25 thoughts on “Governor Kristi Noem’s 4th of July speech at Mt. Rushmore”

  2. Why was Noem on AFO? Was it planned? What was discussed? Was it related to SD or to her career? How did she get back to SD? The extreme lack of transparency around this trip is alarming.

    2. Yeah, it’s sooooooo alarming. You’re not dealing with the corrupt Clintons here, so take a chill pill.

      1. I know, it’s so much worse than the Clintons.

        I wonder if she’s worried that she’s inadvertently disassembled the GOP by infecting the impeached president, who then loses the election and sets off 20 years of blue progress. In a way it would be a fitting end. Undone by their own “hoax.”

        1. I’m sure that is how it will work out. After the 20 years of imaginary blue progress are over, all you libs and dems can slide down a rainbow into a giant treasure pot of welfare checks together and kiss a trans-gender leprechaun who is riding a unicorn waiting at the bottom… keep dreaming!

      1. It galls them, the libbies, to not know what the Governor was doing. It galls them. And bloats them with envy for they did not get the fun airplane ride.

        1. Unless President Trump was in charge of the governmental organization investigation Governor Noem’s husband for a whole list of federal laws that had been violated….just a small detail about the Clinton/Lynch meeting that you seem to ignore.

  3. A working class person’s untrained translation of Noem’s 7/3/2020 speech at Mount Rushmore:

    We have worked so hard on something that has not materially benefited anyone betrayed by previous administrations, and something that essentially amounts to symbolism, at that.

    So many people signed up to be here, but fortunate are you in this land of, by, and for the people, to be here among less than 1% of those folks, and here among less than 0.000027% of the nation’s population. Congratulations on your exclusive placement!

    In South Dakota, we pride ourselves on our close-knit communities, an illusion you can maintain if you don’t look so closely at our common, bitter, small town and rural drama.

    Nevertheless, tonight people from all over the country came to visit. Who would have thought folks from all over the country would want to check out an event at a national monument. You’d almost think people from all over the country do that every year. And boy am I thankful, because without them, I wouldn’t have realized this celebration we planned is indeed a celebration.

    I’m bothered that my cohorts and I aren’t the only people who have risen to our positions and executed our ambitions through organized effort. If only people who disagreed with our perspective would stop organizing, we could more easily steamroll the ignorant masses.

    Would you organized opponents of mine stop raising the history I’d rather my supporters ignore? I don’t care if you can’t erase history by merely removing symbols – your removing them makes easy my demonizing you, so good luck having any civil conversation with your disagreeing neighbors any time soon. If you would stop focusing on our forefathers’ flaws, we could continue teaching history as if they had none, the same history you learned, but which I’ll pretend you never learned so that my base can keep booing at you.

    Seriously, by pointing to contradictions within our forefathers, you’re trying to discredit our founding principles. How can anyone possibly support people who made mistakes and held self-contradictions, and continue the constructive assertions they espoused, after all? Now you’re just getting complicated! Please don’t remake America into a DIFFERENT political image! That’s my job, because I can do it without anyone thinking the image has changed.

    [2:20-2:24 – for privileged minds only, sorry.]

    The founding generation has important lessons for us, but self-examination and self-critique are not among them.

    Remember our independence was the result of many circumstances aligning, the sort of thing my party and I completely and conveniently forget about when analyzing what creates hardship for certain poor folk who rely upon the State for any assistance. Anyway, those aligned circumstances consisted of people privileged enough to proficiently understand writing, logic, and being Generals. Plus, y’know, a simple people believed everything they espoused (*sigh* if only such simple people would adhere to my words.) and defeated the world’s most powerful empire…like how the US empire was defeated by North Vietnam. I swear no US empire exists today.

    Against all odds (and I must add, incredible struggle, which “all odds” can’t possibly imply, right?), we can find examples of redundancy expressing unrelenting effort toward certain fundamental truths…but why should I tell you what are those truths? If I give specific examples, I’ll decrease my chances of my entire audience agreeing with everything I say.

    Nobody revolted against the British empire for personal gain (or personal power, which clearly isn’t a gain – don’t look at me like I or my family has personally benefited from my governorship), they did it because they had to…in order to get the personal gains they wanted, such as rights to live, work, and worship as they saw fit. I believe in that wholeheartedly despite my working against others having the same rights.

    After defeating the British, we could have had a king. Thankfully we didn’t, or more people might recognize the bait-and-switch…

    Somehow I believe the trite examples of benevolent behavior by our forefathers are rarely examined by a populace mostly raised under an education system that suggests nothing other than the human worshipping I’m hammering on here.

    But those behaviors surely illustrate behavior all Americans should mimic. They committed themselves to creating a system (not an empire, of course) which has created prosperity for us (don’t ask me to provide detailed outline of who has fit and who fits under that prosperity). Their efforts inspired (but surely never pressured or coerced) other nations to emulate our definition of freedom.

    Not nearly enough people remember their words about all men being created equal and being endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. If more people remembered those words, and ignored our forefathers’ flaws in upholding those words, less would be whining about the oppression that never truly went away but kept transforming.

    Let’s not forget those rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and governments just institute themselves to provide those rights. Our current administration surely does that…but only some previous ones did that. Also, we don’t manufacture consent…only some previous administrations did that.

    Let’s never forget, especially today, because holidays erase the uniqueness of every single day…

    No, I don’t mind if I take a convenient break for the audience to chant as if their freedom were threatened.

    Like I was saying, let’s never forget our government today has the power it does, because the people have consented to it. Think not about my party largely growing its power by pretending to be for smaller government and conserving everything. Think not about how my party and the other one pretending in its own ways have grown that power together. Just focus on where we are now and remember…YOU support us. You..you…you…

    We have committed to a government meant to serve all equally…Constitutional rights…I hope our progeny follow our lead. Those who point at our founders’ flaws can’t erase those ideals. Injustice? Inequality? Racism? Like those exist? Stop trying to pretend like you’re not doing what I suggest you’re doing. No, I follow no script or party line – I’m the best listener.

    Our founders had flaws. Of course, who doesn’t? But don’t use those flaws to condemn their ideals. All their ideals are exactly equal in merit, so I won’t let nuance justify any critique of our founders. Plus, in no way could they have professed ideals to gain the consent of those they governed. Nobody does that! And besides, virtue signaling is only a modern thing! Anyway…focus on your own shortcomings so I can keep fawning over some dead guys who did some pretty cool things, things which absolutely could not have happened without those guys and/or their compromises.

    Without our founders’ words, ideas, and sacrifices, the world would have no true freedom. True freedom is not the absence of external restriction upon thought, choice, and action, after all. It never existed before that one revolution, because it is what we say it is. The end of history was in the 90s or something, so you can’t possibly think of any other time or place people could speak, write, worship, work, defend themselves, and even protest as they see fit. Please, protest more, and especially as you see fit…I dare you.

    You know, when you critique any part of a thing, you attempt to cancel that thing and anything which came from it. Stop critiquing our founders! The freedoms they gave us are so flimsy that criticizing them might cancel our freedoms. Or so I want everyone to fear.

    New topic: we’re on some really rich, beautiful land, and only because some people sought more. No, I don’t mean they sought more like selfish, envious children wielding violence. I just meant they sought more. Don’t we all seek more? Greed is good, right?

    Anyway, sometimes we’re paralyzed by the now and pessimistic about the future, but don’t forget dissidents and people seeking to make a better life for themselves and their children founded our country. Plus, people from all around the world still come here because of our forefathers’ ideals. *thinks inwardly: “hope nobody juxtaposes those words against our historical and current State treatment of dissidents, the decades of our State violence which has necessitated many immigrants’ move here, or the slander my party lobs against immigrants in general”*

    The Civil War was about making America live up to its founding principles. The result allowed a fuller realization of those principles. The 1862 Congress considered a simple question of whether we can do better and cling to the last best hope on earth for a way that is plain, peaceful, generous, just, a way which if followed, the world will forever glorify…GLORIFY! The founders envisioned an America projecting a positive influence throughout the world, to spread the values of the rule of law, optimism, and liberty to places that had not known them. Now I know some critics might say that vision was never fully realized, but things look pretty good from where I stand, and I’m sure you’d all agree.

    Those founders also protected our natural wonders. Offense is the best defense. You can protect anything by detonating dynamite upon/within it, razing it to the ground, destroying the ground beneath it, suffocating it with mostly impervious layers, and on and on.

    Now let me tell you, this town ain’t big enough for those who do, and those who critique those who do. Plus…something as paradoxical as a person who do, while critiquing their self, would certainly create a black hole, so don’t go there, and don’t accept criticism from anybody, least of all those who don’t necessarily oppose you, but only hope you can act with more integrity. Yeah, you’re going to mess up again and again, but that’s no reason to change your approach to problem solving, because you strive to do stuff, and they…well…they don’t, because who knows who they are, anyway? Surely they can’t do anything if they can allot any time of their day to critique. You just do stuff…you never critique, so why should they? You devote all your waking hours to perfection and accomplishment, while they lollygag in frivolous pursuits like happiness. Lead them!

    But don’t forget leadership comes in one shape informed by certain token words: confidence, wisdom, what’s right, love for a term enveloping a whole bunch more people than you want to accept, principles, yadiyada. Put on a damn suit and tie, or a fancy dress and high heels, already! Lead, dammit!

    Anyway, let’s applaud the leadership handed down to us across centuries, and be grateful for those leaders, because without them, the general populace would have to exercise critical thinking pretty much all the time, rather than work like robots and consume like the eternally aggrieved most waking hours, in order to have a peaceful society.

    Let us not destroy history, but learn from it, by preserving and imitating what is good about it. Let us rely upon our ancestors for knowing what is good, so that again, nobody needs think critically and derive other lessons from history, but instead just work and consume themselves to death. *thinks inwardly: “or coast along on their efforts”*

    We’re all committed to a nation where anyone at birth can make anything of themselves. Anything. Go ahead and protest pipelines or exercise your sovereignty in ways I don’t like, I dare you! And don’t come crying to me when folks under my influence get angry about your gender bender.

    I’m fortunate everyone’s committed to that. I was just a farm kid. Now I’m the first female governor of SD. Consent manufacturing is not a thing. Every farm kid can become governor. Look at my toned muscles – farm work. Work harder, my people. Farm life. Rural life. The family unit. Those city folk just look down their noses at you, but you’re better than them. Show them. Work harder. Farm life. Farm work. Hard work. You deserve everything you have. Those in poorer positions squandered their opportunity and have no right to complain. Farm work. Hard work. Way to go, you.

    But don’t forget we should give everyone that opportunity. Pledge your fortunes, your sacred honor, to liberty and self-government, so we can continue freely following our conscience, building our lives, and living in peace. *thinks inwardly: “I won’t say anything about our president suggesting vigilante justice”* Donate your money to causes that continue securing your freedoms while restricting that of others. We don’t need them following their conscience; they’re just so critical.

    Now let me introduce you to someone you wouldn’t expect, because this event certainly wasn’t hosted for his presence. He understands what braving the arena’s dangers means, because he’s been a celebrity for decades, and at times a celebrity in a literal arena (of course I’m not exploiting your fond memories here). He strives in valor and other vagaries. He knows great enthusiasms – not only has he been very enthusiastic many times, but he’s been around many other very enthusiastic people many times. He spends himself in a worthy cause – the cause is worthy because we say so, but forget about the spending part, he’ll never wear out. He has firmly and repeatedly stated his commitment to place Americans, American liberty, Americans’ safety, and the American Constitution, before anything else. *thinks inwardly: “I REALLY hope nobody will think about him encouraging vigilante justice, but instead focus on the bagillions of times he’s used certain words to tickle their America-first fancies.”*

    GOTCHA! I’m talking about President Donald Trump! Didn’t see that comin’, did ya!?

    Hey Mr. President! Thanks for coming here. Thanks for your such hard effort to bring this celebration to fruition. You’re the small guy working against all odds, after all. You don’t have a massive team behind you. You’re like all the regular Joe’s out there. Thanks for reminding your supporters they believe in you, and for showing up to not shake their faith in you. Let me emphasize our government is a legitimate one. Past governments with the support of the people were phonies, cos their governments were big and bloated.

    In conclusion, let me remind everyone of all the hard work we went through to make this celebration happen. Rest assured we’ll keep working just as hard for everyone in this way. Don’t forget, you’re a teeny tiny fraction of the nation’s population, but a massive amount of the nation’s population get to see this from their homes, craning their necks and hunching their shoulders with eyes glued to screens, hopefully experiencing a brief respite from the chronic anxiety they generally suffer so that when the next president they oppose provides such a thing for the opposing other massive amount of the nation’s population, all they’ll think about is getting me or my party back in power. Can’t we all just get along? Not on my watch.

    2. A normal thinking individual’s translation of Caleb’s rant….

      WAAAAAAAHHHHHH! WAAAAAAAHHHHH! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!

    3. ayn rand’s ability to use many pages for boring political screeds was not a unique ability i see. there’s ample talent on both sides.

      1. Why would you ever take a subjective concept, such as “boring”, and presume a single person or any other number of people could dispose people to such an experience? I wish you well in discovering how expansive is the world you’ve entered.

  4. The stomping of feet is sad. What are you all? 6 years old?

    It’s the 4th of July. Smile. Be grateful.

    1. Way to be vague in both projection and command. I’ll keep this in mind any time you disagree with others.

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