South Dakota Politics

Coke Country

In my ancestral home of Northeast Arkansas, if it fizzed, but didn't raise your blood alchohol level or cure heartburn, it was a coke. 

Sad Day

The longtime public address announcer for the Minnesota Twins, Bob Casey, has died.  My teenage years echoed with his call of "Now at bat, #34, Kirrrrrbyyyyyy Puckett!" 

Sen. Daschle takes another job

He'll be serving with the insufferable Jimmy Carter henpecking us about how we can improve our elections.  That'll be interesting as the Democratic Party has opposed almost all common sense remedies to voter fraud, such as actually having a valid photo id to vote.  Remember last year when Sen. Daschle sued John Thune because some Republican poll watchers were (gasp!) smirking at voters?  I await with bated breath the results of this important bipartisan commission. 

BIA Funding

President Bush is looking to reduce spending on the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Sen. Johnson is hopping mad. The Argus article makes it sound like an actual cut, rather than a reduction in the rate of increase.  Someone tell me if I am wrong.  Since I find the whole idea of a Bureau of Indian Affairs a bit offensive to basic liberal principles, I am not too worried, but then the administration has the responsibility to suggest how the Native Americans can work their way out of horrible poverty and how the government can help. 

Standing firm

Put me down for "soda." 

Scholarships

I know it's a bit late, but I've been out of town and a bit under the weather.  I just noticed this morning that Gov. Rounds has helped out South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship winners by vetoing the cut in their scholarships and that veto was upheld.  Nice job, Governor. 

More on Soda v. Pop

As per the earlier post about Soda v. Pop, see this amazing map, which was sent in by a reader in Michigan.  Note how in some counties in SD over 80% of people use "pop" while in some counties in New England over 80% of people use "soda."  Regionalism lives!  Grant Wood would be proud.

Writing

From the "Rangeviews" column by Pegy Sanders in the Rapid City Journal:

My habits are slowly changing.  As I have been researching the Civilian Conservation Corps and continue to seek information, books, photos and discharge papers from the public, I have received hundreds of letters. To each person I have endeavored to send a hand-written letter in response, although I admit a few were composed on the computer.

In the middle of this CCC campaign, I was notified that the Journal had received a package addressed to me. It was not the first time I had gotten mail at the Journal, and I assumed it concerned the CCCs. When I picked up the package, there was a gift of a lovely, soothing little book, "The Art of the Hand Written Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication," by Margaret Shepherd.

Yeah, I used to write lots of letters.  But now, hardly at all, if ever.  Email started to appear when I was in graduate school and now unless people have email I basically lose touch with them, which is a shame.

Soda v. Pop

Argus Leader:

Whether you drink pop or soda with your hot dog or wiener may depend on what part of the country you're from.

And the shoes on your feet might be sneakers, tennis shoes or in Canada, "runners."

"When we have students come in, I sometimes can pin down where they're from by their accent and by the terms they use," said Tim Jones, English professor at Augustana College.

From the long "O" of Minnesota and the Red River Valley and the Canadian influence of northern states, to the creeping Southern accent in south Kentucky and West Virginia and the flatter vowel sounds of Texas, he has an ear for regions.

"I'm from Michigan, where we have uncles and 'ants,' while most students here have aunts with the 'aw' sound," he said.

The "submarine sandwich" is a "hoagie" in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Jones said, while it's a "hero" in New York City and a "grinder" in New England. Not long ago it also could be a "Dagwood," named after the comic-strip character's practice of piling the fixin's high.

Others notice differences, too.

South Dakota has lots of wild dog-like animals called coyotes (ky-OATs), said Ranger Tony DeToy. He knows it's someone calling from the eastern United States when he hears the extra "E" sound at the end of the word.

"We hear from out-of-state people who want to come hunt prairie dogs and coyotes, but those from Pennsylvania or other eastern states often put the extra 'E' on the end, for 'ky-oat-E," said DeToy, who is district ranger for the 116,000-acre public Fort Pierre National Grasslands in central South Dakota.

Reductio ad Hitlerum

A good piece by Geoffrey Wheatcroft in the International Herald Tribune voices a common concern about current democratic movements in the Islamic world:

Nearly 73 years ago one of the greatest democracies on earth held a general election under universal suffrage. None of several parties won an absolute majority, but one was the clear winner, doubling its vote to 37.4 percent to become the largest group in Parliament.

That autumn, President Herbert Hoover was up for re-election and the Republican convention managers might perhaps have produced a satisfied voter from that faraway country, in the way a grateful Iraqi was flourished in Washington recently by the Bush administration. Not surprisingly, they didn't do so. The country was of course Germany, and the triumphant party was the National Socialists, led by Hitler.

That 1932 election showed that democracy often raises as many problems as it answers, a lesson we may soon learn again in the Middle East.

It is obviously a serious concern that free elections in Arabia might bring to power the worst sort, though it is equally obvious that the lack of elections keeps a lot of very nasty sorts in power. But I think that a little more analysis is in order.

Hitler seized power with this small plurality because there was no part of society that had the will to resist him.  For precisely this reason, places like Iraq are better off for being ethnically and religiously diverse.  One thing the Sunnis and Kurds and Shiites can agree on is that they don't want to be ruled by an autocrat of a different color.  This can be a bulwark against a new tyranny.

Another lesson that 1932 teaches is that outside influences matter.  The world should put every pressure it can bring to bear in order to ensure that the governments develop along liberal and constitutional lines.  It is a pipe dream to believe that autocrats in the Middle East can create the conditions for future democracy.  Its better to try to help them emerge now.

Easter

Happy Easter.  Several Sunday morning posts below.  See you after church and the Wisconsin game.

Kranz on Senator Johnson's Future

Dave Kranz of the Argus Leader, while confirming that Senator Johnson won't run for governor in 2010, notes the issue of the Senator's campaign warchest, which some bloggers have discussed in recent weeks:

But there still is a possibility that the Johnson seat could be open. Some numbers indicate he might not run for re-election.

Johnson has the fourth-biggest debt of any senator in the Senate Class of 2008, and his cash on hand is the third-lowest of any member in that year's group.

He has a $64,271 debt and $15,839 cash available for a campaign. Of course, 2008 is still three years away, and history shows that Johnson usually gets a later start than most when raising money for re-election.

The numbers aren't necessarily a red flag, said Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report.

"(Tom) Daschle and (Stephanie) Herseth were sucking most of the money out of the state, and it is considered bad form to raise money in a cycle where your colleagues need to raise money," she said.

Having campaign debt two-and-a-half years after an election does seem a bit odd.  One additional problem for Johnson is that he won't be able to rely on Daschle's massive fundraising network and his twisting of donor arms like he did in 2002.  Kranz also mentions the possibility of Governor Rounds, who will cruise to re-election in 2006, running against Johnson in 2008.  Many insiders discuss such a race and some polls indicate a distinct Rounds advantage.  Kranz notes that "Those who speculate about South Dakota politics say there won't be another high-interest election in the state until 2008. That is when Sen. Tim Johnson's term expires."

Laurent

Dateline my hometown, from the Argus Leader:

MADISON - A proposed town for people who use sign language would bring a touch of Europe to rural South Dakota, with plazas, sidewalk cafes and close living quarters designed to help neighbors know each other.

The community of Laurent, as explained by planners in a program here Friday night, would borrow from a variety of urban models to customize a setting for deaf people and fellow signers. But its layout would alter any culture - hearing or otherwise - with narrow streets to slow down traffic and a housing model that would revive a lifestyle of front-porch conversations once common in America.

Devil's Tower

Rapid City Journal:

[Wyoming] Gov. Dave Freudenthal questions a proposal to add another name to Devils Tower National Monument in northeast Wyoming.

Monument superintendent Lisa Eckert has proposed designating the 1,267-foot monolith as Bear Lodge National Historic Landmark, thus creating Devils Tower National Monument at Bear Lodge National Historic Landmark.

The idea has raised suspicions from some area residents who say there is a hidden agenda to give American Indians more control of the tower.

"I must confess a severe lack of enthusiasm," Freudenthal told Eckert during a town hall meeting in Sundance on Friday.

Mt. Rushmore

From an article in today's Rapid City Journal about the Rushmore Society:

Even today, Doan Robinson's original idea seems like a crazy long shot: Spur the Black Hills' young tourism industry into a full gallop by inviting a well-known sculptor to the Black Hills to carve giant figures.

In fact, for a number of environmental, cultural and aesthetic reasons, Mount Rushmore would be dead on arrival if the idea was proposed today.

But in 1923, Robinson, South Dakota's state historian, had been reading about the Stone Mountain carving in Georgia. He believed a project like that would work here.

Red Lake

From a novelist who is writing in today's New York Times:

Bad news in itself, the 10-fatality reprise of the American school shooting last week at the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota bolsters the archetype. It makes a trend that had seemed to subside since Columbine in 1999 seem current again, and prospectively gives more boys big ideas. ...  Jeff Weise's "warning signs" have been widely publicized. He drew ghoulish cartoons and wrote gory short stories. He aped his predecessors in Colorado by wearing a black trench coat. On the Internet, heartbreakingly, he admired Hitler and flirted with eugenics - although the Nazis would hardly have championed the pure genetic line of Mr. Weise's Chippewa tribe. Predictably, all this dark ideation took place against the backdrop of a broken family and a forlorn personal life. ...

Whether we care to admit it, the calculation these boys are making is culturally astute. You do not make headlines by getting an A on your report card. So long as we make a minimal distinction between fame and infamy - and consistently accord infamy a measure more fascination - any smart teenager is going to take the easier, more spectacular route to glory and opt for ignominy over achievement. Far more Americans now know the name Jeff Weise than the winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize. Only two days after the shooting, a Google search of "Jeff Weise" and "Red Lake" scored more than 8,000 hits. If our boy wanted attention, he got it.

Am I the only one to find those thousands of hits shocking? Am I the only one to feel queasy over the painstaking examination of this boy's psyche - perhaps including this very article?

The Star Tribune of Minneapolis: "Jeff Weise: A Mystery in a Life Full of Hardship." Minnesota Public Radio: "Who Was Jeff Weise?" There's hardly a teenage boy who wouldn't covet those headlines for himself. Are we not dangling a prize of outsized pity for boys with the guts to compete for it? Are we in danger of being too sympathetic?

"If you don't win, don't come home."

From the bio of Clint Johnson, who was inducted in the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, in today's Argus Leader:

A 1974 Spearfish High grad, Johnson dominated the saddle bronc riding competition on the pro rodeo circuit in the 1980s.

He was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world saddle bronc champion four times - in 1980 and 1987-89 - and he was runner-up in 1983, 1985 and 1986.

He started his pro rodeo career in 1975. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 12 years in a row (1978-89). He also won the 1989 NFR average and he won the Calgary Stampede Rodeo $50,000 bonus a record three times. He retired in 1991.  ...

Johnson grew up on a ranch near Spearfish. As a senior in high school, he was a state champion wrestler and an all-conference offensive guard in football. He also was the state high school saddle bronc champion.

At South Dakota State, he won the saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and all-around titles in the Great Plains Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association in 1977.

Cool.  Read the bios of all the inductees, but note in particular the bio about Don Bierle.  Excerpt:

Co-founder of the South Dakota Sportswriters Association and the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, Bierle's love of athletics as a measure of character began early.

Although a childhood injury put him on crutches or in a wheelchair for more than 60 years, Bierle lived and breathed sports. A 1946 Yankton High and 1951 University of South Dakota law school graduate, Bierle began work as a linotype operator for the Yankton Press & Dakotan but soon moved to the sports desk, where he served as the P&D's sports editor for more than 25 years. Bierle interviewed all the greats - from Joe Louis to Frank Leahy.  ...

A fierce competitor, Bierle often exhorted his children with the comment, "If you don't win, don't come home." One always assumed he was partly serious when he said that.

Heh.  Maybe we should discuss who should be in the South Dakota Politics Hall of Fame?!  Any takers?