ATTORNEY GENERAL JOINS 11 STATE COALITION IN FILING SUIT TO HALT FEDERAL VACCINE MANDATE

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg today joined an eleven-state coalition in filing a lawsuit against Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to halt their vaccine mandate on private employers with more than 100 employees. This coalition of states is the first to file suit against the vaccine mandate on private employers. Five private employers joined the challenge as well. A Petition for Judicial Review was filed in the United States 8th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this morning, and a Motion for Stay is expected to be filed early next week.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit earlier this morning, challenges the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) propagated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which requires private employers with 100 or more employees to mandate their employees to get vaccinated or implement weekly testing and mask requirements. Non- compliant businesses could face steep fines.

The petition states, “This mandate is unconstitutional, unlawful, and unwise. The federal government lacks constitutional authority under its enumerated powers to issue this mandate, and its attempt to do so unconstitutionally infringes on the States’ powers expressly reserved by the Tenth Amendment.

OSHA also lacks statutory authority to issue this mandate, which it shoe-horned into statutes that govern workplace safety, and which were never intended to federalize public-health policy.”

The petition also states, “For over a century, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that policies on compulsory vaccination lie within the police powers of the States, and that ‘they are matters that do not ordinarily concern the national government.’ Until quite recently, the Biden Administration agreed. The White House stated on July 23 of this year that mandating vaccines is ‘not the role of the federal government.’ But on September 9, 2021, that position underwent a dramatic reversal. The President announced several sweeping vaccine mandates, including a vaccine mandate to be issued by OSHA that applies to all employers who employ more than 100 employees. OSHA published this ‘emergency’ mandate two months later, crafting an elaborate post hoc justification for a policy that the President had already dictated that it would impose.”

The full petition can be found here.

In addition to South Dakota, attorneys general from Missouri, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, Alaska, New Hampshire, and Wyoming also joined the challenge.

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I’d written before about the Patriot Ripple Effect group which took part in the anti-Thune rally in Sioux Falls and helped organize the protest across from Sanford Hospital.

In case you need any reminders, the group is chaired by Adam Broin, with former Minnehaha GOP Chair Dave Roetman serving as treasurer and main contact for the committee.

I was also told that new Sioux Falls at-large city council candidate Bobbi Andera was a politically conservative recruit of this group as they seek out new candidates to take out incumbents, with Andera running to take on incumbent Janet Brekke for one of the at-large Sioux Falls City Council spots.

As noted, one of their primary activities to date has been connecting with the state’s anti-vaccination group to protest businesses requiring employees to vaccinate, such as when they protested in front of Sanford Health, who recently reported a 99% vaccination of employees.

After several months, it appears that the Patriot Ripple Effect is stepping things up a notch, as they organize to bring a bus from Sioux Falls to Pierre to protest during the special sessions for redistricting and impeachment.. I guess they’re protesting that they aren’t calling a special session to pass more anti-vaxxing laws, necessary or not..

An e-mail is being distributed from the group in the last day or so, as they try to get people to attend their anti-vax rally..

Chartered bus going to Capital Building in Pierre on Monday, November 8 for the “No Vax Mandate Rally.”  (You can drive yourself there as well.)

Lunch:
2 options. First, pack your own lunch to bring OR Pre-buy a lunch ticket for a Mexican themed food truck that will be there. $12 pre-sale price or $15 at truck. (We have to pre-sell 200 lunch tickets to get the truck there that day)

Bathroom: The bus has bathroom facility on board

Payment: $40 per person who ride the bus.

You can purchase the bus ticket and lunch meal online at:

Patriot Ripple Effect

The only worthwhile thing is that we do find out that Patriot Ripple Effect finally has a website at https://patriotrippleeffect.com/.  And what insightful patriotic information are they providing to the masses in their crusade to throw out too-liberal Republican incumbents and stamp out vaccination?:

Apparently, the website for this grassroots effort funded by local small donors who wish the best for South Dakota’s community, economy, health, and liberties are letting us know that you can get a chicken rice bowl for $12, ride the bus for $40, and you can also buy a very generic t-shirt or koozy from them.

Whoof! I’m not sure we can handle all the patriotism that going to be happening there. It’s like they’ll be serving up a freedom-frenzy with your chicken rice bowl!

An Anti-vaccination group appears to be requesting one of the roads leading to the State Capitol building be closed the morning of the special legislative session on Monday.

Health Freedom South Dakota is not listed on the street closure request, but the group’s executive director Mya Olson and her contact information is. South Dakota Boulevard is a short street, book-ended by Church Street and Broadway Avenues, which are major arterial roads bringing traffic not only to state offices, but to nearby T-F Riggs High School.

Read and listen to the story at KCCR News here.

Closing the street between Broadway & Church at 8 AM next Monday for a protest? That won’t be a mess as people jam in that area trying to go to the special session… and drop off kids at school… and go to work at 5-6 adjacent state buildings.

Former Gov. Frank L. Farrar to be Honored at State Capitol on Tuesday

PIERRE, S.D. – Former Governor Frank L. Farrar will be honored at the South Dakota State Capitol on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Public viewing will be allowed from 7 am to 11 am CT. A memorial ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda is scheduled for 1 pm to 2 pm.

Those wishing to pay their respects may enter the Capitol Building via the north doors (parking lot side).

Access to the second-floor Rotunda will be closed at 11 am to allow time to set up for the memorial ceremony. Access will begin at 12:30 pm for that ceremony, again via the north doors. Circle Drive in front of the Capitol will close at 5 pm on Monday and remain closed to the public until after 3 pm on Tuesday.

Reverend Jason Mueller will officiate at the memorial ceremony. Mayor Clyde Fredrickson of Britton, SD will offer a welcome. Remembrances will be offered by Governor Kristi Noem and Former Governor Dennis Daugaard. The ceremony will include musical performances by Kate Wismer, vocalist, accompanied by Peggy Davidson, pianist, both of Britton, SD, and Shawn Cable, vocalist, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The ceremony will conclude with members of the South Dakota National Guard along with South Dakota Highway Patrol carrying the casket down the front steps of the Capitol. As the procession exits the Capitol, there will be a 21-gun salute and taps.

Gov. Kristi Noem has requested that all flags in the state be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Saturday, November 13, when Former Governor Farrar’s funeral service will be held in Britton, SD.

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Thune: Democrats’ Radical Agenda Threatens Families, Faith, and Life

“Government money rarely comes without strings attached.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today highlighted how Democrats’ out-of-touch child care provisions in their reckless tax-and-spending spree would reduce the number of child care options for parents and harm faith-based providers across the country. Thune also noted how the Democrats’ bill would allow taxpayer funding for abortions against the wishes of a majority of the American people.

 ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCES HE WILL JOIN SUIT TO HALT BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S PRIVATE EMPLOYER VACCINE MANDATE 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced today that he will be bringing litigation on behalf of the State of South Dakota, along with the state of Missouri and a coalition of other states, to halt the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate on private employers. Ravnsborg plans to file suit first thing tomorrow morning when OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard” (ETS) is officially published in the federal register.

“This is an excessive burden to place on the businesses and citizens of South Dakota,” said Ravnsborg. “It is our belief that the federal government does not have the authority to unilaterally force private employers to mandate their employees get vaccinated or foot the bill for weekly testing.” 

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Austin Goss of Dakota News Now had this story earlier this AM about the Governor being sued, because a group decided to try to have a rally in Pierre, but claim they were denied a permit:

Governor Noem is being sued by the Institute for Free Speech on behalf of a group trying to protest vaccine mandates on State Capitol grounds. They say they were denied a permit for the dates of November 8th and 9th on the basis that Christmas decorating is going on. pic.twitter.com/vixbrUUhaN

— Austin Goss (@AustinGossSD) November 4, 2021

However, as reported by Joe Sneve at the Argus..

The governor’s office pushed back Thursday, saying the administration continues to work with the organization to allow a demonstration to take place.

“Nobody is denying the opportunity to speak,” said Ian Fury, a spokesman for the governor. “We are working with the protesters to accommodate their request.”

Read it here.

I was hoping to scoot over to Pierre for the Special Session  just to watch the fireworks, but I’m stuck in Brookings to manage the home front. It looks like it’s going to be a circus maximus!

Before Tuesday, President Biden declared “We’re going to win.”

The Dems are in disarray. #RedWave pic.twitter.com/w8zh3MhuT6

— GOP (@GOP) November 4, 2021

And with a very loud voice, voters replied “Let’s go Brandon!”

It’s going to be a wild election!

From Twitter, via Morning Consult, stick a fork in Bruce Whalen, Bruce Mowry, and the other guy whose name nobody remembers. US Senator John Thune’s popularity among Republican voters has surged from 69% to nearly 90%:

Despite Trump’s calls for a primary challenger, John Thune of South Dakota has seen a sharper recovery among GOP voters than any other Senate Republican up for re-election next year. https://t.co/DbxX8H3M4j pic.twitter.com/uRRt72Ej5I

— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) November 4, 2021

“Polling conducted in the third quarter of Biden’s presidency found that 88 percent of Republicans in the Mount Rushmore State approve of Thune’s job performance, up from 69 percent in the first quarter of the year. This marks the best quarterly improvement of any governor or senator up for re-election in 2022, according to surveys in each state conducted from Jan. 21, Biden’s first full day in office, through Oct. 20. This leaves Thune roughly matching Noem’s popularity among GOP voters in the state (86 percent approval), though they are less likely to strongly approve of their senior senator than they are their governor (33 percent to 53 percent).”

Yeah. None of those guys are going to even come close to touching this.

Plan ahead for 3G Phase Out in 2022

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission wants South Dakotans to be aware that all major mobile carriers, including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, plan to phase out their 3G networks in 2022. The decommissioning of 3G networks, which rely on older technology, is part of a larger plan that will allow providers to focus more of their resources on building out newer networks, like 5G, to meet consumer demands instead of maintaining an older one. As a result of this change, older phones that require 3G networks to operate will lose service.

“If you have an older mobile phone, you may need to upgrade your device before mobile carriers shut down their 3G network to avoid losing service. Once your carrier makes this change, older phones, including 3G mobile phones will be unable to use data services and make or receive calls and texts, including calls to 911,” explained PUC Chairman Chris Nelson. “Some older 4G mobile phones that don’t support faster technology may also be affected,” Nelson continued.

Specific deadlines for this transition vary by company. Sprint, which is owned by T-Mobile, has announced that it will shut down its 3G network by Jan. 1, 2022. AT&T will follow suit phasing out 3G by February 2022. Verizon will end 3G service by Dec. 31, 2022. T-Mobile also plans to phase out its 2G and 3G networks, but has not yet announced a deadline.

“It’s important to understand that the dates these major carriers have provided are deadlines for retiring their 3G networks. Some may begin retiring parts of their 3G networks sooner,” said PUC Vice Chairperson Kristie Fiegen.  “Keep in mind that many other carriers, like Cricket Wireless, Straight Talk and several Lifeline mobile service providers, utilize AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile networks for service, so their deadlines may impact your service even if your contract is with a different provider,” Fiegen stated.

Phasing out older networks isn’t a new concept for wireless carriers; similar transitions have happened before. Many wireless providers shut down 2G networks in favor of building out the 4G network we now use. Benefitting from past experience, many service providers have developed programs and resources to help customers through this process.

Some carriers provide lists on their websites of devices that won’t be supported after 3G networks are decommissioned. Some mobile service providers may be offering special deals on new devices for those in need of an upgrade. Other devices may only require a software update to enable advanced services.

“The best way to ensure you don’t lose connectivity as a result of these phase outs is to do your research and plan ahead. Contact your mobile provider or consult your provider’s website for more information about their 3G retirement plan and how it may affect your service,” recommended PUC Commissioner Gary Hanson. “Be sure to consider any medical devices, tablets, smart watches, vehicle SOS services, home security systems and other devices that use cellular connectivity as a back-up when a wired internet connection goes down and other connected products that may use 3G as well,” he said.

While additional programs like Lifeline and Tribal Lifeline and Link Up don’t cover the cost of new devices, they can assist eligible South Dakotans with the cost of phone or internet services. The Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program may also provide a temporary discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households during the COVID-19 pandemic.  To find out more, visit the FCC’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit.

For more information on the planned phase out of 3G cellular networks, see the FCC’s guide “Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service” at fcc.gov/telephone.

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