All Bark and No Bite - Pierre, South Dakota

Governor Kristi Noem's miniature purse-dog Tim Goodwin is all bark and no bite. He likes to pick on women his own size.

The sidewall of my tire got a visit following the publication of Pierre Outsider's March 2022 edition. The list of women who House Majority Whip Tim Goodwin (R-D30) has picked cat-fights with has grown within the last couple of months. Last October via blog post Rep. Goodwin called Sherry Bren, who was summoned to the Governor's Mansion for an "intimidating" meeting with Noem's daughter, a "lower-level state employee" who was "basically the problem." Then again in January, after former Noem-staffer Caroline Woods challenged the Governor's record on fairness in women's sports in the Rapid City Journal, Rep. Goodwin obediently barked along at her too. He accused Woods of leaving state employment due to "irreconcilable issues" and of being a "relatively new resident" to Rapid City and South Dakota. The only possible explanation for his odd behavior is that he has a crush on the Snow Queen and lives vicariously through 8'9" First Gentleman Bryon Noem.

SB 121: An act to restrict the distribution of deceptive images or recording with the intent to influence the outcome of an election. On February 3rd, 2022, Senator Jessica Castleberry (R-D35) brought Goodwin's prime sponsored revenge bill before Senate Judiciary committee. Justin Smith, an attorney and lobbyist representing the South Dakota Newspaper Association, testified in opposition to SB 121. Smith argued that the bill would have a "chilling effect" on Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. The South Dakota Broadcasters Association also testified in opposition, asking the committee to put the bill "quietly to death." The members of the committee asked no further questions before the bill moved onto discussion and or action, where it got shot down from the sky like a South Dakota pheasant. 7-0!
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I first became alarmed by Tim Goodwin's behavior in March of last year. I continued to approach our interactions with a cautious, but open-minded optimism, despite being suspicious of his motive and intent. The more I dug, however, the more alarmed I became with what started turning up. I found more questions than I did answers-- like who was the high-profile South Dakotan named as an implicated individual in a ongoing child pornography case? The benefit of the doubt I had initially afforded to Rep. Goodwin would eventually come to evaporate, and I took steps necessary to neutralize him and protect myself. South Dakota is a one party consent state meaning that only one party has to consent in order for a private conversation to be legally recorded. 

TRANSCRIPT: September 11th, 2021, Pennington County Lincoln Day Dinner 

GOODWIN: So, other than that.
HEALEY: So... Lee, that's...?
GOODWIN: Lee Schoenbeck, he's the head of the Senate.
HEALEY: Oh, okay.
GOODWIN: Yeah.
HEALEY: I remember Jessica saying something about him, but... I think she said he would fundraise?
GOODWIN: Yeah, he can help you fundraise and so can ____.
HEALEY: Oh, okay.
GOODWIN: And then we'll go from there.
HEALEY: Okay.
GOODWIN: I've got some lobbyists too that I've talked to that have said-- once you get there, we'll figure it out. Once we get to that point.
HEALEY: Sounds good.
GOODWIN: Let's find out what the district looks like first.
HEALEY: Okay. Um, yeah. I'm by the airport so I should solidly be in 35, I think.
GOODWIN: Yeah, I'm just-- I just wanna get it where you got more Air Force in your district.
HEALEY: Ah, I see. Umm, okay...
GOODWIN: More votes for sure.
HEALEY: Yeah.

[...]
GOODWIN: That's what I would say, pro B-21, pro-Ellsworth.
HEALEY: Yeah.
GOODWIN: It'd be fun to run against them, I think.
HEALEY: I think it'd be kind of fun too. Something new and differe--
GOODWIN: They're scared shitless cause they're going around complaining that I'm recruiting people.
HEALEY: Oh, yeah? That's funny.
GOODWIN: So they're scared.
HEALEY: Okay, umm... Do they know its me, or...?
GOODWIN: I said-- I told them, I said, I haven't recruited anybody. I said, there's bee-- I said that the people out in Box Elder hate your guts and if you lose, go look in the mirror. It's your own fault. Because Taffy told you to do this, vote it that way, because Taffy Howard told them. Taffy Howard, you know last night she was speaking up in Meade County. She hasn't announced formally, so tonight she ain't talking, only the candidates are. Dusty Johnson's our congressman. Now if she already filed and was for sure gonna run, then she could talk. You know?
HEALEY: So, she wants to run against him right?
GOODWIN: Well-- but she won't file yet cause she's worried. I think she's, I think she's bluffing. I don't think she'll actually go through with it. I hope she does cause then she won't be in the House anymore!
GOODWIN: _____, you remember-- do you remember, uh... Kelly. Carie?
HEALEY: Karli?
GOODWIN: Karli!
_____: You were a page?
HEALEY: Intern. 
GOODWIN: She's gonna be my intern this year, she's coming back.
HEALEY: Yep, I'm coming back. Yep...
GOODWIN: She's thinking of running for the legislature. 35, Tina and Tony. *Laughter* She's got a good resume, her husband is in the Air Force. That's a real item.

My husband once tried striking up a conversation with Rep. Goodwin about his long term career goals, but was rudely talked over, "Yeah, but you can't run. You're in the military!" Later, when I told Tim that my husband was in fact exiting the military, he started making emotional appeals about Biden's America and how we will survive without the military. Jace scored a perfect score on the ASVAB test, so I think we'll be just fine, but thank you for the genuine concern! Come to think of it, you never did ask me about my long-term goals either, before you elected yourself to be my talent manager. This year, I will be twenty-four. I enjoy politics, and will continue to enjoy being involved, but riddle me this: why would I exchange the gift of motherhood to work for some fat-cat boss who doesn't even know what my name is? House Majority Whip Tim Goodwin thought he was pulling a fast one on me, but I pulled an even faster one on him. Loose lips do sink ships, and Tim sunk his own. Being a popular idiom of the armed forces, you'd think that the former Lt. Colonel would have enough common sense and the military discipline to control his. He should know better than to blab to cute girls at parties about his schemes and corruption-- but you'd be surprised, I might've heard somewhere that he's a sucker for blondes!

Considering the fact that Rep. Goodwin once told me that he "couldn't be involved", naturally I figured that if he didn't want anyone to know he was involved, then I probably did not want to be involved either. Grooming is used to decrease the likelihood of detection and it consists of six main phases: Through the first and second phases, a target is identified and their trust is gained. The target is selected based on ease of access and perceived vulnerability. In the third phase, a groomer will attempt to cement themselves in the life of the target by trying to fulfill a perceived need. A groomer will shower the other person with gifts, attention, special favors, or even a coveted career opportunity. This is done to create a sense of indebtedness in the target toward the groomer. The fourth phase is isolation. The "secret-keeping" beginning in this stage is non-sexual. This is done to prepare the target for keeping later, bigger secrets. A groomer wants separate the target from other adults, who would otherwise intervene, if only they knew exactly how involved this person is trying to become. In the fifth phase, the relationship becomes sexualized. A groomer might start to make dirty jokes or talk about their sexual interests, as non-sexual touching starts to take on a more sexual nature. The sixth phase of maintaining control, though threats and intimidation, ensures the secrecy of that sexual relationship.

When I was told by the women recruiting me to trust Senator Castleberry "because she's a woman," I was already all too well aware that they were manipulating in-group bias. One example of an in-group bias might be when a woman automatically gives her trust away to another woman whom she doesn't know, just because that other woman doesn't look like a predator (i.e. a man). In lieu of being a normal young adult, I have always struggled making female friendships, I spend a lot of time by myself learning. History, politics, theology, psychology, I love it all-- two subjects which I lay a certain claim of expertise to are cults and trafficking, both of which manipulate this very same in-group bias.

One third of all sex-traffickers are women. Women involved with human trafficking operations are sent out to recruit more women into trafficking. Their role is to build a sense of trust and connection with potential victims in order to lure them in for sexual and other exploitation. Most of these women either currently are, or were being trafficked themselves, but there are exceptions. The crocodile tears of Ghislaine Maxwell failed to persuade the judge and jury during her high-profile trial at the tail end of last year, as the Epstein-ring Madam tried to paint herself as a victim of Jeffery. Although, Ghislaine admittedly did meet him at a vulnerable time in her life, in the aftermath of a family tragedy and abrupt move to New York City. The nature of Epstein and Maxwell's relationship was sexual, it was also romantic, but the arrangement was primarily that of equal business partners. Cult recruitment works exactly the same way sex-trafficking does. Cult leaders generally tend to be men, whereas women disproportionately comprise 70% of all cult members globally. The ideal target for cult recruitment is a middle-class, college-educated white woman in her twenties who is undergoing significant life changes like a marriage, starting college, or having just recently moved to the area. Cults choose to prey on vulnerable people who are lonely and isolated, a military spouse for example.

Machiavelli said that a prince should be both a fox to escape snares, and a lion to scare off wolves, but Goodwin the Groomer is neither lion nor fox. He's just a purse-dog who has to pick cat-fights with women and girls because he's all bark and no bite. 

Super Blue Blood Moon over the Pierre State Capitol. Photo by Keith Hemmelman.