In recent weeks, “woke” mobs of left-wing activists have toppled and defaced statues and monuments of various figures, including Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and Ulysses S. Grant, over their alleged sins.
Commenting on the absurdity of the mob crusade, Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro rhetorically asked earlier this week when “our woke historical revisionist priesthood” would come for Mount Rushmore, which is located in South Dakota.
“So, when is our woke historical revisionist priesthood going to insist on blowing up Mount Rushmore?” Shapiro posted to Twitter on Monday.
So, when is our woke historical revisionist priesthood going to insist on blowing up Mount Rushmore?
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 22, 2020
Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem quickly chimed in, “Not on my watch.”
Not on my watch. https://t.co/U6gGap5Ib6
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) June 23, 2020
“The men on Mt. Rushmore helped make America the greatest country in history,” Noem wrote in a tweet posted Wednesday, captioning her appearance on Fox News’ morning show “Fox & Friends.”
“They weren’t perfect; nobody is,” she added. “But we should learn from their example and work together to accomplish their dreams for our country.”
The men on Mt. Rushmore helped make America the greatest country in history. They weren't perfect; nobody is. But we should learn from their example and work together to accomplish their dreams for our country. pic.twitter.com/MPBkTT8tYn
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) June 24, 2020
Speaking on Fox airwaves Wednesday morning, the Republican governor said it was “certainly” possible that far-left activists could be targeting Mount Rushmore for destruction next, citing “threats” “online.”
Noem, however, made it clear that “South Dakota won’t stand for it.”
“What my message is, is that this is no longer about equality,” she said. “This is a radical rewriting of our history, and in South Dakota, we won’t stand for it.”
“This is a national monument,” the governor continued. “The more we focus on the flaws of these men that are on our mountain, the less likely we are to recognize the virtues and the lessons we can learn from their lives.”
Later in the interview, Noem noted that the monument is a federal work, and that she will partner with the feds to keep up with the necessary security.
“The trend of defacing and toppling historical statues and monuments across the country was sparked by the police-involved death of George Floyd,” The Daily Wire noted.
Floyd, who was black, died last month fowling an arrest captioned on viral video where one officer, who has since been charged with second-degree murder, held his knee on the 46-year-old’s neck for over eight minutes.
The protesting and looting in the wake of Floyd’s death “has since morphed into activists going after Confederate statues,” The Daily Wire added. “The activists quickly moved on from the Confederate statues to vandalizing statues of America’s presidents, the man who wrote ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ a notable person from the Catholic church, and a Holocaust memorial.”
Since the destruction, President Donald Trump has authorized federal authorities to arrest those who vandalize statues on federal property.
WATCH:
Related: Trump Authorizes Feds To Arrest Anyone Who Vandalizes Statues On Federal Property
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