South Dakota Politics

The Ghost of McGovern

Michelle Malkin (HT to Sibby):

The head of the party's coalition of the quivering has declared this week that the war in Iraq is "unwinnable" and called for bringing "80,000 National Guard and Reserve troops home immediately," while nonsensically advocating placement of "a force in the Middle East, not in Iraq but in a friendly neighboring country to fight [terrorist chief Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi" and sending more troops to Afghanistan instead.

Huh?

Meanwhile, the aimless John Kerry continues his long legacy of public troop-smearing – taking to CBS News airwaves to accuse American soldiers in Iraq of "terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the – of – the historical customs, religious customs."

This kind of deranged defeatism will earn you a Code Pink T-shirt and a hug from Cindy Sheehan. But as Hillary (dangerously for Republicans) seems to understand, it won't win much else. George W. Bush isn't the Dems' biggest enemy, it turns out. It's the living ghost of George McGovern.

Sibby Rebuts Hildebrand Boys

Sibby:
"Hildebrand Boys in denial and busted." 

Nathan Peterson also says this:

First of all, I would assume that the “Hildebrand bloggers” reference is made in regards to Theron and I (SD Progressive) and Chad (Clean Cut Kid).  It is no secret that we work for Steve Hildebrand.

These attacks are a continuation of the "permanent campaign" noted by the Rapid City Journal last summer when they observed, Thune's victory "didn't really end the 2004 campaign — at least, not for some former members of Daschle's staff.  Led by public statements from former Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand and the pointed and sometimes profane Internet sniping from other former staffers, the Daschle team continues to wage political war against Thune."

Wal-Mart

Charles Wheelan:  "Is Wal-Mart the Answer to France's Problems?"

And Now For The Real News

What are the Minnesota Twins going to do during the off season?  I worry that the Twins will bank on signing over-the-hill veterans like Frank Thomas or Mike Piazza.  Thomas in particular would spell disaster.  He is way past his prime and has very fragile health.  The big rumor is that the Twins are making a play for Ranger third baseman Hank Blalock.  Newly acquired Luis Castillo would play second base while Blalock would hold court at third.  Add in a more mature Justin Morneau, the return of healthy outfielders Torii Hunter and Shannon Stewart, and an already established Joe Mauer, and I am liking the looks of that line up.  It only looks better if (miracle of miracles) the Twins can hold onto Jacques Jones.  When does the season start? 

Johnson and Alito Cont.

Piggy-backing Tyler's inaugural post, see this from the US Newswire:

Today, Fidelis revealed that Planned Parenthood is calling South Dakota residents in an effort to pressure Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) to vote against the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito. Reports coming in from South Dakota show that a coordinated effort of "patch-through" calls by Planned Parenthood to Sen. Johnson's office is now underway.

Fidelis President Joseph Cella stated: "Planned Parenthood is engaged in very risky politics by bringing their extreme position on abortion into South Dakota, a well known pro-life state. Senator Johnson must reject the political litmus tests imposed on judicial nominees by radical pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. The place for policy politics is the Congress not the courts."

Liberal and feminist groups are building on the attacks of Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. Ted Kennedy in an effort to disrupt the Alito hearings that begin on Jan. 9.

"If Senator Johnson caves to the demands of groups like Planned Parenthood and votes against Judge Alito, the voters of South Dakota will hold him accountable just as they did with Tom Daschle," Cella said.

Bingo.

Hildebrand/Tewes

From 12/8/05 Roll Call:   

To the Whitehouse. The Democratic firm Hildebrand and Tewes continues to grow as a force in the 2006 election cycle, having signed on to another high-profile campaign.

Steve Hildebrand, a former top aide to ex-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), and former Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Political Director Paul Tewes have steadily been building a powerhouse firm since its creation almost a year ago.

They will now serve as consultants to the Senate campaign of former Rhode Island Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D).

Party leaders favor Whitehouse as their nominee in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races next year.

He faces Matt Brown, Rhode Island’s secretary of state, and former Marine Carl Sheeler in the Democratic primary, while Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) has his hands full with Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey in the GOP primary.

Johnson and Alito

Argus Leader reports that the Judicial Confirmation Network is asking for South Dakotans to lobby Sen. Johnson to confirm Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, whose confirmation hearings are set to begin in January.

The network is concentrating on Democratic senators and their constituents who live in the states that voted for President Bush, and who may hold crucial swing votes when the confirmation reaches the Senate floor.

"One senator might need some help and encouragement to make the right decision on Judge Alito," said Wendy Long, legal counsel for the Judicial Confirmation Network.

"Those senators really hold the keys to approving these nominations," said Long, who spoke to about 40 people at the Holiday Inn City Centre at a luncheon sponsored by the South Dakota Family Policy Council.

Sen. Johnson has said that he always encourages hearing from constituents, but offers a notice.

"I always welcome comments from constituents, so long as they understand that whoever calls the most doesn't necessarily win," he said.

Goose and Gander Syndrome

This from Real Clear Politics:

Conservatives have not been models of consistency lately.

You can say that again.   

But this week liberals had a turn at exhibiting their, um, confusion.  For years they have favored using federal power to force universities to do certain things that some schools would rather not do. An institution that accepts federal funds, for example, may not discriminate on the basis of race. Title IX, beloved by feminists, compels  colleges getting such aid to offer equal opportunity for female students in sports and other activities -- with the feds defining what constitutes "equal opportunity."

Suppose a school disagrees with these mandates? It will get no sympathy  from liberal groups, which invariably reply: Cry me a river. When you accept public subsidies, they announce, you must defer to the public's sense of fairness and equity. If you want to do things your own way, do them with your own money.

But in a case heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, it appears that the liberal affection for assertive government has a limit. A law known as the Solomon Amendment requires universities getting federal  funds to grant access to recruiters for the military on the same  terms as recruiters for any other employer.

Its remarkable how many ways there to describe this situation: "whose ox is getting gored," "turnabout is fair play," etc.  Well, the chickens have come home to roost on this one. 

An Addition to the Staff!

I'd like to welcome Tyler Crissman to South Dakota Politics.  He is an Augustana political science major who will be helping us out, especially with local political stories.  Look forward to his own introduction later on. 

SF Rec Center Cont.

A new reporter at the Argus Leader, Jonathan Ellis, reports that the "political establishment" and "elite" of Sioux Falls were the big losers in the rec center vote:

The city's political establishment was behind it. A who's who of the city's elite recommended it. The business community wanted it.

Voters, however, weren't buying it.

Tuesday's electoral thumping of a $32.3 million rec center was the sort of nightmarish result that can put a politician in a cold sweat. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the measure, 12,336 to 6,435.

What Kranz Doesn't Report

Dave Kranz of the Argus Leader does his usual routine this morning and reprints the criticisms of Senator Thune made by the Democratic Party and the Hildebrand bloggers, who are demanding that Thune return Jack Abramoff donations.  But don't forget who was getting lots of Abramoff donations according to the Washington Post:

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff and an associate famously collected $82 million in lobbying and public relations fees from six Indian tribes and devoted a lot of their time to trying to persuade Republican lawmakers to act on their clients' behalf.

But Abramoff didn't work just with Republicans. He oversaw a team of two dozen lobbyists at the law firm Greenberg Traurig that included many Democrats. Moreover, the campaign contributions that Abramoff directed from the tribes went to Democratic as well as Republican legislators.

Among the biggest beneficiaries were Capitol Hill's most powerful Democrats, including Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) and Harry M. Reid (Nev.), the top two Senate Democrats at the time, Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), then-leader of the House Democrats, and the two lawmakers in charge of raising funds for their Democratic colleagues in both chambers, according to a Washington Post study. ...  The Indians' largess flowed to higher-ranking Democrats as well. Senate Democratic leaders Reid and Daschle each received more than $40,000 from the tribes and from lobbyists on Abramoff's team during the period.

Education and Parents Rights

Joe Knippenberg on a new case about the rights of parents and the rights of schools.  The case he discusses is interesting in that it involves Judge Alito. 

Rounds Budget Message

The governor issued his budget message yesterday.  The Aberdeen American News reports on it here.  I find much in this message to applaud, including a proposal by the governor to increase teacher salary in the state.  I find one proposal highly objectionable, and I hope the legislature puts a stop to it.  I refer to the governor's proposal to provide funds so schools can buy or lease laptop computers for students.  I cannot stress enough what a waste of money this is.  Many months ago I linked to this article outlining the relationship between technology in the classroom and educational performance.  I ask members of the State Legislature and the Governor's staff to read this article.  In short, the findings show that giving laptop computers to students has either no effect or, if anything, a negative effect on student performance.  We have perfectly good technology already available.  It's called books.  And students need to learn to use them.  Our students are not suffering from a lack of technology.  They suffer from a lack of basic language skills. A colleague in English once told me that the vocabulary of today's students is half of what it was a generation ago.  In other words we are losing the English language.  The problem is not that students don't know how to use laptops; it's that they don't know how to read books.  I beg those involved in state government to oppose this proposal.  The $13 million the governor proposes spending on laptops should be used to even further increase spending on teacher salaries or (here selfishness intrudes) to give more generous scholarships to our students who wish to attend universities in the state. 

Withdrawal Symptoms

Its one thing to argue, as I have on occasion, that the Democrats can't decide what their policy is on Iraq.  They are after all a party, and consensus can be hard to forge.  But you would think that Congressman Murtha, the hero of the hour, could get his story straight during a single Sunday morning interview.  Apparently not.  This from Kausfiles:

Rep. Murtha on the prospects of an Iraqi civil war:

[T]here's a civil war going. We're caught in between a civil war right now. Our troops are the targets of the civil war. They're the only people that could have unified the various factions in Iraq. And they're unified against us. --ABC's This Week, 12/4/05

[W]hy should I believe what the CIA says about what's happening in Iraq, that there's going to be a civil war? First of all, al Qaeda was wrong. It was wrong on the nuclear stuff. It was wrong on everything they have said over there. So why should I believe that there's going to be a civil war? -- same show, a few moments later.

Rep. Murtha on whether the Iraqis will throw us out:

[T]he military won a military victory. They got rid of Saddam Hussein. ...[snip] ... Now, it's got to be a political win. They have to win this politically. The Iraqis themselves. We'll stay there forever. The Iraqis are never going to say turn it over. We can't allow them to say when it's gonna turn it over.--This Week, 12/4/05

You're gonna see the Iraqis clamoring. Listen, anybody we support in Iraq loses the election. And so they're gonna be clamoring for us to get out. -- same show, a few moments later.

Well, unlike John Kerry, at least he is clear when he contradicts himself. 

Gannett to Purchase Knight Ridder

The Star Tribune and Wichita Eagle are noting that Gannett is attempting to purchase Knight Ridder:

Gannett Co. would take a "hard look" at any potential acquisition opportunities, including Knight Ridder Inc., a major newspaper company that has been forced by its largest shareholders to explore a sale, Gannett CEO Craig Dubow told an investor group today.

In other words, the Argus Leader's parent company is considering the purchase of the parent company of the Aberdeen American News.  Thus, the Argus is looking to expand its monopoly power.  One indicator of a monopoly is profitability; I'll save you from all of the economic jargon and say that basically a monopoly can be determined by examining the rate of profit of the firm.  A report leaked to the Nashville Scene indicated that in 1997 (the last year that financial data was available) the Argus made an enormous 46% profit! 

What's interesting is that this information is curiously missing from SD mainstream news.  Since the Argus is always demanding full disclosure from the governor and attacking him, maybe they should fully disclose their efforts to take over another SD newspaper.  Do the citizens of SD want the Argus to have more monopoly power, especially when the Argus is already so pro-Democrat?

HT to NVB.

Mommy Wanted Me Dead

A ghastly story out of England that shows the barbarism of the abortion culture.  A woman wants damages because her daughter wasn't killed in utero.  Hat tip to Amy Welborn, who has the right reaction to this story.  The comments on Amy's site are worth reading. 

"Rally ‘round the white flag, boys"

Captain Ed (HT Viking Pundit):

The good news for the Democrats is that their leadership has settled on an electoral strategy for 2006. The bad news is that they have cribbed their game plan from one of the most disastrous campaigns in their history. The Democratic leadership has decided to elevate surrender to a party platform for the upcoming elections, with their national chairman, House leader, and last presidential nominee all running up the white flag as the Democratic war banner.

Viking Pundit comments:

Ouch.  The WashPost is more measured with “Democrats fear backlash at polls for antiwar remarks” but Ankle-Biting Pundits wonders whether the Dems are more concerned about political strategy than national security. John Kerry tried this tactic during the Presidential campaign when he betrayed his own beliefs by voting for the war in Iraq (to look strong on foreign policy) then voting against funding (when Howard Dean was leading in the primaries.) Everything in his political and personal life indicated that he would have voted in the opposite on those two issues, but he let his ambition override his principles. The Democratic Party as a whole wants to win elections, but they can’t by appeasing the anti-war Left and appearing weak on national security. Thus the descent into doublespeak and ambiguity punctuated by moments of sincerity quickly withdrawn.

Question

LA Times: 

An unnamed woman, hidden behind a tan curtain and her voice altered by a computer, gave a harrowing account of torture and sexual abuse at the hands of Saddam Hussein's security forces, on the fourth day of the Iraqi leader's trial Tuesday.
...
"They forced me to take off my clothes," recalled the woman, who said she was 16 when she was detained along with many others from her village, Dujayl. "They kept my legs up. They handcuffed me and started beating me with cables.

"It wasn't just one guard," she said. "It was many guards."

Why aren't the Democrats denouncing torture perpetrated by Saddam, while at the mere allegation of "torture" by U.S. soldiers they're up in arms about it?  I've never figured out how you flush a book down a toilet...

Local SD

Jerald Hinkle:

Holabird Advocate Names Bernie Hunhoff as 2005 "Person of the Year" in 800th Post

This year of 2005 as been one of overflow both for the Holabird Advocate and it's Publisher. If it were up to the our courageous, dynamic Publisher, Jerry Hinkle, He would have named Garrison Keillor to this honor, since he was responsible for Jerry meeting Ms. Amanda and Senator McGovern on the same evening. But it is Mr. Hunhoff [link] who was chosen above all others for this years title for one reason and one reason only. He read our little Newsblog. He read it and he like it!

 

Pearl Harbor Roundup

La Shawn Barber's Corner and Michelle Malkin have great roundups on remembering Pearl Harbor.  Some World War II veterans are worrying that the day is being forgotten.  This day (and another) will never be forgotten by some.

Energy Vulnerability

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross at the Counterterrorism Blog noted back in October that Hurricanes Rita and Katrina highlighted our energy vulnerabilities and warned that terrorists may capitalize on that.  Today he notes his argument is bolstered by the latest video release by Al-Zawahiri.  Quoting the AP:

Al-Qaida's deputy leader called for attacks against Gulf oil facilities and urged insurgent groups in Iraq to unite to drive out American forces, according to a videotape posted on the Internet Wednesday.

The posting was a full version of a video by al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri that was issued on Sept. 19, excerpts of which were broadcast by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera at the time.  The network aired more excerpts Wednesday, originally presenting all of the footage as new.  A newscaster later told viewers some of the excerpts had previously been broadcast.

"I call on the holy warriors to concentrate their campaigns on the stolen oil of the Muslims, most of the revenues of which go to the enemies of Islam," al-Zawahri, the Egyptian deputy of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, said in a portion of the tape not previously broadcast. . . .

Al-Zawahri, who was wearing a white robe and black turban and was seated before a pale blue sheet, spoke to an off-camera interviewer. He said "the enemies of Islam" were exploiting oil with "incomparable greed, and we have to stop that theft with all we can save this fortune for the nation of Islam."

UPDATE:  South Dakota native John Hinderaker notes:

It's nice to see Zawahiri calling on would-be jihadists to attack oil facilities in the Gulf region. . . . Why is this good? Because if al Qaeda had the means to attack Middle Eastern oil facilities directly, it would do so. The fact that Zawahiri is putting out a call for volunteers, rather than ordering the organization's agents into action, is another sign of how far al Qaeda's operational strength has been degraded.

Dakota Weather Makes the News

From CNN:

The mercury dived to a record 45 below at West Yellowstone, Mont., the frequently cold spot at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the National Weather Service said. The old record for December 7 was 39 below, set in 1927.

The cold even extended south to the Texas Panhandle, where Lubbock shivered at a record low 6 above zero, the weather service said.   . . .

The cold follows a blizzard that blasted much of the Plains on Nov. 27-28, shutting down hundreds of miles of major highways across a half-dozen states and piling up snowdrifts 8 feet high in South Dakota.

Just two of the 157 South Dakota towns that had power problems after that storm snapped power lines were still without electricity Wednesday, but more than 3,600 rural customers were still blacked out, said Tom Dravland, state public safety secretary. Lows across the eastern part of the state dipped to as much as 20 below.

Backlash

The Democratic Party is fearing a backlash from embarrassing positions on the war--so much that a number of them are distancing themselves from the mainstream Dems of John Kerry, Howard Dean, and Nancy Peolsi.  From the Washington Post:

Strong antiwar comments in recent days by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have opened anew a party rift over Iraq, with some lawmakers warning that the leaders' rhetorical blasts could harm efforts to win control of Congress next year.

Several Democrats joined President Bush yesterday in rebuking Dean's declaration to a San Antonio radio station Monday that "the idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong."

The critics said that comment could reinforce popular perceptions that the party is weak on military matters and divert attention from the president's growing political problems on the war and other issues. "Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than the scream in Iowa: Both are uninformed and unhelpful," said Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), recalling Dean's famous election-night roar after stumbling in Iowa during his 2004 presidential bid.

Read the whole thing.  The Democrats should have seen this coming.  Telling America that we cannot win in Iraq isn't going to win anybody's vote when we're in the middle of a war except the hardcore antiwar (who, by the way, lashed out against Hillary Clinton).  People have every right to oppose the war; in fact, it's good insofar that it will encourage debate on the direction of the war.  But the vehement attacks on our troops, our President, and the supporters of the war does nothing (especially when you once supported action against Saddam for the same reasons we went to war).

In related news, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlmen has responded to John Kerry and Howard Dean.

Hell Freezes Over

This is not a post about how bloody cold it is (as I type this, 8 degrees, which is a warming trend compared to recent days).  No, it's getting cold in the nether world because I agree with Leonard Pitts.  Put down the cell phone and pick up a book. 

The Wal-Mart Effect

I want to mention something in regards to Prof. Blanchard's Wal-Mart post.  Last week Aberdeen Mayor Mike Levson was on campus to talk about what ever anyone wanted to talk about.  Wal-Mart and community development came up.  I am going to quote from memory, so forgive me if I get some numbers wrong, but Mayor Levson said that in his first six months or so as Mayor the city got virtually zero contacts from businesses looking to set up shop in Aberdeen.  Once the city voted to allow Super Wal-Mart to build they started getting an inquiry every week.  Again, I might have the numbers wrong as my memory is fallible, but the overall point remains.  The entry of Wal-Mart into a market sends a signal to other businesses that the water in this town is fine, so come on in.  I for one am happy Super Wal-Mart is coming and that Aberdeen has an excellent mayor like Mike Levsen who works very hard to build our economic base. 

December 7, 1941

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

© 1941
Lyrics: Don Reid, Sammy Kaye, Music: Don Reid

 History in ev'ry century
Records an act that lives forevermore.
We'll recall, as into line we fall
The thing that happened on Hawaii's shore

Let's remember Pearl Harbor
As we go to meet the foe
Let's remember Pearl Harbor
As we did the Alamo.

We will always remember
how they died for  Liberty
Let's remember Pearl Harbor
And go on to victory.

Free Speech for Professors IV

Intrepid reader Casey McEnelly takes me to task for my blog on the Dr Mirecki "Creationisms and other Religious Mythologies" course that apparently has been canceled at Kansas University.  Mirecki  proposed this course apparently to slap religious fundamentalists in the face.  It aroused an enormous wave of public hostility.  I had the gall to defend Dr. Mirecki.  Casey reacts:

I got a little lump in my throat when reading Professor Blanchard’s post. At first I thought I was getting choked up, then I realized it was a vomit bolus hurtling toward my larynx. The times I was offended during my college days weren’t when professors brought up arguments that challenged my beliefs but when they acted with such preening arrogance as to suggest that I was an idiot/bigot/pig not to swallow their swill. It’s too bad that that more professors don’t adhere to KB’s marketplace of ideas philosophy toward education. Too often class rooms become indoctrination centers where discussions take place on an emotional level rather than an intellectual one.

This case in KU is not as even-handed as the Prof suggests. This class was intended to “tweak the fundies,” rather than have a frank discussion about the intersection of religious and science in explaining the origins of man. Do you really think calling someone’s belief a “mythology” was an attempt to engage in a dialogue instead of an insult to their beliefs? It’s amazing who we are and are not allowed to insult these days. Hands off Islam, but go ahead and take an axe to the Christians.

I agree with most of what Casey says. But I did not claim that Mirecki was being even handed.   In my post I pointed out that I would never have given a course such a title.  It was obviously intended to insult a view held by many potential students.  Nevertheless, I think that such a course ought to have been allowed, and the Professor's chosen title should have stood.  It may be true that such a title could not have been allowed if it were similarly insulting to Islam, but that is a sign of the weakness of free conversation at the University.  It does no favors to Islam to give it special protection.  The creation story is strong enough that it can survive an unfavorable title in a course catelog.  I think that Professor Mirecki's critics would have come off much better if they had enrolled in the course and engaged him in dialogue. 

Interestingly enough, our beloved Northern Valley Beacon posted again on this issue, and (surprise!) insults us in the process. 

Dr. Mirecki issued a written apology for e-mails and went along with the University of Kansas change of the name of a course he was scheduled to teach on intelligent design during the spring semester. Then more uproar ensued and Dr. Mireckie requested that the course be cancelled. However, the full story involves the National Review finding more e-mails in which Dr. Mirecki expressed his distaste for religious fundamentalism. Dr. Mirecki was followed by two men in a pickup truck Monday morning in an incident that resulted in the men beating him and him being taken to a hospital.

Furthermore, legislators in Kansas have vowed to extract more accountability from Prof. Mirecki. The National Review engaged in a tactic common to Sibby and South Dakota Politics, which is to take partial quotations and put them into contrived contexts in order to portray their author as a rabid hate-mongerer. The question of free speech and academic freedom discussed of late in South Dakota blogs is not really the issue. Academic honesty and accuracy in making representations about what other people say is the issue.

I am still not sure whether the NVB approves or disapproves of the way Kansas University and the State Legislature treated Dr. Mirecki.  But when it comes to "accuracy in making representations about what other people say," surely he is a bit remiss here.  Mentioning us in the same paragraph as the National Review, which sided against Mirecki, without mentioned that our lone contribution was to side with Mirecki, gives a misleading impression of what this blog said. 

SDP secures its honesty by quoting liberally from all writings that we comment on, and including links so that readers can see if we have been fair or not.  That is a standard to which the NVB has never risen.   

 

Wal-Mart and Me

I have something in common with Wal-Mart.  We were both born in Arkansas.  So when folk tear her down, well, its kinda like they're goin after kin.  So I read with interest Professor Schaff's recent post on the Pack-Man of retailers, and the links he provides.

To some extent Wal-Mart is the target of a congenital American (and maybe human) irritation with anyone who gets too big.  IBM, oil companies, and Microsoft all suffer the same problem, and heaven knows its often justified.  But more than most giants, WM has kept its good old fashioned entrepreneurial virtue: it remains just as committed to efficient marketing as when it first started out.  That's rather rare. 

As for some of the more interesting criticisms, I admit that I don't know much about how Wal-Mart affects "organic urban communities."  I have no experience of inner city poverty.  But I know small town poverty reasonably well.  It was in the small towns that Wal-Mart laid its foundation.  Most summers for the last 30 years I have gone camping and back-packing in the Ozark National Forest, in North Central Arkansas.  The last sizable town before Highway 14 climbs up into the pines was Mountainview.  When I began that habit, in my teens, it was a small hole in the cliff-face with a small claim to fame: it was the site of the Ozark Mountain Folk Festival.  There were two small stores there where we could stop for batteries, ice, and other essentials.  They were expensive, and there wasn't much to choose from.  When Wal-Mart came in it very quickly drove them out of business. 

But from our point of view it was an immediate improvement.  The goods were cheaper, and a full range of camping supplies was available.  This was the most important thing that Wal-Mart brought to Mountainview: you could get stuff in town that was formerly only to be found hours away in larger communities.  I also noticed that Wal-Mart employed a lot more people than the two dollar stores had.  I don't know what those stores paid, but I bet it wasn't a lot more than Wal-Mart did.  I know that there were a lot of folk living in that beautiful area who would rather have stuck around if they could get any work at all, and WM provided that. 

Another thing I noticed is that as soon as Wal-Mart set down, the town began to grow.  Folk from a wide area came in to shop instead of going to Little Rock or somewhere else.  And while they were there, they liked to get a bite to eat.  Fast food joints sprouted like mushrooms after a good summer rain, and then a catfish house or two.  There is no reasonable doubt that Wal-Mart was good for the town as a whole. 

I think a lot of the hostility toward Wal-Mart on the part of the intellectual left arises from something they share with many conservatives: a snobbish disdain for those enterprises that give the most humble people exactly what they want.  They want cheap goods and jobs that easy to start out in. 

I have seen the same snobbery directed at chain bookstores like Barnes and Noble, and its second string competitors like BooksaMillion and Hastings.  Conservatives like my friends who live in urban areas whine about the disappearance of small, quaint bookstores.  But I grew up in Jonesboro Arkansas, and there weren't no quaint bookstores there when I was a teenager, unless you count the Bible Bookstore.  Until I got old enough to drive to Memphis, my bookstore was a rack of paperbacks at a local card shop.  Now when I visit my ancestral manor (a three bedroom, two car carport a little older than I am), I can stop by Hastings and find books on Buddhism and sociobiology.  The great chains have done far more good for far more people than the quaint bookstores and dollar stores ever did. 

Daschle

From KELO (HT to Ben at Horserace08):

The former Democratic Senate leader, Tom Daschle, says he's not ruling out a run for elective office in the future.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the South Dakotan said Democrats must run a presidential candidate in 2008 who can resonate with voters across the country. Daschle says energy, health care and the Iraq war will be major issues.

Ben comments:

Pretty interesting to think about an ousted ex-Senator still eying the White House. Some would say he does not have a chance to win the presidency if he can´t win in his own state, but those critics should remember that Daschle does have extraordinary national name recognition. Of course, the last thing most people remember about Daschle is that he was voted out of office after being billed as an ´obstructionist´ by the Republican Party in mid-term elections. Will his 20 years of Senate experience count for anything in the public eye? I think probably not. He will have to combat many critics, including other hopefuls from his own party, who will gladly remind the American people of his most recent political history. He has an uphill battle on his hands.

SF Rec Center

With nearly 65% of the precints reporting (a 16% voter turnout on a very cold day), it looks like the vote for the Sioux Falls rec center will be a "no."  It currently stands with nearly 65% voting "no."

UPDATE:  With all precints reporting, the rec center has been voted down.  6,435 (34.28%) voted in favor of the center, while 12,336 (65.72%) voted against.  The total voter turnout was 23.6%.

More Wal-Mart News

The evidence keeps accumulating.  Wal-Mart is good for the poor and good for America, so reports Dan Drezner.  Prof. Bainbridge responds with what I take to be the better argument against Wal-Mart, the aesthetic one, since the economic argument is so obviously false.  But then at NRO, where I found all of this, Jonathan Adler responds to the argument that "Wal-Mart kills organic communities":

On Bainbridge's other point, I yield to no one in my love of organic urban communities, but the idea that Wal-Mart has been a significant contributor to urban decline -- rather than an indirect beneficiary of the decline brought on by disastrous government policies and other social trends -- I find highly implausible.

Mt. Blogmore

There's a big discussion going on at Mt. Blogmore about whether the RC Journal's blog needs to be retooled.

Good Question

SD War College:  "Why do all of these conspiracy minded and radical websites seem to come out of USD? I have no idea.  USD was ok for my grad school experience, but things are getting a little strange down there. (Must be lack of D1 status)."

Nikolaus

Today, Germany is celebrating Nikolaus, in which children place their shoes (Nikolaus-Stiefel) outside their doors on the night of December 5-6.  Sankt Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) comes around and fills the boots with gifts and checks up on the children to see if they were good.  If not, they recieve charcoal in their shoes instead.  Sankt Nikolaus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, who acts as an ominous counterbalance to punishes children that have been bad.

If you'd like to celebrate Nikolaus today, go out and enjoy some Milka.

Beck

People have responded to Randell Beck's condemnation (past and present) of Governor Rounds.  The gem:

Mr. Beck:

As we discussed at our coffee get-together, was (your column) an incredibly sick attempt at humor or was it the epitome of ignorance? The vote was seven to zero for the latter choice. We also agreed you have a lot more problems than who hunted with the governor. You might start with an attempt to return the Argus Leader to (sic) newspaper instead of a newsletter for the Democrats, O'Gorman and South Dakota State. There is a rumor circulating that if a writer has an IQ of .05 or higher they cannot work there. Is this true?''

- The Coffee Club

Dear Coffee Club:

Just curious: Did you, by chance, grow up in North Dakota?

There's nothing like denouncing others when they try and point out your faults, as the case here with "Coffee Club" and everyone else that responded to Beck's column.  Of course, this isn't new.  The editor of the Argus Leader has never been fond of criticism, especially of the blogger sort: bloggers are driven by a "violent" internet "cabal" of "yahoos" who lacked "guts" and hide "behind their computer screens" and won't face him "man to man."  Not to mention his other columns that criticize "internet blogs" which "hurl venomous attacks" (Argus, June 27, 2004) from "every fanatic with too much time on his hands." (Argus, May 2, 2004)  Of course, no attack is complete without playing the Hitler card:  "If Hitler were alive today, he'd have his own blog."

American Soldiers Are Terrorists...

...according to former presidential nominee John Kerry.  From CBS's "Face the Nation":

...I believe, also voted for the resolution which said the president needs to make more clear what he's doing and set out benchmarks, and that the policy hasn't been working. We all believe him when you say, `Stay the course.' That's the president's policy, which hasn't been changing, which is a policy of failure. I don't agree with that. But I think what we need to do is recognize what we all agree on, which is you've got to begin to set benchmarks for accomplishment. You've got to begin to transfer authority to the Iraqis.  And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the--of--the historical customs, religious customs. . . . Iraqis should be doing that. And after all of these two and a half years, with all of the talk of 210,000 people trained, there just is no excuse for not transferring more of that authority.

So, instead the Iraqis should be terrorizing them?  That's what Saddam was doing.  It isn't the first time that Kerry has attacked and lied about the American military.  It's obvious that the Democrats and the liberals hate George Bush, but while they're pretending to attack Bush, they're instead assaulting American institutions and the American people who support them.

Ed Morrissey has more:

Kerry thinks that the American soldiers are the terrorists in Iraq, applying that unique gift of his for moral relativity once again to indict an entire deployment of soldiers as criminals of the same order as our enemy. And Bob Schieffer sat there, without even raising an objection to Kerry's smear. Had Kerry not shown a long track record of this kind of rhetoric in the past -- and had to answer for it repeatedly during last year's presidential election -- one could possibly believe it came out as a slip of the tongue. However, he obviously has never stopped believing that the American fighting man and woman represents the same relative evil as the Viet Cong, the Khmer Rouge, and al-Qaeda.

The Democrats need to answer for this outrage. Is it really the party position that American soldiers terrorize Iraqi civilians? Do they want the Iraqis to do it instead of us? Kerry has unmasked himself and his fellow anti-war zealots for the hypocrites they are.

Also, it turns out that John Kerry, along with other high ranking Dems, didn't read the prewar intelligence.

UPDATE:  The head of the Democratic party is also touting the defeatist mantra:  "The idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong."

Kerry-ized: Murtha v. Murtha

This just keeps getting more absurd (nay, hilarious).  Not only are the Democrats not agreeing with each other on how to handle the war, they can't agree with themselves:

Murtha vs. Murtha:  Rep. Murtha on the prospects of an Iraqi civil war:

[T]here's a civil war going. We're caught in between a civil war right now. Our troops are the targets of the civil war. They're the only people that could have unified the various factions in Iraq. And they're unified against us. --ABC's This Week, 12/4/05

[W]hy should I believe what the CIA says about what's happening in Iraq, that there's going to be a civil war? First of all, al Qaeda was wrong. It was wrong on the nuclear stuff. It was wrong on everything they have said over there. So why should I believe that there's going to be a civil war? -- same show, a few moments later.

Rep. Murtha on whether the Iraqis will throw us out:

[T]he military won a military victory. They got rid of Saddam Hussein. ...[snip] ... Now, it's got to be a political win. They have to win this politically. The Iraqis themselves. We'll stay there forever. The Iraqis are never going to say turn it over. We can't allow them to say when it's gonna turn it over.--This Week, 12/4/05

You're gonna see the Iraqis clamoring. Listen, anybody we support in Iraq loses the election. And so they're gonna be clamoring for us to get out. -- same show, a few moments later.

Sorry, this man seems confused. In his current state I wouldn't follow him either into battle or out of it.

If I may quote Insty:  "It's like the whole party has been Kerry-ized."

A Party Against Itself

Last week Democratic Senator and former Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman made the argument in favor of American troops staying in Iraq, basing his argument on the various positive steps taken in that country.  Today the chair of Sen. Lieberman's party, Howard Dean, says, the "idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong" (read the story here). 

Tom Bevan of Realclear responds:

Dean hit all the highlights:  Comparison to Vietnam. Check. Call for immediate withdrawal. Check. Bush lied. Check. Comparison to Watergate. Check. 
 

In all seriousness, Howard Dean is not some yahoo, he's the national voice of the Democratic party and his comments - saying Iraq is unwinnable and calling for the immediate withdrawal of 80,000 troops less than two weeks before Iraq goes to the polls - unquestionably furthers the perception that Democrats are the party of cut and run.  This is a horrendous political mistake and it puts even more pressure on Democrats like Clinton, Biden, et al to respond to the question: Does Howard Dean speak for your party?

Michelle Malkin notes that Dean has been cozing up to American supporters of Venezualean strong man Hugo Chavez. 

Economic News

Reuters:

President George W. Bush will point to faster-than-expected growth and other positive economic news on Monday in a speech he hopes will help convince Americans the economic outlook is rosier than they think.

Bush, whose approval ratings are at all-time lows, faces public pessimism over the economy and questions from some commentators over whether the U.S. economy is fundamentally sound, given a soaring budget deficit and a trade deficit with China that is heading for $200 billion for the year.

He plans to seize on recent good economic news as evidence that the underpinning of the economy is strong when he speaks at 1.15 EST (1815 GMT) at a construction machinery plant in Kernersville, North Carolina, White House officials said.

Given the GDP numbers last week and the latest numbers on the labor market, the economy continues to boom.  By the way, President Bush's approval ratings are going up.

In Russia, on the other hand, shoes are a sign of affection.

From the American News:

An angry crowd confronted Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi at a Shiite Shrine, south of Baghdad on Sunday.  . . .Once Allawi and his entourage were inside, the crowd grew to about 60 and as the group left, they were showered with stones and shoes--a sign of contempt in Iraqi culture. 

Daschle AP Story

Jason has posted a new AP story about former Senator Daschle.  Daschle "bristles" when asked about Senator Thune, says he might run for President, and blames John Kerry for his defeat in South Dakota. 

"Is your house on fire, Clark?"

I thought that Clark Griswold took the cake when it came to Christmas lights displays.  This one proves I was wrong.

The Argus Solution: Cut and Run

The Argus Leader is predictablly advocating the cut-and-run option in Iraq:

We must make 2006 the year we will pull out of Iraq - except for the smallest of oversight forces - and let Iraqis get on with their lives, running their own country for better or worse, forging a government that works for them without being under the heel either of Saddam Hussein or the United States.

If we do withdraw from Iraq and the country plunges into civil war or falls to the terrorists, what should the United States do then?  Should we go back in and re-liberate the country or let Iraq fend for itself?  If we leave and Iraq collapses, would the Democrats be stupid enough to point a finger at Bush and the Republicans and tout how they failed in Iraq when, in fact, it was the Democrats that advocated leaving the entire time?  The Democrats also appear so worried about America's image in the world since our invasion of Iraq.  Yet, if we run from Iraq, what image does that send to our allies and enemies in the Middle East?  I shouldn't have to point out what Usama bin Laden said when we ran from Somalia.

I'll point you to my post last week, quoting The Economist:

The cost to America of staying in Iraq may be high, but the cost of retreat would be higher.  By fleeing, America would not buy itself peace.  Mr Zarqawi and his fellow fanatics have promised to hound America around the globe.  Driving America out of Iraq would grant militant Islam a huge victory.  Arabs who want to modernise their region would know that they could not count on America to stand by its friends.

If such reasoning sounds negative--America must stay because the consequences of leaving would be too awful--treat that as a sad reflection of how Mr. Bush's vision for the Middle East has soured. The road ahead looks bloody and costly.  But this is not the time to retreat.

Daschle

AAN:  Daschle enjoying private life, eyeing a political future

Christmas Wars from Foamy

Unlike our fellow bloggers on the left, we here at SDP largely eschew profanity.  But that doesn't mean we can't outsource it.  Here, hattip to Institpundit  is Foamy the Squirrel. 

Buffalo Blogging

Sioux City Journal:  South Dakota plays host to rare white buffalo

More Snow Blogging

We got dumped with snow, again, on Friday night/Saturday Morning.  Here are some pictures I took yesterday.

Here's another of my favorite buildings on campus, Graham Hall.

And here's Main Street, Aberdeen, SD:

I don't know why, but I just like this picture.

If you look closely on the left of this picture (perhaps click on the picture to make it bigger) you can see the four deer out in the field.  It's not a great picture because I was in the Jeep in the middle of the road and in the off chance someone drove by I didn't want to get in the way. 

And finally, I went outside of town and was surprised to come face to face with Prof. Blanchard.

Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory

Mark Steyn is on fire again:

These sad hollow men may yet get their way -- which is to say they may succeed in persuading the American people that a remarkable victory in the Middle East is in fact a humiliating defeat. It would be an incredible achievement. Peter Worthington, the Canadian columnist and veteran of World War II and Korea, likes to say that there's no such thing as an unpopular won war. The Democrat-media alliance are determined to make Iraq an exception to that rule. In a week's time, Iraqis will participate in the most open political contest in the history of the Middle East. They're building the freest society in the region, and the only truly federal system. In three-quarters of the country, life has never been better. There's an economic boom in the Shia south and a tourist boom in the Kurdish north, and, while the only thing going boom in the Sunni Triangle are the suicide bombers, there were fewer of those in November than in the previous seven months.

Meanwhile, Iraq's experiment in Arab liberty has had ripple effects beyond its borders, pushing the Syrians most of the way out of Lebanon, and in Syria itself significantly weakening Baby Assad's regime. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who's spent years as a beleaguered democracy advocate in Egypt, told the Washington Post's Jim Hoagland the other day that, although he'd opposed the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, he had to admit it had "unfrozen the Middle East, just as Napoleon's 1798 expedition did. Elections in Iraq force the theocrats and autocrats to put democracy on the agenda, even if only to fight against us. Look, neither Napoleon nor President Bush could impregnate the region with political change. But they were able to be the midwives."

My only complaint with this is the image of Napoleon or George Bush impregnating anything, even metaphorically, gives me the willies. 

Too Good To Pass Up

For those of us who enjoy zombie movies and vote Republican, this is a must see.  Hat tip to Instapundit. 

Free Speech for Professors III

Chad Shuldt is quite correct to point out, in the last paragraph of his recent blog on this topic, that Professor Schaff and I take the subject of free speech in academia very seriously.  This is because it is very important to our profession.  I would note, however, that South Dakota in general and Northern State University in particular still appear to be places where free speech is respected.  To date no one in authority has so much as suggested that we ought to stop expressing our opinions on this blog.  Nor has a single one of my colleagues complained about what is written here, or at least they have not identified themselves as such.  To be sure, we have our detractors.  Many appear as commentators attached to Chad's entries, and others have posted on the discussion board at the Aberdeen American News.  But for the most part they do so under pen names, so I cannot know who they are.

Chad's recent post seems to me for the most part to be reasonable.  Especially this paragraph:

Schaff and Blanchard want to make this a "free speech issue", and it's hard to disagree with their point of view. These two right-wingers certainly have the right to speak their mind, and for democracy's sake, I hope they continue to do so. Both commonly have something worthwhile to add to the public discussion.

That's as fair as one can ask for, and I would say the same about CCK.  This is what the blogosphere is for.  I do have some problems with this paragraph:

But when a university professor, paid for with my tax dollars, goes off the deep end and says something so imflamatory like what Schaff wrote, I am going to take the time to point it out. I'm not saying Schaff or Blanchard can't say wacky stuff. I'm just saying that I'm going to point it out.

Surely Chad would have the same right to point out the "wacky" things we say if we were not public employees.  Nor does the fact that we are give us any less right to be wacky on occasion.  I have explicitly invited Chad to take issue with me on any point he chooses.  And then there is this:

And I also believe that the integrity of the University is at stake. If professors are allowed to make statements like "the idea that we are winning in Iraq will make much of the left angry", the President and the University community should be made aware of it, and in my opinion, should be concerned about the affect it has on the reputation of the University.

While I think that Chad in general respects the principle of free speech, the notion that professors might be "allowed" and by logic not be allowed to make such statements as Professor Schaff did seems to me to cross a line.  The statement in question reveals exactly why that line should not be crossed. 

There are many reasons why someone on the left, or the right for that matter, might not be happy to hear that we are winning the war in Iraq.  Some might not want to hear it because they think it is false, and that in encourages us to stay in Iraq when we should be pulling out.  All you have to do is look at the comments on the Daily KOS, and note the frequency of the word "quagmire," to see that this is representative of "much of the left."  Others might not be happy to hear it precisely because it might be true, and might encourage more such foreign policy adventures.  These would be reasonable opinions whether I agree with them or not, and neither is inconsistent with patriotism or implies any sympathy for the insurgents.  I should point out that there are those on the right who hold one or the other opinion.  On the other hand, when I watched footage of the recent anti-war rally in Washington D.C., I heard one young woman describing the insurgents as freedom fighters.  I am sure that that view represents a small minority on the left.  But it is there.  Likewise those who actively oppose military recruiting in schools, who in effect would dry up the supply of persons on whom an all-volunteer army depends, at the very least don't care whether we are winning in Iraq.  As I read the composition of the American left on this question, it is simply true to say that "much" of it wouldn't be happy to hear that we are winning the war. 

Chad obviously interpreted the statement differently, and both of us are subject to bias.  If any agent of the state at any level, in  his or her official capacity, tried to disallow or perhaps favor such a statement, that would require officially adopting Chad's bias or mine.  Probably that would be a bad idea.  I do not expect it. 

I confess that one reason Professor Schaff and I have spent so much attention on this subject is that it is fun to fight on terms that virtually guarantee victory.  Free speech is about as well protected in the modern academy as anywhere at any time.  If Ward Churchill is ever fired it won't be because he discredited his institution by expressing unfavorable ideas.  I flatter myself that the content of this blog can be defended before any reasonable forum.