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Shutdown overreach: More personnel sent to WWII memorial than Benghazi; Park Service closes park it doesn't run (Video at Link) The National Park Service is sending so many officials out to shut down federal parks from visiting Americans that at this rate it might have to suspend furloughs if the government closure continues. Two examples: -- At the World War II Memorial on The Mall in Washington, where veterans have been staging protests to keep it open...

Washington’s grown a bit nastier and colder since the last government shutdown, and the casualties of the partisan fight are the family memories lost from being denied access to public landmarks that are supposed to belong to the people. The government doesn’t see it that way anymore – it’s all just a “damn game” and the folks running the Capitol are just toying with the American people. That’s right – public memorials, monuments and parks remained open under President Clinton and the Republican Congress in 1995/96, causing one to wonder how much inconvenience and financial hardship this partial government shutdown...

Tuesday morning, seven National Park Service employees were seen erecting and tending to a barricade around the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. One NPS employee was operating a forklift. There usually aren't any NPS employees working at the World War II memorial. A couple hours later, when an Honor Flight of World War II veterans arrived, accompanied by Democratic and Republican members of Congress, the fences blocking the memorial were easily moved away, allowing the veterans to enter. But the barriers are still at the memorial, and they've been reinforced. This morning, I walked by the memorial and...

Pat Vaillancourt went on a trip last week that was intended to showcase some of America’s greatest treasures. Instead, the Salisbury resident said she and others on her tour bus witnessed an ugly spectacle that made her embarrassed, angry and heartbroken for her country. Vaillancourt was one of thousands of people who found themselves in a national park as the federal government shutdown went into effect on Oct. 1. For many hours her tour group, which included senior citizen visitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, were locked in a Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard. The...

Two battles were joined this week, one on Capital Hill and another at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (the symbolic core of which is known as Bascom Hill). In both cases, free men who refused to be cowed struck back at overreaching tyrants. (a) The Battle of Capitol Hill As the Republicans and Democrats squared off on spending, World War II and Korean War vets were making their way to Washington, D.C. on Honor Flights, a charitable program to bring these folks to see the memorials to service members who fought... ~snip~ On hearing that the Obama administration intended to block...

The Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina created a publicity crap storm for the Spite House when operators were forced to close during the government shutdown. The inn sits on federal land and despite the owner’s attempt to defy orders from the Park Police, he was forced to close his doors and throw away spoiled food during the height of fall foliage season. Today, the inn will reopen at 5 p.m. and all October reservations will be honored.

Friends, With the federal government shutdown, this has been a difficult week for all Americans. Furthermore, the Obama administration’s unwillingness to negotiate is frustrating to all of us who would like to see meaningful change in Washington. While I am disappointed by the actions of Harry Reid and President Obama, I was shocked to learn that veterans had been denied access to the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. Our veterans deserve better than this! It’s time to send a message to the Democrats in Washington that this sort of political gamesmanship is unacceptable. It is disturbing to note that President...

Thursday, October 10, 2013 The Obama Blockade Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog In the spring of ’48, the collision of wills between the free world and the red slave empire of the east came to a head in Berlin. The Communist strategy had been to push forward, to violate the spirit of the agreements and then the letter of the agreements while always claiming to be the aggrieved party. The Allies had treated the Soviet Union as if it were a credible partner that wanted to work together with them on rebuilding Europe. The Soviet Union...

Even though it’s an uphill battle, I’m glad there are some lawmakers willing to fight Obamacare. They realize a hard battle today could help save America from genuine fiscal crisis in the future. I don’t know how this government-shutdown battle (which is morphing into a debt-limit battle) will end, but I’m hopeful the taxpayers get some sort of victory. The 2011 fight over the debt limit, after all, gave us sequestration, which has been Obama’s biggest defeat. Heck, maybe in this year’s fight we can even keep the government shut down long enough that people realize that we can do...

And now the feds have put up cones to keep people out of scenic overlooks on Mount Rushmore.

The National Park Service has ordered the closure of a Virginia park that sits on federal land, even though the government provides no resources for its maintenance or operation. The Claude Moore Colonial Farm announced on Wednesday that NPS has ordered it to suspend operations until Congress agrees to a deal to fund the federal government. According to Anna Eberly, managing director of the farm, NPS sent law enforcement agents to the park on Tuesday evening to remove staff and volunteers from the property. “You do have to wonder about the wisdom of an organization that would use staff they...

It’s official. They are shutting all of us down ASAP. Marching orders straight from the White House. Update: Mr. Meyer emails to add that not only is his business being forced to take losses for the closures, but in some cases the government is making him and the other park management companies buy the barricades that will be used to shut the parks. Warren Meyer of Phoenix, AZ, is owner and president of Recreation Resource Management, Inc. RRM employs about 400-500 camp workers and managers across about a dozen states. It is one of a handful of companies that have...

- FrontPage Magazine - http://frontpagemag.com - Obama’s Shutdown: Parks for Amnesty Activists OnlyPosted By Matthew Vadum On October 8, 2013 @ 12:55 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 1 Comment President Obama’s unprecedentedly vicious, carefully choreographed campaign of shutdown sadism is becoming even more thuggish as the fiscal 2014 budget dispute heads into its second week.But the lawless Obama administration is granting an indulgence to its radical friends who support immigration amnesty and tearing down the nation’s borders.As Charlie Spiering reports in the Washington Examiner, the Caudillo-in-Chief is allowing the “Camino Americano: March for Immigration Reform” rally to proceed on the...

“I am now occupying the building at this time.” And with that one decision – restaurant owner Glenn Helseth joined the ranks of Americans who’ve decided to defy the strong-arm tactics of the National Park Service. For the past 11 years Helseth and his wife have operated the Carrot Tree Kitchens Restaurant inside the historic Cole Digges House in Yorktown, Va. At least 20 of Helseth's longtime employees are facing unemployment. They can’t make rent and some are faced with choosing between buying food or buying medicine. The National Park Service owns and operates the building. So when the government...

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill do not seem any closer to an agreement that would end the government shutdown. On Tuesday, when veterans came to the World War II Memorial only to discover it had been barricaded because of the shutdown, they moved the blockade, then continued on to pay their respects. But the memorial is a federal site in a public space. According to the National World War II Memorial website, "The memorial is operated by the National Park Service and is open to visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week." Why was there a need for barricades...

-- At the World War II Memorial on The Mall in Washington, where veterans have been staging protests to keep it open, Washington Examiner's Charlie Spiering reports that at least seven officials were dispatched Wednesday morning to set up a ring of barricades to block tourists from the memorial. That is two more than the State Department had in Benghazi a year ago on the night of the terrorist attack that killed four, including the U.S. ambassador. -- National Park Officials closed down the educational Claude Moore Colonial Farm near the CIA in McLean, Va., even though the federal government...

The Pisgah Inn is closed compliments of the federal government. It's a private business that is located on government property. One of many businesses that are shutdown across the country. Some totally privately owned and operated. This will not stand. The order to close came from US Park Service National Director, Mr. John Jarvis. He has been contacted. As citizens of these United States, we will exercise our freedom to assemble. We are assembling at noon Saturday, 10/4. Please be at Pisgah Inn.

Republicans say the GOP-controlled House intends to pass legislation to reopen portions of the government, including national parks and processing of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The House would also allow the government of Washington, D.C. to use its own taxpayer funds to provide services like garbage pickup, as well as keep D.C. employees on the job.

The Obama Shut Down10/8/2013President Obama Admits Real Reason Why He's Been Rejecting GOP Funding BillsMilitary chapel closed in Georgia: 'Shutdown: No Catholic service till further notice'Priest: Obama Admin. Denied Mass to CatholicsObama Warns "No Magic Bullets", Exploring "All Default Contingencies"Deja vu... Obama repeats the condemnation of striking workers....againObama: Republicans Using 'Extortion' On Debt LimitObama Says He Will Negotiate Once G.O.P. Ends 'Threats''Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at YellowstoneArmed Guards Kick Senior Citizens Out of Yellowstone ParkDigging In: Obama calls Boehner to say won´t negotiate, plans to make statementExclusive Gyms For Members Of Congress Deemed 'Essential,' Remain Open During ShutdownDepartment of...

The US government has been shut down several times. What makes this shutdown different is that Barack Obama spent taxpayer dollars to erect barricades at national monuments to keep the American public out. He wants Americans to know who the boss is. Today several hundred Americans stormed the barricades at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.