A Twitter friend notes that Governor Kristi Noem demonstrates her firefighting expertise by showing up for this week’s Black Hills wildfires wearing camouflage:
Step #1 in wildfire control: hide from the fire? Don’t let the fire or the firefighters see you coming?
Strange: Kristi is usually much better at raising her visibility. But as usual, she’s crowding into enclosed spaces with strangers with no masks. Sigh.
The Governor has declared a statewide state of emergency due to fire danger through June 1. It is kinda dry out there, although not as droughtful as in North Dakota, Wyoming, and even the northwest corner of Iowa:
Perkins County also caught fire yesterday: the Divide Fire burned maybe 8,000 acres south of Bison and east of the Bixby Road.
But on the bright side, Governor Noem can now point to 123 acres burned in and around the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and say, “See? We cleared out all the flammable brush, so now we can have our July 4 fireworks!”
Why are they trying to stop a fire? People die everyday. Just let it burn.
The science says fires cannot be stopped, so why even try?
Masks have pretty become non-existent out here in Rapid City.
“I trust my people to make their own decisions about this fire” (???????!) hmmmn
Noem’s unmasked bloviating presents their own set of problems, especially for big rigs…….
Strong winds cause semi-trucks to tip over in South Dakota Kelo land news.
Good grief… she makes homeless people look well dressed.
The Black Hills is my home. I have seen fires before, In 1969 as a sixth-grader in Lead I watched flames a hundred feet high from my house in the Deadwood Fire and now I live less than a mile from the Schroeder Fire (in it’s path).
After the National Park Service declared no fireworks at Mt. Rushmore this year Gov.Noem said,”The best place to celebrate America’s birthday is Mount Rushmore” and in a joint statement, a trio of South Dakota members of Congress — Representative Dusty Johnson, Senator John Thune and Senator Mike Rounds — criticized the National Park Service’s decision. “Let’s be clear, this decision is political, not evidence-based,” they said. “President Biden just said himself that Americans can safely gather by July 4 — what’s changed in a day? Last year millions watched the celebration in awe, and it’s a shame the administration is denying Americans that opportunity this year.”
Both the Governor and Rep. Johnson were here in Rapid City to observe and give support to fire crews and home owners. That is their job. Noem, in the press conference, acted more like a Governor than anytime in the past year and not once blamed anyone for anything or said anything political.
Maybe, just maybe, this experience will give the Governor and our elected National Representative and Senators the knowledge that the Black Hills is our home and an overwhelming majority here want no part of their political rhetoric or fireworks.
Do I think Noem has turned over a new leaf…NO…but it was a small relief to hear her say nothing stupid for once. (Well, she did say the Monument was not damaged…it is rock, it won’t burn).
Top photo caption ” See the smoke, That’s where the fire is”.
Second picture ” Damm this is boring, I would rather be cutting cake”.
I never did care for that Monument and the people & history of it. In a fire there could be human lives at stake , maybe the residents & their property and pets or visitors to area, also fire fighters etc. Plus any wildlife could be at risk. Even people miles away, woke up the next day with sore throats from the smell. Whats the big deal about Fireworks near the monument – except a Good time for a Photoshoot, hee hee.
Is Kristi trying to achieve the Steve Bannon look of someone who lives in an alley behind a dumpster?
well…she’s always had the ambient look of a South Dakotan on the way to dart league at the Uff Da Inn.
Mr. Blundt, you were on the same team as me and you know just as well as grudznick does that the Uff Da Inn cancelled dart league after the 2019 season due to that one particular incident. It only takes one bad apple to ruin dart league for everybody.
The New York Times
31m
Declines in coronavirus testing in many states in the South and the Great Plains are making it harder to know just how widely the virus may be spreading in those states.
Oh, Kristi. You busy?
well….grudz, it wasn’t me who brought Rachel Maddow to the Wednesday night league…I did buy her a couple tequila shots but I didn’t know she’d get mouthy….
Dusty doesn’t have to dogwhistle militia wanna-be soldiers like Kristi. His Russian connection with Putin’s agent Maria Butina visited jailed Putin-poisoned opponent who RAILED against her spy activities.
Rachel Maddow couldn’t resist pimping Dusty’s idiot boss Trump’s pardon of Dusty’s SD political henchman as an “insignificant” financial fraudster felon.
@MaddowBlog
“Convicted felon con artist boyfriends of hostile Russian agents… I’m sure that’s exactly the sort of pardon the Founding Fathers had in mind to entrust to infinitely sober minded and trustworthy American presidents.”
Ever since lawyered-upRounds skated EB5 fraud in his Senate bid, by obstructing investigation, legislative subpoena power and evading cross examination, Maddow has been alert to the criminal GOP IN SD.
Well, Kristi has done it. Started WWIII. Her, Thune’s, Johnson’s and Rounds’ unflagging* support for their idiot in chief who used Ukraine militarily to disadvantage Biden’s election (Impeachment #1). “Russia may be moving troops from as far away as Siberia to the Ukrainian border — well beyond what would be expected for a military exercise.” Biden will be forced to respond, imo.
*remember Thune etc occasionally “criticizes” mildly, but like Former Leader McConnell, they immediately jump back on his train to oblivion.