SD Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence

By Bob Ellis | 08/03/09

The South Dakota Supreme Court decided last Wednesday to vacate the death sentence of convicted murderer Briley Piper in the vicious 2000 slaying of Chester Allan Poage. For those who may not be familiar with the case, or may have forgotten details, this is a summary of the incident from an editorial I wrote in 2006 leading up to the originally scheduled date for the execution of Piper's fellow murderer Elijah Page: According to... read more »

Unwise to Lower the South Dakota Drinking Age

By Bob Ellis | 07/31/09

South Dakota state representative Tim Rounds (R-Pierre) says he wants to lower the state's drinking age to 18, provided the drinking occurs in controlled settings According to an article from KOTA, such "controlled settings" would include clubs or in the presence of adults. Another stipulation Rounds cited would be that the alcohol not include hard liquor. Rounds is quoted in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader: "Young... read more »

Number Three Senate Republican John Thune Launches Health Care Blog

By Bob Ellis | 07/31/09

 Thanks to the good Tim Fountain at Northern Plains Anglicans I’ve learned that Senator John Thune (R-SD) has launched the Healthcare Freedom blog to discuss the planned government takeover of healthcare.   As Senator Thune said in his press release announcing the blog: “Republicans and Democrats alike know we need to reform our nation’s healthcare system. I support common sense reform that... read more »

School Funding Lawsuit Ruling Treats Taxpayers as Servants of Government

By Bob Ellis | 07/24/09

According to KELO and other sources, the South Dakota Supreme Court today overturned a previous decision by Circuit Judge Lori Wilbur that South Dakota school districts did not have standing to join a lawsuit to milk the taxpayers for more education funding. Over the past couple of years, several school districts across the state have, using taxpayer money, joined a lawsuit against the state of South Dakota because they... read more »

Cutting-Edge Science in the Black Hills

By Bob Ellis | 07/14/09

The folks at the Sanford Underground Laboratory at Homestake held Neutrino Day in Lead, South Dakota last Saturday, and my family and I joined them for this fun and interesting time.  Neutrino Day is a presentation in the Black Hills town of Lead (pronounced "LEED"), where the old Homestake Gold Mine was bringing up gold until about 2002. At the time it was the deepest gold mine in the country at well over a mile deep. When... read more »

Rapid City Independence Day Tea Party

By Bob Ellis | 07/06/09

Upwards of 1,000 people came out Saturday to Citizens for Liberty's Independence Day Tea Party in Rapid City. You never know what you’re going to get for attendance at such an event when it's held on a holiday. Many people, like most of my family, were traveling out of town and didn't get back until late Saturday afternoon.  There were also something like 20,000 people up late the night before at Mount Rushmore for the... read more »

Senator Thune Calls for Investigation of Buried EPA Global Warming Memo

By Bob Ellis | 06/30/09

According to a release from Senator John Thune (R-SD), he is joining Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) in calling for an investigation concerning the report casting doubt about anthropogenic global warming that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) buried before the cap and trade global warming tax vote last week. On the eve of the HR 2454 “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009” vote last Friday it came to... read more »

Tea Parties Mobilizing Against Government Health Care

By Bob Ellis | 06/20/09

The folks who brought you the Sioux Falls Tax Day Tea Party are planning another Tea Party for July 2 at  W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds, according to the Argus Leader. Organizers hope to ignite a movement to stop pending health care reform proposed by President Obama's administration. They say the legislation would lead to a more socialized approach to medicine that will have a negative and irreversible effect on U.S. health... read more »

Witness to Nazi Regime to Speak on Freedom in Sioux Falls

By Bob Ellis | 06/16/09

The freedoms our forefathers fought for are slowly being taken away.  This will continue to happen should the people of our great nation remain silent. Legislation such as hate crimes, gun control, increasing taxes, and euthanasia have been passed. Where is this all going to take our country?Kitty Werthmann grew up in Austria under the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.  She has seen firsthand the devastating effects when people elect and... read more »

Hot Air to Invade Sioux Falls

By Bob Ellis | 06/11/09

Democrats are on the march in congress, with plans to gouge you for more taxes in their cap-and-trade global warming tax scheme.   Public utilities commissioners and other officials around the country estimate this global warming tax will increase your electric bill by 40% or more.  Experts estimate this tax scheme will cost thousands of jobs, while only lowering the global temperature (maybe) by 9/100ths of a degree in the next 40... read more »