An Argus Leader Thune Forum reader tries to imply that I'm ghost writing letters to the editor against Sen. John Thune on veterans health care.

I'm not.  My good friend Marlon Mollett did write one last week.  I coach soccer and drink beer with Marlon but I didn't draft his letter to the editor.  He's perfectly capable of that himself and he wrote an excellent, well-reasoned and researched letter.  Marlon is a Vietnam Era veteran, 82d Airborne.  He knows better than most of us about this topic.

Here's the post:

RonL Senior Member   Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,848

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeVee Is Thune serious about his support of veterans or is he just giving lip service? If Thune is going to talk the talk, it is time he walks the walk. Marlon D. Mollet Sioux Falls I wonder if his buddy Todd Epps wrote this for him?

This interesting tidbit comes from the Gallup Organization:

http://www.gallup.com/nl/?19381,AlertSP,10/25/2005,

This not unexpected news comes from today's Wall Street Journal (subscription):

BP's Net Rises 34% on Higher Oil Prices

BP's profit rose 34% as soaring oil prices and refining margins cushioned the impact of repair costs and lost production from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

At first I thought this story from today's Rapid City Journal was sort of silly, but as I read it, it made sense.  Women readers of S.D. Watch, please take special note.

Are Bad Bras a Cancer Link?

The average human has more than 600 lymph nodes in their body, and a lot of them are located under the arm and at the edge of the breast, the same places, unfortunately, where ill-fitting bras can ride, pinch, squeeze and cause problems to breast tissue.

"If a bra fits too tight or poorly, it restricts the surface flow of blood and lymph through the breast, pooling lymphatic fluid and blood in the breast tissue" said Dr. Cory Carter, who practices alternative medicine in Rapid City. He is a board certified doctor of traditional naturopathy who has practiced for 25 years in South Dakota, the last seven of them in Rapid City.

As breast cancer is a leading killer of women, it's something serious to think about.

Scientists love The Big S.D. Watch!

The science set today comes from NASA and California Polytechnic State University.

Must be that new section of Big Quantum Mechanics that's attracting them.

And, as is often the case, some U.S. Senator or their staffer is starting their day doing the people's business by reading The Big S.D. Watch!

Salute, scientists and Senators! 

I am forced to beg.  For the love of God, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, please, no more stories about Patrick Deuel, the former morbidly obese dude from Valentine, NE.

I do not need to know that he has lost the equivalent in weight to two Minnesota Vikings.

I do not need to know that he has an agent to sell his life story of eating himself into his own bed.

I and I for gol durn sure don't need to know what a panniculus is (eeeewwwwwweee!) (See below.)

Memo to Argus Leader: please do not further inflict Mr. Deuel and his problems on the rest of us in the Sioux Empire.

His story is not inspiring.  You have helped to turn this poor man's life into a freak show.  ENOUGH ALREADY!

Here's their excerpt of today's latest corpulence saga, if you must know:

467 pounds and still losing weight
Oct. 24, 2005
VALENTINE, Neb. - Sixteen months after he checked into Avera McKennan Hospital weighing half a ton and near death, Patrick Deuel has dropped the equivalent of two National Football League linemen. Now the 43-year-old Valentine man, who has taken an agent to help sell his story, would simply like to lose the massive paunch drooping over his belt. Called a "panniculus," the mass of sagging skin, fat and fluids weighs between 70 and 100 pounds and hangs past his knees, particularly on the right side, impeding his ability to walk.

I love this headline from Sibby today!

Chad Schuldt paid to lie about Iraq?

Never mind that Chad Schuldt didn't have a blog, I believe, in 2003 when President Bush decided to go to war.  And never mind that it is now pretty clear that the Bush Administration even snookered Sec. of State Collin Powell on the reasons for war.  And never mind that no WMDs were found, which, of course, Bush assured us all were there.  And never mind it is the Bush Administration that lied to Congress and the American people and got us into this current mess.

No, the war is all Chad's fault.  And he's a liar, liar, pants on fire and PAID to do it no less! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

And, it's Today's BIG Blog Headline II!  Salute!

U12 Tigers Matt Epp (L) and Eion Donelan (R) lead an attack on goal in their last rec game of the Sioux Falls Soccer Association fall season on Saturday.

Today's Big Blog Headline comes from Blogslot:

Will I Ever Shut Up?

My guess?  Probably not.

Today's Big Visitor and Comment comes from Gizmo:

Bigup! Lived in The Bahamas and writing from NJ. Searched for art and your blog popped up.

Peace

Today's Big Take comes to us via Kevin Woster and the Rapid City Journal's Mt. Blogmore on the current slaughter of mountain lions in the Black Hills:

10/22/2005

Calling all kittens

Filed under:

• Mount Blogmore

— Mount Blogmores @ 10:28 pm

By Kevin Woster

Want my pick for the most bizarre part of the Black Hills lion season so far? The kitten hunt.

Actually, the kitten hunts.

You know, kitten hunts, where a team of GF&P professionals heads out and looks for lion kittens orphaned after a hunter shoots a lion determined to be lactating. Three times that has happened. Six lion kittens have now been sentenced to a life in captivity. Another larger kitten got away, where it may or may not survive, but at least has a chance at a real lion life.

These rescues represent an interesting change of heart for an agency that each spring sends out news releases urging South Dakotans to leave orphaned wildlife alone and let nature take care of its own.

Uh-huh.

Wonder what they’ll say next spring?

While Kevin comes to a different conclusion about the hunt than I do, read the whole posting.  It asks some great and difficult questions of Gov. Mike Rounds and GF&P.

South Dakota Watch is Big!

Yup, as big as all of South Dakota; even bigger at times.

Hence, you are now seeing the portrayal of things as they should be: BIG!

Big, just like this font style! 

Like:

• This Big Day in South Dakota History
• Today's Big Blog Headline
• Today's Big MSM Headline
• Today's Big Take
• Today's Big Visitor
• Today's Big Returning Visitor
• Today's Big Rant
• Today's Big Prediction
• Today's Big Reader Comment

And there will be other Big categories as warranted.

Why?

Donald Trump calls everything he does BIG.  And he's a real estate tycoon, a TV star, and married to a beautiful younger woman.  BIG works.

And Jim Rome, the FOX Radio show host, always has a Big Email of the Day.  And Jim is BIG on the radio. 

Also, remember when KELOLAND-TV's newscasts were "The Big News"? Not "The Little News" or even "The News."  It was "The Big News" with big guys giving us news, sports, and weather.  And they were a ratings juggernaut.

I rest my case.

And this is now, officially, a Big Blog, no matter the readership.

Because you have to THINK BIG!  South Dakota Watch--now Super Sized at No Extra Cost to you, the blog consuming public!

Yup, BIG news!