South Dakota Free-Speech bill could set the example for the nation

Pat Powers

National Review has a story on it’s website today on how the compromise legislation known as South Dakota’s free speech bill could be a model for the nation in dealing with people who are trying to squelch free speech in places that are supposed to uphold the free exchange of ideas:

Unsurprisingly, the bill has been dismissed by the higher-education industry as burdensome and unnecessary. A member of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education objected, “It’s pretty certain to increase costly bureaucratic mandates . . . it’s likely to lead to lawsuits . . . [and] I don’t think it has much of an effect on campus speech at all.” Student government leaders from the University of South Dakota (USD) and South Dakota State (SDSU) testified in opposition to the bill, which the president of USD’s student government association called, “an attempt at a solution to a problem that does not exist.”

And yet, lots of evidence in recent years has suggested that there is a problem on South Dakota campuses.

and…

In 2018, when a student at South Dakota State hung an American flag in his dorm to commemorate family friends who died in the 9/11 terror attacks, university officials removed the flag. The student told reporters that when he protested, he was informed “that the school’s speech policy was deliberately vague to allow for decisions based on the feelings of the community.”   And just this February, the USD administration urged the hosts of a campus “Hawaiian Day” party to change the theme, deeming it insensitive to indigenous Hawaiians. When concerns about administrative bullying were raised, USD legal counsel A.J. Franken archly opined, “Students have the right to speak. They also have the right to refrain from speech.”

and…

The implementation of S.D. 1087 presents a number of practical challenges, but also a great opportunity. The goal, after all, is to encourage principled academics to defend their own core values against the efforts of an ideological vanguard of administrators, faculty, and students.

Read the entire story here.

Great to see South Dakota lead the way!

40 thoughts on “South Dakota Free-Speech bill could set the example for the nation”

  1. i’m very proud South Dakota legislators are fighting back against runaway Political Correctness. It’s killing our country. I see the only people opposed to this sane bill are the ACLU and liberal/RINOs

    1. The Board of Regents is to education as the Republican party is to conservatism.

  2. There might be hope for humanity if South Dakota’s leadership on this matter takes off and spreads to other states. The left now owns our campuses and uses their power to brainwash our good kids.

  3. Have we ever heard who the university administrators are who gave the advice to cancel Hawaiian Night at USD? Was anyone fired? Where’s the transparency?

  4. Every Democrat in the legislature voted against free speech and intellectual diversity and that’s all you need to know comrades! oh, and Skyler Borlgum voted against it, who is biggest RINO in Pierre! How’s her run for Senate going? HA! what a joke. her only consultant already quite because she is nuts and a California wannabe

    1. There are plenty of Republicans who are against free speech as well, you are aware of that? Look to Florida. Republican governor, DeSantis, signed an anti-Semitism bill into law. What will pastors and other people of faith do when they read the Gospel aloud? They could be jailed. Free speech doesn’t exist when there are blasphemy laws.

      Want to go into the National Review… can you say, anti-nationalist conservatism/NeverTrumpers/RINOs?!

    2. Bob, it’s true all 11 House Dems voted against the bill, but Borglum wasn’t the only Republican to vote no. The final vote was 44-24. The entire liberal wing of the Republican House voted against it too: Dvid Anderson,Jean Hunhoff, Hugh Bartels, Davi Johnson, John Lake, Tim Reed, Barthel, Borglum, Chase, Duvall, Johns, Olson,and Nancy York.

      1. It’s also interesting to look at votes at the committee level. This bill was sent to House Education. Supporting the bill was Brunner, Greenfield, Latterell, Randolph, Deutsch, Rasmussen, Steele, and Weise.

        Opposing the bills was Ring (D), Healy (D), Glanzer, Johns, Olson, and Reimer.

      2. Keep naming them…….there is a lot more. Are the going to be able to show “Honor Diaries”.

      3. anon at 2:14:

        Either you are intentionally spreading misinformation (fake news) or you are simply unable to read or cipher.

        The FINAL vote (your words) on HB1087 in the House was 52-11, not 44-24 as you erroneously blathered. When HB1087 was sent to the Senate it was amended and vastly improved. It was then sent back to the House where it was passed 52-11. And THAT’S the improved and more efficacious HB1087 that now stands as SD codified law. Campus free speech and intellectual diversity efforts came out stronger in the end because the legislative process worked perfectly. Once the initial shortcomings of HB1087 were remedied, the legislation passed nearly unanimously by the House Republicans (only two were opposed). The unamended version of the bill was rejected by the several House “liberal” (your words) Republicans because of flaws in the authorship – not because of policy or ideology differences.

        You should, at minimum, be factual and fair when you post comments. Your obvious intent is to smear, by name, specific state legislators – without regard to the pesky truth. Oh the shame…

        2. Can you post the bill, and how does it differ from the first amendment? Thanks.

  5. I agree with Vermin, what ever happened at USD Law School? Has anything public ever been made available?

  7. Liberals aren’t very liberal with their tolerance of opinions of others and that is why free speech is under assault at gubmint universities.

  8. I am being censored again…..Come on Pat.

    (Tara, you’re just posting a huge chunk of an article without context, comment, or attribution. If this was a college paper, you’d get an F for plagiarizing. As it is, it appears to violate fair use principles, and has never been allowed. – The Editor)

  9. Jeff Damer could make the rounds pulling his parade float with Obuma and Hillary behind bars and President Donald Trump out standing tall on the trailer on all SD college campuses and in their homecoming parades.

    Will ANTIFA then show up as a counter protest? Their challenge would be finding a ride since most of them don’t own cars.

  10. Congrats to these legislators fighting for our freedoms!

    If we leave our lives to the PC police on campus our whole heritage will go down the sewer.

    Citizens act! fight against your oppressors who want thought control! Fight the Left!

    1. Don’t fall for the lies, it’s not just “the Left” oppressing you.

      How do you suggest citizens act, Vicky?

  11. I’m going back for my third year at USD and I can say that the place is a total liberal cesspool. There are no conservative faculty members. This is what you’re paying for Mom and Dad! But seriously, this is not a good mix of viewpoints. This law is needed

    1. Yote, and who’s fault is that? Who has been in control of education and the state for over 40 years? Put the blame where it belongs.

  12. Rumor in Pierre is that Board of Regents is freaking out and trying to strongarm students who they have control over to come and give fake testimony at Wednesday’s hearing. Regents are trying to rig the testimony so that only opponents of intellectual diversity speak first. Legislators up in arms and threatening new sanctions. Lots of fireworks behind the scenes because the liberals are losing their stranglehold on power

    1. Sorry the Liberals have zero power. This is a Republican controlled state so quit trying to pass the buck and take responsibility for the choices you make.

  13. The people have spoken. the Board of Regents need to give off their high horses and their lard asses and implement this LAW as it was intended and quit trying to undermine and curtail it. They ain’t the policy maker here. The legislature made clear what they want done. This Baron idiot at Regents needs to be fired and sent back to whatever liberal cesspool he crawled out of

  14. WOW! Over a name change of a manufactured problem that never existed. And the college party weekend did not let a name change stop them.

  15. Beran of Regents might be fired at this BOR meeting for his incompetence. Watch closely.

  17. Why can’t the Regents just follow the law that was passed? It’s clear what the intent is.

  18. Smoke out the liberal profs! Hire some new decent people. I’m not paying for liberal indoctrination

  20. Yote,

    You are correct. There are is a lack of diversity of intellectual thought in the faculty at our universities. And, this bill will do absolutely nothing to change that. But, that is the big lie (this will impact what is in the classroom) Pat, the party, and the legislators want you to believe so you will think they did something. You have been duped. They have neither the brains or the guts to actually do something meaningful.

    1. Lies and do-nothing Republicans here and in Washington. Free speech as you mention. Repeal ObamaCare, then repeal and replace. Even when Republicans had the House, Senate and POTUS nothing was completed. Lock her up. Build the wall; at this point AOC is doing more for border security than Republicans by fear-mongering illegal aliens. Defund Planned Parenthood.

      Most politicians and their shills don’t care much for the people, it’s all about the Benjamins.

    2. Troy,

      What was your plan? I’d also like to know what legislator were you working with to carry it? You talk a lot of smack about how they were wrong but you don’t seem to have done anything about yourself.

      Maybe you should muster up the brains or the guts to actually do something meaningful.

      Denunciatory rhetoric is so much easier and cheaper than good works, and proves a popular temptation. Yet is it far better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.

  21. The rumor is that Regents are rigging this hearing. They are loading it with fake paid stooges and RINOs and not letting conservatives speak. Some free speech !

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