A 33-year old tradition, Rolling Thunder, will have to resort to plan B this year as the Pentagon has denied their permit to use a Pentagon parking lot as a starting point to begin their ride.
The New York Post reports:
The event, which is put on by the American Veterans (AMVETS) organization, is traditionally held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and was long known as the “Rolling Thunder” ride. The event was forced to go virtual in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Memorial Day traditions like Rolling to Remember have been granted permits by every administration, Democrat and Republican, for the past 30 years,” Rep. Mast (R-Fla.) told Fox News in a statement. “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.
“We are blessed beyond words to be citizens of the greatest country on Earth and only live free thanks to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice,” continued Mast, an Army veteran who lost both his legs to an IED while serving in Afghanistan in 2010.
“Sadly right now, in Joe Biden’s America, it is easier to cross the border illegally than it is to get a permit to pay our respects to our nation’s fallen heroes.”
Fox reported that the Pentagon confirmed a permit on March 11 for AMVETS to stage the Rolling to Remember ride, but later revoked it.
In a statement to WJLA-TV in Washington, the department cited the coronavirus pandemic, saying “the risk of exposure from participants from other communities extends well beyond the National Capital Region.”
The Biden administration has made it abundantly clear how they feel about our men and women who serve this country. For just one day of the year, they get together to carry on with a long-standing tradition to honor those missing in action, those who were prisoners of war, and those we’ve lost as a result veteran suicide.
Sadly enough this years ride will be the second consecutive “demonstration ride“:
May of 2020, we continued a 33-year-old tradition of riding around our nation’s capital advocating for our prisoners of war and missing in action still unaccounted for, as well as the veteran suicide crisis we face, as an average of 22 veterans die by suicide daily.
We thank those who participated in sending a message not only to Congress but to the American people on our remaining missing in action and the veteran suicide crisis. Not only do we need to continue efforts of bringing deceased American heroes home, we need to bring to light a concerning statistic that an average of 22 veterans die by suicide daily.
On May 30th, we will conduct our second consecutive demonstration ride in Washington D.C. A full itinerary of events will be available soon.
We appreciate your support and flexibility during an unprecedented time in our nation’s history. We look forward to coming together, even stronger than before, to continue this important tradition in-person in 2021. The message will be clear throughout: we will never forget our POWs and MIAs, and we won’t stop fighting for real solutions to the suicide crisis.
It’s clear where our veterans measure up on the Biden administration’s agenda. We must not forget the various protests and even the riots that have taken place in the last year amidst the COVID pandemic. The same pandemic being used as an excuse to shut down the Rolling Thunder rally.
Let’s not forget as politicians attended many of these protests and riots flouting their own COVID lockdown orders.
June 4: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer marches with George Floyd protesters three days after telling constituents to “Google” how to cut their own hair.
She later defended her "right to peaceful protest." https://t.co/NfbJwaZi6U
— Jessica Chasmar (@JessicaChasmar) December 3, 2020
Breaking his own pandemic rules Gov. Murphy attends Justice for George Floyd protest organized by Westfield students https://t.co/N0QwbZaFXb#OpenNewJersey #COVIDIDIOTS #PandemiaDeMentiras
— Martinez2012 (@look4jsmartinez) June 8, 2020
Governor Murphy brakes his own #ExecutiveOrder and attends a Black Lives Matter Protestshttps://t.co/u6QtzbB3ci
— José María Medina (@Ridgewoodblog) June 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/jennyjenli/status/1329225625392001025?s=21
Apparently, it’s ok for politicians to completely disregard their own COVID lockdown orders, but a pro-veteran biker rally cannot be held due to alleged COVID restrictions.
Luckily many Americans are waking up to the pure disdain that this President has for our country and those who protect and serve.
This administration truly is a disgrace. How could they deny our veterans this tradition? https://t.co/B20YxDMfoR
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 1, 2021
Why is Biden CANCELING Rolling Thunder because of “COVID concerns” when just last summer he & Harris were openly encouraging mass-gatherings of rioters and looters? This White House respects Antifa rioters more than they respect our veterans – and it’s DISGUSTING!
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) May 5, 2021
Joe Biden cancelled “Rolling Thunder”
What an asshole.
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 3, 2021
@POTUS @POTUS @KamalaHarris @GOPLeader @mikepompeo we all no biden canceled this for one reason,TRUMP SUPPORTERS,ALL OF THEM! what a discrace to veterans! @seanhannity https://t.co/kUVouuZJfc
— tbone (@TomBronco) May 4, 2021
https://twitter.com/mamasaysno1/status/1390644988208291843?s=21
The mainstream media will try and play it off that the Rolling Thunder rally “wasn’t canceled”. The fact is the Biden administration is clearly doing whatever they can to make holding the rally as difficult as possible.
Remember this, it was ok to protest, loot, and riot in the middle of a global pandemic. We are now coming to the end of the pandemic and we’re being told that a group of veterans can’t hold their rally to honor their brothers and sisters who service this great nation of ours.
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