Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping!
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Posted on 03/17/2006 10:58:33 PM PST by Tim Long
PIERRE, S.D. - The superintendent of Mount Rushmore was surprised at first when people from all over the country started calling up to express their opinion about South Dakota's ban on nearly all abortions.
Some callers said they were so upset that they would never visit Mount Rushmore, South Dakota's No. 1 tourist attraction. Others said they were so thrilled that they would make a point of coming to see the chiseled faces of four U.S. presidents in the Black Hills.
On further reflection, Superintendent Gerard Baker decided that the messages from far and wide made sense, because Mount Rushmore is a symbol of freedom.
"That's what we're all about here," he said. "That's what America is all about, people expressing their freedom and people expressing their choices and so forth."
In an uproar that has taken many South Dakotans by surprise, politicians and state agencies have been bombarded in the past few weeks with thousands upon thousands of calls, letters and e-mails — pro and con — from across the country and around the world.
And a few small groups have called for a tourism boycott of South Dakota, urging people to avoid such attractions as Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, and the Corn Palace, an arena in Mitchell whose walls are covered with colorful ears of corn.
The furor was prompted by the passage of the strictest abortion law in America — a ban on all abortions except to save a woman's life, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The measure, set to take effect July 1, is aimed at overturning the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that established the right to an abortion.
Planned Parenthood, which operates South Dakota's only abortion clinic, has said it will decide soon whether to challenge the measure in court or press for a statewide referendum in November.
"Obviously, this is one of the most contentious issues in American society, so when a state does something dramatic, I think you can reasonably expect it will elicit a pretty strong response from the folks who have an interest in the issue," said Don Dahlin, a political science professor at the University of South Dakota,
In a state where many people do not bother to lock their cars or homes, security was tightened at the state Capitol as the Legislature debated the abortion measure, with state troopers more visible than usual, and plainclothes officers sitting in during a committee hearing.
Steps were also taken to protect some of the bill's main sponsors when they returned home.
But "to the best of my knowledge, we've had no threats," said Republican Gov. Mike Rounds, who signed the law March 6.
The governor's office has set up a call center with five lines just to take calls about the abortion measure. An estimated 10,000 calls, e-mails and letters arrived in a two-week period. "I don't know of any other single event that has generated more interest than this," said press secretary Mark Johnston.
Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry, behind agriculture, with visitors to the state spending $809 million in 2005, according to the Tourism Department. Mount Rushmore received 2.75 million visitors in 2005.
Among those calling for a boycott is the Women's Medical Fund, an abortion rights organization based in Madison, Wis. "Our message is that if they are going to treat women in this inhumane way, they can expect to pay a price," said Anne Gaylor, the group's director.
State Tourism Director Billie Jo Waara said that her office has been getting a dozen or so calls a day from people on both sides of the issue. Some say they will not vacation in South Dakota, but very few of those who had already made travel plans have canceled, she said.
So far, "it's unclear whether it will be significant or not," Waara said.
Dahlin said the effect of a tourism boycott would probably be relatively small because the state relies on family tourism, not the kind of large-scale convention business that can be shifted all at once to another city.
At Mount Rushmore, Baker said the controversy has had no effect yet.
Baker said it's a free country, but added: "I guess if I had to say something, I would say if you're bringing your family here and you decide not to do that, what you're doing is cheating your family, you're cheating your youngsters by not bringing them to learn about this place."
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Amen! I've been meaning to take the family there for a long time now.
Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping list...
As a South Dakotan from the Mt. Rushmore area, I don't believe that the abortion issue will negatively impact tourism at all. Our tourism industry is based on families, not the people who are ardently pro-abortion. The strident pro-abortionist have no interest at all in vacationing in our area or booking any conventions here. No concerns here at all about our tourism industry.
Why five? They only need 1-888-ABORT-YES and 1-888-ABORT-NO
"I, for one, am SO there! (can I hitch a ride with someone?)"
Maybe they can come up with bumper stickers of choice.
I brought my family to see Mount Rushmore
and another option
I came alone due to my abortion.
or maybe
Boycott South Dakota, the state that doesn't permit the killing of children in the womb. (For this one I guess it will have to be a large bumper).
Lame propaganda alert.
This is a propaganda story that Goebbels would be proud of.
I see the article is written by Chet Brokaw...any relationship to Tom Brokaw (who was born in South Dakota)?
SD will be able to count on taxable living workers to counter act any loss in tourism dollars.
*****I see the article is written by Chet Brokaw...any relationship to Tom Brokaw (who was born in South Dakota)?*****
I believe he is...I did a search and one site referred to him as a "relative" of Tom Brokaw. The link was dead when I clicked on it, however. I'll keep looking.
Which major airport do you recommend flying into and renting car to drive to the Monument?
nope nevermind. I did that search again, and they said "relative of Tom Brokaw?" in question form. my mistake.
Who knows, maybe it will INCREASE tourism?
I found it (the Park's web site was down for maintenance - planned, I hope):
Plane
Rapid City Regional Airport: 35 miles to the memorial from Rapid City Regional Airport.
Car
Visitors traveling on I-90 should exit at Rapid City and follow Highway 16 southwest to Keystone and then Highway 244 to Mount Rushmore. Visitors coming from the south should follow Highway 385 north to Highway 244, which is the road leading to the memorial.
Public Transportation
Rental cars or private tour companies can bring visitors to the memorial from Rapid City, SD. Personal vehicles are the most common form of transportation. No public transportation options exist.
Yeah, they were probably calling from France or Germany.
This is another example of the Left's latent totalitarianism. If someone does something you don't like, you punish them and, if you think it will help your cause, you try to punish everyone associated with them. The end always justifies the means. And everything -- everything -- is political, even where to vacation. The enemy is evil and we must have no contact with them, none.
God, these people are contemptible.
Maybe some were from France and Germany, but there are plenty of these pukes in the United States, too. Millions, in fact. Most won't take the trouble to boycott South Dakota, but many would like to and see nothing wrong with it. There are lots and lots of pschitty people in this country whose arrogant left-wing fanaticism is either obvious or just beneath the surface.
Is it too crowded to come on the 4th of July?
Rapid City has a full-service airport.
You could fly into Sioux Falls - but then you'd have to drive across the whole state.
Thanks - I'm looking into flights right now.
The Black Hills in general" 
Of course!!
The ongoing Crazy Horse Monument:
The eastern part of the state prides itself on being more of a prairie and more cosmopolitan than us westerners. They give us our demo senators with whom you are too familiar.
OOPS!!!! That didn't turn out right. Sorry all.
Yeah, when I have my choice of Hawaii, the Carribean, Asia or Australia, I usually also check out Pierre South Dakota first, to see what amazing sights they have to offer me when I'm on holiday.
Yes it will. I for one plan on spending more money there than usual when I drive through on I-90 next month.
Its a short ride on a puddle jumper from MSP or Detroit to Rapid City. Northwest naturally has the most flights there.
I will be visiting South Dakota for the FIRST TIME next month. I will be driving along I-90 on my way back to New York. I planned on stopping to see Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Any other great sights or places to eat on the I-90 corridor?
Hey, Stud...
I agree. But the state of South Dakota isn't going to be hurt in the least by their threats. They probably weren't ever intending to go to SD anyway.
Gerard A. Baker, superintendent of the "Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future" project and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, headquartered in Omaha, has been named superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota. The appointment will be effective May 30, 2004. Baker succeeds Don Striker, who recently accepted an assignment with the National Park Service's Comptroller's office in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Baker attended schools on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation at Mandaree, North Dakota, and graduated from St. Mary's High School in New England, North Dakota, in 1972. He graduated in 1979 from Southern Oregon State University, Ashland, Oregon, with bachelor of science degrees in Criminology and Sociology.
Baker has lectured extensively on American Indian issues. In 1997, he was a consultant to Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan on their "Lewis & Clark: A Corps of Discovery" film, which had a special preview at the White House.
These people weren't going to visist SD anyway. They're all a bunch of limosuine liberals.
Gerard Baker and his brother, Badlands National Parks Superintendent Paige Baker
Paige and Gerard Baker are members of the Mandan-Hidatsa tribe from Fort Berthold, North Dakota.
I think all the pro-life people should plan a trip for there. I know I'm seriously considering it for this year--just need to get the okay from husband. I've wanted to go for a long time anyway as I've never been. It would be a close trip for us too here in CO.
Gerard Baker, superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, was superintendent at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana when its name was changed from Custer Battlefield in 1991.
"It's a paperwork exercise," Baker said Tuesday. "From my experience, you need to cross all your T's and dot all your I's on this kind of stuff."
That is not to say he disagrees with the idea. Baker, who is a Hidatsa Indian, believes many people would like to see places such as Custer State Park renamed.
"Sometimes we put names up there that are heroes that are not necessarily heroes to everybody, to all cultures," he said. "And I think … we need to take those things into consideration."
http://tinyurl.com/o2hjq
The "buffalo people," as some tribes called the animals, were revered for their power and the good fortune they brought the tribe. "I really believe, like the old people do, that these [animals] have a spirit," says Gerard Baker, a Plains Indian who appears in SACRED BUFFALO PEOPLE, a documentary film made by the Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium in 1992. "When you shoot them, you can almost feel that spirit around you for a while."
this law isn't gonna affect tourism one iota. I visited SD a few years back. the Black Hills of the Dakotas were gorgeous. Can't say i was much impressed with Mt. Rushmore though. just a rock with some faces on it.
This is so out there, it's actually funny. Let me take a guess how this story came about: someone from a "pro-choice" group started a call-in campaign to Mt. Rushmore (how clever), then contacted an AP reporter/stringer with a "lead" and the name of Gerard Baker, who's obviously sympathetic to "the cause" -- and bingo! -- you have a headline that implies there is a massive grass-roots campaign to boycott Mt. Rushmore (a place where I'd wager none of these callers would ever consider going.)
News has become an inside job, manufactured to further one or more odious liberal agendas.
Amen! And in the off chance that tourism IS affected, it's as likely to be for better as for worse. When I have the $, Mt. Rushmore, here I come!
This is good for South Dakota.
Blood money. Who needs it. Let the killers go elsewhere.
Let them find no home that will welcome their insanity.
I don't have a problem with how the savages killed Americans but he shouldn't cry because his boys had it handed back to them the same way.
She should try those shoes in Mexico City.
First Dashole voted out
Now this, I'll be vacationing in SD this summer for sure.
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