Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Dusty Johnson has another dose of the truth for Taffy Howard on her legislative record. That over the last 3 years, she’s been 0 for 17 in passing her legislation.

Spencer Gosch took a hard hit today in District 23 mailboxes from Pac’n Heat with regards to his actions surrounding the House impeachment of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg:

Whoof.

Great commercial from Dusty Johnson on what time it is for Taffy Howard. Time to take out the trash!

And those postcards keep coming as they drop into our mailboxes this week. Here are a few of the latest.

I think the scan got cut off on the bottom of D3 Senate challenger Rachel Dix, where she notes her positions, and repeats her nice quote from Governor Kristi Noem..

At the same time District 3 incumbent Al Novstrup takes a hit from the South Dakota Strong PAC on his legislative record this year..

District 35 challenger Liz Regalado has a nice endorsement from Kristi Noem…

While we have it confirmed that her opponents are two of the worst legislators in Pierre. Not that it should come as a shock.. (sorry – the scan is a little warpy. Much like Tina & Tony)

Stay tuned.

 

I was recently back in Murdo, the small town of around 500 people, right off I-90 – my hometown. Being home is always a trip down memory lane. When I think back to my childhood, my first memories are of my parents, Pat and Harold Thune, and of growing up with my three brothers and sister. And boy, we were lucky kids to have my parents at the helm.

My mom was a wonderful, loving, eternally optimistic mother, who spent most of my growing up years as our high school librarian. She was responsible for making sure we Thune kids got some culture – whether we wanted it or not. She insisted that we all learn to play the piano, encouraged me to join the swing choir, and in the summers, she even made us come inside for an hour every day to read.

My dad was our hero – a Division I basketball star and World War II combat pilot. He was a teacher at my high school, a coach, the athletic director, and the bus driver. Between him and my mom as the librarian, we Thune kids were practically never away from our parents’ watchful eyes. I am so grateful to have had my dad’s coaching – in sports and in life. On the court, my dad taught us players to play as a team. He didn’t like ball hogs or people who were in it for personal glory. He believed your job as a member of a team was to make the people around you better. If somebody else was in a better position to take the shot, you always made the extra pass. It’s an attitude I’ve tried to carry with me throughout my life.

Being back in Murdo also made me reflect on just how lucky I was to grow up in a small town – and small-town South Dakota in particular. The values I saw growing up in Murdo are reflected in towns all across our state. In Murdo I learned the character of South Dakotans – the work ethic, the commitment to freedom coupled with a belief in personal responsibility, and a sense of responsibility to the broader community.

South Dakotans cherish their freedoms – and they also believe that with freedom comes responsibility. They have a deep appreciation for the Founders’ vision that has allowed us to enjoy such freedom – and for the sacrifices that have been required to secure it. With that, of course, comes an expectation that each generation has to do its part to pay freedom’s price and protect all that we have been given.

The South Dakota values I learned growing up helped shape my political philosophy: my belief that government should be limited and that it is best when it’s closest to the people. If a matter can be handled at the state or local level, it should be. I learned that the legacy of the past is something to be cherished and preserved – while leaving room for change and adaptation when needed – and that freedom is a sacred gift, and one that must be defended. And, finally, while government is necessary, government is not where we should look for salvation.

The legacy of growing up in South Dakota is a precious one. I am deeply grateful for those years in Murdo and for the privilege of living in the Mount Rushmore State. South Dakota is the best state in the world to live, work, and raise a family. From Sioux Falls to Rapid City and every town in between, the communities and families that make up our great state are truly one-of-a-kind. I am proud to call South Dakota my home, and it is my great honor to represent the people of South Dakota in the United States Senate.

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Our nation’s Armed Forces know the weight of sacrifice. Each service member sacrificed something to protect our freedoms and fight for America’s values.

Memorial Day is often associated with weekend trips, picnics, pools, and parades. But this day was created to be a solemn reflection to remember our heroes who didn’t make it home.

May is also Military Appreciation Month, a time to recognize, honor, and thank all who serve. This Memorial Day, as we collectively mourn the loss of those servicemembers who have died, set aside time to honor and thank those in your life who have served in our Armed Forces.

Our veterans and military families have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our freedoms. They deserve the highest care and support we can provide.

In March, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) VISN 23 Director and the Biden Administration of recommended in-patient service closures that would close the Wagner Community-Based Outpatient Clinic and reduce Emergency Room capacity to an urgent care in Sioux Falls. The recommendation also called for relocating the psycho-social rehab from Hot Springs to Rapid City and limiting the Hot Springs and Fort Meade campuses to out-patient care, relocating in-patient services to Rapid City.

There are a number of these recommended closures and service reductions I do not support. We need to do everything we can to support our veterans. Ensuring access to high quality care is an important piece of serving those who served our country.

Not every American hero makes it home. It’s my priority to support the ones who do.

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If you ever visit South Dakota’s State Capitol, I hope you take the time to visit the veterans’ memorial down by Capitol Lake. While this memorial is dedicated to all veterans who have served, there is a portion specifically dedicated to the more than 300 South Dakotans killed in the Korean and Vietnam wars. To one side there is an inscription: May we ever protect the freedoms for which they fought.

As we approach Memorial Day, we are reminded of our bravest South Dakotans — 3,073 service members killed in action since World War I.

The original idea for this holiday was first created 154 years ago by a Union General, John Logan, who in 1868 designated May 30th as “Decoration Day.” It is said that Logan welcomed about 5,000 patriots to Arlington National Cemetery to decorate the graves of 20,000 Civil War soldiers.

100 years after Logan’s first Decoration Day, the U.S. Congress officially designated the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. This year marks the first time in two decades that the U.S. has not been at war during Memorial Day. But we are far from the pain of mourning and loss for those 36 South Dakotans killed in action since the 9/11 attacks.

President Abraham Lincoln once said, “Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor, everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause … who braves, for the common good, the storms of heaven and the storms of battle.” Sadly, there are many soldiers who succumb to the storm. And while they were not lost on a battlefield, we must remember the 22 veterans or active-duty soldiers each day who take their lives because they could not escape the storm when they came home. Their mental wounds are as real and as deadly as any physical wounds. And their tragic deaths deserve to be tallied in the costs of war.

Honor. Courage. Sacrifice. Bravery. These are all words that apply generously to the men and women we honor on Memorial Day. But this holiday should be more than a remembrance of those we have lost. It should be an annual call to action. As the memorial says: May we ever protect the freedoms for which they fought.

In his famous Gettysburg Address, Lincoln was dedicating a new National Cemetery at the site where a decisive victory had been won by the Union Army just four months earlier. The president spoke few words, yet each weighed the heavy cost born by Americans on both sides. More than 7,000 soldiers from the North and South died in the Pennsylvania fray. “In a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground,” Lincoln said in his address. “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

In this moment, Lincoln cemented in our heritage that we must remember and respect those who fought and died to protect our freedoms. Not just on Memorial Day. We should carry their sacrifice with us daily.

Lincoln ended his address by reminding us why such sacrifice matters: “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion … that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

I hope you will take this Memorial Day to reflect on those we have lost. Use this time to also talk about their lives outside of service. Talk about the joy they brought and the laughter shared by telling stories of the life they lived, as well as the sacrifice they made. Speak loudly and proudly about our bravest South Dakotans.

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Bruce Whalen is hitting selected mailboxes, and blasting an 8 second message on the billboard by Hardees in Brookings as he makes a last gasp to gain attention this weekend.

First, the Bruce postcard, where he points out his commitment to Glorify God in the US Senate. Right after he talks about delousing. Yeah, that’s part of his speech too.

And I was running to the edge of town last night, and almost drove off the road when I saw this pop up in the rotation on one of the two digital billboards in town, over by Hardees. Had to sit there a while when I pulled over to get a photo… and then it was back lost in rotation.

Seriously, I’ve got to invest in one of these billboards.  They seem to be a license to print money for the amount of time that people get.

That ad is better than the postcard which tries to do too much. And is also kind of weird.

Glad I took a picture. Because we’re not going to see Bruce much after a week from Tuesday.

Wow. Even with a completely cleared field and no primary, Democrat candidate for the US Senate Brian Bengs is doing badly. Really, really badly.

Brian Bengs Pre Primary by Pat Powers on Scribd

In the latest FEC report, Bengs reported $24,075.40 in donations. Against which, he spent $41,124. He does report $45,312 cash on hand, but that’s after a $20,000 loan to his campaign. I don’t think this is going in the right direction.

What’s sucking his cash down faster than it can come in? Bengs reports having several employees, three of which are in another state (Norfolk, VA, Virginia Beach, VA, and Grapevine TX), and one in Sioux Falls. Which is probably par for the course for Democrats in the state.

But, wow. Nevermind US Senate. He might just elect himself into the poorhouse at this rate.