Safer Communities
By: Gov. Kristi Noem  
September 6, 2024    

We recently celebrated the graduation of 20 new law enforcement officers in South Dakota. This graduation was unique because it included the first ever tribal-focused law enforcement training put on by a state, rather than by the federal government. Eight tribal law enforcement officers immediately began protecting and serving their communities.

I was particularly touched by their families who were in attendance. As I looked at the pride beaming from their families, I realized why these new officers accepted this calling: they want their families to grow up in safe and prosperous communities. And they are willing to be the boots on the ground to ensure that happens.

That graduation was a very honorable day. Those men and women stepped up to serve the public – and the public will look to them for what is right and what is wrong. On their toughest days, their oath as a law enforcement officer will be what gets them through. They will show compassion and empathy to people on their hardest days, and they will keep a steady hand when hard times are in front of us.

We respect law enforcement because they are the ones who protect our Freedoms here at home. Earlier this year, I released an ad for Freedom Works Here to recruit law enforcement officers to South Dakota. We’ve already made South Dakota the Freest state in America – and with more law enforcement officers, we’ll make it the safest, too.

Too many other states and cities have a different story to tell. In New York City, more than 2,500 officers resigned last year – 43% more than five years prior – meanwhile, murders are up 23% from five years ago. And 63% of Americans view crime as an “extremely” or “very” serious problem, the highest percentage ever recorded.

Calls to “defund the police” have turned into actual budget cuts in far too many communities. And the Biden-Harris Administration has even made this a reality for tribal communities here in South Dakota, as they have consistently underfunded tribal law enforcement.

But we must not be afraid because of threats to public safety. At that law enforcement graduation, I quoted Paul’s words in 2 Timothy to those new officers: “God has not given us a spirit of fear – but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

These officers have tremendous power in their new roles. And they will use that power with love. And they will make decisions with the sound mind that their training provides them to serve the people of their communities with excellence. I am so proud to have them protecting and serving our communities.

 After the graduation, I met with tribal leaders from six of our state’s tribes to discuss next steps to improve public safety in tribal communities. We talked about how to increase the amount of tribal law enforcement officers coming through our state academy. We also discussed the benefits of Mutual Aid Agreements like we just signed with the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Our conversations are turning into real solutions.

 I will continue to push for meaningful action from Washington, D.C. – both from Congress and from the Biden-Harris Administration. They need to do their part to keep our tribal communities safe, including closing the wide-open Southern Border. Until those common-sense actions are taken, South Dakota will continue to do our part. And we will celebrate landmark days like this law enforcement graduation.

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Jackie Diedrich, former Brookings County Republican Party Chairwoman who was also heavily involved in her former husband Larry’s run for Congress, passed away this week at the age of 66.

Her obituary is available here.

Please keep her family in your thoughts.

Well, no wonder this event was secretive when it was first announced.

The Doeden Dumpster fire is burning hotter tonight with the announcement of exactly who is headlining his $250/person conservative dinner. The secret dinner isn’t so secret now, with a change in date from September 27 to October 1.

An increase in the main sponsorship cost from $17,500 to 20,000 is coming with the announcement of who will be headlining this hot mess:

At $250 a head… who is that?  For South Dakotans, he is the GOP nominee for Governor in North Carolina. And he is just a quote machine.

When Rolling Stone actually has an article titled “N.C. GOP Nominee Mark Robinson’s Most Reprehensible Comments,” you know that Toby is going for the hottest garbage fire he can create at his inaugural event:

In Facebook posts, Robinson has repeatedly denied the Holocaust. In one 2018 post, he wrote that “this foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash.”

Oh God. Robinson has also had choice words about the role of women:

“I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote,” Robinson said. “Do you know why? Because in those days, we had people who fought for real social change, and they were called Republicans.

You can read the article here.

Guess this is not going to be a rally in favor of Amendment E.

Robinson possibly also has a porn scandal brewing, which you can read about here, if you’re so inclined.

The bottom line is that aside from the $250 cost per ticket, actual Republicans should not just avoid being associated with this event – they should run away as quickly as possible.

An article today at SD News watch discusses the possibilities of the 2026 Gubernatorial race, and how well heeled two of the front runners are as we tick away the days until that campaign begins:

Johnson’s campaign committee total of more than $4.6 million puts him 18^th among current U.S. Congress members. That’s unusually high for a South Dakotan whose re-election race is deemed “solid Republican” by nearly every national prognosticator.

and..

“I’m never going to be scared of a primary,” Dusty Johnson told News Watch last fall. “Anybody who thinks that by acting in a certain way they can gain a free pass doesn’t understand modern politics. At some point, you just go do the right thing and figure out what that means politically later.”

and..

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who ran a competitive but unsuccessful gubernatorial primary against Noem in 2018, is strongly considering taking another run at the job in 2026.

His campaign committee total of about $400,000 pales in comparison to Dusty Johnson’s $5 million, a source of consternation but not panic for the 53-year-old Sturgis native who previously served as South Dakota’s U.S. attorney.

“I’m focused on being attorney general,” Jackley told News Watch. “Other politicians may raise money and campaign (early), but I have a busy job. And I think the best politics that I can do is to perform in that job the best I can. I’ve shown that I can raise money in a short period of time, and it’s primarily local money. I’m not going to be controlled by anybody.”

Read the entire story here.

Just remember.. only 61 days until November 6th – the day Campaign 2026 begins.

Indiana Ethanol Producers Association Joins American Carbon Alliance

URBANDALE, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2024) – The American Carbon Alliance (ACA) announced today that the Indiana Ethanol Producers Association has officially joined its coalition. The ACA continues to gain momentum as ethanol trade associations across the country unite in support of carbon capture initiatives.

“We are excited to welcome the Indiana Ethanol Producers Association into our alliance,” said Tom Buis, CEO of the American Carbon Alliance. “Their commitment to advancing ethanol production and promoting cleaner energy solutions aligns perfectly with our mission to create a sustainable energy future for the United States. Together, we will drive forward the innovation and infrastructure necessary to achieve our goals.”

The Indiana Ethanol Producers Association has been at the forefront of promoting bioethanol production in the state. Their efforts have made Indiana a leader in offering consumers a variety of low-cost, environmentally friendly bioethanol fuel options.

“The Indiana Ethanol Producers Association is proud to be part of the American Carbon Alliance,” said Tim Phelps, spokesperson for the Indiana Ethanol Producers Association. “As we look to the future, the role of carbon capture and ethanol production is more crucial than ever. By joining this alliance, we are reinforcing our dedication to enhancing Indiana’s agricultural economy and contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable environment.”

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I was on the Internets last night perusing facebook, and I stopped short, because I had noted a GOP political ribbon for the Dakota’s I had never seen before that belongs in my collection of South Dakota Republican Convention ribbons.

And I missed buying/bidding on it, when it had sold only 4 days before. Aaarrrghh…

In 30 years of collecting, I have never seen this before.  “Territorial Republican Convention, Watertown, Dakota 1888.”  And in very, very nice condition as well. That is just beautiful.

The downside? Harrison and Morton.  Because it’s a jugate ribbon. 

– From Wikipedia; jugate consists of two portraits side by side to suggest, to the viewer, the closeness of each to the other.   3 portraits are a trigate piece. And there’s a couple valuable SD versions out there.

The presidential and vice-presidential candidate portraits (they won that year) make it an expensive item especially coming from a sparsely populated territory.  Darn it. 

It went for $700 which is waaay up there for a SD textile piece, and it’s the presidential portraits which make it a national level – and expensive – collectible. I’ve bought most of my SD convention ribbons for well under $100, as they’re such a niche item, and more people are into buttons than ribbons, which actually came before the invention of buttons.

An 1888 Dakota Territory convention ribbon would have looked darned nice along with my other convention ribbons that I’ve collected over the years.

Some look like the day the ink was stamped onto silk. Others have taken a tougher path into my collection of South Dakota related campaign textiles. I manage to chase down one or two of these every few years. They’re a hard find, but they’re out there, scattered to the wind waiting to come home to South Dakota and my collection.

More fun than finally getting that piece is the chase for it.

But now that I know that it’s out there and exists – the hunt it on!

From Twitter, looks like the election truthers got booted from the SDGOP fair booth because someone was trying to use the space for their personal agenda…

The SD GOP kicked out election integrity expert Rick Weible @weible_rick from their booth at the SD State Fair yesterday for talking about election integrity. Their position on ensuring our voices count through our votes is crystal clear now!@TodRevolution @SDGOP

— GovWatchSD (@GovWatchSD) August 29, 2024

I’d wondered where Rick had gotten off to. He’s been keeping a low profile since the primary.

*update* – Had a note from a SDGOP booth worker who was there all day. He says that this entire incident was a fabrication, and that the twitter post was “click bait from those trying to defame the party.”

That would not come as a shock.

Even though it would be more humorous if they told Minnesota Rick to “hit the road, jack.”

*9/6 – another update* – As I hear more of the story, he was not kicked out, but informed ahead of time that he would not be allowed to spread his election nonsense in the GOP booth, because the booth is there to promote the Republican Party. And if he wanted to promote his cause, be should buy his own booth, like any other cause at the state fair.

From the Dept of Health (as noted by a KELOland story) the Department of Health has issued a video noting that abortion to save the life of the mother is allowed in South Dakota:

And that seems to be the only reason currently allowed under the law. Nothing on other exceptions, such as rape or incest.

Senator Brent Hoffman was kind enough to send me this antique photo/cabinet card taken of Pierre Street in Pierre, SD.

Dating it, it is definitely pre-1907 when the railroad bridge was built, as there’s an unobstructed view to the Pierre Courthouse before the top of it was removed, and a lot of remodeling has taken place.

I’m guessing the photo was taken just back from present day Sioux Dakota Avenue (H/T to SDHistoryNerd – the plat map matched a few of the buildings I was looking for). Many of the buildings on the left and right are gone; with the Federal Building replacing the buildings on the upper left, and Walgreens now on the upper right in the back.

Thank you Senator for the blast from the Capital City’s past!

This morning on facebook, I caught this comment from Ezra Hays (leader of the No on Amendment H effort) explaining why he has taken on the task of opposing open primaries.

Because he believes that the Republican Party should have more control over it’s candidates:

 

Ezra Hayes explicitly notes: “In South Dakota the Republican Party is not strong enough to rein in politicians when it is needed, thats why I feel that we need a stronger party, to be able exact our values when needed.“

Which politicians exactly does he believe he needs the Republican Party to rein in?  Does he think the SDGOP should be able to tell the House Majority Leader to toe the line?  Or Congressman Dusty Johnson.. Quit being so wonky and reading that legislation – you just vote how we tell you to.  Senator Thune, you might be next in line to lead the US Senate, but we’re in command here.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!  That’s a laugh riot.

Speaking as someone who has worked for and with the Republican Party for decades to elect candidates, I will be the first to tell you this is the absolute height of hubris.  The Republican Party is supposed to be there as an affiliation and a vehicle to help get candidates elected by being partners with those who would represent the party.  And it’s a two way street. Give and take. The Republican Party has helped it’s candidates, and in return, candidates affiliate and organize along party lines, which benefits the party.

Unfortunately, with the tenor of politics in recent years as people have been driven away from participating in politics, this is what you get.  Party organizations are able to do less and less for candidates, because they can’t raise money, and are focusing on the wrong things. Yet, there is an increasing expectation of control over the candidates.

Ezra Hays may want to “exact our values when needed” from candidates and officeholders. But I don’t think he’s going to get it.