A press release went out from the White House earlier this week that South Dakotans may want to pay attention to:

Six Nominations Sent to the Senate Today

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Scott W. Brady, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years, vice David J. Hickton, resigned.

Bobby L. Christine, of Georgia, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia for the term of four years, vice Edward J. Tarver, resigned.

David J. Freed, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years, vice Peter J. Smith, resigned.

Andrew E. Lelling, of Massachusetts, to be United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts for the term of four years, vice Carmen Milagros Ortiz, resigned.

Stephen R. McAllister, of Kansas, to be United States Attorney for the District of Kansas for the term of four years, vice Barry R. Grissom, resigned.

Ronald A. Parsons, Jr., of South Dakota, to be United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota for the term of four years, vice Brendan V. Johnson, resigned.

We’ll see how long it takes for approval, and what kind of changes it brings to South Dakota’s US Attorney’s office.

So… what else is new?

The Rapid City Journal is reporting tonight that Rapid City Republicans are squabbling with each other at the moment. Conservative Rapid City Republicans are at odds with Ultra-Conservative Rapid City Republicans over many things, including some of the name-calling that has gone on in the past.

One of the event’s organizers was Rep. David Johnson, R-Rapid City. He acknowledged a split among local Republicans and said it is has been caused by those who lay claim to an exclusive right to label themselves as conservative.

“They’ve branded themselves as conservatives and anybody who is not in their clique as something other than conservative, and it’s offensive and it’s ridiculous,” Johnson said.

And…

Johnson said the seven legislators who organized the event wanted to hear nonpartisan ideas from local leaders about community and economic development. Johnson said the organizing legislators also wanted to set aside — for one evening — heated arguments about controversial social issues including transgender bathroom use and gun rights, which have been frequent topics of debate in recent legislative sessions.

Johnson said there are many other opportunities for the discussion of such issues, including cracker barrels (the annual wintertime public forums in legislative districts statewide) and local Republican Party meetings.

“That’s where those issues can be discussed, and they have been discussed,” Johnson said. “The point is that we didn’t want those controversial social issues to override the economic and community development issues that we wanted to talk about at this event.”

And…

The controversy over the Friday event is the latest of several conflicts between local Republicans who consider themselves true conservatives and other Republicans who are accused of being insufficiently conservative. The animosity was particularly apparent during last year’s local and area primary election campaigns, when some Republicans accused fellow Republicans of taxing and spending wildly, dodging decades-old military drafts, and even enabling rapes by being insufficiently committed to gun rights.

Read it here.

If you’re at all familiar with Rapid City Republican politics, you’re quite aware that this kind of thing has been going on for years, which has been the home of slash & burn politics pitting Republican against fellow Republican.

And over the years as the Liberal Republicans have been pushed out, those who consider themselves as more conservative are still working to push out those they deem less conservative. (Reagan’s 80% rule be damned.)

As it is, and ever shall be.

Rapid City Republicans battling each other? All is normal.

Fresh from my mailbox, Republican Congressional candidate Dusty Johnson is making a request for campaign support.

And he’s using the occasion to tout his victory over Secretary of State Shantel Krebs in the straw poll that was conducted by the GOP at the State Fair:

Dusty Mailing by Pat Powers on Scribd

Melissa Mentele, who is actively promoting the pot legalization measures for the ballot in South Dakota, was apparently all over social media this weekend accusing the SDSU Campus police of harsh treatment of her daughters, which came in connection with their arrests for resisting arrest and obstruction:

Melissa Mentele, a one-time candidate for state legislature from Emery, wrote in a lengthy public post that her two daughters were victims of a “violent attack” late Saturday after they were stopped by an officer as they walked through campus with a group of friends.

and…

She was arrested on a charge of resisting arrest, Mentele wrote. Her other daughter was charged with obstruction, she said, for attempting to intervene when her sister was pulled to the ground.

Mentele went to Brookings to pick up the girls and took photos of her daughter’s injuries in the office of the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office.

The photos were attached to Mentele’s post, which had been shared more than 2,000 times by Monday morning.

Read it here.

In reading Melissa’s side of the story, there seems to be a bit of over-dramatization, and in looking at the pictures that she’s shared on social media… well.. I hate to point it out, but those actually look like injuries someone would receive if they were fighting the handcuffs placed on their wrists more than anything.

I’m sure that as a parent I’d be upset for my children as well, but I’m not thinking that we’re getting both sides of the story. And we probably won’t, as the appropriate agencies look into it, and the circumstances which caused the kids to come in conflict with law enforcement.

What do you think about all of this?

Thune Selects Family for 2017 Angels in Adoption Award

“Through adoption, Danny and Kansas have given three beautiful children a family, and their online platform inspires an even larger audience of servant hearts to help children in need of a family find a place to call home.” 

 The Fergen family pictured from left to right: Kedren (8), Daeston (3), Danny, Coyer (10), Kansas, Baylic (5), and Oaklin (9).

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today announced his selection of Danny and Kansas Fergen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and their family for the 2017 Angels in Adoption Award that is presented by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, of which Thune is a member. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of men and women across the country who have opened up their hearts and homes to children in need of a family.

“Through adoption, Danny and Kansas have given three beautiful children a family, and their online platform inspires an even larger audience of servant hearts to help children in need of a family find a place to call home,” said Thune. “The Fergen family is more than deserving of this award, and I am honored to have nominated them.”

Danny and Kansas knew they wanted to start a family with both biological and adopted children. They began the adoption process shortly after they were married, assuming that it would be years before a child was placed with them. Instead, just one year later, the Fergens welcomed their first son, nine-month old Coyer, into their family. Eleven months after Coyer joined the family, Kansas gave birth to their first biological son, Kedren, and three years after Kedren’s birth, Kansas gave birth to Baylic, their first daughter. Since then, the family has adopted Daeston, an infant boy from North Carolina, and Oaklin, an eight-year-old boy from Minnesota.

The Fergens keep an active online profile, sharing their story and knowledge about the adoption process with anyone who is interested. On the family’s website, Danny and Kansas post photos, videos, and blog posts about their experience as parents of a diverse and unique family, sharing how God has inspired them to grow their family and share their faith with others.

The Fergens are involved with their church, Central Church in Sioux Falls, where Danny serves as the technical director. Kansas is a stay-at-home mom and homeschools their children. The family enjoys spending time together through worship, being outdoors, and bringing music into their home.

“We are truly honored to be nominated by Senator Thune,” said Danny and Kansas. “The blessing we’ve received through the adoption of our children is far greater than anything we could ever give them, and we are so grateful. It’s our prayer that our children will be proud of their stories – and through that, impact others with their testimony. We want to say thank you for taking the time to recognize the importance of adoption.”

The Fergens will be invited to join Angels in Adoption nominees from around the country at an awards banquet sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute in Washington, D.C., later this month.

###

I’m sitting at my desk at my day job, hammering through Hurricane Irma claim submissions, knowing that while there was terrible damage that took place over the weekend, our nation over the past few weeks has reminded us that when time are tough, no matter how divided the media tries to portray our nation, Americans pull together to help one another.

And at no time is it more apparent than on the anniversary of the attack against our nation by radical muslim terrorists on 9/11.

—

Just like the anniversary of the attack, it’s the occasion of my son’s ‘sweet 16’ birthday, where it’s more apparent he’s becoming an adult. He’s driving to all of his activities now (with only one minor accident to his credit), and announced the other day that he ‘has a girlfriend,’ prompting a talk he’d probably rather not have had with his parents.

The best lessons about our nation in troubled times are that we help each other. We heal together. And Life goes on.

__

So, where were you on 9/11?

As I repeat the tale again for a new audience, on that fateful day, I was in the hospital witnessing one of my life’s greatest joys, the birth of my eldest son.  I love my girls, but after 4 of them, a son was pretty exciting.

My kids were at school or at daycare, and my father – who was out of town – was expected home that day from visiting a brother and sister in New Jersey. He was to going to be on a flight in the morning out of the Newark, N.J. airport, into Minneapolis. My mother, who had doted on her granddaughters, had passed away the previous November, and this was to be the first child born into the family that she would not see.

As my wife lay there having contractions, I walked out into the hallway where I noticed some floor nurses paying unusual attention to the television. They seemed awestruck, and as I walked over they noted that a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center towers. It seemed a horrific accident until shortly after when another jet crashed into the other tower.

It was unheard of in most of our lifetimes, and every medical professional on the hospital floor was abuzz with what was going on. On television, it quickly escalated when reports were coming in from all over of other possible planes being hijacked, and there wasn’t a soul who wasn’t glued to the television.

The military was on high alert, and planes were being grounded and there wasn’t a second of television that was not fully enveloped with the news. I had some troubled thoughts since my father was also to be flying that day, but my primary concern was for my wife.

I would bounce from attending to my wife, and checking updates of the events. I had noted to her a little of what was going on, but wisely she refused to allow the television to be turned on in her hospital suite, and said she didn’t want to know, because she had other business to attend to. And she was moving into more serious labor.

About that time, it was announced that yet another plane had been flown into a section of the Pentagon. Clearly, our nation was under attack, and there was worry written on everyone’s face.  The OB doctors came into the birthing suite and attended to my wife as professionally as could be, despite the distraction of the historic events of the moment. And all staff was in place as my wife gave birth.

After relatively short session of pushing, the baby was born. As my wife had previously given birth to four girls, a cheer went up from the staff as the Doctor announced that my wife had given birth to a boy. She held her first son in her arms for a moment, and the doctors took care of the rest of the business involved in childbirth.

It was a boy! While I love my daughters unquestioningly, and they give me great pride, I’d always longed for a son.

My son was as healthy as could be, and his mother was also doing exceptionally well. As things settled down, and as my exhausted wife began to recover, we turned on the television and discovered that the World Trade Center Towers had fallen. And we also heard the news of a plane out of the Newark Airport that was hijacked had crashed in Pennsylvania.

About that time, I had a call on my cell phone from my father who was noting the absolute pandemonium at the Newark Airport, and his good fortune to get a rental car to travel back to his sisters’. He was safe, and pleased at the news of the birth of his first grandson.

As I got off the phone and the television news recounted and repeated the tragic events of the morning, a lullaby played over the speakers in the hospital. A lullaby. At St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, after the birth of a child it has been their tradition for a number of years to play a lullaby to announce the joyful event.

It was a bit surreal. Amidst all of the pain and carnage of the day, a lullaby announcing the birth of a child.

For a while, I sat with my wife, and then I’d go back and check on my son. I’d do this for a while, alternating between my two family members. After an hour or so, there was another lullaby played over the hospital. And I believe I heard another one a couple of hours after that.

The thing that struck me about that day, with my son being born between the time the Pentagon was hit, and the twin towers came down was this: Hope is eternal.

And it’s an appropriate thought on this day when we remember when so many people died. It’s appropriate on a day when soldiers are fighting and dying for the right of a country to be free. It’s appropriate to remember on a day when we are only starting to count our dead countrymen struck down from a tragic natural disaster. (At the time this was written, the hurricane had just hit New Orleans – pp)

No matter how bad things seem, they will be better. The lullabies playing a duet with the television newscasts taught me that. So has my son.  Hope is eternal. Please remember that and offer your thoughts, prayers, and moral support today for the casualties of 9/11 and our soldiers.

—

On the occasion of 9/11, remember that far more unites us as a country than divides us. And it shouldn’t take the cowardly actions enemies to the basic concept of what America stands for to remind us of that fact.  We demonstrate it daily.

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

As one of the few independent organizations who review the votes cast by legislators, recently the American Conservative Union released a list of those in South Dakota legislators that it considers “the most conservative” in the state.

And to little surprise, Republican Legislators such as Jenna Netherton, Phil Jensen, and Larry Rhoden were noted as having among the most conservative voting records in South Dakota.

Interestingly, Senator Larry Rhoden who was given their highest award for his votes in the House, was ranked at casting conservative votes 90% of the time (95% lifetime), and was ranked higher than his 2014 US Senate opponent, Stace Nelson, who could only achieve an 82% (82% lifetime) ranking, despite Nelson’s attempted spin that “Rhoden was a 21-year liberal Democrat” in the contest.

Where did the Democrats fare in relation to Republicans?

In the Senate, the lowest ranking Republicans were still a world more conservative than their Democrat counterparts. In the House, there was a little more of a mixing, since Julie Bartling tends to be one of the more conservative Democrats in the legislature.

You can download or read the entire report at length here (in pdf format).

What do you think? Is it just confirming information you already know, or does it provide a boost to legislators that there is independent corroboration that they’re actually a conservative, contrary to what their political opponents may be claiming for their own election purposes?

I had noticed it earlier this week that the Marty Jackley for Governor campaign had sent out an e-mail blast announcing that they were going to be hosting a pheasant hunt fundraiser that they sent to a broad audience:

However, a couple of days later (yesterday to be exact), I was forwarded a copy of the full invitation package with more details on the campaign event, which I can share with you:

Above we see that it’s a $1000 a head or $2500 for event sponsorship. And Marty uses the occasion to make a campaign pitch for what he plans to do in terms of tourism/sportsman initiatives if he’s elected:

And the obligatory campaign reply card:

And the campaign season keeps rolling on.