Madville Times Blacklisted by K-12 Filters!

Last week the Madville Times directed the Karl E. Mundt Dakota Invitational, which required regular contact with oral interp coaches all around the state. E-mail is great for communicating with teachers: they are too busy helping kids and grading papers to drop everything the moment the phone rings (an ethos more people should observe with their cell phones). E-mail lets teachers handle questions and requests according to their own schedule.

Imagine my distress to discover a number of teachers were not receiving my e-mail updates on the tournament. I knew it couldn't be that they weren't checking their e-mail: with laptops in the classrooms and all the other technology we're spending our education dollars on, our teachers are more wired than the Borg. I checked my computer for operator error and found nothing amiss.

I thus called the friendly folks at the K-12 Data Center to see if they could help. Quicker than you can accidentally hit "Delete all files of any importance forever," the K-12 Data Center's Grant had an answer: I was blacklisted.

What? Blacklisted? Did I really make Governor Rounds that mad?

No, it wasn't the state directly, and it wasn't me*. It was the external filtering software that keeps people our teachers and students from accessing objectionable material. As I understand it, this commercial software constantly revises its list of objectionable web addresses and content and blocks it from the K-12 server. My signature file on my e-mails includes a list of my current associations, and that includes a link to the Madville Times. Evidently, the commercial software often blacklists Blogger/Blogspot sites. Not always -- that's the strange thing about the algorithms. Some teachers were receiving my e-mails just fine, but others had no clue I was trying to reach them.

Of course, given that the filters are external software operating on murky, secret formulas, the only thing the K-12 Data Center could recommend I do was delete my signature file and resend all the e-mails.

Unaccountable third-party software is thus protecting our teachers -- most of the time -- from the objectionable content of the Madville Times. Thank goodness: who wants teachers reading about social responsibility and better teacher pay? Such smut! Now back to the salt mines!

*A shout-out to the English teachers out there: "It wasn't I" is the proper grammatical form, although you'll never convince the kids of that!

Furniture Fight Flags?

Tonight's MDL lead:

City Tables Vacating Van Eps Avenue Property

The obvious follow-up:

City Chairs Staying Put, Refuse to Leave

State to Improve Highway 34... from Colman to Minnesota

Careful readers of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) for 2008-2012 will notice that the news wasn't all bad for travelers of Highway 34. A glance at the Moody County Enterprise online indicates that the state does have money for two lanes' worth of new pavement, but instead of laying that pavement from Colman west to Madison to double the lanes, the state will lay it east to the Minnesota border to replace the existing roadway.

Anyone who has driven over to Egan, Flandreau, or Pipestone can attest that, past the old Lonetree, Highway 34 might as well be gravel. A few years ago either the state or Moody County found a little money for paving it, but that only got travelers a couple of strips of asphalt over the wheel tracks. Not exactly the sort of infrastructure that makes us look good to our Minnesota visitors.

So new SDDoT chief Darin Bergquist didn't leave the friends of Highway 34 completely empty-handed: we may not get to speed along four lanes to Colman, but we'll have a smoother ride from there to the Egan Bar and the Hiawatha Pageant.

New Madison Business Recruitment Strategy: Free Pass for Code Violations

While Madison turns up the heat with its building permit fees and inspections, it keeps a soft spot in its heart for small and big businesses alike. As expected, the Madison City Commission last week gave a free pass to Dollar General and Joe to Go to ignore zoning regulations (see last night's agenda packet, page 3, Board of Adjustment proceedings). Both businesses received after-the fact variances.

Also as expected, the city was not so generous toward the residents requesting variances for work on their homes. The Hansons got a compromise, with the city backing their garage up eight inches from what they requested; the Pierces got held over from last week's meeting to last night's, where their request got tabled, pending the tracking down of a missing document.

Tonight's MDL notes that Commission Jerry Johnson recommended considering "some leeway in determining the Pierces' request," since, as MDL paraphrases Johnson, "the city would consider a similar request from a business" [Chuck Clement, "City Tables Vacating Van Eps Avenue Property," Madison Daily Leader, 2007.10.23, p.1].

At least someone recognizes the double standard here. Generate sales tax, and the city cuts you a break. Actually pay sales tax, and you get the runaround.

Maybe there's more to it -- maybe it's just that an ugly sign and a drive-up coffee shack are less of a fire hazard than garages. But it looks like preferential treatment for businesses. Yuck.

Madison Native Lauck Makes Big Splash with Book

Madison native Jon Lauck is making all sorts of news with his second book, Daschle Vs. Thune: Anatomy of a High-Plains Senate Race. As noted this morning on South Dakota Politics (Lauck's old stomping grounds), Lauck's book is currently the most popular item on Amazon.com's "South Dakota" list.

Lauck knows his topic: as a paid Thune staffer in the 2004 election, he participated actively in the campaign as a blogger challenging the Daschle-Kranz political propaganda machine... or so Lauck and his fellow travelers might portray it. He is now described on his Amazon.com author blurb as a Senior Advisor to Senator Thune.

Some may deem this book as mere political hackery. Lauck is a trained historian, however, and has an appreciation for studying history even as it is happening, a challenge he discussed last week on SDPB's Food for Thought. Truth or hackery*, Lauck's book is certainly enjoying more buzz than any other recent literary output by expats from the land of the Unexpected. He'll be in Sioux Falls Saturday (Oct. 27) at 2 p.m. to sign books at Barnes and Noble. That will be a good chance for hometown folks and maybe even his old debate coach to go down, shake his hand, and grill him on what's going on in Washington. We congratulate Mr. Lauck on his literary success and look forward to seeing where he goes next with his intellect and rhetorical skills.

*The Madville Times lit review department is currently on assignment to the DSU Office of Graduate Studies and Research, so a full review will have to wait.

Socialized Flu Shots -- Whither the Republic?

And in more news on the socialist front, South Dakota is offering (gasp!) free flu shots for children. What is the state thinking? Don't they know that giving out free medical services will only lead to overutilization of services, irresponsible behavior, and rationing of care? Even good Republicans can't resist the evil seduction of socialized medicine: Governor Rounds will be sneaking in to a free flu clinic at a Sioux Falls grade school next week [AP, "Children's Flu Shot Initiative," KELOLand.com, 2007.10.23].

Seriously, it appears that the state of South Dakota does recognize that health care is a matter of both personal and social responsibility. Sure, we have an obligation to take care of ourselves -- eat right, exercise, go easy on the booze and stogies. But we also have an obligation (Christian, democratic, utilitarian... pick your favorite worldview) to take care of each other. The flu bug is a perfect example of a malady that can lay low even the most responsible person, not to mention innocent kids. This small form of socialized medicine -- no profit, no private insurance, less bureaucracy -- won't lead to folks quitting their jobs and living on the dole; it'll just keep kids healthy, schools functioning, and the economy toodling along as workers take less sick leave and save money for better purposes.

So it looks like everyone, from the kids at Roosevelt to the folks in Pierre, recognizes that socialism has its place in our great state. That's Governor Rounds for you: working to make South Dakota even Redder.

Pancakes? Where?!

KJAM tells us the Madison Kiwanis are hosting their 42nd annual pancake feed. KJAM cites longtime member Jerome Lammers as saying that the event has "tapered off" from past attendance levels.

Tapered off? Maybe that's because the press doesn't tell us when or where, and the old-timers who just know that vital info are dying off. The KJAM blurb gives us times, but no date and no location.

MDL's Locals to the rescue: The Kiwanis Pancake Feed is today, Tuesday! 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., then 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Downtown Armory. $5 for adults, $3 for kids. Entertainment at 5 p.m.; Mayor Hexom presents an 85th birthday cake at 6 (Kiwanis is 85, not Mayor Hexom). Come chow down!

Ah, Youth... and Socialism!

The Madville Times loves youthful enthusiasm and quixotic pursuits. (The Madville Times is youthful enthusiasm and quixotic pursuits.) That's why we are not bothered to see the appearance of a Young Socialists club at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls. The club has been getting a fair amount of attention in the press and blog world this very Red October (more than FCCLA or the interp teams... darn it!). Even Red-hunter Bob Ellis took time to congratulate the kids on their efforts "to examine socialism in the light of day" (since it will lead them to the inevitable conclusion that socialism will destroy the human spirit, the American way of life, and cute puppies* -- see Bob Ellis, "Kudos to the Argus Leader and Young Socialists," Dakota Voice, 2007.10.12).

Youthful enthusiasm can lead to.. questionable declarations. Dakota War College highlights a "quote of the day" (mercifully, without commentary -- thanks for going easy on the kids, PP) from club leader (Politburo member?) Shane Donaldson, who with the heady wisdom of a sophomore deems Lenin a true socialist who killed people "for the cause." (PP fails to note Donaldson's further statement that Stalin was "a fraud, a butcher, and no socialists at all" -- see Jon Walker, "Young Socialists Make Waves at Roosevelt," that Sioux Falls paper, 2007.10.20.)

Defending a terrorist demagogue like Lenin is problematic within a framework of democracy. But Donaldson's language is no different from the sort of macho rhetoric kids (and all too many grown-ups) use to talk about the death penalty ("I'd love to throw the switch!") or military action ("We'll show Saddam who's boss!") to make themselves sound tough when they are far removed from the actual action.

Fortunately, the Young Socialists' rhetoric is tied to an effort to discuss world history and politics. They'll get some things wrong and some things right, just like us adults. And Donaldson's assessment of Lenin doesn't appear to be tied to a concrete course of action for the club. These kids aren't out throwing bombs at City Hall; they're critiquing the culture ("There are homeless people in one part of the city, and in another part, there are people in these huge houses," says young Red Austin Wodzinski) and looking for ways to do some good... not all that different from some bloggers.

Maybe the Young Socialists will look back on their high school agitprop, smile, and channel GW Bush: "When I was young and stupid, I was young and stupid." Or will they? Should they? Almost everyone in high school latches on to some group or activity or hobby or idea for a sense of identity and belonging. These Roosevelt kids have latched on to sociopolitical discourse (plus doughnuts and apple juice**). Who's to say that's any sillier than latching onto cheerleading, football, or country music?

Keep up the good discussions, kids, and keep looking for ways to channel your words into works.

*O.K., so Bob didn't mention puppies. That was my... creative license.
**Doughnuts and apple juice? Uh oh -- let's hope they at least bought from Hy-Vee, which is employee-owned.

Madison Comprehensive Plan Not Saying Much

Friday's MDL (print edition only) and the Madison city webpage announce a community open house meeting to discuss the "Madison Comprehensive Plan." Thank goodness we now have certified planners to convince every town that it can't bumble along blindly any more just taking care of problems on its own. I wonder if these planners are related to the marketers who convinced every town to put up banners to distinguish themselves from every other town... which puts up banners.

I digress... but only because the comprehensive plan doesn't give me much to work with this morning. Friday's MDL offered city engineer Chad Comes saying that the plan will address land development, infrastructure, public facilities, and city services. I went to the Madison Comprehensive Plan website, expecting to see all sorts of alternative overlay maps and site analyses and projections on cost and population. Alas, it appears Ulteig Engineers (Fargo, Bismarck, Minneapolis, Detroit Lakes, and Sioux Falls) hasn't gotten that far yet... or if they have, they haven't published the information to the Web.

The "Project Process" document (and a small annoyance: Ulteig refers to "text documents" but links to PDFs) lists five phases: Inventory, Issue Identification, Alternatives Analysis, Development, and Adoption. It appears we are at Phase 2e, the first open house. According to the process list, if it's chronological, Ulteig should already have collected and reviewed documents, analyzed the city infrastructure, reviewed our parks and rec trails, conducted interest group meetings (Lake County's bloggers are full of interest -- where's our invitation?), and workshopped the city officials. If all that has been done already, I hope we'll see some reports up on the website soon.

The only other notable document on the plan website, the (PDF) "Public Involvement" declaration, seems to promise just that:

Appropriate public involvement will be the most important part of this project. The objectives of public involvement are to ensure sufficient interaction with potentially affected interests to achieve project implementation, and to obtain all relevant, appropriate input.

Yahoo! We're important! Ulteig promises in this document to "Present the planning process, comprehensive plan function, and summary of inventory and infrastructure analysis" at the open house. They promise the same at the interest group meetings, which they say will be held with up to "three key community organizations or interest groups."

Ulteig will also take questions and comments online: you can submit your ideas and concerns via e-mail: PlanMadison@ulteig.biz (and notice, typists, that's e-i, like in Heidelberger, not i-e). Submit your comments to Ulteig, then post them here on the Madville Times! Let's see what kind of plan Madison's residents think our fair city needs.

Then make sure you hit the open house next week: Tuesday, October 30, 6-8 p.m., City Commission Room downtown. Doors open at 6; project leader Joel Quanbeck presents at 7; Q&A begins at 7:15.

Update -- 09:15 -- In under two hours, project manager Joel Quanbeck returns my e-mail (that's faster than the response I usually get from our city officials!):

Dear Mr. Heidelberger,

The five phases are chronological. The substeps within each phase are not always chronological and are sometimes parallel activities. We will be posting a preliminary list of issues within the next week to the project website. Additionally, we will be summarizing our initial findings and seeking additional input on issues relevant to the Comprehensive Plan at the Open House. The results of that meeting will also be posted to the web site.

Joel Quanbeck, AICP, CFM

We look forward to seeing all the details Ulteig can post!

TransCanada Argues Back

The Aberdeen American News ran a strong editorial two Sundays ago backing away from support for the TransCanada Keystone pipeline [Editorial, "TransCanada Should Slow Down Process," Aberdeen American News, 2007.10.14]. During the summer, Aberdeen's newspaper had taken the position that TransCanada's project would help us get off our addiction to Mideast oil (a questionable assertion itself, as increased production on our continent gets gobbled up in increased demand rather than offsetting any imports). Since then, the behavior of TransCanada has made the AAN's editorial board -- not to mention some other South Dakotans -- question their support for the pipeline.

Just as irksome to the AAN as TransCanada's distinctly unneighborly, un-Canadian behavior is our own state officials' "uncharacteristically quiet" response to Big Oil's quick turn to lawyers and eminent domain to get what it wants for less than what free-market negotiations would require. A foreign company starts harassing our citizens and threatening to take our land, and the highest official response we get is the PUC's Dusty Johnson telling us the eminent domain question isn't the PUC's business? One would think that a governor sworn to protect his citizens best interests be on the phone and the news saying, "Just a minute, buddy," offering some legal assistance for citizens facing the onslaught of fancy corporate lawyers, and urging his people in the PUC, DENR, and other regulatory agencies to maybe turn up the heat on this corporate invader. Instead, the landowners have to turn to the Democratic State Senate Minority Leader to fight for them in court.

In the spirit of fairness, AAN gave Robert Jones, vice-president of the Keystone Pipeline Project, equal time in this Sunday's paper [Robert Jones, "Pipeline Project Working to Serve, Respect S.D. Landowners," Aberdeen American News, 2007.10.21]. The closest he comes to explaining how the project will "serve" the South Dakotans from whom he would steal land is the usual vague corporate propaganda about meeting "the energy needs of the Midwest." Again, here's a perfect chance for a visionary governor to say, "Meet our energy needs? Hey, how about instead of letting foreigners steal our land to pipe oil to some other state, let's let our farmers keep their land and meet our energy needs by generating our own energy with wind and biomass!" Instead of accepting on face a greedy corporation's claim that it has more rights to our land than our own people, we should take our destiny in our own hands, build wind turbines like crazy, and pump some money into SDSU's ag department to figure out how to make cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass.

VP Jones also doesn't make clear how jumping to eminent domain so quickly shows "respect" for South Dakota landowners. True believers in the free market would keep negotiating, would find a way to sell people on their project. And if people don't want to participate, well, that's still their right in the free market. Again, notice how good capitalists are happy to turn to state power when it serves their interests (and it all too often does).

But hey, don't let us propagandists, corporate and otherwise, dominate the discussion. Read some more on your own:

1. On the sort of research and action required to address spills (which, contrary to TransCanada's assertions, will happen): Steve Bennish, "Feds look into threats to area drinking water," Dayton Daily News, 2007.10.19.
2. On the dangers posed by crude oil and by the chemicals workers must use to clean up spills (which not just alarmists but Murphy's Law say will happen): Susan Q. Stranahan, "The Valdez Crud," Mother Jones, March/April 2003.
   

Lots of Winners at DSU Interp

It was a Saturday well spent for some 270 high school speakers at the 25th Karl E. Mundt Dakota Invitational Oral Interpretation Contest on the DSU campus. The weather cleared and the students had a gorgeous day for racing from building to building to deliver a wide variety of humorous, dramatic, and poetic readings to eager judges and competitors.

The team sweepstakes race was close in all three classes:

• In Class AA, perennial and passionate rivals Sioux Falls Lincoln and Sioux Falls O'Gorman fought to the end, placing 21 and 19 entrants in finals, respectively. Lincoln, coached by Bryan Hagg, came out on top, scoring 129 sweeps points, just 3 above the 126 earned by O'Gorman, led by coach Teresa Fester.
  
• Sioux Valley, coached by Barb Kleinjan and Sue Bassett, claimed the Class championship, outscoring Crystal Benning's Madison team by just 4 points, 83-79.
• Clark, under the guidance of coach Sherray hurlbert, led the surging Class B ranks, posting 79 sweepstakes points. They outpaced Jackie Fauth's Wolsey-Wessington team, which scored a respectable 68.
  

Sioux Falls Lincoln had four individual event champions: Elsa VandeVegte in Poetry, Michael McFarland in Oratory, Elliott Natz in Prose, and Pete Heidepriem and Kaitlin Dahlquist in Duet.

Sioux Falls O'Gorman claimed the remaining three individual event chamionships: Chloe Goldade won Humor, Andy Thuringer won Drama, and the team of Elizabeth Bunkers, Emalee Jorgenson, Matt Burkhart, Nick Sideras, and David Haney took first in Readers Theater.

This year's winners earned more than trophies and applause. For the tournament's silver anniversary, the DSU Foundation established the Karl E. Mundt Dakota Invitational Scholarships. Each of the individual winners received a $500 scholarship to Dakota State University. Each of the sweepstakes champion schools won a $750 DSU scholarship, to be awarded to one student on the champion team next spring.

A look at the complete results from Saturday's 28-school contest should give readers an idea of just how big and exciting an interp contest like the Dakota Invitational is. It's profoundly different from a basketball game where you put two teams in the court and tell them to go at it for an hour. During yesterday's contest, at any given time, there were 270 kids performing in 48 rooms all over campus in front of 48 judges. The kids do that three times -- some double-event and perform six times. Every kid competes: no one warms the bench or comes in just in the fourth quarter when the lead is out of reach. They don't have their coaches with them; the coaches are probably off judging other kids or helping calculate results at tournament headquarters. It's busy, it's crazy, and it's 100% fun.

Madison will host another big speech contest this winter, February 8 and 9, when the Karl E. Mundt Debate Tournament takes over Madison High School and the DSU campus. If you're interested in watching or even helping out, give Madison head debate coach and tournament director Renee Nills a shout. These speech contests are entertaining and educational events that Madison can be proud of.

RCJ Plagiarizes WSJ

Dakota War College calls it right: whoever's editing the Rapid City Journal must have been paying more attention the all the blog buzz about their new regime and not enough to citing their sources. In yesterday's editorial on the stalled farm bill [RCJ editorial board, "October Brings Thoughts of Pheasants, Farm Bill," Rapid City Journal, 2007.10.20], RCJ cuts and pastes text from a Wall Street Journal opinion piece [David Rogers, "Farm Bill Withers in the Absence of a Strongman," Wall Street Journal, 2007.10.05, retrieved from IATP Ag Observatory 2007.10.21].

RCJ properly gives credit for one line:

Even some of those Republicans say they miss Daschle’s power right now. “When Daschle walked in, it was like Gen. Patton. Everything sort of came together,” Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) told the Wall Street Journal’s David Rogers earlier this month. “There’s no Gen. Patton this time.” [RCJ]

But the rank cut-and-pastery occurs in the immediately preceding line:

But the Senate is usually a place where populist Midwest demands for strict subsidy limits run into cotton and rice interests allied with Southern Democrats and Republicans. [RCJ]

In the original Rogers text, the following line appears ten paragraphs below the Lucas quote:

But differences remain, and the Senate is historically an arena where populist Midwest demands for strict subsidy limits run into cotton and rice interests allied with Southern Democrats and Republicans. [WSJ]

Looks like the online thesaurus crashed after arena. Oops. Even synonymized, the line is Rogers's, and demands credit as such. Cite your sources, kids.

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Say, and while I'm thinking about it, I have a question for my readers -- fellow bloggers and pure readers alike: we bloggers cite each other like crazy. It would certainly be easy for us to slip and plagiarize one another as we hurry through this enjoyable hobby alongside our day jobs. I'm curious: what is the general consensus on the expected level of citation here in the blog world? Above, where I cite Dakota War College's post on the RCJ's plagiarism, is a hyperlink sufficient citation of my source, or should such references include an explicit author, title, date, and page [e.g.: Pat Powers, "Deja Vu in the RCJ: What Other Phrases Can We Find Duplicated?" South Dakota War College, 2007.10.20]?