From Twitter, arguably the best tweet I’ve read today.
Man to Ron DeSantis: “Hi, I’m a state senator from South Dakota, I drove an hour just to see you”
Ron DeSantis: “Oh ok, thanks…” *walks away*
A deeply awkward person. pic.twitter.com/U0Hu91uXKx
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 20, 2023
Attorney General Marty Jackley Says No Foul Play, No Threat to Public After Discovery of Body In Lincoln County
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that no foul play is suspected and that there is no threat to the public after a male body was found Tuesday in rural Lincoln County.
The body was found Tuesday afternoon in a vehicle near the intersection of 275th Street and 477thAvenue southeast of Harrisburg. At this time, the case is being treated as an unattended death.
People who may have seen a white car in the ditch at that intersection are asked to call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Attorney General Jackley said there has been good cooperation among the agencies involved in the investigation. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with assistance from the state Division of Criminal Investigation.
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I think my head hurts after reading this one. Deputy Secretary of State Tom Deadrick is insisting to the news media that an e-mail is not a written request, as he stonewalls, delays, and has to eventually relent because they lack staff to supervise people reviewing records.
“We are requiring that all requests for public records be in writing,” Deadrick replied on Jan. 10. “Emails will not be accepted. This is for tracking purposes on our end in order that we can best comply with the relevant statutes.”
and..
When it became clear that wasn’t going to work, I shifted strategies and asked how, precisely, I was supposed to comply with the “in writing” policy. Was I supposed to print out my email and mail it in? And if so, why wouldn’t the office just print the email I’d already sent? Or would I be required to hand-write a note and mail that in?
Deadrick told me a typed letter on official letterhead, sent through the mail, would suffice. I complied.
and..
He responded with an email saying that since I was willing to make the drive, and since the office was busy with the legislative session and therefore wouldn’t have adequate staff to “monitor” me, he was “willing to make a one-time exception” to the fee. He attached digital copies of the pardon records to the email.
You need to read this. This kind of bureaucracy is dystopian and dysfunctional in the face of what is supposed to be open government.
Former State Rep. Taffy Howard has apparently become a lobbyist for US Term Limits:
Howard will serve as the South Dakota State Chair for U.S. Term Limits. The organization, which is based out of Washington, D.C., states their mission is to enact and defend term limits on elected offices at all levels of government via the ballot box, legislatures and the courts with an ultimate aim of enacting a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Although, I would venture that for the time being, she’ll spend most of her time being a DC lobbyist or in other states, since she’s legally banned from lobbying in SD until January 2025.
But I’m sure that’s fine, since we’re not used to her being in Pierre the entire time she’s supposed to be anyway.
The Spirit of Easter
By: Governor Kristi Noem
April 7, 2023
During the Easter season, we spend time with our families, we celebrate with our friends and neighbors, and we are thankful for our many blessings. It’s a time when people come together to help one another; to love one another.
South Dakotans have been through a brutal winter this year, with many severe storms from December through April. It has been a struggle, but one we have gotten through together. Through small acts of kindness and by lending a helping hand, South Dakotans continue to show their strength even in difficult times.
We often think of Easter as a celebration of the light, but it is also a celebration of the darkness. The joy of Easter Sunday means nothing without the sorrow that comes before it. And if there is one thing that the people of South Dakota have taught me, it’s that tough times are always easier to get through together.
The Bible tells us to love thy neighbor as we love ourselves. And this winter, South Dakotans have done so time and time again. I have seen folks helping ranchers bring in their cattle ahead of a winter storm, clearing neighbors’ driveways to help them get to work on time, and bringing homecooked meals to friends in need. I truly think that no one loves their neighbor better than a South Dakotan.
I commend our people for their hope and for their faith: the hope that we would get through this treacherous winter, and their faith that springtime is coming. Easter reminds us of these things.
Just as spring brings new life to the earth, so does Jesus bring new life to us.
I do not know how much longer our winter will last, but I do know that spring is coming. Warmer days are ahead. And South Dakotans will help one another and love one another just as much in the warmth as we have in the cold. That’s just how we operate.
I am proud of what our people have endured. We always seem to come out of tough times stronger than before. The people of South Dakota have earned my trust, my respect, and my faith – and I will always do my best to be worthy of theirs.
So I wish everyone a very Happy Easter. I hope that you can spend this season with those that you love. And I thank you, South Dakotans, for always being there for each other – for embodying the kind of love that Jesus has for us through your love for one another. You are a light in this world, a little glimpse of springtime. May God continue to bless each and every one of you.
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Gov. Noem to President Biden: “We’ll See You in Court”
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota will “see [President Biden] in court” over the Biden Administration’s proposed reimagination of Title IX, which exists to protect equal opportunities for girls.
“South Dakota will not allow this to stand. We will lead. We will defend our laws. Only girls will play girls’ sports. President Biden, we’ll see you in court,” Governor Noem tweeted.
Last year, Governor Noem signed the toughest bill in the nation to protect girls’ sports. She followed that action by leading a letter co-signed by 15 Republican governors urging the Biden Administration not to take this action.
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From Linked in, just a month on from the election of a new chair, it looks like Berk Ermergerd… er.. Ehrmantraut is heading out the door as Democrats look for a new direction as they do most years.
Maybe not completely shocking, after democrats were largely shut out again, but this one had slipped under the radar until now.
Had a reader send this amusing doctored photo to me this evening. Along with a notation pointing out that former Madison State Senator Jordan Youngberg has moved to 30 miles or so to the east – over to the Colman area – placing him in District 25 now.
Add to that a little chatter that Youngberg might be missing politics a bit, and contemplating entering back into the Legislative arena, and we have the potential for an interesting face off.
Youngberg first came to the attention of the political scene by knocking out a tough Democrat in a legislative district that was not always hard Republican. And he’s not just an indefatigable campaigner, he’s a pretty decent fundraiser as well.
Another bit of information that was brought to my attention is that the Dell Rapids/Garretson area is Youngberg’s hometown, with family still all over the place. Meaning that after redistricting, the new District 25 is made up of Youngberg’s hometown area, and much of his old district.
Factor that against sitting District 25 State Senator Tom Pischke, who not just literally tied with Julie Frye Mueller as the most ineffective state senator in Pierre, passing nothing, but he doubled down on it with blunders such as defending the rights of convicted sex offenders to be in classrooms, and getting kicked out of caucus trying to claim his fellow senators should actually be arrested for suspending Frye-Mueller while they investigated her harassment of a Legislative employee.
When you add those items up, the District 25 State Senate race has some potential to be an interesting contest to watch in the coming months.
Stay tuned.
I am laughing this morning, because I used a quote about how things used to be 35 years ago, in an article which is just out on South Dakota Searchlight.
Which might make me officially old.
Powers rejects the argument from some Republicans that they’re the “true conservatives” while others are RINOs – Republicans in name only.
“I’ve been involved with the Republican Party for over 35 years now, and at one time, people who held my point of view were considered the ultra-conservatives,” Powers said. “And now, as we’ve gotten older, there are people who think we’re the moderates.”
Powers said “people are in the Republican Party by virtue of registering Republican,” and that means there will always be disagreements. But at the end of the day, they “disagree on very little.”
Now get off my lawn, you darn kids.
Former Argus Leader reporter, Joe Sneve, now of The Dakota Scout, is in a Twitter debate with Argus Leader education reporter Morgan Matzen over the language he used in a story about State Representative Fred Deutsch.
It’s an exchange which seems to give some insight into the work conditions that former Argus Reporters Sneve and Jon Ellis from the Dakota Scout worked under and the corporate demand for woke-speak from corporate parent Gannet:
I don’t need a whole thread to respond to this. I’ll sum it up in one tweet: Activist journalism is not what we do at @TheDakotaScout https://t.co/TtHPAogobD
— Joe Sneve (@DakotaScoutJoe) February 17, 2023
The Trans Journalists Association style guide actually says to avoid “biological female” for example because it’s inaccurate and offensive. When necessary, you can refer to someone’s sex assigned at birth, but think seriously about whether a story requires this information.
— Morgan Matzen (@bymorganmatzen) February 17, 2023
If you’re reading this thread and have any questions, please consult the @TransJA handbook. https://t.co/8P6QrSUG6o
— Morgan Matzen (@bymorganmatzen) February 17, 2023
What do you think? Is Sneve in the wrong for not following the “trans-journalism style book?”
Or is he correct to reject the demands from his former co-worker Matzen, commanding him to get in the woke-lane, grab a pronoun list, and go along with the crowd when it comes to his writing?