Brendan Johnson in middle of leadership spat on Lower Brule reservation.

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The BIA Is sending a delegation amidst factions squabbling and vying for position in the vacuum left by the death of Michael Jandreau. 

And one side is claiming part of the dispute is being fueled because former U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson was brought in:

In a tribal court filing, Jandreau’s allies on the council – Orville Landeau and John McCauley Sr. – claim that the firing of Matz, lawyer Tara Adamski and tribal administrative officer Scott Jones was unlawful. Jones is Jandreau’s half-brother.

Wright, however, said he believes the politically-connected Matz is helping to fuel the dispute. As evidence, he points to an April 23 meeting with Brendan Johnson, the former U.S. attorney and son of Sen. Tim Johnson.

Wright says that Johnson offered a deal that centered on rehiring Matz and Adamski. If that didn’t happen, Johnson predicted that Wright’s position would be challenged in court, which happened a week after the meeting.

“He kind of bulldogged his way in there,” Wright said. “He had the upper hand. He is who he is. I give him credit for that. To me, he kind of strong-armed a little old Indian boy from nowhere.”

Johnson disputes Wright’s account of the meeting. While the prospect of rehiring Matz, a family friend, did come up, Johnson said he only suggested it as one of several scenarios under which the two factions could find a way to reach an agreement and govern the tribe.

Read it all here.

Not sure that was a great political move for Brendan. Trying to mediate a leadership dispute on the reservation is like trying to represent Annette Bosworth, or mediate disputes between the families in Game of Thrones.  It’s just going to be an impossible mess that isn’t going to end well.

Welcome NEWSMAX to the list of sponsoring advertisers

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If you noticed a couple of additions to the right hand column, yes, the on-line equivalent to the conservative cable news channel NEWSMAX is now a sponsoring advertiser here at the SDWC.

Please take a few minutes to click on their links, and show support.

Don’t forget to do the same for South Dakota’s Senior US Senator John Thune,  Americans for Prosperity – South Dakota, Our Congresswoman Kristi Noem, Mayor Sam Kooiker and Rushmore PAC.

And as always, we have space for advertising available for interested parties. Locking in space now gives groups or individuals first dibs on the advertising space & placement through the 2016 election and beyond. Contact me for details.

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Bringing Transparency and Accountability to the EPA

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Bringing Transparency and Accountability to the EPA
By Senator John Thune

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressAs consumers, it’s important to know the true cost and benefit of the goods and services we purchase. That’s why many product labels clearly include information like miles per gallon for vehicles, for example, or nutritional information on the food we buy at the grocery store.

Finding the real cost and benefit of proposals in Washington, D.C., is often more challenging than simply reading a label. That’s especially true with regulatory proposals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, I’ve introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would make the EPA regulatory process more transparent and accountable.

The Real EPA Impact Reviews (REPAIR) Act would require the EPA to include an alternate scenario in its regulatory analysis process that would analyze the impact of the proposal without the influence of other proposed regulations. It’s important for the EPA to do this because the inclusion of proposed, but not yet finalized regulations may overestimate the benefit or conceal the actual cost of compliance. Moreover, proposed regulations might be subject to delay, modification, or outright dismissal.

We’ve already seen examples of this in Washington. The EPA’s regulatory analysis that accompanied its proposal to lower the standard for ground level ozone included numerous proposed regulations that could have significantly impacted the cost projections. For example, their analysis assumed compliance with an ozone standard that 227 countries had yet to meet.

While including proposed regulations can be important for forecasting the future regulatory landscape, isolating a proposal’s impact without the influence of other proposed regulations would help provide a much clearer analysis of the actual impact.

This is about transparency and accountability. Congress and the American people deserve to have a full understanding of the impact regulations proposed by the Obama EPA may have on South Dakotans.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Honoring Those We Lost

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Honoring Those We Lost
By Senator Mike Rounds
May 21, 2015

Memorial Day is a special time for us to remember all the brave men and women who died defending our nation on the battlefield. They paid the ultimate price to protect our freedoms. While they can never be repaid for their sacrifices, this weekend allows us to honor them posthumously. On Memorial Day, we remember who we have lost while serving this country. Their memory lives on through their families and friends and the legacies they leave behind, but it also lives on through the daily lives of all Americans who are safe and free because of their service. Through our Constitution, our founding fathers recognized the God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Through the service of our men and women in uniform, those rights have been maintained. My uncle Marion Rounds, whom I am named after, was killed in battle on the Pacific island of Okinawa in 1945. I honor his memory, but especially on Memorial Day.

In the Senate, I have the unique privilege to serve on two committees that focus specifically on our military personnel: The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. In my time working in these committees, I continue to listen to the voices of veterans and current service men and women. I am humbled by their stories of bravery in the face of death and the horrors of war. Their heroism inspires me to do all I can to provide our military with the best tools to protect themselves while fighting the enemy, and provide our veterans with the care they’ve been promised so they can lead a happy, healthy life.

Just this month, provisions from two of my bills were included in the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed out of the Armed Services Committee. The first provision that passed would protect B-1 bombers from premature retirement. My legislation would add congressional oversight to any decision to retire the B-1, B-2 or B-52 bomber aircraft. Unless the Department of Defense can certify that retirement of these aircraft will not result in loss of operational capability, they will remain in use. In South Dakota, we have 27 B-1 bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base that are critical to protecting our country. Long-range strike bombers play an important role in our national defense. A strong, properly supported bomber force will allow our Air Force men and women to continue to do their jobs safely and successfully.

Another of my provisions included in NDAA deals with current military members and military retirees’ access to healthcare. It would streamline the process for families enrolled in Tricare health plans when they move from one Tricare region to another. The current system for transferring Tricare beneficiaries is often ineffective, resulting in unnecessary delays. Our service members give everything to our country. Making simple changes to streamline transfer of their health care is the very least we can do.

The world continues to be a dangerous place. Members of our military continue to bravely fight those who wish to do us harm. They keep America free and make the world a better place. This Memorial Day, please take a moment to say thank you to our veterans and remember the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Coming Together to Fight Trafficking

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Coming Together to Fight Trafficking
By Rep. Kristi Noem
May 22, 2015

kristi noem headshot May 21 2014In February 2013, South Dakota law enforcement  placed undercover ads on the webpage Backpage.com targeting folks in the Watertown area.  They weren’t pretending to sell illegal drugs; they were pretending to sell people – young girls to be specific.  Over the course of two days, more than 100 individuals responded to the ad – many of whom were hoping to buy these young women for sex.  Similar operations were conducted in Rapid City and during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and all had similar results.

Many times, when folks think of sex trafficking, they picture scenes from urban areas or in foreign countries.  But the reality is it’s happening here.  Young girls – often being recruited between 12 and 14 years old – are bought and sold for sex in small towns and larger communities.  They’re being forced to have sex upwards of 50 times per day, according to the Polaris Project – a leader in the movement to end trafficking.  And their pimps are working to get them hooked on drugs and alcohol, only deepening the young woman’s dependence on the trafficker.

In some cases, trafficking victims are brought through South Dakota from bigger cities and sent to North Dakota’s oil fields.  In other cases, they’re being recruited at local schools, online, or in Indian Country to be sold at large events, like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  In many – if not most – cases, they are being recruited in South Dakota and sold in South Dakota.  It has to stop.

For the last few years, I’ve been working with shelters and advocates in South Dakota who have helped victims escape and survivors heal.  With their experiences and needs in mind, I was able to draft legislation – while also helping move forward additional bills others had written – that aim to better combat this criminal industry.  On May 19, we earned a significant victory.  The broadly bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, S.178, passed the U.S. House of Representatives, meaning the bill is now headed straight to the President’s desk.

I was privileged to have language I wrote included in this larger package.   My portion of the legislation accomplishes three things.  First, it improves some existing federal grants to ensure they support shelters wanting to provide a place for trafficking survivors.  Today, there are just 200 beds available in the country for underage victims, so this is an important expansion. My language also launches a review that will look into federal and state trafficking prevention activities to help identify and develop the best prevention practices. Finally, it requires an inventory of existing federal anti-trafficking efforts to ensure that the money we’re spending is working for victims.

In addition to the portion that I wrote, S.178 aims to stop websites, like Backpage.com, that are known to facilitate the buying and selling of our children for sex.  It establishes grant programs to help teach medical professionals how to identify victims of trafficking, as they are often one of the first lines of defense when it comes to identifying a trafficking victim.  And it helps improve law enforcement task forces to combat this terrible crime.  All in all, it amounts to one of the largest anti-trafficking packages passed in nearly a decade.

There is still more to do.  Building awareness remains a huge challenge, but it’s a challenge each of you can help us overcome. I encourage you to learn more about the red flags so you can identify them if someone you know is at risk.  The Polaris Project website, found at www.PolarisProject.org, is one resource.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in ending trafficking in South Dakota.  The work you do to eliminate its presence in our community and heal survivors is admirable and vital.

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Governor Daugaard’s Weekly Column: Appreciation For Law Enforcement

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Appreciation For Law Enforcement
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

We are fortunate to live in a relatively safe state. We tend to leave our cars running in the winter; we let our kids play outside; and, in some places, people lock their car doors not worrying about theft, but because they don’t want their neighbors leaving them any more zucchini.

It’s true that less populated places tend to be safer, but our public safety is not owed solely to our rural nature. It is also thanks to our law enforcement.

Those who enforce our laws live selfless lives. They’re courageous, hardworking and dedicated individuals. They work long hours and willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect South Dakotans. They don’t simply serve to reprimand those who don’t follow the law, but to help those in need. State troopers will often stop to help someone change a flat tire. They come to the rescue when someone is stranded on the road during a blizzard. Police officers and deputy sheriffs lead the processionals for local funerals and they support their communities when disaster strikes. Our state, local and tribal law enforcement officers are critically important to our communities, and they deserve our appreciation.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to the families of law enforcement officers. These families also make sacrifices. They must adjust to overtime, odd hours and emergencies. They patiently endure as their loved ones risk their lives to keep us safe. They assume brave faces even as they worry whether their spouse or parent will come home safe and sound.

It’s easy to forget that our safe South Dakota is not the norm. There are many places in the world today where people live in chaos because laws are not enforced – where people face daily uncertainty over whether they’ll be able to protect themselves and their families.

Because of the men and women who enforce our laws South Dakota is not one of those places and we are able to live in a safe and free society.

To all of our state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers and their families, thank you for keeping us safe. Though we probably don’t show it nearly enough, South Dakotans are grateful for your service.

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Light posting, but weekly columns up a day early.

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Just an FYI, it will likely be light posting this weekend – I’ve got a Graduation party today, and the actual graduation tomorrow, so I’m going to be busy with other things.

But, I’m making sure I don’t forget the weekly columns by our state’s leaders, and will have those up today instead of serving up as my usual Sunday Morning fare.

Otherwise, enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend. And don’t spend so much time on the computer.

Things not to do in a campaign

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From the Associated Press:

CONCORD, N.H. – A campaign worker for a New Hampshire House hopeful has been charged with a felony for sending out a fake news release saying the opponent had dropped out of the race.

Attorney General Joseph Foster says Carl Gibson, 28, of Concord was charged May 22 with felony voter suppression and a misdemeanor count of distributing a false document.

Read it here.

Thune Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Trade Bill

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Thune Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Trade Bill

“With trade promotion authority, we can negotiate deals that put our nation first …”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation, H.R. 1314, to renew trade promotion authority for six years:

 

“Trade deals are powerful tools that help strengthen our economy, create more jobs, and even promote our nation’s stability and security abroad. With trade promotion authority, we can negotiate deals that put our nation first for the benefit of American workers, businesses, consumers, and families. This bipartisan legislation renews trade promotion authority for six years, which extends well beyond the current administration. The House should move swiftly to pass this legislation so our nation can get to work securing trade deals, which would open new markets for goods and services stamped ‘Made in the USA.’”

 

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