Category: Uncategorized

Highlighting our best and brightest this Veterans Day
By: Governor Kristi Noem
November 5, 2021

On Veterans Day each year, we honor those brave Americans who volunteered their lives in service to our country. This year, in addition to celebrating the six military branches and their reserve forces, I want to highlight the exceptional service by the veterans of our South Dakota Army and Air National Guard. As Governor I serve as their Commander-in-Chief — a sacred role I am honored to serve.

The National Guard is so foundational to our country that it is included in our U.S. Constitution under Article 1, Section 8: “To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.” The National Guard is unique in that they have two commanders-in-chief. They can be called to state service by the governor; or, be called up for federal service by the president.

National Guard troops are civilians who can be called to service at a moment’s notice. They can be deployed to a health care mission in the Black Hills or to drug-trafficking hotspots along the U.S.-Mexico border. They can also be deployed to Europe, Africa, or the Middle East to prepare for forward combat operations or serve regional peace-keeping missions.

The South Dakota National Guard has deployed troops in every war since the Spanish-American War in 1898 — less than 10 years after South Dakota joined the U.S.

In the last 30 years, the South Dakota National Guard has deployed more than 10,000 of its Air Force and Army service members. We have had guardsmen deployed nearly every day in the last 20 years since the 9/11 attacks.

Our state certainly has our share of heroes who have served in the Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard — we’re still waiting on our first standout servicemember with the Space Force. And we cannot forget the contributions of our Reserve forces serving these branches.

Our National Guard in the past few years have defined excellence.For the last four years straight, South Dakota National Guard units have been ranked the very best in America for combat readiness. Our battalions are raising the bar for combat and service readiness standards.

Their service during the COVID pandemic has reminded us that when disasters strike — including tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and blizzards — we have the best-trained arsenal of military operatives ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. The National Guard motto says it all: Always Ready, Always There.

Despite more than 150 years of dutiful service, it wasn’t until 2016 that all National Guard and Reserve forces were recognized as veterans. I was proud to vote for H.R. 6416 as a Representative in the 114^th U.S. Congress. The law ensures that Guardsmen and Reservists who served 20 years regardless of combat deployment status, receive the honorary veteran recognition.

As Governor, I am working with our Department of Veterans Affairs to better serve our 72,000 veterans from all our military branches. I am also committed to upholding our status as the best state for a veteran to live and work.

To all our veterans who have served in our National Guard – including Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, whose family has served in the military dating back to World War I — thank you for raising your hand and answering the call to serve. Thank you for making South Dakota your home, both during your time of service and as a veteran.

To all veterans across South Dakota, thank you for being part of the 1% of Americans who wear the uniform to protect and defend our freedoms. God bless you and all those who have bravely served.

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With fewer than 60 days until petitions start circulating for political offices, the South Dakota GOP is active in not just recruiting Republican candidates for office, but in helping them equip them with the right tools as they prepare to run.

In Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Republican Party is hosting the Leadership Institute on Saturday, November 20th, 2021 at 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at Military Heritage Alliance, 1600 W Russell Street, in Sioux Falls.

The GOP Candidate school focuses on preparing Republicans for service as elected officials and community leaders. Ideal attendees for the workshop are Republican party members who are looking to become more politically active, including candidates and campaign staff.

LI is a great group, and they have previously put on workshops for the party before on the basics of running for office and campaigning.

You can sign up for the Candidate Workshop here, and the cost for the workshop is $20.

Johnson Statement on Infrastructure

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued a statement following the U.S. House passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package:

“I appreciate that the infrastructure package is largely focused on roads, bridges, and hard infrastructure, but $1.2 trillion isn’t a number I can support. Today’s bill relies on one-time funding sources that will create a massive fiscal cliff in a few years. While the Democrats $1.75 trillion spending package looms over our country, I simply can’t support more unsustainable spending.”

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From Twitter:

Calling all candidates! Join the SDGOP and Leadership Institute for the Candidate Development Workshop being held in Sioux Falls on November 20th! Register today! https://t.co/QNNBxFrsFB

— South Dakota GOP (@sdgop) November 5, 2021

Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Former First Lady Jean Rounds

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff statewide from sunrise until sundown on Saturday, November 6, in honor of former First Lady Jean Rounds.

“Jean has been a gentle, steady support for her family and for our state for many years,” said Governor Noem. “She didn’t seek out the spotlight, but her impact was felt on the lives of so many South Dakotans. Let’s hold Mike and Jean’s entire family up in our prayers.”

A visitation for Jean Rounds will be held on Friday, November 5, from 5pm to 7pm with a 6pm prayer service at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pierre.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, November 6, at 10 am at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church.

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Governor Noem holds the local Associated Press reporter, Stephen Groves, feet to the fire demanding that he tell the truth in a recent press conference.

MUST SEE: I challenged @stephengroves on his manipulated reporting about South Dakota’s appraiser program. He had promised to report about what we’re doing to fix the program, but changed his mind because it wasn’t “newsworthy.”

Stephen, tell the truth. pic.twitter.com/tDAXIrjfqy

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) November 5, 2021

And not just minutes later, Governor Noem called out Groves even further on Twitter:

. @stephengroves is a dishonest reporter who cooks up stories, misleads readers on the background of his sources & refuses to report detailed documented facts given to him that don’t align w/ the agenda of his boss @DouglasGlass. Hey Groves have you ever answered this question? https://t.co/8d3KPHDhJp

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) November 5, 2021

ATTORNEY GENERAL JOINS 11 STATE COALITION IN FILING SUIT TO HALT FEDERAL VACCINE MANDATE

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg today joined an eleven-state coalition in filing a lawsuit against Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to halt their vaccine mandate on private employers with more than 100 employees. This coalition of states is the first to file suit against the vaccine mandate on private employers. Five private employers joined the challenge as well. A Petition for Judicial Review was filed in the United States 8th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this morning, and a Motion for Stay is expected to be filed early next week.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit earlier this morning, challenges the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) propagated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which requires private employers with 100 or more employees to mandate their employees to get vaccinated or implement weekly testing and mask requirements. Non- compliant businesses could face steep fines.

The petition states, “This mandate is unconstitutional, unlawful, and unwise. The federal government lacks constitutional authority under its enumerated powers to issue this mandate, and its attempt to do so unconstitutionally infringes on the States’ powers expressly reserved by the Tenth Amendment.

OSHA also lacks statutory authority to issue this mandate, which it shoe-horned into statutes that govern workplace safety, and which were never intended to federalize public-health policy.”

The petition also states, “For over a century, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that policies on compulsory vaccination lie within the police powers of the States, and that ‘they are matters that do not ordinarily concern the national government.’ Until quite recently, the Biden Administration agreed. The White House stated on July 23 of this year that mandating vaccines is ‘not the role of the federal government.’ But on September 9, 2021, that position underwent a dramatic reversal. The President announced several sweeping vaccine mandates, including a vaccine mandate to be issued by OSHA that applies to all employers who employ more than 100 employees. OSHA published this ‘emergency’ mandate two months later, crafting an elaborate post hoc justification for a policy that the President had already dictated that it would impose.”

The full petition can be found here.

In addition to South Dakota, attorneys general from Missouri, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, Alaska, New Hampshire, and Wyoming also joined the challenge.

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I’d written before about the Patriot Ripple Effect group which took part in the anti-Thune rally in Sioux Falls and helped organize the protest across from Sanford Hospital.

In case you need any reminders, the group is chaired by Adam Broin, with former Minnehaha GOP Chair Dave Roetman serving as treasurer and main contact for the committee.

I was also told that new Sioux Falls at-large city council candidate Bobbi Andera was a politically conservative recruit of this group as they seek out new candidates to take out incumbents, with Andera running to take on incumbent Janet Brekke for one of the at-large Sioux Falls City Council spots.

As noted, one of their primary activities to date has been connecting with the state’s anti-vaccination group to protest businesses requiring employees to vaccinate, such as when they protested in front of Sanford Health, who recently reported a 99% vaccination of employees.

After several months, it appears that the Patriot Ripple Effect is stepping things up a notch, as they organize to bring a bus from Sioux Falls to Pierre to protest during the special sessions for redistricting and impeachment.. I guess they’re protesting that they aren’t calling a special session to pass more anti-vaxxing laws, necessary or not..

An e-mail is being distributed from the group in the last day or so, as they try to get people to attend their anti-vax rally..

Chartered bus going to Capital Building in Pierre on Monday, November 8 for the “No Vax Mandate Rally.”  (You can drive yourself there as well.)

Lunch:
2 options. First, pack your own lunch to bring OR Pre-buy a lunch ticket for a Mexican themed food truck that will be there. $12 pre-sale price or $15 at truck. (We have to pre-sell 200 lunch tickets to get the truck there that day)

Bathroom: The bus has bathroom facility on board

Payment: $40 per person who ride the bus.

You can purchase the bus ticket and lunch meal online at:

Patriot Ripple Effect

The only worthwhile thing is that we do find out that Patriot Ripple Effect finally has a website at https://patriotrippleeffect.com/.  And what insightful patriotic information are they providing to the masses in their crusade to throw out too-liberal Republican incumbents and stamp out vaccination?:

Apparently, the website for this grassroots effort funded by local small donors who wish the best for South Dakota’s community, economy, health, and liberties are letting us know that you can get a chicken rice bowl for $12, ride the bus for $40, and you can also buy a very generic t-shirt or koozy from them.

Whoof! I’m not sure we can handle all the patriotism that going to be happening there. It’s like they’ll be serving up a freedom-frenzy with your chicken rice bowl!

An Anti-vaccination group appears to be requesting one of the roads leading to the State Capitol building be closed the morning of the special legislative session on Monday.

Health Freedom South Dakota is not listed on the street closure request, but the group’s executive director Mya Olson and her contact information is. South Dakota Boulevard is a short street, book-ended by Church Street and Broadway Avenues, which are major arterial roads bringing traffic not only to state offices, but to nearby T-F Riggs High School.

Read and listen to the story at KCCR News here.

Closing the street between Broadway & Church at 8 AM next Monday for a protest? That won’t be a mess as people jam in that area trying to go to the special session… and drop off kids at school… and go to work at 5-6 adjacent state buildings.