By Bill Harlan

Congratulations, Stan Bruce. Your comment on “Check out April 4 Bear Butte post” (see below) was the 20,000th comment (on more than 1,100 topics) since Mount Blogmore opened in September 2004.

Your prize: the thanks of a grateful nation. You also get to choose a topic of your choice. E-mail it to me at bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com. But wait, there’s more! You’ll also get a framed, autographed picture of Kevin Woster’s terminal ileum as seen on the Internet!!!.*

And thanks for commenting on Mount Blogmore, your hometown political blog.

*Confused? Click on April 24 on the calendar at right and scroll down.

By Bill Harlan

Or are you a Democrat who knocked on a door? (See two posts ago.) Mount Blogmore wants to know how the door-knocking campaign is going today. Post comments here. Send a digital photo of the event to wrh2@rushmore.com.

THIS JUST IN:

This a flyer Dems are handing out today, sent to us by the South Dakota Democratic Party. (The hard copies don’t have the computer glitch in the double L’s.) Dems also are recruiting volunteers.

Democrats prepare to march, above, in this photo from Curtis Price of the Pennington County Democratic Party.

SDDP Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel handing out flyers today in Rapid City. Photo courtesy of Democrats.

By Bill Harlan

Supporters of the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory at Homestake got a boost in confidence this month when South Dakota reached an agreement to take possession of the shuttered gold mine, but supporters of a DUSEL at the Henderson Mine in Colorado also talk a good game. (One recently called choosing Henderson a “no brainer.”) The Henderson team will hold a workshop this Tuesday through Friday. The Science and Engineering at Henderson DUSEL Capstone Workshop will be at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y.

Also, Google News last night alerted me to a mystery story slugged thus:

Bill would free up $20 million for lab
Rocky Mountain News, CO - 14 hours ago
… The money would only be spent if the US National Science Foundation picks Henderson Mine as … Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, known as DUSEL. …

I clicked on the story and thought I read that the Colorado General Assembly had approved $20 million for a lab at Henderson. The story reported a detailed economic-benefit analysis. I save the link to look at it this morning, and the story is gone. Rats. Should have saved it. Anyway, there’s an AP story about Henderon in today’s paper on page C6. (It’s not electronically archived. I’m not sure why.)

By Denise Ross

When President Bush this past week said he wants the Justice Department to investigate big oil companies for price-fixing or collusion and the like, I knew I’d heard that line before.

I must confess I’ve paid little attention to past investigations into Black Hills gas prices, but anyone who pays the least bit of attention would know there have been investigations.

Many of you know it was Tom Daschle leading the charge in each of the past three such events. I hadn’t fully realized this until looking at the clips in total — from 1986, 1990 and 2003.

Here’s a bit of what the RC Journal archives tell us.

1986 — When we measured gas prices in cents instead of dollars and when mid-term elections were also upon us, then-Congressman Daschle called on a federal grand jury to not drop its investigation of price-fixing in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Prices had hit the scandalous high of $1.19 per gallon. That was in February. In December, a grand jury still was looking into price fixing, and the issue still was making headlines when the newly elected Senator Daschle said on Dec. 4 (in a story by our own Bill Harlan) that he would meet with Justice Department officials to review what their investigation had revealed.

SD’s US Attorney at the time, Phil Hogen, had headed up the initial investigation, which it appears began in 1985, but Daschle took that ball and ran with it. Just when the grand jury was about to wind down in Feb. with a report that allegations could not be proven, Daschle said hold on and sent his press guy around to gather evidence.

At the time of Harlan’s Dec. 4 story, there was a 20-cent difference in price between RC and Soo Foo, something Daschle called “inexplicable and inexcusable.”

A much shorter story on Dec. 17 noted that prices had fallen to about 80 cents across SD, “the lowest level since mid 1979.”

1990 — When propane prices were drawing equal attention, Daschle asked the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to investigate why gas prices would increase in Rapid City each spring, just before tourist season.

“I want to put these guys under oath, under penalty of perjury, and tell this committee that there is no price-fixing,” Daschle told the RCJ in May. “I want them to tell the committee that each and every time prices go up, the same day universally at every gas station, that it is sheer coincidence.”

The average price of gas in SD was $1.16.

In August, after Iraq invaded Kuwait and gas prices spiked above $1.30, both Sens. Daschle and Pressler signed a letter asking the administration of the first President Bush to report to Congress what was up with that.

At the same time, Daschle had success in getting a Senate investigation of gas and petroleum prices. A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee would travel to RC and hold a hearing, set for Sept. 30. BUT Congress stayed in session to work on the budget that weekend. The hearing was rescheduled to the spring of 1991, but gas prices had dropped to $1.20 and, ultimately, no proof of collusion or price-fixing was found.

Gas prices continued to drop through the 1990s, sometimes dipping below $1.

2003 — In October, gas hit $1.70, and Daschle suggested price gouging — but stopped short of price-fixing — and again called for a Justice Department investigation, this time nationwide.

“I do believe that all of the South Dakotans that are being asked to pay these higher bills deserve better answers than they’ve been given so far,” Daschle told the RC Journal.

He went on to question why Black Hills stations didn’t pass on the tax break for ethanol blended gas, a situation I’ve noticed has changed since gas topped $3 last fall.

That request got little traction, so in May 2004 — when he was fully engaged in a bare-knuckles campaign with John Thune, Daschle sent a letter to President Bush asking him to help lower prices. As you might imagine, nothing came of that.

2006 — While gas prices below $2 appear to have gone the way of the lawn dart, politicians — at the behest of constituents — seeking answers from oil types appear to be as fashionable and ubiquitous as the iPod.

By Bill Harlan

I attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where I became a chronically infected UK basketball fan. That’s why my e-mail bell dinged this afternoon. Google News had automatically located another Kentucky basketball story, as per my instructions. How ’bout them Cats! The link Google sent, however, led me to “John S. Carroll on why newspapers matter.”

Carroll might be best known as a former editor of the LA Times, but I remember him as editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader. It would not be unusual for the Herald Leader to run a front-page story on the Wildcats’ shoe contract. And I’d read it. But during Carroll’s tenure in the 1980s — long after my time in Lexington — the paper uncovered rampant cheating by the Kentucky basketball program. The stories led to cancelled subscriptions and advertising and a bomb threat. Oh yeah, and a Pulitzer Prize. (Later UK was penalized for an embarrassing cash-for-recruits program.)

I highly recommend Carroll’s piece, which is on a site called “Nieman Watchdog: Questions the press should ask.” Carroll writes, in part, about phenomena such as blogs (ahem) and Google news, both of which, ironically, brought me and now you to his essay. It’s adapted from a speech earlier this week. Here’s an excerpt:

“Have you noticed that the new media, even those as rich as Yahoo and Google, are not creating their own staffs of reporters? Recently I was amused by all the publicity Yahoo got for creating its own multi-media foreign staff, which consisted of one poor guy lugging all his own equipment.

“The blogs, noisy as they are, have virtually no reporters. They may be keen critics, or assiduous fact checkers, but do they add materially to the nation’s supply of original reporting? No, they don’t.”

This article is especially relevant in light of the previous topic on Mount Blogmore.

By Kevin Woster

The gag order Gov. Mike Rounds has imposed on state employees when it comes to the Argus Leader must be particularly tough on guys like John Cooper and Larry Gabriel.

They’re a couple of independent fellows, after all.

Cooper was a Navy river boat commander in Vietnam who worked all kinds of dangerous law enforcement assignments during more than 20 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before hiring on as state Game, Fish & Parks secretary.

Gabriel is a former rodeo cowboy and lifelong rancher who worked his way up to the Republican leader’s position in the South Dakota House before signing on as state agriculture secretary.

These guys know plenty about government and life. They’re accustomed to making important decisions and then explaining those positions in public. And they’re both noted for being open and accessible to reporters.

Now, near as I can tell, these guys, too, are under the governor’s gag rule against the Argus. In fact, GF&P personnel in Sioux Falls recently proved that by refusing to give an Argus Leader reporter there certain information on a reported mountain lion attack. They cited the governor’s gag rule.

Actually, they said it was because of the Argus Leader’s lawsuit against the state over the release of certain other, entirely unrelated, documents. That’s how the governor justifies the gag rule.

I’m certainly no legal expert. And maybe the gag rule is completely justified from a legal standpoint. But it seems unique in my experience. Former Gov. Bill Janklow used to refuse to speak to the Argus when he got really mad about its coverage, but I don’t recall he ever gagged all of state government.

It seems to me that even with a lawsuit involving one area of state-government documents, experience leaders like Gabriel and Cooper might be able to decide whether and how to provide information to the state’s largest newspaper on entirely unrelated matters.

Or am I just naive?

By Bill Harlan

If you hear a knocking sound Saturday, it’s not LDL or SDA missionaries, and it’s not my Jeep, either. South Dakota Democrats hope to knock on 5,000 doors tomorrow. They’ll spread the message and hand out brochures. This is an event MADE for Mount Blogmore. Tomorrow morning I’ll post a topic inviting Blogmorites to relate their door-knocking experiences, either as knockERS or knockEES. We’ll soliciting photos of the event, too.

Meanwhile, one wonders what the Mount thinks of the idea.

Capital idea, Harlan. -Denise

By Bill Harlan

Continuing our discussion of energy, two articles in today’s paper are relevant. See “Johnson blasts oil companies,” which also includes statements from Herseth and Thune. See also “Governor says all forms of energy are options.”

Then check out the editorial “The ethanol factor” in today’s Chicago Tribune. Ouch. They don’t like ethanol or the Democrats who voted against last fall’s oil refinery bill. “In effect, they voted for higher gas prices,” the Tribune says.

An excerpt on ethanol:

“Perhaps that added expense would be worthwhile if ethanol substantially reduced oil consumption. But some studies have found that the production of ethanol consumes more energy than the final product saves.”

By Bill Harlan

This item from CNN, headlined “Democrats call for new energy laws”:

“On Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth of South Dakota said the administration had underfunded development of alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.
‘They have stifled those opportunities at the behest of the large oil companies,’ she said. ‘I’m pleased that the president made the speech he made yesterday, but words alone aren’t enough to solve this problem.’”

PS: Some interesting related comments on under the topic before last.

By Bill Harlan and Kevin Woster

Blogmorite Bill Fleming submits the above cartoon. He tells us there are layers of meaning in his graphic. If Blogmorites ask, we’re certain he’ll elucidate.

And speaking of ilucidating, the Colorado Rockies report that first baseman Todd Helton has a flaming ileum.

OK, it’s not exactly flaming, but it’s certainly inflamed. Helton was hospitalized last week with a fever and stomach cramps. Doctors diagnosed his ailment as ileitis. Here on Mount Blogmore, we are disappointed that a finely-tuned athlete like Mr. Helton would take such poor care of his ileum. The Mount is dedicated to healthy ileum care, and we provided proof earlier in the week by posting a full-color photo of a Kevin Woster’s ileum. (Scroll down.)

Kevin follows a simple rule: Take care of your ileum, and it will take care of you.

By Bill Harlan

President Bush delivers remarks on energy Tuesday in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (And NO, this isn’t an invitation for a Mount Blogmore Caption Contest, although …)

President Bush has proposed tax incentives for hybrids. In an editorial today headlined “Over a barrel” the LA Times predicts the Bush plan will not work. Hybrids, the editorial argues, save relatively little gas and the benefits decrease for drivers who spend a lot of time on the highway.

Does a hybrid make sense for anyone in the Black Hills? I drive about 6 miles on I-90 into town from Black Hawk — when not working at Blogmore Tower in Black Hawk. Would a hybrid make sense for me? Would it make sense for a tourist to drive a hybrid here from Minneapolis or Chicago?

The LA Times says we need long-term solutions that apply to all drivers. The editorial’s kicker:

“Mileage-based incentives will do nothing to reduce gas prices over the short term. Nor will the other common-sense conservation approaches, such as forcing Detroit to improve mileage on all its vehicles or investing heavily in alternative-fuel research. But they would make a difference in the long run, and they beat what Bush and Congress are offering instead: a whole lot of wind power generated by flapping gums.”

By Bill Harlan

A post on April 4 about the Bear Butte-biker bar dispute has quietly grown to 137 comments, despite having dropped off Mount Blogmore’s main page. You can click on the calendar at right to get to April 4 and scroll down. You also can check out “Rally venue liquor-license hearing set for May 2″ in today’s RCJ. The issue is whether to create a buffer a zone around Bear Butte to protect a sacred site from motorcycle rally noise.

I’m often amazed out how long some of these discussions continue. (The record may be the comment I got five days ago on a the topic “Pump Shock,” which we posted on Sept. 1, 2005.) Coming soon,* we’ll have a feature that shows everyone the half dozen or so most recent comments — who they’re from and what topic they’re under. Until then, if anyone else knows of an interesting, ongoing conversation that’s dropped off the peak of Mount Blogmore, leave it in a comment here.

*The gods of Mount Blogmore are not revealing whether we’re using the metric “soon” or the avoirdupois “soon.”

By Denise Ross

A letter writer in Wednesday’s RC Journal poses this potential effect, should HB1215 one day stand as the law of South Dakota.

(Would) every miscarriage (be) looked at as an illegal abortion/murder charge?

… we have a hard enough time keeping doctors in this state. Baby doctors will not risk harassment, fines, imprisonment or put to death from miscarriages/implantation outside of the uterus.

This brought to mind the states with high malpractice premiums for ob/gyns and the trouble those states have had keeping maternity wards open. Does anyone know, is there a general consensus amongst the physicians on abortion regulations or bans?

By Kevin Woster

Hey, did anybody used the state’s 511 and Internet weather conditions systems during the last storms?

If so, what did you think. Or, what do you think?

It’s a great idea, but it seems to have some glitches - one of the most recent being during the big blizzard during the AA boys tournament here in Rapid.

By Denise Ross

Fresh off his statewide tour to officially launch his campaign for South Dakota’s lone US House seat, Bruce Whalen seemed contemplative, a bit tired and, somehow, ready for the months-long marathon that no doubt will be his challenge to incumbent Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D.

(Photo by Dick Kettlewell, Rapid City Journal)
Whalen formally announced his campaign in Rapid City on Friday.

We talked Sunday. To listen to this week’s edition of Talkin’ Smack: The South Dakota Political Junkies’ Weekly Fix on the Inside Dope, right-click here. He brushes off any mention of the long odds some political analysts have given him.

Whalen does not shy away from the intense debate now raging in South Dakota over abortion. On his website, he titles his message to voters “South Dakota Culture of Life.”

By Bill Harlan

My colleague Kevin W. and I have been puzzled by the vitriol generated by links to abortion photos in a Blogmorite’s recent comment. The discussion has degenerated to name calling among some Blogmorites. Others have walked out on the discussion because we published links to the photos. In an effort to discourage name calling and at the same time desensitize the Mount Blogmore community to anatomically explicit photographs, we offer the above photo of Kevin’s “terminal ileum,” taken during a recent colonoscopy. Kevin claims — justifiably, I think — that this is “a damn good-looking terminal ileum.” In the interest of good taste, however, we will not post a link to his rectal polyp.

And PS: No kidding, ease up on the name calling.

By Kevin Woster

I’m the guy who initially approved Sibby’s now-imfamous post with the links to the graphic photos, said to be actual aborted fetuses at various stages of development.

I didn’t think about it much at the time. It was one of many posts, and allowing the links, rather than the actual pictures, seemed appropriate.

I didn’t check the links at the time, but figured I pretty much knew what the pictures would look like.

I’ve since looked at the links, and the photos. And I’ve read your comments, some of them quite hostile - a few with farewell messages.
I reconsidered my decision and asked Bill and Denise if we should take down Sibby’s post. They are inclined not to take it down. And I guess, at this point, so am I.

As Bill said, these same pictures or others like that are easily available through an Internet search.

S0, at this time, the post stays up. But we’ll continue to talk. We hope you will, too.

By Denise Ross

On Saturday’s RC Journal Forum page, Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace, explains how he has become convinced that nuclear energy is the only path that the human race can take to avoid catastrophic global warming.

My views have changed, and the rest of the environmental movement needs to update its views, too, because nuclear energy may just be the energy source that can save our planet from another possible disaster.

The only way to reduce fossil fuel emissions from electrical production is through an aggressive program of renewable energy sources … plus nuclear.

Moore says that the conventional objections to nuclear energy are, mostly, no longer valid. Here’s a (very brief) summary of his rebuttals to said objections.

-Nuclear isn’t any more expensive than fossil fuels.

-Nuclear plants are safe. Even the Three Mile Island meltdown was a success story — the concrete containment system worked.

-Nuclear waste isn’t as dangerous a pollutant as greenhouse gases. And now the US says go ahead and recycle spent fuel, so the waste concerns are greatly reduced.

-Terrorist attack shouldn’t be too much of a concern given the six feet of concrete that encase nuclear plants.

-Yes, Moore says, nuclear fuel could be diverted to make nuclear weapons, but lots of other useful technologies can also be put to destructive uses and we still use them. Plus Japan has a process now to make that transition from fuel to weapon much more difficult.

This all reminded me of state Sen. John Koskan, R-Wood, and his interest in developing a nuclear plant somewhere in South Dakota. That is all in the planning stages. In this state’s quest to be an energy exporter, should SD get more aggressive on the nuclear front?

By Bill Harlan

If Bob Newland and friends gather enough signatures, we’ll all get to vote in November on whether to legalize medical marijuana. That’s why I thought an editorial in today’s New York Times might be of interest. The NYT weighs in on “The Politics of Pot,” decrying the FDA’s short statement Thursday, which, in turn, denied the medical benefits igniting a big ’ol spliff and pretending you’re trying to suck a tennis ball through a garden hose. (OK, they didn’t put it exactly like that.) The NYT calls the FDA statement “poorly documented.” An NYT story yesterday was headlined “F.D.A.’s Report Illuminates Wide Divide on Marijuana.”

Of course, the Feds warn that states should not attempt to pass laws that contradict federal laws. Like that argument will stop us this year.

Still, South Dakota Safe Access must turn in 16,728 signatures by May 2 — a week from Tuesday — to put the measure on the ballot. Bob told me a few minutes ago he was confident they’d get enough valid signatures “because God’s on our side.” They are not, however, over the top yet.

By Kevin Woster

I thought it was nice of Gov. Mike Rounds to praise Sen. Tim Johnson on the release of the senator’s economic development plan Thursday.

Either that, or it was politics.

Johnson’s release of his Hometown Prosperity Plan on Thursday prompted Rounds to issue a news release that both complimented the plan and made sure that readers knew that Rounds already had one of his own.

“I applaud Sen. Johnson for inititating a complementary economic development plan to our citizen’s 2010 Initiative,” Rounds said. “As we have proven time and time again, we must all work together: federal, state and local units of government to meet our goals.”

Rounds then summarized the plan and its goals. He also left me wondering if this was just bipartisan cooperation, or one more indication that he’s laying some track for a possible race in 2008.