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Powers Follows Leaders, Finds Bogus Bosworth Signatures…

...Says Bosworth Spokesman Peddled Porn

When Annette Bosworth was a useful story to distract from Mike Rounds and to attack me personally, Pat Powers cheered the fake U.S. Senate candidate, heeling to her beck and call and peddling her propaganda as gospel. When my team discovered irregularities in Bosworth's nominating petition that signaled violations of law that should have disqualified her from the primary ballot, Powers yawned at those findings.

But now, when Team Bosworth responds to felony charges for petition violations with a media campaign attacking Pat's Republican patrons, including a late-to-the-party exposé of corruption in the foster care system titled "South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley's Big Pedophilia Problem," Powers finally gets off his ideological backside and asks real questions.

Two months after the initial petition challenge that led to the charges on which Bosworth was arraigned Monday, Powers decides to look at the petitions (or perhaps is encouraged to look at the petitions by his maligned GOP pals?) and finds, lo and behold, even more signatures that Bosworth said she witnessed but apparently did not. Only Pat Powers is surprised... but notice also that, at this point, Powers does not substantiate his claim by pointing to specific names or on-the-record testimony.

Powers also raises a question about the validity of signatures on a group of petition sheets dated March 20–22. Powers finds it suspicious that Bosworth claims to have collected signatures from a bunch of folks from Minnehaha and Lincoln counties on the same days that other sheets show her collecting numerous signatures from folks from Pennington and other Black Hills counties. My petition review team raised the same questions about petition sheets like #31, #42, #190, and #196. We considered including those suspicions on our petition challenge but, wanting to keep the petition challenge on solid legal and evidentiary grounds, chose not to. We saw at least reasonable doubt in the fact that State AA basketball was taking place in Rapid City March 20–22. (I attempted to explain this to Pat and his readers in his comment section, but he still can't bear to publish evidence that suggests I was right all along about Bosworth while he front ed for her.)

It is conceivable—not certain, but conceivable—that Bosworth, who was in Rapid City buying folks beer that weekend, went to the tournament, sat with a bunch of Sioux Falls fans, collected a few sheets of signatures, then went around town and collected a bunch of locals' signatures. But now, with more time to investigate than the ridiculously brief one week given for petition challenges, investigators may well find that some of those East River–West River signatures were indeed not witnessed by Bosworth, which would only add to the felony charges she already faces.

Powers also goes for another seamy underbelly of the Bosworth story. Enjoying character assassination, Powers takes up numerous online allegations that Bosworth's new BFF Lee Stranahan peddled porn with his wife. Powers finds Stranahan's behavior more scandalous than the child abuse allegations plaguing the state's foster care system. Stranahan hasn't shot any nude photos of Bosworth yet, but his naked opportunism threatens to harm real efforts to unearth corruption in South Dakota government. Stranahan brings up the Schwab-Taliaferro-Mette foster care issues in Aberdeen, not because he really cares about them, but because that story adds to the media smokescreen he is fanning for his client. IN doing so, Stranahan makes it easy for GOP apologists like Powers to portray such stories not as real issues about which South Dakotans should be concerned but as the mere ravings of untrustworthy outsiders.

We may take some small comfort in the fact that Powers is finally exposing Team Bosworth for the frauds and exploiters that they are. (Of course, he's inkled that way before, only to back off when it served his pruposes.) Alas, Powers is doing so quite late, and not for truth and justice, but merely as favors for his friends.

164 Comments

  1. Rorschach 2014.07.02

    Pat Powers is good friends with Patrick Davis and has been for many years. During the primary it helped both his friend Patrick Davis & Mike Rounds for Powers to shill for Bosworth. Powers is a fan of professional wrestling, and I'm sure he had a lot of fun acting like a pro wrestling referee during the primary. But here and now it's the good GOP thing to do to help bail out Joel Arends, and there's still his friend Patrick Davis to rehabilitate. I'm sure Davis throws the old Dakota Campaign Store some business.

    Hey, remember when Powers was operating the Dakota Campaign Store out of the Secretary of State's Office and he hadn't even filed a fictitious name registration with that office? That should have been charged out as a criminal violation (just a class 2 misdemeanor) but Powers got a pass as long as he left quietly. Just more corruption courtesy of one-party rule. If the Democrats had a party and candidates, there would be plenty of issues to campaign on.

  2. 96 Tears 2014.07.02

    The Kabuki theater known as the GOP Senate Primary is a deeper story than one the two candidates who belonged in front of a grand jury won it. Annette has been shoved into a corner with nothing left to lose. She's not going to play ball with these creeps any more, and it will be interesting to learn what is said under oath. I can't wait to see what spills out in the trial when her attorney gets these Rounds cronies on the stand.

  3. Rorschach 2014.07.02

    Bosworth's attorney won't get any Rounds cronies on the stand. Not in her criminal trial anyway. The court won't let Bosworth drag the jury down irrelevant rabbit trails. Her claim that Jackley is out to get her has no bearing on whether she's guilty of this crime. Her claim she was acting on advice of counsel has no bearing on her guilt either. The crimes she's charged with are general intent crimes, not specific intent - so advice of counsel is no defense.

    Now, if she brings a malpractice case against Joel Arends she can have all the kabuki theater she wants. They may even let her dress in street clothes for a malpractice trial, if they let her out for it.

  4. Jessie 2014.07.02

    I'm curious, Mr. Stranahan, what does history have to do with this?

  5. Rorschach 2014.07.02

    I think you understand the wording of the oath Dr. Bosworth signed, and I think you can understand the laws if you read them. Your spin will get Dr. Bosworth nowhere in criminal court. Keep collecting a paycheck from her though as long as you can get it. Wait till she stiffs you on your bill, or turns on you, or both. I won't be dragged down your rabbit trail either.

  6. Lee Stranahan 2014.07.02

    I'm not collecting any paycheck from her. Haven't gotten a dime since primary election day—

    [Editor's note: This is Lee Stranahan's $10,000 lie. Annette Bosworth's 2014 Quarter 2 report to the Federal Election Commission shows that her Senate campaign disbursed $10,000 to Lee Stranahan on June 11, 2014, eight days after the primary.

    Click here to read Bosworth's 2014 Q2 FEC report in PDF format.

    Click here to see a screen snip of page 296 of the report showing the June 11 disbursement to Stranahan.

    Stranahan has proven himself a liar about the money he receives from Team Bosworth-Haber. I am deleting most of the rest of his comments, as they add no value and serve only to propagandize for his, Chad's, and Annette's schemes. —CAH 2014.08.02]

  7. Joe K 2014.07.02

    Lee, that argument is silly at best. How about addressing the real reason she was charged? The fact that she did not personally witness those signatures.

  8. Jessie 2014.07.02

    If you are referring to me as part of that "neither," you are mistaken. I just asked a question which you have not yet answered. Were you interested in history or legal precedent? Are you trying this case already here at Madville Times?

  9. Jessie 2014.07.02

    I will excuse your ignorance of my position here at MT but I have been very clear in stating that I am uncomfortable judging someone else guilty w/o the evidence actually in my hand or with a witness in front of me. My personal opinion remains my own.
    If you are saying that Dr. B. has been tried in the court of public opinion, then yes she has, with MT being only one venue. Try reading the state newspapers and several other online sources.
    It is not my responsibility to provide precedent. My degrees are not in law, but in science where logic and evidence are paramount.
    No, we cannot all agree on your attempted point. Your courtroom tricks won't work here. MT commenters are not going to be boxed in by false yes/no decisions when the question itself is immaterial and irrelevant.

  10. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Don't you think you might be looking in the wrong place then? Try asking a lawyer, if you yourself are not one.

  11. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Lee,
    Having asked you several times and had it ignored by you over on DWC, I'll ask you again:

    Are you familiar with the term precedent setting case?

  12. Joe K 2014.07.02

    No one is trying the case here Lee. She even admitted that she was out of the country when those signatures were gathered. It is not that hard to reach a reasonable conclusion. Your attempts to ignore the facts and muddy the waters are getting quite tiresome. Yes, we all know your next point, Joel Arends made her do it... That is not a reasonable defense. All that would be is a civil suit against Joel.

  13. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Again with the question attempting to box someone in. What other people may have done in the past or will do in the future is not material. The law is clearly written; the petition sheets clearly state the requirements.

  14. Jim 2014.07.02

    Lee, can you name a case where the state had evidence like that against annette and ignored it?

  15. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Lee,

    Have you ever heard the term precedent setting case?

  16. Dave Baumeister 2014.07.02

    A REAL journalist would tell Mr. Stranahan that anyone claiming to be a journalist who wants to be taken SERIOUSLY, probably would PROOFREAD his work before posting, "I've actually nad a career as a journalist." Anyone and his NADS can post gibberish on a blog and say anything he wants about anyone. And, he can also say anything he wants about himself, i.e., "I am a journalist!," "I found God!" whether those things are true are not. In the case of the first quote, a bonafide journalist would proofread anything he publishes, whether in print or digitally. A real journalist knows that transposing the "n" and "a" in "and" is an easy, and often embarrassing mistake to make. So, the "journalist" claim Stranahan makes has already been analyzed through the man's own words and was found to be invalid. As for the "I found God" claim, I can't prove or disprove that, but I do know that that prisons are packed with murderers, rapists and con-men who make the same claim, as if saying something means "I'm OK, I've found God, you can let me go now…" But in Stranahan's case, maybe he really did find God. I hope he has/does. But just maybe like many men in the American PENAL system, Stranahan has just misplaced a nad or two.

  17. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Ok, you proved you aren't a lawyer. Because somehow you think that she could be charged with 12 felony counts and the prosecution doesn't have a specific law to cite. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but as a legal theory your ideas are full of holes.
    Anyway, your opinion and my opinion on what constitutes a technicality don't count. That's going to be up to the court.

  18. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Sheesh, Dave, I'm a writer/editor/proofreader and I don't always make sure everything I post here is picture perfect. I'm a poor typist, no denying that. Lee has bigger problems on his plate right now.
    But I'll go along with the finding god part. It did remind me of Charles Colson. I was going to leave that be, until now when I just can't resist it.

  19. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Anyway, I forgot to say that you screwed up your own criticism of Lee. He didn't transpose anything. He typed an n instead of an h. The word should have been "had" not nad.

  20. SDTeacher 2014.07.02

    Every time I see Mr. Stranahan pop up, I begin to feel sorry for Dr. Bosworth. She has obviously surrounded herself with people who are willing to use anything (including abused children) in order to publicly promote themselves. Worse, he seems to think that the claim, "I am not a lawyer" absolves him of the willful ignorance he displays about the very simple question of how she allegedly broke the law. Honestly, a person with reading comprehension at the 8th grade level could easily understand the language on the petition. Likewise, a person with simple common sense can see through all of his attempted obfuscation.

    So, we have an opportunist who enjoys fanning internet flame wars, has no problem squeaking "I'm ignorant" when it comes to the actual issues at stake, and whose only purpose is to act as a diversion. These efforts will do absolutely nothing to keep her from conviction or to save her license. With all the people who profess to love her, it seems like she could do better.

  21. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Yes Lee, I do think that this is a precedent setting case.

    Up until Cory's disclosure of the fake senate candidate's petition flaws, I think most South Dakota political candidates were honest with their petitions and has now raised awareness for all future candidates. You can look forward to political opponents to scrutinize petitions looking for violations.
    Is Bosworth the first person to do this, no. She is probably the first person to get caught at it. It does make you wonder how petitions have gone through the Republican Secretary of State's office without any serious review.
    Also, remember that after Cory's challenge to Bosworth, SOS Gant, on his very own, reviewed and indicted Clayton Walker's petitions.

  22. Jessie 2014.07.02

    (sigh) No, it doesn't make sense. It can only be perjury if the person collecting the signatures knows the signature was false and signs for the sheet, in front of a notary, and submits it to the SOS.

  23. SDTeacher 2014.07.02

    Unlike you, Mr. Stranahan, I never professed to be acting on her behalf or to be personally concerned about her best interest.

    The worst part about this whole mess is that Marty Jackley stinks in about a thousand ways, but in comparison to your freak show, he suddenly looks like a non-political AG who is just doing his job. Anybody who has watched him for any length of time understands his aspirations, but any hope of thwarting those aspirations spirals when he has a foil like you.

  24. Joe K 2014.07.02

    That is where you are way off base Lee... Jackley isn't basing the charges off fake signatures. Its Annette's signature stating that she witnessed them being signed. Obviously she didn't, but she signed off that she did. That is where the perjury is coming from. I cannot understand why you cannot accept and realize that concept.

  25. mike from iowa 2014.07.02

    and if Bosworth can get this case to the activist,wingnut suckpreme court,she might just be able,with 5 nutjobs,to prove black is white.

  26. Jessie 2014.07.02

    If Bosworth signed any sheet that she herself did not witness being signed by each and every person on that sheet, then I would conclude she committed perjury. If she swore before a notary to something false, that is perjury. The many signatures on the list might all be from living people, with valid addresses and on the correct voting list for a political party. That is immaterial to whether perjury was committed in the case of saying the signings were witnessed if that was untrue.

  27. Joe K 2014.07.02

    Roger - If memory serves me correctly, I thing Mary Perpich filed a challenge to Walker's petitions. If I am mistaken and incorrect in that statement, my apologies.

  28. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Joe K.
    You are absolutely correct. Thanks.
    Obviously I gave Marty way too much credit.

  29. Liberty Dick 2014.07.02

    Lee, sorry you are still in denial about how corrupt the mentally deranged doctor is. Don't follow her down the delusional rabbit hole.

  30. Kristi 2014.07.02

    My favorite comment? Lee Stranahan, 'Cory, stop lying, please.'
    Lee, do you know how many times those same words have been uttered to Dr. Annette Bosworth? She's been tried in the court of public opinion because she chooses to insert herself into the public eye repeatedly, and then chooses to deflect from the issue(s) repeatedly through NC17 press conferences, tossing her supporters under the bus, and posting every known throw-back meme on her Facebook Senate page in hopes that people will actually believe that she holds true to those old school values of days past. I am a woman. I am a Christian. What I am not, is a Bosworth supporter because she is not a representative of my gender nor my value system. Lee Stranahan, I encourage you to keep your eyes in the rear view mirror because no one is immune from being thrown under the bus.

  31. Jim 2014.07.02

    Lee, I will agree with you that the signatures are "valid" in the sense they are the correct identities of real individuals. However, they are not "valid" legally in the sense they were collected and submitted in violation of law. Do you see the distinction and why that is a problem for someone who swears by oath the signatures were collected in a manner which, in fact, they were not. I would urge you to contact you own lawyer and have them explain it to you. Then you can quit with this nonsense.

  32. Donald Pay 2014.07.02

    Stranahan's defense of Bosworth is really strange. It makes no sense. She filed the petitions under a false oath. That invalidates all signatures, and makes her a felon. She ain't going to win by pointing the fingers at someone else's bad advise.

    Now, was she provided bad advise by one or more Republican operatives? Sure, I'm willing to believe that, because I've seen how sloppily Republican candidates go about circulating petitions. But that doesn't excuse her fraudulent actions. When you turn into a Republican, you start cutting corners and act ethically and legally suspect, because that's their m.o. Lesson: if you want to live a moral political life, don't ever join the Republican Party.

  33. Rocky Racoon 2014.07.02

    Yeah guys, give Lee a break on his typos. Word is he ate a bunch of pastries at Josiah’s this morning. That must have been murder on his diabetic eyes.

    Lee, I've been a Type-1 diabetic for 40 years. I have had laser surgery on both eyes, and a vitrectomy one one. Doesn't stop me from using spell-check.

    Calling people on grammar and spelling on the internet is a bit crass, but so is using diabetes as an excuse.

  34. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Oh, so now you can cite a specific law? What a miracle!

  35. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Lee,
    The demonizing of Dr. Bosworth was not done by Cory or anybody else, it was Dr. Bosworth demonizing herself.

    Her Facebook page was and is full of tea party memes that range from her Christianity to demonizing food stamp recipients and equating them to wild animals.

    Her bizarre behavior at press conferences announcing one yet one meaningless and fruitless website had voters on both sides of the aisle shaking their heads. Exactly how many websites did you guys start and what were the results?
    For those of us that are old political hacks, we watched time and again how she wasted political opportunities and trashed basic campaign fundamentals, like having her children campaign and pray for her.
    And most importantly, and this is strange, she never once offered a platform of any substance, none, zip, zero.
    Did she truly think that being a doctor, good looking, and having a Facebook page full of political meme would actually get here elected?
    South Dakota Republican voters aren't the brightest and easily subject to propaganda, but they aren't stupid either.

  36. Jessie 2014.07.02

    I quote you at 16:09 today: Jim : I don't think there's 'evidence' here because I don't actually think a law was broken. There's no specific law cited and 'perjury' or 'filing a false instrument' on this narrow technicality doesn't seem to have any precedent.
    My response at 16:19 today: Ok, you proved you aren't a lawyer. Because somehow you think that she could be charged with 12 felony counts and the prosecution doesn't have a specific law to cite.
    And now you suddenly have a statute number? Seems a bit disingenuous to me. As for weird, that's always a matter of opinion.

  37. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    Arends throwing Boz under the bus while Marty sings Dick Wadhams' libretto: what a surprise.

  38. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    And Lederman plowing the road on 'petition reform' to look like a leader in ethics: it's like an elephant circle jerk.

  39. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Lee,
    Your and Chad's visit is hardly a secret and there was no stalking involved.
    Steve Hildebrand reported that Chad and his "smarmy PR guy" stopped by Josiah's Coffee House on the Animals Against Dr. Bosworth Facebook page.
    The interesting part of that post was that you, Chad and Annette "are working to bring down the entire Republican Establishment".
    If you need help with that, there are plenty of Madville readers that would like to assist you.

  40. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    I just checked the Help Heal Hunger website and there doesn't appear that there has been any activity there for sometime. Did Dr. Bosworth give up her effort to feed the hungry now that she is a potential felon and not a candidate.

    There are hundreds of people that help feed those in need without a website or being a political candidate. There is nothing wrong with helping the hungry, nothing at all. What is immoral is when you don't really help and claim for political purposes that you did. She announced that website for one reason only, to escape her scathing opinions of the poor and hungry.
    It happens that I am very astute when it comes to government and politics and I still have not seen anything coming from her that has any substance. It is not that I choose to ignore it, it simply isn't there.
    Can you produce any position paper on any subject that would prove me wrong?

  41. Rocky Racoon 2014.07.02

    Roger, one correction. I just looked at that page you mentioned. Steve didn't post directly to that page. The page shared a comment from Steve's status update, which is where I saw it.

  42. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.02

    Rocky,
    I first saw Steve's comments on the Animals Against Dr. Bosworth Facebook page, that is all I am saying. I don't know who posted it.

  43. Dave Baumeister 2014.07.02

    Wow! A lot of comments showing up here. Jessie, thanks for letting me know I got my nads in a bind. Anyone who types fast makes the nad/and mistake often. (I was too busy proofreading my own writing!!!) Anyone who has put out regular publications knows that those pesky little typo-demons show up in the worst places. And really, I am the last person to cast the first stone in a typo war. I was more or less just having fun at the expense of Stranahan's nads. Like Debbie Downer, Lee has brought the room down, and I felt we needed more levity here. I do think, "So what, I made a few typos on a blog post" would have been much more acceptable than, "Yeah, it was my... diabetes... that's the ticket!" Can't these people ever accept ownership of things without finding something else to blame? If Annette had ever said, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I guess I am technically guilty," she would have been told to go home, write "I will witness all petition signatures" one thousand times before running for office again. But Noooooo, let's plead "not guilty" to things she is definitely guilty of, and in the process blame anyone else she can think of for doing anything, even though it has no relation to the case at hand. But now, maybe she will get the idea to use her "(place disease here)." If she were diabetic, she would not be guilty; it was the Twinkie that threw her blood sugar off. I suppose, in her case, as a true-diagnosed narcissists, she could blame her mirror (or still lake water) for making her stare into it until she starved or people carried her off to the Philippines.

  44. mike from iowa 2014.07.02

    Lordy,you are talking about deliberate falsifications,hardly a screw up. Unless the doctor cannot read and comprehend English,she knowingly and willingly committed perjury and filed false documents,again,hardly a screw up. Voters were entitled to write her name in. She should never have been allowed on the ballot and her voters wouldn't have been deprived of their candidate to vote for.

  45. mike from iowa 2014.07.02

    as far as I am concerned,Jackley and Bosworth are co-conspirators in her fraudulent run for Senate.

  46. grudznick 2014.07.02

    Mr. H, you said that Mr. Stranahan has not shot nude photos of Dr. Bos. Is that really so, Mr. Stranahan? Do you plan to?

  47. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    fascinating table tennis on this topic at the toilet: someone should go copy it before it gets deleted.

  48. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    anyone believing this isn't catholics v. protestants is an idiot.

  49. Rorschach 2014.07.02

    Someone's an idiot.

  50. Bill Dithmer 2014.07.02

    Dave, absolutely more levity. The time for honest reflection for Dr. Bosworth will come in a court of law.

    Dr. Bosworths attorney, after opening with her accomplishments, and high standing in the medical community, will build her up as much as he, she, or it, " I much prefer it," possibly can. After doing that it's going to be tough to get the jury to set up to the table for a big helping of "innocence by egnorence."

    The Dr. will have to take the stand if she wants to have a real chance of staying felony free. When it gets to be time for Bosworth to answer the prosecutions questions, she wont be able to just answer the questions she wants to, she will have to answer them all. With the Drs narcasystic tendencies, I dont see her time on the stand as a springboard to either a political, or a medical future.

    " Narcissism, in lay terms, basically means that a person is totally absorbed in self. The extreme narcissist is the center of his own universe. To an extreme narcissist, people are things to be used. It usually starts with a significant emotional wound or a series of them culminating in a major trauma of separation/attachment. No matter how socially skilled an extreme narcissist is, he has a major attachment dysfunction. The extreme narcissist is frozen in childhood. He became emotionally stuck at the time of his major trauma of separation/attachment."
    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/08/04/how-to-spot-a-narcissist/

    Lee it sounds like some of that stuff has rubbed of on you.

    Now for my excuses for poor performance in the proofreading department.

    1. Laziness. That's right, I'm lazy, and if you couple that with a " GIVE A SHIT" attitude?

    2. Fat fingers. Right now I dont have my desktop and this damn tablet has a small keyboard.

    3. The pain and itch of hemorrhoids. That's right, the distraction of a neuron firing at the wrong time can cause strange words to be written.

    4. I'm blind, shit happens.

    Lee, if you have to use god in your excuse, it's not a belief, it's called a crutch.

    The Blindman

  51. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    Kadir beneath Mo Moteh.

  52. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    R: when you have a solution to Republican rule post it but shit broadcast into a fan is just shit.

  53. larry kurtz 2014.07.02

    Cory: can you assure readers of Madville that R, grud or any other bullshit commenter is not PP on meth?

  54. Jessie 2014.07.02

    Larry, Robert Burns had just the phrases for you:
    O wad some Power the giftie gie us
    To see oursels as ithers see us!
    It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
    translated from the Scots dialect:
    Oh would some Power the gift give us
    To see ourselves as others see us!
    It would from many a blunder free us

  55. Rorschach 2014.07.02

    Larry, you are magic. You are on both sides of the fan, and you are the fan.

  56. Big Daddy 2014.07.02

    Perjury is defined as: the offense of willfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation.

    If Boz was given bad advice or, as is certainly possible, simply signed these petitions without understanding what she was doing, that makes her careless, ignorant, etc., but it doesn't make her a criminal. The question here is not whether or not she should've won the primary, or even if she should've run, it is whether or not she willfully misrepresented the signatures. Cory's utter hate and contempt for Bosworth has clouded his meager grasp on logical thought discourse and instead he's chosen to believe that Annette sent her flying monkeys to gather signatures to defraud the innocent people of South Dakota.

    The signatures in question could be invalidated and she would still surpass the required number. There is no doubt an issue in question, but the voracity of the accusations and the punishment threatened has to bring into question the motives of our ethically challenged AG.

  57. Donald Pay 2014.07.02

    Lee Stanahan said: "But there are things like the wording of SDCL 2-1-11 which requires that initiative and referendum petitions 'shall be liberally construed, so that the real intention of the petitioners may not be defeated by a mere technicality.'"

    Yes, true, Lee, I am not an attorney. I did, though, engage in a more than a score of ballot issue and candidate petitioning efforts in South Dakota, and know the laws and how those laws affect the practical aspects of petitioning.

    The office tasked with checking signatures should liberally construe the signatures. Why? Because under the system set up in South Dakota and most other states, the circulator is the key to collecting valid signatures. That is why the circulator must witness each signature, and assure that the necessary information is provided. That is also why the circulator must swear an oath regarding the witnessing of each signature and the provision of the information. The circulator, not the Secretary of State, is key to the democratic process. When you have a corrupt circulator who does not follow the law, the entire democratic system breaks down. What Bosworth did is a crime against each and every South Dakotan, not just the people who signed her petition. We value free and fair elections and when someone gains ballot access through fraud, the entire election process is tainted. She should see a long stretch in prison.

  58. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.07.03

    This line from Stranahan is the biggest bunch of BS I've heard since the last Boz press conference.

    My biggest surprise here is that my Madizens are bothering with this guy. I KNOW y'all are smarter than him.

  59. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Gack. How boring to have to read Lee's paid comments. Anyone have anything authentic to say in Bosworth's defense?

  60. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Bosworth's spokesman asks for precedent for "for someone has been charged for signature violations where they got legitimate signatures."

    1. Precedent is irrelevant to the wording of the oath and the law that Bosworth willingly violated. Typical smokescreen.

    2. False premise: On the petition sheets cited in the indictment, Annette Bosworth did not get legitimate signatures. Someone else got signatures. I probably cannot find an instance where the state prosecuted John Doe for legitimate signatures that John Doe witnessed and swore to have witnessed. Essentially, Bosworth is asking us to cite a precedent for Marty Jackley traveling to the moon and eating green cheese. Bosworth is right: Marty Jackley has never done that... and she is still guilty, by her own admission on the record in multiple media appearances, of swearing a false oath. Welcome to perjury.

  61. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    SDTeacher makes a good point: Marty Jackley's various and multitudinous sins do not change the law or evidence that will convict Bosworth any more than they change hundreds of other legitimate convictions that have taken place in South Dakota over the past several years. We are stuck with corrupt one-party government, but we are not at the point where a Democratic Governor taking office is obliged to declare general amnesty for everyone in the Pen.

  62. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Hey, Donald! If Bosworth keeps pointing the finger at Joel Arends, saying he advised her to sign those false oaths, can the state prosecute Arends for suborning perjury?

    Note that if Arends suborned perjury, the perjury still exists. It's like suborning murder: Bugsy goes to jail for hiring Lefty to shoot Joe Palooka, but Lefty still goes to jail for pulling the trigger.

  63. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Roger: Help Heal Hunger? Give 'Em Heck Annette? Bright shiny things.

  64. mike from iowa 2014.07.03

    Bosworth is guilty of insanity,being insanely and terminally "good looking",according to Grudz.(not in those exact words).

  65. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    "The circulator... is key to the democratic process." Very important point, Donald. Any circulator who commits such crime against democracy deserves stiff punishment. That's a universal statement, motivated not by any personal animus or payment, but by a sincere belief in the sanctity of democracy and law.

  66. Jerry 2014.07.03

    So what Mr. Stanahan, so what? There are people who work for others all over this world. That does not give Bos the right to break the law. Dr. Bos was indicted Mr. Stanahan, this clown care of an AG in South Dakota would not have indicted her if there was not credible evidence. You seem to have a pretty big dog in the fight here as well, good luck with that.

  67. Craig 2014.07.03

    Lee seems rather stuck on this concept of legal precedent as if that has any bearing on legality. I'm not sure I understand that logic - it is like saying that nobody has ever been charged for jaywalking across the runway at Joe Foss... just because it has never happened doesn't mean it is legal.

    Also, Bosworth has admitted she wasn't present when many of those signatures were collected. She did try to blame her lawyer, but we know she was out of the country and didn't witness the very signatures that she attested that she had. Is she the first person to ever do this? Perhaps not... but that has no bearing on legality. There are thousands of people breaking traffic laws all across our fine state today, and only a fraction of a percent will be issued citations. That is just how life goes and the "but they did it too" defense doesn't work well in courtrooms.

    Perhaps the bigger issue here is why would someone defend actions of a person which are clearly illegal and harming the democratic process? We don't just have laws to make it difficult for people to run for political office. We have laws to ensure the process is out in the open, that legitimate signatures are granted without coercion or manipulation, and that someone is held accountable if there are problems down the road. Nobody forced Bosworth to lie on her nominating petitions. Nobody forced her to sign her name claiming she witnessed signatures that she most certainly knew she did not. These are her own actions, and she needs to be held accountable for her actions. If her signature doesn't matter and if nothing she did should be considered illegal - then why require a signature at all?

    Then again, just ask Todd Schlekeway about what happens when you have people claiming they witnessed signatures that they never actually witnessed. I believe the one word response equals "conviction".

  68. JeniW 2014.07.03

    Wow, Lee, attacking Cory's sister lowers your credibility, at least with me.

    You do not like Cory or his opinions, that is okay, that is the beauty of living in a free country. To attack/blame his sister for working at one time for Bosworth is pretty low.

    There must be a reason why his sister does not work for Bosworth any more; it cannot be due to a good thing.

  69. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Don't let Bosworth choke you on the smokescreen, JeniW. Team Bosworth has not uttered one word that changes the facts of the violated oath or the law.

    Craig, you have a good grip of the law here. Can you tell us more about the Schlekeway situation? Who when where?

  70. mike from iowa 2014.07.03

    Objection your honor. Is this relevant?

  71. JeniW 2014.07.03

    Lee, you did indeed attack his sister in a round about way by your comment:

    "I believe it's a factor in the amount of energy and bile he puts into attacks the doctor and her family."

    If you had not used the word "bile," I would have not viewed your comment as an attack.

    You lowered your credibility by attacking me. All you would have had to write was "you are wrong Jeni," no need to have resorted to name-calling.

    Not to worry Cory, I have read enough about Bosworth and Jackley to have a pretty good handle on the situation. Nothing much fools me any more.

  72. Joe K 2014.07.03

    Actually Lee, I do believe that Cory has mentioned that before. However, I think it is irrelevant to the subject at hand. It all boils down to one point. If Chad/Annette didn't pull their schemes and scams, there would be nothing to write about in the first place.

  73. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Now Team Bosworth is recycling. The thing about my sister's employment is old news. Annette or Chad or some associate masquerading as "Flo Morris" came peddling that angle last June, contending that the real story was not Annette's clumsy campaign launch or questionable business and non-profit practices, but my relations and their employment. They even created a whole new website to make a show of their accusations before getting distracted by other tactics. (A website launched, littered with minimal, poorly written content, then abandoned... sound familiar, Chad?)

    That storyline had no relevance then, and it didn't stop other facts about Chad and Annette's weird, exploitive, and ultimately illegal activities from coming to light.

  74. daleb 2014.07.03

    as its been said on this site, other people probably witnessed the signatures but for some reason annette wanted to take credit for it. if person A circulates a petition then person A needs to sign the circulators oath and not the candidate. That is where she went wrong. the signatures were legitimate until annette said she witnessed the signatures and circulated the petition. basically taking credit for it. but at that point what she did was not a serious crime, in fact she could of destroed the petitions in question and nobody would of known. now she takes the petitions in question and files them with the SoS office thats filing a false legal instrument and her signature on the petitions of question is perjury on those false legal instruments.

  75. grainofsalt 2014.07.03

    Lee, How do you make money? You're working pro bono for Annette, right? Yet you have expenses and a family to support. Where does your money come from?
    I found what you had to say about EB-5 interesting (during the press conference a while back) I'd like to hear more about that.
    The fact that Cory's sister worked for Annette means he has inside info on her. People who knew her, and turned against her, did so because of corrupt behavior on the part of Bosworth and Haber.

  76. daleb 2014.07.03

    it fits bozs mo. divide ppl, get them working against ppl by casting doubt and using misinformation. why else say cory yelled at me or his sis worked for boz. good ppl like good causes like treating the sick, but often good ppl are very ill-prepared to deal with shady ppl, and often get used, then one morning they wake up and don't like what they are doing. it doesnt make them hypocrites or bad ppl, i shows me they have character. now when the ppl who used to use ppl start assassinating the character of those who stopped working with them it shows me who they are. dividers keep dividingthey cant ever stop.

  77. Rocky Racoon 2014.07.03

    Lee: "Cory, Have you ever told your readers about the personal connection you have with Dr. Bosoworth? I can't find a reference to it in your writing."

    Transparent deflection when you don't have a leg to stand on. Typical BAU from the Breitbart cult.

    Last night he babbled about the coffee shop incident, Today, it's Cory's sister. Tomorrow it will probably be some kind of 4th of July "You're not a true American if..." jive.

    Lee, she's repeatedly admitted in the press that she broke laws. She's already tried herself in public. Her Not Guilty verdict is an insult, considering she's already plead guilty publicly....and AFTER she was read her Miranda Rights, no less.

    Can and will. Can and will.

  78. bearcreekbat 2014.07.03

    Just so everyone is on the same track, here is SD's statutory definition of "perjury":

    "SDCL 22-29-1. Perjury--Violation. Any person who, having taken an oath to testify, declare, depose, or certify truly, before any competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any state or federal proceeding or action in which such an oath may by law be administered, states, intentionally and contrary to the oath, any material matter which the person knows to be false, is guilty of perjury."

    And under SDCL 18-1-1 a notary public is an officer or person who "may, anywhere in this state, administer oaths and perform all other duties required by law. . . ."

  79. Rocky Racoon 2014.07.03

    Thank you, bearcreekbat. That should really be the last post. Nothing else matters on this topic.

  80. Craig 2014.07.03

    Cory, the Schlekeway situation sticks in my mind because he was convicted for voter fraud, and a few short years later he was elected to serve in Pierre as a State Representative. Voters have short attention spans apparently.

    In Schekeway's case, he was involved in voter registration efforts and was handing out absentee ballots. There was an issue with the notary not being present at the time but who later had her name associated with the ballots (sound familiar?). The signature of the registrant/voter was legitimate, but it was the attestation in question... very similar to the Bosworth situation.

    Ultimately Schekeway plead guilty to a misdemeanor, paid a small fine, and move on with his efforts to get fellow Republicans elected. If we are honest, the Bosworth story will probably end much the same although it is possible she will end up with a few felonies rather than a misdemeanor.

  81. Jerry 2014.07.03

    I think there is a future for Dr. Bos on Fox News, she could replace the equally idiotic Dr. Keith Ablow and old ass viewers would hardly notice the difference. "Hey Martha, look, Dr. Ablow did something to his hair, bring me my applesauce" all the while dusting off their Vote For Mitt, bumper stickers.

  82. Jerry 2014.07.03

    I stand corrected, Dr. Bos could bring her sidekick Mr. Stranahan as kind of a Laurel and Hardy schtick to Fox. The geezers will love it as they can relate to conspiracy nonsense and will probably send money. Isn't that was is really important, finding a way to fleece the vulnerable.

  83. Joe K 2014.07.03

    Whew... Thank goodness Lee is here to help inform all of us uneducated, uninformed South Dakotans. Give me a break.

  84. mike from iowa 2014.07.03

    Madvillains,you have been challenged to find fault with this guy's blog,if it ever gets up and running. R U up 2 the challenge?

  85. mike from iowa 2014.07.03

    Jerry,I heard somewhere that Bain Capital bought Clear Channel Comm.,meaning Willard has his own wingnut propaganda network if he should run for Potus again. Maybe she could swindle Mittens.

  86. Sue 2014.07.03

    Is the claim here that Arends committed provable legal malpractice? if so, when does Boz file that lawsuit?

  87. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.03

    "Smarmy PR guy" seems to be acting out of desperation by involving Cory's sister in the mix. I doubt that Jackley could give two hoots and a fart about Lee's attempting to make Cory's sister a part of Bosworth's defense. Lee, do you know if Bosworth paid Cory's sister?
    The same with the Mette case, it isn't relevant to Bosworth's criminal charges or defense.
    I am intrigued with Lee's announcement of a new blog, will that almost 6% be commenting, praying, or recycling Annette's tea party memes?
    And, Lee said he has been harder on Powers than on Cory over this mess, I checked the Rounds Blog and the two most recent Bosworth stories and that simply is not true.

  88. larry kurtz 2014.07.03

    How much do you need, Mr. Stranahan?

  89. grudznick 2014.07.03

    Don't do it, Lar, this Mr. Stranahan fellow seems the sort that would soak you for all your millions if you let him and leave you unfulfilled in every way.

  90. larry kurtz 2014.07.03

    grud: the river Temarc in winter.

  91. grudznick 2014.07.03

    Milton Roundhead, after the cops came

  92. larry kurtz 2014.07.03

    Mike Rounds, Jason Gout after the feds came.

  93. Rocky Racoon 2014.07.03

    "proven liar Leann Batiz"

    Source, please?

  94. SDBlue 2014.07.03

    Wow. Calling Leann Batiz a "proven liar". You are some piece of work, Mr. Stranahan. I am continually amazed how in the eyes of the Bosworth camp this whole situation is everyone else's fault and dear Annette is as innocent and pure as the driven snow. You sir, are triggering my gag reflex.

  95. grudznick 2014.07.03

    Mr. Stranahan, do you have some artsy pictures of Dr. Bos you posted somewhere?

  96. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.03

    Lee,
    If you aren't trying the Bosworth case in the court of public opinion, what are attempting do. The Bosworth campaign is rightfully dead.
    The relentless attacks you are making on Rounds over on his blog shows you are no fan of his.
    Who in the senate race are you supporting? Pressler is too much of a gentlemen to accept or pay for your kind of help.
    So that leaves Gordon, if you aren't already a paid Howie operative, are you angling to be one?
    I'm just trying to figure out your motivations and attachment to Dr. Bosworth.

  97. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.03

    Lee,

    Leeann Batiz is NOT the West River of Twitter or Facebook.

    I know West River personally and it is not Leann Batiz!!!

  98. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Craig, you've nailed it! The Schlekeway case is an instructive precedent for the Bosworth case.

    I find the following Rapid City Journal coverage of the Schlekeway crime during the 2004 general election:

    http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/six-charged-in-ballot-probe/article_b7e7f9ab-53c3-58ea-ab4f-a0a037d4f881.html

    http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/state-and-regional/gop-workers-plead-guilty-daschle-staffer-charged/article_39b07422-7a75-52f6-8fb2-1dbadd49f915.html

    Schlekeway and five others were working for the state GOP, lining up absentee votes on our six college campuses. Schlekeway notarized absentee ballot applications that he did not witness. Misuse of the notary seal was only a Class 2 misdemeanor; felony charges were never part of the discussion. Attorney General Larry Long and Secretary of State worked together on the investigation. Minnehaha County State's Attorney Dave Nelson said notaries often commit violations like Schlekeway's and that such violations are rarely prosecuted; however, the state took action in this case specifically because the violation had electoral implications, opening the door for those absentee ballots to be challenged and disqualified (which in this case benefited Democrats).

    AG Long said at the time that he hoped that, if any of the improperly notarized ballots were challenged, judges would not punish those perfectly legitimate voters for the crimes of their notary. AG Long and SOS Nelson shared a desire not to disenfranchise any voter, but that urge for broad enfranchisement and liberal interpretation of voters' intent did not annul or reduce the gravity of the crime Schlekeway committed.

    There lies the parallel with the Bosworth case. The registered Republican voters who signed Bosworth's petition committed no crime. They wanted to nominate Bosworth, and AG Jackley and SOS Gant respected their will. Those signers got what they wanted. But that doesn't change the fact that Annette Bosworth committed a crime with electoral impacts that warrant stiff punishment.

    Well done, Craig.

  99. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.03

    Meanwhile, Lee calls Grudz a pig. Ha ha ha ha ha!

  100. Rocky Racoon 2014.07.04

    "Take Leann Batiz's proven lies about not be paid by Dr. Bosworth"

    ...proven...where? ...you love to throw that word around.

    It fits you huckster, snake-oil salesman personality well. Next you'll be telling us that Annette is new, improved, and 99.999% less guilty!

    Man, this thread is a waste of time.

    Lee, you're a sad little man looking to make a big noise and line your pockets, just like your mentor, the dead Andrew Breitbart.

    That's my parting shot. I'm out.

  101. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.04

    Debating Annette Bosworth's paid spokesman is as pointless and unsatisfying as debating President Obama's press secretary. It's not much fun for citizens with a real stake in South Dakota law and justice to slog through the amateur lawyering of someone who's being paid to clutter our comment sections.

    In this case, there's not much need to respond. The $5,000 Bosworth paid him in May will run out soon, if it hasn't already. When he starts getting excuses instead of paychecks, he'll realize he's been duped, just like so many other people Bosworth and Haber have exploited. His interest in telling Annette's story will fade quickly, and we can all get back to talking about real issues.

    Bosworth broke the law. 95% of what's been said here has nothing to do with that simple, irrefutable fact. The 5% that is relevant to the topic will all help South Dakota Deputy Attorney General and Prosecutor of the Year Robert Mayer convict Annette Bosworth.

    And Mayer, Jackley, Gant, Daugaard, and the State of South Dakota won't pay me one penny for anything I'm saying here or anything I've done to help make that conviction happen.

  102. JeniW 2014.07.04

    Cory, I have seen it numerous times where supporters of political candidates, and others, do more harm than good for the person who they are supporting.

    This might very well be the case here.

  103. Afraid of bosworth retaliation 2014.07.04

    Lee: so if Leann is a liar...what about the rest of us employees who weren't paid? Are we all liars too? According to the dept of labor...I'm not lieing.
    Anyone who has worked for dr Boz and has any experience in the real world of medicine knows how big of a shit show that place is. Her dog pooping on the carpet, her "nurse" who is really just a medical assistant, working outside of her scope of practice, HIPAA violations everywhere, employees being paid on clinic time to do election duties (myself was included!)
    She is a joke in the world of medicine. She is a joke in the world of politics. And she is just a joke in general.
    Everyone said I was crazy to leave my good job to go work for her... And they were right!

  104. ck 2014.07.04

    If Annette was such a good, honorable doctor, how come she does not have admitting privileges at either SF hospital?

  105. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.04

    Jeni, I notice Bosworth's latest attorney, Brandon Taliaferro, managed to keep Bosworth silent after Monday's court appearance. I hope he demanded payment up front. But even Taliaferro's intelligence and experience with corruption in South Dakota won't change the facts to which Bosworth has admitted and which will lead to her conviction.

  106. JeniW 2014.07.04

    CK, I don't think that she is that kind of doctor. Her speciality is treating people with alcohol, and other types of drug addiction.

    Cory, what I meant, but maybe I mis-reading your comment, is that Lee is, IMO, is doing more harm to Annette than helping her.

  107. Jim 2014.07.04

    Lee, have you had they pleasure of meeting chads family as well. Don't they owe him a whole bunch of money?

  108. Rich 2014.07.04

    If Stranahan cannot back up his statements about Leeann Batiz with proof and she can prove he's wrong, she's got a solid case for a libel lawsuit.

  109. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Mr. Stranahan, you are no real journalist, sir. You are a slick willy out for a quick buck.

  110. Jim 2014.07.04

    Mr. Grudz is a cherished South Dakota intellect. You Lee, are being duped by a couple of shysters.

  111. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.04

    Lee,
    One more time, West River is not Leann Batiz, I just talked with West River and it was not Batiz, I don't know here. You are not getting the truth from your sources or you have decided to create this myth. You call Batiz a liar because she wouldn't answer your derogatory questions and conjured up that Batiz is West River.
    In one on Bosworth's joke of a press conferences, she said that people in her employment were not paid because they under performed. That isn't an exact quote, but the meaning is the same. She acknowledged that employees were not paid!
    I have had discussions with other Lee types and they seem to follow this pattern; deny charges and allegations, simply call people liars when they can't produce evidence, attempt to deflect charges by killing the messenger, and when all else fails, produce their resume as evidence that they are right.
    The truth about Bosworth is out there, much of it she put out there by herself or her inept handlers, if I were involved with the Bosworth campaign, you can rest assured that I sure as hell wouldn't admit it.

  112. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.04

    grudz is not a pig and a true Christian would never had called him one.
    The ole grudz and I seldom, if ever, agree on anything but I consider him a trusted internet friend.
    Lee, your insulting him and others on the thread reveal your true character, or lack thereof.

  113. Rich 2014.07.04

    'And all glory to God.' When you made pornography, was that for the 'glory to God' too?

    I'm very skeptical of all your claims above that you say you've done. but I do know you were fired from Breitbart. That's well documented on the internet.

  114. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Maybe I've been saved, Mr. Stranahan. Maybe it happened between the time you posted naughty pictures of Dr. Bos and the time I asked you about it or maybe it happened last night. You can't prove it didn't!

    Nice "journalist" resume, by the way.

  115. grudznick 2014.07.04

    I've never heard of those things, Mr. Stranahan. Were you live blogging them or something?

    Now go eat your tuna sandwich.

  116. grudznick 2014.07.04

    My life is nearly over, Mr. Stranahan, and none of my accomplishments do i remotely wish to share with you or your ilk.

    I do have a question for you. I saw you on the tubes doing that Dr. Bosworth "press conference" thing where she never talked. You looked like your arms are a little stumpy, sir. Do you have a bit of dwarf in you?

  117. David Newquist 2014.07.04

    There seems to be a Poseur Party forming in South Dakota.

  118. Jenny 2014.07.04

    Google 'Lee Stranahan' and you'll find that he has problems with paying customers back also regarding a certain business he had called Digital Fusion.

  119. Bill Fleming 2014.07.04

    Grudz you take the cake. Happy 4th you crazy bastard. :-)

  120. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Happy 4th indeed, Bill. May you not go thirsty today, my old friend.

  121. Jenny 2014.07.04

    I'm neither a hypocrite or a scam artist.

  122. John Grosz 2014.07.04

    Lee I don't know you but I do know LeAnn Batiz and I watched her for years put herself through school and I watched her uproot her family from Pierre and move here to work for Annette. She moved here to take a position in which she was promised a certain salary. I also know LeAnn well enough to know she is a dedicated health care professional. If Annette wasnt in a position to pay that salary she shouldn't of offered it. I also know the hypocrisy in Annette's public message prompted LeAnn's letter to Steve Hickey to share her first hand knowledge with him and she did not intend for that letter to be made public info nor did she want to be a part of the Senate race. To these parts of the story I will tell you LeAnn is 100% truthful and beyond that I have no idea if she even uses twitter and to quote a famoue Democrat, "what difference does it make?".

  123. Kal Lis 2014.07.04

    Reading this thread causes me to wish Sibby would return to clarify things.

    Neo-Marxism and neo-Fascism, even when the terms are used improperly and incessantly, are much easier to understand than neo-weirdness.

  124. Barry Smith 2014.07.04

    Kal Sadly even I am wondering where the Sibster is. I have been hoping that his head did not explode from trying in vain to twist this thread into an example of new age theocracy.

  125. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.04

    I salute a true journalist, a true investigative journalist that was able to get the Bosworth story and her scams to the public, without him SD news organizations would never have known her corrupt ways.

    On this 4th of July, I say "Thank you Cory".

  126. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Lee, 'lil bit o dwarf in ya?

  127. Barry Smith 2014.07.04

    It only took two posts before the title of this thread changed to "Carpetbagger Arrives To Save South Dakota".

  128. Barry Smith 2014.07.04

    Just calls em as I sees em there Lee :-)

  129. Rich 2014.07.04

    Your life is all out on the internet. If you can't remember go look it up. You know exactly why you were fired. Whether it's accurate or not is not my concern. Filthy, 'saved' individuals don't impress me much, and are not to be trusted.

    And I bet you're never honest.

  130. mike from iowa 2014.07.04

    I'll take a stab at that,Lee. You were known as a loose cannon so someone yanked the lanyard to see you go off in different directions. That is how and why you were fired. How did I do?

  131. mike from iowa 2014.07.04

    I liked my answer better.

  132. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Lee, you promised you'd pray harder for me than you do for mike from iowa.

    But do you have a bit of dwarf in ya?

  133. 96 Tears 2014.07.04

    Grud, how 'bout if I prayed for ya? You're already wonderful. Don't do something stupid, like listening to jackasses like Stranahanaman. He's paid to be a jackass. Nobody's paying you to be anyone other than you. God loves you for being you. Don't jackasses like Stranahamanajerkoff demean you. It's like Eleanor Roosevelt said. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

  134. 96 Tears 2014.07.04

    Stranahanaman ... BOOO! Now git outta here!

  135. grudznick 2014.07.04

    If everybody quit wasting their time praying for me I would be much better off.

  136. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.04

    Help me out here, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard of a reporter being fired for uncovering and reporting corruption. Doesn't a journalist that exposes corruption or criminal activity usually get a Pulitzer Prize or similar recognition?
    LeAnn Batiz wrote a very compelling letter to Steve Hickey and provided evidence of her charges and yet Lee wants to interrogate her as if she was a criminal. This is simple, who do you believe, Lee or LeAnn?
    Anybody on this thread that challenges Lee to produce evidence about his accusations is automatically labeled a liar. Oh you lyin' Madvillians!

  137. grudznick 2014.07.04

    I would like to see Mr. Stranahan interview that young Mr. Hickey fellow. That would be good movies to post on blogs. Mr. H, can you come and video that?

  138. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.04

    Jeni, that's just what I read in your comment: Bosworth's paid spokesman is doing her more harm than good.

    Why would LeAnn Batiz or anyone else sit down to do an interview with Bosworth's spokesman? What is the point of providing commentary that would be under the exclusive control of Team Bosworth, to manipulate as they saw fit? No one here is under any obligation to respond to Bosworth's spokesman's attempt to play lawyer. We are not in a courtroom expected to answer for our crimes. Annette Bosworth is.

    Once again, Lee's boasting about his résumé, his denigration of mine, his insulting LeAnn Batiz and Barry and Rich, his calling Grudz a pig, his invocation of God, his hijacking of my comment section to advertise for his service (hey, Lee, you need to pay to advertise, just like everyone else; I'll go up and edit that comment when I'm done here), and pretty much everything else I've said here are irrelevant to the facts that Annette Bosworth and Pat Powers agree on: Bosworth swore that she witnessed signatures that she didn't really witness. The oath, the law, and the facts damn here. The Schlekeway precedent only solidifies the case. Lee will milk Bosworth for money, then leave when the gravy train dries up (which should be any day now, unless Chad struck gold prospecting with the boys up in Alaska).

  139. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.04

    By the way, did you notice how far we've run away from Pat's original story, in which he is finding even more South Dakotans who say they signed a petition sheet that Bosworth did not witnessed but swore she did? There are even more worms waiting to come out of the woodwork. That's why Bosworth's media intimidation strategy is so important. She is trying to scare anyone who might speak up against her by demonstrating that they will be subject to the kind of dredging and mudslinging that you see Team Bosworth doing right here in this comment section. I can take it, because Team Bosworth isn't doing anything to me that hasn't been done by other, better (though never quite this amoral) opponents before. But your run-of-the-mill citizen, suddenly subjected to attacks like this from Bosworth and her media hitmen, might well hear this noise and say, "I don't want to catch any of that flak."

    Even if Bosworth's pre-emptive witness intimidation worked, even she scared off every one of Pat's witnesses from going public, there is still enough evidence on the record to convict Bosworth.

    But petition signers, I urge you not to give in to Bosworth's intimidation. If you signed her petition, and if your name appears on a sheet she did not circulate but which bears her name as a circulator, call the Division of Criminal Investigation at 605-773-3331. Tell them what you know, and tell them about any intimidation or threats you receive from Bosworth or anyone speaking on her behalf, whether on this blog or anywhere else. Stand for the law and justice over Bosworth's devious thuggery.

  140. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Don't let that Mr. Stranahan fellow who I am sure has a little dwarf in him intimidate you, Mr. H.

  141. Kal Lis 2014.07.04

    Damn it, Roger. I was going to supplement my retirement income by starting a band called the Lyin' Madvillians. Now, I suppose you'll trademark it and charge me an arm and a leg to use the name.

    I suppose I could name the band "let's hire a spokesman to distract from the fact that I swore under oath that I witnessed signatures in South Dakota when I really was out of the country on a mission trip that I solicited funds for on various social media and I admitted to this fact in public a whole bunch of times." It just seems a little long and doesn't have the same punch.

    Maybe I'll settle for "where's Sibby when we need him?"

  142. larry kurtz 2014.07.04

    192 comments closer to 2 million hits, CAH: you pretty much da man.

  143. larry kurtz 2014.07.04

    grud: yer married to pp's sister, right?

  144. Jerry 2014.07.04

    A dwarf inside him...damn, that is funny man.

  145. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Jerry, have you seen his stumpy arms? I am just asking if he is part dwarf and he won't answer. He's afraid.

  146. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.04

    Kal Lis
    I think we just outgrew the Lyin' Madvillians with Lee's most recent post. How fast Times change, how about Cory's Cult? Kal, please don't ask for Sibson to join us, he just might.
    What does Cory's questioning Bosworth's candidacy and petitions have to do with anything other than the fact that she broke the law. Should Jackley drop all the charges against Bosworth because Cory targeted her? What the hell kind of reasoning is that or is it part of her defense?
    "But the truth will come out". It appears a lot of the truth has already come out and thus the need for "smarmy PR guy". I'm pretty certain more truths will come out, and they won't be because of Cory, they'll because of Annette herself.
    Lee, I understand your resentments, you and the grifters worked very hard on her campaign and weren't able to garner even 6% of the vote. Usually when a candidate loses by those margins it is more than the candidate's fault. Lee, you are responsible for that loss by giving Bosworth horrible advice and she is responsible for the corruption of our petition process in this state.
    You can blame Cory for a lot of things, whether they are true or not is another question, but what it comes down to is Dr. Annette Bosworth broke the law. Even a Republican attorney general says she broke the law.
    In your bizarre mind you blame Jackley for Bosworth's criminal activity by attempting to inject irrelevant cases into her defense and bringing up personal issues of everyone that dares to challenge you.
    When her court case is called in the near future and she has made a plea deal or chooses to tell it to a jury, reality will set in, hopefully she will have a better defense than what you have put on here at Madville.

  147. Joe K 2014.07.04

    Lee... What does Cory or Powers have to testify for? They had no part in the petition process, or the crimes Boswort is charged with. I know you always like to say you are not a lawyer, but you are really grasping at straws. Keep in mind, heresay is not allowed in court, and since they did not personally witness any part of the petition process there would be no point in putting them up to testify. Or I could just put it in a nutshell, and say you are full of BS, and have no idea what the hell you are talking about.

  148. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Mr. C's para 4, 6 and 7 are gold.

  149. Jerry 2014.07.04

    So that is his meme, got it.

  150. grudznick 2014.07.04

    Lar, are you back south yet? I had saved you some pie but got hungry and ate it so if you didn't stop by out of rage or something I guess it all worked out.

  151. 96 Tears 2014.07.04

    Stranahan, We know the difference between "real journalism" and what comes out of your bladder. You are a hired gun and it is only fair, balanced and accurate to consider you only as such. Now please just go away. You are tedious.

  152. larry kurtz 2014.07.04

    will be in bully blends for breakfast at 9, grud.

  153. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.05

    Stranahan is working for Bosworth? Bosworth is working for Stranahan? It's hard to tell the difference.

    Fact #1... heck, Fact #1 through Fact #100 is that Annette Bosworth committed felony perjury by swearing a false oath. Not much else matters in this story to most people in South Dakota. Most of you can turn your radios off now.

    But for us soap opera fans, here's what's happening behind the slow march to conviction. Annette Bosworth conned people across the country out of 1.7 million dollars (probably more... can't wait for the Q2 FEC report to see if Lee—or Ethan Crisp, or Douglas Brown—gets the rest of his pay) by trading on her image and a false narrative of conservatism. A lot of otherwise nice people threw money away on her (not only did she break the law and perform miserably as a candidate, but more than 80% of the money she raised went to out-state direct mailers and their associates, doing not one thing to advance the conservative cause the donors thought their money would help).

    If presented these facts, those donors would feel embarrassed. Bosworth's failure and arrest threaten their worldview: how can a good Tea Party woman in whom they invested turn out to be so duplicitious, so manipulative, so ineffective, so nuts?

    Enter Lee Stranahan. He sees an opportunity to cash in on the Bosworth narrative and the desire of thousands of donors not to be proven wrong. Tell them Annette was a good woman and a good candidate all along. She was wronged by the evil, corrupt, establishment politicians you Tea Party faithful have been fighting all along. Your investment in Annette was not wasted; it has helped us expose the rot among the RINOs in South Dakota... and if you send more money, we'll vindicate Annette (and you yourselves, dear donors) and bring down the real bad guys!

    Annette and Chad only needed one in a hundred dupes to respond to their fake Senate campaign pitch and publicity stunts to rake in thousands of dollars for themselves. If Lee can get just a quarter of those donors to keep pitching in, he can buy himself all sorts of new camera equipment, pay the rent for his family back home, and keep dining out all around Sioux Falls.

    Annette and Lee don't need everyone to believe their lies. They don't need any of us South Dakotans to believe their lies. They need lots of peole far removed from the facts to hear their lies, and they need just a small fraction of those hearers to write checks.

    Annette only needed the scam to run long enough to pay for her Starbucks and Chad and the boys' vacation to Alaska and to keep other creditors at bay. By the time 12 jurors convict, Annette and Chad probably figure they can come up with some new bright shiny moneymaking scheme. Lee is doing the same thing, milking this situation for all it's worth before it runs dry and he has to move on to the next watering hole. I estimate we put up with Lee's specious rants for a few months before the Annette story stops putting out for him and he slinks off to pimp someone else's story.

    Whom are you calling kids, Lee? We grownups in the room understand what you're doing.

  154. JeniW 2014.07.05

    Has anyone noticed that throughout this whole thread that no one has written a positive or favorable word about Ms. Bosworth, not even by one of her supporters?

  155. larry kurtz 2014.07.05

    Earth haters Powers, Schoenbeck and Tim Begalka are beating up on Angelia Schultz because she's a feminist. My comments just get deleted over there: maybe someone could go over there and call the earth haters out.

  156. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.05

    Yup, Jeni. Every charge against Bosworth stands unscathed. I have to wonder if Team Bosworth's attempt to co-opt the Mette-foster care issue (an important issue, discussion of which I welcome, but entirely unrelated to Bosworth's crimes) is really just an extension of the intimidation campaign. Bosworth doesn't care about corruption in Pierre. Maybe she just thinks that if she turns up the volume on stories that she learned about by reading my blog, maybe she can blackmail Marty Jackley to leave her alone.

    Larry, Angelia may be relevant to the Bosworth issue, because she and her opponent will have a chance to talk about how they would have handled the Bosworth and Walker petition challenges and what lessons (e.g., changes in election law?) they draw from those challenges. As for rebutting the earth-haters, well, I can't get my comments through that filter, either. But I can give you a blog post....

  157. mike from iowa 2014.07.05

    Just dang you to heck,Cory! If you hadn't pointed out Bosworth's crimes,she never would have done them. We know who is to blame for leading Bos astray. I fed cattle for years and years and I know astray when I see it.

  158. Rich 2014.07.05

    Acutally, Lee, I did answer honestly. It's fun to poke you in the eye and point out your misgivings but I couldn't care less about your version of events or why you suddenly realized you needed to be 'saved'. Which I don't quite believe has truly happened. In fact, if I had to make a choice between trusting Lucifer or you, I'd choose Lucifer.

    You are completely untrustworthy. And an impetuous opportunistic leech.

  159. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.05

    ...rather like Bosworth, wouldn't you agree, Rich?

  160. Rich 2014.07.05

    Yes, absolutely ... both appear to be cast from the same mold.

  161. Donald Pay 2014.07.06

    It's nice to see Republicans thinking a bit about the problem of petition circulation, but they don't really have any good answers. Dan Lederman wants to ban paid circulators and Joel Rosenthal has a bunch of ideas that increases the numbers for initiative and referendum and requires paid circulators to be identified as such.

    http://southdakotastraighttalk.blogspot.com/2014/07/petition-reform.html

    Lederman's idea runs counter to a long series of "money equals free speech" nonsense coming out of the conservative movement and given semi-legitimacy by a bought and paid for kleptocratic Supreme Court. I discussed this as possible legislation in the 1990s, and couldn't interest anyone in it, but I hope Lederman at least pursues this idea.

    The only idea of Rosenthal's that should be looked into is the identification requirement. The Legislature requires paid lobbyists to wear a badge, and it would probably be legal to require paid circulators to wear one.

    Rosenthal's idead to increase the signature numbers on initiatives and referendum is a typical Republican idea and a nonstarter. The numbers of signatures required for initiatives and referendums automatically increase with an increase in voting numbers. In fact, increasing the signature numbers actually makes paid circulation of petitions more likely. That would be the only way to put something on the ballot.

    Also, you don't need longer periods to check petitions and all of Rosenthal's needless bureaucracy. That's just a top-down, command and control idea meant to stifle democracy.

  162. student 2014.07.07

    Stranahan......If Joel Arends is so awful why is Annette still having him represent her in all the other legal matters?

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