Armed Guards Kick Senior Citizens Out of Yellowstone Park

Thousands of people found themselves inside a national park when the government shutdown went into effect. Pat Vaillancourt and her tour group "which included senior citizen visitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, were locked in Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard."

The seniors were treated harshly by armed park employees until they were able to leave according to Vaillancourt. Once they began the journey out of the park, "the bus was not allowed to halt at all along the 2.5-hour trip out of the park, not even to stop at private bathrooms that were open along the route."

“We’ve become a country of fear, guns and control,” said Vaillancourt, who grew up in Lawrence. “It was like they brought out the armed forces. Nobody was saying, ‘we’re sorry,’ it was all like — ” as she clenched her fist and banged it against her forearm.

Vaillancourt was on a nine day tour of western parks "with about four dozen senior citizen tourists." As her bus stopped to take a picture of some bison, "an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldn’t 'recreate.' The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors weren’t 'recreating,' just taking photos."

As they approached the Old Faithful Inn located next to the famous Old Faithful geyser, she could see barricades around the geyser and the seniors were locked inside the Inn with armed guards.

This was a busload of senior citizens on a guided tour who were confronted and hustled by armed park service rangers. They weren’t even allowed to use the bathrooms before they were forced out of the park (a 2 1/2 hour process).

I don’t know exactly what was said, but I was on a tour of China in 1983. When we boarded a plane in Beijing to fly to Xian we were told not to take pictures of the Chinese Army guards that formed a phalanx along our path to the plane and not to look them in the eye. When armed government officials tell you not to do something — you don’t do it.

We just saw a woman shot to death for not getting out of her car in DC, FGS.

You need to understand what these tourists were going through and the position they were in. From first hand experience I can tell you the NPS has been militarizing itself for at least 20 years. Behind those thugs with guns were vans filled with black uniformed, masked trained gunmen waiting for the chance to strut their stuff. Count on it.

Interesting comment worth pinging.

I maintain that citizens need to quietly, peacefully, civilly, forcefully, round these willing parks people up and handcuff them to benches, trees, their vehicles. This would be a GOD SEND for the ones who really don't want to follow orders, but who want to save their careers. They can tell their bosses, "I wasn't going to shoot these people, what was I supposed to do? They weren't a threat to the actual park or resource. Sorry!"

If that Trucker thing happens as MSM source US News indicates (the same news source that ignored and therefore kept America ignorant of the tens of thousands of bikers who rode into DC on 9/11), we're in for some mischeif.

To quote a line from Tombstone, "It's getting pretty spooky in here."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.