Release: Senator Tapio Pushes Back at Critics, Says Politicians Lack Courage for Tough Issues

Pat Powers

Senator Tapio Pushes Back at Critics, Says Politicians Lack Courage for Tough Issues

January 12, 2018

After criticizing an interfaith gathering at the state capitol and chastising his own party leaders for being asleep at the switch on the issue of Islamic terrorism, District 5 State Senator, Neal Tapio hammered back at critics even among his own Republican caucus for openly distorting what actually happened at the close of the interfaith event.

“I knew full well the task that I was undertaking and I knew what the response would be,”  Tapio said.  “Frankly, I’m outraged and appalled at what is the repeated and predictable attempt both by the political establishment to suppress open and honest dialog on this crucial issue of national security or on any other issue they believe can be made into a shame game of political correctness.”  Tapio said.

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that modern political discourse has a lot in common with sharia law these days,” Tapio said.  “Suppression of discourse and dialog are the name of the game in both arenas.  And in both examples, the penalty for criticizing the wrong people or the wrong ideas is a price on your head.”

Ahead of Wednesday’s first so-called, ‘Interfaith Day,’ at the capitol, Tapio and other conservative and Christian leaders had voiced concern and opposition to the combining of Christians and Jewish voices with those of the Islamic faith, saying the intolerance and violence advocated by portions of the Muslim population made their inclusion an inappropriate presence in the state house.  For voicing his concerns, critics called Tapio racist, bigoted and Islamophobic.

“14 Islamic nations believe it their moral and legal duty to kill anyone who leaves the Islamic faith or who speaks against it.  And yet if I as a South Dakota state senator, attempt to point out the dangers of publicly endorsing and sanctioning the most violent and least tolerant belief system on the planet, I am called a racist, a bigot, an Islamophobe and a hateful person,”  Tapio said.

“My heart is with the nearly 2-billion people globally who live under the violence, fear and oppression of Islamic law.  My heart is with the victims of Islamic terrorism around the world and here in the United States.  My heart is with the women who are stoned to death for not wearing a head covering or for speaking in public.  My heart is with the young girls whose genitals are mutilated and who are forced as children to marry and be raped by men old enough to be their grandfathers,”  Tapio said.

“In Newsweek magazine, just yesterday, (January 10) was an article reporting that three American Muslim Imams have spoken publicly, calling for death to all Jews,” Tapio said.

“These are American muslims, on American soil, making threats and incitements of violence against an entire race of people.  And yet, fake news and political opposition are trying to twist and spin and shift the focus, painting me, the son of a Lutheran minister, as hateful, intolerant and racist.” Tapio said.

“Jesus very clearly said to love thine neighbor as thyself and to do good to those who hurt you,” Tapio said.  “I think that’s a very different message than the promotion of terrorist Jihad and calls to kill all non-believers that are coming from Muslim leaders right here in America, and even from the very organization that was given a nice dose of public relations assistance by being invited to enjoy equal credibility and equal participation with Christians and other faiths who just want to live peacefully and safely with their neighbors, regardless of differences of belief.”  Tapio said.

61 thoughts on “Release: Senator Tapio Pushes Back at Critics, Says Politicians Lack Courage for Tough Issues”

  3. Saying your service is on the same level as that of the military means you failed the idiot test. So we’ve got, bigot, racist and now idiot. Fight back all you want, any other candidate is better suited for this office than Mr. Tapio. I’d say a Stace Nelson could jump in this race and be better suited.

  4. Those religious radicals thousands of miles away own the Islamic Center of Sioux Falls in order to preach their Wahhabi fundamentalism. Interfaith dialogue is the Dawa component of Civilizational JIhad, and the refugee settlement program is the Hijra component. We are well into stage 2 of the Muslim Brotherhood’s 4 step plan of turning South Dakota into an Islamic state ruled by sharia. Shouldn’t the people of South Dakota be allowed to hear those facts?

  5. So the bully thinks he can play the victim card.

    How many terrorist attacks have we had in SD? How many opiod overdoses? How many suicides? How many car accidents? How many heart attacks? If we’re worried about public safety, I think there are better baskets in which to place the fruits of our labor.

      1. Boy I sure feel dumb now. I should have realized that an opinion piece in a Canadian newspaper would completely refute my point that more people in South Dakota die from suicide than from terrorist attacks.

          1. Right. Who cares about a $34 million budget deficit when TERRORISTS ARE COMING TO KILL US ALL! RUN! HIDE! PRAY! PANIC!

  6. Curd should not let Tapio disrupt session.

    Disrupting a prayer group needs to be called out by the majority leader. A disrespectful senator is a reflection on the entire body.

      1. Even though you can’t point to a single instance where that has actually happened in South Dakota…

        1. Is requiring a woman to wear a hijab implementing Sharia Law? I don’t know and some say it’s worn for tradition. Are the women wearing them voluntarily?

          I’ve watched YouTube videos of a woman in Raqqa who’s so overwhelmed with the taste of liberty she tears off her burqa. I’ve also seen a brave young Iranian woman waving her headscarf, for all to see, during protests currently taking place in Iran.

        2. Interfaith Day at the legislature on Wednesday was sharia…Thou shall not be critical of Islam. And Muslims are forbidden from converting to another religion. Taneeza Islam went after Shahram Hadian in regard to his coming to South Dakota on April 9, 2017 to tell his story about converting from Islam to Christian pastor. Under the supremacy of sharia, it is ok to be critical of Christians and Jews, but don’t dare expose the sharia way of Muslims. If you do then you are ridiculed by South Dakota’s media and leftists like Cory Heidelberger for being an anti-Muslim racist and that you are suffering from a psychological defect called Islamophobia. Using the media is well into stage 2 of the process to establish an Islamic state.

          1. If Taneeza didn’t wear a burqa while in a country where Sharia law is implemented, would she be beaten or killed?

            Seems Anonymous isn’t interested in having a conversation with us.

            Great work, Steve.

  7. And of those terrible nations you describe Mr. Tapio, how many have you done business with? Do you have any of your own ideas on economic issues or addressing healthcare?

    1. So since much of our oil needs come from the Middle East, we have to accept their Wahhabi based goal of implementing worldwide sharia, including within the United States?

      1. Steve,

        Howdy! Just wanted to point out that your statement about “much of our oil needs” coming from the Middle East is blatantly false. Anywhere from 30-40% of our oil needs our met with domestically produced oil and according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration the top five countries the U.S. imported oil from in 2016 were Canada (38%), Saudi Arabia (11%), Venezuela (8%), Mexico (7%), and Columbia (5%).

        1. Hi, Malachi. I just wanted to point out that Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East. 11% is, what I’d considered much of our oil needs. What would happen if we didn’t receive that 11%? As we see the pipeline continue to be built, our dependence on foreign oil will dissipate and that is a good thing.

          If this is the only statement you claim Steve is lying about (which I don’t think he is) he’s doing a pretty good job at investigating and reporting. I wonder where he got his journalism degree?

          1. KM, that 11% number is from exports only not based on our entire oil supply. It’s a common misconception that most of our oil comes from the Middle East when the majority of it comes from North America (split between domestic product and imports from Canada) which is why I felt the need to respond to Steve’s post. I agree with you that depending on domestically produced oil is better than relying on foreign produced oil (wherever that’s from). I think him trying to link Saudi Oil and Wahhabism to SD is a stretch. That and the whole “world-wide sharia” thing is a bit more conspiracy oriented than anything else.

            1. Maybe you’re right. I bet Steve will have more research and present it on his blog. I seem to think he likes the challenge;) Maybe he learned that in J school? Follow the money?

              I don’t see where Steve says the majority of our foreign oil comes from the Middle East, he said “much”. I don’t know exactly how much 11% is and what the impact would be if that stopped coming into the USA. How many barrels does 11% produce?

              If there’s one thing we do know, dirty business deals take place with oil, $$ and Saudi Arabia. One example is connections the Clinton’s have made and gone to great lengths to cover up.

              1. KM, to answer your question, the 11% is about 1.1 million barrels per day. Here’s the chart I’m looking at (not sure how it’ll format on here). You can find it by following this link. https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=727&t=6

                Top sources and amounts of U.S. petroleum imports (percent share of total), respective exports, and net imports, 2016
                million barrels per day
                Import sources Gross imports Exports Net imports
                Total, all countries 10.06 5.19 4.87
                OPEC countries 3.45 (34%) 0.22 3.23
                Persian Gulf countries 1.76 (18%) 0.02 1.74
                Top five countries1
                Canada 3.80 (38%) 0.87 2.93
                Saudi Arabia 1.11 (11%) 0.00 1.10
                Venezuela 0.80 (8%) 0.08 0.72
                Mexico 0.67 (7%) 0.88 -0.21
                Colombia 0.48 (5%) 0.15 0.34

        2. Malachi,

          Thanks for that information. So would it be wise to tell the Saudis to go take a hike if they continue to fund Wahhabism in American Mosques?

          I am sure the members of the global Deep State would not like that approach, which I believe answers any question about why America is not designating the Muslim Brotherhood and its American front groups terrorist organizations, and then shut them down.

          1. Steve, the “Global Deep State” is a myth and lately a favorite boogeyman of the extreme right.

            I’ve yet to see a convincing argument laying out substantial evidence of a world-wide conspiracy formed by national intelligence agencies and wealthy elitists. It’s almost akin to believing the Illuminati or the Freemasons are secretly running things behind close doors.

            It makes for a great plot to a movie or a book, but doesn’t hold much water in reality.

            1. Malachi, Peter Dale Scott is not one of those so-called extremists on the right. He is an anti-capitalist liberal who pounds on Republicans. My Marxist friend likes him.

  9. My only question is in reference to his statement “Neal Tapio hammered back at critics even among his own Republican caucus.”

    When exactly did anyone in the caucus bring it up?

  10. Has Neal surpassed Stace for the title of grandstandingest grandstander? You can sure tell he’s running for higher office. I wish he would do what he was elected to do instead of using session as an opportunity for free coverage for a congressional campaign.

    1. Touche’. Exactly right.To be clear this “issue” Islam getting special favors:think Garfield mosque Sx Falls”, or Avera giving free space to Muslim community center in their early beginnings on S. Western Ave, or FSD.airport officials turning the other way when Muslim employees used an open space by back employee doors to “pray” startling and offending some Christians who asked for equal rights (5-6 Years ago) no clearances on these people nor badges……These are just a few of the examples of this unresolved problem brewing across South Dakota. In each and every case elected and appointed officials were asked to intervene by the “common folk” who voiced concern and alarm…in fact, FBI.was spoken to …you know the “see something say something” campaign. Voila…Nada…we have now entered a different stage of this evolution as the population grew each year and then CAIR.came to town. Heck, even Kristi’s.office was a target of these protests and Nothing was said or done by anyone. (Elected office or appointed office) at this point it appears as if South Dakota officials are saying “what difference does it make?”….We do need a leader to step up and assure SD that it will make no difference as this “social experiment” continues….but alas we do not yet have the selfless individual needed to tackle it all. It should not be “inevitable” as one head of a political party in our state said. No, everyday patriots have been in this fight since before the previous administration was elected. Time to make a plan that is workable for all and equal favors for all South Dakotans…..before we all become entrenched in just holding on to our own little piece of the prairie!

  12. What Senator Tapio doesn’t seem to get is there’s extreme folks in every religion. I’m not sure what he’s hoping to accomplish with his outlandish claims about groups in SD advocating for “terrorist Jihad” but he’s already proven by both his actions and his words that he’s not fit to represent the state on a national level.

    1. Now it is my turn to say your position is not correct. The issue is the Muslim Brotherhood’s “Civilizational Jihad”. That is a 4 step process. South Dakota is currently in the middle of step 2. Some Muslims who learn the Wahhabi ideology in American Mosques decide to jump straight to the last step. That is incorrectly called “lone wolf terrorism” by the establishment media.

      The violent stage is suppose to be ordered by a Calif. ISIS has designating one, who was indoctrinated in a Muslim Brotherhood Mosque, and they are now taking Europe to stage 4. Is that what we want for the future of South Dakota?

      1. Are you sure it’s not a 12 step program? I feel like a 4 step plan is a bit out of character for such a complicated conspiracy theory.

        2. Good, we are getting somewhere. So we now agree that it is not a one step jump to violent terrorism?

  13. So because, as he points out, PORTIONS of the Muslim population advocate violence and other abhorrent practices, NO Muslim should be allowed to pray along side Christians and Jews in the Capitol? I have never heard the gentleman from the Sioux Falls Islamic Center, who did the praying, advocate for that type of practice.

  14. Where are the Jews strapping bombs on the backs of their children or Evangeical christians strapping bombs on themselves to blow up Innocent people? Who’s ideology says to kill the infidels? That a woman is only worth half of what a man is? At the interfaith day of prayer I went up to 3 or 4 imams And ask them what they thought of the Drudge Report article stating another Imam calls for the killing of Jews. They said in effect. it was an aberration. I then asked them what their definition of an infidel was and none of them would tell me. So I told them what the qur’an says an infidel is….. One who does not embrace Islam. They were not happy.
    Press on Senator Tapio!

      1. I didn’t click on your link, but I wonder if these Christian militias in Central African Republic are fighting back from being murdered for their beliefs. Africa is one of the most violent countries in the world. Many places would be considered 3rd-world or to put it laymen terms…a sh*thole.

        Have you read of the murders taking place against Christians in Nigeria? I’ll leave you a link, wouldn’t want this terror to get little press.

        https://www.dailywire.com/news/25606/mass-funeral-held-nigerian-christians-slaughter-jacob-airey

      2. I reviewed the Washington Post report, and this has false flag written all over it. This is following the same model we see in Syria. The problem is coming from the same Muslim Brotherhood operatives that have infiltrated South Dakota:

        Hardline Islamist radicalism, nurtured by Saudi Arabia’s vast oil wealth, is spreading through Africa at a rapid pace. Radical Salafist and Wahhabist groups with names like Boko Haram, Seleka, and Uamsho, unheard of a decade ago, are massacring Christians during church assemblies, razing Christian villages, and assassinating moderate Islamic clerics.

        https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2013/12/24/made-in-saudi-arabia-salafist-radicalism-in-africa.html

        Most likely it is the Seleka Brotherhood JIhadis killing moderate Muslims and falsely blaming Christians. The Washington Post is notorious for being a CIA front that promotes these false flag propaganda tactics that are designed to fool the American people. I may detail this more at my web site.

    2. Thank you Senator Jensen, first had accounts are crucial to hear about. Keep asking questions, be mindful of how quickly skilled manipulators change the narrative and always remember what America stands for and fights for…the Constitution.

  15. Today’s screed gave clues to his troubling behavior in front of learned holy people in Pierre. Turns out Tapio’s Father was a minister in an cult-like, extremist church. (Old Apostolic Lutheran Church of America whose doctrine claims to have sole knowledge of the Bible and be the only true and saving faith that will be allowed into Heaven. All other religions and believers in Christ are doomed for Hell.) Being raised in this oppressive and super strict environment has life long effects. Sen. Tapio was no doubt projecting anger at his father into insults towards this esteemed religious group when he began to yell, speak only about himself and accuse all Muslims of being fundamentalist extremists. His outbursts now make more sense, psychologically. A troubled and misguided fellow.
    http://oldapostoliclutheran.blogspot.com/2009/11/oalc-info.html?m=1

    2. Anonymous – What’s your point? Does the ALCA follow a doctrine that violently oppresses women? Or how about demand their followers murder LGBT people by throwing them from roof tops? Does this group ask members to kill anyone who doesn’t believe what they do? And, if an ALCA member was to denounce theses teachings, they too should be prepared for certain death?

      See, I can’t come across anyone from the ALCA using violent tactics to prove their religious beliefs are superior or that anyone who doesn’t believe their teachings are to be killed. Do you know which religion is currently promoting violence and death and their members are following through with demands the leaders promote? Yep, you got it, Islam.

      Will you share your thoughts on the Black Lives Matter agenda? And, a final thought I have about your insightful comment, do you have a license to evaluate Tapio, his father or members from ALCA? Or are those thoughts just opinions you have?

      1. 7 questions, all at once? That Black Rifle’s got you going, huh? It’s good to be curious but being open to differing facts and opinions is good, also. Keep it up. You’re fascinating … in a good way. 🙂

        1. Absolutely, I’m open to many differing opinions, facts are facts though, right? However, I’m not so open-minded my brains fall out:)

          I’m certainly not expecting answers to questions I present. It’s a technique used to support my point. I’ve learned that skill from watching many strong debaters and particular debates over and over.

          Thanks. I recommend ‘Silencer Smooth’ blend, I do add cream, which could help explain my energy;)

          1. I’ll answer the question you won’t ask, then. It may help all of us.
            “You were chosen because you have the highest IQ of anyone who comments here regularly.”

            1. I don’t follow…the question I won’t ask?

              How can you test my IQ based on my comments? Level of intelligence is more than IQ. Life experience is a big piece of the pie called knowledge and wisdom.

              I love SD and our roots run deep. I like SDWC and the opportunity to express my thoughts whenever I want. Freedom, baby!! I’ve learned a great deal from many commenters: Jones, Beal, Sibson, Springer, Deutsch, Wyland, Tara, EC, Fled to Red and many more. My knowledge grows because of them.

              Oh, I’ve also learned from the haters…haters are gonna to hate;)

      1. Pat, and that is by design and is what contributes to a problem Tapio pointed via your post:

        “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that modern political discourse has a lot in common with sharia law these days,” Tapio said. “Suppression of discourse and dialog are the name of the game in both arenas. And in both examples, the penalty for criticizing the wrong people or the wrong ideas is a price on your head.”

Comments are closed.