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	<title>Black Hills &#8211; THROUGH THE EYES OF JEFFERSON</title>
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	<description>Presidential site adventures as told by a bobble head</description>
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		<title>269: SHOCK ME &#8211; A DAY OF RECKONING AT MOUNT RUSHMORE LEFT ME PARALYZED WITH GRIEF</title>
		<link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/269-shock-me-a-day-of-reckoning-at-mount-rushmore-left-me-paralyzed-with-grief/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Nov 2023 00:37:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abraham Lincoln]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Black Hills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George HW Bush]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George W. Bush]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Washington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gutzon Borglum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KISS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lakota Sioux]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mount Rushmore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mule deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Six Grandfathers Mountain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Theodore Roosevelt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=20134</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Monday, September 18, 2023, was a very special day for my photographer and his wife. When Tom&#8217;s alarm rang at 6:00am, the first thing my companions did was wish their twin grandsons, Bo and Rory, a happy ninth birthday. The&#8230;]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Monday, September 18, 2023, was a very special day for my photographer and his wife.  When Tom&#8217;s alarm rang at 6:00am, the first thing my companions did was wish their twin grandsons, Bo and Rory, a happy ninth birthday.  The morning became even more special when I heard Tom say he wanted to make another visit to Mount Rushmore; that decision was primarily due to the fact there weren&#8217;t many clouds in the sky over the Mountain View Lodge &#8211; which was a hair over ten miles from the famed memorial.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">At eight o&#8217;clock, we were in the van and on our way towards one of the most beautiful landmarks and historically significant memorials in the country &#8211; Mount Rushmore.  Even though I knew what to expect at the memorial, I also knew the view we had two years earlier would be hard to beat.  During our visit in October 2021, the sky was completely cloudless, and the giant sculpted heads of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln absolutely &#8220;popped&#8221; out of the deep, blue backdrop.  </p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">While I love visiting Gutzon Borglum&#8217;s creation, which began on October 4, 1927, and was deemed &#8220;complete&#8221; on October 31, 1941, the best part for me was getting a chance to once again admire the 60-foot-tall handsome face of Thomas Jefferson.  That may seem superficial, and perhaps it was.  After all, seven Presidents have visited the monument since Calvin Coolidge&#8217;s dedication in 1927 and on that day, I&#8217;d get another opportunity to stand in the footprints of FDR, Ike, Bush 41 and 43, Clinton, Obama, and of course, Donald J. Trump &#8211; who believes his face should be added to the mountain.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Without further ado, I&#8217;d like to invite you, my dedicated viewers, to see the images from my visit to Mount Rushmore National Memorial on September 18, 2023 &#8211; as well as some historical images from the past.  This post will undoubtedly surprise all of you.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="1292" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1292&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20139" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-2.jpg?w=1053&amp;ssl=1 1053w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-2.jpg?resize=186%2C300&amp;ssl=1 186w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-2.jpg?resize=634%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 634w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1240&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-2.jpg?resize=951%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 951w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Just as we entered the Avenue of Flags at Mount Rushmore, the three of us noticed a four-point mule deer prepared to Lick it Up.  As soon as I saw the beautiful critter, I was reminded of Harry Truman when the buck stopped here.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="623" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Six_Grandfathers.jpg?resize=800%2C623&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20142" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Six_Grandfathers.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Six_Grandfathers.jpg?resize=300%2C234&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Six_Grandfathers.jpg?resize=1024%2C797&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Six_Grandfathers.jpg?resize=768%2C598&amp;ssl=1 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This photo, taken around 1905, was prior to Borglum&#8217;s project.  Originally called &#8220;Six Grandfathers Mountain&#8221; by the Lakota Sioux, this beautiful mountain was changed to &#8220;Mount Rushmore&#8221; after the land was illegally taken from the Sioux Nation by the United States government.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20140" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?w=1700&amp;ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?resize=120%2C90&amp;ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-3.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I wanted the best and I got the best as the weather couldn&#8217;t have been more perfect during our morning stroll through the Avenue of Flags.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1231" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-4.jpg?resize=800%2C1231&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20144" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-4.jpg?w=1105&amp;ssl=1 1105w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-4.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-4.jpg?resize=666%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 666w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-4.jpg?resize=768%2C1182&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-4.jpg?resize=998%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 998w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Moments after I had posed in the Avenue of Flags, a female mule deer passed through in search of the buck.  I thought of a great name for the pair &#8211; Harry and Bess.  We were surprised to see the mule deer as they are usually Creatures of the Night.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="617" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?resize=800%2C617&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20146" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?w=1700&amp;ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?resize=300%2C232&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C790&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?resize=768%2C593&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?resize=1536%2C1185&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-5.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was an affectionate &#8220;TRUe roMANce&#8221; when Harry and Bess were reunited.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="548" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?resize=800%2C548&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20149" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?w=1700&amp;ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?resize=300%2C206&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C702&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?resize=768%2C526&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?resize=1536%2C1053&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-6.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When Tom finished his moment with Harry and Bess, we turned around and had this spectacular view of the Larger-Than-Life George, Tom, Teddy and Abe.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1131" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-7.jpg?resize=800%2C1131&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20150" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-7.jpg?w=1203&amp;ssl=1 1203w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-7.jpg?resize=212%2C300&amp;ssl=1 212w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-7.jpg?resize=725%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 725w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-7.jpg?resize=768%2C1085&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-7.jpg?resize=1087%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1087w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I&#8217;ve been all over the country visiting Presidential sites, but there isn&#8217;t a place where I&#8217;ve felt more patriotic than at Mount Rushmore.  Just when I felt like the King of the Mountain, I discovered there were Two Sides of the Coin &#8211; and trust me, that was a huge dose of reality.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="462" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GWBUSH-MOUNT-RUSHMORE.jpg?resize=800%2C462&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20166" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GWBUSH-MOUNT-RUSHMORE.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GWBUSH-MOUNT-RUSHMORE.jpg?resize=300%2C173&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GWBUSH-MOUNT-RUSHMORE.jpg?resize=768%2C444&amp;ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President George W. Bush delivered a speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore on August 15, 2002.  In the first part of the speech, Bush said: &#8220;Standing here at Mount Rushmore reminds us that a lot of folks came before us to make sure that we were free.  A lot of pioneers came to this part of the world to make sure that enterprise could flourish.  A lot of our predecessors faced hardship and overcame those hardships, because we&#8217;re Americans.&#8221;  Bush forgot to mention how the War Machine came and stole the land he was standing on.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="899" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-10.jpg?resize=800%2C899&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20152" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-10.jpg?w=1513&amp;ssl=1 1513w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-10.jpg?resize=267%2C300&amp;ssl=1 267w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-10.jpg?resize=911%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 911w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-10.jpg?resize=768%2C863&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-10.jpg?resize=1367%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1367w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When Tom carried me down to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Amphitheater, he snapped this &#8220;postcard view&#8221; of the historic memorial.  I had Great Expectations, but that view exceeded everything I could&#8217;ve hoped for.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1164" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-BUSH.jpg?resize=800%2C1164&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20151" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-BUSH.jpg?w=1374&amp;ssl=1 1374w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-BUSH.jpg?resize=206%2C300&amp;ssl=1 206w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-BUSH.jpg?resize=703%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 703w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-BUSH.jpg?resize=768%2C1118&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-BUSH.jpg?resize=1055%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1055w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President George H.W. Bush delivered a speech during the dedication ceremony recognizing the fiftieth anniversary of the completion of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  In one part of his speech, Bush said: &#8220;Look at the vast sculpture before us, and you see carved in stone a symbol that evokes the American character, soaring and unafraid.&#8221;  For some reason, he forgot to mention the words &#8216;greedy and treacherous.&#8217;</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1190" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-11.jpg?resize=800%2C1190&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20153" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-11.jpg?w=1143&amp;ssl=1 1143w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-11.jpg?resize=202%2C300&amp;ssl=1 202w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-11.jpg?resize=688%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 688w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-11.jpg?resize=768%2C1142&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-11.jpg?resize=1033%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1033w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom carried me along the Presidential Trail when suddenly I had this amazing view of George Washington.  The likeness of Washington on Mount Rushmore was dedicated on July 4, 1934.  This was the moment when I had an epiphany &#8211; we lived in A World Without Heroes as Washington was known as Conotocaurius by the Iroquois in 1753.  In their language, George was the &#8216;Town Destroyer&#8217;. </figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1200" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-12.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20154" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-12.jpg?w=1133&amp;ssl=1 1133w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-12.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-12.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-12.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This teepee was part of the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Heritage Village, which was constructed along the Presidential Trail near the base of the famous sculptures.  There are many local members of the Indigenous Tribes who feel the &#8220;fake village&#8221; should be transformed into a memorial that documents Native American genocide.   One Native American said: &#8220;Indigenous people are trying to teach a very young nation a different way of being.  We want white Americans to learn that life has so much more meaning if they can just see past the dollar sign.&#8221;</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1200" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-13.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20155" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-13.jpg?w=1133&amp;ssl=1 1133w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-13.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-13.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-13.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I&#8217;m standing at the granite base of Mount Rushmore, with the 60-foot-tall faces of the Presidents looking over my shoulder.  I wanted to Shout It Out Loud: &#8221; The sacred Six Grandfathers Mountain would&#8217;ve looked more majestic without the four dead Presidents.&#8221;  Unfortunately for me, my painted lips were sealed tight.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1157" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-16.jpg?resize=800%2C1157&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20157" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-16.jpg?w=1175&amp;ssl=1 1175w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-16.jpg?resize=207%2C300&amp;ssl=1 207w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-16.jpg?resize=708%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 708w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-16.jpg?resize=768%2C1111&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-16.jpg?resize=1062%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1062w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was as close to the sculpted Presidential heads as I could get.  Some of the large granite pieces that were blasted from the mountain top laid just behind me.  In my mind&#8217;s eye, I saw the Lakota people watching in 1927 &#8211; as each piece of the mountain fell, I noticed their Tears Are Falling, too.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1358" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-17.jpg?resize=800%2C1358&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20158" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-17.jpg?w=928&amp;ssl=1 928w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-17.jpg?resize=177%2C300&amp;ssl=1 177w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-17.jpg?resize=603%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 603w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-17.jpg?resize=768%2C1303&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-17.jpg?resize=905%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 905w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A commercial passenger jet passed over the top of George Washington&#8217;s head.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="643" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?resize=800%2C643&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20159" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?w=1700&amp;ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?resize=300%2C241&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C823&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?resize=768%2C618&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?resize=1536%2C1235&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-18.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The sculpture of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated by Frankin D. Roosevelt in a ceremony held at Mount Rushmore on August 30, 1936.  Jefferson was chosen to represent our nation&#8217;s expansion.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="902" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-FDR.jpg?resize=800%2C902&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20162" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-FDR.jpg?w=1250&amp;ssl=1 1250w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-FDR.jpg?resize=266%2C300&amp;ssl=1 266w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-FDR.jpg?resize=908%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 908w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-FDR.jpg?resize=768%2C866&amp;ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">On August 30, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped dedicate the Thomas Jefferson section of Mount Rushmore.  FDR was seated in the automobile, while the likeness of Jefferson was still concealed behind the American flag.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1172" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-20.jpg?resize=800%2C1172&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20160" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-20.jpg?w=1160&amp;ssl=1 1160w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-20.jpg?resize=205%2C300&amp;ssl=1 205w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-20.jpg?resize=699%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 699w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-20.jpg?resize=768%2C1126&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-20.jpg?resize=1048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The likeness of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln, was dedicated on September 17, 1937.  Lincoln was chosen by Borglum to represent the preservation of our nation, which obviously did not include the Sioux Nation or its sacred culture.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1197" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-21.jpg?resize=800%2C1197&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20161" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-21.jpg?w=1136&amp;ssl=1 1136w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-21.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-21.jpg?resize=684%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 684w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-21.jpg?resize=768%2C1149&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUSHMORE-21.jpg?resize=1026%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1026w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The likeness of Theodore Roosevelt was the last to be finished and dedicated, which happened during a ceremony held on July 2, 1939.  Teddy was chosen by Gutzon Borglum because Roosevelt represented conservation.  Borglum died suddenly on March 6, 1941, with his dream still not completed.  However, on October 31, 1941, Borglum&#8217;s son, Lincoln, declared the memorial complete and drilling stopped for good.</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="410" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-TRUMP2.jpg?resize=800%2C410&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20168" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-TRUMP2.jpg?w=1063&amp;ssl=1 1063w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-TRUMP2.jpg?resize=300%2C154&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-TRUMP2.jpg?resize=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MOUNT-RUSHMORE-TRUMP2.jpg?resize=768%2C394&amp;ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Donald J. Trump came to Mount Rushmore and delivered a speech on July 4, 2020.  Part of Trump&#8217;s speech focused on demands by certain Native Americans who have insisted the sculpture be destroyed, and the mountain returned to the Lakota Nation.  Trump had Nothin&#8217; to Lose and admitted their demands would never come to fruition &#8211; come Hell or High Water.  </figcaption></figure></div>


<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As we walked along the Presidential Trail and admired the giant sculpted faces of the four Presidents, there were moments when darkness that fell over my enthusiasm.  We were on land held sacred by the Plains Indians such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Lakota Sioux, who used the area for centuries as a place to pray and to gather food, building materials, and medicine.  The Lakota called the mountain &#8220;Six Grandfathers&#8221;, which symbolized their ancestral deities as the six directions &#8211; north, south, east, west, above (sky), and below (earth).  In the late 1800s, expansion by the United States into the Black Hills led to the Sioux Wars.  However, in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the U.S. government had granted exclusive use of all the Black Hills, including Six Grandfathers Mountain, to the Sioux Nation in perpetuity &#8211; in other words, forever.  But less than a decade later, the United States broke the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1877 and asserted control over the area, which led to the mass invasion of settlers and prospectors in search of gold.  The Native Americans were betrayed, and to this day, still want their land back.  And part of me doesn&#8217;t blame them one bit &#8211; a deal is a deal and our beloved government reneged on that signed treaty.  But no matter what, that mountain will never look the same as it did prior to 1927 when Six Grandfathers was desecrated.  My initial thoughts, as Tom carried me along the trail, was compensation for the Sioux seemed the logical solution &#8211; even though that mountain where we walked was priceless.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">In 1980, the United States Supreme Court ruled the Sioux Nation had been ripped-off by the government and did not receive just compensation for their land that was illegally taken.  That year, the Supreme Court proposed $102 million for the loss of the Black Hills.  In 2021, that amount with accumulated interest was nearly $2 billion, but representatives for the Sioux Nation said their people would not accept a settlement.  &#8220;We won&#8217;t settle for anything less than the full return of our lands as stipulated by the treaties our nations signed and agreed upon.&#8221;</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Most times in the past I&#8217;ve sided with the Indigenous people because of the manner in which they were treated in their own country.  However, in the situation with Mount Rushmore and my admiration for the Presidents, I felt the need to fly the flag of Donald J. Trump &#8211; which in most instances is rare.  During his visit to the historic memorial on July 4, 2020, Trump said in his speech: &#8220;Today, we pay tribute to the exceptional lives and extraordinary legacies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt.  I am here as your President to proclaim before the country and before the world: This monument will never be desecrated — these heroes will never be defaced, their legacy will never, ever be destroyed, their achievements will never be forgotten, and Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and to our freedom.&#8221;</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Over and over during our visit, I thought about President Trump&#8217;s Mount Rushmore speech.  However, the more I digested his words, the less I believed he was right &#8211; especially given Donald&#8217;s track record of caring for anyone but himself.  As much as I admire the four Presidents depicted on the memorial, including my namesake, three of them had flaws when it came to their empathy for the Indigenous tribes on our continent.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">George Washington, a symbol of American freedom and liberty, once said: “Indians and wolves are both beasts of prey, tho’ they differ in shape.”</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Thomas Jefferson, the man who once wrote of independence from tyranny, said: “If ever we are constrained to lift the hatchet against any tribe, we will never lay it down till that tribe is exterminated, or driven beyond the Mississippi… in war, they will kill some of us; we shall destroy them all.”</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln, wrote to General Sibley on December 6, 1862: “Ordered that of the Indians and Half-breeds sentenced to be hanged by the military commission, composed of Colonel Crooks, Lt. Colonel Marshall, Captain Grant, Captain Bailey, and Lieutenant Olin, and lately sitting in Minnesota, you cause to be executed on Friday the nineteenth day of December, instant, the following names, to wit…&#8221;  However, while that text appears to shed a dark light on Lincoln, he actually had compassion for most of the 303 Sioux warriors who were sentenced to death.  After careful deliberation and thought, he pardoned all but 38 of the Native Americans &#8211; and those 38 had committed massacres not associated with battles, and according to Lincoln, at least two of them had &#8220;violated females&#8221;.  In 1862, most people regardless of race would have faced the death penalty for those same crimes had they been found guilty in a court of law.  Which made me wonder whether or not the condemned Sioux warriors had their day in court or a fair trial.  The execution of those 38 American Indians in Minnesota initiated the largest mass hanging in American history.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">And Theodore Roosevelt, who lived in the Dakota Territory for several years where he got a first-hand look at the Indigenous people of the land.  Roosevelt said in an 1886 lecture entitled “Ranch Life in the West: “I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe nine out of ten are, and I shouldn’t like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth.”</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Mount Rushmore National Memorial was titled the &#8220;Shrine of Democracy&#8221; by its creator Gutzon Borglum.  But Native Americans, on the other hand, call it the &#8220;Shrine of Hypocrisy&#8221; because the memorial&#8217;s construction desecrated their sacred Six Grandfathers Mountain, which was illegally taken from them.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As the three of us walked through the Avenue of Flags on our way back to the van, I turned and saw the majestic faces on Mount Rushmore one final time.  I looked up and stared into the sculpted eyes of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln &#8211; but at that moment, the mountain meant something entirely different to me.  Mount Rushmore was no longer the symbol of American freedom, liberty, and patriotism.  Instead, it represented deception, oppression, and treachery.  </p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I believe the United States government must pay the Sioux Nation all the money owed; and at the same time, return all of the land in the Black Hills as agreed upon in 1868 &#8211; including Six Grandfathers Mountain.  When the mountain is back in the hands of its rightful owners, let them do with it what they may.  Maybe the Lakota Sioux will destroy the sculpted heads and let nature attempt to return the mountain to its natural beauty &#8211; which would likely take over 100,000 years.  Another option would be for the Native Americans to keep the Presidential sculptures in place as a visual symbol of the greed and deception our government has become over the years.  At the same time, the Lakota Sioux would also keep all of the profits from tourists.  Or a third, and perhaps best option, would be to enhance the memorial in a way that would be the best of both worlds.  They&#8217;d leave the sculpted heads in place, but at the same time, they would symbolically tell the U.S. government to &#8220;KISS the Presidents Goodbye&#8221; and praise Haokah, the Sioux Nation&#8217;s God of Thunder.   </p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="779" height="521" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/KISS-RUSHMORE-2-2.jpg?resize=779%2C521&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-20176" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/KISS-RUSHMORE-2-2.jpg?w=779&amp;ssl=1 779w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/KISS-RUSHMORE-2-2.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/KISS-RUSHMORE-2-2.jpg?resize=768%2C514&amp;ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 779px) 100vw, 779px" /></figure></div>


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