The SD War College has a posting that will probably honk off the IM10 Clean and Sober Government folks.

PP’s theory?  That IM10’s genesis is in SDCAC executive director Lee Breard being snubbed by Gov. Mike Rounds’ office and state government for employment.

• Read: You know what they say about payback. And it looks like that’s what IM10 could be.

PP lays out the case.

It’s just something that makes you want to go “hmmm.”

Today at this month’s Second Circuit Bar luncheon, proponents and opponents to Amendment H, IM 9 and IM 10 spoke to a good chunk of the Sioux Falls area bar.

One of my colleagues wondered aloud following the presentations on IM 10 whether the act would cover court appointments.  Court appointments are basically a “no bid” contract.  Lawyers are on a panel.  They accept cases at a given rate.  They are appointed by a judge.  There is no bidding or competitive process.

I spoke with both Dena Espenscheid from Yes on 10 and Dave Owen from the State Chamber of Commerce (representing No on 10) about this.  They were both presenters on 10.

Dena didn’t think it was a no bid contract as there is a pool of attorneys who can be picked from.  Dave thought it might be a no-bid contract as attorneys don’t bid to do the work for less than another attorney.

I think it is important to figure this out as it could have a profound impact on attorneys who might want (or not want) to take court appointments for criminal cases, abuse and neglect cases, civil and alcohol commitments, and guardianship cases.

There aren’t enough public defenders or pro bono organizations to take care of the case load this would cause if private attorneys start opting out of court appointments.

Any thoughts?

Esquire, my favorite all-time magazine, has endorsed Senator Tim Johnson and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for re-election this fall.

Esquire notes:

Johnson: “Despite the obvious political incentives to do so in this deeply red state, Johnson has never betrayed his center-left principles but has, to his great credit, forged working relationships with its conservative leaders.”

Herseth Sandlin: “The primary difference between Herseth Sandlin and her state’s Republicans comes on the issue of abortion: Herseth Sandlin thinks it should be legal;”

Esky also endorses Sen. Barack Obama for President.  I would think on sartorial style alone he would get the Esquire nod.

(Hat tip to A Progressive on the Prairie!)

Here's a new video from the No on 10 campaign against the so-called Clean and Sober Government Act.

The snow keeps flying down the mountain against the so-called Clean and Sober Government Act, IM10.

Last night, according to KCCR-AM, the Pierre School Board joined the avalanche of public and private organizations opposed to the gag law.

I'm sure we'll see all sorts of sputtering from the Clean and Sober folks about this being illegal.  Can't have people or groups expressing their opinions, you know.  Dangerous stuff.

And a side note: I've been reading the KCCR-AM news briefings the past week or so.  News director Tony Mangan does more work than any other five journalists in the state combined.  He does a tremendous job covering what's going on in Pierre.  If the Argus had a couple of Tonys, they'd take over the world.  Tony, U DA MAN!

Below are the comments of my good friend Barry Foster, who spoke at the anti-Initiated Measure 10 rally today at the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. 

And a word of warning to conservative bigwig Grover Norquist, who spoke at a pro-IM10 rally today.  Barry is about 6'3", a former Augustana College baseball pitcher, about as wide as a refrigerator--and absolutely right.

Good Morning, 

My name is Barry Foster.  I have been a lifetime resident of SD, and more importantly I have had the honor and privilege to teach in the same high school that I graduated from for 10 years now in Sioux Falls.  

If this proposed law goes into effect it will take my voice away as an educator.  Think of education like a 3 legged stool.  We need students/parents/community members, then we need teacher/school secretaries/school bus drivers, then we need our state elected officials.  We all have the same goal when it comes to education in SD, it is to get the best education possible for the students. 

We may not always agree on how to get there but that discussion is important to have.  This gag law would in effect take the educators away from this discussion. 

Another negative effect would be that public servants would no longer be able to use payroll deduction for their health insurance and ultimately decrease the number of people covered by health insurance. 

Now I am happy that Grover Norquist from Washington D.C. is using his First Amendment right today to advocate for his own gag law.  I just don’t understand why he is trying to take my same right away for education. 

My other problem is, that he is going to tell us how great this gag law is today, and he won’t even be living here to feel the negative effects.

This reminds me of a story told to me about Muhammad Ali.  He was told that before a big championship fight that his opponent had a dream he knocked him out.  He told his opponent that he had better wake up and apologize. 

Mr. Norquist the people of SD will see through your sham and this law will be defeated.  Then on Wed. Nov. 5^th from your big Washington D.C. office your dream of control and power over the state of SD will be over, and then it will be your turn to wake up and apologize to the citizens of SD.

My colleagues at KELOLAND report today that Gov. Mike Rounds has come out forcefully against IM10, the "Clean and Sober Government Act" or whatever the heck they are calling it.

Rounds Blasts Ballot Measure

I was forwarded an email today from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.  And look at what was on the bottom of the email:

Oklahoma Water Resources Board email communications are subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

What a novel thought!  Governmental agencies' communications are open records and available to the public!  Even emails!  Wow!

So, even Okies think open records and open government is a good idea.  Why don't we South Dakotans?

Read Pat Powers’ posting at the SD War College today on what appears to be dirty tricks against Pat and his family on the basis of his opposition to IM 10.

It was wrong when this kind of crap went on against Steve Kirby earlier this year and it is still wrong when a citizen blogger simply expresses his opposition to the IM10 movement’s proposed law and electoral tactics.

This ad ought to make my young Republican friend Pat Powers at the South Dakota War Junior College go beserk.

I think the ad is effective but misleading.  I agree with the problems with no-bid contracts and the crony capitalism that it attacks.  But there is so much more craziness to the measure that actually takes away citizens’ rights to redress its government that the small good it might do is outweighed by the new harm it causes.

Anyway, watch the ad and make your own conclusions.

Oh, and some other things that makes you go “hmmm.”  First, they call school board members “trustees.”  I’ve never heard that term used in South Dakota.  Second, they use a lot of generic photos and videos, including a shot of a capitol and lobbyists that I don’t think is in the Capitol in Pierre.  Lastly, they placed the ad on You Tube UK rather than the “American” version of the site: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaq00osDpMo

A Yes on 10 bumper sticker!

Spotted on Main Avenue on a parked car in downtown Sioux Falls. 

I'm sure Sibby is proud!

I’m sure my young Republican friend Pat Powers over at South Dakota War College will find this intelligence on Initiated Measure 10—interesting.

The Clean and Sober Government Act or whatever it is called—actually has some supporters!

Driving down east 6th Street in Sioux Falls, I saw for the first time two blue and white “Yes on 10” signs in a yard.

Does Lee Breard have relatives in Sioux Falls?  Seems unlikely that anyone else would display support for such a dopey law.

Talk about opening up with a major KA-BOOM!

Pat Powers has started an “educational” site about Initiated Measure on the so-called Open and Clean (or is it Clean and Sober?) Government Act. Ok. Actually, it opposes IM10.

In his first posting, I thought I was reading Clarence Darrow and the importance of freedom of religion and the importance of public education. Pat is definitely a free thinker. And that is a major, major compliment in my book.

He gives Steve Sibson, whose group, the South Dakota Conservative Action Council, is supporting IM10, holy, freaking hell.

Some excerpts:

It’s a well known fact that the placing of initiated measure 10 on the ballot was engineered by the South Dakota Conservative Action Council; a group that most conservatives would not be caught dead associating with. Why? A perfect example was held out this morning by SDCAC founder Steve Sibson on his website, “Sibby Online.”

Sibby Online not only serves as a propaganda wing of the SDCAC, but for several years has served as author of South Dakota’s most fringe conservative website. Sibson himself has been banned by many media outlets at a time when they’re actively pursuing the new media.

The war on public education has long occurred at Sibby Online on the basis that it provides instruction in “Secular humanism,” as opposed to a biblical worldview, despite the constitutional separation of church and state. But it predictably took it’s attacks on education even further when it came out today noting that school district pre-school screenings are nothing more than a “nanny state tactic.”

And:

A free and appropriate Public Education is guaranteed by the South Dakota Constitution. And despite Sibby Onlne’s protestations to the contrary, The US Constitution’s first amendment, notes: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Despite Sibson’s insistence that even a public education teach a biblical worldview, over what he terms as “secular humanism,” it’s important to ensure that our educational system not play favorites with religious views.

While those views might be our own, the child practicing judiaism or islam sitting next to our own child might disagree.

When you see how this founder of the SDCAC has drawn the battle lines over education, can South Dakota parents afford to put the SDCAC in the drivers seat when it comes to any legislation? Under the guise of “Government Accountability and Transparency,” Initiated Measure 10 is simply the first salvo by the SDCAC against the citizens of South Dakota.

Not only the Sibby/PP War continues but the battle has moved to IM10. Pat, thanks for an honest, hard-hitting, and thoughtful piece that all reasonable South Dakotans can get behind.

Technorati Tags: Open and Clean Government Act, IM10, Pat Powers, Steve Sibson, 2008 Election, South Dakota, free thinking, freedom of religion

I have an ongoing social "relationship" with a Member of Congress.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, is my "Tweetie." (But not to be confused with my Man Crush, Sen. Barack Obama.)

Actually, Rep. Culberson and I Twitter one another on a semi-regular basis. I have had interesting discussions (in 140 characters or less) on technology issues, open government, and social media. Rep. Culberson, a conservative Republican, is a firm believer in open government and uses Twitter as a way to communicate with his constituents--and beyond.

Frankly, I've had more direct discussions with my new Texas pal than my own South Dakota delegation over the past month or two. But that also shows the power of social media like Twitter.

Colleague Bob Schwartz at Politics and Hypocrisy has an extensive posting about Congressional use of Twitter and how the body is having difficulty adjusting to giving its members full freedom to use new technologies like Twitter. I urge you to read Bob's extensive post on this issue.

I salute Rep. Culberson (@johnculberson at Twitter, BTW) and other Congressmen and women who are trying new ways to keep in touch with the people who send them to Washington.

You can Twitter me at @SDWatch.

Cross posted to SD Watch and Kansas Watch.

Technorati Tags: John Culberson, Twitter, Politics and Hypocrisy, social media, Congress, open government

I don't know if it is a great day for citizen journalism or a bad day for professional journalism.

With just a little bit of digging in the right places, a cartoonist and arist--Scott Ehrisman of SoDacola blog fame--has apparently uncovered one of the linkages in Gov. Mike Rounds' force-feeding of a high school laptop program on our state (and despite cries from his own fellow Republicans in the legislature).

As the old Watergate adage goes, "follow the money." Scott did. And this is what he discovered (reprinted with permission):

As I suspected the owner of the company that has the servicing contract for the school laptop program made individual contributions to Rounds’ governor campaigns in 2000 and twice in 2006:

SDSOS.org Finance reports

The owner of this company also sat on the advisory committee that helped organize the program:

SD Dept. of Education press release

Is there anything illegal about this. NO, not at all. But it does make one suspicious why Rounds has been pushing to save this program? Doesn’t it? But when has he ever been concerned about ethics? His secretary of education says it is about the kids. Is it really about the kids?

I’m wondering how long it will take for our supposed 4^th Estate to connect the dots?

This is a brilliant piece of citizen journalism. Scott had a hunch, followed it, researched it through public records, and came up with a pretty darn interesting result. (Sibby and Pat Powers have also done some excellent citizen reporting as well, to acknowledge my buddies on the Right.)

Which leads to perhaps an even broader question: why didn't the South Dakota Press do what Scott did?

All this took was a little bit of Scott's time, a computer, and an internet connection. Time, computers, and the internet are all things our friends in the media have.

All they would have to do to advance the story would be to solicit a response from the Rounds Administration and the contributor. Then talk to someone in the world of open government and maybe a Democratic legislator.

Boom! Done. A great lead story.

I fear for my former profession of professional journalism. There is so much laziness.

Let me digress for just a moment to make my point.

Saturday I was at Sioux Falls Ford getting my oil changed and my tires rotated. It took an hour or so. In the waiting room, between bags of popcorn and raspberry slushies, I watched CNN Headline News. Guess where about half of their news was coming from? Citizen journalists who had sent in videos and photos of tornodos, fires, and the 4th of July.

It was satisfying to see citizens reporting. But where were the pros? And this was CNN, mind you, not poor, understaffed KDLT.

Scott, great job and great reporting. Notice it's pretty much "just the facts, ma'm." And shame on our state and local media for not having the gumption, ya-yas, and enterprise to do what a cartoonist did.

Technorati Tags: laptops, Mike Rounds, South Dakota legislature, open government, citizen journalism, MSM, media