Part-time Governor Kristi Noem issued another grandstanding executive order yesterday, this time pretending to stand against the federal coronavirus vaccine mandate by allowing any state employee to claim an exemption from covid shots. While Noem and conservatives used to support vaccine mandates, Noem now cries mightily that the federal government has no Constitutional business regulating health, safety, or welfare.
As usual, Noem is wrong about the Constitution and the law. The Supreme Court has consistently upheld the government’s authority to protect public health with effective measures that apply to the general population and respect recognized standards for exemptions. The President’s guidelines follow that precedent and allow workers with legitimate grounds for medical or religious exemptions to forgo covid shots and instead submit to weekly testing. Noem’s order only repeats that allowance.
So, yes, once again, Governor Noem has issued an “executive order” that does nothing but serve as a soapbox for her Presidential campaign.
When I was a teenager I read and loved the satiric novel, “The Mouse That Roared.” It was later made into a movie starring Peter Sellers. I won’t go into the plot, but Noem reminds me of the ineffectual leader of the imaginary Duchy of Fenwick. Someone needs to write a satiric screenplay about Noem and all her vainglorious pretend-official preening. These “executive orders” that mean diddly squat are something that Peter Sellers would have sent up so well in a cross-dressing role that exposes Noem’s ridiculousness.
Meanwhile, KELO-TV says inmates at the women’s prison in Pierre say that the majority of guards are refusing to wear masks, even amidst a new covid outbreak at the prison.
Grandview Elementary in Rapid has been shuttered because teachers are falling out left and right. This may not be the most appropriate thread for this but please join me in supporting Senator Troy Heinert to be our nominee and stand against Kristi Noem next year without the expense of a primary. Contact him and urge him to run.
Well…issue the Governor another tin foil hat…she has this hard core constituency of conspiracy theorists and christian identity sociopaths and she is clinging to the narrative that she is somehow protecting our freedom while the death total from Covid climbs to 2,500…unnecessary deaths. No leadership, no responsibility, an utter disregard for her oath of office and she has intimidated a couple thousand state employees, including the historically independent and highly professional Department of Health to kow tow to her political ambitions..an absolute tragedy.
In Pierre or wherever the hell she is, NOem has issued an executive order to order the Missouri River to stop being wet. republican leadership in South Dakota applauded the order and said that “it was about time”. Cammack, blubberingly approved of it as well, as he does not use water in his devils brew.
Some of the men I’m around are finally starting to fold, throwing their hands in and giving up. They like Noem when she’s riding her horse while holding the flag or shooting at pheasants with her long gun. They even thought she looked pretty sexy in fatigues alongside the National Guard and acting like G.I. Jane. But now, she’s becoming a yapping and nagging woman like some of their ex wives. One friend told me she was okay as long as she kept her mouth shut. Others are bored and ready for a MAN to take charge again. I think Democrats have an excellent chance of running Noem out of Pierre if they pick any male with a mind, manners, and motive.
iowa’s guv, who took unemployment benefits from workers displaced by pandemic, is giving those benefits to fired anti-vaxxers.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-vaccine-unemployment-bill-1250368/
Back in the day, if you refused to work because of alleged religious beliefs, you couldn’t collect unemployment. My, how pussified magat workers have become.
New Democratic ad for next guv’s election, two words, no frills: Noem? Why?