Mount Rushmore is the nation’s most iconic symbol and was often referred to as the “Shrine of Democracy.” It was carved out of a hard granite mountainside over the course of more than 14 years by Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers. Ironically, after Gutzon died in 1941, his son Lincoln carried the work to completion. Rushmore’s rocks are robust. It is thought that the granite erodes only about one inch every 10,000 years.
Congress approved the project on March 3, 1925, and the carving began on October 4th of that same year. Roughly 90% of the rock was removed by dynamite, an amount equal to 450,000 tons. Incredibly, there were no fatalities during construction of the memorial.
The first face to be completed was that of George Washington’s, the “Father of His Country.” His countenance took seven years to finish, with the final touches applied on July 4th, 1934. His face was covered by a giant American flag prior to its unveiling, an act that was then repeated for each of the other three presidents enshrined on the cliff. The likenesses of Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were completed in the seven years thereafter.
Mount Rushmore is, unarguably, one of the most amazing engineering feats ever accomplished, a stupefying blend of idea, art, effort and explosive power. Physically, the work should last thousands of years. Unfortunately, the nation is no longer near as stout as it was…nor as strong as the rock outcropping the Founder’s faces grace. The Founders had brains as well as balls, two things in very short supply today. The “Shrine of Democracy” is now labeled as “racist,” and a symbol of “white supremacy” by far-left Marxist malcontents and their enablers. Such as CNN’s Don Lemon, who, after disparaging Mount Rushmore, suggested that Barack Obama be placed on it “front and center,” as a kind of penance, I suppose.
Instead of destroying the existing shrine, let’s create a second Mount Rushmore, this one dedicated to the worst presidents in American history. (Prior to their eventual unveiling, each of their countenances could be covered by a giant facial mask.) On that “reverse” Mount Rushmore, Barack Obama would be front and center. He would be accompanied by Jimmy Carter and, if I had my druthers, Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, with Lyndon Banes Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, and James Buchanan on deck in case the mountain could accommodate seven ex-presidents. Obama, Carter, Clinton and Johnson would comprise a fantastic Faulty Foursome, a diverse mix of two black presidents and two “crackers.”
Interestingly, academics now rank Obama, Wilson, LBJ and Clinton among the top half of American presidents…proving that they are dumber than the granite in which the great men are carved.
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