We often go to South Dakota for the Fourth of July, in part because fireworks of pretty much all kinds are legal here, and in part to enjoy the general air of patriotism and freedom. We didn’t have any kids with us this year, so we enjoyed others’ fireworks rather than setting off our own.
We went for a long boat ride on Lake Kampeska, where I spent summers as a boy. It was an idyllic end to a hot summer day, with boats everywhere, countless American flags and red, white and blue bunting, and a smattering of Gadsden and Trump 2024 flags.
Note Trump flag
The lake has gentrified in recent decades, and the shack where we lived (no hot water, no telephone, leaky roof, cots instead of beds) is long gone, with beautiful homes now all around the lake, a sign of South Dakota’s growing prosperity.
I shot this short video before it was really dark enough for fireworks, but it gives a sense of popular participation in the holiday. That bright object in the sky isn’t a UFO, it is a lantern with a flame inside. We saw many of them last night:
Governor Kristi Noem is in town; she grew up just a few miles from here. Our paths haven’t crossed, but she posted this on Instagram:
If you click through to the end of the photos, you should see a video of the Kampeska Kaboom, a privately-sponsored fireworks display that is shot from a platform in the lake. It is supplemented by dozens, or hundreds, of individual fireworks displays all around Kampeska, some of which would be thought adequate for a small town.
If South Dakota is the Land of the Free, the Biden administration is the Grinch that stole Independence Day. For many years, Mount Rushmore was the site of a massive fireworks display on July 4th. That tradition was ended by the Obama administration, and reinstated by President Trump. Under the Biden administration, fireworks are again out:
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said the Biden administration hasn’t provided an explanation for canceling the massive fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
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“We met the fire danger protocols. We’ve consulted with the state, local and federal officials. We’ve done the consultations with the tribes. We met every single protocol,” Noem added. “There was no reason to deny us those permits unless it was for political reasons.”
Well, yeah. Democrats don’t like patriotic displays. I take it the reason is that they don’t like patriotism. Here in South Dakota, they are a small minority.
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