Gov. Noem Statement on State Attorneys General Amicus Brief in Rushmore Fireworks Appeal

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, sixteen state attorneys general filed an amicus brief in theKristi Noem, et. al. v. Deb Haaland appeal, which seeks to restore South Dakota’s annual Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. Governor Noem thanked the attorneys general with the following statement:

“The Biden Administration’s arbitrary decision to cancel the Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration sets a bad precedent for other states who want honest and predictable federal processes,” said Governor Noem. “I am grateful for the sixteen attorneys general who are standing up with South Dakota so that we can return theFireworks Celebration to Mount Rushmore and honor our nation’s birthday at America’s Shrine to Democracy for next year and in the future.”

The Amici States support Governor Noem’s challenge to the federal government’s unlawful decision denying South Dakota’s permit for the Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. They argue that National Park Service’s decision-making was erratic, flimsy, and based on unsupported rationales. The denial itself was devoid of specifics, facts, data, and was internally inconsistent. The Amici States file this brief to defend a federal permitting process that is well-reasoned, consistent, and well-supported.

In particular, the Amici States criticize National Park Service’s contradictory rationale for using the COVID-19 pandemic as a purported reason to cancel the Fireworks Celebration. “Much of the letter refusing to grant South Dakota’s permit was focused on the COVID-19 pandemic,” write the attorneys general. “COVID-19 concerns did not prevent the National Park Service from holding a fireworks display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was arbitrary and capricious to rely on the same concerns to refuse to allow a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.”

The attorneys general are led by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is joined by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

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The Argus Leader is busy clucking today as they pat themselves on the back for trying to represent their community better based on the color of people’s skin and their gender:

Our challenge was compounded by the fact that we haven’t spent enough time building meaningful relationships in the Black community or working to include our Indigenous, Latinx and Asian neighbors in our coverage.

and..

The Argus Leader team has seven women and eight men. Our management team of three has one woman on it. We are closer to parity on gender, but still have work to do.

Read that here.

If they’re concerned with representing the diversity of their community, I can’t help but wonder how many Republican/Conservative reporters they have on staff, and what they’ve done to increase the representation of conservative voices?

They can’t make hiring decisions that way? Well, they’re going on about their racial and gender initiatives, and I didn’t think they were supposed to make hiring decisions based on that, either.

Just holding them to account, as they asked.

(I might yank his chain on occasion, but I do have to say that their current political reporter Joe Sneve is head and shoulders above the prior political reporter in that regard. Now if the entire newsroom would reflect the political makeup of the community. )

 

This afternoon on the Rapid City Journal’s facebook page, a reader was calling on the State Representatives for Lawrence County to remove Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg from office as a consequence of traffic violations, including a speeding ticket he received in Pierre earlier this week.  One of the violations, failure to maintain in his lane, is considered to be a factor in the death of Joe Boever last fall.

In response, it appeared that State Representative Mary Fitzgerald responded that she was “on it.”

This is interesting because of a couple of reasons.

First, Fitzgerald is a member of the State House of Representatives, the body which has the sole power of impeachment and would be bringing a measure to send the matter to the State Senate for trial.

Secondly, Fitzgerald’s husband, John Fitzgerald, ran against Ravnsborg for Attorney General at the 2018 State Republican Convention.  And, it is possible that he may be up for consideration for appointment should Ravnsborg be removed from office.

There’s a lot in that statement which is a cannon being loaded for bear in the months ahead.

The office of Attorney General is up for election in 2022, and currently, the only announced candidate is former Attorney General Marty Jackley, who ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 2018. Ravnsborg could run for the office, or if the office is vacated, an appointee of the Governor’s may seek to run.  However, Jackley is widely anticipated as being formidable in the 2022 AG race regardless of who the opponent may be.

Stay tuned.

South Dakota National Guard to Support Monument Health in COVID Testing Efforts

PIERRE, S.D. – This week, nine soldiers with the South Dakota National Guard were activated to support Monument Health in their COVID-19 testing efforts. The soldiers were activated to Belle Fourche, Custer, Rapid City, Spearfish, and Sturgis.

“Since the start of the pandemic, the State of South Dakota has worked with our hospital systems to manage hospital capacity so that we can help those who need elevated levels of care. Testing efforts help us to identify and isolate cases to slow the spread of the virus,” said Governor Noem. “This past week, I had conversations with all three South Dakota hospital systems and asked them what they needed as cases start to rise again. Monument asked for the National Guard to assist them in their testing efforts, and we are happy to help.”

The soldiers are activated under FEMA Title 32, meaning that their efforts will be federally funded.

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COVID discussion remains on the tip of everyone’s tongues with rates spiking in the state, and it’s no different in the Republican contest for US Senate. And if you take a look at the candidates and their statements, there’s a definite range of views between the three.

A few weeks after Republican candidate for US Senate Bruce Whalen admitted that he picked up COVID at a rally in Sioux Falls he’s up front and telling people to treat it with Ivermectin, a sheep dewormer..

All I have to say about that is “For crying out loud, it’s an anti-worming medicine for animals. Quit reading crazy things off of facebook!“

In comparison, fellow fringe US Senate Candidate isn’t recommending sheep-medicine, but he’s happy to spread his knowledge. And COVID. He will probably be spreading COVID, as according to a recent podcast claiming to be the “America First” podcast, Mowry noted…

Mowry is giving us paranoia, and is actually saying that he does not advocate for any of the vaccines.  That’s just great.

That might be a signal of who NOT to stand next to at the Republican dinners. Assuming Mowry lasts that long, given that currently most hospitalizations and deaths are coming from those who are not vaccinated.

Compare that to current US Senator John Thune, who early on back in March was advocating that people should go take care of themselves:

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, including answers to common questions and a state-by-state guide to vaccinations in your area, click HERE to find out more.

You can read that here.

Sheep dewormer, anti-vaxxer, or encouraging people to take care of their health and get vaccinated.  Which of the three candidates do you think aligns with what former President Trump is telling people?

Actually, given that the COVID vaccine development was initiated under the previous administration, it’s US Senator John Thune who’s recommendations align with those of the former President, as President Trump himself is recommending the vaccine.

Former President Donald Trump urged his supporters to get vaccinated against Covid-19, noting many of them have been reluctant to do so.

“I would recommend it and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday night on Fox News.

People have the freedom to choose, he said, adding, “It’s a great vaccine. It’s a safe vaccine and it’s something that works.”

Read it here.

Food for thought.  And the US Senate race rolls on.

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Americans For Prosperity – South Dakota (AFP-SD) recently released its legislative scorecard, a way to track the votes of legislators on key issues for South Dakotans.

This year, the key votes centered on AFP-SD’s major priorities: improving accessibility to quality health care in South Dakota, improving our education system, and creating more economic opportunity for all South Dakotans. This was a remarkably successful year that saw the passage of several bills that make tangible improvements to the lives of South Dakotans. To learn more about the reforms passed this year in South Dakota, click HERE.

AFP Regional Director Don Haggar discussed the legislative session and the successes achieved this year in South Dakota. That discussion can be found HERE.

AFP Regional Director Don Haggar released the following statement on this year’s scorecard and the legislative session:

“This year’s scorecard is reflective of the incredible efforts of activists and legislative leaders across South Dakota. We made great strides to secure meaningful reforms for South Dakota families, and we would like to thank the activists, legislators, and leaders who made it possible to create these positive changes during this legislative session.”

COVID-19 – Do We Have the Whole Story?
By State Rep. Trish Ladner

The media tracks and reports on COVID-19 statistics. They list the number of active cases and total number of deaths. They go even further updating the number of vaccines received; how many received their first dose and how many have received their second dose of the vaccine. All good information, but I am constantly amazed that there is very little information if any, in the media about “natural immunity” for those of us (38+ million Americans), who have had COVID-19 and survived. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO), released a scientific update stating that, “most people who have recovered from COVID-19 develop a strong protective immune response. Within 4 weeks following infection, 90-99% of individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus develop detectable neutralizing antibodies. Available scientific data suggests that in most people immune responses remain robust and protective against reinfection for at least 6-8 months after being infected with the virus.” Emory Vaccine Center at Emery University supports this information. They looked at 254 patients with mostly mild to moderate symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection over a period for more than eight months (250 days) and found that their immune response to the virus remained durable and strong. It appears that recovered COVID-19 patients retain broad and effective longer-term immunity to the disease.

On a personal note, I am living proof that natural immunity to COVID exists. Last December my husband and I were both diagnosed with COVID.  Each day we could feel our health slipping away so we called our doctor. She told us that because we were in a “Free” state (thank you Governor Noem), she could prescribe a new artificial antibody infusion. It basically provided synthetic antibodies to fight the virus while our bodies produced our own.  It was like someone flipped the switch and every day we were 100% better than the day before!  A month later we were tested for antibodies and we were positive and good to go. Natural Immunity!!  We just passed our eighth month mark since contracting the virus and decided to get retested for antibodies. I am happy to report that our antibodies are still present and going strong.  Our doctor has asked us to retest again in 4 to 5 months and we will gladly do the follow-up test. Talk to your doctor and see what the best choice is for you.

I am not an “anti-vaxer,” but I have to ask the question …. why would those of us who have survived COVID and developed natural antibodies and have immunity to the virus be mandated to take the vaccine? Why aren’t the number of survivors with immunity tracked in the statistics? Doesn’t make sense to me!

With vaccine mandates being issued by states requiring proof of vaccinations to return to work or school, we need to take a serious look at what we, as Americans will agree to comply with. There are states who are mandating that all students, athletes, coaches, janitors, teachers, and staff get the vaccine. If they don’t “comply,” they run the risk of being fired without the right to apply for unemployment benefits. They are not acknowledging those with natural immunity or being given the option to mask up, modify their workplace or take precautions. I am beginning to believe that the mandates are more dangerous to the wellbeing of our freedoms than COVID is to our health!

In an article by Austin Goss from KOTA, Governor Noem was quoted as saying, “requiring vaccine passports could ultimately lead to improper disclosure of private health information.” Currently legislators are calling for a special session to address the COVID vaccine mandates and the violation they may pose to our medical information confidentiality rights (HIPPA),  Undoubtedly there will also be new bills introduced during our next legislation session and a great many debates, and I welcome them!!

Rep. Trish Ladner
District 30

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(Editor’s note: I’ve had COVID, the antibody infusion, and I still sought out the vaccine.  The issue gets to be with those who don’t get vaccinated and then get sick, the greater the chance for new variants of the virus to start rolling through communities that can affect the people who were previously immune. i,e, Delta, Eta, Iota, Kappa, and Lambda variants.    Best advice – listen to your physician, not the Internet.  -PP) 

From the Argus Leader, US Senator Mike Rounds was recently telling a group that History shows us that the next President might not have even started campaigning yet:

“I’m not sure that the eventual nominee for the presidency from the Republican side has even been recognized yet,” he said. “I think it’s entirely possible, as in many years, you get individuals who will step forward and challenge the status quo.”

To his point, Trump was not seen as a serious contender in the 2016 primary contest until after he formally entered the race earlier in the year, let alone three years ahead of the election.

Read the entire story here.

As the State Legislature’s redistricting committee meetings start today, don’t forget to take a look at Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck’s excellent column on the topic of redistricting, along with a proposed map.  Well worth a read.

Apparently former State Senator Lynne/Lyndi Hix DiSanto Meyer has a new job, selling loans through a website.

…because we want our loan officers to be able to hold a MacBook and an iPhone?

Do you do your deposits in brown paper bags?