John Howard Gates

A continuation of the Boomerang blog’s family history thread, this post details the history of one of the characters pictured in the photograph featured in the post of August 26 2009, namely John Howard Gates, the gentleman positioned at the far right of the gathered personages. John Howard Gates, son of John Cook Gates and Adelia St. John Gates, was born in Waterloo Iowa on October 26, 1865. His sister, Fanny Cook Gates, was born in 1871. John Howard was famous in  some circles (see biography here) as a justice of the South Dakota supreme court, but he is most famous to Boomerang readers as the father of our mother or grandmother or great grandmother Beah. His other two children–and Beah’s younger siblings–were John Carter and Hobart Hare.

John Howard’s hometown newspaper, the Waterloo Evening Courier, kept excellent track of his life and career, including his daughter’s wedding, but we like the Iowa Press Citizen’s announcement of that event the best:

Iowa Press Citizen August 22, 1925 -- September Wedding of Interest

John Howard died on November 8, 1927 at the age of 62 of “bronchitis which developed from a cold of four days’ duration” — as the Waterloo Evening Courier put it in its article of November 10th (see full item here).

Tribe Buys Back Land

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091227/ap_on_re_us/us_buying_back_america;_ylt=Ao6XzbxpqJ5QOfhutXY58olv24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTNiMWtyY21kBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMjI3L3VzX2J1eWluZ19iYWNrX2FtZXJpY2EEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM1BHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDaW5kaWFudHJpYmVz

We all think about cultural differences when writing a book that takes place in a foreign country. What we fail to realize, especially if we live in one general location for much of our life, is that even in America there are huge cultural differences that you may not even realize between the midwest and the east coast.

As a result, I shall share some of them with you, and probably post more as I think about it. (I can probably post a whole post about farming, as a note, so I will probably leave most of that out of this one.)

To make this easier, I will say that I have lived in three small towns in the midwest, one in Minnesota, one in South Dakota, and one in Illinois. MN town size was about 2500 in the southwest corner, SD town size about 14,000, and IL town size about 100 in central IL. I will probably refer to these towns in my examples. (HOwever, as a note, the town in SD is in the top 10 largest towns.)  By MN, I do not mean the twin city area.

- First of all, there might not be a local walmart in town. In MN and IL, we had to drive an hour to go to Walmart. There might be a Pamida, a cheapo walmart without food, about 10 miles away, depending on the location of the town and the nearby towns, but just as well might not.

- There are no malls in small towns. None. General rule of thumb, if the town is on a radar map, it has a mall. If not, no mall. Even the town in SD,

- Also, there are no real bookstores, like Barns and Noble or Borders. If you want a book, you can either buy it used from a second hand store, such as goodwill or salvation army or even a locally owned one. Sometimes, the library sells book as well.

- In SD, (At least in Mitchell), they charge a dollar for interlibrary loans. However, in MN, you can get a book from anywhere in state, so long as the library will send it to you.

- When buying a (used) car, one can borrow the car from the place for a day, after they copy your license. With that, you can test drive it and see what everyone else things. (This was at least true in MN and I’m pretty sure SD.)

- Everyone goes to church pretty much. This is getting a little less common with younger people but everyone does pretty much go to church on Sunday. It’s not a case of whether or not your a Christian. It’s a family thing.

- In MN, they knew who we were, knew who our dog was, but we hardly knew them. (They called once to tell us to catch our dog or they’ll call the police.)

- The police in MN caught dogs and would bring them to the vet in the next town for holding.

- People in SD do not use outhouses.  We have indoor plumbing just like everyone else.

- (applies to SD and MN) Snow isn’t that bad, in all honestly. We will leave the house and do things when there is snow, even if they are saying six inches. The snow plows just go out and start working. However, the problem comes when the wind picks up, or there is ice. Blowing snow makes driving difficult and ice, although not that common as part of a storm, makes a normal snow storm bad.

- There is nothing but fields between towns. Fields and maybe a few houses but generally just fields.

- There are no streetlights on the interstate. It’s all dark. And there isn’t always cars either that you can see, so it might just be you and only you in both directions.

- People in small towns are not as friendly as it always looks. It takes about three years for them to accept that you are going to stay I’ve heard.  However, that doesn’t mean people don’t know; it just means that it’s not like people in the movies where everyone knows, and talks to, everyone.

- Towns usually have their own fireworks display somewhere near town.  (IL did not, but a larger town (about 12,000 I think) did.

- Fall doesn’t really happen up north in SD and MN. There’s about two weeks where all the trees change colors (boring colors at that) and that is all.)

- The wind can be a real killer, especially in winter but sometimes in summer. We do get 30 some mph normal winds. This can be difficult to ride a bike into, or even walk. MOreover, one time a bad wind came and we had a layer of dust on the table we normal ate at. However,  a 15 to 20 mph wind isn’t that bad. 20 to 25 is when we start to worry. (We also almost never have no wind, either in SD or in MN.)

More shall come later, as I think about them, including a special one on farming as I know it. (Oh, and just so that you realize I can say this, I’ve lived in southern CAlifornia for some time, Knoxville, TN, and visit my grandmother often in northern New Jersey.)

One blanket that I had on my bed I have decided to use as a lap robe to keep warm while talking on the phone. It acted more like a lap robe than a blanket because it keeps falling to the end of the bed between the covers so I am deprived of it as a blanket. I had to keep pulling it back up.

Ok so I tried using the blanket for a lap robe but it failed as a lap robe. I put it back on the bed between different covers so maybe it will work as a blanket. So I got out the sleeping blanket and that works really good for a lap robe while I am working.

New tarpaulin: had to buy because the old one disintegrated in the hot Arizona sun. I now have a sheet of plastic covering the washer and dryer. Then over the sheet of plastic I have a canvas tarpaulin. So we’ll see how long that lasts. In the meantime I will have to try to think up something to cover the washer and dryer that will be more permanent.

I still have not heard from South Dakota. I did hear from Australia and Guam though. I also was able to say mele ke meke maka to someone from Hawaii and that was a hoot. It was much more exciting to me than to the person I said it to. Oh well. Such is life.

My bathroom sink was plugged up so I used the ole homemade remedy of vinegar and baking soda. I did several treatments and finally was able to unplug the sink. I did not want to call the landlord and make him unhappy.

When I was getting ready for my big road trip I was thinking about what I would do on the road between my starting point and my destination point. There was a shawl that I wanted to knit. The name of the pattern is: The Flower Basket Shawl. This is the link if you want to see what it will look like. http://www.fibertrends.com/product/203880/S2014/_/S2014_The_Flower_Basket_Shawl  I did an Internet search to find a place in Ann Arbor that had a copy of the pattern and the yarn to purchase. I went to a yarn shop on South Industrial and bought the pattern. Flying Sheep Yarns www.fsyarns.com/ I bought one hank of the yarn I wanted. The name of the yarn is  Alpaca With A Twist in lace weight. I chose the burgundy/maroon color. I would have purchased two hanks but they only had one. So then I did another Internet search to find another shop that had the Alpaca With A Twist. Knit A Round www.knitaround.com/  had my second hank and while I was there I also purchased the needles I would need because I didn’t already have that size.

Ok so I have all the projects done (except for blocking) that I was working on.  I wanted something to start on, so I got out the shawl pattern and the yarn. I read the directions and started a swatch but couldn’t get it to gauge right. So I re-read the directions and discovered that the pattern calls for two strands at a time. So this meant that I still needed two more hanks to complete my project. So here in Tucson I did another Internet search to find yarn shops that carry the Alpaca With A Twist. Purls Tucson www.purlsltd.net/  was closest to where I live so I went there first and also purchased some more needles that I needed. Purls only had one hank so I went to Kiwi Knitting Company www.kiwiknitting.com/  . Fortunately for me Kiwi Knitting Company had the last hank of Alpaca With A Twist that I needed. So after I finish the fingerless mittens I can start on the Flower Basket Shawl. So when I get the shawl done it will be from Ann Arbor and Tucson. How ’bout that.

I did really $$$ well this week. If every week were like this one I would only need to work 4 days a week.

And we are all stuck inside, I hear some folks are running low on the necessities, we have plenty to last us but aren’t going anywhere for a while.

Shoveling out:

Forecast:

And this great pic from my friend Anne’s Facebook:

We have been watching movies, playing poker and drinking some great local wine from Belle Joli Winery and Vineyards from Belle Fourche, SD

Stay Warm,

-DCVaquero

While the children were nestled all snug in their beds…

A blizzard blocked off their front door.  Luckily, we are still able to get out the back (so far):

Even though the neighbors graciously snow-blowed (snow-blew?) out the truck yesterday morning, I don’t think we’re going anywhere today:

But then, they may not be going anywhere either:

At least the roosters are keeping warm:

So, how does it look around the rest of Eastern South Dakota?  Here are some images from the cameras along I-29, courtesy of SafeTravel USA:

North Sioux City

Sioux Falls

Summit

I think it’s pretty wise to stick close to home today.  We make blaze a trail down the block for Christmas breakfast (heavily wrapped from head to toe), but that’s about as far as I plan to travel.

We’re supposed to get about a foot more today and tonight, and the high winds (25-50mph with higher gusts) pretty much guarantee drifting is going to be the biggest problem.

At this point, except for clearing out the exits, it’s probably not going to do much good to shovel–and the wind chills (twenty below or more) will make jaunts outside (like to take images) very quick.

from safetravelusa.com

Yeah, it’s probably good they closed the interstate.

Merry Christmas from South Dakota!  We’re closed for a blizzard, but we’ll re-open sometime in the spring…

A lot of folks have been forced to take interesting routes home for the holidays due to winter storms on the east coast and midwest,  L. Camp has an interesting write-up on her trip over at Anchored which includes a footnote about yours truly and the interesting route that took me home.

It had to do with me driving this sweet ride through 2 blizzards:

I got my bag back yesterday and I am back at the Ranch so I can’t complain too much.

Also my new membership in Delta Sky Clubs was clutch to surviving my 10 hour airport delay.

Merry Christmas

-DCVaquero

From Yasha Levine at truthdig:

Michele Bachmann has become well known for her anti-government tea-bagger antics, protesting health care reform and every other government “handout” as socialism. What her followers probably don’t know is that Rep. Bachmann is, to use that anti-government slur, something of a welfare queen. That’s right, the anti-government insurrectionist has taken more than a quarter-million dollars in government handouts thanks to corrupt farming subsidies she has been collecting for at least a decade.

And she’s not the only one who has been padding her bank account with taxpayer money.

Original DVD cover

Bachmann, of Minnesota, has spent much of this year agitating against health care reform, whipping up the so-called tea-baggers with stories of death panels and rationed health care. She has called for a revolution against what she sees as Barack Obama’s attempted socialist takeover of America, saying presidential policy is “reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom.”

But data compiled from federal records by Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog that tracks the recipients of agricultural subsidies in the United States, shows that Bachmann has an inner Marxist that is perfectly at ease with profiting from taxpayer largesse. According to the organization’s records, Bachmann’s family farm received $251,973 in federal subsidies between 1995 and 2006.

…snip…

However, Bachmann doesn’t think other Americans should benefit from such protection and assistance. She voted against every foreclosure relief bill aimed at helping average homeowners (despite the fact that her district had the highest foreclosure rate in Minnesota), saying that bailing out homeowners would be “rewarding the irresponsible while punishing those who have been playing by the rules.” That’s right, the subsidy queen wants the rest of us to be responsible.

Bachmann’s financial disclosure forms indicate that her personal stake in the family farm is worth up to $250,000. They also show that she has been earning income from the farm business, and that the income grew in just a few years from $2,000 to as much as $50,000 for 2008.

…snip…

But Bachmann isn’t the only welfare recipient on Capitol Hill. As it turns out, there is a filthy-rich class of absentee farmers—both in and out of Congress—who demand free-market rules by day and collect their government welfare checks in the mail at night, payments that subsidize businesses that otherwise would fail.

…snip…

Chuck Grassley, the longtime Republican senator from Iowa who warns his constituents of Obama’s “trend toward socialism,” has seen his family collect $1 million in federal handouts over an 11-year period, with Grassley’s son receiving $699,248 and the senator himself pocketing $238,974. Even Grassley’s grandson is learning to ride through life on training wheels, snagging $5,964 in 2005 and $2,363 in 2006. In the Grassley family they learn early how to enjoy other people’s money.

Sen. Grassley railed against government intervention in the health care market, telling The Washington Times, “Whenever the government does more … that’s a movement toward socialism.” As the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, he ought to know, especially because the government has done more for him and his kin than for Americans struggling with high medical bills and mortgages.

…snip…

Then there’s Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., whose family has been on the government take for at least the past 11 years, pocketing some $500,000. The senator recently held a “prayercast” with Michele Bachmann to beseech God to kill health care reform as soon as possible because it would bring an evil socialist spirit into America. Like Bachmann, Brownback has a fierce belief in God, the free market and a two-year limit on all welfare benefits—unless it’s welfare to rich Republicans who don’t need it.

Not surprisingly, Blue Dog Democrats are on board with this welfare-for-the-rich thing. Max Baucus, the fiscally conservative Democratic senator from Montana who did his best to sabotage the health care reform process before it ever began, collected $250,000 in taxpayer subsidies to his family’s farm while fighting to keep Americans at the mercy of free-market health insurance. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, another Democrat, also helped hold the line against so-called socialized medicine for Americans who need assistance, even though her family farm business follows the socialized subsidy playbook to a T. The Lincolns pocketed $715,000 in farm subsidies over a 10-year period, and the senator even admitted to using $10,000 of it as petty cash in 2007. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Sandlin of South Dakota stayed true to her conservative free-market roots by voting against the public option. Meanwhile, her daddy, Lars Herseth, a former South Dakota legislator, collected a welfare jackpot of $844,725 paid out between 1995 and 2006.

…snip…

Farm subsidies have become so corrupt that payments sometimes go to dead people for years. Federal farm subsidies, which were originally meant to help struggling farmers survive, are now little more than taxpayer robbery, taking taxpayer wealth from working Americans and sending it to the have-mores. According to 11 years’ worth of Environmental Working Group data that tracks $200 billion in subsidies, the wealthiest 10 percent of “farmers” have collected 75 percent of the money. That’s exactly the kind of socialism that Rep. Bachmann and her elite ilk like.

Yesterday I asked Mom to dig up some photos from that dastardly record-setting winter of 1997 when snowbanks as high as Granny’s trailer house covered the plains of rural South Dakota.  I have recently mentioned that month-long blizzard that saw 31 days of school get canceled, but I don’t think words do it justice.  Take a look for yourself!

Here we have my sister and brother posing next to Granny’s trailer house on the farm.  Her house was so buried she couldn’t get out for days.  We walked on top of her roof while walking across the yard!

Granny needed her propane tank filled up so she could have some heat.  Dad and I spent an afternoon tunneling through this mammoth snowbank to find the propane tank so it could be filled up.

The roads were so drifted over that new roads had to be plowed.  In some cases, the new roads probably weren’t even where the old roads were because no one had any way of knowing where the road was supposed to be.  And when you met someone on the road, as Mom did frequently on her mail route, you couldn’t get around each other.  One of the vehicles would have to back out all the way just to let the other one pass by.

Leave it to Dad to plow us out of this mess.  Notice the drifts are actually much taller that even the tractor!

And clearly the most shocking of the photos shows Jordan and Alex playing in a snow drift that’s taller than a telephone pole!

Will the supposed Great Christmas Blizzard of 2009 do this sort of damage?  We’re about to find out!

it’s always an interesting trip when I return to the land of corn, open space, few people, conservatives, and snow…  I was born and raised in South Dakota, and yet I think that most who know me would agree that they always knew I would leave…its like I was programmed to go out and explore..thus the nomad in many of my blogs and titles.. I find myself wandering, and not because I am lost but because when I do I feel free!  Working in politics I often find myself discussing freedoms, who is entitled, and to what they are entitled to… however, sometimes I simply forget about the simple freedom of my spirit.  I was born with a big spirit, one that loves adventure, craves intelligent conversation and loves the insanity of moving to a place 2000 miles from where you currently claim a zip code.  But no matter how far I wander, no matter how many addresses I have, I always know that South Dakota and I share a love…maybe love from afar, but love none the less. 

I haven’t been home for a Christmas in several years (poss. 4), however I still call this place “home”.  I usually have to fly in on a tiny little plane, and I generally question the reason why anyone would ever get on this uncomfortable little plane to go home to what can seem as torture…but I never regret the time I spend in the good ol’ SD.  South Dakota reminds me a lot of Texas, but much much colder!  The people are overly friendly, the land expands for miles, and the meaning of family still takes precedents over “new” traditions.  It is still so quiet and dark that I cannot sleep and crave the lights and noise of the city, and yes, I know that is incredibly backwards…but somehow, even in my insomnia I see its beauty.  I wish I could stay here, I wish I fit…but it’s like I outgrew this place I love, this place I have always known as home. 

I was raised by a very loving, conservative family…they taught me right from wrong, how to be a good citizen, to love learning, to desire to make the world a better place, and ultimately they taught me not to fear where the roads and adventures may lead…little did they know that those lessons would transfer into a liberal, peace-loving, health care for all, green and eco-friendly politico.  But here I am…using the lessons my parents so diligently taught me, only to return to a place that questions if I love my Country.  The answer is YES!  I love the people of this Country, of this State, enough to know that we are better than raising guns, but maybe we need to raise hope.  I love this Country enough to recycle and carry non-disposable bags to the grocery store in hopes of slowing global warming.  I love my country enough to believe that EVERYONE, no matter their social status or their job title deserves to be able to take their children to the doctor when they are running a fever of 103 degrees. 

So many people are struggling and yet, I find time and time again that somehow, there are still people that think that they are better than the guy down the street… however, do we even consider that it is just luck…luck that your job hasn’t been realigned,  luck that your company supplies decent health insurance, luck that your children’s school has great teachers, luck that your vehicle hasn’t broken down…etc.etc..  Life circumstances can change in the blink of an eye…so I challenge everyone to love one another, no matter their political affiliation, their physical address, their job title, what church they attend or don’t attend at all,  love those that are different from you, love those no matter who they choose to love..

Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!

Christmas White-Out
If the weather forecasts are accurate, it looks like Christmas 2009 will be spent snowed in and not heading back to the farm.  My mother has nearly decided to cancel any festivities due to the massive freezing rain, snow, and wind expected to hit the Dakotas and Minnesota over the next few days, the likes of which haven’t been seen since that historic 1997 blizzard, according to Kelo-Land’s own Shawn Cable. Barring a drastic change in the forecast, this would be the first time ever I’ll have not been back home on Christmas day.  The irony is that I need to get home in order to get new tires put on my car, but my current bad tires are part of the reason we can’t risk driving there to get them.  But we can always go over New Years weekend I suppose. Christmas Eve will be held at Lauren’s parents’ house in Bloomington, and more than likely Christmas day as well.

Sick Day
Yesterday I took a sick day as I went to bed and woke up with a stomach ache.  It turns out I had some carry-over sick hours from 2008 that went unused, so I spent the day off doing laundry and cleaning the apartment.  I ventured out a couple times for some minor shopping needs, but otherwise stayed inside.  I got to playing MLB The Show 09 again on PS3 (still the only game I own) and got very frustrated by how hard the game is.  I’ve had it for over a month and haven’t improved much.  Even on the easiest possible settings I am still lucky to score a run or two against the computer.  Others online have also remarked how unusually difficult the game is, especially hitting.  I have mastered pitching though, so at least I can win games by scores of 1-0 and 2-1.  I also had the TV on in the background most of the day, as Universal HD aired a Six Feet Under marathon, which was awesome despite the excessive profanities edited out.

Vegas Ahead
Hard to believe that two weeks from tomorrow I’ll be flying out to Las Vegas for the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.  The MB gang and I will be staying at Harrah’s, home to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, where I plan to spend some of my free time.  It also appears that Jeff will be making the trip down the same time as me.  I’ll certainly get him into the show under one of my extra funny name tags.  Maybe Jeff can be Orneri Feller or Jesus Cornelius Xyborg.  It will be nice to get out of the snow for a few days, but that leaves poor Lauren all alone to brave the roads to and from work!

A Very Unlikely Fantasy Title Game
Very briefly, a note about this year’s fantasy football championship game.  My team, the #7-seed Whorehouse Beagles, will take on the #4-seed, Luke Katuin’s Da Pit.  What makes this game so unlikely?  Luke hasn’t logged in to check his team since the draft, and my team finished 6-7 on the year, only to get hot in the playoffs!  I feel kinda bad for Cooney, Walsh, Lauren, Gillian, Alex, and Matt, who all had better teams than me but will be playing for consolation titles.

Anniversary
Also, happy belated 29th wedding anniversary to Ma and Pa!  I don’t think any celebrating took place this year, but Mom assures me they’ll be taking a trip for their 30th next year.

By Dave Bertrand
News That Matters
December 20th, 2009

Brandon Sazue is a young tribal council leader of the small Native American nation in South Dakota. He has taken a stand to protect 20% of land seized by the IRS in an unprecedented manner to usurp their right to land (supposedly) protected by treaties.

Can it happen to other Americans? Is this the beginning of absolute tyranny for all?

Mistakes were made to protect the land under a “Land Trust” and Brandon explains in video links/info below. But for now, what is important to note….

His people are sick and cold….(Note: I have verified this with Brandon)

The electric company has continued (since January 2009) to pull electric meters of his people for as little as $20 short of one payment (During Winter). The county is the “poorest in the country” and the electric rates are the highest!!

A mobile home electric bill on the reservation averages ~$245/mo. The average income is $5,000/yr. They are experiencing an 80% unemployment rate.

While thousands (and millions) of tax dollars are being handed-over to various tribal leaders in AFGHANISTAN, the American Native Indian is in peril. They’re hungry and need clothes, but more importantly…they need OUR help to get through the winter.

We encourage you to drop a few bucks, if not a $20 bill into the mail today. Mainstream media needs to contact Brandon and expose this outrageous violation of human rights in America. The tribal lands he’s protecting have burial sites of his ancestors.

Yes…it was his ancestors that stopped General Custer when Union soldiers were sent west to round-up the American Indians while the lust for gold and buffalo skin was the fever in the mid-1800’s. We’re coming full circle…

If the Crow Nation falls…we all fall.

Send something today and be blessed.

Brandon Sazue
Crow Creek Tribal Council
P.O. Box 50
Ft. Thompson, SD 57339

Media Contact Information for Brandon

Office: 605.245.2221
Cell: 605.730.0378

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe

The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is part of the Great Sioux Nation which retains our land base in accordance with Treaties in the mid 1800’s which identified lands in eastern South Dakota and Minnesota. The Treaty of 1863 established the original land base along the Missouri River. The reservation was increased in size in the 1889 Act referred to as the Great Sioux Settlement. At one time The Great Sioux Nation extended from the Big Horn Mountains in the west to the east side of Minnesota. Canada is the northern boundary and the Platte River in the southern boundary. The eastern land holdings of the Dakota and Nakota were subsequently reduced by Homestead Acts, other Congressional action, and the courts. The Great Sioux Nation total land ownership was further reduced in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty to the east side of the Missouri River and parts of North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. This includes all of western South Dakota in the middle of the treaty lands. Crow Creek retained land on the east side of the Missouri River. The present day tribal lands are about one half of the original reservation due to Homestead Acts allowing white settlers to locate within the reservation boundaries.

(The Power Hour) http://www.thepowerhour.com/news.htm
Live from Crow Creek Dec.13, 2009 — Protesting IRS sell off of land…they need your help!
* Crow Creek residents continue to suffer — video on conditions at the Crow Creek reservation.
* But they are also working to revitalize the community – Project Can-do
* Some history of the Crow Creek Tribe

Just a few quick thoughts for the holiday season as cranberry bread bakes in the oven, the kittens are asleep with snowmen and a fire crackles in the fireplace.

My friend Mary Mihaly got some year-end good news.  Her book ” The 250 Questions Every Self-Employed Person Should Ask” is out a month early, and you can order it on Amazon for Christmas delivery, or get a copy to start your new year off with a bang – or at least a job.

And my friend Lisa McClintick from St. Cloud Minnesota also got some good year-end news.  She just signed a contract for updating a guidebook about North and South Dakota, places that she and I both love to explore. Here we are together at Crazy Horse in the Black Hills last year.  Have fun writing a caption to that photo, and try not to get snotty about it. I kind of doubt this picture or your caption will make it in her book.

   Lisa has also started a blog I would like to direct you too – 10,000 Likes.  Get it.  She lives in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 Lakes. Maybe you’ll find something to like on 10,000 Likes as well.

  Radio and television are filled this time of year with season’s greetings from military personnel serving around the world, and you ache for their families not able to be together. Such was certainly the case during World War II, but here’s a cheerful story about a nativity built more than 65 years ago by German POWs in Iowa. 

  And my last post referenced an upcoming trip to Fredericksburg, Texas for the dedication of an expansion of the National Museum of the Pacific War. Here is a link to the first of  many more stories I hope to write about this favorite destination.

http://www.redseditorials.com/2009/12/15/were-gonna-need-a-bigger-boat/

    This being the season that celebrates the potential for Peace On Earth, I hesistate encouraging you to read stories about war, but my hope is that by remembering the pain and destruction of war, we can work harder in 2010 and beyond to resolve our conflicts in a more productive and peaceful way.

What the hell! We are down the list as 37th happiest State/City?

A new study I just read on Live Science ranks Washington, DC as the 37th happiest city in America and Alaska is #7? I wonder what type of criteria they used to make such conclusion.

They claim the results are based on an examination of two data sets, one that included personal reports of happiness for 1.3 million Americans and the other that included objective measures, such as how crowded that state is, air quality, home prices and other factors known to impact quality of life.

Interestingly, the states with the highest educational standards and mandatory regulations like DC and NY, are at the bottom of the happiness scale. Perhaps “ignorance” knows something more than the rest of academia suspects. So, I guess, it does make sense to be happy when you accept life, rather than added stress in fighting for a living, or stress of big city living.

Other thing I don’t get, how the heck Louisiana became #1? Last time I checked, Louisiana is an economically depressed state with a lacking education system.

Anyway, here are their complete ranking of 50 U.S. states and our DC in order of their well-being:

1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. South Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Maine
11. Alaska
12. North Carolina
13. Wyoming
14. Idaho
15. South Dakota
16. Texas
17. Arkansas
18. Vermont
19. Georgia
20. Oklahoma
21. Colorado
22. Delaware
23. Utah
24. New Mexico
25. North Dakota
26. Minnesota
27. New Hampshire
28. Virginia
29. Wisconsin
30. Oregon
31. Iowa
32. Kansas
33. Nebraska
34. West Virginia
35. Kentucky
36. Washington
37. District of Columbia
38. Missouri
39. Nevada
40. Maryland
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Massachusetts
44. Ohio
45. Illinois
46. California
47. Indiana
48. Michigan
49. New Jersey
50. Connecticut
51. New York

It’s Scenic Sunday again!  I’ve gone with a sunset theme, and couldn’t pick just one picture. 

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy!  As always, click on the pictures to enlarge them.

For more Scenic Scenes, go HERE!

Sun and Ice

Badlands Burning Clouds

Sinking Badlands Sun

It doesn’t matter where you are; to get a good sunset, you need the sun, some clouds, and a good view to the West!

Some crepuscular wildlife hoping around during sunset.  This is One Eyed Jack, a desert cottontail that lived in the Badlands over this past summer.  He had a rough little life and started out as a wee one that met some hungry predator with poor aim.  Jack roamed around and, amazing us all, made it into late summer with his one good eye.  This is the last time I saw him.  We had a report of a child picking him up outside the Visitor Center, which is where this picture was taken the night before that report, and we never saw him again.  Either someone took him home [can you imagine taking a WILD animal out of a National Park???  Two years ago, I confiscated a juv. swallow from some visitors that were taking him back to Chicago from YELLOWSTONE! wow!] or Jack and his one good eye couldn’t keep away from the Great Horned Owl below. 

Great Horned Owl with a Perfect Perch

Vowing to stop speaking and downsize his house…. Gore confesses: “I am a hypocrite”
LULZ: CanadaFreePress

Usually the world’s most trusted name in journalism, Hugh Betcha, Chief of the World News Desk of the Stoos Views media empire in Wynstone, South Dakota—where the air is clean, the crime rate low, the folks vote red, and the centre still holds—is the go to guy when politicians want to disseminate breaking national and international news.

A man who walks with equal ease on both sides of the aisle in Washington, who moves seamlessly between the Arabs and Jews, and who has been known to get ‘faced with the President on cheap wine, Hugh has the trust of politicians, and movers and shakers of all stripes. But the call from Al Gore this week took him by surprise.

While sitting beside his fireplace on a cold South Dakota night, reading “No, Really, It Is Global Warming….” © 2009 Al Gore Hugh was startled by a call on his cell phone. What he heard, touched him deeply.

“I need to see you this week,” the caller pleaded. “Gotta get some things off my chest.”

“But, it is the week before Christmas,” Hugh replied, “and the connections are not good this time of year.”

“Don’t worry,” the caller said, “I will send one of my jets out there—do they have an airport at Sioux Falls?”

“Sure,” Hugh replied, “but I have four feet of global warming in my driveway and I do not know if I can make it to the road, and….”

“Not to worry,” the caller interrupted, “I can send a Hummer out to get you.”

So, as he has so many times in the past, Hugh packed a bag and prepared for the long flight to the Gore mansion. It was going to be another of those Barbara Walters things again. He could just tell. For despite Hugh’s hard nosed approach to the news, rapier wit and no nonsense style of reporting, he had a softer side and one that often brought his interviewees to tears. Like the time Obama wept like a baby in his arms one night in the White House as the President confessed that he was over his head and had no clue how to run the country; or the time Harry Reid sobbed on his shoulder when he admitted he is an inveterate #####**** who deserves to get beat in the upcoming Senatorial election in Nevada. Things like that. But Gore needed to confide in him somehow, and Hugh never refused such a request. This is what made him the most trusted name in journalism.

Arriving at the Gore Mansion, by chauffeured limousine, Hugh was ushered into the palatial Gore home which is twenty times bigger than the average American home, consumes over 200,000 kwh hours of electricity per year, and costs more than $2,000 per month to heat. Escorted into the Gore study by the butler, Hugh noticed the pictures of those memorable moments in Gore’s life. On one wall, hung pictures of his private jumbo jets which carried him to foreign lands so he could preach to them how to conserve energy and save the planet. There was The Green Machine, The Polar Bear Express, and other of his favorite personal jets. Sure, they each emitted tons of carbon each trip overseas, but it was a small price to pay for enlightening the world. There was the picture of Gore sitting at a computer keyboard on the day he invented the Internet. Or the photos of Gore cradling a baby polar bear, sobbing in vain as the bear’s mother drifted away on an ice floe that was melting rapidly. There was a prominent photo of Gore surrounded by geothermal scientists, briefing him on the fact that the earth’s core was actually hotter than the sun. On another wall hung a picture of Gore in a hard hat, visiting his zinc mines. Hugh’s inspection of the room was interrupted by the Almost President as he walked into the room.

“Sit down please,” Gore invited, “thanks for coming.” It was obvious from his puffy eyes that the former Vice President, Almost President, and Inventor of the Internet had been sobbing.

“What’s up?” Hugh asked, concerned.

“I am feeling a little guilty I guess.” Gore began. “You know, this environmental mumbo jumbo I have been preaching.”

“Yes…”

“Well, I have decided that I am a hypocrite, and it is time to come clean.”

“Why?”

Al Gore's 10,000 sq. ft. mansion in Nashville, TN

“Confession is good for the soul I guess. It occurred to me, I am living here in this huge mansionthat consumes more energy that most villages in Kenya—the country of Obama’s birth—and I am feeling a little guilty about this. Then there are my jets—they drop more carbon into the atmosphere than twenty coal fired energy plants in China—where I have lectured them on cleaning up their air. They consume enough fuel in one week to power 1,000 American automobiles for a year. I own certain zinc mining interests, and those strip mines pollute more water than a chemical plant. Then there are the speeches—I have given 3,000 speeches in the past ten years on global warming and, according to my friends at the EPA, I have exhaled enough CO2 to kill 324 polar bears. My own toxic emissions equal the combined flatus of 20 cattle per year. Put simply, it has become apparent to me that I may be the biggest single polluter on the planet. Lisa Jackson at the EPA has informed me privately that EPA tests show I am the single largest polluter per capita in the United States. In fact, the EPA has threatened to enjoin me if I do not make some changes. Put simply, I am a hypocrite and the single biggest threat to the environment in this country. I am a one man freaking Love Canal and Three Mile Island all in one.”

“So, what do you intend to do about this?”

“I am going to make some lifestyle changes.”

“Such as…”

“Beginning with the new year, I am going to stop making speeches on the environment for a period of one year. This should slow the rate of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and slow the melting of the polar ice cap—which will, according to my research, melt away in 5 years—as I said recently. “

“What else?”

“I am going to stop flying on my private jets, and, if I fly anywhere, it will be commercially, and I will do something I have never done in my life.”

“And that is?”

“Travel with the common people. I might even risk it and travel coach.”

“What else?”

“I am going to stop writing books about global warming—which will at once save millions of trees which are brutally cut down in order to print this drivel, and also cut down on the misinformation about global warming. I mean they have fudged that data so much that I do not even believe my own B.S. any more.”

“And?”

“Tipper is going to start hanging our clothes outside on a clothes line, just like the common folks do. I remember that Barbara Streisand lectured Americans on Earth Day about ten years ago, that they should hang their clothes out to dry in order to save electricity. That really sounds like a great idea and I have built Tipper a clothes line right next to the double wide….”

“The double wide?” Hugh asked.

“The one we are moving into when we sell the mansion. Who needs to live like we are? I want to see how the common folk live and set an example for the rest of the world.”

YES, IT’S LULZ.

A recent letter from Senator Tim Johnson. He goes totally off track on the subject that Amy Lyngstad for the last 6 years has used her daughter’s identity. Identity theft is a federal law that is not enforced while State prosecutor’s and State Judges cover it up. As to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, they are a joke, not answerable to any one. Johnson states the children deserve a healthy home. She does not work, has been in jail and has a lengthy criminal history. But the State Judges have a vendetta against the father since he supported a law to make judges accountable.

The advice of hiring legal council is to be blunt a joke and attempt to avoid the real issue. The using your children’s identity is a federal crime, a CRIMINAL act! Either the laws apply to everyone or no one has to follow them. They are to be black and white not open to legislation by State Judges either ignoring the law or modifying laws to fit. Federal officials have egg on their face as his complaints over the years about Lyngstad committing identity theft are true.

They just don’t want to admit that State Court Judges are corrupt. The public has a false sense that the Courts are fair and just. HA!

The trial court has a duty to ensure the children are protected at every turn. Williams v. Williams, 425 N.W.2d 390, 393 (S.D. 1988); Jasper v. Jasper, 351 N.W.2d 114, 117 (S.D. 1984). The big lie.

The Judicial Qualifications was contacted months ago and does not do a thing. They are accountable to Justice Gilbertson. In addition since Judge James Anderson is retired there is nothing the JQC can do to him. The worst they can do is retire a sitting Judge and he is already retired.

Reply email to Senator Johnson:

Motions sent to the SD Supreme Court on the illegal acts of other Judges are read then returned in original envelopes. No such thing as an open court in South Dakota. The Judges have egg on their faces that Lyngstad was committing crimes against the children, but the Judges do not have to follow laws.

This court, in Rivers v. Rivers, 322 N.W.2d 864 (S.D. 1982), denied the father overnight visitation because he was living with a woman to whom he was not married. We recognized that, as in child custody cases, the “harmful effect of parental misconduct committed in the presence of a child old enough to see and recognize it is self-evident.” Think the kids wonder why they have bad credit?