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Speaking of delicious fish….A petition has been placed online on liberal democrat website change.org to collect signatures asking Governor Dennis Daugaard to call a special session on the non-meandered lake issue which has recently come to a head.

The petition notes:

We need to all come together as South Dakota citizens, landowners, sportsmen, business owners and state legislatures and call for a special session to be held in 2017. This session is in regards to the South Dakota lakes that are currently closed due to the new meandering water ruling that was recently passed by the Supreme Court. South Dakota citizens, small local businesses, sportsmen and landowners are suffering from this recent ruling and do not have time to wait until the next meeting in January 2018. We need to all come together and support the small communities, landowners and sportsmen so we can all enjoy South Dakota’s natural resources. There are thousands of people who rely on these natural resources to attract people to these small communities and also for enjoyment with friends and families. It will be a pretty quiet year for these well saught fishing grounds that have been funded by the general public. There are two sides to this fence and we can all feel for them both. The main point is there is billions of dollars going to the state of South Dakota from both sides of the fence and something needs to be done immediately! Please sign this petition if you are in favor of an immediate response to this serious matter through a legislature special session in 2017.

thank you!

Derek Garner ( South Dakota landowner, sportsman, small town business owner)

Read it here.

The issue pits sportsmen against landowners and could prove to be a very contentious fight over private property rights when it comes to wildlife.

Is this worth a special session? And where do you fall on the issue?

 

My wife mocks me for it, but there’s one thing I have a tendency to do when I’m visiting or vacationing on the east coast.

We’re cattle country here in South Dakota, and when we do it, we do it up correctly. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a well-cooked steak. But when you’re out in the part of the country where they catch fish, one would be remiss to not sample good fresh seafood.  What my wife mocks me for is the fact I have a soft spot for fish & chips, which when done correctly, is unbeatable for taste.

And I might even go out of my way if a local eatery is renowned for doing it well. Counted in that number are a number of themed establishments which serve either British or Irish fare. So, while my wife was conferencing this week in DC, I was out exploring the town, and when on my own for lunch, I jumped on the Metro or pinged Uber so I could sample some of the best fish & chips that our nation’s capital had to offer.

1. The Dubliner (Union Station area):  

If you’re up visiting on the hill visiting Senators Rounds & Thune or Congresswoman Noem, one of the better restaurants in the immediate area is the Irish themed “The Dubliner.”   The Dubliner is literally the best Irish Pub in Washington, DC, and the food is fantastic.

When they refer to their Fish & Chips as world famous, they aren’t kidding, as they regularly end up on top five or top ten lists for them.  They consisted of North American pollack, Harp beer batter, cottage fries, & tartar sauce, with the two pieces of fish cooked perfectly. Not a hint of greasiness, and you received them piping hot.  Prices were good, and well worth it.

2. Eamonn’s, A Dublin Chipper. (King Street, Alexandria, VA) 

This is the only photo of the group that isn’t my own but it is a perfect example of what you get at this no-frills location in Alexandria, which I discovered a few years back.   I made a point to visit there again this past week, and wasn’t disappointed.

The food is good, if not a little expensive for what you’re getting. A 6oz piece of cod will set you back $10, and the chips are pretty basic. But it’s still a good home-cooked meal if you’re in the area. You can also get fried sausages or a fried cadbury egg when they’re in the Easter season.  Again, not a hint of greasiness, and service is terrific here. In fact, they messed up my order, and I ended up being brought a nice piece of fish for free. I can’t complain about that.

3. Rí Rá Irish Pub (Georgetown, Washington, DC)

Was I complaining about the portion size at Eamonn’s? I was almost in shock when I saw the size of this lightly breaded, and perfectly cooked hubcap of Icelandic Haddock. It was HUGE, and so, so good.

In fact, if I could make a confession, for someone of heavily Irish descent, I’m not a big potato guy.  I generally never order fries, I pass on baked potatoes, etc.  It’s just not my thing. I’d rather have broccoli, or something else.  But in the 2017 Fish & Chips tour, they hands down had the best chips.  And the food was outstanding.

My wife and I shared an appetizer of “banger bites,” a bite size portion of bangers, an Irish/British mild sausage. And they were to die for.  This stop on the tour deserves it’s place in the top five lists of the area, and even if you’re not a big fish person, they’ll have something for you that might be the best you’ve ever had for that dish.

4. The Queen Vic (Washington, DC)

The Queen Vic was the sole vendor of British Fare in the tour, but it was no less good than any of the places I ate at, as I enjoyed my brunch meal out on their back patio.  The staff was fantastic, and the food was great.

Yes, that’s my camera bag by my plate, in case you were wondering scale. Here’s another perfectly cooked massive piece of fish that comes out tender and steaming.   The chips were probably the second best of the tour, and it was great food all around.

In fact, it was so good, I stopped back that evening with my wife, who had their oysters on the half-shell. She was glad to report that those were fantastic as well.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, as they all do their meals well, and service is terrific.  If you’re ever in our nation’s capital, and have a hankering for a piping hot meal of Fish & Chips, you can’t go wrong at any of these award winning and renowned local eateries.

And let me know if you’re going. I might just decide to tag along!

My wife and I stepped on the flight to Sioux Falls a minute ago, and who do we run into,  but 1992 GOP US Senate Candidate Charlene Haar, who challenged US Senator Tom Daschle that election. 

When I was in Rapid City as Pennington County GOP Director, my wife worked on Char’s campaign as the Haar campaign west river person.

Char has become an expatriate in recent years, living in London where her daughter Elizabeth and her family lives. 

It was great catching up for a bit. Char’s back in the states for Easter with her family, and she is just as kind and gracious as she always was, and she looks great.

Catching the news as I wander through the Chicago airport connecting to my Sioux Falls flight on United Airlines (yes, that United)…

I knew I stopped out to see Senator Rounds and Thune for a reason. They’re currently among the most popular Senators in the United States:

Seriously, according to the latest
rankings from the website “Morning Consult,” Senator Thune comes in as the #7th Most popular US Senator in America, at 66% approval and Senator Mike Rounds at #16 comes in at 61% approval.

(Governor Daugaard beats them both at #5 Governor in the US with 68% approval as of Morning Consult’s latest rankings. 

No word on an April US House ranking yet.)

Read all about it here.

As much as Democrats might complain, a strong majority of South Dakotans like our Republican leaders.

Bypassing the media and sending out a press release directly to her mailing list, yesterday Secretary of State Shantel Krebs was boasting that she had raised nearly 141 thousand in her bid to be our state’s next Congressperson against former PUC Commissioner Dusty Johnson:

Since announcing her candidacy for U.S. House on March 13th, Shantel Krebs’ first report to the Federal Elections Commission shows an impressive $140,147 in contributions received in the first 18 days of her campaign, with $133,181.15 cash on hand.

 And…

Shantel’s first quarter report shows broad support from across South Dakota, with nearly 40% of all donations from individual donors being $200 or less.

(From the release)

It is unknown if Krebs’ self-reporting includes what was spent on her roll-out, or if those bills are yet to come in.

The FEC forms won’t be filed for several days at best, which may provide a truer reflection of what was raised & what’s on hand for each candidate running in the race.

I’m at the game tonight, so no blogging going on in these parts this evening!

Unfortunately, my first planned stop in Washington was scuttled by the weather gods, who delayed my flight in 3 hours, so unfortunately I missed Congresswoman Noem who was flying out that afternoon.

However, I did stop in this morning and spent some time talking with her staff, and I’m going to try to catch Kristi in state sometime in the near future to talk about what’s coming up legislatively for our State’s lone representative in Congress.

She works pretty hard for South Dakota, and works hard to spend as much time in state as possible. Including being stuck in an airport for 11 hours as she was coming home for their Easter break.

So stay tuned! In the meantime, it is a beautiful day in Washinton. And I’m going to enjoy it!