What happened to patriotism?

One of the first actions of the new Biden administration was to cancel the scheduled patriotic July 3 fireworks display at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. National Park Service (NPS) officials cited health risks, including those associated with the coronavirus pandemic and opposition from Native American tribes.
“Potential risks to the park itself and to the health and safety of employees and visitors associated with the fireworks demonstration continue to be a concern and are still being evaluated as a result of the 2020 event,” NPS regional director Herbert Frost wrote at the time. “These factors, compiled with the COVID-19 pandemic, do not allow a safe and responsible fireworks display to be held at this site,” he added.
So, it was OK to put on this great patriotic event last year which was attended by an estimated 7,500 people, but it is not safe to do this year. Go figure. It was feared the virus would spread all over the country from those many maskless people who attended this event last year, but that did not prove to be the case. Instead, patriotic, uplifting  speeches by our own Gov. Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump were well received.
Our governor recently filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its decision not to allow Independence Day fireworks at Mount Rushmore this year. “Mount Rushmore is the very best place to celebrate America’s birthday and all that makes our country special,” Noem said. “We are asking the court to enjoin the Department of Interior’s denial of the fireworks permit and order it to issue a permit for the event expeditiously.”
We trust the court will find no reason to deny the governor’s request based on the fact this same celebration was held last year without a hitch. We will be a year later in putting the virus behind us for this great outdoor event. But there is more.
Just this last week the Biden administration rescinded a permit for a Memorial Day motorcycle event that has been held in Washington, D.C., for at least 30 years. The permit was for using the Pentagon parking lot as a staging area for the event. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. chastised the administration for this decision. Mast is a 12-year Army veteran who lost both legs while deployed in Afghanistan.
“Memorial Day traditions like Rolling to Remember have been granted permits by every administration, Democrat and Republican, for the past 30 years. The Biden administration’s decision to end this Memorial Day tradition flies in the face of the freedoms that so many have died to protect,” Mast said.
The Pentagon blamed coronavirus for the decision not to allow use of its parking lot for the outdoor event. This is government overreach at its best and we hope the organization can work out its Plan B, which is to use a staging area near RFK Stadium. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
We would like to think none of these decisions are political, but it seems the anticipation and excitement of celebrating these patriotic events went away with the last presidential administration. We hope both events can still be held this Memorial Day and July 3.  We know patriotic veteran motorcyclists will not be deterred.