Left to right: Reporter Bob Mercer, columnist Jeremiah Murphy,
reporter Terry Woster and me. In front, better-than-sheet cake!

By Bill Harlan

It is with a heavy heart — not to mention a heavy digestive system after two large pieces of farewell cake — that I bid the Mount adieu. On March 17, I start my new job as public information officer for the Sanford Underground Laboratory at the Homestake gold mine in Lead.

Although my last hour at work is here in Pierre in the Capitol press room, my friends at the RCJ did manage to have a cake delivered. And it’s darned good cake, too. I was totally surprised, taken aback, choked up, befuddled and misty. I missed not having Journalites here, but good friends and colleagues in the Capitol acted as worthy stand ins. The Capitol press corps is like family, too. Besides, this goodbye will be tough duty. Words fail . I’ll see all of you soon. (Maybe sooner than you think, if I ever get out of here.)

Photo by Leland Brokaw: The Capitol press room (minus those folks down in the dungeon).
This group represents 89 years of experience reporting from the South Dakota Legislature.
And I’ve got just two of those years. Left to right in back: Joe Kafka and Chet Brokaw of the Associated Press,
Bob Mercer of the Capitol News Bureau, Terry Woster of the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader
and me, wearing a tie from the collection of the late Ron Bender. *

If I was “surprised” by the cake, I suffered a massive cerebral electro-chemical storm followed by near-total organ shutdown at Gov. Mike Rounds’ press conference. At the very end, the governor he proclaimed Feb. 29 “Bill Harlan Day.”** Then he read a proclamation obviously written by a Wosterian hand. An investigation revealed it wasn’t Terry or Jim. (My fellow Blogmore god Kevin W. had urged me to attend the press conference because the governor was going to announce “something big related to Bear Butte.” Imagine the governor’s confusion when I asked him a question about it.)

Words also fail when it comes to thanking you, the crew of Blogmorites, who have made this experiment the most fun I’ve had in 30 years of journalism. Many thousands of you lurk and read. Hundreds have commented. A few dozen regulars have given Mount Blogmore a personality unlike any other blog I’ve seen.

We posted our first top on Sept. 7, 2004. As of right now, we’re up to topic number 2,292. You have contributed 47,692 comments. We’ve been on CNN and in the New York Times. We were named best blog in the nation by one newspaper outfit. You need a crew of audience-participants to do that. Thanks, and keep coming back. (I will.)

OK, so now I’m a little embarrassed about this “all about me” post, but I can’t resist sharing an excerpt from the proclamation: “WHEREAS, Bill believes with all of his heart and several other organs that ‘a mine is a terrible thing to waste.’”

Thanks Kevin, other colleagues and Blogmorites around the globe.

* Note the Lysol bottle at the upper right. I missed a week of the session with the flu. Kevin filled in, and the first thing he did was spray the entire work area with Lysol “with bleach!” When I returned, white bleach spots covered everthing.

** Feb. 29, in addition to being my “day” and my last day, also is the day I met my wife, the lovely Marjorie Harlan. Happy second anniversary, darling!

By Scott Aust

England pulled Prince Harry from the front lines of Afghanistan after Drudge posted the fact on his blog, according to this New York Times story. Read that here.

Is this a demonstration of the power of blogs, freedom of the press or should it have been posted? Feel free to weigh in.

By Bill Harlan

State Sen. Jim Lintz, R-Hermosa, on the demise ofHB1293: “Dead deer is a dead duck.”

South Dakota GF&P Secretary Jeff Vonk probably shouldn’t be
the person you ask to redeem this coupon. Just a suggestion.

By Bill Harlan

Rep. Betty Olson, R-Prairie City, introduced HB1208, which inspired the above coupon circulating the Capitol. HB1208 was run over in committee and left for dead. Here it is:

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to reimburse certain motorists involved in vehicle collisions with wildlife.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
Section 1. That chapter 41-1 be amended by adding thereto a NEW SECTION to read as follows:

If a motor vehicle is involved in a collision with any wild animal as defined in § 41-1-1, the motor vehicle owner may receive not more than two hundred dollars, payable from the Department of Game, Fish and Parks fund. The claimant shall apply and the department shall pay the claim as provided in rules promulgated by the Game, Fish and Parks Commission pursuant to chapter 1-26. The rules shall require that the claimant provide evidence demonstrating that the collision was caused by a wild animal and a verified amount of the damage or injury. However, no liability incurs and no claim may be paid if the collision was caused intentionally or by negligence or recklessness of the motor vehicle operator.

Sen. Jerry Apa was angry this morning. T. Woster was taking notes.

By Bill Harlan

Sen. Jerry Apa, R-Lead, was angry enough to call a press conference this morning. (See my story.) Gov. Mike Rounds thinks the Joint Appropriations Committee, which Apa chairs, was too optimistic in it’s revenue projection. The different is only $11 million — $1.184 billion from the governor versus $1.195 billion from appropriators — but that could be an important $11 million. Rounds says be prepared for a downturn. Apa says we should be optimistic. Blogmorites, in their economic wisdom, will set us straight.

By Bill Harlan

We’re not expecting a big battle over Senate Commemoration 24 honoring the 50th annual Schmeckfest in Freeman. It’s up today in the Senate, which convenes at 10:30 a.m. The early-rising House starts at 10:00 a.m.

So how about a Mount Blogmore pool? Closest to the minute the Legislature adjourns wins the traditional Blogmore prize — the thanks of a grateful Blogosphere. Will it be Friday morning? Will the session bleed into Saturday? Name the day, hour and minute.

By Bill Harlan

The issue before us:

A JOINT RESOLUTION, Proposing a constitutional amendment to eliminate term limits for legislators.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:
Section 1. That at the next general election held in the state, the following amendment to Article III, section 6 of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, as set forth in section 2 of this Joint Resolution, which is hereby agreed to, shall be submitted to the electors of the state for approval.
Section 2. That Article III, section 6 of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, be amended to read as follows:
§ 6. The terms of office of the members of the Legislature shall be two years; they shall receive for their services the salary fixed by law under the provisions of § 2 of article XXI of this Constitution, and five cents for every mile of necessary travel in going to and returning from the place of meeting of the Legislature on the most usual route.
A regular session of the Legislature shall be held in each odd-numbered year and shall not exceed forty legislative days, excluding Sundays, holidays and legislative recess, except in cases of impeachment, and members of the Legislature shall receive no other pay or perquisites except salary and mileage.
A regular session of the Legislature shall be held in each even-numbered year beginning with the year 1964 and shall not exceed thirty-five legislative days, excluding Sundays, holidays and legislative recess, except in cases of impeachment, and members of the Legislature shall receive no other pay or perquisites except salary and mileage.

It’s going to be on the ballot next November, so let’s fire up the conversation. On the anti-term limit side, the Legislature is loses experienced lawmakers who know how the system works. The limits also create a Legislature that is less experienced than the folks out in the lobbies. The pro-term limit side says stirring the pot is good for democracy and helps prevent entrenched incumbents.

What says Blogmore?

PS: Haven’t seen your recent comment? Blogmore’s engine room has taken a direct spam-hacker hit. Waiting for the IT crew to arrive with digital fire hose.

By Bill Harlan

During conference committee discussion of HB1293 this morning, Rep. Gordon Howie, R-Rapid City, offered a novel suggestion. The bill requires the state to remove dead deer from state highways within 96 hours. Transportation Secretary Darin Bergqist noted that it was hard to find contractors to do the job in some parts of the state — especially in the northwest. Howie suggested, let landowners do it. For every five deer they removed, they’d get an extra deer tag.

Howie laughed at his own idea, predicting it would die “before it gets to the microphone,” but it got a quick second! However, another lawmaker suggested that the tag could be used only on one of those five deer. In effect, a roadkill season.

See Kevin W.’s “Take it Outside” blog (link above, to the right) for more discussions on more tags for landowners.

PS: A single mention of the dead-deer bill earlier this week prompted a Capitol press room reporter to sing the entire “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road” song. Extra credit if you can guess who it was.

By Bill Harlan

Ralph Nader’s back, so I thought I’d offer this blast from the past, a 2004 KW story “Means endorses Nader for president.” No word on Nader’s position on the new Lakotah Republic. The Mount will go out on a limb and say R.W. is not going to be the next president. That said (and I realize I’m taking the corporate-media-Illuminati-blue helmet-wearing party line here), what effect, if any, will Nader’s campaign have on the nation?

THIS JUST IN: Andy Borowitz is pretty funny on this issue. See “Nader announces plan to wreck election.”

By Bill Harlan

The Mount is under attack by spamhackers. We’ve beefed up our defenses, pouring electrons into a free-fire zone, and legitimate comments may have become collateral damage. Thanks for your patience. E-mail me at bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com if you think you’re a victim.

By Bill Harlan

The controversial New York Times story about John McCain reminded me of a half hour I spent recently in a waiting room seeking relief from Ebola-flu. (I was the youngest person in the waiting room by far, and I was born in 1947, just to set the scene.) My fellow patients wondered whether we’d have our first black president or our first woman president, which evoked this statement from one of the guys: “You know, Bill Clinton killed nine guys in Arkansas.”

My first reaction was, who among us hasn’t killed nine guys in Arkansas? My second reaction was, keep your mouth shut. You do NOT want to be in this conversation. Eventually, the Clinton-homicide theorist allowed as how he didn’t know of Clinton really offed nine people. But he did read it in a book.

So how ’bout that McCain story? The NYT offers explanations and feedback from readers here. I think it’s an interesting discussion.

Former RCJ reporter Denise Ross and I worked on a story in a similar situation six years ago. A number of professional wildfire managers were adamant that then-Gov. Bill Janklow had endangered firefighters by trying to micromanage wildfires — a charge Janklow just as adamantly denied. We worked on the story for months, but it wasn’t ready until less than a week before the congressional election. (Janklow faced Herseth.) We debated whether it was unfair to run it so close to the election. I think Denise and I both agreed it was unfair, but we argued it would be even more unfair to run it AFTER voters had made their choices. We thought the criticisms of professional firefighters deserved an airing. (We used on-the-record sources in the story and FOIA information. We also had off-the-record sources.)

Later a person close to the Janklow campaign told me the governor’s poll numbers actually improved after the story. And he won handily. (McCain’s fundraising has spiked since the NYT story, too.)

That was a difficult decision for me. I think Janklow is a brilliant guy and maybe the most important governor in the history of South Dakota. And he has always treated me well, from my very first interview with him in 1980. I like the guy. However, Denise and I both believed that running the story was the right thing to do. Not everyone at the RCJ agreed, but editor Peggy Sagen did.

So for me the online dialogue with NYT editors has a familiar ring. Check it out, if you like, and join me in some journalistic navel gazing.

By Bill Harlan

Pardon my Maxwell Smart imitation in the headline, but I’ve spent the past six or seven weeks in the Capitol press room working mere feet away from that other Woster (Terry of the Argus), who is a master of the obscure pop-culture reference. He did one “would you believe,” and now I can’t get it out of my head.

But I digress. Last week a House committee killed Sen. Nancy Turbak Berry’s proposal to make all government records open unless specifically closed. Rep. Larry Rhoden, voting against the measure, said he was still steamed about the the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader publishing the state’s list of people who have concealed weapons permits. (The Legislature has since closed the list, so don’t ask.) See my story here.

To put the gun issue into a national, presidential context, see this NYT column by Gail Collins.

Has gun-control gone nuclear as a campaign issue? Should concealed weapons permits be a public record? Anybody seen my shoe phone?

By Kevin Woster

Vicki Iseman.

Will she be the Monica Lewinsky of the 2008 presidential campaign? Or is it just the New York Times off on a wild girl chase?

Will the anonymous sources come forward? Do they have any credibility at all?

However it turns out, John McCain is going to take a punch. That’s the part of politics I wouldn’t much like.

A pack of reporters wouldn’t have to dig far into my past to find things to write about in ways that would complicate my campaign. That’s true of most of us.

It’ll be interesting to see how McCain handles this. He’s survived a few in his days.

Hillary Clinton has survived many.

I’m still wondering when the first haymaker will hit Barack Obama, and how he’ll handle it.

By Scott Aust

Wow. I mean, just, wow.

Former city councilman Mike Schumacher was outed today for a post he made to dakotawarcollege that gave the impression it came from Mayor Alan Hanks office.

I talked to an obviously remorseful Schumacher this morning. (See the story.) He was contrite and said he was trying to contact Hanks to apologize.

He said he regrets the post, but at the time he was angry about a Pat Powers comment on Rapid City’s poverty kit purchase, and wanted to also show the fault in the system that allows people to impersonate somebody else in their posts.

If you remember, Mike was involved last year with phony emails critical of other council members. Given that, makes you wonder what he was thinking.

Guess the point is, he wasn’t thinking

These guys really had to go out of their way
to avoid western South Dakota. Was it something
we said?

By Bill Harlan

Sen. Jim Lintz buttonholed me about SCR13 “Opposing the development of the NAFTA Superhighway.” My first reaction was, the NAFTA what? Jim told me he first started hearing this from “black helicopter” types, but it’s real. And strange. Check it out here. The resolution opposing the highway will get a hearing tomorrow morning in Senate Transportation.

By Bill Harlan

I was stumbling around on them internets this morning — surfing the Obama tsunami, one might say — when I stumbled upon a reference to an esteemed (not to mention well armed) Blogmorite. Click here for superdelegate Nicholas Nemec’s take. Or here to see him quoted in a national AP story we ran. Oh sure, winning superdelegates Tim Johnson and and Tom Daschle helps. So does adding Jack Billion and Sharon Stroschein. However, I think we’ve all heard the political truism, “As Holabird goes, so goes the nation.”

Nice: My friend Nick rolls over for Obama without even offering to help cover the cost of my dinner bill at Botticelli’s. Nick, how about a little central South Dakota loyalty? Or at least your debit card for the evening? K.W.

By Kevin Woster

All cash is crucial to a political campaign.

But some donations are worth more than others.

Take a check from the NRA. Apparently, that’s what Sen. Tim Johnson will be doing soon.

Word on the streets of a town called Politics is that the National Rifle Association is sending $2,500 - half the allowed maximum for the primary - to the incumbent Democrat.

While it’s not unusual for the NRA to lean toward incumbents, support from the pro-gun gang is turf that Republicans always hope to win and hold - and use as a campaign base on the all-important gun issue. NRA money has been a rare bird in Johnson’s past hunts for campaign funding.

The fact that it flushed now indicates a pretty solid NRA confidence in Johnson as a candidate all the way through November, and a clear favorite at the polls.

If it comes through as expected, the cash will be worth a lot more than $2,500, whether or not it leads to more contributions from the NRA.

It’ll make it pretty difficult for the Republican challenger - whoever that turns out to be - to wave the “anti-gun Democrat” banner in the general.

By Scott Aust

This article posits a McCain administration may share commonalities with Teddy Roosevelt, who McCain considers a political idol.

“McCain, the four-term Republican senator from Arizona and presumptive GOP presidential nominee, is promising an administration that reflects “conservative principles, values and vision.” He also says his administration would have a powerful environmental bent, in the Roosevelt tradition.”

It also throws out some interesting names for potential cabinet slots: Lieberman for Secretary of State. Rudy for Homeland Security. And Huckabee for Health and Human Services.

Would McCain’s “environmental bent” be good or bad for the Black Hills?

Of course, he actually has to beat Huckabee, and then Obama or Hillary first.

Guess we can hold off reserving space on Mt. Rushmore just yet.

By Scott Aust

The AP reports here that the Clinton campaign accuses Obama of using Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s words and phrases during a recent appearance.

Does Clinton have a point? Will it become a big issue or be one of those election year blips no one remembers?

By Bill Harlan

A known South Dakota Democrat forwarded to me an e-mail he got from Democracy for America urging Super-delegates to follow the will of the people. An excerpt:

Super-delegates are a contingent of almost 900 elected officials, party insiders, and current DNC members and they aren’t required to follow the voters. In fact, after every Democrat has voted and the last allocated delegates are assigned, super-delegates have the power to overturn the popular vote and crown a different winner.

That’s right, if super-delegates don’t like who you choose to be our nominee, they can overturn your vote. We can’t let that happen. Our nominee must be chosen by Democratic voters, not by back room deals of the party elite. Sign our petition now to let the voters decide:

www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/VotersDecide