Sibby Online

Tony Dean still hates the NRA

Tony Dean is right for once, I haven’t been spending enough time over at his web site. I found this post about a new NRA web site:

Hunters are invited to send photos of themselves with downed game for possible posting on a new NRA Website, www.nrahuntersrights.org, set to launch Nov. 1.

The new site will have a section called Trophy Gallery, and all hunters are welcome to send photos in for consideration.

Simply email your picture to: [email protected], and put "Trophy Gallery" in the subject line. All photos should be sharp and display safe gun handling practices. Include the following information with your submission:

· Your name and hometown
· Date and location of hunt
· Firearm used
· Type of game species
· Any special details (first buck, record book animal, etc.)

And Tony Dean says this:

Tony adds: As usual, the NRA hasn't the foggiest idea of what's going on in the real hunting world. Who cares about seeing pictures of dead birds and animals?

If the NRA really cared about hunter rights, they'd be in there using their considerable lobbying power to get the US Senate to enact strong conservation provisions in the Farm Bill.

In South Dakota, we're currently enjoying one of the highest populations of pheasants since the 1960s, and gun rights didn't have a damned thing to do with it.

Well Tony, if Rosie O’Donnell had her way, guns would banned. Their would be no pictures of dead birds and animals and a heck of a lot more pheasants around than we have now.

Again it is Tony Dean who shoots himself in the foot with his mouth. Without guns, their would be no hunting.

I notice that no body provides links to Tony Dean’s web site. So I will add him to my Token Lefties section along with Pat Powers.

Tony Dean shows up

Last week Democrats Todd Epp, Nick Nemec, and Bill Fleming joined in with Pat Powers’ crusade on SDWC to paint me as an extremist. Then Tony Dean shows up and leaves this comment:

Pat: I need to thank you and Todd Epp. Sibby hasn’t attacked me once since you guys came on the scene.

I am not surprised that Tony Dean would join in. He likes to paint those he disagrees with as extremists, and then when fire is returned, play the victim role and whine like a little baby. Here is just one example of what Tony Dean said about NRA members during the 2002 Senate race between John Tune and Tim Johnson:

"but the some (sic) of the right wing nuts in the NRA crowd want only a GOP Senator"

That was posted on his web site on 10/22/2002. That and much more has been deleted from his web site after Tony Dean received heat from people like me. And let’s not forget that Tony Deans was co-chair of the 2002 "Republicans for Johnson":

Tony Dean is host and producer of "Tony Dean Outdoors," and is South Dakota’s most preeminent sportsmen. He is a co-chair of Republicans for Johnson, and discussed Senator Johnson’s commitment to sportsmen.

"I’ve been a lifelong Republican, but it is my pleasure to serve as co-chair of Republicans for Senator Johnson," said Dean. "I’ve known Tim Johnson for about 25 years.

And speaking of Tim Johnson, he is again running for re-election and Badlands Blue has been set up by the South Dakota Democrat Party. Lowell Feld, who used the Cultural Marxist’s race card against conservative George Allen, is running it. I would like to point out that George Allen’s defeat gave the Democrats control of the US Senate. Amazingly Pat Powers continues to promote Badland Blues posts on his SD Blogosphere Update, but considers me too extreme and removed this web site from the SD Blogosphere Update section last week. Pat Powers thinks that I am too conservative and am on the fringe. Typical of a RINO.

Pat Powers went off the deep end when he heard about my efforts to form the South Dakota Conservative Action Council. One of our tenets is property rights. At this April 8, 2004 Sibby Online post, Tony Dean is exposed for attacking West River South Dakota citizen activists who have become out spoken in regard to property rights. Tony Dean also attacked Republican legislators Larry Rhoden, Jim Lintz, and Bill Napoli for supporting property rights in the South Dakota legislature.

And then there is Tony Dean’s thinking about running against Bill Janklow. Here is what I found on a November 3, 2004 SDP post (scroll down):

Bob Mercer reports that the Dems seem to be dropping Dean like a hot potato in a piece in the Watertown Public Opinion today:

Remember when Tony Dean of Pierre was making news as the likely Democratic challenger in 2004 to Republican Congressman Bill Janklow? That was back when Dean was still seen as a hot commodity - "a rock star" in the words of Daschle/Johnson campaign manager Steve Hildebrand - among Democratic strategists after he helped Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson with a hunting ad on TV in the tight race last fall against Republican challenger John Thune.

But when Stephanie Herseth positioned to make another run for the U.S. House in the wake of the Janklow crash, Dean disappeared from the Democrats' radar screen this fall. The reason was a general conclusion that he couldn't beat Herseth in a Democratic primary election next June. The best indication came when State Democratic Party officials gave her the spotlight as emcee for their state central committee gathering recently.

The question now is when Dean will be in another TV ad next fall for Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle - or maybe even Herseth.

No, Tony Dean did not appear on Daschle ads in 2004, but he did contribute money to Daschle’s campaign. If you scroll down this link, you will find this:

DECHANDT, ANTHONY E (TONY DEAN OUTDOORS), (Zip code: 57501) $250 to A LOT OF PEOPLE SUPPORTING TOM DASCHLE INC on 10/14/03

So Pat Powers has no problem with Steve Hildebrand’s "rock star", but he does with me. My efforts to strengthen the conservative cause in South Dakota has caused Pat Powers to through off his sheep’s clothing and now we see another who is truly a RINO. Pat Powers is just as much a problem for the conservative cause as Stan Adelstein.

Tony Dean, South Dakota’s Al Gore

Tony Dean has this proudly posted on his web site:

Outdoorsman Dean appears at D.C. rally
By Staff Reports
Argus Leader
Published: March 21, 2007
A flurry of Capitol Hill activity on the subject of climate change has at least one South Dakota connection: outdoors television host Tony Dean.

Dean was one of dozens of speakers at an anti-global warming rally that he said drew more than 3,000 to the Capitol.

"I talked about the changes I've seen where I live. Light waterfowl migrations much later than historically they were," he said. "I'm an ice fisherman ... We used to open the season on Thanksgiving weekend, and that just hasn't been the case the last four, five years."

A House committee on Monday held hearings on alleged censorship of climate science, and today another committee plans to host former Vice President Al Gore and one of his most prominent critics, Bjorn Lomborg.

Note the reference to "Light waterfowl migrations" as you take a look at the introduction to an Argus Leader report in today’s issue:

In the late 1990s, U.S. and Canadian waterfowl managers took an unprecedented step to try to prevent the seasonal snow geese migration from becoming a tragedy.

They allowed hunters to shoot as many as 20 snow geese a day in a season stretching from February to May.

The liberal limit, targeting geese on their way to breed and allowing hunters to use recordings of goose calls, flew in the face of longstanding notions of fair chase and of regard for snow geese as a fragile resource. But the flock that had been growing at 5 percent a year since the 1970s was approaching an estimated 9 million birds.

Those birds were overgrazing and devastating intertidal plains in the tundra, threatening their own existence. The goal was to reduce the size of the mid-continent flock by one-half within five years.

As the snow geese conclude their annual migration north through South Dakota, it appears their numbers still are creeping upward.

So it looks like the biggest danger to geese is too many, not too few. And the report evens says this:

But if the flock numbers can't be decreased by hunting or natural pressures in the Arctic - such as predators or harsh weather - biologists say measures such as poisoning might have to be employed.

Like Al Gore, Tony Dean has resorted to lies to fuel the environmentalist’s global warming myth. This is just another example of why some refer to this so-called Republican as Phony Dean.

Tony Dean still doesn’t get it

The second Amendment is not about hunting. But his latest Argus Leader column shows that Tony Dean still doesn’t understand that. It is that lack of understanding that qualifies Tony Dean as being anti-gun, not his support of Tim Johnson in 2002.

Dean’s column was about Jim Zumbo, an outdoors writer who said this about so-called assault rifles:

"This really has me concerned. As hunters, we don't need the image of walking around the woods carrying one of these weapons. To most of the public, an assault rifle is a terrifying thing. Let's divorce ourselves from them. I say game departments should ban them from the prairies and woods."

Then Dean makes this defense:

So, here we have a man who spent his entire adult life promoting hunting, the shooting sports and the second amendment, going down in ruins.

How can you say that one who advocates banning guns is supporting of the second amendment? You can’t. That is why Tony Dean is anti-gun, and unlike Mr. Zumbo, he refuses to admit that he is wrong. The Second Amendment is not about hunting. It is about defending our freedoms, and sometimes that requires the use of an AR-15. And with God’s blessings, we will never have to do that. But in the meantime, we can sharpen our marksmanship by shooting a few coyotes with the AR-15.

Now here is what Mr. Zumbo is willing to do to make amends:

Believe it or not, I’m your best friend if you’re a hunter or shooter, though it might not seem that way. I simply screwed up. And, to show that I’m sincere about this, I just talked to Ted Nugent, who everyone knows, and is a Board member of the NRA. Ted is extremely active with charities concerning our wounded military, and though he’s known as a bowhunter, Ted has no problem with AR 15’s and similar firearms. My sincerity stems from the fact that Ted and I are planning a hunt using AR 15’s. I intend to learn all I can about them, and again, I’m sorry for inserting my foot in my mouth.

In his column, Tony Dean said, "Zumbo apologized for his remarks but found no forgiveness", as he attack the NRA. Ted Nugent a NRA board member seems to have forgiven Mr. Zumbo. And based on his willingness to actually go hunting with an AR-15 with Ted, I too not only forgive Mr. Zumbo, but I respect him for saying he was wrong. He learned from his mistake. Maybe Tony Dean can learn a few things from Mr. Zumbo. And then Tony will stop making false accusations like this:

The treatment Jim Zumbo has received is horrible, though typical of the Rush Limbaugh world we're living in.

So now it is Rush Limbaugh’s fault. No wonder many still call him Phony Dean.

Come on Tony, admit that you were wrong by advocating guns are only for hunting, and apologize to NRA members for calling us a bunch of extremists, just because we defend the true meaning of the Second Amendment.

Tony Dean’s anti-landowner crusade

Tony Dean responded to my post regarding his Argus Leader propaganda piece they titled "Dangerous hunting legislation":

Tony responds: As usual, Steve Sibson, who likes to take potshots at me, and frequently refers to me as a "socialist," is totally out of touch with SD Sportsmen.

Here, he seemingly endorses Texas-style hunting. His problem is that he has few original thoughts...if Rush Limbaugh says it, Steve repeats it. And he apparently believes that if he continues to call me "anti-gun," someone will believe it.

Moreover, this legislation doesn't provide these conservative landowners freedom from government; instead, it requires government to provide them with transferable licenses that they can sell at big profit.

What do our visitors think? Is Texas-style hunting as envisioned by those sponsoring this legislation, what we want in the future in South Dakota?

I'm betting not.

As for Cheney, since he shot Harry Whittington, and since the nation is coming down on him for the Iraq fiasco, he's been silent. Perhaps the President is keeping a muzzle on him. Also interesting is the investigation into Scooter Libby, and the farther it goes, the more apparent it seems he's been designated the scrificial lamb for someone higher in the food chain. Who? Anybody's guess. One thing's certain, I would not look forward to hunting with Cheney, unless I wore kevlar. Besides, none of the folks I hunt with will hunt with anyone who drinks a beer at lunch and then loads his gun.

At least Tony Dean took my bait on what should be considered dangerous hunting. But his BS about "Texas-style hunting" is nothing but propaganda that his Kool-Aid drinkers would believe. Here is one that Tony Dean posted:

Tony,

You're concerns about "Texas Style Hunting" are correct and Sibson's doesn't come close to representing the views of most outdoors people!! It sounds like "following the $$$$ would explain where Mr. Sibson's view comes from. Keep up the good work.

Jim Bennett

thanks Jim. Steve is, I think, a well-meaning through misguided individual who repeats what Rush Limbaugh says and believes all of it. Ditto with the views of the NRA.

Steve cnsiders me anti-gun because I supported Sen. Tim Johnson in a contentious election a few years ago, and takes every opportunity to label me as a "socialist" or a "humanist." He has few ideas of his own and specializes in name-calling.

The other difference between us is that I have founded three businesses and know what it means to meet payrolls. Steve works for someone else.

He says I have received the blessings of the free enterprise system, without realizing that those blessings are open to all...but in order to capitalize on them, you still have to work, generally harder than anyone else. Those freedoms aren't automatically given to anyone except those willing to stick their necks out and undergo considerable personal and financial risk.

I don't know why Steve favors the Texas system of hunting because I don't think he can afford it anymore than I can.

Most of what he spews are the ideas and beliefs of other right wingers. In this case, he is attempting to drive a wedge between myself and property owners.

And as long as we can separate the Property owners he's representing from the hard working farmers and ranchers who operate responsibly and ethically, he won't be successful.

Tony

Its funny how Tony Dean whines like a little baby when I correctly label his political ideology, but he doesn’t think twice about attacking conservatives and falsely accuses me of supporting "Texas-style hunting". Here is a comment that describes the term:

Hunting over bait should be considered shooting over bait.

Hunting in fenced areas where the whole area can be photographed from air, isn't hunting, its shooting. Other than that, I don't really have a problem with those 7,000+ acre plots of fenced land, Deer CAN and WILL escape you there.

It is easy to pass on tame deer and ones who have nowhere to go.

I don't think that Texas style hunting will ever become the norm for the entire country, there are just too many guys who like to do it the hard way.

Now here is the language of the legislation that passed a House committee yesterday 9-4:

The Game, Fish and Parks Commission shall promulgate rules pursuant to chapter 1-26 to establish a program for the issuance of landowner-sponsored big game hunting licenses to persons designated by the owners or lessees of land located in South Dakota. Under the program any resident landowner or lessee who owns or leases at least six hundred forty acres of agricultural, grazing, or timber land in South Dakota may sponsor a resident or nonresident applicant for one landowner-sponsored big game hunting license in addition to any big game license to which the landowner or lessee would otherwise be entitled. Each landowner- sponsored applicant shall be issued a landowner-sponsored license at the same cost as a corresponding landowner license. The landowner-sponsored license may only be used on the landowner's or lessee's property.

There is now way that this legislation would be used to make South Dakota landowners filthy rich by building high fences around their property and sell "ONE" deer tag. Here is a link to a Texas commercialized hunting operation. Clearly, there is no way an operation such as that could survive with just "ONE" deer tag. Clearly the legislation is not about hunting fenced-in tame deer by using bait. Tony Dean is just blowing smoke. He acuses me of calling him names, so I will pass on what others call him…Phony Dean. He has trouble dealing with the truth, such as Tim Johnson's voting record against gun shows, and in favor of Rosie O'Donnel's anti-gun Million Mom March.

Tony Dean also attacks me for only repeating what Rush Limbaugh says. Thankfully Rush was not too busy yesterday to respond to my request on how to deal with an anti-gun socialist. (grin). It seems like Tony Dean has no original thoughts as he simply repeats what Chris Hesla tells him. This is from Tony Dean’s web site regarding the passage of the above legislation:

A rose by any other name, is still a rose...and no matter what they do with HG 1177, it is still a dog. Here is Chris Hesla's (SDWF)report. This legislation needs to be killed by SD Sportsmen.

In House Committee today the only Bill heard was HB 1177 dealing with our issues, it had a complete HogHouse done. It went in a transferable tag and came out a Sponsored Tag.It is the same thing just different name. The new Bill is really a bad Bill. First landowners right now get 50% of all big game tags, this Bill just does not specify deer it is Big game? Elk? If every landowner who get 50% tags now each take their one sponsor tag, how many tags are left for the public? You need to have 640 acres to qualify, you can "gift " or sell this tag. To the highest bidder? E-bay? It is only on the landowner's or lessee lands not for public land. It does have a two year sunset clause.

And here is what Hesla said about another piece of legislation that allows for life-0time hunting licenses:

HB 1299 An Act to authorize the issuance of lifetime hunting and fishing licenses.
This is a bad Bill that will cost money from GF&P budget, that funds all of the programs

So Jim Bennett should lay off Tony Dean’s Kool-Aid and understand that it his ilk that is only concerned about "following the $$$$". Money used by GFP to buy land so that the government can control it, instead of American citizens. Clearly this is socialism. Clearly this is a danger to private ownership of land. Clearly this is anti-American.

Tony Dean, Argus Leader propagandist

The Argus Leader published a Tony Dean column today regarding South Dakota legislation titled, "Dangerous hunting legislation". Now who would propose "dangerous hunting legislation"? First Tony Dean promotes a "democratic sport" is more important than property rights:

Rep. Betty Olson has introduced HB 1148, which repeals the doctrine South Dakota conservation officers use to check hunters for compliance with game laws on private land.

Under the terms of her bill, Conservation Officers can only enter private land without permission under these circumstances:

- If reasonable suspicion or probable cause exists that a violation of a law that the conservation officer is authorized to enforce has been, is being, or is about to be committed.

- To investigate a report of illegal hunting, fishing, or trapping activity.

- To dispatch crippled or distressed wildlife.

- To respond to emergency situations, accidents, or other threats to public safety.

To enter at any other time without landowner permission is, in Olson’s view, a violation of property rights.

I am of a different philosophical bent. The open fields provision helps keep hunting a democratic sport, and just as seeing a Highway Patrol car top an oncoming hill causes many motorists to lift their foot, the knowledge that a conservation officer could show up at any time helps keep some hunters honest. And one has to wonder just what landowners who favor this legislation have to hide from conservation officers.

He then urges Argus Leader readers to do this:

It is important sportsmen contact their elected Representatives and Senator, says Chris Hesla, who lobbies for the South Dakota Wildlife Federation, and they can do so online by going to the Legislative Research Council’s section on state legislators.

Hesla added that contact with members of the House Ag and Natural Resources committee where the bill is expected to be heard, is especially important.

Astute Argus Leader readers should have noticed the report in today’s paper informing us that the legislation died in the House Ag committee yesterday.

Anyhow, Tony Dean brings up 'another dangerous' hunting bill:

Another dangerous bill, HB 1177 – which was introduced by familiar names; Juhnke, Brunner, Deadrick, Howie, and Olson (Betty) and Senators Garnos, Bartling, Lintz, and McNenny – would allow landowners leasing or owning over 640 acres to purchase transferable licenses. This measure would allow additional privatization of wildlife, especially deer. It’s a dangerous step toward Texas-style hunting and should be rejected by the legislature. It is a bill clearly designed to require the state to aid private landowners who wish to further commercialize big game hunting. Presumably, those licenses would come at the expense of South Dakota hunters.

Somehow I don’t think this "Texas-style hunting" bill would attract Dick Cheney to South Dakota, sine he already hunts here. So what is the dangerous aspect? Perhaps it is freedom from government control that Tony Dean considers dangerous. What truly is dangerous is an anti-gun sportsman pushing the agenda of the far-left anti-American humanists.

Tony Dean responds

I received an email regarding a post I made about Tony Dean promoting socialism:

I found this entertaining piece by Tony Dean last night. Funniest darn thing - today it is no longer on his website and the url doesn't work for it either. Just in case you didn't see his squirrelly article, I'm pasting it here for you.

I don’t know if Tony Dean is just having some problems with his web site, or what, so I will provide you with what he apparently said in response to my post. Here is the introduction:

Steve Sibson of Mitchell is one of those right "wingnuts" who specializes in name calling and lies. Someone pointed out to me that he is again attacking me. So, I visited his site and here's what he has to say:

Notice how he calls be a "wingnuts" and calls me a "name caller". Looks like the pot calling the kettle black. Typical of Tony Dean to not understand the truth about what he presents. Then he calls those who point it out "liar".

So after re-posting my post, he responds with this:

Tony responds: Ever since I backed Sen. Tim Johnson against John Thune a few years back, Steve has taken every opportunity to blast me.

For his information, I do pay a fee to videotape TV shows on public lands administered by the US Forest Service, though I shoot on public waters with no fee.

So what?

Steve poses as the conservative, yet works for a paycheck. For more than 30 years, I have met payrolls and started three different businesses. Pretty socialistic, uh?

Steve cannot get over the fact I oppose the NRA on most gun issues because while they claim to represent hunters, they truly don't. In Steve's world, if you oppose the NRA that makes you anti-gun. Good grief!

Favoring wildlife does not mean opposing freedom. In fact, it means just the opposite.

In the past, Steve has attempted to tie me and the Argus Leader together as participants in some wierd and imaginary plan to be anti-America. Absurd!

But then, so is most everything Steve blogs. Absurd!

Fact is, if Steve Sibson said something nice about me, I'd wonder if I were doing my job.

OK, I will say something nice about Tony Dean. If it wasn’t for him, I may have never started this web site. Thanks Tony.

Now just because Tony enjoyed the freedoms of capitalism over the years, doesn’t excuse his agenda to prevent future generations from enjoying the same freedoms. That doesn’t mean he is not promoting socialists’ positions. It only shows the selfishness of Tony Dean and his inability to understand the truth about what he is promoting. Now with that said, I will say I think Tony truly means well. He is just wrong.

But I do agree with Dean when he said, "Favoring wildlife does not mean opposing freedom." Yes, I too favor, respect, and enjoy wildlife. But when you expect the government to enforce one side’s view on how to deal with wildlife issues and against those who feed the wildlife, then opposing freedom is what best describes the environmentalists’ approach.

Tony Dean, socialist and primitive man

A while back, Tony Dean wrote a column for the Argus Leader titled, "The power of prairie dog politics". Here is the introduction:

In recent days, the SD Stockgrowers Association has opposed the expansion of a national park in South Dakota, while other ranchers have opposed the creation of the nation's first prairie wilderness on a national grasslands in western South Dakota. They claim the wilderness proposal lacks support, ignoring that the three largest grazing permit-holders, favor the designation.

They claim to hate public lands but don't take advantage of the cheap grazing fees that are, by any description, a subsidy. And they resent sharing those lands, whether they be Forest Service, BLM or state school and public lands, with the public. They get by with these attitudes because theirs is a powerful lobby.

Gee, I wonder how much rent Tony Dean pays when he films his fishing programs on public waters? Anyway, I found this column by Ilana Mercer that points out environmentalists like Tony Dean are primitive:

Primitive man worshipped nature and imbued inanimate things with human qualities. So do environmentalists.

She then describes how environmentalists like Tony Dean are socialists:

Environmentalism is socialism revived; the Greens are the Reds incarnated.

In his seminal work, "Capitalism," Reisman elaborates on the philosophical affinity between these maniacal movements: The Reds argued that "the individual could not be left free because the result would be such things as 'exploitation,' 'monopoly' and depressions. The Greens claimed that the individual could not be left free because the result would be such things as the destruction of the ozone layer, acid rain and global warming. Both claim that centralized government control over economic activity is essential. The Reds wanted it for the alleged sake of achieving human prosperity"; the Greens for the alleged sake of avoiding environmental damage."

Tony Dean shows his "Reds" by attacking those stand up to government intrusion:

The SD Lockout is a good example of how they play the game of prairie dog politics. Some don't like the idea that a Game, Fish & Parks conservation officer can come on their land to check for violations, licenses, etc. Because the Game, Fish & Parks Department didn't back off on their use of the Open Fields doctrine, the affected ranchers did what they always seem to do. They closed their land to hunting, and though they've never published a list of participating landowners, they claim to have shut down hunting on over 4 million acres of land in western South Dakota. This is one case where Gov. Mike Rounds deserves a pat on the back for backing Cooper on his insistence of maintaining the Open Fields doctrine to assure that game laws are followed.

As my previous post points out, the Argus Leader seems to think that pheasants are more important than America’s freedoms. And now they seem to have given ink to Tony Dean, an anti-gun sportsman and promoter of socialism, who obviously believes pheasants are more important than America's freedoms. His primitive ideas certainly date back to times prior to the founding of America.

Tony Dean has to be hating this

Kevin Woster has a feature on Betty Olson, who will be representing Dirstric 28B as a representative next year. For those who don’t know, Tony Dean and Betty Olson don’t see eye to eye. Which means that Betty and I get along just fine. Here is more from Woster:

She's kidding, of course - mostly. She does that a lot, mixing self-effacing humor with pointed commentary on the state and its government - as seen from a wind-blown cattle and sheep ranch in eastern Harding County.

Like many of her neighbors, Olson has plenty of opinions on the issues of the day. Unlike her neighbors, she is likely to share them in public venues in ways that are very quotable to reporters and very familiar to her husband.

"I've never been very good at keeping my mouth shut," she said Sunday. "Unfortunately, that means that as soon as things jump into my head, they fly out my mouth."

That's pretty much what happened two years ago during a meeting of a state task force on conflicts between landowners and the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department.

A frequent critic of GF&P policies, Olson spoke at several of those meetings, and in one, she tried to explain why she didn't like the idea of state conservation officers entering her property without permission.

You could summarize her argument in two words, really: nude gardening.

"Here I am, out gardening in the buff, and the conservation officer drives in. That violates my rights," Olson said.

You could argue that there's no clear constitutional right to wander around naked in the tomatoes. But Olson says she was aiming at protecting her private-property rights.

"That's just what came out," she said. "I didn't think about it much. But people sure remember it."

And then there is this regarding Stan Adelstein and HB1215:

Olson accepted an offer of $1,000 for her campaign from Republican state Rep. Alan Hanks of District 32, with the money to come from the Rapid City Action Committee overseen by Hanks.

Later, Olson learned that RCAC was funded by the All South Dakota Political Action Committee, which is funded by Adelstein.

Olson is a strong supporter of HB1215, the near-total ban on abortions approved by the state Legislature and up for public vote this fall. When she found out that the RCAC money came from Adelstein, an outspoken opponent of 1215, Olson pondered giving it back.

Then, she decided on a different response.

"I badmouthed Adelstein and got the money anyway," she said. "My education is expanding."

The main course starts next January, when Olson gets sworn in as a House member for the 82nd South Dakota legislative session. She's hoping to land a seat on the House Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee, which handles issues important to the farm-and-ranch community, including GF&P affairs.

"I think that would be interesting," Olson said.

Certainly, it will be, for her and especially for GF&P..

Looks like Betty could be making things a lot more interesting in Pierre next year for Tony Dean too.

Environmental extremists and higher energy costs

The danger of listening to Tony Dean’s far-left propaganda means stopping progress that would mean lower energy supply. Here is a case in point:

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote July 14 on a permit for the Big Stone II power plant near Milbank.

Four environmental groups oppose the $1 billion plant on grounds it would add to global warming by putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The seven power companies behind the project said the electricity is needed to prevent blackouts and higher prices.

Big Stone II is expected to be finished in 2011.

Opponents outlined their case last week in Pierre during a four-day hearing before the three-member PUC, which must approve it.

The environmental groups want the panel to reject a permit based on carbon dioxide emissions.

Commissioner Dusty Johnson said he isn't sure that is his job.

"Those are things that are most effectively done on a national and international level," he said. "We don't have the sum of all knowledge here at the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission."

Opponents disagree.

"You've got to do it locally. There is no other way to do it," said David Schlissel, a Boston-area consultant hired as a witness for the opponents.

Witnesses for the power companies said although opponents support wind energy, they offered no alternatives that could provide the same steady power supply of coal.

"The real question, and there is no answer, is what happens if this plant isn't built?" Mark Rolfes of Minnesota-based Otter Tail Power Co., project manager for Big Stone II, asked. "Wind cannot do what this plant was proposed to do."

And if they decide to solve the problem with wind power, then Tony Dean and his ilk will whine about ducks flying into the blades.