Trump-approved July 4th Mount Rushmore firework display blocked by court and Biden
Donald Trump’s speech in 2020 marked the first pyrotechnics display at the monument in 20 years
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Your support makes all the difference.South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem vowed a protracted legal battle against the "radical left’s agenda" to cancel America’s history after a court denied her state’s bid for Independence Day fireworks.
Chief Judge Roberto Lang said in his ruling its improper judicial activism to order the Biden Administration reverse its denial of a fireworks permit, despite the country needing "a good celebration of its foundational principals".
The National Parks Service had denied the fireworks permit at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial after Donald Trump’s White House allowed it to go forward last year.
In an appearance on Fox News Thursday, Ms Noem said the denial was arbitrary and that they would appeal the "unlawful act" made to prevent a celebration at Mount Rushmore.
"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," Ms Noem said.
Mr Trump speech at Mount Rushmore in 2020 was the first fireworks display at the monument since 2009, when the pyrotechnics were ended due to concerns about fire and a pine beetle infestation impact on the forest.
During his fiery speech at the monument, Mr Trump announced the national Garden of American Heroes that would “reflect the awesome splendour of our country’s timeless exceptionalism”, which the Biden Administration quickly cancelled once it was sworn into office.
The administration’s rejection of the state’s 2021 request, first reported by The Hill, cited the Covid pandemic risks and opposition from native American tribes. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe opposes the event as the Black Hills, where Mount Rushmore is located, are sacred to the Lakota tribe
“Potential risks to the park itself and to the health and safety of employees and visitors associated with the fireworks demonstration continue to be a concern and are still being evaluated as a result of the 2020 event,” NPS regional director Herbert Frost wrote in the rejection.
Ms Noem claimed the Obama-era appointed judge was punishing the Republican-state by giving cover to the Democrat’s political manoeuvres.
"This is political, it’s all political and punitive and it’s ridiculous. And the fact that we have a judge that stood beside this political arbitrary decision that came out of the Biden White House is unfortunate," she said on Fox News.
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