By Bill Harlan

I spoke to Oglala Tribe Presdient Cecelia Fire Thunder this afternoon about her proposal for an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation, should South Dakota’s abortion ban go into effect. She has expanded the idea to a women’s clinic, which she says is needed no matter what happens to the abortion ban. (It’s headed for challenges in court and at the ballot box.)

Her idea continues to circulate the Internet. BuzzFlash.com yesterday gave her a “Wings of Justice” nod. An excerpt from the citation:

“When South Dakota outlawed abortion, even in the case of rape and incest, the American Taliban scored another victory against women’s rights.”

President Fire Thunder also will have something to say about the biker bar proposed for land near Bear Butte. The hearing in Sturgis before the Meade County Commission promises to be lively — and crowded. (See the previous post.)

I’ll have more from President Fire Thunder’s press conference in Pine Ridge Village tomorrow.

By Kevin Woster

Rep. Stephanie Herseth is a Democrat.

We all know that.

So why would a front-page story in the Journal call her a Republican? Well, some suspicious readers might presume it’s a political statement by the reporter, who just happened to be me.

Wrong.

Or they might think it was a Freudian slip, attributable to Herseth’s moderate to conservative position on certain individual issues.

Wrong again.

Or they might guess that it was a stupid mistake.

Bingo.

Mistakes happen. In the newspaper business, we prove that every day. I add my miscues to that reality from time to time, as I did when I meant to type “Herseth, D-S.D.,” but instead wrote “R-S.D.”

We’ll correct it tomorrow. Meanwhile, here’s some perspective from an e-mailer this morning:

If this helps at all, I saw an AP story in print in recent days were Brock Greenfield was identified as a Democrat.

“Rumor is each political party now has a counter-suit under way.

“Herseth meanwhile probably thanks you.

“Oh Harvey, I didn’t know that nice young woman with the pearl necklace and the sweater was a Republican,” Mabel said over her breakfast coffee as she perused the Rapid City Daily Planet. “Why on earth did you ever vote for that Janklow fellow?”

By Bill Harlan

Remember the Bush administration’s proposal to sell parcels of national forests? (See a couple topics ago.) Well, today the comment period was extended 30 days, to May 1. My story should be on our Web site tonight, or in your RCJ box tomorrow morning. There are online maps for all parcels proposed for all the sales nationwide. Here’s a screenshot for a couple of parcels west of Rapid City.

Check out the Geocommunicator (or Land and Mineral Use Records Viewer). Select the small pull-down on the upper right for “USFS Rural Schools.” You’ll get a map of the United States. Set the curson on “zoom in” (the plus sign tool on upper left) and, well, zoom in. It’s cool.

You can also go to the Forest Service’s hompage and hit the “more” button after the “Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act Extension” for more info, including how to submit a public comment.

And remember, it’s only a proposal.

By Bill Harlan

Every day on the RCJ homepage we have a reader poll. (Scroll down to the lower lefthand corner of the page.) Here’s the Monday question and results:

Do you think a Planned Parenthood clinic on a South Dakota Indian reservation is a good idea?

• Yes 52.6% (314)
• No 41.2% (246)
• Not sure 3% (18)
• Don’t care 3.2% (19)
• Total Votes: 597

The question probably should have asked about a “Planned Parenthood-style clinic” because PP has declined the offer. (See the post on this topic from last Friday.) Anyway, this poll is totally, unequivocably, just-for-fun unscientific. So why even do them? As John Travolta’s character in “Pulp Fiction” said, “Yeah, but bacon tastes good.”

Here’s a few more recent results:

Do you think former Sen. Tom Daschle should seek the Democratic nomination for president?
(Mar 13)
• Yes 41.9% (189)
• No 55.9% (252)
• Don’t know 2.2% (10)
• Total Votes: 451

Do you think it is likely that civil war will break out in Iraq?
(Mar 10)
• Yes 69.5% (357)
• No 21.2% (109)
• Don’t know 9.3% (48)
• Total Votes: 514

Are drug-free school zones effective?
(Mar 22,)
• Yes 16.8% (41)
• No 61.5% (150)
• Don’t know 21.7% (53)
• Total Votes: 244

What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
(Mar 14)
• Cartwheels 1.9% (5)
• Caramel DeLites 26.8% (72)
• Peanut Butter Patties 13% (35)
• Classic Shortbread 6.3% (17)
• Thin Mints 39.8% (107)
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches 7.4% (20)
• Lemon Pastry Cremes 3.7% (10)
• Thanks A-Lot 1.1% (3)
• Total Votes: 269

OK, I take back what I said about “unscientific.” The clear victory by Thin Mints proves these polls are rock solid.

By Bill Harlan

This past weekend the NYT weighed in on “Selling the Forests.” The lede:

“It’s rarely a good idea to sell off assets to pay normal operating expenses. It’s an even worse idea when the assets are chunks of national forest.”

I’ve had a number of informal conversations about this proposal at various public meetings in the Black Hills. I’ve found no one, and I mean NO ONE, who thinks this Bush administration plan is a good idea. (That includes all three members of our congressional delegation.) Still, the Black Hills National Forest does include some isolated patches of federal land, completely surrounded by private property, that are difficult to administer.

I’m sure there’s a Blogmorite out there who can provide the other side of the story.

By Bill Harlan

Peter Nabokov, who teaches at UCLA, wrote “Beer, broads, bikers — and the Great Spirit” in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times. It’s not often that a Meade County Commission meeting gets advanced in the LAT. He writes about the liquor license for the new and controversial Sturgis County Line biker venue near Bear Butte. An excerpt:

“Next week, the Meade County Commission will hear debate on the venue’s liquor license application. An overflow crowd of American Indians is expected to attend. For them, Bear Butte’s history is ancient and hallowed. Into the butte’s bowels, says Cheyenne Indian mythology, once ventured a man and a woman who were charged with saving their tribe from starvation. Within its cavern-like interior, they received the great Massaum ceremony, with its gift of providing game animals to feed the people. For Lakota Indians, Bear Butte is their ultimate altar, where their Great Spirit placed all seven sacred elements and made it the optimal location for smoking the sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, a rite that holds the secret ‘o the past, present and future of the Lakota people.’”

RCJ reporter Dan Daly advanced this meeting earlier this month. Could be a humdinger.

Nabokov, by the way, wrote “Where the Lightning Strikes: The Lives of American Indian Sacred Places.” He’s got long list of credits in native American studies.

By Bill Harlan

Fark.com lists my Saturday story about OST President Cecelia Fire Thunder’s proposal for a an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Farked.com collects stories under handy bugs such as “dumbass,” “weird,” “amusing,” etc. This one gets a “hero” — for President Fire Thunder, not me.

Anyway, I post the link because the story has collected a list of comments Blogmorites might find interesting.

By Denise Ross

Words like “commercialization” and “facilitate” are a scourge to journalists, but they could be harbingers of economic prosperity for the Black Hills.

The N2TEC website is laced with the little buggers, but in this week’s edition of Talkin’ Smack: The South Dakota Political Junkies’ Weekly Fix on the Inside Dope, Kathleen Allen and I explain it all.

Kathy Allen

Allen is director of the University of Southern California’s Marshall Center for Technology Commercialization and president of N2TEC and a professor at USC’s Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Whew!

She’s also pretty fun to talk to. Listen to our conversation by right-clicking here.

In short, “commercialization” means taking cool technology being forged by university scientists in lab coats and making a path for it to get into the hands of entrepreneurs who can market it and make both the scientists and the businessfolk nice profits. That’s the idea, anyway.

And the Black Hills are N2TEC’s — the National Network for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization — we are their rural pilot project. If all goes well, we’ll be a model region for other places that seek to emulate Silicon Valley. (In our interview, Allen notes that’s not the best comparison. But it is the most recognizable example of techno-wealth.)

This all ties directly into Gov. Mike Rounds’ 2010 Initiative. N2TEC expects to have an office open in Rapid City in May.

By Bill Harlan

See stories by Kevin W. and Heidi Bell Gease about the civil trial charging Rapid City businessman Doug Hamilton with sexual harassment. The charges are … well, you can read them. Hamilton is denying the allegations. The jury is deliberating, as we blog.

If the verdict goes against Hamilton, or even if there’s a settlement, it will raise political questions.

Mayor Jim Shaw recently appointed Hamilton to the board of directors of the city’s Journey Museum. Hamilton also has been a player in other city issues, including the debate over how or whether to expand the Dahl Fine Arts Center. (He opposed the old plan to include a theater.) Hamilton also a contributor to political city, state and federal political campaigns. He was even considered as a replacement for an alderman who resigned from the city council.

Blogmorites have pointed this out in comments to unrelated topics, even as I was working on this submission. If you’d like to resubmit comments, this is the place to do it, keeping in mind the jury is still out.

This just in: The jury’s back. The award is $4.1 million. See the story.

By Bill Harlan

(Now available with Saturday morning’s story.)

A Tim Giago’s column quotes Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecelia Fire Thunder saying she might open a Planned Parenthood clinic on the reservation, on the theory that it would be immune from South Dakota’s new abortion ban. Planned Parenthood has responded in a press release that the organization would not open such a clinic, and attorneys I’ve talked to are skeptical the idea would work — especially for abortions performed by non-Indian doctors on non-Indian women. But the law is not crystal clear, several experts told me. President Fire Thunder, by the way, is a nurse.

This just in, 3:25 p.m.: I talked to President Fire Thunder this afternoon. She told me a clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation wouldn’t have to be a Planned Parenthood facility. She says the tribe could open it’s own clinic for women from throughout the region, and she’s got lawyers working on the nuts and bolts. This idea could turn out to be an interesting exercise in the extent and scope of tribal sovereignty.

And PS: Fire Thunder is one of 15 co-chairs of the new South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, which today announced its campaign to put HB1215 on the ballot and defeat it.

By Denise Ross

The March 18 edition of the National Journal features SD Sen. John Thune on its cover. He shares the space with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. They are two hot properties on Capitol Hill, the magazine reports.

“Barack Obama and John Thune have been in the Senate for only a year. But the Illinois Democrat and South Dakota Republican are already turning heads,” reads the cover copy.

Inside, reporter Kirk Victor supposes the two might very well face each other in a bid for the White House in a few years. His lead reads:

“IT’s Election Day 2016, and political handicappers are predicting a close presidential race. Who’s facing off? Two senators, Democrat Barack Obama of Illinois and Republican John Thune of South Dakota. Unlike most senators who flame out while pursuing the presidency, they’ve actually used their purches in the World’s Greatest Deliberative Body as effective springboards to the national political stage.”

The article goes on to note that the two are “cash registers” for their respective parties, that Thune has “the perfect resume” to head up the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee in ‘07-’08 and recounts the Ellsworth Air Force Base drama — Thune: “No good deed goes unpunished around here,” — and the recent dustup over his DM&E deal.

Blogmorite Don Frankenfeld is quoted, as are other familiar voices on SD politics.

I wasn’t able to quickly find a link directly to this article, and I don’t have time for a more exhaustive search, so if anyone has that link, please post it in the comments. Thanks.

By Denise Ross

Friday there will be simultaneous press conferencess in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, apparantly to formally announce the petition drive to refer the abortion ban, HB1215. And to announce the formation of a new group, the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families.

Read about it here.

By Bill Harlan

An NYT article today — “Are Late Innings the Time for a Relief Pitcher?” — quotes Sen. John Thune’s speculation about the future of top White House staff. An excerpt:

“With some notable exceptions, in particular, the confirmation of two conservative Supreme Court nominees, the White House has suffered a series of defeats in Congress.
‘An ingredient that’s missing right now in the White House is that sense of urgency, that passion, that intensity,’ said Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota. ‘When you’ve had horses there that you’ve been riding for a long time, you kind of need to change them once in a while.’”

Craig Crawford of Congressional Quarterly raised this same issue in a column headlined “Chronic Fatique Syndrome.” Crawford reminds us of President Carter’s suggestion to amend the Constitution to provide for a single six-year term for presidents. It would offer time to complete an agenda and remove the pressure to get re-elected.

By Bill Harlan

The God’s of Mount Blogmore are pathetic cowards, according to the liberal blog Clean Cut Kid. Chad Shuldt, a former Tom Daschle staffer who posts on Clean Cut Kid, claims right-wing “bullies” have made us so afraid of being “Kranzed”* we uncritically post conservative Steve Sibson’s rants – most recently his assertions about the financing of the liberal outfit Focus South Dakota.

For those who don’t know it, here’s the dictionary version of the verb “to kranz”:

*kranz, v.t. ; kranzed, p.t.; kranzing, pr. part. [from Sioux Falls Argus-Leader reporter and columnist Dave Kranz, who has been criticized by conservatives for alleged bias relating to his association/friendship with Tom Daschle and other known Democrats and for his political activities in the 1960s.] to put pressure on a reporter by alleging a liberal bias. See also “reverse-kranz,” (to pressure reporters by alleging conservative bias) and “fakey-kranz,” (to pressure reporters by alleging bias towards “balance.”)

If Chad had checked with us, however, he’d know that Denise did check the links offered by “Sibby.” The numbers were correct.

If Chad had called me he’d also know that I’d like nothing better than to be “kranzed,” as long as someone buys me dinner first. In fact, I’m ripe for a good old-fashioned kranzing. Jody Severson of Focus South Dakota is a long-time friend of mine, since before my reporting days. So is Bill Fleming, a frequent contributor to Mount Blogmore, and Bill has worked with Jody on political campaigns, including at least one Daschle campaign. Even worse, Daschle once saved my life.* And yet, pathetic coward that I am, I have posted Sibby’s comments hammering Jody, Bill and Tom. Thus I am vulnerable to kranzing from all directions. (The technical term is “omnikranzable.”)

One of Chad’s criticisms is that Mount Blogmore didn’t point out that conservative Republicans also get money from out-of-state contributors, work as paid political consultants and offer comments to online discussions. I’d guess most Blogmorites already have figured that out.

Particularly interesting to me was Chad’s assertion that Mount Blogmore has been fakey-kranzed. (See the definition above.) Chad writes: “Now, to be sure, ‘balance’ at a media organization might — I say might — be a worthy goal. ” You think?

* A long story I often exaggerate for dramatic effect.

A note from Denise: Not only did I check Sibby’s links, I reviewed the organizations from which he gleaned his information. They were websites I had used — like the Center for Public Integrity — when I reported on things campaign finance. Sibby had his facts right on Focus: South Dakota’s funding. We here at Blogmore would love to get posts from anyone who doesn’t like his interpretation of those facts. Likewise, from anyone who does like his interpretation.

By Denise Ross

First Sibby joins the movement, now Bob Newland has a kindred spirit in Connecticut.

In the RC Journal’s daily “Odd News” item we run on the front page, it is reported that a Winsted, Conn., man has spray painted giant marijuana leaves on the exterior of his house on, of course, High Street.

Christopher Seekins says the large leaves are his way of supporting marijuana legalization. He also is a hemp advocate.

To read the whole story, click here.

All we ask, Newland, is that if you do the same, please call us ahead of time so we can preserve the act for posterity with photos.

By Denise Ross

A week and a few days ago, the SD Dems had their McGovern Day party in Aberdeen.

The party has now posted video of their symposium on its website. It is broken into four parts, and it takes a few minutes to download each section on a cable PrairieWave connection. (So far, I haven’t found any recordings of Tom Daschle’s speech. If it’s on his website, I didn’t find it.)

Here are a few notes I took while listening/watching.

-The Dems have, er, sampled? Gov. Mike Rounds’ slogan, “Working Together We Can Make South Dakota Even Better” with theirs, “Together South Dakota Can Do Better” (Nobody will care.)

-Moderator Sandra Waltman notes that the party’s theme this election year will be that the Dems worry about the “meat and potatoes issues” that affect voters daily lives. (Not a bad message.)

-State Sen. Ben Nesselhuff of Vermintown (I’m an SDSU grad) offers a back-handed compliment to Gov. Mike Rounds for ushering in an insurance risk pool before SD lost all of its private insurers. He notes that former Gov. Janklow undid a risk pool after being elected in 1994, a year after Dem lawmaker Denny Pierson got it passed. “The Republicans were only 8 years behind the Democrats,” Ben said.

-It is noted that SD has the 7th highest per capita population over age 65

-State Rep. Tom Van Norman bashes Bush’s Medicare drug plan, especially the part about how the government can’t negotiate for better prices. “Who makes out? Who gets the money?” he asks.

-Nesselhuff gets in another “I’m not saying, I’m just saying” bit when he praises both Rounds and Janklow for introducing bills to raise the minimum wage (in 2006 and 2002 respectively). Democrats care about helping the poor “whether or not it’s an election year,” he said.

-It is noted that the average CEO is paid 411 times what an average worker is paid.

-Van Norman reports — and this is news to me — that the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has a $9 per hour minimum wage on the books.

-Van Norman complains that the SD Housing Authority recently put a halt to selling Governor’s Houses to folks on reservations, blames the mobile home industry

-US Sen. Tim Johnson says the government needs to figure out how to “break the back” of poverty on reservations

-Nesselhuff makes fun of how Rounds cabinet types testified against an education funding bill that would have capped state government spending increases at 3 percent per year — the most schools have been allowed since the mid-90s. “We can’t live on 3 percent a year,” he mimicks and gets a laugh from the crowd.

-Nesselhuff predicts SD will spawn yet another education task force

-Again, Nesselhuff. He’s a member of the senate ed committee and said something close to: “We spent more time talking about sex than about education, and that was because of bills brought forward by people who say we spend too much time talking about sex.”

-Tim Johnson avoids using the word “Taliban” but recalls his time as a lawmaker when it was conservative, sure, but nothing like it is now. “I’m only surprised they didn’t talk about evolution, but just wait,” he said.

-Former state legislator Deb Fischer-Clemens hopes that, with the abortion-ban signed into law, “now we can get down to business; now we can talk about other topics.” Like meat and potatoes.

By Denise Ross

Gov. Rounds is no longer the most popular governor in America. A Survey USA poll “released” (or perhaps trumpeted by Democrats is more accurate) showed the Republican Rounds’ approval ratings took a nosedive between mid-February and mid-March. He went from 72 percent to 58. That’s a 14 point drop, a near freefall.

Worse for Rounds, his “negatives” — his disapproval rating — spiked up, from 23 percent to 38. That 15-point jump corresponds with the drop in approval ratings. The numbers would lead one to believe that a whole lotta folks went from liking Mike to not merely being unsure about him but to definitely not liking him.

If you take 14 percent of those who voted when Rounds was first elected in 2002, that’s a serious change of heart for 46,838 people.

These graphs show how Rounds’ approval and disapproval ratings are on a path to meet themselves in the middle.

It’s impossible to know how much of this is directly attributable to his signing of HB1215, the abortion ban, but what other explanation could there be? (Rounds signed the bill on March 6.)

The SD Dem Party’s official line — remember that party’s legislators are split on HB1215 — is that the public has grown tired of Rounds’ poor leadership.

Here’s what party exec director Jason Schulte said in a press release that went out Monday afternoon:

“The citizens of South Dakota understand that the Governor is not leading them in a positive direction,” said South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Jason Schulte. “The clumsy effort to distance himself from the signing of controversial legislation and the failure of his legislative package are clear indicators of his inability to lead.”

“South Dakotans are growing weary of a Governor who can’t deliver on the meat and potato issues that effect their lives,” Schulte continued. “Then they see the three million dollar mansion he built, and how he abuses taxpayer resources – this drop in approval was inevitable. South Dakota Democrats are going to continue to lead on core issues like education, better wages, and open government, and Governor Rounds’ support is going to continue to drop.”

(Remember that meat-and-potato line. We’re going to hear a lot of that from the Dems this year.)

Of course many politicians would no doubt be ecstatic to have a 58 percent approval rating — W. for one. The question for Rounds now is, does he bounce back, stagnate or continue down an icy path on which he cannot regain his footing?

As far as Survey USA goes, I am told they are not affiliated with any political parties/candidates and that they conduct independent tracking polls on governors and senators. What we don’t have are their questions, which tell all. But this is the group that had Rounds in the stratosphere month after month.

These new numbers should add a new shade of gray to Veto Day. (Miss you all at the Capitol!)

By Bill Harlan

Carol A. Jennings of the State Historical Society found the above headline from the Sunday News (”New York’s Picture Newspaper”). Jennings has researched capital punishment in South Dakota, from Jack McCall to George Sitts. Check out her article, her rundown of South Dakota’s 14 hangings and 1 electorcution and more old newspaper headlines.

The headline above referred to Sitts, who was executed in 1947. He was the last person put to death in South Dakota, and h’ll likely maintain his record as the only person in the state ever executed in an electric chair. (Sitts killed state Special Agent Thomas Matthews and Butte County Sheriff Dave Malcolm near Spearfish, after escaping from a Minnesota jail.) When the state Supreme Court approved the execution, the Rapid City Journal headline on page 1 was:

South Dakota will be talking a lot about the death penalty between now and Aug. 28, when Elijah Page is set to be executed for his part in a brutal murder by torture. Page says he wants to die. He’s even trying to fire lawyers trying to save his life. Others want him to live, too. See this AP story about the Interfaith Task Force Against the Death Penalty, whih is stepping up its opposition to the death penalty. “We’re no longer talking about something that’s 10 years down the road,” group member Karl Kroger told the AP.

You’ll also find more information at the South Dakota’s very own death penalty Web site.

By Bill Harlan

Mount Blogmore’s Black Hawk bureau is pleased to announce it has re-opened, having cleared its driveway of “much needed moisture.”

By Kevin Woster

Jim Robinson did something unusual in the world of politics this weekend: He admitted he was wrong.

Sibby should be happy about this. Our regular conservative researcher-commentator here on the mountain said Robinson lied when he told the Associated Press last week that his organization, Focus: South Dakota, had not taken donations from Planned Parenthood or the National Abortion Rights Action League.

Actually, during the 2004 campaign, Focus got $5,000 from NARAL and $20,000 from Planned Parenthood.

Robinson acknowledged that by telephone during the weekend from England, where he is traveling, after I left a question about Sibson’s charge on his voicemail.

“I actually was mistaken,” he said. “We had received a couple of small donations from those people. They were relatively small given the size of the overall donations we received.”

Robinson said it was an oversight, a mistake. He has lots of numbers in his head, and those got lost.

As somebody with a head where many things get lost, I can understand that.