Posted on 10/01/2013 2:45:16 PM PDT by dennisw
WASHINGTON — Wheelchair-bound elderly veterans pushed aside barricades to tour the World War II Memorial Tuesday morning, in defiance of the government shutdown which closed all of the memorials in the nation’s capital.
The four bus loads of veterans — visiting from Mississippi as part of a once-in-a-lifetime Honor Flight tour — ignored National Park Police instructions not to enter the site as lawmakers and tourists cheered them on.
“We didn’t come this far not to get in,” one veteran proclaimed.
The scene was both emotional and comical at once. After it was clear they had lost control of the situation, Park Police officials stood aside, telling press that they had “asked for guidance on how to respond” to the breach of security.
As 80-something veterans slowly walked around the massive war memorial, Park Police stood quietly to the side, advising other tourists that the site was technically still closed. But they made no moves to stop the wishes of the war heroes.
The memorial was closed because of the government shutdown which started 11 hours earlier, after lawmakers failed to pass a temporary budget plan to keep nonessential federal programs operating. Republicans and Democrats have been stalled in budget fight for weeks, mostly over legislative add-ons dealing with the new healthcare law.
As a result, more than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed Tuesday, set to return only after Congress reaches a compromise. National parks and federal buildings were closed down. And the WWII Memorial — along with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and much of the rest of the Capitol — were barricaded, to keep tourists away.
Several Republican lawmakers were on hand to greet the Mississippi Honor Flight veterans at the memorial on Tuesday, and nodded thoughtfully as the greatest generation representatives voiced their displeasure at being turned away from their own memorial.
Organizers said the trip took months of planning and nearly $100,000 in donations for airfare, food and buses. A dozen more are scheduled in the next week.
“It’s great to be here, but it’s really disappointing that we can’t get closer to see it,” said Gene Tolley, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Pacific during the war. “I came through the city back in high school, but I was looking forward to coming back and seeing this.”
He got his wish.
As Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, distracted a Park Police representative, other lawmakers and their staff helped topple the metal fences. A bagpiper on hand for the event led the men past the crowd and into the heart of the memorial, attracting a large, applauding crowd.
“This just means so much to me,” said Alex “Lou” Pitalo, an Army vet who also served in the Pacific during WWII. “I waited 70 years to get a welcome like this. And to get to see this and to have all those people clapping … I’m just so happy. This was amazing.”
Officials from the Honor Flight network, which organized the tour, said they have advised upcoming trip planners that the memorials will not be open to the public, and to plan accordingly.
Meanwhile, at press time, Park Police said they were still reviewing how to handle similar problems in the future, since they still have no indication when the government shutdown will be resolved.
The park police who didn’t uphold Barry’s orders. At the very least they will receive a reprimand for embarrassing the dims and Barraka.
So does this shutdown mean that none of our troops are getting paid too? If so, I fear that this will lead to public pressure on the Republicans who are fighting over Obamacare and lead to pressure to end the shutdown. Among other things, I am not sure our American public will be ok with our troops not getting paid for an extended period of time.
“Park Police officials stood aside, telling press that they had “asked for guidance on how to respond” to the breach of security.”
Maybe they can call Putin for some guidance.
-— know that it currently is unfashionable on FR, but I’d like to give some kudos to the Park Police. -—
We can thank Zero for not issuing shoot-to-kill orders.
Seriously, if this had ended any other way, it would be curtains for the Rats.
Indeed— his father... whichever one he is was NOT involved in WWII. And some of these Veterans may have been involved in freeing his home country of Indonesia from the Jap empire’s grasp. But none of this is/was in the history re-write by the muzzie leader of Indo-land.
I forced myself to watch the first 4 minutes or so of the 5PM local news (DC).....they had the obligatory ‘interviews’ with the public...who SHOULD be incensed, after all OUR TAXES pay to maintain the memorials, for the most part the VN, WWII and Navy Memorial were funded by donations (and am sure others, I am POSITIVE of these 3 as I am a ‘PLANKOWNER’).
The reason I tried to ‘watch’ the news is to see how they handled this(Vets WWII mem)....Nothing in the first 5 etc BUT did see the LIBS steal the day....
Couple of R’s were ‘signifying’ by sitting alone in a conference room moaning “We would talk this out BUT no one here to talk to”.
THE DEMS, meanwhile, were standing on the steps and streets, surrounded by ‘NON ESSENTIAL WORKERS’, and pledging to see their plight to the end???
THAT, for those that remember is how the “Ugly American was ‘born”.... The US etal would ship the food to wherever and the USSR would either hijack and redistribute or just go ahead and place stickers on the crates saying “From your Russian friends” AND ‘we’, apparently, were none the wiser..
Louie Gohmert, Rep (R) from Tyler, TX, I believe it was.
I agree...they were awesome. Very respectful of these veterans and supportive.
Awesome comment!!!
Uh, well, you see, uh, the, uh, guards are, uh, doing something, uh, different.
I had the same urge!!!
Awesome veterans!
BTTT!
And.. thanks to the Vets....IT WAS A PR NIGHTMARE! HA. HA.
God Bless them!
Right on!
A bunch of WWII vets decide that THEY own the memorial and not some scumbag asshole from the government. Friggin OUTSTANDING!
Now, imagine what we could do if millions of us decided to storm every IRS building in the U.S.? We take the son-of-a-bitches over and throw their sorry asses out in the streets.
It takes balls people, but we outnumber them. And THAT, scares the living sh!t out of them.
Revolts are not won by votes!
I say this with the most respect and love: I picture my Uncle, WW II vet who served in the Pacific and Europe, in his hover round knocking park police out of the way with his cane. My uncle passed away two years ago, but he wouldn’t have put up with being kept out of the memorial! He drove one of those landing craft at Normandy, and he would have LOVED to knock down the fence and drop his men off at the memorial!
Wow!!! What a great observation!
.......but he wouldn’t have put up with being kept out of the memorial! He drove one of those landing craft at Normandy, and he would have LOVED to knock down the fence and drop his men off at the memorial!
Unfortunately, there will have to be some beatings and mistreatment from government goons. It is just the price of civil disobedience. If you are not willing to take some lumps, stay out of the game. Or, as Samuel Adams put it:
" If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
We need to stand up to them. We need to get mad - fighting mad; and let them know we won't stand for it anymore.
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