Latest from SD Political Blogs

Bar raised

larry kurtz — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 02:00:43 +0000

Vice President Vance visits Mt. Rushmore today with Governor Rhoden

@SoDakCampaigns — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:44:58 +0000

The post Vice President Vance visits Mt. Rushmore today with Governor Rhoden first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Guest Column: Why South Dakota Can Never Have its Own ‘BBB’ by Thomas E. Simmons

@SoDakCampaigns — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:41:06 +0000

Thomas E. Simmons is a professor at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in Vermillion. His views are his own and not the views of USD, its administrators, or the South Dakota Board of Regents. The opinions expressed above are merely those of private citizen.

Guest Column: Why South Dakota Can Never Have its Own ‘BBB’
by Thomas E. Simmons

President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” in fact, boasts a much more technical title: it is the bill “To Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.” It is something like 1,000 pages in length and contains numerous unrelated subjects including everything from tax relief to border security and Medicaid eligibility.

For better or worse, South Dakota will never see any state legislation (or constitutional amendment) which approximates the Big Beautiful Bill on account of a state constitutional prohibition. South Dakota bills can’t be too big. It’s a rule – the “single subject rule.”

Article 23 of South Dakota’s Constitution contains the single subject rule. It speaks to state constitutional amendments and it provides that ‘‘no proposed amendment may embrace more than one subject”

A similar rule (contained in Article 3) imposes the same limitation with regards to legislative bills: “No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title.”

As readers of the South Dakota War College know, South Dakota allows a limited form of direct democracy with its initiative and referendum procedures. Voters can propose new laws, repeal old ones, and even amend the state constitution. The current form of Article 23’s single subject rule was itself the product of a voter-initiated constitutional amendment in 2018.

What is the idea behind the single-subject rule? Its purpose is to prevent “logrolling.” As the South Dakota Supreme Court explained in a 1937 decision, anti-logrolling “is intended to prevent the bringing together in one act of subjects having no necessary connection or relation with each other, to guard the Legislature and persons affected by the Law against surprise and imposition.”

In 2020, the voters of South Dakota were presented with an amendment (“Amendment A”) to the South Dakota Constitution. Amendment A, if approved, would add a new article – Article 30 – to the Constitution. It addressed the legalization and regulation of marijuana. The voters approved it 54.2% to 45.8%.

A challenge was filed and in 2021, the South Dakota Supreme Court determined that Amendment A was unconstitutional in that it violated the single subject rule. As a result, the amendment was invalidated. The case was captioned Kevin Thom (the Sheriff of Pennington County) versus Steve Barnett (the South Dakota Secretary of State). The opinion contains the entire text of Amendment A as an appendix; the appendix runs some 5 pages.

Despite the relative brevity of Amendment A (less than half a dozen pages compared to the phone book-sized Big Beautiful Bill), our Court found that it violated the single subject rule insofar as it addressed at least two independent subjects: legalized marijuana and legalized hemp, each with a separate object or purpose.

The Court took note of the fact that legalization of marijuana addressed a substance with psychoactive properties. Hemp, however, is not psychoactive.

The Court explained:

The constitutional mandate requiring legislation to provide for “the cultivation, processing, and sale of hemp’’ has the distinct object or purpose of allowing industrial and agricultural use of a product that contains essentially no psychoactive properties… In contrast, there is no fixed maximum level of psychoactive properties for marijuana in Amendment A.

The Court even found an impermissible third subject within the text of Amendment A (medical marijuana) and hinted at a possible fourth (taxation of marijuana sales)). The proponents of Amendment A claimed that their amendment contained but a single subject – the legalization of marijuana including agricultural uses. But the Court wasn’t having it.

Interestingly, the South Dakota Supreme Court noted that it appeared that perhaps “the drafters of Amendment A folded the additional subjects of hemp and medical marijuana into this single amendment to aggregate votes and increase the chances for passage of the provisions legalizing and regulating recreational marijuana.” The fact that the voters of South Dakota rejected recreational marijuana as a single subject when presented with the option in 2022 and again in 2024 underscores the Court’s concerns. Perhaps the Amendment A sponsors had tried (unsuccessfully) to logroll us.

At any rate, for better or worse, the single subject rule ensures that South Dakota will never witness its own Big Beautiful Bill.

Thomas E. Simmons
University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law
Vermilion, SD

The post Guest Column: Why South Dakota Can Never Have its Own ‘BBB’ by Thomas E. Simmons first appeared on South Dakota War College.

President Trump thanks Senator Thune for his work to pass “Big Beautiful Bill”

@SoDakCampaigns — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:08:31 +0000

The post President Trump thanks Senator Thune for his work to pass “Big Beautiful Bill” first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Dusty Johnson Secures Tax Relief, Border Security, and Historic Spending Reduction

@SoDakCampaigns — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 19:28:40 +0000

Johnson Secures Tax Relief, Border Security, and Historic Spending Reduction

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to pass the conservative reconciliation package, the One Big, Beautiful Bill, to protect families, small businesses, and communities across America from the largest tax increase in American history. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

“After struggling with the burden of inflation for the last four years, families and businesses are desperate for tax relief, and this bill has it,” said Johnson. “Our state is counting on the provisions in this bill for extension of current tax rates to see our businesses and communities grow and thrive. This bill is pro-family, pro-small business, pro-energy, and pro-America. I’m proud to send it to President Trump’s desk.”

The three most important parts of the package:

Avoids a historic tax hike for most Americans and businesses.
- The bill includes no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and provides $6,000 of tax relief for seniors.
- Without extending current tax rates, the average taxpayer in South Dakota would see a 25% tax hike.
- Without extending current tax rates, an average South Dakota family would see a tax increase of $2,500.
- Without extending current tax rates, 101,690 South Dakota families would see their household’s Child Tax Credit cut in half.
- Without extending current tax rates, 94% of South Dakota taxpayers would see their guaranteed deduction slashed in half.
- Without extending current tax rates, 88,730 South Dakota small businesses would see their tax rates surge to 40 percent.
- Without extending current tax rates, the National Association of Manufacturers expects South Dakota would lose 17,000 jobs, $1.5 billion lost wages, and $3.1 billion lost economic output.
Secures our borders.
- It will complete 701 miles of primary walls, 900 miles of river barriers, 629 miles of secondary barriers, replace 141 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers, and strengthen border surveillance technology.
- It funds “Remain in Mexico” enforcement and at least one million annual removals of illegal aliens, ensuring immigrants come to the U.S. the right way.
- Hires thousands of Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel to carry out the mission.
Implements commonsense policies to right-size federal programs and decrease spending.
- It saves $1.6 trillion over 10 years, the largest spending reduction in a generation.
- It changes Medicaid eligibility for certain non-citizen alien groups, protecting the program for the neediest Americans.
- It removes SNAP eligibility for illegal immigrants, ensuring Americans who need assistance the most receive it.
- It removes certain non-eligible aliens from receiving Medicare benefits.
- It enforces work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents under the age of 14 who receive SNAP or Medicaid benefits, helping to lift them out of poverty. These work requirements will not affect vulnerable populations like pregnant women, seniors, those with disabilities, or those with young children at home.

Notable Johnson priorities included:

Incorporates Johnson’s bill, the America Works Act of 2025, by strengthening work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents receiving SNAP.
Unleashes domestic mining of critical minerals, decreasing reliance on China.
Provides $4.5 billion for the B-21 at the Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Increases support for farmers facing higher costs for fuel, feed, and fertilizer due to record inflation.
Makes long-term investments in conservation efforts that protect working lands without tying producers’ hands.
Increases funding for trade programs so American-grown products reach more global markets.
Prevents implementation of harmful Biden-era staffing standards for long-term care facilities.
Prevents facilities that conduct abortions, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal Medicaid payments.
Provides $50 billion investment in rural health care.
Boosts defenses against foreign animal diseases that threaten our livestock and poultry industries, like New World Screwworm, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and African Swine Fever.
Provides historic funding for the Air Traffic Control system, which is overdue for updates.

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The post Dusty Johnson Secures Tax Relief, Border Security, and Historic Spending Reduction first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Welcome (back) Dusty for Governor to advertiser’s row. Reserve your spot today for the 2026 elections!

@SoDakCampaigns — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:05:14 +0000

The candidates for 2026 are starting to stake out their territory!

Please help me welcome back the Dusty Johnson for Governor campaign to advertiser’s row, joining the Re-Election campaign for Monae Johnson for Secretary of State this week as we move forward to the 2026 election cycle. Of course, they also join our long-time friends US Senator John Thune, United States Senator Mike Rounds, the South Dakota Teenage Republicans who are once again having camp later this month, and my own Dakota Campaign Store.

I have other campaigns talking inquiring about advertising, so it’s may be a full plate this election. If you’re thinking of running, spots on SDWC are first some first serve, so get that ad set in stone today!

I have a number of spots open, and questions on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here. Both the #1 spot on both the left AND the right are available, as well as the #2 position on the right, along with spots lower down on both sides of the page.

Ads run in their position through the site, meaning they are not rotated. As noted, advertising is available on a first-come first-served basis, and discounts are provided for extended commitments. Ads may be swapped out at no charge during the ad commitment, just give me fair warning as sometimes I’m on the road, and I always want to accommodate.

Information on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here.

The post Welcome (back) Dusty for Governor to advertiser’s row. Reserve your spot today for the 2026 elections! first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Attorney General Jackley Discusses Law Enforcement Partnerships with FBI Director Kash Patel

@SoDakCampaigns — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:18:55 +0000

Attorney General Jackley Discusses Law Enforcement Partnerships with FBI Director Kash Patel

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley discussed federal and state law enforcement partnerships last week with FBI Director Kash Patel.

“My meeting with Director Patel focused on strengthening South Dakota’s federal and state partnerships throughout the state, including Indian Country,” said Attorney General Jackley. “As a former U.S. Attorney and now Attorney General, I am committed to working with federal authorities to protect our communities and safeguard our children.”

Attorney General Jackley said the AG Office’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and South Dakota law enforcement have had a good working relationship with the FBI throughout the years.

When Attorney General Jackley was in Washington, D.C. last week, he met with the FBI Director and the White House.

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The post Attorney General Jackley Discusses Law Enforcement Partnerships with FBI Director Kash Patel first appeared on South Dakota War College.

New congressional candidate: James Biolata will take down ‘Big Brother’ AND his little brother at the park!

@SoDakCampaigns — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 14:53:38 +0000

Here we go. Time for another candidate.

But maybe a ‘not so ready for prime time’ one.

Today, unsuccessful Pennington County Commission & County Auditor candidate James Biolata has announced that he’s now going to run for congress:

I hate to point out in that bio he left out a couple of more recent episodes where he was in the news for…things..

..according to the witness, a man later identified as 47-year-old James Bialota of Piedmont tried to enter the store, beating on the glass door with a cane and shouting questions at the governor.

And..

Biolata was told by police several times that he needed to leave the premises or he would be arrested. When he did not, he was arrested. The witness told NewsCenter1 that it appeared that Biolata resisted and was tased or tackled. However the police spokesman later said the bodycam video makes clear that did not happen.

Read that story here.

And the big candidate resume builder, where he shows he will take on anyone.. no matter what their age is:

James Bialota Jr. believes he was defending himself when he took down a 12-year-old boy on a Rapid City playground.

Thanks to two recent updates of South Dakota’s “stand your ground” laws, the 45-year-old was granted a pretrial “immunity hearing” to make his case. The hearings amount to a “trial before the trial” for those who make a self-defense claim.

and..

Bialota told police he “nudged” the boy’s hands down, swept his legs and stood over him. Some witnesses took a video of the incident and posted it to TikTok, capturing the profanity laced period between the takedown and police’s arrival.

The Rapid City playground where an altercation involving children and an adult male resulted in assault charges against the man, who claimed self-defense utilizing South Dakota’s “stand your ground” laws.

The video reportedly captured the father saying, in response to an inaudible statement from a witness, “I’d love to see that. I’m a combat veteran and I’ve killed.”

Read that here.

It does set him up for quite the slogan though – James will take down ‘Big Brother’ AND he guarantees to take down his little brother at the park too!

How can he lose an election running on that platform?

The post New congressional candidate: James Biolata will take down ‘Big Brother’ AND his little brother at the park! first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Attorney General Jackley Seeks Public’s Assistance in Investigation of Former Rapid City Gymnastics Coach

@SoDakCampaigns — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:31:02 +0000

Attorney General Jackley Seeks Public’s Assistance in Investigation of Former Rapid City Gymnastics Coach

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force seeks the public’s assistance in the investigation of a former Rapid City Gymnastics Coach who faces federal Child Pornography charges.

Hayden Sengua, 25, has been indicted on multiple counts involving Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Sengua worked at Just Jymnastics in Rapid City until May 2024, when his employment was terminated. He previously worked as a gymnastics coach in Oregon.

Sengua is alleged to have possessed images and videos of children in the Rapid City area whom he may have coached. The defendant is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

“We are asking members of the public, whose children have been coached by the defendant to contact us with any pertinent information,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We need to determine if any more local children may have been exploited and ensure they receive necessary care and attention.”

People with information about this case can contact the DCI at 605-394-2258.

The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Release on the case can be found here:

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The post Attorney General Jackley Seeks Public’s Assistance in Investigation of Former Rapid City Gymnastics Coach first appeared on South Dakota War College.

US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Round[s] Up for JUNE 23 – JULY 1, 2025

@SoDakCampaigns — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:59:22 +0000

US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Round[s] Up
JUNE 23 – JULY 1, 2025

Welcome back to another Weekly Round[s] Up. The Senate worked through the weekend and Monday to pass our reconciliation bill which delivers on President Trump’s agenda. This bill contains many important provisions such as securing the border, lowering taxes and providing for our national security that will benefit American families. The most important piece for hard-working South Dakota families is the permanent extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Without this extension, the average South Dakota household would have seen their taxes raise by around $2,400. After 24+ hours of nonstop voting on amendments, I’m pleased that this bill is across the finish line in the Senate to create a stronger America. It now goes back to the U.S. House where they will have the final vote before it becomes law. Read more about my week in my Weekly Round[s] Up:

Invitation to President Trump: This past week, I joined Rod Woodruff of the Sturgis Buffalo Chip to extend a formal invitation to President Trump to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this August. South Dakota is Trump Country and the Buffalo Chip is the gathering place for thousands of patriots each year during the Rally. I know he’d get a warm welcome from this crowd and enjoy all of the America First pride on display at the Sturgis Rally. Read more about this and the full letter here.

South Dakota groups I met with: South Dakota representatives from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; South Dakota members of Clean Fuels Alliance America; South Dakota members of the American Academy of Family Physicians; Sheila Gestring, President of the University of South Dakota; Shane and Kelli Penfield of Lemmon and Gary Chytka of Belle Fourche who were visiting DC this past week; South Dakota AARP; students from McCook Central FFA; and Sonja Seivert of Sioux Falls, National Youth Delegate at the Washington Youth Summit on Environment.

South Dakota towns represented: Aberdeen, Belle Fourche, Lemmon, Rapid City, Salem, Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Vermillion and Watertown.

Other meetings: Sean Plankey, nominee for the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; members of the Embassy of Rwanda in the United States; Prineha Narang, a quantum physicist who does work with the Department of Energy; Admiral Stephen “Web” Koehler, Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet; Robin Vince, CEO of BNY; Kirsten Davies, nominee to be Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense; Cho Hyun-dong, South Korea’s Ambassador to the United States; John Byrnes, Director of Strategy at Concerned Veterans for America; and Phill Swagel, Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

I attended the signing ceremony for the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These countries have been at war for decades and I want to congratulate President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and leadership from both nations on getting this deal done to establish lasting peace in the area. I spoke to a group of interns from across Capitol Hill about my work in the Senate. I also attended our weekly Senate Bible Study, where our verse of the week was 1 John 3:17, and our Senate Prayer Breakfast, where Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire was our speaker.

Hearings: I attended six hearings this past week. In one hearing of the Appropriations committee, we discussed the President’s rescissions package with Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought. I asked Mr. Vought about protections for tribal radio funding, watch the clip here.

In addition, we had Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell in front of the Senate Banking Committee this past week, which you can watch here. We had two hearings in the Senate Armed Services Committee to question nominees for the Department of Defense, which you can watch here and here. I also attended two hearings in the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Classified briefings: I attended one classified briefing on the United States’ strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

PASS Act provision: This past week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1713, the Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025. This legislation included provisions of legislation I introduced titled the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act. The House legislation would require the Secretary of Agriculture to review all agriculture transactions reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS). It would also give the U.S. Department of Agriculture the ability to refer cases to CFIUS for review if there is reason to believe an agriculture land transaction may raise a national security concern. This will make it easier to flag any unusual activity by our foreign adversaries that could threaten the United States. Read more here.

Intern with us: Our office is currently accepting applications from college students to serve as interns during the fall 2025 semester. Positions are available in the Washington, D.C. office and the state offices in Pierre, Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Fall internships typically run from September to December, but dates can be tailored to specific schedules. Learn more about our internship program here.

Votes taken: 50 – Most were on procedural votes and amendments for the reconciliation package, with a few votes being for confirmations of administrators in the Defense, Commerce and Treasury Departments.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Fort Pierre, Hartford, Madison and Pierre.

Steps taken: 54,182 steps or 24.52 miles.

Passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: The reconciliation package that I voted for includes several important provisions for South Dakotans, see here for a comprehensive list of South Dakota priorities that passed. Toplines include:

$3.3 billion for Border Security to fund Department of Defense personnel and logistics support to Department of Homeland Security to help carry border, immigration, and counterdrug enforcement.
$25 billion for Golden Dome for America, a layered missile defense shield, to develop the space-based assets needed to support the system.
Permanent continuation of the current tax rate for the average South Dakota household, avoiding a $2,400 increase per year.
Permanent increased and enhanced child tax of $2,200 per child beginning in 2025.
Lower taxes for seniors by providing a $6,000 bonus income exemption.
No tax on tips for millions of tipped workers by creating a deduction of up to $25,000 for qualified tips.
No tax on overtime for overtime premium payments of up to $12,500 for hourly workers.
Establishes savings accounts for newborns and children up to age 18, building financial security for the next generation.
Makes the 20 percent small business deduction permanent.
Prevents Medicaid payments for beneficiaries who have died, are enrolled in multiple states or do not qualify for the program.
Ends Medicaid financing gimmicks that increased federal spending.
Supports rural hospitals in South Dakota by providing $50 billion for the Rural Hospital Relief Fund.
Supports nursing homes by eliminating burdensome Biden-era staffing mandates that threatened to close facilities.
Invests in USDA’s premier animal health programs that defend against livestock disease outbreaks and mitigates threats like New World Screwworm, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and African Swine Fever.
$4.5 billion for expansion of production capacity of B-21 long-range bomber aircraft, including tooling and expansion of supplier base and purchase of aircraft only available through the expansion of production capacity.
$100 million for Impact Aid to local educational agencies.
$100 million for Defense Community Infrastructure Program to support infrastructure needs like Douglas School District.

Video of the week: I joined KOTA TV to discuss my invitation to President Trump to attend the Sturgis rally:

The post US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Round[s] Up for JUNE 23 – JULY 1, 2025 first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Trump, tariffs driving rural economy into the shitter: Goss

larry kurtz — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:37:11 +0000

Creighton University's Ernie Goss follows the economies of nine midwestern states including South Dakota's. That state recorded a 20.4% loss in June (the worst in the region), a reduction in the export of goods in a regional manufacturing economy that's down 9,000 jobs and first-time claims for unemployment insurance are on the rise.

For the 13th time in the past 14 months, farmland prices slumped below growth neutral. The farm equipment sales index slumped to a very weak 22.7 from 23.9 in May. The June loan volume index declined to 73.1 from 75.0 in May. The checking deposit index fell to 40.4 from May’s 45.8. The index for certificates of deposits (CDs) and other savings instruments dropped to 50.2 from 60.4 in May. Rural bankers remain pessimistic about economic growth for their area over the next six months. The June confidence index increased to a frail 37.0 from May’s 30.0. [Mid-American Economy]

Doeden supporters seem to be claiming they can hand out county GOP chairmanship.

@SoDakCampaigns — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 21:03:16 +0000

Remember when the South Dakota Republican Party had bylaws they claimed to follow with regards to forming a county GOP organization? Apparently, that’s out the window, as one Toby Doeden supporter claims that if you stop at the Doeden meeting in Pine Ridge tonight, you might become the next county GOP Chairman:

Yeah.

The post Doeden supporters seem to be claiming they can hand out county GOP chairmanship. first appeared on South Dakota War College.

Olson on Dusty: "a buck-forty soaking wet"

larry kurtz — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:07:10 +0000

Jennifer Leither / Mitchell Republic

Editor's note: $20 says Jacquelyn Johnson isn't into all this. Shad Olson isn't buying it either.

Now that NeverTrump swamp creature Dusty Johnson has added officialdom and his $7-million warchest to the worst kept secret in South Dakota politics, announcing his run for South Dakota Governor, a few observations on the first "Team Dusty" video ad of the 2026 campaign.

But only if you're man enough to take it. Take it long and hard and rough and sweaty and dirty. Because that's what Dusty 2026 is all about. Man stuff. And word to the wise, if you're a buck-forty soaking wet and wearing dimestore cowboy boots and skinny jeans, you better just see yourself out before you strain an earlobe. Only real men allowed beyond this point. You must be this tall to ride this ride.
Dusty's first ad is just that intimidating. Vroom-vroom.
It's nothing less than a South Dakota-fried version of cultural appropriation of toxic masculinity. What with an assemblage of Dusty shots featuring arm swinging "dude walking," backslaps, firm handclasps and Dusty in a booster seat piloting a Dodge Ramp pickup, NeverTrump Congressman Johnson is attempting to appropriate toxic masculinity, complete with obvious coaching on diction and pacing to sound more gruff and authoritative, rather than professorial and peevish.
At one point Dusty enters the Johnson family dining room authoritatively and makes an amorous beeline for his seated wife with an intensity that might have left viewers wondering if he was going in for a randy handful of firm bosom or round bottom or both, with a side of creamy thigh. And why not?
Because Dusty is a man's man, who sees what he wants, wants what he takes, takes what he sees, and sees what he likes. Or, something like that. Anything. Anything manly and brutish and bullroar that forces his voice into an octave lower register of brute force and machismo. And South Dakota Strong. Gggrrrrrrrr.
Pass the Brut aftershave and the candy cigarettes. It's Dusty time up in here.
Whereas 2018 Congressional candidate Dusty was a cross between Howdy Doody and Kermit the Frog in a "Young Republicans" clip-on tie, exuding all the professorial charm of Urkel and Poindexter, 2025 Dusty wants everyone to know that he's graduated from Buster Browns, shortpants, suspenders and bowtie, to a new and rough and tumble version of his scrawny self, ready to tangle Mano y Mano with any hombre between here and the Picketwire. John Wayne included. This is Dusty Johnson with three new chest hairs and his dad's aftershave. Focus group tested and approved. Ram pickup included.
Removing tongue from cheek for serious observation, any imaging product that's two flannel shirts and a Red Ryder BB gun away from being a lesbian dating profile signals one thing and one thing only about the 2026 GOP Gubernatorial Primary:
After scanning the candidate landscape, Team Dusty Johnson sees an alpha male businessman from Aberdeen as their most formidable competition and they're programming accordingly. They're making Dusty a man's man, as clear counter programming to keep Dusty from looking like an errand boy about to get his clock cleaned by the company owner for botching the coffee again.
And spoiler alert, the next internal race polling you'll see likely confirms the logic of the masculinity makeover and the identification of main competition. Doeden surging. Rhoden fades. Hansen is a non-factor and by end of summer, it's a two man race between Aberdeen MAGA businessman Toby Doeden and Dusty Johnson, with Doeden able to go toe to toe and dollar for dollar with the establishment plant.
And they have to make Dusty credibly into a "man" capable of winning that comparison, regardless of what other rumors and unexplained compensation to male assistants might suggest.
And good luck with all that. Olson.

Hickey walks on

larry kurtz — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 21:34:46 +0000

Steve Hickey passed away Friday according to a family comment at his Faceberg page. He had undergone a double lung transplant and in January reported he had several blood clots in those organs.

Professor Hickey was from Kansas City, Missouri, was a Republican former South Dakota legislator and Sioux Falls pastor who was teaching at Alaska Christian College. Hickey and this blog didn't agree on everything but we both loathe video lootery, reject racism, want to end capital punishment and support truth and reconciliation for catholic clergy crimes. He had cast away many of the tenets and most of the objectives of the South Dakota Republican Party.

Tribes are pushing back on Trump Organization plan to sell off treaty lands

larry kurtz — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:32:30 +0000

Attorneys are gathering even more evidence that the Trump Organization committed crimes against humanity throughout Indian Country not only by slow-walking resources to reservations during a pandemic but by undercounting Indigenous populations during the 2020 Census. Donald Trump even killed the White House Tribal Nations Summit because he loathes Native Americans after lawsuits he lost in federal court over casinos.

Project 2025 and the extreme white wing of the Republican Party want a not so civil war over critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI because oligarchs fear an admission of guilt implies liability and they will be compelled to pay reparations to Indigenous and to the descendants of enslaved people.
“This is a frontal assault on tribal treaty rights and the exercise of those,” said Cris Stainbrook, Oglala Lakota and CEO of Indian Land Capital Company, which assists tribal nations in regaining land. “It is unacceptable and downright appalling that Donald Trump and Republicans are pushing to include a provision that limits Tribal involvement in decisions about public lands in the reconciliation bill,” said New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, the Democratic ranking member on the committee in a statement to High Country News. For decades, tribal nations have advocated for the return of lands taken through government policies and outright seizure. Tribes might support legislation that would make it easier for them to regain ancestral lands, but not like this, Stainbrook said. [Public land sale a ‘frontal assault on tribal treaty rights’]
Ahead of the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit and as part of the Cobell settlement the Interior Department's Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, some three million acres in fifteen states were returned to tribal trust ownership.
Heirs of Native individuals who held Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts that were mismanaged by the federal government must act before the end of June to file a claim and receive what they are owed. [$38 Million in Cobell Settlement Funds Are Still Available]

Yikes

larry kurtz — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:34:21 +0000

Fat acceptance is worse than fat shaming https://t.co/KetdbmrYUB
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) April 7, 2019

"We were at war:" Nick Estes interviews Leonard Peltier

larry kurtz — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:31:32 +0000

The United States' longest war wasn't in Afghanistan; it was against Indigenous Americans and ran from about 1785 to at least 1975. Leonard Peltier was a prisoner of that war.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon issued a limited presidential pardon to convicted killer William Calley of My Lai Massacre fame after he and American troops, some under his command, raped and butchered some 500 unarmed Vietnamese people in 1968.

Leonard Peltier is guilty of far, far lesser offenses. After being convicted in 1977 he was sentenced to two life terms for being present at the killing of two enemy combatants under the fog of war on a battlefield inside the Oglala Lakota Nation in occupied South Dakota in 1975. When I called him after he got there, one of the first things he said to me was, “We were at war.” That war had already begun when Peltier was a child. In 1953, when Peltier was nine, Congress passed a bill to terminate his tribe, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. [Nick Estes: Leonard Peltier’s Story Isn’t Over Yet]

New prison in Box Elder could tap federal dollars for Oahe pipeline boondoggle

larry kurtz — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 23:11:44 +0000

There are 679 military bases in the United States with known or suspected PFAS contamination and according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) the Department of Defense has not fully briefed farmers about the likely pollution of surface and groundwater near some 36 of 126 military bases with the highest parts per trillion of PFAS contamination.

Officials at Ellsworth Air Force Base say water wells in Box Elder have tested far above the US Environmental Protection Agency health advisory level at 551,000 parts per trillion for two chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — compounds in foam used to fight petroleum-based fires at a site where pit fires are common. Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls is poisoned with over 255,000 parts per trillion and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota suffers 453,000 parts per trillion.

And speaking of poisoning your own water supplies then begging for pipeline boondoggle money for lawns and golf courses in Spearditch plus feedlots, a ramen factory, the Bismarck Trail Ranch and Rally campgrounds with tax dollars spent on carving through Native America for white privilege instead of empowering communities to harvest snowmelt and rainwater rural communities are still dependent on politicians who exploit need. 

Now, a new men's prison in Box Elder could fast track the proposed Oahe water pipeline.

RINO Sanborn on Doeden

larry kurtz — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:21:07 +0000

Rapid City barker, Mike Sanborn began The Decorum Forum in 2009 which enjoyed a significant following for several years. Other local notables, Bill Fleming, a Democrat and Bob Newland, a Libertarian have been authors there. Sanborn is reportedly a member of the South Dakota ~~Republican~~ NAZI Party and is responsible for some of the most sexist and misogynistic Deadwood and Sturgis Rally billboards littering I-90. A perennial loser, Sanborn was destroyed in Rapid City's 2015 Ward 3 runoff election that kept incumbent Jerry Wright on the City Council.

Today, Sanborn trolls South Dakota blogs as "grudznick" and writes an occasional column for the Spearditch-based Black Hills Pioneer but like Pat Powers' page Sanborn's Faceberg site is plastered with his own image — a narcissist's tell.

It’s difficult to avoid Toby Doeden. Based on his website, Facebook posts, YouTube videos and podcasts, he’s promising to reduce and eventually eliminate property taxes, cut wasteful spending in Pierre, eliminate wokeness and DEI, uphold the Constitution and end government corruption in South Dakota — which he says is the most corrupt state in the union. He’s also promising to deport illegal aliens, prevent indoctrination in schools and prioritize public safety. This would indicate that the state is quite a mess — and he’s just the Republican to tidy things up. The primary is June 2, 2026. Take cover. Shots have been fired. [Sanborn, Faceberg post]

America in decline, Leo weeps

larry kurtz — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 22:38:39 +0000

“War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures. May diplomacy silence the weapons! May nations chart their futures with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts!

Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace. This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict. Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm. There are no “distant” conflicts when human dignity is at stake.”

Pope Leo XIV.

NM Gov. Lujan Grisham hosts SD Earth hater

larry kurtz — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 22:14:18 +0000

SD Earth haters keep pounding sand into each others places

larry kurtz — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 22:10:24 +0000

Only straight, white christianic Earth haters need apply

larry kurtz — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:37:01 +0000

Dusty Johnson’s Office Now Accepting Fall 2025 Internship Applications

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) announced that his office is seeking internship applicants for the fall in his Washington, D.C., Rapid City, Aberdeen, and Sioux Falls offices.

Duties of a congressional intern will include researching legislation, attending committee hearings and briefings, leading tours of the U.S. Capitol, handling constituent phone calls, sorting mail, and providing support to the staff and the Congressman. Interns will work closely with staff while developing their research, writing, and communications skills. Most importantly, they will gain an in-depth understanding of the federal legislative branch while helping to serve South Dakota constituents.

This is today's SDGOP

larry kurtz — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 21:42:06 +0000

Kate Crowley is the daughter of the late Sonny Crowley from St. Onge

Nader on Trump

larry kurtz — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 21:09:45 +0000

These disparate groups—members of Congress, bar associations, the small business community, medical, public health and scientific societies, civic groups, religious groups, former presidents and retired military—must pull together to save our Republic.
— Ralph Nader (@nader.org) June 20, 2025 at 2:55 PM

I suggest a FOURTH OF JULY announcement to Declare Our Independence from the unstable, self-anointed King Donald—the embodiment of the deepest fear of our Founders—and press for the ultimate remaining remedy, wisely foreshadowed by the framers of the Constitution...
— Ralph Nader (@nader.org) June 20, 2025 at 2:55 PM

...Donald Trump's IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE! -R
— Ralph Nader (@nader.org) June 20, 2025 at 2:55 PM

New prison would incarcerate more Natives

larry kurtz — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 13:31:57 +0000

Anyone believing that African-Americans, Latino-Americans, or American Indians are disproportionately imprisoned because they are more often criminals is wrong. In fact, white people per capita commit at least as many drug-related crimes than their non-white brethren o amigas.

In South Dakota alone mass incarceration fuels the white foster home industry: a pet project of a Republican former governor's wife and the state's relations with tribal nations trapped there are at historic lows. Racism is endemic in South Dakota, especially in reservation border towns like Rapid City and with guidance from the Koch's American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC Republicans routinely pass legislation that disenfranchises Native voters. While Native Americans make up one-tenth of South Dakota’s population, they make up 35% of those in state prisons, according to Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit public policy group. [South Dakota set to spend $2 billion on prisons]
Even though Mitchell is already a prison residents there have convinced local politicians to protest putting a new dungeon south of town.

In a related story, South Dakota has hired a former CoreCivic employee as the warden for its state penitentiary as Democratic New Mexico US Senator Martin Heinrich calls for ending the contract Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE has with CoreCivic at a prison complex in Estancia.

Poll: Trump is circling the drain

larry kurtz — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:09:44 +0000

NEW Economist/YouGov Poll Net job approval for Donald Trump [at the start of his second term | now] among U.S. adult citizens by age 18-29: +5 | -24 30-44: -1 | -13 45-64: +15 | 0 65+: -1 | -8 d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec... d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...

[image or embed]
— YouGov America (@today.yougov.com) June 10, 2025 at 7:36 AM

NEW Economist/YouGov Poll Net job approval for Donald Trump [at the start of his second term | now] among... White Americans +17 | +4 Hispanic Americans -5 | -27 Black Americans -31 | -51 d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec... d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...

[image or embed]
— YouGov America (@today.yougov.com) June 10, 2025 at 7:36 AM

Economist/YouGov Jun 6-9 % who approve | disapprove of Trump's job performance U.S. adult citizens 43% | 52% (-10) Last week 45% | 49% Start of term 49% | 43% Democrats 5% | 93% Independents 36% | 56% Republicans 85% | 11% Men 49% | 49% Women 37% | 56% d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...

[image or embed]
— YouGov America (@today.yougov.com) June 10, 2025 at 7:36 AM

Wherever you are, tomorrow we are all antifa

rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 02:02:26 +0000

More than 1.5 million people from 1200 communities have signed up with Hands Off! organizers to say they will show up locally Saturday in support of federal workers and to protest the fascist goons terrorizing the country by implementing deeply damaging and frequently illegal actions and policies (as well as performing a mad tariff experiment).

If you go to one of these events, please take a few photos and post them here in your own diary or one of the many that I suspect other people will write. This spontaneous upsurge of bottom-up resistance to the anti-democratic oligarchs is a crucial moment of solidarity. Such moments of broad unity rarely occur. We should celebrate and build upon them. This is, after all, about a lot more than Donald Trump and Elon Musk. There’s a bunch of these guys plus their armies of sycophants eager to turn the social and economic gains of the past century into dust. Joining together against these would-be rulers and in support of democracy, flawed as it may be, is an historical moment not to miss if you can help it.

In case you haven’t yet decided whether to go to an event, it’s not too late because they are just about everywhere. Here’s a link to the Hands Off! site where you can find an action somewhere in your vicinity.

Let’s show the rest of the world that America isn’t completely crazy.

They sure don't make it easy

rss@dailykos.com (ZenTrainer) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 19:30:33 +0000

The DNC is voting for a new Chair on Saturday. Many articles have been written about Ben Wikler on DK, he has a lot of fans here. I wrote a piece at the beginning of the month laying out how to contact DNC members in each state and ask them to vote for Ben. www.dailykos.com/...

Turns out that is easier said than done and was a lot easier a few years ago than it is now. I live in TN and the website for the Democratic Party has changed. There used to be a link to all the officers contact info right by their pictures.

Yeah, that’s not happening anymore. I was able to find one DNC members info but only because she is also a county chair. That didn’t stop me though, I have been sending emails to the generic TNDP website. All month I’ve gotten emails from the TNDP asking for money and I’ve responded by asking them to contact their DNC members and please get them to vote for Ben Wikler. TNDP- 615-327-9779 — hello@tndp.org You can do the same in your state.

We better hurry, the next election is February 1st.

rss@dailykos.com (ZenTrainer) — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 19:36:29 +0000

A lot of pieces have been written here about Ben Wikler lately. The successful chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has entered the race for head of the DNC. I’m thrilled! I think he is fantastic and agree that he would be great as chair of the DNC. I thought I’d provide some info on what we can do to help make that happen.

We used to have “Meet-Ups” here at Daily Kos. Gather in our cities and meet-up to eat (of course) and also to do some politicking. I miss those meetups but here is something that can be done online to help guide the course of the Democratic Party.

It’s the 448 members of the DNC who will be voting on the position of Chair so one thing you can do is contact the DNC members of your state party.

I googled “virginia democratic party steering committee” and got this link vademocrats.org/…
At that link there is a list of the members of the steering committee and within that list I found this:

Hon. Jennifer Carroll-Foy
DNC Member
Ms. Doris Crouse-Mays
DNC Member
Mr. Harry Khanna
DNC Member
Ms. Tram Nguyen
DNC Member
Mr. Bryan Graham
DNC Member
Hon. Levar Stoney
DNC Member
Ms. Elaine Kamarck
DNC Member

These would be the people in VA who need to be contacted. This can be done in every state.
Here are Michigan's DNC members michigandems.com/… Maryland’s are here mddems.org/…
If you can’t find your states members post a comment here and someone will help you find out, I guarantee.

It’s not that hard to find the contact info for these folks and when you do, contact them! Let them know who you’d like to see heading the D Party. Ask them to vote for Ben Wikler. Call them, email or send a text, do all 3. You would be amazed at the power the readers of Daily Kos have. More than one State Party Chair knows who we are!!

Also, it cost money to run. You can donate to Ben here

DONATE

Ben Wikler and Dr. Fergie Reid Sr. Dr. Reid Sr. turns 100 this year and is still going strong!

On real fake news

David Newquist — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:58:19 +0000

The newspaper I worked for hired a journalistic "hero," who had served a month in jail in Colorado for refusing to reveal a news source. She had written about judicial corruption in Colorado and a judge sent her to jail when she wouldn't say who gave her the information or how she got it. Her stance earned her national recognition and she was featured on the cover of Life magazine.

She came to the Quad-Cities area to work for a newspaper in Davenport, Iowa. After a short time, she left that paper-- at its request-- and came across the river to work on the Moline, Illinois, paper where I worked. She was features editor and covered higher education. That's where some problems with her showed up.

In her reporting, she showed a personal dislike for the president of the local community college. Her reports implied that his staff members resented him and questioned his competence. I knew a number of the faculty, and they said her contention was simply not true. That circumstance was something that greatly perturbed other journalists on the newspaper staff. She made things up but claimed they were the results of her investigations. The editor was reluctant to restrain her because her stories sold newspapers; she was well regarded by many readers. However, the area had a press club, and two of its members documented the falsehoods she made and wrote about them in the organization's newsletter. Their purpose was to disassociate honest working journalists from a person who they thought did not meet the ethical and professional standards of a true journalist. The same attitude prevailed at the newspaper I worked for. The matter came to a head one day.

She ran a story that purported that illegal gambling activities were taking place throughout the countryside. She included a photograph of a line of cars parked on the side of a country lane leading to a farmstead where she said men gathered to play high-stakes poker and craps. I recognized the scene portrayed, as I was there. The event was actually a workshop on grooming and handling cattle for show conducted by University of Illinois extension specialists for 4-H and Future Farmer members. I covered the workshop on the farm page, but many readers read and believed the woman's story that gambling was taking place there. The owners of the farm requested that a retraction and correction be printed, but the reporter claimed that her story was true and that gamblers used the workshop contention to cover their gambling activities.

The owners of the farm were prominent community leaders and had their lawyer call the editor to inform him that they intended to enter a defamation suit if the story was not corrected. The editor came to the realization that the "investigative reporting" by the woman was largely made up. He enforced a rule that she had to identify her sources either in her stories or at least to him so that he could verify the information. The reporter rebuked the editor, saying that he was trying to gain access to news sources that she had developed. Tension between the editor and her got intense, and was aggravated by the fact that her work was often slovenly. The managing editor complained about the quality of her work, which detracted from the professional work produced by other staff members. Her work degraded the reputation of the newspaper, which was considered one of the most influential news sources in downstate Illinois. Her effect on the newspaper was so discouraging that I decided it was time to change jobs. I did not find any attractive openings in the news business. That and the passage of a peacetime GI Bill resulted in the decision to go to graduate school. However, I was just one of seven editorial staff members to leave the paper at that time. Another factor was that the owners--the editor and the publisher--had decided to sell the paper, and none of the prospective buyers sponsored the kind of publications than hardcore journalists wanted to work for. So, we left.

Many newspapers were not beacons of journalistic light. Their editorial policies were shaped more to please the advertisers and serve the social and political interests of community leaders than to provide reliable factual information to a readership engaged in a democracy. The journalists at the Moline paper thought that the made-up stories of that "star" journalist were a serious betrayal of the trust that serious journalists try to create in their readers. Her work was fake news, because it was made up. Trump applies the term to any news that displeases him, although it is usually carefully reported and factually accurate.

The internet has shattered the community news business. Aberdeen, for example, does not have a full-fledged news organization operating in the community anymore. When I moved here, there was a newspaper, two television news departments, and three radio stations with staffs reporting the local news. All of that is gone. Now there are only partial efforts at coverage by internet sources. The economics of the news business has been destroyed and journalists have not found a way to re-establish thorough and consistent coverage. Bad writing and false stories fill the internet pages. Major news organizations are easily available on the internet, but local news reporting is sporadic at best. Serious efforts get mixed in with the fakes, and readers are bewildered by trying to distinguish the real from the fake.

Real journalists need to organize and clarify their efforts so that readers and watchers know who they can depend on for real news.

The proctology caucus and the end of America

David Newquist — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:25:18 +0000

The matter of Donald Trump is not one of partisan politics. It is a matter of what comprises decency. A colleague calls the MAGA cult the proctology caucus because it is so enamored of an asshole. He points out that these people will be around after Trump is gone and that their admiration of Trump raises questions about whether the United States can sustain an honorable, uncorrupted government. To endorse Trump is to reject democracy.

Trump posts statements on the social media that are so crudely malevolent that they are characteristic of an emotionally disturbed, mentally deficient fifth-grader, certainly not of a functioning adult. And that brings up the divided state of our country. The politicians talk of unifying. That talk ignores the fact that people of some intelligence and decency do not want to be allied with people who lack and disparage those qualities. People who revere those qualities are aware that democracy works only when it is applied with scruples in regard to the rights and aspirations of others.

The election of Donald Trump marked a failure of American democracy. Although we claim to be a democracy, about half of our citizens think that leadership has to be authoritarian. They are used to obeying teachers, bosses, ministers, spouses, police, whatever form authority figures can come in. The founders of our republic were clear about designing a system of governance that would not permit a king or anything resembling one to be in charge. Still, there are people who are enthralled by royalty and its privileges. Walt Whitman recognized the problem when he said the democratic United States 'are destined either to surmount the gorgeous history of feudalism, or else prove the most tremendous failure of time." The election of Trump, the heir millionaire with a predatory criminal history, was a step backward into the iniquities of feudalism. When Trump speaks of making America great again, he is speaking of its vagaries of the past which democracy works to overcome.

Trump is a despicable person who flouts the principles that the republic was formed to develop and protect. He is an asshole who embodies the values of many Americans, and those are not the values of a functioning democracy. They are the values of pageantry and power that are rooted in feudalism.

A vote for Trump is a vote to stop the quest for liberty, equlality, and justice. We borrowed a term from the black American vernacular, woke, to describe people who are extremely sensitive to the inequities, and injustices of the world, and have made it a term of derision and contempt. That is how close we have come to losing our democracy.

Trump is an asshole, but he has a lot of fellows who admire that quality in a man. But the biggest problem is how do you unify with people who do not, in fact, want the qualities of life that America was created to develop and preserve?

That is what is at issue in the upcoming election.

Gaslighting an entire nation

David Newquist — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:10:52 +0000

The Republican Convention was an exercise in mass gaslighting. Its premise was that anything negative in Trump's past was a malevolent contrivance of the Democrats. The speakers at the Tuesday night session of the convention sounded as if they were nominating him for sainthood. And there were shots of him with his bandaged ear as evidence of the mockery and abuse he suffered in his quest to redeem the nation from its diminished plight.

The Trump slogan [Make America Great Again] has always puzzled me. When was it that America was so notably great? What characterized its greatness? When and how did it lose those characteristics? Just what characteristics will restore its greatness? Or has it always been what it is?

The whole MAGA business is a baseless contention. There are no facts that stand up under scrutiny that define the greatness. Some of the momentum of the civil rights movement has declined, but the MAGA people are behind that setback. The right wing is in a frantic frenzy to destroy the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts (DEI) to extend the civil rights principles into matters of employment and everyday life. It has had some success in that regard.

The United States from its inception has strived to meet in practice the words of its founding, to achieve liberty, equality, and justice for all. But there has always been a significant portion of the population that has no real interest in those qualities.The current push for equity has involved more women getting into positions of authority usually held by men. I have not witnessed that process from the inside because the jobs I have held were in places where women were already in leadership positions--in journalism and education. I do understand, however, that men dominated the executive suites in the nation. And that includes the White House. That may soon change, as we've seen women become contenders for the presidency. Women are now the top officers in some corporations, and that fact marks an achievement in behalf of gender equality. It doesn't, however, signify an advance in social equality, as corporate officers cling to authoritarian roles in their exercise of executive function, no matter what their gender.

During what we refer to as the civil rights era, we made important strides toward addressing racial and social discrimination. Those gains were apparent at the Democratic Convention with the number of prominent black people participating and the nominee for president being a multi-racial woman. Much of their efforts were to refute the MAGA efforts to return to a past that was short on human rights and catered to the privileges of a wealthy few and excluded others on a racial and social basis. The rallying cry of the Democrats is "We won't go back!"

The irony is that the GOP, under the marshaling of Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Illinois) exerted leadership in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 over the obstruction of a block of Democratic senators. The MAGA folks think greatness was a time when a select few had power and privilege over ordinary Americans. The current Democrats are defining just what Trump and his ilk mean by "greatness." America's greatness is in its arduous efforts to achieve equality and attain liberty and justice for all. Trump represents a setback in the progress we've made. And a number of Republicans who worked for him and spoke at the Democratic Convention explained that.

Trump speaks of America's failures as a nation, but he is its most significant one.

The flag of a failed democracy.

How to Explain the Dangers of Project 2025 in less than 60 Seconds

rss@dailykos.com (jamess) — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 23:42:33 +0000

— —

Harris makes the case — against Project 2025.

And she does it in less than a minute.

VP Kamala Harris Details Dangers of Project 2025

YouTube Video

NowThis Impact — July 11, 2024

Trump's advisors have created a 900 page blueprint, they're calling Project 2025. Detailing everything else they plan to do in a second term, including:
• a plan to cut Social Security,
• to repeal our $35 cap on insulin,
• to eliminate the Department of Education, and
• end programs like Headstart.

And Project 2025 outlines a plan to limit access to contraception, and for a nationwide abortion ban -- with or without an act of Congress.

That is one excellent ‘elevator pitch’ summary — of 900 pages of MAGA marching orders.

It is definitely worth passing along.

That Harris hot-take clip should help the casual observer understand, how draconian this Heritage Foundation “transition plan” really is. Should it ever have a chance to see the light of day.

— — — — —

But there is so much more buried in those 900 pages [See Intro image]; so much more linking the MAGA-State Blueprint to former Trump officials.

Bottom line: Project 2025 is coming after you — or someone you love.

It’s targets are real. It is a dangerous government dismantling and take-over plan.

Designed by an un-elected conservative think-tank — who by their own admission — are looking to correct the mistakes of the first Trump Administration.

— —

Many of Trump’s top loyalists helped to write it, went to work to help organize it, or are now working to enlist the next “army” of Trump loyalists. Should the Convicted Felon somehow squeak his way back into Office, and appoint himself Dictator on Day One.

—

[Major Hat-tip to MattRyd7 for compiling the following “revolving door” list of former Trump insiders now working on Project 2025.]

Here is John McEntee, Trump's Director of White House Personnel and architect of Project 2025.

Project 2025 architect John McEntee walking with Donald Trump

Here is Russ Vought, Trump's Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He is an author of Project 2025 and is currently in charge of the Republican party's platform committee.

Russ Vough author of Donald Trump’s Republican platform and Project 2025

Here is Karoline Leavitt, Trump's National Press Secretary working for Project 2025.

Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump's National Press Secretary and member of Project 2025

Here is Stephen Miller, Trump's Director of Speechwriting and Senior Advisor to the President under Trump doing recruitment for Project 2025.

Donald Trump's Senior Advisor Stephen Miller starring in a recruitment ad for Project 2025

Here is his Steve Bannon, Trump's former Campaign Manager and a Senior Advisor in Trump's White House promoting Project 2025.

Steve Bannon former Campaign Manager and Senior Advisor to Donald Trump promoting Project 2025

Here is Donald Trump's Super PAC running ads for Project 2025, calling it "Trump's Project 2025".

Donald Trump's Super PAC promoting Project 2025

The reason Trump is trying to distance himself now from Project 2025 is because the policies it plans to implement are extremely unpopular.

Trump's aides are the ones behind Project 2025.

Aides and Staff for Donald Trump who are involved in Project 2025.

— —

The stakes are high. Democracy itself is indeed on the ballot.

Trump tried to over-turn it once. He must never be given that chance again.

— —

Democracy is worth defending; Democracy is worth protecting; Democracy is worth voting for.
Now more than ever.

What does the banishment of Woke, DEI, and the like really mean?

David Newquist — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:10:30 +0000

First, it means that the mean, petty, and stupid have triumphed. And that the rest of the population isn't literate enough to understand that. Secondly, it means our education system has failed to instill even the rudiments of literacy as a goal of education.

When terms such as woke and DEI are constantly used, the attitudes they provoke displace their meaning. For example, the term woke came from black communities to designate the awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination experienced by people of color in a white-dominated society. People who harbored discriminatory attitudes in their minds used the term derisively to belittle people who claimed an awareness of racial discrimination. It became a term of disparagement, an insult. So, no one wanted to be insulted by being called woke. Those who advocate or tolerate racial belittlement found they could advance their cause by applying the term woke in a disparaging manner, and such application of the term made racial prejudice seem like an acceptable, superior practice.

One of the hypocrisies of American life is that we proudly recite that all people are created equal but have an obsessive need to assert superiority over others. Most people resent being said to be equal with people they regard as inferior. America's most serious failures as a democracy are rooted in that resentment, and that resentment is driving a retreat in the quest for equality. America's right wing is successfully blocking equality as a condition of American life.

A corporation headquartered in my hometown, Moline, Ill., John Deere, issued a statement that it is abandoning DEI policies in favor of quality-based policies. At the same time, it issued a statement that it was laying off more than 600 employees. "Cut the DEI policies, Orville, and it's our chance to get the niggers, spics, and chinks out of here!" Oh, and the company is moving some production to Mexico. The obvious implication is that the company thinks that employment practices that try to include people of diverse backgrounds interferes with the quality of work done. Lower the diversity of the work force and you raise the quality of the work. But then you send the work down to the country where some of these diverse people come from. Along with abandoning diversity, equality, and inclusion in hiring policies, the company seems to also have abandon coherence in decision-making. We live in the age of Trump, which has taught us that business CEOs find democracy a bit of a nuisance.

One thing we learn in this situation is that it is foolish to look for the qualities of a functional democracy in the way business is done. Those qualities are detrimental to business. Well, at least to business leaders who call themselves conservative. We tend to forget that slavery was a profitable enterprise, and it was that damned notion of equality that ruined that enterprise.

Watch Kristi Noem brag about doing absolutely nothing to stop COVID

rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 01:31:52 +0000

South Dakota puppy killer Gov. Kristi Noem took time away from defending her state’s abortion ban to speak at the Republican National Convention Monday night. She came out to a tepid response from the audience.

She then reminded the crowd that her big claim to fame—before becoming the 21t century’s Cruella de Vil—was how poorly she managed the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Most of you probably first heard about me during Covid,” Noem said, “because South Dakota was the only state in the country that stayed open for business. We didn't mandate anything. We never ordered a single business or a church to close.”

In fact, she bragged, “I never even defined what an essential business was, because I don't believe that the government has the authority to tell you that your business isn't essential.”

Maybe that’s why Noem, like other conservative-run states, saw the largest spikes in COVID infections during the first months of the pandemic? Maybe that’s why this might be the only time we hear about the COVID-19 pandemic during this convention?

“When other states were pushing mandates and lockdowns, instead, in South Dakota, we hit the gas. We embraced liberty. We told our story, and we invited people to come and to enjoy our beautiful state,” Noem continued.

She’s telling the truth here. It was allowing superspreader events like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that led to South Dakota’s horrific COVID rates.

“Now, all of the things that conservatives have always talked about, we just did it,” Noem concluded to a similarly lukewarm spattering of applause. “And it works.”

It’s didn’t work.

YouTube Video

Does anyone need a NN ticket?

rss@dailykos.com (BeninSC) — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 02:06:05 +0000

Good evening.

Due to circumstances beyond my control I will not be able to use my Netroots Nation ticket this year. I wish I could donate it, but I can’t. I see the convention is currently charging $420 + $12.85 (service charge/convenience fee) for an activist ticket. I can offer this one for $350 no other charges via PayPal, if that might help someone out. We can exchange info via kosmail if you are interested. But indicating interest in the comment thread is fine. If multiple people are interested, I will go with the first one who contacts me.

Yes, I know this is not a diary with political or personal importance, but the Help Desk was fine with offering the ticket via this avenue. I will happily delete the diary once I am contacted by someone who would like a ticket. If that doesn’t happen I will postpone it a year and try to go then.

I wish all of you attending a terrific experience, and it breaks my heart I won’t be able to join you this year.

On shooting the pooch

David Newquist — Wed, 22 May 2024 15:38:50 +0000

Gov. Noem has published an account of shooting her dog Cricket because he, among other things, enjoyed chicken dinners, but did not obtain them from Col. Sanders. He got them from neighboring farms in their live state and processed them himself. When it came to chicken coops, Cricket was foxy. But Gov. Noem chose, rather than train and restrain her errant mutt, to take him out to a gravel pit where she served the role of executioner. She shot him, and bragged about it in the book she wrote. While she was at it, she also shot a goat that apparently displeased her.

Her explanations claimed her shootings were a matter of protecting her family and public safety. However, her actions were widely condemned by people in both political parties. When it comes to killing a family pet, there is much consternation among the public.

I recall one occasion in my family when an uncle shot the family dog. I was staying on their farm with my cousins when we children were summoned to come in the house. They had a dog named Lucky. We were told that Lucky's luck had run out, and he was showing the symptoms of rabies. We were to stay in the house until my uncle and the hired man resolved the situation, Their first effort was to try to catch Lucky and take him to the veterinarian, but the vet said if the dog was showing signs of aggressive behavior, there was nothing he could do to help the dog, as the disease had progressed beyond the point at which there was any treatment available. The dog was shot and wrapped in a tarpaulin. Then everybody was equipped with buckets or pressure sprayers and we disinfected the places the dog had been during his last moments of life. The dog's body was hauled to a vet's laboratory where it was confirmed that the dog had rabies and then incinerated. Lucky had been a constant companion with my cousins, and they never had another dog again. The loss of Lucky was too painful for them, and they didn't want to hazard such a loss again.

My family had a dog for years. They got her when my brother was two, so Fluffy was two years older than me. She was a mixed breed that included Chow and some shepherd breed. She helped raise me. When I was an infant, my mother would put me in a baby buggy in the back yard to get some fresh air, and Fluffy would lie under the buggy to guard it. When I became old enough to toddle around, Fluffy, much to my annoyance, would herd me away from the busy street that ran past our front yard. She was my guardian. I think of her in this context because of the way she ended her life.

On a brisk autumn day when I was 14, I was playing catch with some friends using a baseball size rubber ball. Fluffy was with me, and would retrieve the ball when we failed to catch it. Then we had to catch Fluffy to get the ball back. We had much fun with Fluffy as our play became a game of keep-away from her. She was 16, and playing like a puppy. Our game ended as supper time approached and we went to our homes. After supper, we realized Fluffy was not home, and we called for her, but she didn't show up. We weren't too concerned because she was part of the neighborhood and some neighbors would let her in their houses to be petted. At bed time she hadn't returned, but we had an enclosed back porch where we put food and water for her. We were confident that she was visiting a neighbor and could eventually seek the shelter of the porch and the warmth of an old rag rug we keep there for her. Her regular bed was in the basement next to the furnace.

The next morning, my mother got a telephone call from a neighbor across the street, The woman said they found Fluffy on their front porch and she didn't seem able to get to her feet. I carried her home, and we put her in the car and headed to the vet. We were puzzled that she could have shown so much life the day before, but seemed so ill. The vet explained that her age was a factor. She went to the neighbor's porch to rest but was further stressed by the cold night coming on, and it triggered many problems of canine old age, including arthritis, failing kidneys, and other internal malfunctions. He said he could keep her at the animal hospital and treat her as much as was possible to see if she recovered, but she was so old and fragile that she might need to be put down to spare further suffering. She didn't improve and showed signs of pain, so we ended up at the vet clinic to say our goodbyes to Fluffy, and she was put quietly to sleep.

Then there was Seth. My grandmother lived on a farm with two bachelor uncles. Seth was mostly German Shepherd, and was unusually intelligent. When my uncles needed to go in and out of fields containing livestock, they would say, "Seth, watch the gate," and he would position himself by the open gate and keep the livestock in until my uncles closed it. This might be for hours.

Seth also was a helpmate for my grandmother, who suffered from rheumatism. The farm at that time did not have water running to the house. The well was located outside the fenced-in yard. When my grandmother open the storm door to go get water, a door-closer which held the door tightly shut made a snapping sound, at which Seth would come running. He would open the fence gate for my grandmother as she passed through it. He was the master gate keeper on the farm.

His death was brutal. The neighborhood thrashing gang was on the farm harvesting oats. There were five teams of horses hauling oat bundles in from the field to the thrashing machine, and they were lined up to be unloaded into the machine. One team was composed of a pair of broncos, and Seth was lying in the shade of the wagon they were pulling as the men pitched the oat bundles into the thrasher. Something spooked them and they suddenly bolted. The men were sent sprawling, and the rear wagon wheel ran over Seth. He yelped, ran to the house, and sought refuge under the porch, where he died of internal injuries. My uncles never replaced him, and my grandmother came to my parents' house in town to live. She often talked about how much she missed Seth.

There can be another side to farm dogs. While I was farm editor for a newspaper, there was a rash of sheep killings in one of the rural neighborhoods. Farmers speculated about wolves, coyotes, and cougars, all of which were very rare in that part of the country. One morning I received a call from the county conservation officer, who was a distant relative, that there had been a mass killing of sheep. A photographer and I went to the scene. Because of prior killings, there were many experts in the area looking into them. In this case, about 80 sheep were killed. A large group of investigators were already on the scene when we got there--the sheriff's department, game conservation officers, wildlife biologists, veterinarians, and agricultural officials.

They determined that dogs in the area were forming packs at night and going feral. They found witnesses who had seen the packs and after inspecting some suspected dogs found evidence that they were the culprits. One dog in particular was the instigator and leader of the pack. The farmer who owned the sheep filed a law suit and the lawyers work out a settlement in private, so we had scant information about how the matter was resolved. However, the incident was reported throughout the nation, and legislatures passed and revised laws on the predation of domestic animals by dogs that have gone feral. South Dakota law makes it legal to shoot a predatory dog.

So, Kristi Noem was within the law. But she was far outside the propriety expected of a government leader. The question: Is someone who goes around shooting dogs and goats capable of running a democratic state? No one has ever accused Kristi Noem of being overburdened with intellect. But the fact that she was elected governor falls on the people who elected her governor. The contention that South Dakota comes up a bit short in the intellect department is grounded in demonstrable fact. South Dakota got that reputation the old-fashioned way. It earned it. And Kristi is its emblem.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5371904020164697258/9212326594720648877

Anti-abortion group is behind ‘scam’ calls, South Dakota election official says

rss@dailykos.com (South Dakota Searchlight) — Sat, 18 May 2024 15:00:16 +0000

By Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight

Hundreds of phone calls this week that the South Dakota secretary of state has labeled a “scam” are originating from an anti-abortion group seeking to disqualify an abortion-rights ballot measure.

A petition was submitted last week to the Secretary of State’s Office with enough signatures to place the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot, but the signatures must undergo a validation process.

Earlier this year, the legislature and Gov. Kristi Noem passed legislation allowing people to withdraw their signatures from petitions.

Rachel Soulek, elections director with the Secretary of State’s Office, said the callers are capitalizing on the new law.

“This is the first time we are seeing this and it’s a result of the law change to allow individuals to remove their name from a ballot measure up till the point it is validated in our office,” Soulek told South Dakota Searchlight through email.

Kristi Noem's story of murdering her dog keeps getting worse

rss@dailykos.com (Mark Sumner) — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:00:14 +0000

Kristi Noem has done plenty of terrible things as governor of South Dakota. That includes disregarding COVID-19 safety rules and being among the first to treat the whole pandemic as a political opportunity. No pencil-pushing scientist was going to tell her what to do, even if that meant citizens in South Dakota had to be airlifted out of state for treatment due to overcrowding.

She’s banned from visiting 10% of the land in her own state because of her continuous disrespect for Native Americans. She insists on staging fireworks displays in the middle of a drought. And she’s currently being sued after doing a commercial for a cosmetic dentist in Texas to pay for her new set of teeth.

With all that, Noem had still barely made a dent in the national news until she told a grisly story of how she shot a family dog and tossed its body in a gravel pit when it failed to perform to her satisfaction. But just because she’s been revealed as an empathy-deprived monster, don’t assume that she’s not at the top of Donald Trump’s shortlist for vice president.

Red states fight growing efforts to give ‘basic income’ cash to residents

rss@dailykos.com (Arizona Mirror) — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 20:59:13 +0000

By Kevin Hardy, Arizona Mirror

This article originally published on Arizona Mirror.

South Dakota state Sen. John Wiik likes to think of himself as a lookout of sorts — keeping an eye on new laws, programs and ideas brewing across the states.

“I don’t bring a ton of legislation,” said Wiik, a Republican. “The main thing I like to do is try and stay ahead of trends and try and prevent bad things from coming into our state.”

This session, that meant sponsoring successful legislation banning cities or counties from creating basic income programs, which provide direct, regular cash payments to low-income residents to help alleviate poverty.

While Wiik isn’t aware of any local governments publicly floating the idea in South Dakota, he describes such programs as “bureaucrats trying to hand out checks to make sure that your party registration matches whoever signed the checks for the rest of your life.”

A Dog Named Cricket: A Metaphor For MAGAs Everywhere

rss@dailykos.com (KeithDB) — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 19:28:48 +0000

In an actual sort of politically unifying moment, criticism of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (touted as a possible VP running mate for Trump) has come from all sides after she disclosed in a book that she executed her dog (named "Cricket") by shooting him in the face. In the book Noem said that she "hated" the dog, that it failed as a hunting dog, and attacked a neighbor's chicken. So she realized what had to be done and shot it in the face on the way home.

In response to the controversy Noem doubled down stating, "decisions like this happen all the time on a farm," and promising "more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping" in her book which she urges you preorder.

That last part there really gets to it. Kristi Noem's dog story was a political calculation. MAGA puts great stock and value in being politically incorrect. What greater way to show how politically incorrect you are than by admitting you shot your dog in the face?

Noem included this story in her book because she believed there was a constituency for it. Noem believed the MAGAs of America would love this story of a rebel against conventional thinking and political correctness. In that calculation it appears that she might be wrong, but that was the calculation she made. She may have miscalculated, but it was a political calculation.

Cricket died just sitting there as his master shot him in the face, still trusting and loving his master through the very end. In that, Cricket may be a metaphor for MAGAs everywhere.

Trump VP hopeful Kristi Noem is very proud of that time she murdered her dog

rss@dailykos.com (Aldous J Pennyfarthing) — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:15:03 +0000

If you’re a vice presidential hopeful trying to catch Donald Trump’s eye, there are worse ways to do it than bragging about killing your dog for doing ordinary dog things.

Kristi Noem, who’s best known as the COVID-loving governor of one of America’s top rectangular states, has added capricious dog killer to her résumé. And while in another place, time, or universe it might have seemed outlandish to suggest she’s mentioning her dog-murdering bona fides in order to woo notorious dog-hater Trump, in this political climate, that theory seriously has to be considered.

In a new book to be released next month and shared with The Guardian, Noem says she killed her “untrainable” 14-month-old hunting dog Cricket after it ate a local family’s chickens. Yes, she wrote this down—and actually tried to use it as an example of her surpassing grit, determination, and wisdom.

Trump VP hopeful Kristi Noem struggles to defend her state's abortion ban

rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 19:15:19 +0000

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem did her best to avoid discussing abortion rights during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. When asked about her state’s near-total abortion ban—which classifies abortion as a Class 6 felony unless performed to save the mother’s life—Noem deflected the question back to a discussion on states’ rights.

24 former Trump associates who denounce him

David Newquist — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 18:55:39 +0000

Many people think that if Americans voted Donald Trump into the office of president again, it would effectively be a vote to end the democracy. Some think that he doesn't know the difference of presiding over a corporation in which he is a dictator and presiding over a democracy of free people. Others regard him as a bumbling fool. He has a long list of bumbles and mendacious episodes. He has accrued a long list of associates who denounce him as candidate for president. CNN has created a list of 24 associates who disapprove of him along with their reasons. The list follows:

1. His vice president, Mike Pence: “The American people deserve to know that President Trump asked me to put him over my oath to the Constitution. … Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”

2. His second attorney general, Bill Barr: “Someone who engaged in that kind of bullying about a process that is fundamental to our system and to our self-government shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office.”

3. His first secretary of defense, James Mattis: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us.”

4. His second secretary of defense, Mark Esper: “I think he’s unfit for office. … He puts himself before country. His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.”

5. His chairman of the joint chiefs, retired Gen. Mark Milley, seemed to invoke Trump: “We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We take an oath to the Constitution and we take an oath to the idea that is America – and we’re willing to die to protect it.”

6. His first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson: “(Trump’s) understanding of global events, his understanding of global history, his understanding of US history was really limited. It’s really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t even understand the concept for why we’re talking about this.”

7. His first ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley: “He used to be good on foreign policy and now he has started to walk it back and get weak in the knees when it comes to Ukraine. A terrible thing happened on January 6 and he called it a beautiful day.”

8. His presidential transition vice-chairman, Chris Christie: “Someone who I would argue now is just out for himself.”

9. His second national security adviser, HR McMaster: “We saw the absence of leadership, really anti-leadership, and what that can do to our country.”

10. His third national security adviser, John Bolton: “I believe (foreign leaders) think he is a laughing fool.”

11. His second chief of staff, John Kelly: “A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.”

12. His former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who resigned as US special envoy to Ireland after January 6, 2021: “I quit because I think he failed at being the president when we needed him to be that.”

13. One of his many former communications directors, Anthony Scaramucci: “He is the domestic terrorist of the 21st century.”

14. Another former communications director, Stephanie Grisham: “I am terrified of him running in 2024.”

15. His secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, who resigned after January 6: “When I saw what was happening on January 6 and didn’t see the president step in and do what he could have done to turn it back or slow it down or really address the situation, it was just obvious to me that I couldn’t continue.”

16. His secretary of transportation, Elaine Chao, who resigned after January 6: “At a particular point the events were such that it was impossible for me to continue, given my personal values and my philosophy.

17. His first secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer: “…the president has very little understanding of what it means to be in the military, to fight ethically or to be governed by a uniform set of rules and practices.”

18. His first homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert: “The President undermined American democracy baselessly for months. As a result, he’s culpable for this siege, and an utter disgrace.”

19. His former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen: “Donald’s an idiot.”

20. His White House lawyer, Ty Cobb: “Trump relentlessly puts forth claims that are not true.”

21. A former director of strategic communications, Alyssa Farah Griffin, who is now a CNN political commentator: “We can stand by the policies, but at this point we cannot stand by the man.”

22. A top aide in charge of his outreach to African Americans, Omarosa Manigault Newman: “Donald Trump, who would attack civil rights icons and professional athletes, who would go after grieving black widows, who would say there were good people on both sides, who endorsed an accused child molester; Donald Trump, and his decisions and his behavior, was harming the country. I could no longer be a part of this madness.”

23. A former deputy press secretary, Sarah Matthews, who resigned after January 6: “I thought that he did do a lot of good during his four years. I think that his actions on January 6 and the lead-up to it, the way that he’s acted in the aftermath, and his continuation of pushing this lie that the election is stolen has made him wholly unfit to hold office every again.”

On a balmy, clear Wednesday last November about 15 minutes after noon, two cars pulled into the parking lot at the YMCA. The occupant of one car murdered the occupant of the other. The local media reported it this way: "Officers had determined by Wednesday [a week after the incident] that two vehicles pulled into the north entrance of the Aberdeen Family YMCA parking lot and one person shot the other, [Police Capt. Tanner] Johndahl said." Although the police were called to the scene minutes after it happened, it took a week to figure out that one person shot another.

It took two months for law enforcement to decide there was nothing to do about it. That included to not explain to their constituents what happened.

Here is the outline of how the matter was reported:

The police were summoned.

The name of the person who was shot had not been released as of the Friday after it happened.

“The individual who is believed to have fired the gunshot was on scene when law enforcement arrived,” per the release.

Life-saving measures with the help of YMCA staff were attempted and the victim was transported to St. Lukes Avera Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The hospital went on lockdown, but nearby schools and the YMCA didn't.

The agencies responding were the Aberdeen Police Department, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Brown County Emergency Management and Aberdeen Fire & Rescue.

The person believed to have shot the gun was initially detained, but released the following day.

The State's Attorney said the investigation was ongoing.

Six days after the shooting, the name of the victim, Donald Michael Heinz, was released.

More than two months after the shooting, the State's Attorney announced that the shooters name is Trenton Milton, the stand-your-ground law had been investigated, no charges were filed, and the case is closed.

So, what was the cause or reason for the shooting?

Local law enforcement seems to think its constituents are a bunch of gullible dolts who know nothing and deserve to be kept ignorant. The premise of democracy is that the people rule and to do so have the right to know what is going on in their government so that they can make intelligent choices. In this case, as in others, we get this bewildering account of a violent death which gives us no information about the motives and circumstances behind a brazen killing or about the basis for its decisions.

One thing we do know is that democracy in this part of the country is a failure. In recent years, we have a single party government with no leaders or candidates who note the failures and offer to make the instruments of democratic process work for us again.

Donald Michael Heinz was 70 years old, worked for 43 years at Hub City Manufacturing, and had a family. When he drove into that parking lot was he in pursuit of Trenton Milton? Did he have a weapon with which he was menacing Mr. Milton? What was the relationship between the two men?

There are those who say it's none of our business. But in a real democracy, the moral and social health of the community is our business, and we need to understand the forces and resolution of this morbid episode. Is the failure to provide coherent information a matter of dysfunction in law enforcement? We note that the sheriff and chief of police promised to address a conflict between their agencies. Is that conflict part of the cause for the incomprehensible handling of this case?

And, of course, Aberdeen no longer has a full-fledged newspaper, which means that coverage of city hall and the police station doesn't have a journalist devoted to tracking the personalities, issues, and events involved in running the city. However, I note that the coverage of the city has never been as intensive in Aberdeen as it was for the cities in newspapers for which I worked.

I also note that this incident occurs in the context of some setbacks for the city, the closings of Presentation College and Banner Engineering. Many other businesses have left town in recent years.

With the handling of this shooting, Aberdeen has become a killing ground. No explanation has been offered for why Donald Heinz was killed.

That makes Aberdeen a good place to leave. It's a trend.

Life-saving measures were attempted and the man was taken to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.

Oh, didn't he dither?

David Newquist — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 21:30:39 +0000

When Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) rebutted Joe Biden's state of the union speech, she based her comments on the contention that he was dithering away and lost control of the country. However, much you may disagree with what Biden has done, you cannot validly say he hasn't done it. Saying that Biden can't perform because he's old is like saying Obama couldn't perform because he's black. Ageism is a prejudice just like racism.

As my spouse has been a staff member for both U.S. senator and a congress woman, I am familiar with the reputations of many people who have worked in Congress, Joe Biden being one of them. Biden is a task man. When there was particularly difficult issue to address in Congress but something had to get done, he was often assigned to help get it done. He has an affable and kindly demeanor that could cool down partisan rancor. He was friends with many people from the opposing party.

Joe Biden is a stutterer. He has had to learn a therapeutic procedure that stutterers employ so that they don't stutter when they speak. Stutterers can generally read aloud without stuttering.

During my first year of college teaching, I had two stutterers in my classes. I was concerned about how to treat them during a class discussion. I didn't want to put them in an embarrassing situation in front of their peers. The college I was at then was known for its speech therapy program, so I asked the chair of that department for advice. He explained that stutterers process language differently than those who don't stutter, and a technique that stutterers are taught to help them with their speech is to write the words in their heads that they want to say before they pronounce them. As it turned out, the reason that the two young men chose that college was because of its speech therapy program. I gained a great respect and admiration for stutterers from that orientation and especially for those young men. I note that Joe Biden often refers to notes at his press conferences and often hesitates a bit as he answers questions. His occasional stumbles are not a matter of age. And he joins Winston Churchill as a world leader who stuttered.

As an old person myself, I am well aware of the vicissitudes of age. One of them is the huge amount of information one acquires. When asked to give a perspective on some matter, there are so many facts to sort through. It may take a while to give a considered answer because there is so much information to consider. When we call up information on our computers, we get that whirling circle or a notice that the computer is gathering and loading the data. But we seem to expect humans to be instantaneous in their thought processes. It has nothing to do with age, but with process.

However, there is a fatigue factor to consider. This is something that affects people of any age, and people who do intellectual work know that there are times when you have to rest and renew your approach when dealing with vast amounts of information and difficult issues. We warn people about making decisions when they are tired and advise them to tackle a problem in the morning after a good night's sleep. Competent decision-makers avoid being impetuous and give their information and their own thought processes careful deliberation. Taking care and time is not a matter of age; it's a matter of competence and integrity.

Acts of competence, care, and thoroughness should not be considered dithering. Calling Biden a ditherer is in the same class as calling Barack Obama a n*gger. We should hope to lift our politics up out of that level if the American experiment in democracy is to have a chance to succeed.

Procto-America

David Newquist — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:27:20 +0000

procto-

combining form

indicating the anus or rectum: proctology

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency signaled a drastic change in American values. It was a rejection of what Tom Brokaw termed The Greatest Generation, and everything it stood for and accomplished. It was an expression of America's fascination with and love of assholes. The United States have become a procto-nation, a nation of assholes, which they want led by a preeminent asshole, Donald Trump.

There is a segment of Americans who admire success and for whom the measure of success is wealth. They admire Donald Trump, therefore, because he has acquired millions, or is said to have, at any rate. In their minds, wealth is the mark of leadership. But Trump has established a record of saying stupid and malevolent things that call unto question his fitness for office. He is such an obstreperous jerk, an asshole, that he seems unfit to be involved in any human activity that requires intelligence, probity, and respectfulness. What is disturbing about Trump is not his politics, but his demeanor and what it portrays about his mind and his motives. What is more disturbing is the number of Americans who approve and support such a person.

An aspect of America's system of freedom is that Americans have the capability to vote away their democracy. It has developed a pronto-caucus which seems interested in doing just that. They threaten to change the land of the free and home of the brave to land of the servile and home of the dolt.

Elegy for a dying town

David Newquist — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 23:25:34 +0000

More than 300 more people will lose their jobs in Aberdeen in coming months as the town faces another episode in its history of abandonment. Banner Engineering is closing its plant which had 311 employees. Just a year ago, it expanded its Aberdeen plant.

The nation is experiencing a high point in the economy, but Aberdeen seems to be left out.

This is the latest in a series of major manufacturing companies closing down their operations in Aberdeen. In the 1980s. Control Data shut down its Aberdeen plant with 1,340 employees to move the jobs to the Pacific Rim. More recently, Molded Fiber Glass left town, joined by Hub City, Inc., which had been in town for 125 years.

The closure of Presentation College last summer marked a trend that community leaders don't want to talk about. And they don't. But it demonstrates a reality, which is a community in decline. That decline is more evident in the retail sector which in recent years has had the closings of Kmart, Shopko, J. C. Penney, Herbergers, Sears, and Conlin's. Aberdeen has lost its role as a shopping destination for the region.

The most significant closing was Presentation College because it indicated that its sponsors did not see a future in Aberdeen. In their statements on the closing, the leaders listed the demerits of the town as a factor: its remoteness was the major one cited.

As the business editor for a newspaper, I covered many business changes, relocations, and closures. Mergers and buyouts often signal an eventual closing. Smaller companies which are merged or purchased by a larger one disappear into the corporate murk. An example in South Dakota is the Gateway computer. Once prominent in the midwest, it disappeared when the company moved to California. Decisions to move or close a facility are often notional. Executives decide to make a change for personal reasons or just because they have the power to do so. Business reasons are often not good reasons. They are a matter of executive choice.

A lot of executives have chosen to shut down their operations in Aberdeen. Why Banner decided to abandon its operation here a year after expanding it is a matter of someone's choice. Given the circumstances, it is difficult to understand how it could be the only rational choice.

Someone or a group of someones decided to abandon a newly expanded plant and get rid of 311 people. Corporations are not democracies. They are dictatorships. The people affected by their decisions cannot call them into account.

Northern State University has a strong business department. It cooperates closely with some business ventures. It was involved in the EB-5 scandal a few years back when some corporate magicians made millions of dollars disappear. Although not primarily a research university, it is in a position to study the community which supports it. While it can make nice with the businesses in the community, it can also exercise its academic function of examining how companies are going about their business. Are they pursuing the good business practices taught in the classrooms? Are they meeting the standards of competence and integrity that contribute to an honest democratic society?

And what happened to the people who have lost their jobs in recent years? I recall when Control Data dumped its employees into the job market, many came to Northern to prepare for new careers. But what has happened to the people let go by Molded Fiber Glass and Hub City? What will happen to the people from Banner Engineering?

Economic development and business promotional people customarily suck up to and bow down to businesses to attract them and keep them in a community. No one keeps a serious check on how they are performing as corporate citizens. And being a corporate citizen is a matter of how one contributes to and lives in the community.

In a statement about its closing, Banner said, "We regret having to take this action and will work to provide the resources and tools to make this transition as successful as possible.” From the business standpoint. a successful transition means getting out of town as fast and unobstructed as possible. It doesn't mean having anything further to do with the community.

At this time, state officials are commenting on a shortage in the labor force. Aberdeen will contribute 311 people to alleviate that shortage, but where will they gave to go and what will they have to do? Finding a commensurate job in Aberdeen seems unlikely.

The city manager recently issued a glowing prospective on Aberdeen's outlook. When asked about specific developments, the only thing he could cite is the upgrading of the waste water treatment plant. Could some of those 300 people be hired for that job? As a neighbor put it, dealing with more of Aberdeen's shit.

But at some point, Aberdeen leaders will have to face reality. And reality can't be dispensed with by glowing predictions that do not address the facts.

Prattle is all the rage

David Newquist — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 03:03:31 +0000

Friday night is the night for discussion shows on television. For a while, I watched some network discussion about presidential candidates during which some people registered their attitudes about Joe Biden and Donald Trump. There was much talk about age and how it affected ability to do the job. I was struck by the absence of any facts about what the candidates have done or not done. There was mention of both of the men visit\ting the southern border and of an immigration bill that is floating around Congress, but there was no reporting on what the bill proposed or what issues were being raised about it.

So, I turned to the Northern State University channel, and four professors were chatting on the same subject. They were sprawled in easy chairs around a coffee table in very casual clothing. Very casual, hell. They looked downright unkempt. Although that was appropriate for the level of discussion. It seemed to have no point of examination. It consisted of asserting some contentions, but were expressive of the attitudes of the speakers, not the characters or accomplishments or lack thereof the candidates.

We, the general public, used to refer to such exchanges as tavern talk. But this session didn't offer the compensation of a cold beer. It did inspire a trip to the refrigerator, however.