After my Tuesday morning post on the South Dakota Legislature’s failure to join other states in taking action against Russia for its naked aggression against Ukraine, Senator Joshua Klumb did roll out Senate Resolution 702, a measure “urging support for the people of Ukraine.” SR 702 declares, “the Senate stands with the people of Ukraine during this desperate time and strongly urges the United States Government to utilize all political, diplomatic, and military means, including lethal and non-lethal security assistance, to support and strengthen the defense of Ukraine, as the battle for Ukrainian lives and liberties continues.” The House has introduced no similar measure.
SDPB’s Lee Strubinger says that SR 702’s call for helping Ukraine with all military means, including lethal security assistance—that’s Senate-speak for stuff that kills people—does not mesh with House Concurrent Resolution 6006, which says the President and Congress should not deploy any military forces without an official declaration of war or authorization of force and “follow the Just War theory when contemplating foreign intervention”… but as I look at that vague language, it strikes me that HCR 6006 and SR 702 could stand side by side. Declare Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unjust; declare the preservation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, democracy, and human life just; authorize arms shipments and a no-Russian-flies zone over Ukraine; and both resolutions are satisfied. SR 702 doesn’t say Congress and the President can’t formally authorize the use of force or declare war to protect Ukraine.
But Senator Klumb does demonstrate his party’s lack of imagination and reading:
Republican Sen. Joshua Klumb brought the Senate resolution. He’s concerned about the quickly changing conflict.
“Because we don’t know in the next few hours what’s going to happen over there. It’s a moment-by-moment situation,” Klumb says. “I know this is a resolution, but if this is all we can do, then I would ask that you support this resolution. I wish we could do more, but right now this is all we can do — and pray” [Lee Strubinger, “SD Senate’s Pro-Ukraine Resolution Advocates Use of ‘Military Means’,” SDPB, 2022.03.01].
Senator Klumb, if you read yesterday morning’s post, you’d see a big list of and links to concrete policy actions other states are taking to support Ukraine and punish Russia for its crimes against civilization. Terminating contracts with Russian firms, divesting from Russian holdings, banning the sale of Russian goods… and don’t forget: South Dakota has all those trusts on Phillips Avenue that may be housing Russian oligarchs’ ill-gotten gains.
The Senate could pass an emergency law requiring an immediate audit of those Sioux Falls accounts and the immediate seizure of any Russian assets.
But somehow Senator Klumb can’t think up any practical actions like that, actions that might make certain wealthy interests uncomfortable. Instead, Senator Klumb says all we can do is pass one resolution and pray.
President Biden warned the Russian Oligarchs, “We’re coming after you and your ill gotten gains.” The Justice Department announced Operation KleptoCapture to freeze and seize Russian money in American banks. I assume this threat includes the Sioux Falls banks. Yes, there is more we can do and are doing. We need to hit the Oligarchs who keep Putin in power in the bank account, including those in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
For all the ballyhooed prowess of the cyber capabilities at Dakota State and elsewhere there has to be a cadre of hackers with the chops and moxie to unearth the secrets stashed inside the colon of Frank Farrar’s Frankenstein money monster.
Klumb needs to do a little more than pray, as everyone found out in World War II. Here’s a little lesson in a song by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra:
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Praise the Lord and swing into position
Can’t afford to be a politician
Praise the Lord, we’re all between perdition
And the deep blue sea
Yes the sky pilot said it
Ya gotta give him credit
For a sonofagun of a gunner was he
Shouting Praise the Lord, we’re on a mighty mission
All aboard, we ain’t a-goin’ fishin’
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Praise the Lord (Praise the Lord) and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord (Praise the Lord) and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord (Praise the Lord) and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Frank Loesser
Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Imagine the neighborhood bully beat the living crap out of your kid for seven days in a row, destroyed his property, bike, skateboard, tree house, killed her/his pets, destroyed homework, stole school lunch, etc. Would you waive your hanky on the hope of the school district’s sanctions?
The US has the world’s largest military budget – larger than the next 10 nation’s military budgets combined.
What in the wide, wide world of sports is senator-president Biden waiting for?! The rebuilding contracts?!
Rest assured that if UKR didn’t fight for themselves, if UKR confined half their population to bags with eye-holes cut out, lived or wanted to live in the stone age — that the US should not give a crap about folks who refuse to help themselves (direct reference to Iraq/Afghanistan).
Russia and the West, have been at war for 6 long years. This war is not gonna be won by praying, that is for sure. We must sanction and take from those who have waged war on us. South Dakota is hiding Russian assets, there is no doubt about it. Confiscate it.
trump and his followers, all, are guilty of a criminal conspiracy to undermine democracy in the US. They are the foot soldier comrades of Putin and act on his behalf here as well as in other western country’s like the UK, France etc.
“The House Committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection said Wednesday night that its evidence shows former President Donald Trump and his associates engaged in a “criminal conspiracy” to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election, spread false information about it and pressured state officials to overturn the results.” Rapid City Journal 3.2.22
The South Dakota inept inbred Republicans are hobbled, their national leader is a close personal and potential business friend of Putin and has signaled to his flock to give his bud a break.
The heck with freedom and democracy over there, the republicans are busy covering up their attack on democracy on Jan 6 2021 over here.
Hopefully the resolution is written on soft paper to enable their national and local leaders to use it before tossing it in their over used poop bin.
Passing the “let’s not teach any history that isn’t white washed” legislation will show this time in the future as blank on pages in history books. It isn’t race, it’s any critical theory that blurs the vision of white privileged republicans locally or nationally if it tears them up from emotional reaction. If the historical truth hurts their feelings, erase it is their creed.
Weak+Inept+Inbred=SD Republicans. Maybe time for change in November 2022. Let’s see.