Last week, social media was buzzing with news about my state representative Joe Donnell. Some examples:
This is Joe Donnell. He is an elected official serving in South Dakota's House of Representatives. He believes that Mount Rushmore is a demonic portal through which communism is being spread across the nation. https://t.co/Un4LjwKZjy pic.twitter.com/85p3rJsWoh
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) June 26, 2023
The Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe says Joe Donnell’s comments about Mount Rushmore are “not based on any traditional Dakota teachings.” https://t.co/PS9kDVvpCi pic.twitter.com/a4kFAiAuIY
— KELOLAND News (@keloland) June 30, 2023
The Keloland report notes:
The statement also says many Native American tribes take issue with Mount Rushmore because of the sacredness of the Paha Sapa and legal issues with the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty which gave the land to the Great Sioux Nation.
That's certainly what we hear from our Sisseton Wahpeton neighbors about Mount Rushmore, though they tend to be more concerned about bringing home relatives from the Carlisle Indian School cemetery, re-establishing the boundaries of the Lake Traverse Reservation, and homeownership and housing.
“What the Lord has revealed to me is that Mount Rushmore has a direct ley line to Washington, D.C.,” Joe Donnell, a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives” https://t.co/r2sE9BPllh
— Brenda Mantz (@brendamantz) June 28, 2023
— Dakota Free Press (@dfpblog) June 27, 2023
Representative Donnell first caught Bluestem's attention during last year's election, when we learned he's an apostle in the New Apostlic Reformation. Three recent tweets by Kira Resistance sum up the back story:
🧵🚨 #SouthDakota Rep Joe D*nnell is talking about a demonic portal because he's a Native American New Apostolic Reformation Movement Apostle anointed by #NAR Leader Dutch Sh*eets https://t.co/TMAZgLEA2w pic.twitter.com/pSL3yLnqmM
— Kira Resistance 🚨 (@KiraResistance) June 26, 2023
3/🧵‼️ M*ri Crouley Ministries who interviewed Christian Dominionist #NAR Apostle & South Dakota Rep Joe D*nnell is also #NAR ⬇️ Here she is attending a Dutch Sh*ets talk, talking about 7 Mountain Mandate & interviewing PA NAR prophet Francine Fosdick pic.twitter.com/gMY5sLKBwz
— Kira Resistance 🚨 (@KiraResistance) June 26, 2023
Years before, in 20 Donnell was mentioned in Sentinel Group's email, An Unfolding Revival & Extremely Urgent Prayer Request, by George Otis. Otis adds specific prayers requests related to the then-unsolved murder of Todd Little Bull. Last year, it was revealed in court that the murdered Kyle man helped plan his own death, in order to discredit the spiritual leader whom Otis denounces in the email.
We certainly hope Jesus gave Donnell the discernment to resist Otis's pleas. As for his own visions about Mount Rushmore, okay then.
Here's hoping that Donnell gets this embarrassing episode behind him. Earlier this year, the South Dakota Searchlight reported For-profit businesses in, tribes out in housing infrastructure rules update and Tribes still face uphill slog for housing infrastructure funding after passage of rules. From the latter:
South Dakota’s tribes may lose out on a quarter of a $200 million pool of workforce housing infrastructure money before lawmakers can pass a bill giving them access to the funds.
The Legislature’s Rules Review Committee voted 5-1 Tuesday to give final approval to the rules for the program. But a wrinkle in the law that created it will force tribes that hope to use the money this year and at least part of the next to partner with non-tribal cities or counties.
Such partnerships are a workaround for tribes to the latest problem in long-stalled efforts to pass along infrastructure funding to developers. Those efforts date to 2021, when legislators first approved the funding that Tuesday’s vote finally makes available to developers across the state.
Last month, South Dakota Housing Development Authority Interim Director Chas Olson said in a public hearing that any infrastructure paid for through the program must be handed off to a “political subdivision of the state” after a developer builds it.
Tribes and tribal entities are eligible for the funding under program rules, but are not political subdivisions of South Dakota. . . .
Looking over Representative Donnell's profile at the state legislature, I noticed among the bills he sponsored and co-sponsored, the only housing issue was HC8012: "Honoring the families who hosted the 2023 Legislative pages in their homes during the legislative session."
That's all well and fine, but turning his attention to fixing tribal access to housing infrastructure funding might atone for the national spotlight about his off-duty, religious insights, such as they are. Donnell had not yet taken office when God/whatever gave him that insight about Trump and Mt. Rushmore, but Bluestem hopes he'll turn his attention to his constituents' needs now that he does hold office.
One final note; this episode certainly provides a different vision of Donnell than that provided by a Republican-leaning PAC attack postcard I received during the 2022 South Dakota legislative primary, when Donnell challenged our incumbent:
Photo: Joe Donnell and Mount Rushmore. Via the Advocate Channel.
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