Just had this passed my way. Word on the street is that a group led by former legislator and former Sioux Falls City Attorney R. Shawn Tornow is supposedly attempting a coup to take over the Minnehaha County Republican Party, by holding their own meeting this coming Thursday in Sioux Falls.

As the note sent to me indicated:

“A small group of ..election deniers ..are attempting to hold an illegitimate central committee meeting in Minnehaha county this Thursday. They will not even provide a list of the members who called for the meeting.”

When I queried further and asked for names of those involved, I was told:

“Shawn Tornow seems to be the ring leader, Cindy Meyer and Vicky Buhr, Penny Baybridge and Jennifer Fuoss are also involved. I am sure they have more but I know those for sure. Its the same group that caused the *** storm at convention with Minnehaha County”

So, former State Rep Tornow, Cindy Meyer with the SD Canvassing Group, Vicky Buhr who is involved with Convention of States, Penny Baybridge who came in 4th out of 4 in the District 13 House race, and Sioux Falls Chiropractor Jennifer Foss who gave a nominating speech for Steve Haugaard at the 2022 SDGOP Convention (pictured at left) are said to be pushing to take over the Republican organization in Minnehaha County?  I’m told there’s a letter floating around out there, which I’ll post as soon as I can chase a copy down.

Aside from questioning why they feel the need to try to be sneaky and overtake the already scheduled county elections in an effort which may fall flat on it’s face, what the organization needs to consider is what – if anything- the Minnehaha GOP would accomplish with a group of hardest of the hard-right activists at the helm.

If you go back a few years when Minnehaha County GOP chair David Rose resigned, turning the organization over to GOP (at the time) vice-chair Lora Hubbel, the implications were nothing short of a nuclear disaster for the county organization. Which has continued to reverberate to today.

Regular donors evaporated like mist. Businesspeople ended their support. Literally no one wanted to be associated with the group and actively abandoned what was once a vibrant well-funded group that actually had paid staff and an established headquarters for years and helped political races be competitive.  Now a decade later the organization struggles to attract even a tenth of the attention and prestige (not to mention donors) it had in it’s heyday.

The job of a political party is to win elections. And when the most radically polarized are in charge, they don’t try to expand the tent and attract voters. They’re more interested in kicking out those they disagree with, and claiming “they won.”

Nevermind what they would win are diminishing returns, and a strong likelihood of being a liability more than an asset to the candidates which run under their banner.

 

*Update* – “Election integrity?”

So, I have this letter, and a couple of interesting points to go with it. Here are the important items…

Dear Minnehaha County Central Committee Members: 

Please be informed that one-fifth of the Minnehaha County Central Committee members have called for a special meeting.

and..

This meeting was requested by more than 20% of the Central Committee Members, per the Central Committee bylaws; therefore, this meeting must be scheduled.  The list of central committee members requesting this meeting can be viewed by contacting Tornow Law Office at 605-271-9006.

Tornow claims to have 20% who have signed on a meeting to conduct his coup against Minnehaha County GOP Leadership to supersede the election that has already been scheduled for a time when Legislators and other can be available to attend, and that their secret list can be viewed by contacting his law office. But I’ve spoken with at least two people who have called only to have the phone ring and ring to no avail to try to view this secret list.

Which makes one wonder.. Why would a list of the precinct people who are calling for a special election need to be secret in the first place?  Why wouldn’t they just send that out so people could see who is calling for the meeting, and they would verify that the people he is claiming are calling for the meeting are actually eligible to do so?

Shouldn’t the group actually be open about it? They are elected from within the party, and a number of them appeared on the ballot.

I mean, they are for election integrity. Aren’t they?

It seemed like holiday travel this year was just a comedy of errors. Which reminded me a bit too much of the movie “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” with family members including myself having a bit of a time trying to settle in for the Holiday.

Monday, December 19:

It was 3 kids coming home for Christmas, plus one spouse and a dog.  Except, a couple of days ago, that was changed to two kids and a dog, with the third who will linger a while after the holidays while she returns to Law School after the first of the year. No problem. Always happy to support my kids’ education.

So now, for those who would be present for Christmas, the kids were going to commute together from the DC area on the 21st or 22nd with my wife driving cross country.

But a wrench was thrown into the works. A Christmas storm started to loom. My son couldn’t leave his posting at the Navy for the holidays until his ship came into port after being dumped ashore the previous week due to a bout of tonsilitis. And those driving needed to get a move-on to beat the storm. So mom, daughter and dog took off at a breakneck pace across the country to beat the storm, leaving me to figure out the travel arrangements for my son, while he waited for his boat.

 

Tuesday, December 20: 

Mom, daughter and dog take off at 5am Eastern time and start pushing hard to get back home. They would not be caught in the storm.

With travel arrangements made.. My son was set to get home on Thursday at around noon. No problem, right?  ..Wait, plane tickets are how much when you buy them the day before you need to travel at Christmas?  But flight UA 1678  on United Airlines was procured.

For the travelers by car, everything seemed to be going smoothly.. Weather on the drive was great for the travelers. Dog was a great passenger.  They turned it around quickly at gas stops grabbing a bite at gas stations along the way and made it as far as Waterloo, Iowa the first night.

If it hadn’t have been so late, they might have pushed the rest of the way. But, why risk fatigue, right?

 

Wednesday, December 21:

5:09 AM Message from daughter: Mom not feeling good. We just got started.    What’s going on?   Probably food poisoning.  Uh oh.

Snow is starting to blow just in time for the travelers to pick up a car at the Sioux Falls airport, but roads are good.

Mom, kid & dog got home, and literally slept for 18 hours.  Mom vows not to eat gas station food while traveling ever again.  And tomorrow was my turn for getting a kid home.

 

Thursday, December 22:

Son’s flight as scheduled was to land at 10 am, but delays at the Chicago Airport pushed it back to 11am. So, dad hops in the truck and takes off at 10:30 to meet him. A little snowy, and a little breezy, so I better grab my wife’s phone charger. And off I went down I-29.  And 30 minutes later I was kind of regretting that decision as the snow whipped up, and the wind whipped up, and it became a complete white out.

Thankfully I got behind a semi-driver who knew how to drive on this stuff, as his rig remained visible the whole way, when the people punched up doing 35-40 weren’t visible through the white out. This was not a place I wanted to be, and I had the feeling that my son and I might be stranded in Sioux Falls for a while.

Around the time I hit the Baltic exit as I continued South on I-29, I got a call.. Dad, I’m back in Chicago. The plane turned around and brought us all back because of weather conditions.  Uh oh..  “Siri, call Hilton Garden Inn Downtown“. If I was going to be stuck in Sioux Falls, I was at least going to be stuck in a place with a decent restaurant.

The only hiccup is that I came down in 3-layers of clothes for the weather. And a phone. And that was about it.  After surviving the trip to Sioux Falls, I now had to survive Sioux Falls WalMart at Christmas time.  Quickly grabbing a change in shorts, some pajamas, a toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, and a decent looking jacket/pullover I could wear at the restaurant, I made my way to the checkout.  It’s South Dakota in winter, so I’m sure no one will pay me much mind with snowmobile boots.

I made it to the hotel to check-in as the storm continued to pick up, and walked into the front desk with three Walmart bags as my luggage, and went to my room until dinner.   About that time, I noticed that when I went to put it on, while the hanger of the pull-over I bought said it was a 2x, the tag said Medium… and in no way, shape or form was going to fit.  Leaving me to dress for dinner with my pick of two of the three layers I was wearing.

My son managed to find a room across from the Chicago airport, so we hunkered down in our separate locations to wait out the storm for the night, and he received notice that his delayed flight would now take off in the early evening.

 

Friday, December 23:

I had a bad feeling about today.  Looking out my hotel window, that storm didn’t look like it was going to let up.  Road reports were equally as poor as the night before. With my son coming in the early evening, just to be sure I had lodging, I got another night of the room.  Even if he did get in, I didn’t think we’d be going anywhere.

I ventured out long enough to hit Barnes & Noble for a last minute gift for my daughter that my wife wanted me to grab. And I stopped off for a haircut at “Great Clips.”

“Same as last time?” Sure. Where after they got started, I noticed that my last haircut at that location must have been in the heat of the summer a couple of years ago, as they proceeded to literally shave my head.  Okay.. I definitely got a haircut.

Reported back to my son that it looked like the Sioux Falls airport was reopening at 6pm, and all reports were looking good until they weren’t.  About an hour after his flight was supposed to depart, he received notice that his estimated departure would be 9 hours and 47 minutes late.  It was a little late for him to find a hotel, and the Chicago airport hotel rooms were running at $400 a night, because they could. So, he opted for a quiet space on the floor to wait out the storm and delays.  Someone was nice enough to pay for his dinner and a beer because he’s in the Navy. A nice gesture for a service member stuck in the Chicago airport.

While he did that, I chose 2 of my 3 layers to go to dinner in, shaved head and all, and later went back to my room to wait out another night.

 

Christmas Eve, December 24:

I was up at 5am, checking road conditions, which looked more promising than they did the prior night. It was supposed to be nicer today, and only at -1.. when your past few days were -15 and -20 at times, you’re glad to see a balmy -1.

At 7:55 my son sent me a text noting that his plane had arrived at the gate. And at 8:55 it was almost boarding time, but he didn’t want to say anything for fear that he might jinx it, because the pilot had arrived.  But.. where were the flight attendants? And then it was announced that they would have another announcement at 9:30.  My son was ready to offer himself as a flight attendant at the time, if it would help an airbus full of weary and displaced travelers to get home.  Then the next update was at 10AM.

Shortly thereafter, they let the travelers know that a flight crew was on it’s way, and they would be taking off at 12:15.

Finally flying in around 1:30 or so, my son arrived a little more than 2 days later than expected, but thankfully we had clear roads home.

I did notice that a lot of the traffic coming out of the airport and heading north on I-29 might have exceeded the speed limit, as I’m sure like me, there were plenty who just wanted to get home.  Pulling on at 2:30 – 3ish in Brookings, everyone was excited to see my son, especially the family dogs who hadn’t seen him in a years’ time.

From there, we thankfully moved into a state of mundane Christmas bliss.   And my youngest picked up a nice pull over which didn’t do me much good until I was able to re-gift it.

No more planes or automobiles for at least a few days, until they start on the journey home. And I pick up another child lodging for a while.

Enjoy the rest of the year, as we move towards 2023!

Johnson Applauds TikTok Ban on Government Devices

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) applauded the final passage of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act led byU.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). This bill bans the download and use of TikTok on federal government devices.

In September, Johnson has introduced a similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to block TikTok on federal government devices and on military bases and installations. Johnson’s Block the Tok Act would also prohibit China from accessing Americans’ user data from within China.

“TikTok is one of China’s Trojan horses,” said Johnson. “This app poses a national security threat and has safety implications for everyday Americans. I’m encouraged to see progress at both the federal and state level to prohibit TikTok on government devices, but there is still work to be done. I’m going to continue the effort to prohibit China’s access to Americans’ user data in the new Congress.”

19 states have banned the use and download of TikTok on state government devices.

Read the full text of Sen. Hawley’s No TikTok on Government Devices Act here.

###

Gov. Noem Appoints Melissa Magstadt as Secretary of Health

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem appointed Melissa Magstadt as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Health. Melissa’s appointment will be effective on the next state work day, which will be Tuesday, December 27.

“Melissa has proven her ability to provide innovative and cost-effective healthcare to the people of South Dakota,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “She will bring a fresh perspective to the department. We’ve set an example for the nation over the past several years by trusting our people to exercise personal responsibility over their healthcare decisions. Melissa will advance that vision for the people of South Dakota.”

Melissa is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (ARPN). She is a co-owner of Quick Care SD, an organization that provides quick and affordable healthcare access across Eastern South Dakota. She also owns an integrated medicine practice called SG Essentials in both Watertown and Pierre. Melissa served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2014 and was a member of the House Committee on Health and Human Services. She has been involved in South Dakota healthcare for more than 30 years.

“South Dakota should be on the forefront of supporting proactive quality of care for our people,” said Melissa Magstadt, South Dakota Secretary of Health. “Our state has unique health challenges, which vary from our rural communities to our big cities. We can tackle these challenges by focusing on an innovative, forward-looking approach to public health, rather than simply reacting to difficulties.”

Melissa has a Master’s in Science from South Dakota State University with a focus as a family nurse practitioner. She also has a Master’s in Business Administration from Mount Marty University. She is a graduate of the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of Nebraska. And she is a fellow at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrated Medicine.

Melissa and her family live in the Castlewood and Watertown area. She was born and raised in South Dakota.

###

From Facebook:

The Rapid City Journal is reporting today that Congressman Dusty Johnson has several policy items he’s going to be focusing on over the next two years while in the House majority, including curbing inflation, fixing the United States’ border with Mexico, and addressing China’s encroachment on US Consumer data:

Johnson’s Day 1 priority for the 118th Congress is tackling inflation. The latest inflation rate, published for the 12 months ending in November 2022, is 7.1% — down from a high of 9.1% in June, but still far above the 1.2% rate in November 2020.

He has repeatedly called on the Biden Administration to cut back on spending, and joined 206 of his Republican colleagues in voting against the Inflation Reduction Act in August.

and..

Between tackling fentanyl and foreign-owned ag, Johnson’s ready to take on the Farm Bill. Reauthorized every five years, the Farm Bill addresses everything from sustainability to forestry. He’s expecting to chair a subcommittee that will draft the omnibus law’s next iteration, and said it will give South Dakota a “great seat at the table.”

Read the entire article here.

Dusty also focused on his “Block the Tok” Legislation introduced this last September to stop the China based TikTok from being installed on Government devices, and for the FTC to investigate to see if they’ve engaged in unfair trading practices.

Despite being a supposedly conservative group, the South Dakota Family Heritage Alliance has been throwing rocks at Governor Kristi Noem from not acting quickly enough on their agenda.

And Governor Noem, having to operate in those pesky constraints of government, has had about enough of it, telling the FHA that she’s done with them until they get their act together, and make “changes in their operational leadership.”

“As a result, my office will no longer work with the Alliance until and unless its executive director chooses to act professionally,” Noem said, criticizing Woods for “sending this letter and releasing it to the media at the same time, instead of reaching out to my office to have a productive conversation about how we can work together.”

and..

Woods accused Noem of ignoring the student-led drag show that took place at South Dakota State University on Nov. 16 in Brookings and requested the Governor’s Office to work with the Attorney General’s Office to determine if child endangerment laws were broken.

and..

Noem said in her response, accusing Woods of “unbecoming behavior” that’s “become a pattern in recent years.”

Read it all here (Subscription required).

Boom.  Unfortunately for the Family Heritage Alliance, they need a friendly Governor’s office far more than the Governor needs them.

In recent years, since the group parted ways with Dale Bartscher, who remains well respected by legislators and is now at South Dakota Right to Life, FHA has gotten more and more demanding, and under Woods has pushed harder for immediate implementation of their wish list, no matter how radicalized it may be.

Whether FHA likes it or not, Governor Noem represents all South Dakotans, and has to consider the interests of the state as a whole, as opposed to kowtowing to one group’s agenda.

And this time they might have just pushed it too far.

Gov. Noem Says GAB Board Made the Right Decision

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem issued the following statement on the Government Accountability Board’s (GAB) decision to dismiss the frivolous complaint regarding her use of the state airplane to conduct state business.

“From the beginning, this was a political attack by a disgraced, impeached, and removed former Attorney General who killed a man, lied about it, and abused his office to try to cover it up,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I have always used the state airplane according to state law and the precedent set by previous governors. The GAB Board made the right decision to dismiss this frivolous attack.”

###

Governor Noem Closes State Government Offices Statewide for Winter Storm

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered all state government executive branch offices statewide to be closed Thursday, Dec. 22, because of the winter storm in South Dakota. With offices already closed on Friday and Monday for Christmas, state offices are planning to be open on Tuesday.

While executive branch offices in the rest of the state will be closed, employees will be working remotely.

Blizzard and near blizzard conditions will impact the entire state beginning today and through the day Thursday.

Citizens should be prepared to stay home Thursday if possible. Many state highways already have no travel advised, and numerous roads are physically blocked. If they get stranded or have vehicle maintenance issues, the situation may become life-threatening. If they must travel, they should check the sd511.org or the SD511 mobile app.

###

Gov. Noem Announces Next Steps on State Investments in China

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has announced the next steps that she is taking in her effort to stop state taxpayer dollars from being sent to nations that hate us, like Communist China. Governor Noem wrote to the United States Congress asking them to pass legislation endorsing state efforts to divest from China.

“I am requesting that Congress pass legislation to authorize state and local governments to divest assets or prohibit the investment of assets in China,” Governor Noem wrote in her letter to Congress, which can be found here. “Congress has an opportunity to prioritize our nation’s security. States stand ready to act, and legislation endorsing divestments from China would be a great tool to help us do that.”

Governor Noem also wrote to Vanguard asking them to create an emerging markets fund that does not include investments in Communist China.

“I am requesting that Vanguard create a new emerging markets fund that does not include China. This would provide states the opportunity to safely invest our state trust fund and pension dollars without exposure to the threat of the CCP,” Governor Noem wrote in her letter to Vanguard, which can be found here.

According to the review conducted by the South Dakota Investment Council (SDIC), no internally managed funds are invested in Chinese companies any longer. The SDIC has already divested from three Chinese companies.

Approximately 1.3% of the SDIC’s portfolio is invested in Chinese companies through an emerging markets index ETF. Another 0.7% of the portfolio is invested in Chinese real estate through external real estate and private equity partnership funds.

Governor Noem has called on the SDIC to provide alternative options for these investments.

###