Category: Uncategorized

Attorney General Jackley Joins Support of President Trump’s Immigration Travel Restrictions for Eight Heightened Security Countries

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined 14 State Attorneys General and the Governors of Maine and Mississippi in a lawsuit supporting the President’s Proclamation suspending the entry of aliens from eight countries with a heightened national security risk into the United States.

“Our Nation’s inconsistent immigration policy is affecting our public safety and workforce in South Dakota. I am supporting President Trump’s temporary suspension of aliens from eight countries identified as posing a heightened national security risk. It is time for Congress to address our public safety and workforce needs with a comprehensive immigration policy,” said Jackley.

The Proclamation’s travel restrictions classify aliens by nationality and not religion. The Attorneys General argue that the challenged Proclamation is a lawful exercise of the President’s broad authority to suspend the entry of any class of aliens from the following countries:

• The eight covered countries- Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia- are identified as “Countries of Identified Concern,” from which entry is suspended or limited as “detrimental to the interest of the United States.” The Proclamation restricts aliens that were outside the U.S. on the effective date of the Proclamation and who did not have a valid visa on the effective date of the Proclamation. It also applies to aliens who did not have a visa that was cancelled or revoked under an Executive Order issued on January 27, 2017.

The President’s Proclamation has been challenged, and the 12 State Attorneys General and Governor of Maine have weighed in to support the action taken to protect the public and our national security.  The State Attorneys General and Governor argue they “have a significant interest in protecting their residents’ safety. But because the States possess no authority to restrict or set the terms of aliens’ entry into the United States for public safety and national-security reasons, the States and their elected officials rely on the federal Executive Branch to carry out that function, pursuant to the laws of Congress.

A couple of days ago, we had a press release from Neal Tapio for Congress critical of the Obama Era Criminal and Juvenile Justice reforms.

On the Tapio website today, it has a bit more …incendiary headline:

Oh my.

Noem Earns 62% Support in USD GOP Poll

VERMILLION, S.D. – Kristi Noem today earned 62 percent of votes in a poll sponsored by the University of South Dakota College Republicans.

“Thank you so much to the USD College Republicans and those who voted in their recent poll,” said Noem. “We know that work remains, as the only vote that matters is the one that happens at the ballot box, but this is certainly encouraging.”

The multi-day Twitter poll was hosted by the USD College Republicans. The results were as follows:

• Kristi Noem: 62%
• Marty Jackley: 32%
• Terry LeFleur: 3%
• Lora Hubble: 3%

From the Argus Leader, Republican Leadership has released a statement, noting allegations that Representative Dave Johnson cursed out Rep Lynne DiSanto as not what witnesses heard:

House Majority Leader Lee Qualm, R-Platte, and Assistant Majority Leader Kent Peterson, R-Salem, told reporters Thursday that allegations about what happened between Reps. David Johnson, R-Rapid City, and Lynne DiSanto, R-Box Elder, a week prior had been overblown.

Qualm rejected allegations that Johnson referred to DiSanto as a “f—— lying b—-” as DiSanto and another lawmaker who witnessed the fight said later.

“I know other people that were there, and that’s not what they heard,” Qualm said.

and…

And contrary to DiSanto’s reports that House Speaker Mark Mickelson told her to drop the investigation as it could give the caucus a “black eye,” Qualm said she was not pressured to end the investigation.

“We never once said not to move forward with the process if that’s what they wanted to do,” Qualm said.

Read that here.

I had started to hear about this yesterday – that Leadership was extremely unhappy with DiSanto and May because it appears they went to the media with a big fat fish story. And not just that, they attacked leadership in conjunction with it. As you’ll recall:

“He actually started yelling expletives as soon as he is passing behind me is, is already very upset and yelling. I said, ‘You need to calm down, Dave,'” DiSanto said.

DiSanto says that’s when Johnson turned his rage on her.  May, who witnessed the whole thing, told us what Johnson called DiSanto.

“‘You f***ing, lying, b****,’ over and over and over,” May said.

Read that here.

Wow.  There are too many reports to be ignored that give indications that the story being presented by one side might not mesh up with the facts as reported by people who were standing right there (as well as the video).

Johnson offered his apology and DiSanto supposedly accepted. Or so we thought.

Every day the drama is drug out, and potentially embellished is not helping anyone in the matter.

Milbank’s Dr. Kevin Bjordahl Endorses Jackley for Governor

MILBANK, SD: Following the announcement that South Dakota will join 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare, Dr. Kevin Bjordahl of Milbank is endorsing Attorney General Marty Jackley for governor.

“As a family physician my passion is helping South Dakota families, and I see that same passion in Marty,” Bjordahl said. “We’ve talked about the challenges that rural medicine faces in our state, and I believe Marty is the best candidate to partner with physicians, nurses and patients to overcome those challenges.”

Bjordahl has been a Board Certified Family Physician in South Dakota for 33 years, and his experience includes appointment to the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners, as well as past president of the South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians and South Dakota State Medical Association. He is originally from De Smet and has degrees from both South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota.

His endorsement follows a decision from the attorney general to challenge the legality of the Affordable Care Act now that the individual mandate on which the law was built has been eliminated.

“Dr. Bjordahl is a man of incredible experience and professionalism, and we’re honored to have his support,” Jackley said. “We’ll continue to rely on his expertise and advice as we work with health care experts around the state to move health care quality forward in South Dakota.”

Dr. Bjordahl’s endorsement ad can be watched here:

From Dakota Posts, another cartoon (via Facebook). This one is about Investigator Stace checking out the voter records of his enemies, which I hear has been happening a bit too often this session. And not just with Dave Zimbeck.

Thune’s Commerce Committee Activity Report Details Positive Effect on South Dakota

“Serving as chairman of the Commerce Committee provides me a unique opportunity to create real change and achieve substantive results for communities in South Dakota.”

Click here to download a copy of the report.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who has served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation since 2015, today released an activity report that highlights a portion of the committee’s work over the last two congresses, particularly the legislative initiatives that have had a direct and positive effect on South Dakota. The report details, for example, Thune’s effort to expand cybersecurity research at Dakota State University, enhance Ellsworth Air Force Base’s strategic value, address unique needs for agricultural transportation, and help University of South Dakota’s Derek Miles gain long-overdue Olympic recognition.

“Serving as chairman of the Commerce Committee provides me a unique opportunity to create real change and achieve substantive results for communities in South Dakota,” said Thune. “Additionally, my work on the Commerce Committee has positively impacted the everyday lives of all Americans in broad sectors of the economy such as aviation, the internet, highways, railroads, and mobile phone service. While my work on other Senate committees, which set tax and agriculture policy, as well as my other duties as your senator benefit our state, many of my Commerce Committee accomplishments have led to specific results for South Dakota.

“In this report, I wanted to share some of these examples of how the time I put into my duties at the Commerce Committee helps our state. I hope you find this report informative.”

Thune-led efforts, as detailed in the activity report: 

• Expanding cybersecurity research at Dakota State University
• Promoting internet-enabled health care solutions for rural South Dakota
• Resolving freight rail service disputes
• Enhancing Ellsworth Air Force Base’s strategic value
• Improving safety for agricultural aviation and maintaining commercial service
• Supporting a successful program to stop impaired driving
• Combatting human trafficking
• Researching weather forecast improvements
• Providing tribal highway safety grants
• Addressing unique needs for agricultural transportation
• Helping a South Dakotan gain Olympic recognition

In 2017 alone, the Commerce Committee had 10 proposals enacted into law (including Thune’s Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act), 20 additional proposals passed by the full Senate, 47 bills approved by the committee, 20 confirmed nominations (including two cabinet officials and the Federal Communications Commission chairman), 63 hearings, and eight legislative markups.

For more information on Thune’s role on the Commerce Committee, please visit www.commerce.senate.gov.

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From Facebook, two new editorial offerings from Dakota Posts:

and..

Tapio: Florida School Shooting is Failure of Obama Era Criminal and Juvenile Justice Reforms Not Gun Problem

(Pierre, February 27, 2018)  State Senator and GOP Congressional Candidate Neal Tapio sounded the alarm today saying South Dakota’s recently reformed criminal and juvenile justice system are philosophically identical to the system in Florida that ignored the shooter’s multiple threats to fellow students in the months before last week’s rampage that killed 17 people.

Tapio says South Dakota is following the exact same model of justice reform that has sought to minimize incarceration, regardless of identified risk, leaving the state’s schools and communities vulnerable to similar tragedy.

“The shooter had identified himself on facebook as a ‘professional school shooter.’ He had over 30 contacts with the Sheriff Department. Multiple people called the authorities, yet he was still out walking around and able to carry out his deadly plan,”  Tapio said.

“Blaming guns is a misdirection effort designed to hide the failure of justice reforms pushed by the Obama Administration and implemented across the country, which set goals to reduce prison populations, not to reduce crime,” Tapio said.  “The Broward County Sheriff was a huge proponent of these toothless reforms.”

Senator Tapio expressed concerns South Dakota schools are wide open to the same kind of tragedy witnessed in Florida, because justice reforms virtually dictate to our law enforcement to do everything they can to keep from dealing appropriately with dangerous kids.

Tapio says South Dakota’s implementation of justice reform provisions outlined in Senate Bills 70 and 73 which passed in 2013 and 2015 respectively, coincided precisely with Broward County, Florida’s adoption of the PROMISE program, which followed the federal reforms driven by the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Program under the Obama Administration. South Dakota “reform” legislation was authored primarily by the liberal think tank, Pew Charitable Trust, in conjunction with the ACLU and NAACP, and other leftist organizations coordinated by the Obama Administration.

“The Florida program went so far as using federal incentive grants to reward law enforcement for the arrests they didn’t make. There was a financial incentive to not arrest the Florida shooter, and thousands of others just like him, because increased incarceration rates would indicate a failure of the program.” Tapio said. “Touting lower incarceration numbers was how the Florida Sheriff measured success and how he got re-elected.

“I have tried to shine a spotlight on the failures of similar justice reforms in South Dakota, only to have our Governor say these programs are performing, ‘right on track.’  These programs are failing our communities, parents, their kids and making our schools less safe. School Superintendents, States’ Attorneys and Sheriffs need to speak out about their concerns with these programs.” Tapio said. “These programs embrace a dangerous philosophy which becomes a ticking time bomb and an unnecessary tragedy waiting to happen.

“Blaming these tragedies on guns is preposterous.  When the leftist political class tries to blame the bogeyman, in this case, the NRA, you have to wonder how deep this failure and coverup goes.”

“It’s time to expose this lie.”

####

Pre-video release, regarding the (now known to be verbal) dustup State Representative Lynn DiSanto had with State Representative David Johnson, this past weekend she was claiming to be made of stern stuff:

I’m not weak or a snowflake. I’ve engaged in hundreds of debates and heated battles with men and women. That is part of the job, and I’m equipped to battle anyone that way.

Read that here.

And after her show of machismo and bravado, DiSanto adopted a more conciliatory tone:

Many of you and my colleagues also expressed concern regarding the situation and felt that it needed to be addressed. It was a very unfortunate event and for me it was a scary event. I believe that his behavior was unacceptable and unprofessional.

He has acknowledged that his behavior was wrong. Representative Johnson has made a personal apology to me and I have accepted that apology.

Listen/watch that here (about 30 min in).

In fact, to the media, the face that DiSanto put on made it sound like things were down right cordial:

“I wish Rep. Johnson nothing but the best of luck moving forward and I would like to publicly say Rep. Johnson is not just my colleague, but he is my friend,” DiSanto said.

Read that here.

And then the video of the legislator’s back and forth unhappiness was released. So much for friendliness. From all reports, much of that cordiality disappeared. And while legislators were in session, DiSanto was elsewhere, popping back into session around 3:15-3:30.

It sounds like it was only a day trip DiSanto took to Pleasantville, with a detour on the way back through grumpy town. Instead of being friendly with her new friend Representative Dave Johnson, he’s once again a villain in her fairy tale, at the same time she’s also attacking Republican Leadership:

The two representatives say they are upset with the way Speaker of the House Mark Mickelson handled the whole situation.

DiSanto says she felt pressured to let it go by leadership and was trying to take the “high road.”

and…

DiSanto says she felt she was doing what was right for the caucus when told the House she accepted Johnson’s apology and said it was not necessary to form a committee to investigate him further.

“I wish Rep. Johnson nothing but the best of luck moving forward and I would like to publicly say Rep. Johnson is not just my colleague, but he is my friend,” DiSanto said on the House floor on Monday..

KELOLAND News asked DiSanto how she could say someone who called her those kinds of names was her “friend.”

and..

“The video does not show the rage that was in his voice,” May said.

“I think my biggest concern is an event like this occurred at our capitol and there was very little support, from leadership and people we look to handle these types of situations,” DiSanto said.

We reached out to House Speaker Mark Mickelson for comment. Mickelson says the House formed a committee to investigate Johnson’s conduct as a legislator and the committee was disbanded at the request of Representative DiSanto.

Read that here.

Honestly, it is just me that thinks this went way, way farther than it ever should have in the first place?  If there actually was an issue and/or Representative DiSanto was serious about resolving her differences in the first place, then why has it been a non-stop media tour, and barfing of things out on social media?

People were crabby. People had strong words. One of the people apologized. The reaction was strong, but it was finished.  It’s time to stop the silliness parade and the drama circus, along with the accompanying publicity tour.  Legislators can be done with the distractions now, and get back to work.