South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem spoke out on Fox News Thursday, promising to appeal a court ruling that upheld the Biden administration’s cancellation of Mount Rushmore’s Fourth of July fireworks.
“The decision was really arbitrary, that’s why we’ll be appealing this decision, and the fight isn’t over,” Noem said. “This is part of the radical left’s agenda. They don’t want to celebrate America or our freedoms. They’re pushing critical race theory. They’re pushing the 1619 Project. And this is just another one of those battles to erase our true, honest and patriotic history in this country.”
As previously reported by Human Events News, the Biden administration denied a request to host a celebratory fireworks display at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on July Fourth, citing health concerns. So, Noem filed a lawsuit, calling Mount Rushmore “the very best place to celebrate America’s birthday and all that makes our country special.”
“To shut it down at this point, saying that there could be COVID concerns, fire concerns, environmental concerns, is just not honest,” Noem said. “We’ve addressed all their concerns. We had an agreement signed and then the National Park Service decided just not to issue us the permit. That’s why we went to court.”
Noem is convinced the decision came down to pure politics.
“It’s all political and punitive, and it’s ridiculous,” Noem said. “The fact that we have a judge that stood beside this political, arbitrary decision that came out of the Biden White House is unfortunate. But we do not quit. We keep fighting and this country is worth it.”
Noem’s legal team plans to take up an appeal for next year’s Independence Day celebrations in 2022.
