DakotaWomen

Somebody's Prayers Are Getting Answered

2008-07-16T21:43:00.004-05:00

The anti-choicers over at Vote Yes for A Time Machine Back to 2006 will be sorry to hear that despite their prayers that the pro-choice movement will be thrown into confusion, we actually appear to be getting more organized. Huzzah!

Not only is the SD Campaign for Healthy Families kicking of their campaign, long-time pro-choice activist organization NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota just launched a fancy new website with lots of great information and resources.

So sorry, Vote Yes for Iranian Laws, I guess God was a little more receptive to my prayer that you guys while away the months leading up to the election posting prayer blogs while we mount a strategic campaign than to yours.

A New Strategy to Save the Lives of Women & Children

2008-07-15T21:50:00.003-05:00

World wide, a woman dies due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth every minute. Tonight on PBS, Wide Angle looked at how Mozambique is improving maternal and infant mortality rates by training nurses and midwives to perform Cesareans and hysterectomies. Amazing stuff. Check out the website.

Alive Day Memories: A Great Reminder

2008-07-01T22:14:00.003-05:00

Although it came out last year, I finally just saw the HBO documentary and James Gandolfini brainchild, Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq. If you need additional, heart-wrenching evidence of why exactly war is horrible, this is just the thing for you. I was brought to tears time and time again – so poignantly done!

I’d love to see what all you pro-war sons of bitches would have to say if it was you that had a traumatic brain injury that left you in a permanent state of 6th grade or it was your wife who left you during your tour of duty so when you returned, you had your wedding band diamonds fashioned into your new, glass eye. It’s time this war is over.

Silly.

2008-06-25T19:49:00.003-05:00

By way of Dakota Voice:

Given the popular perception that Americans have become more liberal, it may be of surprise to hear that most people still embrace traditional family values as the foundation of the American dream.

More than 75 percent of all American adults said their ideal life includes having good physical health (listed by 85 percent), living with a high degree of integrity (85 percent), having one marriage partner for life (80 percent), having a clear purpose for living (77 percent), having a close relationship with God (75 percent), and having close, personal friendships (74 percent), according to a Barna report released Monday.

Ummm, yep, that pretty much applies to myself and about 99% of the liberal people I know. So how does that not jive with the idea that Americans have become more liberal? It seems like we may just be living the 'ideal life' instead of dreaming about it.

Where There's News Media, There's an Unruh

2008-06-16T09:06:00.003-05:00

Saturday's KELO featured a piece on buying local produce, so it only makes sense for the story to contain an interview with...what? ALLEN UNRUH?! (See Madville Times for the full scoop.)

So, let's talk about this.

For one, can the SD public please have just one week - only one - where we don't have to deal with an Unruh? Can we? Please? I think the following definition pretty much sums up the condition that Les' and Al' face and although urbandictionary.com hasn't been real popular amongst the feminist community lately, I gotta say this was just too perfect to pass up.

1. Media Whore

1. A person who has a psychological need to get into TV, Film, Radio or Print.
2. A person who becomes aroused almost sexually by seeing or hearing themselves or about themselves in the media.
Most people who audition for reality TV series or write excessive numbers of letters to the editor are nothing more than media whores.

Now let us journey back in time to the Vote Yes petition reveal party of months past. You might recall the post I did about it. Well, I thought that the Unruhs along with the YV Prayer Team had a beef with KELO? Or is this just God's way of answering their prayers?

The REAL Issues of District 15

2008-05-30T14:12:00.003-05:00

Why are we talking about something so trivial like a “maybe she sent it, maybe she didn’t” email to a B-list celeb, PP, when there are REAL issues to discuss here? Let’s talk about what should be politically significant here:

1) John Madigan switched from being a life-long Republican to a Democratic CANDIDATE just 5 days before the filing deadline. I think we can all agree that’s shade-o-rama. Not only that, but the it becomes known that he’s the Business Manager/Office Manager of the Catholic Church, which indubitably raises questions about the separation of church and state in South Dakota state government. C’mon. Agenda much? I mean really? I don’t care what your religion or what your political party – something is very wrong with this.

2) There’s a small incestuous group of ‘Democrats’ that have their hands dirty in all of this and guess what, Martha Vanderlinde, isn’t one of ‘em. Recall the post by Kelsey here at DW where the “Elect Your New District 15 Team” mailing was discussed. Speaking of incestuous, has anyone checked out the campaign finance reports on these guys? Jim Miles is the Chair of John Madigan’s Committee and Kathy Miles is the Treasurer. Gil Koetzle is the Chair of Pat Kirschman’s Committee with (guess who?!) Jim Miles again as the Treasurer. Hmmm. I think John Madigan’s email address sums it all up: votehappyclub@q.com.
Which leads me to my next point…

3) Seems to me that there might be a little campaign finance law violation in all of this. On the “Team” mailing of Kirschman, Miles, and Madigan, Deb Koetzle is listed as the Treasurer for all the candidates in a “Paid for by the Candidates, Deb Koetzle, Treasurer” sort of way. Well, two things: 1) that’s not what the campaign finance reports say for either of these two men 2) isn’t it a blatant violation to have a joint account with other candidates? I’m certainly no expert here, but I’m also not seeing any in kind donations to each other to pay for this mailing. I’m aware that you don’t have to list a treasurer at all according to new campaign finance law, but what about if you list someone that isn’t the correct treasurer as according to your statement of organization…or even more – what if you list one person as the treasurer for three campaigns and then the supplementary documents don’t match up? What the hell is going on here? Am I missing something or is Roger Hunt these people’s campaign finance law advisor?

So, let’s stop making this about a candidate who has never tried to hide who she is or what she believes through dissecting a petty message board post, taking it’s writing ridiculously out of context (“What a hardship for young girls in the middle of nowhere SD!!” does in no way imply that this lady hates South Dakota, she’s ashamed of it, or anything else. She’s very clearly talking about pharmacy refusal in rural areas. Grow up or re-learn how to read and comprehend written information, kids. ) And you know what? At least with Vanderlinde you know what you’re going to get. We can’t really say the same about ANY of the other candidates in that district, now can we? I think all this conspiracy stuff is disgusting and it hurts everyone involved: other candidates, the voters, the district, the parties, and the state.

The little blog that...couldn't?

2008-05-25T17:40:00.001-05:00

So Anna has decided to take a blogging break, Lucretia has decided to go for insults rather than dialogue, and I'm wondering if we still have a common purpose. Kool-Aid, indeed.

Good-bye, cruel world.

2008-05-24T16:33:00.002-05:00

The other posters at Dakota Women have recently felt the need to distance themselves from my posts about the primary. I don't feel that any of them were unreasonable, but it's possible I could be wrong. With that in mind, I'm going to stop posting here and take a long break from the local blog world.

Something about this primary season is really ugly and scary to me. I'm proud of my involvement in Hillary Clinton's campaign, because I think she's far and away the best candidate for president. However, I think those of us who are partisans on either side get caught in this weird echo chamber, and more than a few of us (I include myself in this, and, frankly, I include Todd Epp) are getting a little crazy.

This is something I've been considering for a long time. I haven't lived in South Dakota since August of 2007 and I don't know that I'll probably ever live there again - or, at least, I won't live there in the near future. So I also think it's best to turn this over to women who are actually in South Dakota and are able to offer a better perspective than I can regarding what's going on with women in the state.

I'm really not attempting to throw myself a pity party, so I'll stop here, but I did think that I owed people an explanation.

I now leave it to the rest of you to argue with Ken Blanchard.

Mountains, molehills, and Hillary's Sioux Falls gaffe

2008-05-23T19:37:00.006-05:00

The Obama bloggers in South Dakota are off to the races after Hillary's comments to the Argus Leader's editorial board about RFK's assassination.

Though, speaking only for myself, I wish she wouldn't have said that, I would also strongly suggest that you're making something out of nothing.

Hillary Clinton stated two historical facts - first, that her husband did not clinch the presidential nomination in 1992 until June, and second, that RFK was murdered in June of 1968, while he was campaigning for the Democratic nomination. The point she was trying to make, Jon, was that primary contests have often gone through June in the past. Nothing more, nothing less.

To imply anything further from those comments is, frankly, not the most intelligent political analysis I've ever seen from Schaff or Epp. To suggest that she was saying that she should remain in the race because the eventual nominee may be assassinated is nothing short of lunacy. To further suggest, as Epp did, that Hillary Clinton would be behind the assassination of Barack Obama takes him into the stratosphere of illogial Hillary hate, to levels rarely seen outside of Rush Limbaugh's listening audience.

Hillary has actually made this comment previously, in a March, 2008 interview with Time. No uproar followed her comments then. I wonder why we would be making such an issue of this now?

Oh, wait. I know the answer. I bet you do too.

I'm especially disappointed to see Todd take a potshot at Hillary over this. You know, Todd, once we have a nominee, you're going to sound like kind of a hypocrite if you call for the media to move away from the BS gotcha coverage they've provided through most of this campaign - and Obama has made literally hundreds of gaffes, and downright offensive statements over the last fifteen months or so. You're buying into it right now because you think it benefits your candidate. Pretty soon, it won't.

What's Wrong with Hyperion -- From Z to A

2008-05-19T10:52:00.002-05:00

I don't know if we have any Union county voters out there -- I live in Clay county, so even though my way of life will be just as altered by Hyperion as someone who lives in Elk Point, I don't get a say in this issue. But for those of you who do, a local woman has put together a really concise explanation of the problems with Hyperion, from Z to A.

One that really resonated with me (and which I've discussed with a number of people over the last few weeks) is the Sioux City Journal's finding that 38% of young people aged 18-24 years said they would consider moving if a refinery is built, and 29% aged 25-34 said they would consider moving (obviously this doesn't even take into account the younger people that might've moved back but not won't). The fact is, if someone wants to be near lots of shopping and make tons of money, there are plenty of cities and suburbs and sprawling areas of this country to do that. But if someone wants to start a family in the unspoiled area like where they grew up, their choices are dwindling. Most of us who have chosen to live here (and in the case of my husband and I, chosen to return to this area) have done so because we want the kind of quality of life that this area provides. And like many of those surveyed by the Journal, if we can't get that here, we'll have to go elsewhere.

More Clues in the District 15 Mystery

2008-05-14T08:59:00.004-05:00

In looking at the SD Family Policy Council's voter guide, one can't help but notice that recent democratic convert John Madigan lines up almost issue for issue with DakotaWomen favorite Manny Steele. Manny isn't exactly what I'd call a moderate Republican, and yet the only places their answers don't match are issues on which Mr. Madigan appears to be "undecided" -- allowing homeschool students to enroll in public schools less than half-time, and universal pre-school. Would one of the bluest districts in the state really want to elect a Manny Steele think-a-like? Or outside of the social issues that the SDFPC focuses on, is he a really progressive guy?

A quick breakdown of the voter guide questions:
1. Support sonogram requirements
2. Support giving Dept. of Ed authority over pre-K programs
3. Support more regulation of adult businesses
4. Support getting rid of the pharmacists conscience clause
5. Support allowing firearms on college campuses
6. Support allowing homeschoolers to attend public school less than half time
7. Support state website explaining how tax dollars are spent
8. Support giving benefits of marriage to gay couples
9. Support prohibiting gay couples from adopting (P.S. Anti-choicers who answer yes to this need to be slapped. "Yeah, we know that thousands of children are languishing in foster care, but we'll decide which loving homes they don't go to.")
10. Support abstinence-only education
11. Support universal pre-K

The Pro-Cancer Clearinghouse

2008-05-13T18:36:00.005-05:00

"HotMama247" (seriously!!) over at the Abstinence Clearinghouse blog is trying to scare people about the HPV vaccine and even seems to be implying that it's mandated nationwide (which, of course, it's not).

I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm pretty sure Leslee Unruh loves cancer. Here's the crazy thing about HPV, friends: even abstinent people can get it. Maybe Leslee should change the name of the organization to Living-Inside-an-Airtight-Bubble-Like-John-Travolta-in-That-Movie-Because-
That's-the-Only-Way-to-Be-Totally-Safe-From-Disease Clearinghouse.

Wherein I agree with Blanchard and Schaff???

2008-05-11T13:22:00.007-05:00

Well, sort of.

I want to say first of all that I have debated posting this for the past day or so. I think some of the things I have to say about the Democratic primary are sort of upsetting to people whom I consider good friends, and I obviously don't enjoy making my friends angry. And though I'm with Hillary Clinton as a candidate until she decides to drop out (not only personally, but also through commitments I've made to the campaign and am unwilling to abandon), I'm also dealing with the notion of Barack Obama as the presumptive nominee, and someone I need to get behind in November, so I don't know if posting stuff like this is helpful in that process.

However, in one of the comment threads below, a couple of other Dakota Women posters and I went back and forth about an issue that seems to be addressed pretty clearly in a long New York Times article about Obama's history as a local-level politician in Chicago. It's also been a topic of discussion on South Dakota Politics, with Jon Schaff arguing that Obama is sort of a typical Chicago machine politician, and Ken Blanchard has addressed some of the same issues - asserting that Obama is an extremely liberal politician who comes out of an extremely liberal (probably radical, actually) environment in Chicago. He's also weighed in on some of the enthusiasm of the left blogosphere which I still believe needs to be dialed back to a great extent.

Anyway, with the Times article in mind, I would suggest that our South Dakota Politics friends are sort of right and sort of wrong about Obama. The article suggests something that I've long suspected about him - he's whatever he needs to be, depending upon the people to whom he is trying to appeal. When he's courting the liberal/radical Democratic activists in Hyde Park, he holds liberal views - he's pro-Palestinian, for example. When he starts running for statewide office, and needs to gain the political and financial support of the ardently pro-Israel Crown family, his opinions change, they change pretty significantly, and he leaves his old allies in the dust:

He moved from his leftist Hyde Park base to more centrist circles; he forged early alliances with the good-government reform crowd only to be embraced later by the city’s all-powerful Democratic bosses; he railed against pork-barrel politics but engaged in it when needed; and he empathized with the views of his Palestinian friends before adroitly courting the city’s politically potent Jewish community.

To broaden his appeal to African-Americans, Mr. Obama had to assiduously court older black leaders entrenched in Chicago’s ward politics while selling himself as a young, multicultural bridge to the wider political world.

...

Others see his deft movements as a politician’s shifting of positions and alliances for strategic advantage, leaving some disappointed and baffled about where he really stands.

“He has a pattern of forming relationships with various communities and as he takes his next step up, kind of distancing himself from them and then positioning himself as the bridge,” said Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian-American author and co-founder of the online publication Electronic Intifada, who became acquainted with Mr. Obama in Chicago.

My reading of this article is undoubtedly colored by my bias in this race, but what I see here is a desire for power, entirely separated from any core set of personal beliefs, or any real sense of purpose beyond enjoying political power and wanting to move further up the ladder. If he needs to use the Chicago machine for a while to attain higher office, he'll do that, and then he'll abandon that and move on to something else once it stops working. That's why, I think, it's so hard to nail him down regarding his stands on a lot of issues. His positions change depending upon the group he's appealing to at the time. He's a liberal in Hyde Park, and a moderate in the Democratic presidential primary. He donates to the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families in 2006, then touts the support he receives from pro-life Democrats when he wants to gain the Catholic vote in Pennsylvania.

The thing is, of course, this makes him not much different than many politicians. However, many people in South Dakota's left-wing blogosphere have been representing him - and he's been representing himself - as something other than, or different from, politics as usual.

I'll direct you to page six of the article, where Rashid Khalidi, a longtime political ally of Obama's, says what so many people in the local and national left-wing blogosphere won't:

“People think he’s a saint. He’s not. He’s a politician.”

Hillary in Sioux Falls...with Pictures!

2008-05-10T14:35:00.005-05:00

Below are some pictures from Hillary Clinton's stop in Sioux Falls. Good event overall, although it was muddy where I had to park, some of Hillary's people misled a lot of people into thinking they had to park at the airport, then we had to pay to get out, and Hillary was very late. But the turnout was good, the speech was good, and the crowd was enthusiastic (and I only ended up having to tell one person that I had voted for Obama). Kudos to my old friend Geoff who's directing Hillary's South Dakota campaign -- he's a great guy and it looks like he's doing a great job.

Hillary in Sioux Falls

2008-05-08T20:52:00.003-05:00

Hillary Clinton's Sioux Falls rally is available in full online at KELO. If you haven't had a chance to see it, take a bit of time to watch what she has to say. It looks like a pretty energetic, excited crowd showed up at the airport on Thursday afternoon.

By the way, I find the pantsuit she's wearing today delightful.

What the Heck is Going on in District 15?

2008-05-08T00:00:00.004-05:00

I don't live in District 15, but I do come from a District 15 family, so I know a little about the lay of the land up there and I get the occasion updates on the political happenings.

So what to make of this recent mailing, featuring *some* of the Democratic candidates? Let's see, we have John Madigan, Pat Kirschman, and Kathy Miles. First off, isn't somebody missing from the District 15 Team? Like, perhaps, the only (to my knowledge) pro-choice candidate: Martha Vanderlinde (daughter of beloved District 15 Representative Mary Vanderlinde)? Also, what the heck is Kathy Miles doing there? She doesn't even have a primary!

I've been hearing some gossip about Madigan and Kirschman "working against" Vanderlinde and perhaps engaging in some not-so-cool negative campaigning, but until this mailing, I hadn't seen any proof. Is this just a case of the anti-choice candidates banding together? Word around the blogosphere is that something a little more nefarious is going on. Scott over at South DaCola did a little cartoon about the fact that Madigan was, until recently, a registered Republican and is currently an employee of the Catholic diocese. Some of the comments on that blog and the subsequent repost at South Dakota 123 suggest that perhaps Madigan wasn't inspired to switch parties out of disgust with the repubs, but because either his friends or his bosses wanted him to take out a strong pro-choice candidate (apparently, they couldn't get Travis Benson to change his registration).

I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if the GOP or the conservative element in the Catholic Church were trying to infiltrate the Democratic party. I don't expect a lot from them. I am a little disturbed by the implication that Kirschman and Miles are involved. First of all, Dem on Dem hate makes me very uncomfortable. I don't like it in the presidential primary and I like it even less at the district level, where we should all be treating each other like friends and neighbors. It makes me even more uncomfortable to hear that someone may have been recruited to switch parties based just on the abortion issue.

If their loyalty isn't to the party, maybe they should think about re-registering. Start an Anti-Choice Catholics for Introducing Abortion Bills 24/7. Otherwise, start acting like Democrats and play nice! Leave the dirty tricks to the Republicans.

Stay classy, Ken.

2008-05-06T10:03:00.005-05:00

Ken Blanchard loved this example of the blogger/media chorus which has recently suggested that Hillary Clinton ought to be murdered, run over with a truck, taken in a room and beaten to death, or now euthanized, which is probably one of the kinder Hillary murder fantasies to come out lately.

Maybe the press isn't covering this, Ken, because it's completely nasty and inappropriate. Maybe some of them don't necessarily need to see the primary campaign as a metaphorical horse race, during which Hillary Clinton will be metaphorically killed. (Some of them do, obviously.) Nothing about the story of Eight Belles is funny.

Yikes

2008-05-04T21:25:00.003-05:00

The Obama supporters in the South Dakota blogosphere have started throwing around some pretty irresponsible statements about both candidates in the Democratic primary (I linked only to the main page of Madville Times, because, honestly, look at any of it and you'll see what I mean).

From Cory: Obama "inspires." How? Should we be looking to politicians for inspiration in the first place?
From David Newquist: Obama is "our best chance to restore America to what it can and should be." In what way? What specifically leads one to think this? What has Obama actually done in the past that would cause someone to believe this about him? He makes good speeches, but is there more to being president than making speeches?
From a Nation article that Cory approvingly reposts: Obama "does appear to offer a way out of the testosterone-addled GOP framework." How? Because I just heard Obama today on Meet the Press talking about how he agrees with pretty much every foreign policy stance Hillary Clinton has ever set forth in this campaign.

I've been thinking about this a lot ever since our campaign for Hillary has started in earnest. I tabled for Hillary at an event Friday night and heard surprisingly uninformed things coming from Obama supporters. Many people believe that Obama voted against the war in Iraq in the Senate. Many people believe that Obama supports universal health care and Clinton doesn't (totally false). The things I see South Dakota bloggers say about him really aren't that different than what I heard this past weekend. A lot of you are in outer space right now, and I hope you'll join us here on Earth really soon.

Abstinence-Only Education is Hilarious!

2008-04-30T19:58:00.002-05:00

Been reading the Abstinence Clearinghouse blog and need a little humor to cleanse the pallet? Go watch this Daily Show clip over at Feministing!!

Love it.

2008-04-30T14:54:00.003-05:00

The response to my post about Hillary Clinton continues, though I don't always catch it immediately.

In a dictionary or psychological manual somewhere, this post is being used to define passive-aggressive behavior. I guarantee it.

Just to make this clear

2008-04-28T23:55:00.005-05:00

Corey at Black Marks on Wood Pulp, an Obama supporter, has this to say about the Democratic primary:

I’ve wondered aloud many times why someone would vote for anyone [other than Obama]. Why someone would choose the politics as usual approach of those other two viable candidates. How someone could listen to his speeches, dissect his stands and compare them with their own values and not be swayed.

I see this attitude pretty often among Obama people, so I thought I would take a moment to explain why I'm voting for Hillary Clinton, particularly now that the primary is sneaking up on us.

I think she's the best candidate. She has a track record of working hard to make concrete improvements in people lives. She doesn't just talk about universal health care; she's the only candidate left who has a universal health plan on the table. (Elizabeth Edwards will be touring North Carolina with her because of this.) Hillary Clinton has been working on this issue for almost as long as she's been in the national spotlight, she still thinks it's important, and she's still willing to fight for it. Her plan for the home foreclosure crisis is by far the most interesting one out there. I never, ever wonder where she stands on women's issues and LGBT issues, and, furthermore, I'm confident that she will be willing to spend political capital as president to advance issues that are important to women and LGBT people. She's a critic of corporate agriculture, and her proposals for green collar jobs will expand economic opportunities for rural Americans, as well as residents of the old industrial centers of the East and Midwest. She's proven herself to be whip smart, an incredibly hard worker, and someone who doesn't shy away from the tough issues. I was lucky enough to see her speak when she was in my city a few weeks ago, and the bulk of her time was spent taking unscripted questions from the audience, something very few politicians are willing to do in 2008. After the event, she stayed behind, shaking hands, taking photos, autographing, and talking to voters one-on-one. I've heard all of the candidates speak, I've read their stances on the issues, and I've determined that Hillary Clinton's proposals most closely match my values.

Those are just a few of the reasons why I'll be voting for her in June.

And, Corey, Cory, Todd, and the others - you'll notice I said all of this without making disparaging remarks about Barack Obama or the people who support him. You might want to try that sometime.

Organsm? Anyone?

2008-04-18T01:21:00.004-05:00

Apparently Dakota Values says there's 'proof' that life really does begin at conception. But, I'm confused: what's an "ORGANSM?"

A South Dakota Pragmatist

2008-04-10T20:44:00.003-05:00

It's pretty rare for me to really like a letter to the editor on either side of the abortion debate. Generally, it seems to be recycled campaign language or the same tired arguments that do nothing to move anyone on the greater issue. When I read the recent letter in the Argus Leader from Jack H. Mueller from Chamberlain, however, I was refreshed that someone (whose name I don't recognize, even) had such an intelligent perspective. I thought I'd make it easy and post the whole thing. Read on. It's a great letter.

And in the comment section, note that Voices Carry weighs in. Man, I think I outta switch jobs to 'pastor' and then I can just sit around all day and blog my little heart out! Also, thanks jwede. Your comment was a hilarious virtual Leslee slap. Enjoyed.

Some concepts and questions need discussion before South Dakota is forced onto the slippery slope of criminalizing abortions.
Let's say some girl or woman you know gets pregnant. She finds paraphernalia and instructions on abortion on the Internet. She ends up bleeding in an emergency room, only to be arrested because the hospital was required by law to summon the police. She ends up in court along with any accomplices.
Who will be allowed to serve on the jury? Will the jury pool be asked, "Has anyone here ever had an abortion?" Will someone who protested or recorded license plate numbers at an abortion clinic be seated? Will pro-choice and pro-life organizations be subpoenaed for their membership lists? Will verdicts be overturned because jurors did not disclose their prejudices? Will the news media pounce?
Look at the myriad of laws against other crimes and know that similar variations will follow, pushed by those whose obsession is prohibition. Just like the government, the pro-life organizers still will need to justify their existence and jobs. And they'll be stirred up by the next wave waiting in the wings: the anti-contraceptive lobby.
That is the nature of government. Pass one prohibition law. Then every year the Legislature inevitably will be passing more laws, trying to tie up every loose end.
More laws. More investigations. More court cases. More penalties. More personal information on the Internet to follow people the rest of their lives.Where are the taxes going to come from? You.
Remember, the government is broke and needs your money.
"A can of worms" doesn't begin to describe this.

Grab Your Garlic, SD Media

2008-04-04T00:41:00.006-05:00

The Vote Yes zealots are back…and they seem to have a beef with the media.

Voices Carry has posted a painfully long video from last Sunday’s Celebration Party. And when I say “painfully,” I mean it. This sucker’s 24 minutes long. Save yourself the time and if you’re in a crunch, skip down to my “Hilarity Awards” for the gems. Obviously the video is a cornucopia of crazy (per usual), but this whole media-hating situation has me interested...and perhaps a little concerned.

Leslee Unruh (I mean, who else?) to the audience:

And tomorrow if the South Dakota media does what they should
do, in all the newspapers across South Dakota, they’ll show your face, not mine.
So if you see my face, you’ll know that’s not the way this was supposed to
go. [...] We didn’t want the media to focus on my face or the campaign
people’s face. We want them to focus on who made it happen…and that was
you.

The next day on the Vote Yes Prayer Blog:

Please ask for prayer that fairness be given to this campaign by
everyone in the media. KELOLAND was not fair when they gave us hardly any
coverage of the celebration last Sunday. Also, today SD PUBLIC RADIO set up
an interview with Dr. Allen Unruh and a representative from the other side and didn’t get Dr. Unruh on the program until the other person had been on for almost 5 minutes.

So, I guess the media better watch out, because VY seems to have a strange vendetta here. I’m not sure what they’re trying to do, but whatever it is, the media IS NOT cooperating. My advice would be to load up on garlic and earplugs. (I guess you can skip the earplugs if it’s red-tape-over-the-mouth day.) You hear that, Lou Raguse? Run while you can!

The Hilary Awards
1. Did they have a live trumpeter? Really?
2. Allen’s tangent about their “volunteer army,” saying “we didn’t pay people to get petitions” yet minutes later, they welcome the “staff” of the campaign. Staff? Otherwise known as EMPLOYEES? Also, most of the other people are pastors or Alpha Center/Alive/Fleet for Little Feet/Abstinence Clearinghouse folk, so let’s be honest: technically they’re on the payroll.
3. Allen Unruh tells opponents like myself “You can just go take a nap,” rambling on about how completely UNTIRED the Vote Yes camp is. Leslee later says that before their campaign kickoff, everyone needs to rest. But I thought you all weren’t tired? Which one is it?
4. Leslee admits she’s hard to work with. Yikes, I’ll bet!
5. Leslee says how she’s opened a new bank account, oh my bad, I mean “chapter” of her life.

Finally: The Vote Yes team talks a couple of times about the tactics they employed while gathering petition signatures. Asking “Do you like killing babies?” or “Do you like babies?” is hardly allowing an opportunity for anyone to comfortably decline. I’ll expect that 50% of those signatures came from pro-choice individuals. Next time, don’t stand glossy-eyed, have a baby in your arms (nice touch at the event though, Les) and intimidate people into doing something that they don’t believe is right.

Who Decides What South Dakota Is?

2008-04-01T23:34:00.002-05:00

Not too long ago, Dakota War College reported that according to Coastal filmmakers, Iowa makes a better South Dakota the South Dakota does. Not surprisingly, New Yorkers don't think we're idyllic enough. While I might normally just assume this is another example of lame Coastal elitism and ignorance, but it looks like their might be a little more to the story. The movie claims to "addresses the many sides of the abortion issue without judgment," which honestly always seems like a big red flag to me. Especially when the producer is apparently a contributer to the Sam Brownback campaign (so much for those Hollywood liberals). This post also raises some questions about where this dude might be coming from.

This is another exciting phenomenon that seems to go hand-in-hand with the attention that comes with our high profile role in the abortion battle: outsiders (journalists, filmmakers, etc.) that feel like they understand the essence of South Dakota better than we do, and that they can use us to push whatever crazy agenda they have. Man, I cannot wait for seven more months of this crap.