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Biden Plans Cookout for Thousand Patriots at White House, with View of DC Fireworks; Noem Complains

While President Joe Biden is rebuilding global leadershipstaring down Vladimir Putin, nominating ambassadors and judges, improving and humanizing border security, and fighting domestic terrorists, his administration is also making Fourth of July plans to honor our country and a fair-sized crowd of fellow hard-working patriots at the White House:

To celebrate the resumption of pre-pandemic life, Biden is looking to celebrate the July Fourth holiday as “a summer of freedom.”

He plans to host first responders, essential workers and military service members and their families on the South Lawn of the White House for a cookout and to watch the fireworks over the National Mall. More than 1,000 guests are expected, officials said [Zeke Miller, “‘A Summer of Freedom’: Vaccine Gives New Meaning to July 4th,” AP, 2021.06.15].

Cooking out at the White House and watching Champ and Major frolic about trying to bite people’s wieners? That sounds more fun than tanks.

Governor Kristi Noem hears “fireworks” and starts barking that Biden’s Independence Day plans are somehow “hypocritical” after the Interior Department and a federal court rejected her request to shoot bang-bangs at Mount Rushmore:

Gov. Noem tweeted at President Biden “why are you being so hypocritical? You’re having your own personal fireworks show in DC, but South Dakotans are told no?” on Tuesday.

The governor also tweeted that the state will resubmit its request to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore [staff, “Noem to Resubmit Mount Rushmore Fireworks Display Permit, Calls Biden ‘Hypocritical’,” KSFY, 2021.06.15].

Wow—what is it about fireworks that makes Noem lose track of facts and logic? Or are falsehood and irrationality just an inherent part of her character?

  1. It’s hard for Noem to call the fireworks on the National Mall, an event far more open to the public than the Mount Rushmore fireworks, Biden’s “personal fireworks show” without opening the door to calling her devoutly sought, profile-boosting Rushmore fireworks extravaganzas her “personal fireworks shows.” Biden hosting firefighters for supper and inviting them to hang out and watch the national fireworks from the White House lawn is not a “personal fireworks show”; the Republican National Committee’s launching fireworks that spell out their nominee’s name over the National Mall at the end of their nominee’s convention speech from the White House (and scorching the Washington Monument, and doing $42K worth of damage to turf and a fountain)—now that’s a personal fireworks show.
  2. To argue “hypocrisy,” Noem must posit that the federal government is taking contradictory actions in similar situations. Shooting fireworks over the nation’s capital is not a similar situation to shooting fireworks over Mount Rushmore because the White House and our capital’s monuments are not situated in a combustible forest that’s hard to access with firetrucks.
  3. President Biden’s invitation to a thousand public servants to come enjoy supper at his house actually exposes Governor Noem’s hypocrisy. She is free to do exactly what President Biden is doing: she could invite a thousand people to enjoy a July 4th picnic on her taxpayer-provided lawn at her taxpayer-provided mansion. She could let them stay past ten p.m. and watch Pierre’s great fireworks display (except—oh, darn!—in April, the Pierre City Commission revoked last year’s temporary in-town fireworks ordinance, so maybe Noem could bus everyone down to the river to watch the Fort Pierre fireworks). The White House is even encouraging Noem and other local leaders to host similar events:

The White House is hoping to see similar Independence Day activities across the country, a year after the virus forced a mass cancellation of festivities.

“We welcome you to join us by hosting your own events to honor our freedom, salute those who have been serving on the frontlines, and celebrate our progress in fighting this pandemic,” the White House wrote in an email to state and local officials Tuesday. It asked them to share their own plans, which the administration would later highlight.

“America is headed into a summer dramatically different from last year,” the administration wrote to officials. “A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of reunions and celebrations” [Miller, 2021.06.15].

The Biden Administration wants to celebrate patriots and patriotism and bring the country together. Noem just wants to snark, stir conflict, and celebrate herself.

13 Comments

  1. Donald Pay 2021-06-16 08:34

    There’s quite a big difference between this year and last in a lot of ways. A lot of folks have been vaccinated, we have a science-based approach to decisions and the President has much better judgement. Remember last year when Trump was threatening to pass out bleach cocktails. This year 70 percent, or close to it, of adults are vaccinated due to a speeded up effort undre Biden.

    This year will be a Celebration of Freedom and Life. Last summer Noem hosted a Freedom To Die July 4th Celebration. Big Difference there. Last year Noem flitted about like James Jones at Jonestown. Noem’s Orgy Of Ignornace led a month later into the Sturgis Rally and Superspreader Event. There’s a big difference. It’s not hypocrisy. It’s called a competent President who got Covid under control, and competent federal leadership that allows science to rule administrative decisions.

    And it’s not a celebration for Biden. It’s a celebration of the American people, who ignored the misrule of Trump and Noem, listened to science, got vaccinated and earned the Freedom that Trump and Noem tried to take away.

    I’m celebrating this 4th of July that authoritarian fools like Trump and Noem are been put contained.

  2. Porter Lansing 2021-06-16 08:48

    Invite your campaign promoters to your little farm in Castlewood for fireworks, Kristi. (She thinks farmers are rubes so she started calling her farm a RANCH, but it’s not a ranch, honey.)
    Aren’t you proud of where you hide out?
    Indians explicitly said and fully protested against you having a fund raiser at their place, Mr. Rushmost.

  3. cibvet 2021-06-16 08:49

    She could have offered to post a personal 50 million dollar bond for damages, rather than wanting to leave the taxpayer on the hook. Personal responsibility doesn’t seem to be one of her strong suits.

  4. Guy 2021-06-16 09:09

    In my opinion, there are two BIG reasons Governor Noem wants another fireworks display over Mount Rushmore:
    1) Rile up her base of supporters
    and
    2) Use the fireworks display along with her speech at Rushmore to produce her next “patriotic” campaign videos.
    I live in the Black Hills and I have YET to see our local media ask us what we think of having fireworks here, threatening our beautiful, sacred lands, homes, and wildlife.
    As Governor, her number one priority should be to look after the safety and welfare of her citizens, including those of us who live in or near the Black Hills.

  5. Vi Kingman 2021-06-16 09:39

    Hopefully South Dakotans will realize what Noem is obviously doing and vote her out next year and end this nonsense.
    As much flack as George McGovern and Tom Daschle got for ignoring South Dakota, what Noem is doing is even worse. McGovern and Daschle were Senators while Noem is Governor and she should be concentrating on our state and not flying around the country for her own personal gain.

  6. Whitless 2021-06-16 09:43

    By falsely accusing the president of holding his own personal fireworks show, the state’s pouter-in-chief is once again gaslighting. It confirms what we already knew, that she wanted to shoot fireworks over the state’s main tourist attraction to promote herself. But Biden isn’t holding a personal fireworks show. Public celebrations of Independence Day have occurred in the nation’s capitol since its construction, and this year is no different. The number of folks who can view it personally is much greater than the limited capacity and sightlines of Mt Rushmore. Here’s how the Department of Interior described viewing opportunities for last year’s July 4th celebration. “More than 800 acres of National Mall and Memorial Parks, equivalent to more than 600 football field, are accessible for viewing….” … “The fireworks display is viewable three miles away from the launch site, making other public locations, [list omitted] options for experiencing the show.” Kudos to the president and first lady for hosting essential workers, first responders and military service members and their families at the White House to celebrate the 4th of July. That’s a huge thank you and celebration of Americans.

  7. John Dale 2021-06-16 11:07

    I think this is great!

    :D

    It will be refreshing to see America first patriots enjoying one of our nation’s most appreciated past times .. blowing isht up!

    *sings Star Spangled Banner and recites Pledge of Allegiance*

    ‘Merica,

    John

  8. Mark Anderson 2021-06-16 12:58

    Porter, you’ve got the farmer rancher thing down. When we moved from Sioux Falls to Highmore I learned right away of the distinction between the two, however it was also political back in the day, farmers were much more Democratic than ranchers who have always been Republicans. Now it’s just the ego thing.

  9. Porter Lansing 2021-06-16 13:16

    Agreed, Mark. I believe farmers became radicalized when they got access to FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh. Socially soft and timid souls ate that stuff up and didn’t realize it was just entertainment. Not truth. Like Pro Wrestling. Look where it led.
    MAGAVILLE IN SPADES!

    By the way, this is Juneteenth Week, South Dakota. Tell us how a holiday just for one group is racism. Effin’ fools. lol

  10. John 2021-06-16 14:50

    Porter & Mark, also consider that 24-hour right-wingnut talk radio did a lot of damage brain washing farmers, truckers, merchants, and others who listened to the forum as their virtually only radio information source in the 1980s to 2010s (and beyond).
    Propaganda is invasive as kochia and harder to kill. The SD voters elected a wingnut to the state legislature who bragged in his campaign material that he proudly listened to Limbaugh while driving a tractor as a teen. He later received a law degree (earned has nothing to do with it, earned implies critical thought). That’s the generations of embedded propaganda, uncritical thinking, and go-alongism the nation must overcome.
    https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Edward-Bernays/dp/0970312598

  11. Scott 2021-06-16 18:54

    When I see a video of Noem and start to see her lips move, all I hear in my head is “Wa WaWa….”. It is so sad for Noem that she thinks she needs to resort to such low gimmicks to remain relevant in the Trump political world.

  12. Lui 2021-06-17 06:45

    John Dale. What?

  13. leslie 2021-06-17 10:15

    “first patriots”- is THAT whatchu guys are calling yerselves now?

    Just like the radicalizing pockets of Navy Seals and other elite trained military extremists.

    Links to follow.

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