Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Thursday that a federal judge’s decision to uphold a ban on fireworks at Mount Rushmore was “political” and “part of the radical left’s agenda.”
Federal Judge Roberto A. Lange said Wednesday the “Court is not called upon to determine whether such a fireworks display is a good idea,” Keloland.com reported Wednesday. The National Park Service indicated on March 13 that South Dakota could not host its annual fireworks to celebrate Independence Day, citing “potential risks to the park itself and to the health and safety of employees and visitors associated with the fireworks demonstration.”
Noem sued the Biden administration over that decision. The 2020 fireworks at Mount Rushmore were the first since 2009. Displays in the intervening years had been banned over fears of wildfires.
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“This is part of the radical left’s agenda. They don’t want to celebrate America, or our freedoms,” Noem told “Fox & Friends.”
“They’re pushing critical race theory. They’re pushing the 1619 Project and this just another one of those battles to erase our true, honest and patriotic history in this country,” Noem continued, adding that she felt “this is political.” (RELATED: Gov. Kristi Noem Says She Will Continue To Fight For July 4th Fireworks At Mount Rushmore As Biden Admin Denied Request)
The governor called the judge’s decision “really arbitrary” and said that was the basis for the state appealing because “the fight isn’t over.”
She said the judge did not offer “specific reasons that had credibility” for upholding the ban and that made his decision “an unlawful act to not make sure that we can conduct our celebration on July 3 at Mount Rushmore like we did last year.”
Fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during an Independence Day event attended by the US president in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
“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, but we do not quit. We keep fighting, and this country is worth it.” (RELATED: ‘The Left Wants To Re-write Our History’: Gov. Kristi Noem Criticizes MSNBC’s Joy Reid)
Noem said it is important to maintain the fireworks because it enables Americans to “focus on our leaders that led our country through challenging times and use them as inspiration to continue to motivate us to protect this country far into the future.”