Dakota Today

**Associated news--SD Legislature breeding ground for contagious lunacy

Some things said and done in the South Dakota Legislature indicate huge problems with logic and sanity.

In the past weeks we have heard legislators berating the Governor's plan to slash funding for the SD Highway Patrol. It makes them seem like they are being seen as "tough on law and order". So, legislators are braying about getting full funding into the SD Highway Patrol.

Meanwhile, legislators short of money for highway safety and the patrol, have an option to institute a primary infraction law for failure of drivers on state highways to wear seat belts. The rabid legislator from Rapid City is convinced that such a law will be abused by the same Highway Patrol that is so beloved it needs all the money and not funding missing a couple million. As part of the feds deal with SD, there might be as much as $5 million coming to South Dakota for putting in such a law.

Now, it would seem that $5 million might be useful in the current funding situation. Napoli was apparently bragging that opposition from the wild and crazy people of South Dakota prevented a seat belt law of any kind for many years. That may be true. Not having a seat belt law was a terrible waste of humans in the interests of Homer Harding and Ford family maintaining the illusion that cars were safe. Once Ford Co. decided that seat belts would be better than air bags, the corporation shifted to support of mandatory seat belt laws and miracle of miracles all those pseudo-constitutional problems and phony data disappeared nearly overnight and SD got the present secondary form of a seat belt law.

The equivalent of several small South Dakota towns died needlessly because of the dementia and gross irresponsibility that pervaded the legislature in those 10 or more years of mindless diddling. There is no highway safety measure with as much positive cost benefits as provided by mandatory seat belt laws. Building four-lane highways safer than two lanes to provide the same benefit years ago would have required converting perhaps 3,000 miles of two-lane to four lane highways to have the same reduction in highway fatalities as a nearly cost free seat belt law.

Pushing seat belt use from 60% or so to nearly 100% would provide significant benefit to South Dakota and South Dakotans. Such high use proven should also be the basis for mandated reduction of vehicle-related medical insurance costs. A new category of offense should be defined for seat-belt law violations that has a nearly automatic fine collection system for a minimum fine..something like $10 to start with. Simply mailed into a fund for traffic safety instruction and public information rather than put into particular counties for general education.

In the meantime it appears that each legislator is willing to piss away an easy $34,000 to pacify and satisfy nuts like Napoli of Rapid City.

In the legislature lunacy and dementia are contagious diseases of the public mind.

**Stay tuned and buckle your seatbelts whether or not there is a law. Stay alive to read Dakota Today--- Doug Wiken

**Sibby letter in the Mitchell Daily What?

I noticed a Steve Sibson letter to the editor in the Mitchell paper today. Steve makes note of his own letter at his blog:

Three strikes on George McGovern

That was the title used by the Mitchell Daily Republican today on my editorial that responded to the recent Op Ed Senator George McGovern wrote for the Washington Post:

http://sibbyonline.blogs.com/sibbyonline/2008/01/three-strikes-o.html

http://snipurl.com/1ybp5

I found it interesting that Steve referred to the Mitchell Daily Republic as the "Mitchell Daily Republican" Some days that title seems particularly appropriate for the paper's editiorials and letters to the editor.

Steve uses a lot of words to avoid the real issue. He is busily smearing McGovern and all Democrats as Steve usually does, but he neglects the immense difference between a documented 935 lies by Bush and his administration versus one Clinton exploitation of a court definition of "sex" and perhaps "is". Steve as is the tendency of many apologists for all Bush foulups also neglects discussing the relative merits of the reasons for impeachment.

As far as I know, Clinton's behavior did not result in over 3,000 US military personnel being killed for a discretionary, peremptory war "supported" by a full deck of lies and distortions coupled to an imperial idea of a "unitary presidency" which makes mockery of separation and balance of powers in the US Constitution.

Sibson also fails to note that McGovern also is critical of the "cowardly" Democrats in the US Congress who have failed in their duty to their constituents, the US Constitution, and nation.

**Stay tuned just for the fun of it-- Doug Wiken

**Associated News--The "south" in "South Dakota"

Some days or over a period of days, there is news published or opinions published which seem to almost cry for association or connection. Rarely does it seem the mainstream media does this. Bloggers do it, but usually by aggragating a bunch of links which may be similar or cover essentially the same topic. I hope to formalize the process a bit by pointing it out more obviously.

Recently more than a few segments of the media have had stories on "success Christianity" or some variation of that indicating that belief in Jesus and the Bible is promised to be a wide open road to success. Some Biblical scholars have trouble with this new emphasis on a form of God's blessing to true believers however.

John Grisham was on Charlie Rose last night (January 25, 2008) discussing some of his books coupled with southern life and politics and a wealth of good stories. He noted that many southerners "Live poor, but vote rich". This works wonderfully for the GOP in the south and for the established powers and business in the region.

There seems to be more than a verbal connection between the "south" in "southern" and the "south" in "South Dakota". It has seemed to me for many years that far too many South Dakotans assume that even though they are poor and generally being screwed by the rich, entrenched, and politically powerful in South Dakota, they continue to vote Republican anyway. Apparently there is a hope of becoming Republican rich (as in dirty, filthy rich) that over rides the reality that Republicans generally only help the already rich who can contribute to the party and their way of government by privilege. There is also a parallel attitude here that Republican morality follows money no matter how it was stolen.

And, sort of tying it altogether is David Cay Johnston in his "Free Lunch" book. He commented in a couple recent interviews that "Government taxes from the many to enrich the few."

So, there is a small set of associated or connected news and opinion bits. They fit fundamentalist religion and exploitive politics and government together.

**Stay tuned for more associated news and views--- Doug Wiken

**Political Tidbits and Nonsense for January 22, 2008

First, I am fighting back tears as I type this. Deep dark depression, excessive misery. Let me break it to you gently....I heard that Fred Thompson is dropping out of the GOP primary. Now if Ron Paul can beat Rudy-Judy in the Florida primary, I will probably completely flood my keyboard with salty tears.

And, in the advice to Democratic candidates department. I hope John Edwards will express his sympathy to Barack Obama for starting off on the Herculean task of raising Hillary Clinton's negative ratings.

And, in the high silliness department, former South Dakota US Senator Tom Daschle is critical of a former US President named Bill Clinton for his commenting on politics and partisan issues. Apparently Daschle thinks that is is unseemly. I wish he would be so critical of sitting presidents for doing it. Bush spent more time campaigning and vacationing than probably any other president in the History of the US. I just can't remember Daschle being critical of that. Anyway, if Daschle thinks it is inappropriate for former presidents to comment on politics, does he also think it is inappropriate for former US Senators and former Governors to comment on politics and partisan issues?

And, in more political news of dubious value, Former US Senator Larry Pressler is apparently supporting Rudy-Judy. I did not expect Pressler to be supporting serial adulterery and supporting the appointment of corrupt associates by supporting Guiliani.

Well, enough of that. There is more, but no sense over loading the emotional short circuits with just one post.

**Stay tuned for more tidbits and nonsense..or is it cabbages and kings? -- Doug Wiken

**Sen. George McGovern on SDPB--Radio, Noon Forum

South Dakota Public Broadcasting on their noon radio forum got around to talking to former US Senator George McGovern today about his call for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

Sounds very sensible to me, but a bit too mild. Bush and Cheney should be tried for war crimes. How many hundred thousand people and how many American soldiers must be killed needlessly for no valid reason whatsoever before the crime becomes a war crime?

McGovern made one more point..that being that any kind of an impeachment process would require congressional hearings and at least that might drag the truth out of the Bush Administration and provide something for future guidance of congress on these matters.

I think this is correct, but it neglects mentioning that hearings on the Vietnam War should have provided sufficient guidance to Congress for never, ever giving Bush the war powers he requested and then without congressional authorization turned into a discretionary war. Bush played emperor under his and his administrations absurd unitary presidency arguments. Senators Kennedy and Byrd provided all US Senators and congressmen ample reasons for never supporting Bush demands for power.

I called in hoping to make some of the above points, but SDPB in its infinitely finite wisdom decided to put on some yo-yo who apparently thought impeachment of a president was something done by the US Supreme Court and followed that up with the moderator asking inane and irrelevant political horserace and partisan endorsement questioning.

Whatever, the McGovern perspective may start discussions that should have been wide-open and ungoing several years ago. Better late than never. The future of the United States and the meaning of the US Constitution depend on letting future presidents know that abuses of power, the separation of power, and the balances of power, and the meaning and sense of the US Constitution will not be tolerated ever again.

***Stay tuned and get on the Bush-Cheney IMPEACHMENT BANDWAGON---Doug Wiken

**Political Pandemic of "fairy tales"

Bill Clinton recently used the phrase "fairy tale" to apply to claims made by the Obama campaign and Barack Obama himself. Truth be told, we are getting mostly fairy tales from all the Democratic and Republican candidates.

The corporate money machine that puts hundreds of millions of dollars into political campaigns, party organizations and PAC funds, etc gives the very, very rich and influential the right to define "truth" or at least determine which "truths" can be told. These "truths" tied to contributions then are finally what is allowed to be turned into law and then again new reality and new variations of "truth".

We won't have real "truth" in presidential campaigns so long as presidential candidates talk as if they are the mayors of Failing Car Industry Burg, mayors of NY banks and brokers gated communities, mayors of the Connecticut Insurance centers, Mayors of the Obscene Credit Card Charges, and not to forget, Mayor of the vast Military-Industrial Complex. They talk as all these mayors as they also talk depending on the audience as being mayors of political identity neighborhoods.

All these "presidential mayoral" campaigns obscure the point that they are really running as president of the whole United States and for what it was in the past and what it will be in the future. And, even as they do all this mayoral campaigning when one of them of either party becomes president, they forget all the promises made to every unrich audience and remember who contributed huge sums of money and how they can act to make sure they contribute to the next cycle of campaigns.

That is part one of perhaps several to follow in this vein. The US is in deep doo-doo to paraphrase a former President and nothing I am hearing sounds remotely different than anything I have heard from previous winners and losers in presidential campaigns.

Continuously shaking the political money tree is poisoning the political system and the environment.

**Stay tuned for more in the Political Pandemic discussions--- Doug Wiken

**Booze and pot for minors and penalties

Ironic that SD is hellbent on demolishing old buildings at the state mental hospital in Yankton when there seem to be so many legislators and lawyers testifying there that need to seek help with their mental problems.

Somehow, while moaning about the costs of the South Dakota prison system, the legislature also apparently gives serious consideration to having a 10-year mandatory prison sentence for anybody selling one ounce of pot to a person under the age of 18. Penalties expand up to 25 years for larger amounts.

This is such a wonderful idea, that it calls for a modest proposition of penalty expansion Make the same penalties apply to those who provide even one can or bottle of beer to a person under age 18 and make the penalty 25 years for dispensing a whole six-pack of beer or one of those liter or larger containers. Those who push wine and distilled spirits down the throats of those with young impressionable minds should be give life terms.

But, I forgot. The same legislature is so loaded and loaded with booze hounds that it can't even pass legislation to increase the price of a bottle of beer 10 cents because that would unfairly tax responsible drinkers. The incredible social costs related to the sale of booze is readily apparent. I don't drink or use pot either, but it does not seem to me that the dreadful problems claimed to relate to pot even exist. The truly bad consequences appear to have more to do with legal penalties than pharmacologically related dangers.
I will leave such arguments to people like Bob Newland who may have experience with both pot and booze.

I assume the same legislators don't give a rat's rear about shifting the unnecessary costs resulting because of drinkers and drunken drivers to property tax payers and those who must license highway vehicles It is rapidly becoming apparent that the term "responsible drinkers" is an oxymoron...especially when they also happen to be in the state legislature or sucking contributions from the liquor industry.

Napoli of Rapid City is pushing for repeal of term limits. I think that makes a lot of sense. If we don't think any legislator is representing us instead of special interests, we have elections to get them out of the legislature. It is obvious that term limits have not kept the completely demented out of the legislature anyway.

**Stay tuned if for nothing else than to read my bitching about the coming really crappy weather-- Doug Wiken

**Orville Smith, Former Legislator and Rancher bites the dust

Orville Smith of Witten, SD died January 10, 2008. Below is a copy of the obituary in the Winner Advocate January 16, 2007. I hope it is readable if you click on it for a larger version.

Orville was a hard-core Democrat who worked hard until he was unable. He served a term in the South Dakota Legislature through 1965 and 1966. Orville and his wife Luevern supported a lot of Democrats and a lot of Democratic issues. His lifetime pretty well spans Tripp County from before it was opened to homesteading until now. He put in nearly 100 years around here...his death is a bit like a landmark washing away.

So, take a look at the obituary above if you can read it.

***Stay tuned for better news -- Doug Wiken

**Some freeware software

I have used FastStone Capture for sometime, but it has now converted to a for sale
rather than free program. The last PC World magazine noted a free screen capture
utility with some editing options. I downloaded it last night and have not played much
with it, but it appears to allow adding bubbles and other "stamps" which can be used
to add text to captured images, etc. Might be useful. Has a tabbed interface for multiple
captures and editing.

http://www.xydownload.com/easycapture/
New Window LINK to Download EASYCAPTURE

The xydownload site has a lot of other stuff. Some free and some for sale. I have no
idea if it is good, bad, or indifferent quality however.

PC World magazine also mentioned a text editor which they claimed was small enough
to run on a small flash drive and leave room for some of the text it produced.

http://www.find.pcworld.com/59256
New Window LINK to PCWORLD for JARTE wordprocessor
If that link does not work, try
New Window LINK to PCWORLD DOWNLOADS

You may find the software useful. I may use the capture utility to generate a phot-Toon one of these days.

)))) Stay tuned even if all your bases don't belong to Microsoft-- Doug Wiken

**Some news worth reading from the Edwards Organization

Needless to say perhaps, I get a lot of e-mail pushing political ideas and politicians. Some of it is just trash. But, now and then actually have something close to useful substance. This one from the John Edwards for President organization is worth reading. While the big corporate media is busy generating "racial" and "sexist" conflict between Hillary and Obama, real issues are not being discussed. Of course, the big money, big corporate media do not want regulation. They want the opportunity to control the manipulation of news from one point so that whatever they feed us is all that we get fed. John Edwards is the only candidate of either party that appears to threaten such plans for total control of information.

The choice in this election is simple. If we want a president who will lead America to the big, bold changes we need and change the conversation in America, Democrats should choose the candidate who has led the field in ideas and shaped the conversation in this race so far.

In this campaign, John Edwards has led on the issues -- the other candidates have merely followed.

But don't take it from me -- let me share with you some of the things people are saying about John.

As Paul Krugman writes today in The New York Times:

"On the Democratic side, John Edwards, although never the front-runner, has been driving his party's policy agenda. He's done it again on economic stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as negative as it now has, he proposed a stimulus package including aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, public investment in alternative energy, and other measures."

And as Christopher Hayes writes in The Nation:

"The fact remains that the Edwards campaign has set the domestic policy agenda for the entire field. He was the first with a bold universal health care plan, the first with an ambitious climate change proposal that called for cap-and-trade, and the leader on reforming predatory lending practices and raising the minimum wage to a level where it regains its lost purchasing power."

In this campaign, John Edwards has led the other candidates in standing up for progressive change.

As Ezra Klein writes in The American Prospect:

"Much more so than Obama, it was Edwards who forced a new style of politics, untethered by the fear and timidity of the 90s, adamant that liberalism was an electoral boon and economic justice a popular sentiment. Knowing they had to defend against his challenge, both Hillary and Obama edged closer to his appeal.

"It left the Democrats in a much stronger position overall, and forced them to argue for, and commit to, a much broader and more inspiring agenda than we otherwise might have seen."

In this campaign, the other candidates have followed John's lead in talking about the special interests -- but the special interests understand the difference between rhetoric and reality. That's why corporate lobbyists are united against John Edwards.

As Kevin Drawbaugh reports for Reuters:

"Ask corporate lobbyists which presidential contender is most feared by their clients and the answer is almost always the same -- Democrat John Edwards. One business lobbyist said an Edwards presidency would be a 'disaster' for his well-heeled industrialist clients.

'I think Hillary is approachable. She knows where a lot of her funding has come from to be blunt,' said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist at Stanford Group Co., a market and policy analysis group."

Want to help John's field-leading campaign for change? Then please take a moment to forward these quotes on to your friends and family who live in the 48 states that have yet to cast a vote for the Democratic nominee. Tell them that you are standing with John Edwards -- and ask them to join you.

Here's the bottom line in this election. We need a president who has the vision to put forth bold, progressive solutions to the challenges facing America in the 21st century. John Edwards has shown he has that vision -- and he has led on it throughout this campaign.

Thanks for taking action.

--Jonathan Prince
Deputy Campaign Manager, John Edwards for President
January 14, 2008

So, there is today's perspective from one campaign organization.

**Stay tuned even if you haven't heard an ad by a bank contrasting "bricks and clicks" --- Doug Wiken