White House denied vets’ exception request
You remember the World War II vets who stormed the barricades at the World War II Memorial yesterday, right? Well, it seems that they had asked the White House and the Interior Department for permission to see the memorial days before the government shutdown according to the reportage at the Daily Caller;
“We got the heads up that they will be barricaded and specifically asked for an exception for these heroes,” [Representative Stephen] Palazzo told TheDC. “We were denied and told, ‘It’s a government shutdown, what do you expect?’ when we contacted the liaison for the White House.”
Palazzo’s office was in touch with the heads of the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior and the Capitol Police. He says all these officials rejected his request to allow the veterans, many of whom are octogenarians and some of whom are in poor health, to attend.
Palazzo, a Gulf War Marine veteran who has participated in all five of the Honor Flights, blames the White House for making it harder on veterans and playing politics. “At first I thought it was a huge bureaucratic oversight,” Palazzo told The Daily Caller, “but having talked with the officials I can’t help but think this was politically motivated. Honor Flights, which bring WWII veterans to the nation’s memorials, are planned a year in advance and cost anywhere between $80,000 to $100,000. How low can you get with playing politics over our nation’s veterans?”
The next flight, from Ohio has been threatened with arrest if they try the same thing that the group yesterday did, according to a link sent by Country Singer;
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,” [Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio President Lee] 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.
Yeah, I guess the shutdown isn’t painful enough, so the Obama Administration is going to make it so.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Veterans Issues
Veterans don’t vote democrat in droves like dropouts and welfare flunkies do, thus B. Hussein 0bama & Co. spit on us every chance they get!
And this, in part, explains how presumably decent people come to turn fire hoses, tear gas, rubber bullets and, ultimately, lead ones into their fellow citizens. “Hey, it’s my job.” Right.
I recently moved to the Dayton area and they had a WWII veteran on the radio whose family had come in from out of town and he wanted to take them to the Air Force Museum (that museum is impressive BTW) It is obviously closed. He claims he will never vote for a Republican again. So many of these WWII vets do vote Democrat and are blaming Republicans.
Of course this administration has no problem making it painfull to veterans. We mostly vote Republican.
Personally, I’d like to see the WH order their arrest. Try to blame Bush then, assholes.
I’m going down the WWII memorial today and tomorrow to serve as a wheelchair attendant and water boy (apparently they’ve turned off the water fountains and locked the rest rooms. There’s supposed to be another 800 Honor Flight arrivals this week. I’m talking my video camera and have already arranged bail, should that become necessary.
Open Channel D sends
I’d hate to be the cop that is told to arrest a bunch of veterans during an event like this. I have a feeling it won’t turn out so well for him or the agency ordering the arrest..
Missouri has a Honor Flight group heading that way now according to the local news this morning.
I’m thinking a Robert Heinlein “Starship Troopers” scenario whereby the veterans get fed up and take over governance — service equals the vote, etc. Check out the book and ignore the awful crap of a movie. Some of the best political philosophy I’ve ever read.
Until then, resist every inch of the way. No compromise with the Dem-Cong.
#8, I’m originally from Missouri, so all the more incentive to head down there.
AAR this evening.
From the regime’s perspective, this is wonderful, something to be used to its advantage. And from the bueaucrat’s perspective, denying Veterans access makes sense b/c saying yes to them while saying no to others does present problems, legal and otherwise. There may be around this. Perhaps some congresscritters can invite the Veterasn to a private visit to the memorial. Of course, the critters would have to be there for longer than a photo-op and sound bite so that could be an impediment.
@9 I remember how excited I was when the movie came out because the book was just so dang good. I couldn’t wait to go see it. Boy was I wrong.
Like the Vet referenced in #3; any issues will be immediately blamed on the republicans. The WH and media will harp on that. It will be a big boost for them, since they have been going full throttle at blaming the republicans, since before this even started.
@9 and 12 – when I was a kid I thought the lectures by LTC DuBois were boring and skipped over them…. now half the time I skip the rest of the book to read them. Heinlein has his flaws and philosophical loose screws, but they don’t show in ST. The movies uniformly blew.
This childish finger pointing blame game became boring several years ago. Perhaps I can say it in easy to understand English?
I DON’T CARE WHO FIXES IT, JUST SHUT UP AND DO YOUR JOBS, CONGRESS.
This is going to backfire on the Dems, there are already plenty of people in the alternative media pointing out that the national memorials were open during the last “shutdown” and, if right leaning pundits will push this on more mainstream sources, this strategy by the left will fall apart.
The left and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) can only push a narrative to the extent that the general public has no frame of reference (as with a lot of “inside baseball” politics, which is pretty esoteric to the general public), but with this it’s easy enough to point out that previously the monuments were open-but not staffed-24 hours a day and that you don’t need staff on hand for people to look at-what is essentially-scenery.
Who’s Gawddammed Country is this, anyway!?!
@17 And that’s both the pertinent question and the point of this little exercise, isn’t it?
@6 & @10: Good luck, Open Channel D. Be safe and keep us posted.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
https://twitter.com/charliespiering/status/385409124109778944/photo/1
This is classic brinkmanship. If this doesn’t plainly reveal the pure political animal character of Obama and his administration, nothing will. It’s all about power.
Get the plebes all riled up so they will call their Congresscritter/Senatewhore and use that to pressure the Legislative Branch into cooperation. The utter unconcern for whatever pain this causes Joe Citizen is completely irrelevant.
This is the same spirit that motivated Stalin, Mao and every other tyrant in history. It is different only in degree. The end justifies the means … a greater Lie Satan never spoke, IMO.
@5 good post. Funny but they will still try to blame Bush somehow.
Dang! There are tears in my eyes watching the “taking” of the Memorials!!
There is absolutely NO excuse for “closing” these Memorials to anyone at all.
Idiots who are being paid to “serve” us may finally be getting the message that we have had enough of their insanity? Arrogant pricks.
Jason–I’m already hearing it.
And if you don’t think the MSM isn’t sucking up the Democrat KoolAid by the ocean-going tankerful, check out the cover of the NY Daily News from yesterday, and the accompanying caption:
http://retired.talkingpointsmemo.com/images/new-york-daily-news-house-of-turds-cover-boehner.jpg
I have said it before and I will say it again, the government sure seems to be working quite hard for a government shutdown. The only things that are being shut down are those that the people need to survive and/or the things that the people enjoy at our own tax expense, while the government prefers to spend time with its intrigues. So, in a sense, the government shutdown had just turned us into France, circa 1788. If you don’t know what I mean, do a google check for what happened the next year and you’ll understand.
Flag–seems to me they’re working lots harder and a lot more efficiently than before they were “shutdown”, aren’t they?
It’s too bad that we somehow couldn’t get together another “Gathering of Eagles” to show up in DC and “invade” all the monuments, parks, etc. Force a showdown with the administration about WHY they are closing public lands. Furlough the staff. Close the bathrooms. Stop trash pick up. BUT, those lands belong to “We The People” and NOT to the federal government, per se. After all, “We The People” are the federal government, not some punk ass bureaucrat or lame-ass resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
It’s OUR land.
BTW……. how come there’s no money to keep the National parks open, but the jackwagon in the Oval Office can come up with $100 million to give to Detroit?
What a day. Tomorrow promises more.
We were told this afternoon that anyone who attempts to “enter the park” tomorrow will be arrested. Press started showing up in droves at about 1300, then SEIU goons showed up and started hawking the press. I had to leave at 1500, but I’ll be back tomorrow. I was appalled at the treatment some of the Honor Flight folks had to endure, mostly from the hipsters and the union thugs. Park Police were very cool though and one of the female officers was really upset at what was going down. We went to the Women in Military Service Memorial, Arlington Cemetary and the WWI Memorial and there was no police presence at any of them. It was clear they targeted the WWII Memorial for political purposes. There is some talk of a demonstration by area veterans this weekend. Loosely organized right now, but building momentum.
29 is me.
Tim–shhhhhh…you’re not supposed to know that. Go back to sleep, prole.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record – WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE!!
By what authority do they close down these Memorials, or most of the other parks that they decided to close? Especially those which are not run by them?
It would be as if any of us owned a couple of buildings and when we ran into financial problems decided to lock out our tenants. Then, since their rent included security, that security remains in the buildings, but the tenants cannot enter much less conduct business. To make sure that no one goes into the buildings, we pay a bunch of other people to board up the doors and windows. Meanwhile, the security people mill around outside the buildings and the paid up rent stays in our bank. Or we use it for some other purpose. Locking out the tenants to address our financial problems in this hypothetical scenario makes just as much sense as what is being done at our National Parks and Memorials. None.
Read the very last sentence of this article.
http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663303/s/31fd356e/sc/7/l/0Lnbcpolitics0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C10A0C0A20C20A7896880Eno0Estranger0Eto0Econtroversy0Eworld0Ewar0Eii0Ememorial0Eagain0Eat0Ecenter0Eof0Ebickering0Dlite/story01.htm
The whole thing gets smellier by the minute!!
It was probably some liberal college student pulling an internship that responded to the call and another one that denied the request.
You think I am crazy; hallmarks of Obama’s leadership.
Everyone thinks (narcissism) that they have a say in the administration.
Par for the course. And while I do not think it is encouraged, it definitely is not disciplined.
No central leadership or command. A given in this type of political spectrum.
Oh, but fellas — he’s SUCH a nice guy!
Isn’t he?
Oh, well, you know what they say: shit floats!
@28 – Tim, you just found that out?
I posted that back on Friday when this whole mess was heating up.