The Argus has a story today, and it appear that while Governor Kristi Noem is joining the rest of the country in commemorating the date of the end of slavery, there are those in the Legislature who disagree with the gesture, because “it only celebrates a group of South Dakotans.”
Gov. Kristi Noem has proclaimed Friday as Juneteenth Day in South Dakota to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
and…
“It is fitting and proper for all South Dakotans to celebrate this milestone toward achieving the American ideal that ‘all men are created equal,'” she wrote in the proclamation.
and…
“This is an American idea,” Nesiba said. “Slavery was an important part of our history, and the end of slavery and what has happened since that period is also an essential part of our history. Juneteenth is that a celebration of a group of people learning that they had been emancipated.”
Rep. Tom Pischke, R-Dell Rapids, disagreed with Nesiba on Facebook on Wednesday night, saying that Juneteenth becoming a state holiday would divide the state because it celebrates only a group of South Dakotans. He also said he doesn’t believe South Dakota should recognize Native American Day.
“I don’t think we should concentrate on anything that potentially divides us even more,” he wrote on Facebook.
As was noted to me, and it’s a good point – perhaps Representative Pischke has forgotten that the Republican Party is the party of Abraham Lincoln, who fought a war and paid with his life to ensure that all men are free.
Recognizing the end of slavery should not be something that anyone could say would divide the state.
Pischke lends himself here to interpretations that he wishes for further division. I wonder if he has any substantial arguments behind his Juneteenth Day and Native American Day sentiments.
Rep. Pischke sounds like he’s joining the Phil Jensen caucus.
https://www.salon.com/test/2014/03/17/gop_lawmaker_phil_jensen_wants_to_legalize_race_based_discrimination/
He already has….
Isn’t Pisske a delegate to the RNC National Convention? He was raising money on a go fund me page to pay for his trip. How did Minnehaha County elect him to be a delegate?
Mr. Pischke is a deadbeat who won’t pay his own bills but wants others to foot the costs for his living. That, in my book, is a libbie. Pischke is a libbie, cut and dried.
Pay your bills, Mr. Pischke, pay your debts, and then foot your own way from here on out.
Rep. Tom Pischke, R-Dell Rapids: “. . . .Juneteenth becoming a state holiday would divide the state because it celebrates only a group of South Dakotans. . . he doesn’t believe South Dakota should recognize Native American Day.”
Hey, dipsh*t, Memorial Day celebrates ONLY people who died in war. Veterans celebrates ONLY people who served in the military. So it is clear your problem is celebrating ONLY people who joined your Lilly white A$$ as full citizens or our neighbors who lived here before us.
Yes, there are good reasons not to have another holiday or people of goodwill can disagree on which ones we celebrate. But, with his statement it would be divisive, it is clear his criteria is exclusively about race which is by definition racist.
He needs to be removed as a delegate and a candidate. Period.
Troy, maybe that is his issue, Native American Day and Juneteenth celebrate people based solely on the color of their skin not so much the content of their character? Veterans Day and Memorial Day do not single one race out, they celebrate American soldiers and the sacrifices they made.
I, for one, support Juneteenth Day. It will help remind white people they should be embracing their guilt for the enslavement of black people. It will also be a great day to address the systematic racism currently taking place and how reparations will uplift the black community.
Native American Day and Juneteenth don’t celebrate people based solely on their skin color. The issue Troy pointed out is that Pischke’s singling those two days out of all the days which celebrate a portion of the whole population reduces those days to the idea they are based solely on skin color.
I’d add: anyone who thinks these holidays existing in the absence of one for white people creates more racism would be wise to recognize white people in this country committed genocide against Native Americans and stole/purchased and enslaved Africans. Celebrating what the oppressed non-white people contributed to the US is not the same as being against white people.
For the record, none of Caleb’s nitwit arguments are mine. I have absolutely no guilt for what people who aren’t even my forebears did.
We might have the same conclusion but our rationale’s are 100% divergent.
Putting someone down is easy when you don’t have to explain the insult. What makes me a nitwit, Troy? I levied no personal attack against you, but I’ll take yours all day, though I suggest we might get more benefit from a conversation without them.
I was describing your arguments which I find devoid of anything compelling from a logic, rhetorical, or relevance.
Your argument is designed to induce guilt in an attempt to manipulate which is just a form of bullying.
You haven’t answered my question. Which arguments are “devoid of anything compelling from a logic, rhetorical, or relevance.”?
As for any argument “designed to induce guilt in an attempt to manipulate which is just a form of bullying”, I hope you’ll consider that an argument I make is one designed by me, and therefore one of which you know not the design. Please Troy, I don’t presume you or anyone else is my enemy, so I hope you don’t presume I’m yours or that of anyone else. If you truly think I aimed at anyone feeling guilty, please trust I’m sincere when I say you were wrong.
I think it’s worth calling a spade a spade here. Rep. Pischke’s comments are racist. Racist and tone deaf.
Are you trying to do what was done to Drew Brees and Tim Tebow? Aren’t we allowed to have our own opinions and express them?
Do you think BLM is a racist organization? They focus their activism only on black injustice, not White, or Indian or Chinese. You are familiar with the white man who was killed the same way Floyd was, right? Tony Timpa.
You may think you speak for all people, but you don’t. Many people do not think Pischke is a racist.
Putscje has the right to be a racist.
And he gets to face the reward.
Keep it on topic, please.
Caleb,
You asked what you said, in context of this holiday discussion, that was “devoid of anything compelling from a logic, rhetorical, or relevance” and ” designed to induce guilt in an attempt to manipulate which is just a form of bullying.”
Caleb: “wise to recognize white people in this country committed genocide against Native Americans and stole/purchased and enslaved Africans.”
To speak slowly: Juneteenth is a day in which the last slaves were given the news that their government and fellow citizens legally recognized their inalienable right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. To make it about genocide etc. is either flat-out ignorance of history or an attempt to make people who weren’t there to feel guilty about something they didn’t commit. If it is anyway about what you assert, I don’t want a thing to do with Juneteenth as it will do nothing for reconciliation, justice and peace among all Americans but only divide.
Troy, sorry I only noticed your comment now. In the future, please click “reply” in response to the comments you’d like to reply so that your comment doesn’t hit the bottom of the discussion, but instead where you left off with another.
No thanks for your patronizing talk, though. You didn’t have to “speak slowly” (as if text is slow or fast…) about Juneteenth. Regardless, your comment shows you didn’t think so hard about mine, as nowhere did I suggest Juneteenth is about genocide. If you still think I did, please re-read the comment in which I mentioned genocide, and recognize I brought it up in response to people like Pischke opposing recognizing Native American Day.
Troy, sorry, I just clicked “reply” on your comment, and mine obviously didn’t line up under yours, so I rescind my request for you to click “reply” under other peoples’ comments as if that would give the result I expected. Seems this site is wack. For instance, I have yet to receive an e-mail about any follow-up to any thread I’ve commented on, as well.