By Bill Harlan

Pulitzer Prize winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin speaks in Rapid City on Wednesday, April 18, as part of the Vucurevich lecture series. (Bravo to the late John V.) Speakers in this series often take questions, but why should Blogmorites have to wait? RCJ reporter Steve Miller will interview Goodwin next week. He promised me he’d use the best question from Mount Blogmore. (Unless they’re all dumb.) What would YOU ask Goodwin?

PS: I got my tickets online this morning from Got Mine. We’re in row W, so reserve your seat fast.

By Bill Harlan

A couple of Blogmorites, backchannel and in comments, have referred to questions that Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, put to Lurita Doan, GSA administrator, about a Power Point presentation at the GSA that included a slide: “2008 House Targets: Top 20.” The presention was by the White House Office of Political Affairs. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., was #20 on the list. The presentation was by Scott Jennings, a Karl Rove aide.

Another slide listed the 2008 Senate race in South Dakota as an election in which Republicans should go on “offense.” See the You Tube video at Andrew Sullivan’s site for the Atlantic.

Braley says the meeting violates the Hatch Act — politicking on federal time and property. Doan said it was a brown-bag lunch-hour “team building” meeting of GSA political appointees. She also said she didn’t remember the slides.

I’m confident Blogmore will sort out the ethical questions.

By Bill Harlan

The South Dakota delegation is 2 to 1 in favor of some sort of “deadline,” “timeline,” “goal” — you pick the word — for withdrawing combat forces from Iraq. The split is on party lines. The newsroom has received written statements from all three. Thune’s came today, and Herseth’s was yesterday (in an op ed piece). Tim Johnson didn’t vote on the Senate bill because he’s still in rehab from his AVM surgery, but he is in favor of the Senate version. He also issued a written statement last week.

Here are some excerpts, side by side for your commenting enjoyment:

Republican Sen. John Thune:

“Today I voted against the Democrats’ plan to announce to our enemies the time and place of America’s surrender because this plan defies common sense, dishonors the sacrifices and progress made by our troops on the ground, and gives our enemies a major victory in this War on Terrorism.

“Before Secretary Rumsfeld was replaced, this war was not being run successfully and we were not making the progress we should have. Secretary Gates and General Petraeus have since changed our strategy in Iraq and by all accounts this new approach appears to be achieving early successes. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and having traveled to Iraq several times, I can tell you that our troops overwhelmingly want the chance to win this war.”

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson:

“I am the father of a soldier who fought in Iraq. I understand the concerns of parents and family members across this country. Four years ago, the information we had with regard to Iraq was different than the reality we face today.

I think it is now time that we focus on the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group for our best chance of success. That includes the provision in this supplemental funding bill that will send a clear signal to the Iraqi people that it is time they make the compromises necessary to secure a political settlement and end the sectarian violence. We will not simply pack up and leave Iraq. However, it is time to transition our mission to one that focuses on training Iraqi security forces and conducting counter-terrorism operations.”

Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth:

“I have always rejected arbitrary or irresponsible timelines that would tie the hands of our military leaders, and I will continue to do so. I do not support an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces and am adamantly opposed to cutting off funds to our troops in the field. But the time has come to responsibly transition our troops from a direct combat role amidst deepening sectarian violence.

This bill will not remove all of our troops, but will gradually shift their role to counter-terrorist operations, the protection of U.S. military and civilians working within provincial reconstruction teams, and the continued training of Iraqi security forces - a function I have always supported and which I witnessed firsthand during my first trip to Iraq in 2004.”

By Bill Harlan

Services for “Doc” Farber, legendary poli sci professor at USD, will be Saturday in Vermillion. Blogs ranging from South Dakota Politics to South Dakota Watch take note of his passing. See also Dave Kranz in the Argus. The USD Volante Online has video remembrances.

Farber was kind enough to be a source on a couple stories, but I never met the guy — apparently to my disadvantage. I invite Blogmorites to share Farber experiences.

By Bill Harlan

OK, radon is odorless. My headline isn’t just glib, it’s incorrect. A two-fer!

I couldn’t help myself when I learned about Dr. Bernard L. Cohen, a retired University of Pittsburgh physics professor. His research has led him to believe that low-level radiation — say, from radon in your house — is not only NOT bad for you, it’s GOOD for you!

Bernard Cohen

Radon as a nutritional supplement came up during the “Uranium Summit” sponsored by the Defenders of the Black Hills. Defenders is a decidedly anti-uranium outfit, so the Cohen reference was surprising. Dr. Kimberlee Kearfott, the keynote speaker is an expert on the health effects of radiation. She said Cohen had great radon stats but wrong conclusions. (See my story, posted one the homepage soon.)

Anyway, it’s a contrarian argument made for the blogosphere. Should we believe the EPA? Should we believe the guy who wrote “The cancer risk from low level radiation”? Should we believe the guy who wrote “What Is Factually Wrong with This Belief: “Harm from Low-Dose Radiation Is Just Hypothetical — Not Proven”?

By the way, Kim Kearfott turned out to be an entertaining lecturer. She led the “summit” through a very handy, understandable radiation primer. And she’s got a resume a mile long.

Kim Kearfott

By Bill Harlan

News gathering has kept me from the Mount the past 24 hours or so, but in the far reaches of my e-mail inbox I found this suggested topic from a creative Blogmorite:

“If you were required to immediately promote one of Rapid City’s LOCAL politicians (Rapid City Council, Pennington County Commission or Rapid City Board of Education*) to national office (either side of Congress, Supreme Court, president or cabinet member) who would you pick, where would you put them, and why?”

I like it. Jim Shaw for secretary of defense? Eric Abrahamson for United Nations Ambassador? Sam Kooiker for … I was going to say attorney general, but Sam’s not a lawyer. Do you have to be a lawyer to be AG? Anyway, the floor is yours.

*We’ll expand this to ANY local West River politico.

By Bill Harlan

The Senate voted to override Gov. Mike Rounds on a independent board to govern tech institutes, but the House override attempt failed 42 “aye” to 26 “no.” The sod bill also went down. That means the guv wins all five.

The governor’s new motto: What get’s vetoed in Pierre stays vetoed in Pierre.

By Bill Harlan

These will remain optional in South Dakota. (Don’t confuse seat on the left with a child-restraint seat, which is still required for kids under 5.)

Not only did supporters of the booster-requirement fail to get the 10 extra House votes they needed to override the governor’s veto, they LOST 15 votes. The override vote: 22 “yes,” 46 “no.” Ouch.

By Bill Harlan

Sen. Mac McCracken (no cowboy hat) listens to South Dakota Stockgrowers President Ken Knuppe exlain why the state brand board should be divided by districts. Note to rookie lobbyists: Ken and his posse changed Mac’s mind so pay attention to the technique. However, the stockgrowers still fell short of an override. See below.

SB95, the tech school governance bill is headed to the House, as expected. The Senate voted 28 to 6 to override Gov. Mike Rounds’ veto. The sod bill (see below) also escaped the Senate to the House, 25 to 9. (Needed to override: 24 of 35.)

The bill to appoint brand board members by district — a measure supported by West River ranchers and especially northwest South Dakota ranchers –came in three votes short of an override, 21 to 13.

By Bill Harlan

Unfortunately, South Dakotans from chamber of commerces to the congressional delegation saved Ellsworth AFB from closure in 2005. That killed my idea of persuading Richard Branson to put his Virgin spaceport at the base. Some of you laughed at that idea. Many yawned. So now who’s laughing? Check out the Washington Post story “If New Mexico Builds It, Will Space Travelers Come?”

The lede:

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Come April 3, the voters of this sun-baked area near the Mexican border will have an unusual question to answer: Are they happy enough as home to some hardy cotton and chile farmers, a branch of the state university and a growing population of retirees from up north? Or do they want quite literally to blast into a very different future?
In a referendum, the people of Las Cruces and surrounding Do?a Ana County will be voting on a proposal to slightly raise their county sales tax, a highly unpopular idea these days. But in return, southern New Mexico, one of the poorest regions in the nation, would jump on a fast track to hosting the world’s first all-commercial spaceport.

The New Mexico Legislature already has kicked in $115 million. Another $25 million is expected this year. Dang. I wanted that spaceport.

By Bill Harlan

Tomorrow is Veto Day. The showdown at Pierre. Gov. Mike Rounds and the Legislature will slap leather at high noon.* Which bills will get out alive? Which bills will end up like Wild Bill, face down on the table holding aces and eights?

Here’s the lineup:

Senate bills
CONSIDERATION OF EXECUTIVE VETOES
SB 95 establish a State Board of Technical Institutes, to provide for its powers, duties, and responsibilities, and to provide for the transfer of authority over public postsecondary technical education from the Department of Education to the State Board of Technical Institutes.
SB 103 provide for the appointment of members of the Brand Board by district.
SB 183 revise the definition of agricultural purposes used for the administration of the sales and use tax.
Exempt the production of certain plants and sod from sales and use taxes.

House bills
CONSIDERATION OF EXECUTIVE VETOES
HB 1131 increase the amount of funding for conservation and value-added agriculture purposes from certain unclaimed motor fuel tax refunds.
HB 1189 require certain children to be in booster seats when in motor vehicles.

If I were handicapping:

- I’d bet against booster seats, which appear to be headed for an unbuckled collision.

- Tech school governance won 50-19 in the House and 31-3 in the Senate — enough for an override. Still, if the governor can round up four House votes …

- Brand board elections by district? The bill got exactly the two-thirds majority it will need in the Senate but it was two doggies short of two thirds in the House. It’ll have to git along to survive.

- Sod was a landslide in the Senate but a divot short in the House, where the margin was only 42 to 25. This sodding veto might stick.

- Unclaimed motor fuel tax refunds for conservation and value-added agriculture? Say what? I know I should have covered this bill, but I’m going to have to plead “the dog ate my homework.” However, the Senate and the House each liked this idea by a landslide. So I predict that conservation and value-added agriculture soon will be vacationing in the south of France, spending unclaimed motor fuel tax refunds like drunken … (complete this simile for extra credit)

* 10 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time.

By Bill Harlan

Apologies to Blogmorites who noticed nothing has been happening today — no new comments or topics. Some spamhacking Web doofus disabled the Mount, making it impossible for the Gods ‘o Blogmore to access the engine room. It took a Herculean effort by our online gurus to find the offending comment and rid it from the system — mainly because Blogmore uses an old version of WordPress. I love this old version, but sometimes it’s hard to defend it against the Access of Evil. (Get it? ACCESS of Evil? Sometimes I crack myself up.)

Anyway, if you got bounced, feel free to leave a comment under this topic, as if it were any topic whatsoever. Let’s just call it a free for all.

By Bill Harlan

The Mount has been waiting for this one. See the AP. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., will vote FOR the measure that calls for a troop withdrawal from Iraq next year. See also the Rapid Reply responses to the story. One argument says we’re telegraphing our strategy to the enemy. Another argument is that we’re putting the Iraqis and other regional players on notice that they have to solve the problem. That’s what I’d like to focus this topic on. Ill-advised telegraphing or overdue notice? (And I know there are Blogmorites who will point out that this is the WRONG QUESTION. That’s cool. Have at it.)

PS:
A Herseth quote from the AP:

“There are no truly good or perfect options remaining.”

Clarification: It has been pointed out to me backchannel that the Democrats’ Iraq bill would allow some troops to remain, such as those training Iraqis and protecting diplomats — and some others.

By Bill Harlan

Alderman Sam Kooiker has thrown his hat in the ring, along with Gary Hargens. Mayor Jim Shaw is expected to run.

Also be sure to check out the Rapid Reply comments on the two stories above. See also the Schumacher story. This will be an interesting race. I’d characterize Hargens* as a darkhouse outsider, Kooiker as a city council rebel — a gadfly to some — and Shaw as an incumbent with accomplishments and missteps. How would Blogmorites characterize this race?

*Hargens is first cousin to Dale Hargens, D-Miller, minority leader of the South Dakota House, and Gary’s sister is Renae Phinney, mayor of Ree Heights. A political dynasty in the making!

By Bill Harlan

A Blogmorite tipped me off to these separated-at-birth photos:

Ken Starr, who has defended the Ten Commandments, on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court after arguing the “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS” case, about which we’ve said too much already. (AP)

Toht, one of the bad guys in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” who was after the Ark of the Covenant which contained … you guessed it, THE Ten Commandmants.

Black hats. Black coats. Inordinate interest in the Ten Commandments. Coincidence or conspiracy? You decide. (As Indiana asked, “Didn’t any of you guys go to Sunday school?”)

Then it hit me. Another AP photo I’d seen:

OK, now I’M starting to hear black helicopters.

*Major Eaton to Indiana Jones.

By Bill Harlan

A Blogmorite suggested an Alberto Gonzalez thread. This being a South Dakota politics blog, I offer this story from Slate. The lede:

On Tuesday, the White House revealed that President Bush had met with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales back in October to discuss the lackluster performance of U.S. attorneys on voter-fraud cases. The Department of Justice fired seven prosecutors on Dec. 7. What’s so important about voter fraud?

And the localizing graf:

In government, attitudes toward voter fraud break down along partisan lines. Liberals tend to promote looser restrictions on voting so as to encourage voter participation among traditionally disenfranchised groups. They argue that voter-fraud claims are blown out of proportion to exclude poor people and minorities who are likely to vote Democratic. Conservatives take a tougher line on voter fraud to ensure that ballots cast by illegal immigrants and other ineligible voters are not counted. That’s why Republicans in the Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Ohio state legislatures have all proposed voter ID laws in the last few years.

Thanks for the idea, Raider-Grad-Abroad. You win a free topic of your choice on the Mount. (I just instituted this policy.) BTW, Charley House, you still have one coming.

By Bill Harlan

See this story in today’s NYT about a British attempt to ban face-covering veils in schools. Student dress is a hot topic around the world. Japan preempts the fight with uniforms, and some U.S. schools have followed suit. I know it’s a constant struggle in Black Hills area schools — whether over prohibited messages on T-shirts or simply skimpy attire.

By Bill Harlan

Poland has an abortion ban similar to HB1215 — last year’s ban rejected by South Dakota voters. Exceptions only to save the life of the mother. See the BBC story “Polish woman wins abortion case.” The lede:

The European Court of Human Rights has awarded a Polish woman 25,000 euros ($33,000; £16,000) in damages after she was refused an abortion.
Alicja Tysiac’s eyesight worsened drastically after she had her third baby and she fears she may go blind.
The 35-year-old mother was refused an abortion despite warnings that having a baby could make her go blind.

By Bill Harlan

A letter from Gov. Mike Rounds just crossed my desk, with the disclaimer at the bottom, “Not printed at government expense.” The letter is in support of Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for president. “Even though the election is still almost 2 years away, the national media would have you believe the race for the Republican nomination is already down to a field of three,” our governor writes. (Darn that national media, anyway.)

Gov. Rounds insists Huckabee’s in the race and urges support — political and financial. “You may give up to $2,3000 (per individual). My wife and I have each given the maximum amount.” Rounds calls Huckabee “a consistent conservative, pro-life, pro-family advocated, who believes that government shouldn’t rob its citizens withi excessive taxes, unnecessary regulation and frivolous litigation.”

By Bill Harlan

I think you need a subscription, or at least a registration, to see the LA Times story of ealier this month, “Geffen, Clinton were often at odds.” The subhed: “The billionaire shocked many when he criticized the former first lady. But his friendship with the former president was rocky.”

The gist is, Geffen was steamed, at least in part, Clinton didn’t pardon Leonard Peltier, which Geffen wanted and Tom Daschle opposed. Then, according to the LAT:

Geffen’s disappointment turned to ire when he learned who did win pardons. They included Marc Rich, a wealthy commodities trader who had fled to Switzerland after he was indicted in 1983 for tax evasion, and convicted Los Angeles drug dealer Carlos Vignali, whose case was pressed by Hugh Rodham, Hillary Clinton’s brother.