On hearing of the death of former legislator and anti-choice crusader Roger Hunt, Governor-Elect Kristi Noem issued this statement on Saturday:
Trailblazer? Sure, Hunt blazed a trail in keeping secret the identity of the big-money backer of his failed abortion ban initiative. The fact that then Secretary of State Chris Nelson took Hunt to court in an effort to unveil the source of that big money may have torqued off just enough hard-right Republicans to blaze the trial for Kristi Noem to steal the nomination away from him in the 2010 primary and make her the career politician she is today.
Hunt also made his heart apparent in many votes and statements beyond his anti-choice crusade. In 2007, he voted against funding HPV vaccines to protect young girls from cancer. In 2001, Hunt pushed the 72-hour waiting period and mandatory anti-abortion propaganda that disrespects and endangers women. In 2011 and 2012, Hunt tried to ban women from making surrogacy agreements.
Hunt’s agenda made his heart apparent… and it was not a heart that respected women. South Dakota would be a fairer, safer state if Hunt had left that trail unblazed.
His hair was unusually greasy and had many dandruff flakes in it, too, but we should not speak ill of the dead in case it upsets the living or the dead comes and haunts you, Mr. H.
My condolences to his family and loved ones.
I share the relief most SD women are feeling that a nasty old man like him is gone. They don’t come much more misogynistic. I attended a task force meeting about women’s rights that he was on. He was so dismissive and disrespectful to women. He had no decency in regard to women, considering us ignorant, simpering, silly, lying fools.
I’m sure Hunt may have had a good trait somewhere. His overriding disgust of women certainly drowned it.
Rep. Hunt is gone, rest his soul if indeed he has one. But his quest for government to usurp women’s decision-making autonomy lives on.
A better day for the young women of South Dakota has just happened, one less hater of women.
Should be “please join Bryon and me”. Sorry, not sorry.
In his days in the legislatures, Mr. Hunt was known for a few good jokes during the caucuses. That, and he did bring out some of the better lobbyists to buy dinners for many. I think he was a misguided fellow who, where but a few chance common sense matters, might have gone many.
When will we find out the mysterious donor of the $750,000. Probably after that/those donors have also died.
I must say that I rejoiced on hearing the news. Sadly, his legacy of hate for women and LGBTQ, and his obsession with bedrooms and body parts continues with other haters in our state.
Hunt would have been okay if I lost both my twins if it meant abortion would have been banned in SD. I have a hard time feeling bad about his death.
grudznick associate Bob Newland is toasting the passing of Roger Hunt on Facebook.
Hunt refused to learn or research the medical benefits of marijuana and did everything within his power to derail any legislation that would bring patients relief by using legalized marijuana.
Who knows, maybe if Hunt used marijuana he would still be around.
My associate and close friend, Bob, does carry a grudge, and Mr. C brings a valid point that if Mr. Hunt had toked the demon weed often and in quantity, he would perhaps be alive today, with his brain fried, living in an asylum for those with distorted minds. But that is all speculation.
Roger! You’re back! Good to hear your voice again. Thank you for sharing Bob Newland’s apt critique. Roger Hunt represented much of what is worst in South Dakota’s ruling party.
Robin Friday writes:
Well, you omitted the comma after be, failed to capitalize the P in Please, and put the period after the close quote.
But yeah, the governor-elect’s social media posts seem to mess up the I/me thing fairly often:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoCu-1onVM4/
https://twitter.com/RepKristiNoem/status/1043606147113148416
https://www.facebook.com/kristiforgovernor/posts/10155635214872484
https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1061336173350658050
https://www.facebook.com/308353252483/posts/10155639286197484
https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1062117965628391424
I never could figure the guy out. He occasionally voted right on environmental issues. He seemed to be in the back pocket of the wife-beater lobby, except when the wife beating resulted in fetal death.
Good riddance.
Thanks Cory for beating me to the punch, I have biting my tongue for days trying to resist posting about the money launderer. I have felt for a long time the secret donor was Marion Sullivan, but have only gotten one confirmation on that. So who knows? I guess he will take it to his grave.
Otherwise, enjoy my several Roger Hunt Cartoons and threads;
http://www.southdacola.com/blog/?s=roger+hunt
I never liked anyone who had more hair on the backs of his fingers than on his head.
Also, someone tell Kristi that it’s “…join Bryon and me…,” not “…join Bryon and I….”
Very good, South Dacola.
Folks on FB don’t have a very good opinion of Hunt either. Apparently he was Not well regarded in SD, except by a few, and too many in his district.
At least, Debbo, that’s true of the folks on FB who deign to comment with the likes of Newland. But you know what kinda people that would be.
Oh Grudz. I’m so touched that you’ve researched me and followed me around.
Listen everyone! I have another stalker and it’s Grudz!!
Really Grudz, you may think it’s sweet that you follow me around online, but you’d be wrong.
Oh yeah, and Bob Newland is one of the most open and honest people I know, whether I agree with him or not. He and I can both be stalked by someone like you because we don’t hide behind silly pseudonyms like you do, and make up stuff about who we are, know and where we live.
You Grudz, are a sniveling coward. I haven’t forgotten. Nor has anyone else. Now that I’ve owned you again, do not stalk me.
Mr. Hunt was one of my District 25 representatives and I was quite happy to play a small part in his departure from the legislature. Far from a trailblazer, he was a dinosaur from a bygone era of paternalism and women being treated as second class citizens. My current representatives are much more modern in their approach to stifling the rights of women.
To be sure, Mr. Hunt did not limit his oppressive efforts to just women. I recall a conversation with him about prescription drug prices in which he defended the rights of drug companies to charge oppressive prices for their products. My arguments that these drug companies were operating as monopolies and should be regulated as such fell on deaf ears. Mr. Hunt asserted we must not stifle innovation by government regulation of drug company pricing. The irony that Mr. Hunt would happily regulate women, their bodies, and the doctor-patient relationship while being a staunch advocate for deregulation of drug companies was not lost on me.