Round ‘Em Up By: Gov. Kristi Noem September 27, 2024
“There’s nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.” That quote hung on a gate on our family farm and ranch growing up. It wasn’t until years later that I realized who said those words: the Gipper himself, President Ronald Reagan.
We have two incredible events in late September in South Dakota that showcase just how much men and women can accomplish on “the outside of a horse.” On the last Friday in September, we celebrate the Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park. And that same Thursday through Saturday, cowboys and cowgirls ride horses (and bulls) at the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls. Our western heritage is celebrated on both sides of the state in just one weekend – I love it!
The Buffalo Roundup might be my very favorite event on the calendar every year. It’s quite a spectacle as 1,500 bison thunder through our beautiful Custer State Park. It’s also a celebration of America’s history.
Less than 150 years ago, there were fewer than 1,000 bison left alive in the United States. That number is over 500,000 today largely thanks to our state bison herd at Custer State Park. The legendary Scotty Philip started our state herd and became known as “the man who saved the Buffalo.”
When I was in Congress, I led efforts to name the bison as America’s National Mammal, and we got that bill passed in 2016. And I hold the years that I’ve helped round up the bison at our annual Buffalo Roundup among my most precious memories. About 20,000 visitors join us every year (we actually broke our record in 2023 at more than 22,500). If you haven’t seen it for yourself, you should join us next year!
The Governor’s Cup is the final event in the CINCH Playoffs – meaning it is the final opportunity to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo. This is the second year running that we’ve held this fantastic rodeo in Sioux Falls. Dozens of the best rodeo cowboys and cowgirls duke it out for a $1 million purse, making it “The Richest Rodeo in South Dakota History.”
Rodeo is our state sport in South Dakota, and I’ve prioritized bringing the biggest and best rodeo competitions to our state. In July 2020, the Professional Bull Riders rodeo in Sioux Falls was the first major indoor sporting event to take place with fans in the stands anywhere in the country since the COVID pandemic started. Freedom and rodeo go hand in hand, and folks across the country have found themselves coming back to rodeo because of its celebration of American values.
I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy one or both of these events – if not this year, then sometime soon! Our western heritage is such a beautiful symbol of the Freedoms that make America so special. We should take the opportunity to enjoy this heritage every chance that we get.
The NAACP sent a press release out today encouraging community leaders and law enforcement to prepare for acts of hate that may arise from the Mark Robinson event being put on in Sioux Falls by former congressional explorer Toby Doeden’s PAC on Tuesday:
“This decision, backed by Dakota First Action PAC—a group known for sponsoring hateful and racist legislation—represents a troubling escalation of intolerance in our communities.
The infiltration of hate into our public spaces is not an isolated incident but a glaring indication of a larger, systemic issue. We are witnessing a rise in hate crimes across South Dakota, and welcoming figures who espouse such harmful ideologies only serves to exacerbate this climate of fear and division.
And…
Law Enforcement: Take a proactive stance against any acts of hate that arise from this event. Security measures must be reviewed to ensure that hate is not allowed to flourish in our public spaces.
Elected Officials: Publicly condemn this visit and the ideologies it promotes.”
Boy.. “Dakota First Action PAC—a group known for sponsoring hateful and racist legislation..” I wonder what on earth caused them to have that opinion about Toby Doeden’s PAC?
This guy wants to represent South Dakota in Congress yet disrespects victims of anti-Semitism. No thank you, @TobyforCongress. Here’s a tweet from Toby Doeden’s recently deleted Twitter account: https://t.co/GFIduGbn5apic.twitter.com/z4hvap3Pdc
I have to be honest with you. My heart skipped a beat when I received my box marked FRAGILE from the auction house, with it arriving on my doorstep partially smushed. But, I also know this is filled with political pins and styrofoam popcorn. They usually travel well, even when UPS plops a set of weights or a mail order kitchenaid mixer on my box.
It only cost me an arm and a leg.. but the collection of over 450 South Dakota political pins are here, and there are several I don’t have.
Here’s just a sampling:
That Egan pin is a new one, and those A.E. Lee pins are tough.
McCarter, Norbeck, Knappen are all new.. and a lot of great duplicates on others.
I’ve only seen that Mellette Commemorative pin in photos. That Janklow Schoenbeck pin is fun as well.
Here’s a group of tough pins. I’ve got the A. B. Kittridge pins, Crawford, but Ed S Johnson for Senate, and USG Cherry are all tough pins to find. Burke First is a vast improvement over my copy. I’ve never seen that Sterling pin. Not sure I have that Murphy pin, either.
And then we get to the reason I shelled out what I did. The holy grail. The impossible to find 1933 Inaugural pin.
I finally have it after 35 years, (and the more common Kneip pin I was missing), completing my set.
I’ll have to go through them in the coming weeks, and figure out what’s extra. But for those of us who collect these things, they are a reminder of our state’s history encapsulated in tin, paper and plastic helping to remind us of those political figures who shaped a sparsely populated territory into the state we know today as South Dakota.
Went to the local forum here in Brookings last night on Referred Law 21. And it might have been the most painfully stupid thing I’ve ever attended in over 35 years of politics. And that says alot, because I’ve been to a lot of stupid events, where people say a lot of stupid things. But, I might have a new winner.
Arrived at the event outside, and had a burger with the pro-ethanol people who were set up in the parking lot handing out food left and right as catered by HyVee. Nice folks – a lot of ethanol producers and advocates.
And then it went downhill from there. If you walked into the event, you were instantly struck by the tables full of anti-pipeline merchandise, where sponsors were selling… er, trading for a donation of varying amounts t-shirts and signs. They were handing out sheets which had information about who was sponsoring the event, and who was speaking.
The event sheet says that the Forum Hosts were Craig Hoffman, Clint Hoyer and MeLisa Elijah without any other disclosure. I didn’t get a chance to look until I got home, but the nature of the sponsors might have been disclosed up front. Here’s Craig Hoffman actively opposing the pipeline, Here’s Craig Hoffman & Clint Hoyer on a podcast opposing the pipeline, and here’s MeLisa Elijah Opposing the pipeline here and here. And here. Obviously, the forum hosts are all anti-co2 pipeline, despite the fact the event was not advertised as such. And things didn’t improve from there.
Opponents and proponents were given 10 minutes per speaker.. except for the extra 20 minutes they gave geologist Tim Kenyon to go on and on to make claims about how c02 pipelines leak and kill prairie dogs. There was maybe 3 seconds where he mumbled that pipelines were safer than trucks.. but it was three seconds out of 20 mind-numbing minutes of fear-mongering over co2 pipelines. That was the set up for Nebraskan Trent Loos.. whom someone described to me as a “western shock jock.”
Are they importing opponents or self-promoters?
Here’s where we get to the painfully stupid parts with the opponents who were both hauled in from out of state. Trent Loos, who claims he’s broadcasted daily on 100 stations across the United States gave me pause to lament how stupid he is making his listeners with his angry pronouncements and ridiculous claims. Two of the big takeaways from Trent Loos – 100 people DIE every year from changing out co2 canisters on soda fountain machines. And sequestering carbon in the ground is causing volcanoes in other parts of the world.
What? Did I actually hear someone say those things? The soda machine claim in relation to the RL 21 debate was a huge red flag that we were on a bus to crazytown, but the volcano comment left no doubt that we’d arrived in the center square.
Opponent/Economist from Iowa Doyle Turner spent his time attacking Bruce Rastetter. Literally that was his biggest point. So he doesn’t like the guy. OK. That happens, but how is that the basis to travel to South Dakota to yell about a ballot issue? Offering crazy tales about exploding co2 canisters killing the masses might hold some people rapt…
State Rep. Karla Lems paying attention. Rep. Sjaarda, not so much.
…but it doesn’t do a lot for non-kool aid drinkers.
The event did feature a couple of actual people who actually live in South Dakota, both proponents. I thought they had good information, despite being invited into the viper’s den. But was anyone listening?
Prepared to discuss Legislation. Not prepared to discuss exploding soda fountains…
Proponent State Representative Roger Chase is a landowner actually affected by the pipeline, and has signed an easement to allow it’s construction on his land. As a legislator, he seemed in unfamiliar territory he was there to actually discuss Referred Law 21/Senate Bill 201, and not crazy conspiracies from the Internet.
However, in the time allotted, he did a good job explaining the Landowner Bill of Rights, and how it would provide for additional protections for landowners, revenue for landowners and counties, and the provisions of the bill as passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Noem.
Jim Seurer, CEO of Glacial Lakes Energy. Good info, but were opponents listening?
Jim Seurer, CEO of Glacial Lakes Energy provided a eye-opening industry perspective on why hooking to the pipeline is vial to the South Dakota Ethanol industry, and how they have been watching where the world is headed, towards de-carbonization, whether people like it or not.
Ethanol plants are not doing this because they want to, but they are doing it as driven by the consumer market, and industry trends. Seurer notied how decarbonization is coming, and those efforts are only going to continue to get stronger. He pointed to one specific presentation he attended where a white paper was discussed that he recommended that everyone look up. A Strategic Roadmap for Decarbonizing the U.S. Ethanol Industry notes the following:
Ethanol is a vital component of U.S. rural economies that contributed over $57 billion to the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022. Ethanol accounts for 28% of U.S. farming GDP alone while sustaining over 420,000 jobs. Not only is ethanol the most commonly produced and used biofuel in the United States, but the nation produces over half of the global ethanol supply.
While ethanol has much lower carbon intensity than conventional fuels, considerable room for decarbonization still exists.
and..
Current incentives provide a foundation for ethanol decarbonization but are not enough on their own. Additional policy measures will accelerate the adoption of the strategic decarbonization roadmap for the ethanol industry to reach net-zero carbon intensity and move beyond. This report makes thirteen recommendations to ethanol producers, Congress, the administration, USDA, DOE, IRS, EPA, and state governments
Seurer noted that these are the challenges the ethanol industry faces right now, and they are not going away. He also pointed out that whether ag producers like it or not, and speaking as someone who is on the front lines of agriculture – decarbonization is coming, and it is coming for not just ethanol, but for individual ag producers. And now is the time for ag to prepare to deal with it.
Not that this crowd wanted reality. From there it moved into Q&A Time, with the pipeline opponents who sponsored the event filtering them forward at their preference, predictably. The questions, and much of the discussion for the portion I hung around for did not have a lot (anything?) to do with the landowner bill of rights that people will actually note on, as much as opponent’s focus on carbon credits and pipelines, and crazy statements on carbon dioxide.
I exited around 8-8:30, as I had to get my dogs out. So I didn’t hear if we were in danger from anything else exploding. I think I had enough at that point.
So, my final assessment of the event last night was that despite a reasonable presentation of what the law actually says, and the challenges the ethanol industry faces, that was not the purpose of the forum last night, because they were after fear mongering and anything but what the measure actually does. When you fail to disclose it was organized by opponents for opponents at the get-go, it was an event that was biased as hell when it wasn’t being painfully stupid.
Caught the Dakota Scout story that was just posted, as they revealed that Toby Doeden’s PAC has more than just a passing connection with the Robinson Campaign.
CNN first reported on unearthed sexually explicit and racist messages made on pornographic websites by an account that was determined to be linked to Robinson. In several posts, Robinson identifies himself by name and referred to himself as a “black Nazi,” while describing the type of explicit content he preferred.
and..
A contact for the event did not respond to a request for comment about the decision to stand by Robinson in the wake of his scandals. An attempt to contact Matt Hurley, Robinson’s campaign manager as of this week, was also unsuccessful. Hurley’s wife, Rachael, is listed as the campaign treasurer for Dakota First Action on the South Dakota Secretary of State’s website.
The spouse of the person now managing the campaign for Mark Robinson – who might have sunk the Trump election nationally with the implosion of his race in North Carolina – is the Treasurer for Doeden PAC?
Did not expect this. But, Friday is the dumping ground for news you want to downplay. Dakota First Action PAC is actually doubling down on bringing this years’ most reviled politician to Sioux Falls as their big speaker.
In case you have forgotten the CNN Story:
Mark Robinson, the controversial and socially conservative Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for reinstating slavery, a CNN KFile investigation found.
Despite a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric, Robinson said he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, a review of archived messages found in which he also referred to himself as a “perv.”
and..
In the pornographic forums, Robinson revealed his unvarnished thoughts on issues such as race, gender and abortion.
Writing in a forum discussing Black Republicans in October 2010, Robinson stated unprovoked: “I’m a Black Nazi!”
That same month, Robinson wrote in another post that he supported the return of slavery.
“Slavery is not bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it (slavery) back. I would certainly buy a few,” he wrote.
In March 2012, Robinson wrote that he preferred the former leader of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler over the leadership in Washington during the administration of Barack Obama.
“I’d take Hitler over any of the sh*t that’s in Washington right now!” he wrote.
Top Republican leaders in North Carolina have called on Mark Robinson to provide proof that he wasn’t behind salacious posts on a pornography website — but new information continues to point to his involvement in the type of online sexual activity he denies.
and..
“We don’t comment on internal strategy or investment decisions, but we can confirm what’s public — our current media buy in North Carolina expires tomorrow, and no further placements have been made,” said RGA spokesperson Courtney Alexander. “RGA remains committed to electing Republican Governors all across the country.”
and..
“I’ve seen some of the statements, I haven’t seen them all. Some of them are pretty gross, to put it mildly,” Vance said during a campaign stop in Charlotte. “Mark Robinson says that those statements are false, that he didn’t actually speak them. I think it’s up to Mark Robinson to make his case to the people of North Carolina that those weren’t his statements and I’m going to let him make that case.”
Basically, everyone isn’t just sidling away from Mark Robinson – they are running – and completely abandoning him over the forum posts attributed to him on a porn website.
CNN is reporting this week on how Mark Robinson has disappeared from the advertising for Dakota Action Conservative PAC’s fundraising gala, and that Toby ‘dumpster-fire’ Doeden isn’t returning calls on whether his holocaust denying buddy is going to be speaking or not:
Outside of North Carolina, national Republicans and conservative activist and advocacy groups have distanced themselves from Robinson. In neighboring Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp withdrew his endorsement of Robinson on Monday. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, the chair of the Republican Governors Association, also pulled his endorsement and canceled a RGA fundraiser in Greensboro, North Carolina. The RGA confirmed to CNN it would not spend any more money in the governor’s race.
Other canceled events featuring Robinson include a since-removed fundraiser to support the Trump-Vance campaign in Wisconsin on September 29. An updated invitation online now reads, “Our earlier speaker cancelled, but we have secured a great Trump ally for this event! Stay tuned!”
Robinson was also scheduled to appear as the main speaker at a fundraiser for the conservative group Dakota First Action in October. Updated promotions for the event no longer feature Robinson, and the group has not responded to questions on whether he is still speaking.
(I just got this press release from Lee Stranahan, and while I would normally ignore it, it made me laugh. But upon examination, it seems less amusing, and more of a cry for attention. -pp)
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**Date:** September 26, 2024
**Former Dr. Annette Bosworth Spokesman Sues Bosworth, Chad Haber, and Others for $5.2 Million, Alleging Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Abuse of Process**
**Sioux Falls, SD –** Lee Stranahan, a well-known journalist and former spokesman for Dr. Annette Bosworth, has announced a $5.2 million lawsuit against Bosworth**, her husband Chad Haber, their long-time attorney Jeff Beck, and his ex-wife Lauren Stranahan. The lawsuit alleges conspiracy to commit fraud and abuse of process, and other claims centering on a series of legal maneuvers involving “forum shopping” and false filings that Stranahan claims have devastated his family, his health and professional life. Stranahan asserts that Bosworth and Haber, working with Beck and Lauren Stranahan, played critical roles in the fraudulent filings used to manipulate the legal process.
Stranahan previously worked Chad Haber during his run for Attorney General in 2014, though the two had a falling out during the course of the campaign. Additionally, Dr. Annette Bosworth was a frequent guest on Stranahan’s radio show in Washington, D.C., which he hosted from 2017 for seven years overall. Bosworth regularly appeared on the show to discuss topics related to the ketogenic diet.
“This is not about the personal dirty laundry. It’s real simple,” said Stranahan. “People get divorced, and when they do, they should not lie and commit perjury and come up with a scheme to move kids out of their home through forum shopping. That should be obvious.”
Stranahan claims this is a clear case of forum shopping, a legal tactic where one party manipulates jurisdiction to gain a favorable outcome, often at the expense of justice. “Forum shopping devastates families, and it’s exactly what happened here,” Stranahan emphasized.
Press Conference Details
Lee Stranahan, a stroke survivor will be holding a press conference to present the facts of the case on Friday, September 27th at 2 p.m. Central Time in the conference room of the Siouxland downtown Library, located at 200 N Dakota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104. Doors will open slightly early for setup. Members of the press and citizen journalists are invited to attend. Stranahan will be showing evidence, including audio of a Virginia court official saying that Attorney Jeff Beck , and will be taking questions from attendees. Following the press conference, Stranahan will proceed to the courthouse to file the lawsuit papers. Photographers and videographers are invited to attend.
About Lee Stranahan Lee Stranahan is a journalist and former White House reporter with an extensive background in investigative reporting. He previously served as the spokesman for Dr. Annette Bosworth during her 2014 legal controversy and has hosted numerous political radio shows. Stranahan brings his professional expertise to bear in this case, shedding light on legal manipulation that has deeply impacted his family.
I did not know where the road would lead, but please listen to how you can help. pic.twitter.com/XsvbNRio0u
The Yes on Referred Law 21 group has an ad out that that is beginning it’s run in South Dakota media markets. And you can watch it here!
The group promoting a Yes vote on Referred Law 21 has a positive & future oriented message from ag producers focusing on the jobs and economic impact that the pipeline project will bring to South Dakota, as well as the additional revenue that it will provide for counties.
Among the several ag producers featured, the ad also features farmer and former Secretary of the South Dakota State Department of Agriculture Walt Bones, Jr.
With many races already decided in the primary elections with fall elections quickly approaching, it is that time where legislators turn to more noble pursuits..
Oh, who are we kidding? It’s time for our elected officials to start campaigning for caucus leadership. From reports of checks being written and calls being made, here’s the state of how the 2025 leadership races look, which will likely be decided shortly after the election possibly on the eve before the Governor’s budget address.
House of Representatives:
Speaker of the House – Mike Stevens v. Jon Hansen Speaker Pro Temp – Taylor Rehfeldt v Karla Lems Majority Leader – Will Mortenson v. Scott Odenbach Assistant Leader – Drew Peterson v. Greg Jamison v. Marty Overweg
The House races seem to be driven by the forces of stability holding the caucus together these past 2 years versus the crew that wants to go back to the bad old days that we had under house leaders such as Spencer Gosch, or Steve Haugaard. Remember the years where women were commanded that they can’t go sleeveless, and special session votes were held as secret? Those were not the good old days.
Senate:
President Pro Temp – Dave Wheeler v. Steve Kolbeck v. Chris Karr Majority Leader – Casey Crabtree v Jim Mehlhaff Assistant Majority Leader – Helene Duhamel or Sydney Davis v. possibly Taffy Howard*
The race for the leader of the State Senate is a toss up at the moment between Wheeler, Kolbeck & Karr each working to find a pathway forwards with the votes they have to work with. And that may be decided by who wins on November 5, and who can build a coalition with the Democrats that end up in the Senate. The contest for Majority Leader is surprising, considering Crabtree’s strong leadership over the past 2 years, but given the stack of wild cards thrown in the Senate with the number of new people coming in – who knows how that is going to go.
Same thing for the race for Assistant Majority Leader. It’s an election day contest. #1 will be whether Helene Duhamel is successful in her re-election effort against Independent candidate & transplanted Texan Karen McNeal. Another strong contender is District 17’s Sydney Davis. These two candidates – both of whom are solid legislators and lovely people – would likely not run against each other as much as find middle ground. *There are rumors that Taffy Howard is going out and meeting Senators, possibly in a bid for a leadership seat. Buuut… There are also rumors that she’s making personal visits begging for cash because her coffers have dried up after the primary. We’ll see what shakes out when Pre-General reports are filed.
With those names floating around in the ether in Leadership discussions the most sure bet is that once we have the election, then things are going to get really crazy.
