From KELOLAND News, while the House remains gagged on their own order, the Senate is apparently tired of holding their votes for convening a special session for impeachment secret at the House’s request:
Names will be released Monday of state senators who want a special session of the South Dakota Legislature to consider whether the state attorney general should be impeached and barred from public office.
The announcement came Sunday from Senate president pro tem Lee Schoenbeck, the chamber’s top member.
There’s no word yet on whether the names of House members will be released.
Keeping the vote secret was ill-advised at best, and an affront to open government at worst. So much so that the Senate is apparently done playing along.
There is no clearly stated goal of the special session.
I’m not really a fan of secrets (societies or otherwise).
For example, even in war, I believe it is important to have such an overwhelming advantage that no secrecy is required. If you want to fight, we will fight, and we will win, and it will be ugly for you. We’ll tell you when we’re coming, and you won’t be able to stop us. That is a sign of cohesion of the people. Spying and social manipulation reduces cohesion, and war fighting capabilities devolve into sordid practices that give only short term advantage. That is my opinion.
The AG’s case is not cut-and-dry, but perhaps it is being used to open a special session to Trojan Horse anti-vaccine mandate measures. A good outcome, but a bad method.
Or, perhaps there are others angling for his job, in which case, the AG isn’t doing his job now. He could be investigating election integrity issues, or providing advice regarding the proper legal boundaries for others to pursue the same. He could be applying himself to solve South Dakota’s problems, but instead he is defending himself from additional charges from criminal and civil cases that have been settled.
I still hear reverberations of the man’s suicidal tendencies, which may come out in an appeal. There have been other strange car accidents in South Dakota political history that may suggest an MO.
One respected colleague of mine said that South Dakota’s true conservative heart and soul died with Governor Mickelson. There is merit to that story.
We will be much better off with straightforward justifications for governmental actions. So, I agree with you, Pat, and good on you for saying something. The government of South Dakota can trust the people to help decide what is good for the state. Sure, it takes longer to get buy-in that way, but 1) the good folks in SD can smell a hustle a mile away, and 2) taking one’s time and trusting that individuals will operate together through their elected representatives is the conservative way.
Censorship is ALWAYS a bad idea.
Forgive me, I should clarify – there is no clearly stated goal of the special session that I trust on its face.
Each House Member is free to release the information, as I have done. Leadership has opted not to release the names, but has not “gagged” individual members from doing so.
If elected officials in this state could be counted on to do the right thing the AG would have already resigned.
In your opinion that is the right thing, but that does not make it so.
The release of information is a completely different issue.
Now that a special session has been called, they’re going to have to figure out if 1, possibly 2 traffic misdemeanors rise to a level to demand a statewide official be removed from office.
Leadership are cowards.
Still not impeachable