Category: Uncategorized

State GOP To Be Toppled By Rogue Elements

Rebel County Groups Endanger South Dakota’s Political Stability
by Sam Kephart

South Dakota now finds itself at an immediate crossroads of political turmoil… orchestrated by a faction looking to destabilize the intricate fabric of our state’s Republican leadership structure. This rebel group is meeting this weekend. These self-proclaimed mavericks, operating under a guise of rebellion, have one clear mission—to dismantle and dismiss the solid and proven framework upon which the South Dakota State GOP stands.

With unprecedented boldness, these rogue elements have spread their subversive influence across more than twenty counties’ local organizations… and intend to wrest control of the state party. They’re determined to undermine the State Republican Party, backed by clandestine forces that hold no genuine interest in the betterment of our great state. Their actions are not just a mere dissent; they are a calculated assault on the foundations of our political stability.

These individuals—ostensibly driven by a radical thirst for power—threaten to replace seasoned, proven leadership with a regime characterized solely by its unbridled ambition. Their ruthless tactics and sinister intentions will fracture our political landscape, resulting in long-lasting damage that could take years, if ever, to mend.

Their platform is bereft of any constructive alternative vision or genuine concern for South Dakota’s future. Instead, they peddle deceit, spread dissension, and foster a narrative grounded in falsehoods. The outcome of their actions, should they succeed, will be catastrophic—a political system in disarray, leaving conservative South Dakotans in jeopardy… and without legitimate representation.

The State GOP, whatever its arguable flaws, has pretty consistently delivered for local, State, and Federal conservative candidates. Wholesale statewide rebellion and change for change’s sake make zero sense… and offers no substantive and reliable deliverables.

I call on sane conservative voters to take a resolute stand against these subversive tactics; now is not the time for discord but for solidarity. To maneuver through this turmoil, we must remember the collective strength that’s historically guided us through adversity.

My warning is urgent; it extends to every rational conservative South Dakotan – you’d better reject the divisive rhetoric and destructive ambitions of this rogue faction. Rather, embrace and protect the values that have brought prosperity and stability to our state.

Stand in unity, for it is only together that we can repel this clear and present political danger… and secure a bright, stable future for South Dakota. In unity, we find strength. In collective action, we find resilience.

Frankly, great changes cannot be made in a minute. Every rational conservative South Dakotan needs to rise against this challenge, protect our cherished political system, and ensure that South Dakota remains a beacon of individual rights and conservative values.

Mark my words, theses rebels are jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. As President Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Sam Kephart is a former primary candidate for U.S.Senate. He’s a Spearfish-based marketing and media consultant.

Submitted by:

Samuel R. Kephart (73)
Spearfish, SD

South Dakota Attorney General Jackley Files Lawsuit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that he has joined a civil antitrust lawsuit with the U.S. Justice Department and 40 other Attorneys General against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

“Live Nation-Ticketmaster is monopolizing live concert markets across the nation,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This anti-competitive conduct increases ticket prices for South Dakotans and makes it more challenging for music goers to attend live performances.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Southern New York. The lawsuit can be read here:

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Attorney General Jackley Praises 8^th Circuit Court Decision Overruling ATF Ban 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley praises a recent U.S. 8^thCircuit Court reversal on a federal ATF rule banning pistol braces.

The 8^th Circuit Court overruled a U.S. District Court of North Dakota Judge who had earlier denied a preliminary injunction against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rule on pistol stabilizing braces. A coalition of 24 states, including South Dakota, had filed a lawsuit in 2023 against that ATF rule.

“This is another victory against a federal bureaucracy that tries to take away individual rights,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Our Second Amendment is a very significant and recognizable individual right.”

The proposed ATF rule also was rejected earlier by a Texas federal court.

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The Biden-Harris Economy Leaves Too Many Americans Falling Behind

By Sen. John Thune

America has always been a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead. But it’s gotten a lot more challenging in the Biden-Harris economy. Inflation has dealt working families a series of setbacks that have made it harder to get ahead. And it’s in large part due to this administration’s reckless spending.

Three and a half years ago Vice President Harris cast her first tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate to advance $1.9 trillion in spending under the guise of pandemic relief. She and Democrats in Congress had been warned that that level of spending risked setting off inflation unlike any we had seen in a generation. But they passed it anyway. And inflation began to take off almost immediately.

For many Americans, life in the Biden-Harris economy feels like a downgrade. All told, it costs a typical family $13,000 more per year just to maintain the same standard of living it enjoyed when President Biden took office, and nearly every aspect of daily life is more expensive in the Biden-Harris economy. More than one-third of Americans are worried about paying their bills.  People are pulling back on their spending and putting more on their credit cards. Some people are even taking on extra work just to get by. But sometimes, it’s still not enough.

And it’s not just higher prices. Measures to tame inflation have also added to Americans’ financial pain. To fight inflation, the Federal Reserve has been forced to keep interest rates high, which affects Americans’ finances in a variety of ways. Higher interest rates, in part the result of the Fed’s actions, are making credit card bills harder to pay down. The same is true for car payments. And Americans looking to own their own home are facing what one housing expert called “the most challenging home buying market we’ve ever seen.”

The White House has spent a lot of time trying to spin this economy as strong. But the American people aren’t buying it. An economy where people are working harder and still struggling to get by isn’t what most Americans consider a strong economy. And it can’t be America’s future.

Inflation began accelerating as a result of Democrats’ reckless spending. Yet the Biden-Harris administration and congressional Democrats show no signs of backing off their reckless tax and spending agenda. In fact, it’s clear they envision a lot more of the same. The administration’s latest budget request is filled with burdensome new taxes and trillions in new spending. They want to see the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire, which would mean more tax increases on American families and businesses. And Democrats still have plenty of other tax and spending ideas they would like to implement.

The American people have suffered enough. I don’t want to think about what kind of economic pain we could see from another four years of Democrats’ reckless spending. And I hope the American people will not have to experience it.

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BIG Investments
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
August 16, 2024

BIG Update

South Dakota received a presidential disaster declaration for the historic flooding in the southeast portion of the state. Twenty-five counties have received disaster assistance from FEMA and four of those counties qualify for individual assistance for residents and business owners. This is great news for recovery and rebuilding efforts after many homes and buildings were destroyed.

In the aftermath of the flood, I joined Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds in sending a letter to support Governor Noem’s disaster declaration request. I’m glad the President approved this request.

BIG Idea

Project labor agreements (PLA) are a contract between the federal government and construction companies about how workers will be handled on the job site. Recently, President Biden published an executive order that federal construction projects worth more than $35 million use a project labor agreement. These require a union to be involved, which proves difficult in South Dakota because most of the contractors in the state aren’t unionized.

Requiring unionized contractors would mean construction workers at Ellsworth Air Force Base or other projects in South Dakota have to find workers from out of state. This will cost taxpayers more, hurt our state’s economy, and hurt the readiness of our base.

I’m opposed to this rule and have been working to prohibit requiring these project labor agreements on federal construction projects. To learn more, watch KOTA’s story about the roundtable here.

BIG News

What was once a gold mine is now a scientific data mine. At the site of the old Homestake mine, a mile below ground, the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), in partnership with Fermilab and the Department of Energy, is searching for answers to questions we might not even have yet.

For three years, construction and excavation teams have worked to remove 800,000 tons of rock to create a cavern the size of eight soccer fields. Excavation is officially complete, bringing SURF one step closer to beginning research on particles called neutrinos that can hopefully give insight into big questions about our universe.

It was phenomenal to see the facility. I look forward to the great economic impact this will have on our state and to learning what the scientists will discover.

From Facebook comes some advertising from the Davison County Republicans that I was not expecting this Friday night:

The Davison County GOP is having their upcoming Lincoln Day Dinner.. in September… featuring their keynote speaker, State Representative Chris Karr from Sioux Falls.. touting him as the person “who passed the largest tax cut in state history.”  Ooookay. Because there was no one else involved with that?  Like other legislators? The Governor?

Was there no one available from Brookings to speak that they had to go to Sioux Falls?

You know, if only there was a statewide elected official from around Mitchell. But that might mean supporting someone who actually lives in the community…

Here’s an interesting anecdote that came my way today. 

On her campaign website – which was recently redone – Secretary of State Monae Johnson has expressly declared that “I am against voter fraud, online voting and online voter registration.”  (You can read that under Meet Monae):

While the Secretary of State claims to be AGAINST ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION, there is an interesting contract that she signed in her role as Secretary of State that seems to be contrary to that stated position. A $4.5 million dollar contract.

Contract between SDSOS and KNOWINK by Pat Powers on Scribd

Go ahead and read it yourself, but the latest contract between the Secretary of State and election vendor KNOWINK seems to have been written with specific provisions with regards to online voter registration.

If Secretary of State Johnson is going to sign a contract for online voter registration, she probably shouldn’t declare on her revamped website that she’s against online voter registration less than 60 days later.

Just a thought.

From Facebook, Brook Kaufman is sharing the good news of her organization’s (Visit Rapid City) successful presentation to the National Association of Secretaries of State:

Build the Wall
By: Gov. Kristi Noem  
August 16, 2024    

“We don’t complain about things – we fix them.” When my dad taught me that, he was talking about cows, horses, fences, and ranch chores, not the wide-open Southern Border. But the lesson holds true.

The truth is, we could complain about President Joe Biden and Vice President (and Border Czar) Kamala Harris’s failures at the Southern Border until the cows come home. Instead of complaining, South Dakota is doing our part to fix it. 

We recently welcomed home our seventh detachment of South Dakota National Guard troops to the border. The last few groups have all had the mission of working with Texas to construct the border wall. We sent an engineering company – we sent builders.

South Dakota guardsmen constructed more than five miles of border wall. They fortified 20 miles-worth of wall with concertina wire. And they repaired 46 breaches in the crucial area between Del Rio and Eagle Pass, TX.

I spent a day with them helping them build the wall – it wasn’t easy work. They had to clear miles of rough ground in 100-degree heat and Texas humidity before they could get to work on barrier construction. But they were glad to do it in service to our country.

These brave soldiers were more than 1,000 miles from home. Their work was crucial to keep South Dakota – and every other state – safe. The sad reality is that due to the incompetence and mismanagement of our border, every state is now a border state.

When we control the border with physical barriers, we make it tougher for cartels to facilitate their drugs and human trafficking into our country. We funnel the traffickers towards areas where we have a stronger presence. And if anyone does try to breach the barrier, we give law enforcement and Border Patrol precious time to respond. That’s just common sense – but the Biden Administration abandoned common sense when they stopped constructing the wall.

 South Dakota will continue to do this work – but we shouldn’t have to. President Biden and Vice President Harris are leaving the border wide open on purpose. Texas is working with South Dakota and other states to pick up the slack.

 We will continue to do our part. We have another group of South Dakota National Guard soldiers scheduled to deploy to the Southern Border on a federal activation later this Fall. And we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the cartels’ influence here at home.

 I have seen such incredible patriotism and leadership from the South Dakota National Guard troops that we’ve deployed to the border over the years. The commander of the most recent detachments was a young female lieutenant who is working on her PhD in Animal Science at SDSU, meanwhile she is also an ROTC instructor. She’s a leader. She’s getting results. I wish that I could say the same about our current “leadership” in the White House.

 In the meantime, we won’t complain about things. We’ll continue to fix them. If the Biden-Harris Administration won’t build the wall, we will. We will continue to do everything we can to keep our people safe.

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South Dakota Receives Presidential Disaster Declaration after Historic Flooding 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota has received a presidential disaster declaration due to the historic 1000-year flooding event that occurred between June 16 and July 8, 2024. 25 counties have received disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and four of those counties have qualified for individual assistance for residents and business owners.

“South Dakota has worked tremendously hard to get to this point and will continue working to rebuild our communities. I am so proud of our people,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “This event was unprecedented, but our response was exactly what South Dakota always does. We work together to get our neighbors back on their feet.”

Residents and business owners in the following four counties qualified for individual assistance: Davison, Lincoln, Turner, and Union. Residents must contact FEMA to register.

Disaster Recovery Center dates & locations will be announced very soon.  It is not necessary to go to a center to apply for FEMA assistance. Impacted individuals located within one of these counties can go online to disasterassistance.gov, call 800-621-3362 or use the FEMA mobile app to apply.

In addition, federal funding is available to state, tribal, eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in the following 25 counties: Aurora, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Hand, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jackson, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Tripp, Turner, Union, and Yankton.

As Governor Noem reiterated many times throughout this historic flooding event, for those local communities, the cost share will be 75% federal, 15% state, and 10% local. These local entities will work with state and FEMA officials to obtain this assistance.

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