Posted on 10/01/2013 8:24:42 PM PDT by M. Thatcher
TOLEDO -- Locally in the Glass City, we can see the affects of the government shutdown at our museums, monuments, and national parks. The gates are closed and locked, denying access completely to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.
TSA employees were still working at Toledo Express Airport, but when WNWO called the TSA to find out if they would be affected, there was a message that said the public relations representative did not have access to her voicemail or email due to the government shutdown.
In a letter from Marcy Kaptur's office in the 9th District, it read, "...only services deemed essential for the safety of human life and protection of property will be continued."
But for a group of World War II vets visiting the national memorial in Washington D.C., an all expense paid trip which is called an "Honor Flight," the shutdown was not stopping them from seeing the tribute that was inspired by them.
"It just goes to show you why we won World War II," says Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio President Lee Armstrong.
Many elderly veterans, some in wheelchairs, broke through the barriers set up around the memorial, as police, park service employees, and tourists looked on.
"The Germans and the Japanese couldn't contain us. They weren't going to let barriers contain them today. They wanted to see their memorial," says Armstrong.
Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio has a trip scheduled to depart from Toledo next Wednesday, October 9.
"We will make the call this Friday to determine if the flight is still a go, or if we will have to re-schedule," Armstrong explains.
He says they are considering going ahead with the trip even if the government is still on shutdown, but when he called the parks service, he was told they would face arrest.
Armstrong says, "I said, are you kidding me? You're going to arrest a 90/91-year-old veteran from seeing his memorial? If it wasn't for them it wouldn't be there. She said, 'That's correct sir.'"
When he asked for her name, he says she did not give it to him and then promptly hung up the phone.
99% of veterans on Honor Flights have never had the opportunity to see the memorial that is devoted to their service.
Through October, the are over 35,000 veterans scheduled to visit the site, more than 900 in the next five days alone.
It may all be waiting in limbo if the government can't complete their job.
And we should be worried because...??? Anyone?
“David Burge;@iowahawkblog3h
White House PR Kamikazes try to pick a fight with guys who stormed Iwo Jima with flamethrowers “
Who says it better than Iowahawk?
We are now under the thumb of an evil communist dictator.
elections have dire consequences.
pray for our country
“It just goes to show you why we won World War II,”
“The Germans and the Japanese couldn’t contain us. They weren’t going to let barriers contain them today. They wanted to see their memorial,”
Park Police arresting any member of the Greatest Generation for trying to see THEIR memoral should be enough to arouse any decent American to white-hot anger. Let’s see Harry Reid defend THAT.
WWII VETS WILL BE ARRESTED. WTF.
I’d like to see some video of park ranger thugs arresting 90 year old WW2 vets. The Dept of the Interior is part of the executive branch, so....
You won’t see any such video, because it wouldn’t happen.
the memorial is open air, not in a building so why is it shut? other than the obvious corrupt fedeali jerks.
We’ve definitely reached the tipping point. I know what I’d do in their shoes, but it’s my life, and theirs is theirs.
Let'em try
Ya....mounted park service tried to pull that crap today and the Vet’s just plowed on through!
We’ll do it again.
Let the commie bastards have their stalinist tactics air on TV and Youtube.
They even think about stopping these guys they will rue the day for the rest f their lives. I can’t even imagine having their face plastered all over the internet. They would never be able to go shopping, to the doctors, to the movies, to a restaurant for the rest of their lives without being spit on.
Barry’s Nazi Park Service boys are going to take on American vets? They’re going to get their Nazi asses kicked.
You’re sure of that, are you? I imagine the vets would be too respectful to try to break in, but I wouldn’t put anything past some drone in a ranger uniform who never gets to use his gear....
Let's up the ante a little. Any federal flunky that orders it, any federal cop that enforces it, deserves to have his name and picture published in obloquy as a traitor to his country. It is most certainly time to go there.
If one of these Vets has a heart attack due to the threat of getting arrested, I think that that will be the tipping point.
How odd that they don’t have the money for the vets to see the memorial, but DO have the money to arrest and incarcerate them.
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