South Dakota Rep. Stace Nelson, who recently formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for a federal office, was in Rapid City to meet with supporters today. This afternoon, Nelson spoke at a “meet and greet” event organized by Citizens for Liberty and others in Wilson Park in Rapid City. Nelson recounted his consideration of running for higher office, including the U.S. Senate, and confirmed that he is “seriously considering” running for that office.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeting of tea party and other 501(c)(4) organizations has now reached the post of the agency’s top lawyer, chief counsel William Wilkins, a political appointee. The bombshell was revealed in recent congressional testimony as reported by the House Oversight Committee. How far we have come.

Earlier this summer, headlines blared across many conservative oriented and mainstream websites declared, “DOJ Defunds Youth Programs that Reference God.” A Young Marines program run by the Bossier Parish Sheriff in Louisiana was notified that they would be denied future federal support of their program due to the Sheriff’s refusal to sign a pledge to the federal government that he would bar prayer or mentions of God in the program.

Over the past two weeks, Republican leadership in the House and Senate drastically increased conservative distrust of Republican compromises. In the House of Representatives, the compromise version of the Agriculture Bill proved to be worse than the original, and the Senate filibuster compromise was a capitulation which we didn’t get anything out of.

Good food for thought from RedState. Are you sick and tired of gutless go-along “Republicans” who won’t stand fast behind Republican values and goals? I know I am. Up to here.

We now know the NSA routinely collects our normally private communications. That collection includes e-mail, video and voice chat, videos, photos, voiceover IP (e.g., Skype) chats, file transfers, social networking details and more. The American people must respond. If there isn’t a strong enough outcry, these practices will become institutionalized. The entire case raises important civil liberties questions.