $10,000 to end “pay to play.”

Americans for Tax Reform last December donated $10,000 to South Dakotans for Open and Clean Government to help launch the group’s successful petition drive to place Measure 10 on the ballot.  ATR’s donation is the only out-of-state contribution received by the group, which has fully disclosed all of its donors as required by state campaign finance laws.

Read it here.  Of course, no one believed that this was the only out of state donation, since the SDCAC with no visible means of support magically came up with hundreds of thousands of dollars towards the effort.

Anyway, the Americans for Tax Reform brought in their national president - Grover Norquist - to come to SD to campaign in favor of the measure. In addition to the ATU, Norquist serves on the board of the American Conservative Union.

Why is this whole “IM 10 pay-to-play” thing worth dragging back out of the muck and mire it had disappeared into?  Well, because of a recent article that is coming from the Politico website on pay to play politics in Washington:

The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group’s support in a bitter legislative dispute, then the group’s chairman flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.

For the $2 million plus, ACU offered a range of services that included: “Producing op-eds and articles written by ACU’s Chairman David Keene and/or other members of the ACU’s board of directors.  (Note that Mr. Keene writes a weekly column that appears in The Hill.)”

The conservative group’s remarkable demand — black-and-white proof of the longtime Washington practice known as “pay for play” — was contained in a private letter to FedEx , which was provided to POLITICO.

Read it here.   If you read the article, and hit some of the side links, you can see the original letter which is alleged to offer the “pay to play” for $2 million, and the later letter which came out against FedEx when they refused to cough up.  With the original letter coming out under American Conservative Union letterhead, and the second letter being written under the banners of the ACU & Americans for Tax Reform. Including Grover Norquist as a signatory to the second letter.

So, it looks like groups and individuals involved in promoting the South Dakota measure against alleged “pay to play” were involved in shaking down organizations for their own version of “pay to play.” And we still don’t know the identity of the out-of-state groups who ponied up the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the SD Measure that were funneled through the SDCAC.

If we ever will.

SDCAC’s only major player who is still around, Steve Sibson of  Sibby Online, has thus far been unwilling to disclose where they got all the cash.

But at the least, we have an ironic postscript for Initiated Measure 10’s footnote in history.

Which is a very minor footnote, at that.

I am 36, been married to my wife Michelle for 8 years and have 3 children ages 7, 3 and 2. I work for Qwest Communications as a network technician and began that career in May of 1997.

I graduated from Pierce High School in Pierce, NE class of 91. Joined the Marine Corps and served for two years. I was stationed in Hawaii - thank you taxpayers. After my discharge I attended community college in Norfolk, NE.

We attend church at Abiding Word Lutheran Church in Rapid City and I have been the council leader for 5 years. I am also a board member of Bethany Christian Services, an adoption and family counseling agency. I belong to the Marine Corps League in Rapid and also the American Legion Post in Piedmont. My beatiful wife Michelle is a P.A. for the Rapid City Regional Hospital and is native of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The past year I have spoken to over a thousand people and not one has said that we as a nation are on the right path. Everybody wants the federal government to be limited. If there needs to be a study of all that is proposed and being forced on us citizens, just look at our own Indian tribes in the State. This is where the country is headed.

If a blue collar man with no political experience and no money thinks he has a chance to win, that proves that point that South Dakota has terrible federal leadership.

Of about 25,400 signatures reviewed by the South Dakota Tobacco Free Kids Network, nearly 40 percent were found to be invalid, the group contends.

Read it here.  KELO land had something to say about it too. Too bad they were wrong:

Thursday was a historic day in South Dakota. For the first time a group is challenging a petition to put an issue on a statewide ballot. Supporters of a statewide smoke free law filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's office claiming opponents did not collect enough signatures to put a smoking ban on the 2010 ballot.

Read that here.  Sorry guys. You're wrong. It was tried back in the 1980's.  Petition invalidation has been tired before (my dad was hired as the investigative firm to break a ballot initiative petition) and let me tell you this - it is prohibitively expensive to try to prove. It can involve hundreds, if not thousands of hours of independent investigators reviewing each and every petition, and a ton of court time.

Back then, as it was fought out in court, because of the expense, the plaintiffs eventually gave up. (Dad thought they had the petition broken, but he wasn't paying the bills on it.)

It may be a new thing under the current law. But it certainly was done before.

And as difficult as it sounds, it appears as if the nanny staters are going to try to do it anyway.

My question - if they're so secure in their position, what are they scared of?

What are they scared of?

And that secrecy (as well as some potential violations of the open meeting laws) has people all riled up.

What has everyone mad? The County Commission has undertaken a plan to go on a land buying spree for surrounding properties, and are already saying that they intend to knock them down.  Except they won't tell anyone what the plan is, with said plan being decided behind closed door. If there is actually a plan. As I had noted when it came up in the newspaper once before....

"They are not open meetings," he responded. It's a task force. We've signed a confidentiality agreement at this so we can discuss all kinds of crazy things that don't end up in the newspaper, he said. "And some of the things that we've come up with are kind of crazy I think.

And we don't want to excite a lot of people until we have a plan. And at this point we do not have a plan.'"

Err, yeah. Right. I would point out that the land owners are not doing anything wrong.  They're interested in selling properties for a set price to a willing buyer. I would too.  The problem with this lays solely at the feet of the county commission doing things any public body should be embarrassed to do.  And even the county commission itself is divided on it.

The discussion at one point became contentious as Gregg accused Falken of continually criticizing Gregg's actions as a member of the task force.

The task force was started by the Brookings Economic Development Corporation and also includes city council members and other local officials . It was formed earlier this year shortly after the commission's attempt to purchase Gas 'N Mor on Sixth Street for use as an administrative building fell through. The group's stated purpose is to provide more input on the space-needs issue the county has been wrestling with for years.

and...

He also asked Gregg and Larson why they hadn't provided more information to the commission about the options the task force is considering. "I don't want to circumvent anything that's happening , but I really haven't heard anything coming back from the committee yet of any potential things that we could possibly be looking at," he said.

Commission Chairman Larson responded that the task force had been forwarding written reports to both the city council and county commission to update the boards on the task force's progress. (Those documents have not been made available to the Register.)

Larson told Falken that the task force discussions are separate from the commission's actions, and that the task force would discuss the purchase if and when it becomes official.

Read it all here.  Secret documents and the bodies involved aren't fully informed of what's going on?  No wonder their plans are being referred to a vote!

It seems as if the county is trying to nibble away at the surrounding properties while intentionally concealing what they're up to, as in the words of one commissioner, while he attempts to defend and rationalize what the commission is doing...

"It's kind of like going to McDonald's and eating a Big Mac," he said. "If you take her all down at once, you're going to choke. We've got to take a little bit of a step at a time, and after we get this completed then we'll move onto the next process."

So, they'll just expend public dollars and then let us all know about what their plan is after it's completed - without any opportunity for discussion, dissent and debate? Amazing.

This situation on the part of some commissioners acting without opening up their plans for a public airing is shameful. I have heard word that some people out there are so mad about this that they may contemplate a recall effort for the members of the county commission. But at the moment, they've been out there collecting signatures on petitions to contest the County Commission's actions.

And guess what - it appears that they might just have done it:

Good morning everyone!

This is the first update of the day (Wednesday, 17 June) – but we wanted you to know…….we did it!

We currently have over a thousand signatures – and petitions are still coming in! You are truly awesome!

OK – so here’s the schedule for the day:

• Nancy and Gloria will take the first 1000 notarized signatures to the courthouse as close to 9:15 this morning as possible [this timeline is doorbell and phone call dependent - J ]. Marty (Gloria’s other half) will be at 715 4th St. while we are at the courthouse.
• We know there are still signatures being collected, and signatures that are being notarized. We plan to take a second batch of signatures to the courthouse as soon after 1:15 as possible, and we will make a final delivery at 4:30 this afternoon.
• If you already have signatures collected, please have them notarized and deliver them to Gloria’s (715 4th St) as soon as possible – so we can include them in the 1:00 PM delivery.
• If you are still collecting – wonderful! Please get those signatures notarized and delivered to Gloria’s no later than 2:30 this afternoon.
• If you need a ride to a notary, or need notarized signatures picked up, please call Nancy or Gloria or Marty
• If you have signatures that come in after that, call us! We’ll decide the best way to get them counted – because our window to add signatures closes when the courthouse closes at 5:00 today!
• If you would like to take part in any of the three deliveries (or all of them!) – please let us know so we can be watching for you. Again: as close to the following times as we can make it: 9:15; 1:15; and 4:30.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!!! More updates as the day goes on! Nancy and Gloria

Stay tuned, and watch the news today for more on the petitions being turned in.

A retired State Department worker and his wife have been arrested on charges of spying for Cuba for three decades, using grocery carts among their array of tools to pass U.S. secrets to the communist government in a security breach one official described as “incredibly serious.”

An indictment unsealed Friday said Walter Kendall Myers worked his way into higher and higher U.S. security clearances while secretly partnering with his wife, Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, as clandestine agents so valued by the Cuban government that they once had a private four-hour meeting with President Fidel Castro.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said that the arrest culminated a three-year investigation and that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has ordered a “comprehensive damage assessment” to determine what he may have passed to the Cubans.

and…

The indictment says Kendall Myers disclosed to the State Department that he traveled to Cuba for two weeks in 1978, saying the trip was for personal and academic purposes. The next year, a Cuban government official visited the couple while they were living in South Dakota and recruited them to be spies, the indictment says. At Cuba’s direction, authorities say, Kendall Myers attempted to get jobs that would give him access to classified information.

Read it all here.

How strong of a connection is it? Amazingly, this Washington post article seems to indicate that one of the traitors to our country was recruited straight off of US Senator Jim Abourezk’s staff after he left office!

The following year, Myers moved to South Dakota, apparently to teach, friends said. He lived with a woman who would soon become his second wife, Gwendolyn Trebilcock, a legislative aide for then-Sen. John Abourezk (D) in her home town of Aberdeen.

Abourezk said in an interview yesterday that he liked both of them. “She is a very good woman,” he said. “And I always thought he was a decent human being.”

An official from the Cuban mission visited the couple in South Dakota and recruited them, officials say. He asked Myers to join the State Department or the CIA, authorities said. Gwendolyn Myers would later tell an undercover FBI agent, posing as a Cuban operative, that her husband chose State because he was not “a very good liar.” The CIA required regular polygraph tests, Myers said.

Read it all here.

Wow. Not exactly the Bourne identity, but a fascinating tale nonetheless. It might bear a review of the Senator’s papers just to research more of the back story.  This will continue to be an interesting case to watch, expecially as the political connection continues.

Now, for those of you interested, here’s the FBI affidavit - reading through it, there is a mention (page 17) that they met with the co-conspirator in South Dakota in 1978, which would be during the time it appears she would have been on Abourezk’s staff.

walter_kendall_myers_complaint

If you’re interested as to whom else was in this office, this would have been at the time Tom Daschle was the person in charge of foreign policy issues for the Senator.

One website notes that there might be more South Dakota weirdness with this Couple. Word is that there’s also a Supreme Court case involving them:  The article at the American Thinker on the spy case is the most authoritative one I’ve read yet on the topic, and makes a good and in depth examination - especially many of the South Dakota connections.

Speaking of the case - South Dakota v. Gwendolyn Steingraber (a previous maiden name -pp) and Walter Kendal Myers (No. 13017)296 N.W.2d543; 1980 S.D. LEXIS 385.

Here’s a Blurb from the court case:

STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. GWENDOLYN STEIN-GRABER AND WALTER KENDAL MYERS, Defendants and Appellees
No. 13017
Supreme Court of South Dakota
296 N.W.2d 543; 1980 S.D. LEXIS 385

May 23, 1980, Argued
September 17, 1980, Opinion Filed

PRIOR HISTORY: [**1] APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, HUGHES COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA. THE HONORABLE PATRICK J. MC KEEVER Judge.

CASE SUMMARY:

PROCEDURAL POSTURE: Defendants in a criminal case filed a motion to suppress evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant. The Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hughes County, South Dakota, granted the order on the grounds that the deputy sheriff executing the warrant had not complied with S.D. Consolidated Laws § 23A-35-8, the “knock-and-announce” statute. The State filed an intermediate appeal.

OVERVIEW: The residence to be searched had an en-closed porch attached to the front. Entry to the porch was obtained through a screen door. The deputy sheriff who was serving the warrant opened the screen door without first knocking, entered the porch, and approached the front door to the living quarters. This door was open. The deputy saw two people in the living room. The deputy entered the living room and announced his purpose to execute the search warrant almost simultaneously with his entry, although he could not recall whether the an-nouncement was made before or after he stepped into the living room. The court stated that because the deputy complied or clearly intended to comply with the statute at the front door to the living area, it was not necessary that he comply with the statute before entering the porch through the screen door. The porch here did not appear to be an integral portion of the living area of the residence, but more in the nature of a foyer or natural entranceway for the general public. Next, in announcing his intention to execute the search warrant nearly simultaneously with his entry into the living room, the deputy had substan-tially complied with the statute.

OUTCOME: The court reversed the order. It remanded the case to the circuit court for further proceedings.

and…

OPINION BY: WOLLMAN

OPINION
[*544] This is an intermediate appeal from an order suppressing certain evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant. We reverse and remand.

Acting pursuant to an informant’s tip regarding drug-related activity, a search warrant was obtained authoriz-ing a search of a residence at 328 North Grand in Pierre. At approximately 7:30 on the evening of September 17, 1979, several law enforcement officers, led by Hughes County Deputy Sheriff Charles Vollmer, undertook to serve the warrant. The officers positioned themselves at various places around the house. Deputy Sheriff Vollmer and two other officers approached the front door of the residence.

The residence is a brick structure with an enclosed [**2] porch attached to the front. Entry to the porch is obtained through a screen door. Deputy Sheriff Vollmer opened the screen door without first knocking, where-upon he and the other two officers entered the porch and approached the front door to the living quarters. Finding this door open and observing two occupants in the living room, one in possession of a marijuana pipe and a tray of what appeared to be marijuana, Deputy Vollmer entered the living room, announcing his purpose to execute the search warrant almost simultaneously with his entry, although he could not recall whether the announcement was made before or after he stepped into the living room. Immediately after entering the living room and ordering the two occupants to be seated on the [*545] couch, Deputy Vollmer handed a copy of the search warrant to defendant Myers, one of the occupants.

INTERESTING, as I was living a couple blocks down the street at the time.

Who would have known that as I passed it on the way to School, I was passing a treasonous den of iniquity.

Strong evidence of that is the fundraiser that was recently held in Sioux Falls where people involved are claiming that it raised $250,000. But more important - notice who was involved in the campaign, as related by Mt. Blogmore:

The Knudson event was casual, with jeans common and burgers served. But the donations were serious. The suggested level was $1,000, and about 200 folks turned out. The list of co-hosts included: Barb and Tom Everist, Dave and Jill Bockorny, Bob Thimjon, Tom and Patti Dempster, Dan Kirby, Jeff and Carol Parker, Kevin and Carmen Schieffer; Rob and Larissa Skjonsberg and Don and Christine Dunham.

Skjonsberg is especially interesting, since he was chief of staff to Gov. Mike Rounds, who supports and promotes the campaign of Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Also on the Knudson bandwagon is former Rounds press secretary Mark Johnston.

“I think they look at the total picture and believe I’m the better governor,” Knudson said.

Read that here.  While Johnston had not necessarily been involved previously with the Daugaard effort, Skjonsberg had, and had done so quite strongly while he was Rounds' chief of staff as was noted in a post I did back in August 2007 (yes, 2007) on the topic:

We know it is early, but we believe it is important for us to join Dennis' team now and help him as he prepares his campaign for Governor of our great state. We believe you’ll want to join him too.

Within the next couple of weeks, one of the members of our planning committee will be contacting you to confirm your attendance at our get-together. South Dakota is moving forward — let’s continue the progress by helping Dennis Daugaard get his campaign off to a strong start! We look forward to seeing you on September 13th..

Signed, Rob Skjonsberg and Paul E. Bachand.

Read that here. The word I'd heard some time back is that one of the reasons that Rob shifted allegiances was because Dennis would not commit to a position on ethanol that (surprise, surprise) differed from that of the Rounds administration. As I've said many times, that's his Achilles heel.  And this fundraiser doesn't help. It's as if the seeds of doubt has been planted about his inevitability.

At this point in time, I'd say that the three serious campaigns are entering a state of flux.

Dennis has the money, but as evidenced, his support isn't as deep and as ultimately inevitable as he previously thought. I'd say this is symptomatic of how early he started his campaign, because when you've been on top on the race for so long, where do you have to go? The only place to go is down, and when you have previous supporters now doing fundraisers for another guy, what does it tell others who might be inching towards the fence to hedge their bets?  Lt. Governor Daugaard is at a point where he needs to retool and refine things a bit.

Dave Knudson struck a major blow to Dennis' campaign this week with that Sioux Falls fundraiser. His problem now is that he needs to show that his appeal is broader than a bunch of rich people in Sioux Falls.  Within GOP confines (remember there's a primary first), he has to get past a voting record which some find unpalatable, and he needs to show how his candidacy works for the guy scrubbing the bathroom as well as the one leading the boardroom.  Plus he needs to quit acting like he finds campaigning uncomfortable. As I'm hearing from people at GOP events, It shows.

Scott Munsterman's campaign has not had as dramatic a movement as Knudson's this past week, but word is he continues to quietly gather supporters at the grassroot level, as well as current and former GOP noteworthy's talking about support. He's enjoying the process of campaigning, and he's quietly picking up a person or two who had helped with from Rounds' 2002 effort. Scott also has a campaign that's intesting to young Republican activists, such as his driver, Brandon Lindstrom ( formerly of the SDSU College Republicans).

Despite Scott's current financial disadvantage, the success of the Knudson fundraiser also provides an unmentioned side benefit to the Munsterman campaign. For those wavering on Daugaard who find Knudson's voting record unpalatable, Scott provides a viable door number three for conservatives. And, not having been part of the last 7 fiscal years  - 6 of which dug into the reserves because of deficit spending - Scott's door number 3 might be an increasingly attractive choice.

Now, the other guy in the race?

In the contest, I either hear of or see something of candidate's activity without having to go hunting. Ken Knuppe? Not so much. Going to his campaign calendar, I see he has a Republican dinner in May, and one in June, and that's about it.   At a time when other candidates are picking up money or support, Ken needs to come out of invisibility mode and shake things up drastically. Or else be prepared to figure out who else he can support.

Stay tuned in the contest - much more to come!

Read Pat's main website at dakotawarcollege.com - South Dakota's #1 independent political website!

In what has come to be almost ritualistic every few years in South Dakota, the dope smokers have gotten up off the couch to try to foist another dope legalization measure on South Dakota.

A petition drive has started to seek a statewide public vote on a proposed law that would legalize marijuana in South Dakota as a medical treatment for severe and chronic pain.

and..

The new proposal would legalize the limited use of marijuana to treat symptoms of illnesses that include pain and the nausea that can accompany chemotherapy treatments for cancer.

Read it here.

And as in every measure that’s come before, it has several fatal flaws - not the least of which is a twist I hadn’t noticed in past measures.

* It legalizes medical pot for kids.
*It legalizes drug dealing (for up to 5 addicts per drug dealer)
* It provides no standards for the safety, dosage, or anything else having to do with the pseudo-pharmaceutical product.
*It provides overly broad immunity to drug dealers - and a presumption of medical use, irregardless of there being a factual basis.
* It prevents law enforcement from seizing property associated with drug dealing.
* Despite having to register with the state, drug dealers apparently don’t like open government. Their identities are shielded under the act.

Read it here….

And then there’s the latest twist -

Under this act, Dope Dealing would become a protected class of citizen when it comes to housing under South Dakota law:

Section 19. No school, employer, or landlord may discriminate against a cardholder by refusing to enroll, employ, or lease to, or otherwise penalize a person solely because of his or her status as a registered qualifying patient or a registered designated caregiver unless failing to do so would put the school, employer, or landlord in violation of federal law or cause it to lose a federal contract or funding.

So. As a landlord, if you personally and morally objected to illegal drugs and the people who sell them - guess what? Under this law, they would now have a cause of action to sue you if you didn’t want drugs on your property.  Object to drug dealers working for your place of business? Again, they’d now have a cause of action to bring suit against you.

It doesn’t matter if they use it for medical reasons - all they’d have to prove is that they have the “get out of jail free” card as almost every pot grower in the state would have access to just by asking, and you’d have no recourse.   Your property could be used to grow drugs without your say so, and as an employer, you’d be forced to retain a drug dealer employee as long as they had their card because of the special protections they’ve created for themselves as a result of the act.

Special rights for drug dealers? I think not.

Somehow, I think this act is destined for the dust bin of history - just like every measure of it’s kind that has gone before.