Looking to cause as much pain as possible to the American people during this shut down, President Obama sent National Park Service (NPS) police officers to shut down hundreds of parks and historic sites that the federal government doesn’t even fund.
We are all familiar with the barricades erected at the open-air WWII Memorial in Washington DC. Images of aged WWII veterans being prevented by armed NPS officials from entering the memorial were all across the media.
In the case of the WWII monument, it was soon reported that there was no reason to erect the barricades–wryly termed Barry-cades after the President’s childhood name–because the memorial is open 24 hours a day even though it is only staffed with NPS personnel from 9:30AM to 11:30PM. A government shut down could not have affected the memorial regardless. But Obama went out of his way to prevent the old men from visiting the monument.
Needlessly shutting down the WWII memorial wasn’t the only unnecessary shut down Obama perpetrated. He also sent NPS personnel fanning out across the country to shut down dozens of parks that the federal government doesn’t even fund.
One place the NPS stormed in without prior warning was the Claude Moore Colonial Farm (CMCF) in Virginia.
President Obama sent the NPS to the Virginia park without prior notification upsetting an event that was underway and forcibly removing everyone from the premises.
“We do not know why CMCF was barricaded from public access or why NPS police escorted staff and volunteers off the property right before a fundraising event on Monday. The National Park Service does not pay CMCFs employees, for its operations, maintenance, events or programs,” Claude Moore Colonial Farm Operations Manager Heather Bodin wrote in an email to FOX Business. “In our 32-year history of running the farm, through other government shutdowns, we have never had to close our doors before.”
In a public email to supporters, CMCF Managing Director Anna Eberly wrote, “For the first time in 40 years, the National Park Service (NPS) has finally succeeded in closing the Farm down to the public. In previous budget dramas, the Farm has always been exempted since the NPS provides no staff or resources to operate the Farm. We weren’t even informed of this until mid-day Monday in spite of their managers having our email addresses and cell numbers.”
Another such nonsensical shutdown occurred in Arizona where 100 campgrounds that are fully funded by fees paid by visitors were forcibly shuttered and all campers removed.
The campgrounds, run by Recreation Resource Management, take no money from the government.
RRM president Warren Meyer told Fox Business, “our operations are self-sufficient (we are fully funded by user fees at the gate), we get no federal funds, we employ no government workers on these sites, and we actually pay rent into the Treasury.”
Meyer speculated that this was a tactic intended to make the government shut down hurt as many people as possible. “I can only assume their intention is to artificially increase the cost of the shutdown as some sort of political ploy,” he said.
The famous Ford’s Theater–site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination–was also forcibly shut down even though the theater and its programs are run by a private non-profit group.
Another unnecessary shut down occurred at George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon.
In the case of Washington’s home, the park is run by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, a group that takes no federal or state money to operate. After the NPS arrived on the scene, though, the MVLA insisted that they were open despite Obama’s attempt to send his NPS stormtroopers to shut the place down.
“We receive no funding from federal or state governments. We are not a national park or monument,” the Mount Vernon website states. “We rely solely on the generosity of caring people to whatever degree they are able.”
Former Speaker of the House and recent candidate for the GOP nomination for President Newt Gingrich was outraged over Obama’s attack on the privately-run Mount Vernon. Speaker Gingrich posted a series of Tweets attack Obama over it all.
Gingrich agreed with the campground operator from Arizona. This is all a tactic by Obama to inflict as much pain on America as possible.
The tour bus turnaround at mount vernon has been closed by federal police. This is deliberate effort by Obama to hurt the public. Disgusting
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) October 2, 2013
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