It's been a bit since we took a tour of the state's more active blogs. And in an election year with at least the hint at some kind of change in the air, the regular core of bloggers have certainly not been one's to hold back with their views - political and otherwise.

Here's a few of my favorites.

1. More convention action from the GOP's red headed stepchild

Think all politics are red vs. blue? Well, in a Republican dominated state such as South Dakota, much of the interesting stuff takes place solidly in the red - at least in recent years.

Pat Powers, South Dakota's foremost blogger-political candidate hybrid, shares some of the frustration trying to break into the big tent. The responses from throughout the state is easily as interesting as the initial post.

Despite Powers' lament on his place within the party, he still got to be the voice on one of the key issues coming out of the convention: The party's stance to urge voters to reject Initiated Measure 10 on open government. Powers notes that it would prevent thousands of people from donating to political campaigns and that, if passed, might be unconstitutional.

2. Letters take aim on Johnson

Badlands Blue turns its focus to the dead tree editions of South Dakota newspapers, in particular their letter to the editor sections and calls that incumbent Sen. Tim Johnson hang it up for health reasons.

The object of the Blue's scorn is a Mitchell letter writer who has been making the rounds of several East River opinion pages with letters that first empathizes with Johnson (as the writer also suffered a brain injury) and then urges him to step aside.

Apparently, the printed word still has some power - at least enough to get notices out here in the blogosphere.

3. Is McCain the Next Dole?

Hadn't heard this comparison, but it is funny. Todd Epp at S.D. Watch & Epp Law Report goes through the checklist on whether there are similarities between John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and Bob Dole's failed 1996 presidential bid.

All I want to know is that although he might know McCain hikes up his pants, how do you know he has yelled at kids to get off his yard?

4. Stricherz: Hyperion Bad for South Dakota

Cory Allen Heidelberger turns his focus on a hyper local issue with truly national implications with this look at an East River politician who is less than comfortable with Hyperion's plans to build an oil refinery in the southeastern corner of the state. The refinery would be the first built in the United States in decades.

District 8 House candidate Patricia Stricherz's views on the benefits and potential pitfalls of the Hyperion project haven't been heard much to this point and stray a bit from what her Republican cohorts have been saying, and the Madville Times blogger is quick to revel in those differences.

5. Environmental fascism

But just in case you were worried that South Dakota has gone all soft on conservative values and jumped completely in bed with the Greens, Mitchell blogger Steve Sibson is quick to re-establish the line between the two.

With a blowtorch in the sand, nonetheless.

His latest post equates the Green movement as simply another step towards communism, socialism and even facism, saying the "global warming" hysteria is the kind of cause Adolf Hitler could get behind.