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Posted on 10/10/2013 6:46:16 AM PDT by markomalley
The National Park Service’s closure of the World War II and other memorials violates rules requiring them to stay open, 93 House members charge in a letter to the agency.
Led by Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, they claim that Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis is simply making up closure rules to punish the public during the government shut down and they question the costs of the random closures in Washington where not all memorials are being closed.
"The National Park Service continues to act in an arbitrary and punitive manner to exclude veterans from memorials built in their honor and the American people from many of our country's national treasures. I have serious questions about the tactics and decisions being implemented by the National Park Service and clearly many of my colleagues do as well," said Huizenga.
"Director Jarvis cannot simply make up the rules as he goes along, which is one of the major reasons my colleagues and I sent this letter requesting concrete and definitive answers,” added Huizenga.
According to the National Parks Conservation Association there are 401 U.S. parks closed as of Thursday, including the Mall in downtown Washington and nearby Shenandoah National Park.
The letter from nearly a quarter of the members of the House of Representatives cites the “contingency plan” used by the Park Service to determine memorial closings that they say clearly requires big memorials in urban areas to remain open.
“The National Park Service section of that plan clearly states that: ‘All concession operated services and facilities would be closed unless they are deemed essential for health and safety reasons, are needed to support on-going excepted NPS activities or are located in urban areas where...full NPS law enforcement coverage is continued due to the inability to control visitor access,’” said the letter provided to Secrets.
“These urban, open-air memorials seem to be precisely the type of exception outlined in the department’s plan and, as such, should remain open to the public,” the 93 added.
Their letter, below, asks the Park Service to explain the policy and nudges the agency to keep them open, as many were during the last government shutdown.
October 9, 2013
Jonathan B. Jarvis
Director - National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C St. NW
Washington D.C. 20240
Dear Director Jarvis:
As you are no doubt aware, the closure of select open-air monuments and park service units during the ongoing partial government shutdown has been a cause of great concern for the public.
In particular, the barricades erected around open-air sites like the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials served to inconvenience countless veterans travelling to Washington, D.C. as part of honor flights from around the country.
It is our understanding that specific park closures were determined according to the Contingency Plan for Operations in the Absence of FY 2014 Appropriations dated September 26, 2013. The National Park Service section of that plan clearly states that:
All concession operated services and facilities would be closed unless they are deemed essential for health and safety reasons, are needed to support on-going excepted NPS activities or are located in urban areas where...full NPS law enforcement coverage is continued due to the inability to control visitor access.
These urban, open-air memorials seem to be precisely the type of exception outlined in the Department’s plan and, as such, should remain open to the public.
Due to the continued lack of consistent implementation of this plan, we would like a better understanding of the process that led to these decisions. Please respond to the following questions:
Multiple lower profile open-air memorials and areas remain open on the National Mall and around the National Capital Region. What factors were considered when the determination was made to close some areas, while leaving others open?
During the partial government shutdown of 1995 and 1996 the currently closed memorials on the National Mall remained open. What were the contributing factors to this change in NPS policy?
What is the cost to operate an open-air site such as the World War II Memorial on a typical day? How much is the National Park Service saving per day at that memorial by operating in its current “shutdown” posture?
What is the estimated total cost to install barricades and patrol the perimeter of each open-air memorial and area during the shutdown. What is the total cost to breakdown and remove all barricades once normal operations resume?
On multiple occasions since the shutdown began, members and staff have counted as many as seven NPS employees on-site at the World War II Memorial. How many NPS staff members are assigned to these memorials during a normal shift?
Initially, NPS logo signs were posted at each of the closed memorials indicating that the area was closed due to the government shutdown. On the second day of the shutdown the signs were removed and replaced with new, non-logo signs simply stating that “This site is closed”. Why were the original signs replaced and who requested the change? How much did it cost to remove and replace these signs?
We look forward to your response and stand ready to work with the National Park Service to ensure that the American people aren’t unnecessarily burdened during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Representative Bill Huizenga (MI-02)
Signatories
1. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (KS-02)
2. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (OK-01)
3. Rep. Stephen Fincher (TN-08)
4. Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH-07)
5. Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03)
6. Rep. Billy Long (MO-07)
7. Rep. Richard Nugent (FL-11)
8. Rep. Dan Benishek (MI-01)
9. Rep. Lee Terry (NE-02)
10. Rep. Kevin Cramer (ND)
11. Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05)
12. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01)
13. Rep. Jason Smith (MO-08)
14. Rep. Phil Gingrey (GA-11)
15. Rep. John Campbell (CA-45)
16. Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07)
17. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (MN-06)
18. Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15)
19. Rep. Keith Rothfus (PA-12)
20. Rep. Tim Griffin (AR-02)
21. Rep. Phil Roe (TN-01)
22. Rep. Bill Cassidy (LA-06)
23. Rep. Mark Sanford (SC-01)
24. Rep. Steve King (IA-04)
25. Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
26. Rep. Steve Stockman (TX-36)
27. Rep. David Valadao (CA-21)
28. Rep. Aaron Schock (IL-18)
29. Rep. Tom Petri (WI-06)
30. Rep. Alan Nunnelee (MS-01)
31. Rep. Bill Posey (FL-08)
32. Rep. Renee Ellmers (NC-02)
33. Rep. Justin Amash (MI-03)
34. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03)
35. Rep. Spencer Bachus (AL-06)
36. Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-03)
37. Rep. Larry Bucshon (IN-8)
38. Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02)
39. Rep. Robert Pittenger (NC-09)
40. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27)
41. Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01)
42. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03)
43. Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05)
44. Rep. Bill Flores (TX-17)
45. Rep. Robert Latta (OH-05)
46. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (MO-4)
47. Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN-02)
48. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (OH-02)
49. Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-08)
50. Rep. Ted Poe (TX-02)
51. Rep. David McKinley (WV-01)
52. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (SC-05)
53. Rep. David Reichert (WA-08)
54. Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-04)
55. Rep. Paul Broun (GA-10)
56. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-08)
57. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (TN-04)
58. Rep. Stevan Pearce (NM-02)
59. Rep. Jack Kingston (GA-01)
60. Rep. Jeff Miller (FL-01)
61. Rep. Kevin Yoder (KS-03)
62. Rep. Tom Cotton (AR-04)
63. Rep. Mac Thornberry (TX-13)
64. Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-01)
65. Rep. Joseph Pitts (PA-16)
66. Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-02)
67. Rep. Robert Aderholt (Al-04)
68. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14)
69. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-06)
70. Rep. David Joyce (OH-14)
71. Rep. Cynthia Lummis (WY)
72. Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22)
73. Rep. Tom Price (GA-06)
74. Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19)
75. Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01)
76. Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11)
77. Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-06)
78. Rep. Gregg Harper (MS-03)
79. Rep. Reid Ribble (WI-8)
80. Rep. Steve Daines (MT)
81. Rep. John Fleming (LA-04)
82. Rep. Scott Perry (PA-04)
83. Rep. Marlin Stutzman (IN-03)
84. Rep. Joe Barton (TX-06)
85. Rep. Cory Gardner (CO-04)
86. Rep. Todd Rokita (IN-04)
87. Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14)
88. Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13)
89. Rep. Jon Runyan (NJ-03)
90. Rep. Mark Meadows (NC-11)
91. Rep. Andy Barr (KY-06)
92. Rep. Robert Hurt (VA-06)
93. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (MI-11)
Jarvis is going to get a BIG promotion when this shut-down is over. Then I’m sure there will be a Congressional investigation, right?
but, but.. but. al the MSM is telling us is that the GOP is getting the blame?
How can this be?
Obama isn’t doing this, its TED CRUZ! /s
Bump for the truth!!
Good find!
“Our legislators need to go after the persons of the media personally.”
Do you really think the people should leave it up to them? Perhaps it’s time for the public to fire those who abuse their positions of public trust.
Just convince them that returning to work, now or ever, would be a very...unhappy...thing for them to do.
“And we must understand that our Obama supporting friends are not our friends.”
No leftard is friend to any conservative. If you think you have a leftard friend, sorry, but you are mistaken, as you will find out when the chips are down.
‘All about power and leverage’ — feds shut down major roadway, block access to graveyard
(excerpt)
Folks who live in the Great Smoky Mountains have just about reached their breaking point with the federal government.
“It’s almost like they are pushing to see how far they can push before the American people say enough is enough,” said Ed Mitchell, the mayor of Blount County, Tenn. “We were founded on a declaration of independence. And they are about to push the people to the line again.”
Nearly a third of Blount County is inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. So when the federal government shut down the park, it also shut down one of the area’s chief sources of revenue.
This doesn’t top out at Jarvis.
NPS last week was pointing fingers at OMB. The head of OMB is a political hack and protege of Harold Ickes.
We all know who Harold Ickes is, right?
“if the NPS is unable to collect fees for some reason, those stations are required to be left open to the public”
Imprisonment in a country club is not sufficient.
We *must* bring back flogging.
Meet lobbyist brother, Destry Jarvis.
A National Park Superintendent And His Questionable Real Estate Deal
http://www.kgw.com/internal?st=print&id=82550552&path=/news/national
Cape Wind’s fate unclear, even in Obama’s hands
NO, the NPS has had this attitude “we own it”, for decades, if you have ever dealt with them. Its just become mega magnified now!
Not one CONgresscritter from Red England on the list...go figure.
Of course, they are squealing like pigs in Red Hampshire at the moment because 22 privately-owned campgrounds have been shut down by the NPS right before the Columbus Day holiday weekend...sorry, leaf peepers. Elections have consequences.
Boy did you ever get that right. Greens and NAZIs are just twin brothers from my perspective. I wondered out loud if ANY of these jack boots would lose sleep over using words like ‘I am just following orders’.
It has given me chills and creeped me out. They don’t HAVE to follow orders that are ILLEGAL. This is how it started in Germany the testing and probing and checking to see what the response would be. Let us stand and say in unison NO ON OUR WATCH. Let us respond in a manner that tells these traitors that they CANNOT have my country without a fight
That reminds me...even Yogi Bear has had it up to here with the signs from the NPS...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NtSIJx-yJM
Definitely NSFW or for people offended by a swear word...Yogi starts in at :20...
Some congressmen should discreetly suggest that the US government has no need to employ “officers who put ‘obeying orders’ over service to the people.”
Basically a threat that if they keep up “just following orders”, that they will soon be out of a job, and may even be barred from future employment with the federal government.
I bet this would change their behavior in a hurry.
The governors of the states should sent the State Police to the parks and commandeer them and sent the NPS goons packing.
Time for some disobedience to thuggery.
LOL, that’s quite the stmt re ATF. Barry Soetoro has done many things wrong/illegal but corrupting the ATF isn’t one of them. The ATF have a VERY VERY long history of corruption and I’ve never heard them described as respected.
The libs have got a document floating about on the web trying to justify the NPS’ atrocious behavior during the shutdown. Once again, it seems that they’re trying to hide behind “public safety” as a catch-all excuse for their actions.
This is stupid. These 93 Congressmen are deflecting the blame away from Obastard.
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