Author: @SoDakCampaigns

You might notice this morning that we have a new advertiser on the right hand side of the page – Redstone Law firm, LLP.   And actually, they’re not a new law firm. It’s the group of attorneys that make up Murphy, Goldammer & Prendergast, LLP who have changed their name.

So, why Redstone? It’s actually steeped in South Dakota history. It’s a reference to the quartzite that’s used all over South Dakota. As noted in one article:

…One afternoon when we were free, one of the local people who was very interested in historical stuff took us on a tour around the area and pointed out one of these monuments. I had lived in South Dakota and North Dakota all my life and had never seen or heard of them. It was a combination of my sense of history and fascination with quartzite.

When we went to Sioux Falls, we were surrounded by it — streets, curbs, buildings and houses were made out of quartzite, and I thought it was the most beautiful stone I had ever seen. It’s now crushed and used as aggregate in highways. If you drive Interstate 29 near Watertown and Brookings, S.D., and the concrete is wearing off, you see a pinkish hue to the concrete. That’s quartzite.

Q. What’s the story behind the monuments?

A. Sen. Richard Pettigrew was a senatorial representative when we were Dakota Territory. When South Dakota came into the union, he was one of the first U.S. senators from that state. He was a surveyor, a developer and a real go-getter.

Pettigrew wanted to develop Sioux Falls. There were about four or five railroads coming into the city. He probably had interests in all of them. He also wanted to develop the quartzite industry — the quarry industry. There were whole communities in Sioux Falls that were made up of stone cutters. Many of the buildings in Sioux Falls were made of quartzite and many of the buildings on the St. Augustina College campus were made of quartzite.

Read that here.

And in Sioux Falls, the “Red Stone” or pink quartzite is also the material the old County Courthouse is constructed from, hence another reference to the term:

So, as I ask you to do for all of our advertisers, please take a moment to visit their website, and to patronize the Redstone Law Firm!

And don’t forget to do the same for Senator Thune, Americans for Prosperity, Congresswoman Kristi Noem, and the Rushmore PAC.

From the Associated Press:

State regulators have granted a construction permit for a pipeline that will cross through South Dakota as it carries North Dakota oil to Illinois.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 to approve the 1,130-mile Dakota Access Pipeline at a meeting on Monday.

Read it here.

Vote on pipeline: Sattgast – aye Hanson – nay Nelson – aye … Dakota Access pipeline permit granted.

— John Hult (@ArgusJHult) November 30, 2015

What are your thoughts?

From my e-mail box, comes a Paula Hawks fundraising appeal. A somewhat threatening fundraising appeal, with the subject line “your first warning“:

From: “Paula Hawks” <[email protected]>
Date: November 30, 2015 at 4:05:37 PM CST
To: REDACTED
Subject: your first warning
Reply-To: [email protected]

REDACTED, my team tells me we still need about 50 donations until we hit our grassroots fundraising goal. If you haven’t stepped up yet, now is your chance. Use this link to send whatever you can before midnight: DONATE $6 NOW! DONATE $25 NOW! DONATE $75 NOW! DONATE $150 NOW! DONATE $300 NOW! I’ll check in again later tonight – thanks! Paula

Paid for Hawks for U.S. House

Hawks for U.S. House
PO Box 2848
Sioux Falls SD 57101 United States

Seriously, who says “your first warning” with a fundraising appeal?

Wow.

Giving Thanks  
By Sen. John Thune

The holiday season, especially Thanksgiving, is a good opportunity to reconnect with friends and family so we can share old memories and create new ones along the way. The holidays give us the chance to reflect on and give thanks for the blessings of another year and celebrate our faith that tomorrow will be more joyous and prosperous than today. It is through this faith that I believe America’s best days lie ahead, and for that, I am thankful and excited for what is to come.

I consider myself a lottery winner in the fact that I was lucky enough to be born in the greatest country on the face of the Earth, and because of that, my family and I can share in the rich traditions America has afforded us. Each Thanksgiving – depending on the weather in South Dakota, of course – my family tries to enjoy the great outdoors. Whether that’s a pheasant hunt in the prairie or a makeshift football game in the backyard, I value every moment I am able to share with them. With two grown daughters, it has been a remarkable opportunity to see them grow and experience life’s ups and downs along the way, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for their futures.

President Reagan was right about a lot of things and the importance of family and tradition were among them. He called families the “cornerstone of American society” and said they “nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we share and cherish, values that are the foundation of our freedoms. In the family we learn our first lessons of God and man, love and discipline, rights and responsibilities, human dignity and human frailty.” In today’s chaotic world, Reagan’s words especially ring true.

In addition to my faith, family, and freedom, I am thankful for the brave men and women who defend and protect them. I often say that without a strong national defense, everything else is just conversation. It is because of the true sacrifice made by our military, who all too often spend the holidays away from their own families, that we are able to carve turkeys, watch football, and spend time with the people we care about. Please remember them this holiday season and the opportunities that are created because of their service – and to all who have served, thank you.

Whether you are traveling or staying home this year, I hope this season is met with joy, happiness, and safety. From my family to yours, happy Thanksgiving and happy holidays.

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November is Diabetes Awareness Month
By Senator Mike Rounds

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects almost 30 million Americans. Many of us know a friend or family member living with diabetes. It is a metabolic disease that requires constant treatment and monitoring blood sugar to manage. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many complications, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney failure and eye damage. But the good news is, the disease is entirely manageable, and – in most cases – preventable through a healthy diet and exercise regimen.

To raise awareness of this growing disease and highlight the importance of proper diabetes control, November has been designated as American Diabetes Month. It is an opportunity for all of us to learn more about those who suffer from the disease, how to prevent it and some of the issues surrounding it. I support the early detection and prevention of diabetes, and that’s why I cosponsored a resolution that recently passed the Senate reflecting those ideals.

In South Dakota, approximately seven percent of adults currently suffer from diabetes today. While this is below the national average, the number continues to rise at an unacceptable rate. Even more concerning are the number of Native Americans in South Dakota suffering from diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1 in 4 Native Americans in South Dakota have been diagnosed with the disease. While federal programs for Native Americans have helped South Dakota tribes set up diabetes prevention and awareness programs, more can and should be done to combat the disease.

The theme of American Diabetes Month this year is “Eat Well, America!” to highlight the importance a healthy diet plays in combatting diabetes. With the holiday season upon us, healthy eating can seem like an impossible task, but the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has outlined some simple dietary guidelines to follow. As a general rule, the ADA recommends a diet based on whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables. It also recommends limiting one’s intake of sugar and sodium.

Ninety-five percent of diabetes in the United States is type 2 diabetes, which is largely preventable by making healthy lifestyle choices. In addition, the ADA estimates that 86 million Americans have “prediabetes,” which puts them at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. By following the ADA’s healthy eating guidelines, getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, one’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes is greatly reduced.

Diabetes is a growing disease that can have deadly consequences if left untreated. While there is not yet a cure, there is no shortage of organizations working to spread awareness and help others manage their diabetes. The ADA is celebrating 75 years of progress in diabetes treatment, management and quality of life. I thank them and others who have worked to raise awareness and combat the growing disease. Whether you are living with diabetes or want to take measures to prevent yourself from being diagnosed, recognizing November as American Diabetes Month is an opportunity for all of us to know more about the disease.

# # #

A Prescription for Rural South Dakota
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Our son Booker was pretty sick when he was little.  There were a number of times when Bryon and I had to have the conversation: “It’s midnight and something’s not right again.  Do we take him to the hospital?  Do we go now?  Do we wait until morning?  It’s not like there’s a hospital around the corner.”  I assume many parents, particularly those in rural South Dakota, have had to ask those questions.  It’s not always an easy call to make, especially when the roads are icy and temperatures have dipped below zero.  But with recent advances in South Dakota’s telehealth options, these conversations may become a thing of the past.

Already today, families can see a doctor by just turning on their phones.  Both Avera and Sanford Health, for instance, offer smartphone apps that let you connect instantly with a physician who can help parents determine how serious that fever is and what can be done about it.  If only they had that when our kids were little!

Perhaps even more incredibly, telehealth programs operating out of South Dakota are giving many local clinics a medical upgrade, shrinking the distance between you and state-of-the-art care.

At the push of a button, your hometown doctor can connect to an experienced emergency physician, an ICU care team, a pharmacist, even specialists in the areas of cardiology or diabetes.  Through the use of two-way video feeds – much like you would use FaceTime or Skype – and specialized telehealth instruments, a doctor in Sioux Falls can have access to every bit of data being collected in the exam room.

With this information, they can talk your local physician through a crisis that they may not typically deal with or maybe just serve as a second set of eyes to help make sure you’re getting the best care possible.

I had the opportunity to tour Avera’s telehealth headquarters earlier this year. There were a few dozen computer stations that were staffed by accomplished physicians – many with more than two decades of experience.  Each station was lined with four high-definition screens where the specialists could see everything from a patient’s vital stats to a real-time video feed of an operation they were counseling a local physician on.  In that room, we saw high-quality health care being delivered across the Midwest to even the smallest of rural clinics. Sanford Health offers many of the same options through a similar program.

A growing number of health care providers in South Dakota are being assisted by telehealth professionals like this.  The Avera site I visited in Sioux Falls services 235 sites across the Midwest alone and claims to have touched the lives of approximately 790,000 patients – from young families to Medicare recipients.

I never considered a life where Bryon and I weren’t raising our kids in rural South Dakota.  We saw so much value in what you learn by growing up this way.  We’ve always loved it and I know many families in South Dakota feel the same way.  Still, small health care providers are struggling to stay afloat, making it more difficult to attract families to small towns.  I’m hopeful new technologies can change this, which is why I’ll be fighting to make sure folks in Washington, D.C., understand why that’s so important that we support telehealth programs.  It’s worth the investment.  After all, telehealth may just be the prescription we need to bridge the gap between rural America and state-of-the-art medical care.

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Christmas At The Capitol
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

South Dakotans have always known how to make Christmas special. In 1881 the people of Aberdeen decided to celebrate the holiday season by putting up a community Christmas tree. The locals thought the tree would be a nice way to commemorate their first Christmas as a community. All was going according to plan until the railroad agent who had been commissioned to supply the community’s Christmas tree showed up with a disappointing delivery. He arrived with a tree that was a measly five feet tall.

Determined to build a more extravagant display, the people of the town gathered in a local store at the corner of Third and Main. They found a large piece of timber and nailed it to the floor and ceiling. Then they attached narrow strips of wood and pieces of evergreen from the real tree to the large piece of timber. They topped off their clever construction with strings of popcorn and cranberries. Thanks to their imagination, the Aberdeen community ended up with a much larger, grander tree than the original.

One hundred thirty-four years later, another group of South Dakotans has been using their creativity to build a special Christmas display. The decorations are slightly more elaborate than the ones in that Aberdeen store. The Capitol display consists of nearly 100 trees – the tallest of which is 29 feet – and the theme for the decorations this year is “Christmas around the World.”

Many volunteers have devoted precious hours to decorate the Capitol building for the holidays. As always, they have done a great job.

When I walk into the Capitol building each morning from now until after Christmas Day, I’ll be greeted by the rich aroma of pine trees and the sparkling reflection of Christmas lights on the ornaments that decorate those trees. Just walking down the hallway puts me in the Christmas spirit.

I hope you will find time this holiday season to come to Pierre to experience Christmas at the Capitol. The display is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week through Saturday, Dec. 26.

I hope to see you there!

-30-

Happy Thanksgiving!

Especially with all that’s going on in our world, it can become easy to get frustrated with all that needs to be fixed – at work, at home, in our country, around the world – but today is a day that has been set aside to say thanks for all the blessings we do have.

Most of us will gather in a warm home around a full dinner table today. Some will turn on a football game while others will turn on the oven. Either way, most of us will get to spend the day surrounded by those we care about.

My family and I will be doing double duty – one side of the family for lunch and the other for dinner. We’ll be missing Kennedy for the first time this year though. She’ll be traveling with the USF basketball team. Nonetheless, it all makes for a busy day, but one that is undeniably filled with laughter (and food).

I hope we all can take a moment this holiday weekend to give thanks for our many blessings.

From the Noem family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

– Kristi

From SFGate, Hacktivist group Anonymous is using one of my favorite weapon of mass distraction on ISIS/ISIL The Rick Roll:

Anonymous is wielding a new weapon of mass disruption in its ongoing social media war with the Islamic State — Rick Astley videos.

The “hacktivist” group has been flooding all pro-Isis hashtags with countless videos of the red-headed bass-baritone, according to a recent tweet from the #OpParis account.

Anyone familiar with 1980s music videos knows how unsettling watching Astley sing and dance can be. In fact, as Dazed notes, tricking people to watch his “Never Gonna Give You Up” has been a staple of viruses, protests and other online pranks since 2007.

Read it here.