Rao bulletin 15 October 2013 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles
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National Park Service security personnel speak on their phones after World War II veterans broke through a barricade with police tape that prevented access to the World War II Memorial on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. National Park Service security personnel speak on their phones after World War II veterans broke through a barricade with police tape that prevented access to the World War II Memorial on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. The memorial was closed because of the government shutdown that started 11 hours earlier, after lawmakers failed to pass a temporary budget plan to keep nonessential federal programs operating. Republicans and Democrats have been stalled in budget fight for weeks, mostly over legislative add-ons dealing with the new healthcare law. As a result, more than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed Tuesday, set to return only after Congress reaches a compromise. National parks and federal buildings were closed down. And the WWII Memorial — along with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and much of the rest of the Capitol — were barricaded, to keep tourists away. It’s interesting to note that during the first few years the WWII Memorial was open there was not even a Park Service kiosk at the site. Officially closing something that is in every other way “always open” was a petty move and a poor decision of somebody in the Park service chain of command. Several Republican lawmakers were on hand to greet the Mississippi Honor Flight veterans at the memorial on Tuesday and nodded thoughtfully as the greatest generation representatives voiced their displeasure at being turned away from their own memorial. Organizers said the trip took months of planning and nearly $100,000 in donations for airfare, food and buses. A dozen more are scheduled in the next week.  
“It’s great to be here, but it’s really disappointing that we can’t get closer to see it,” said Gene Tolley, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Pacific during the war. “I came through the city back in high school, but I was looking forward to coming back and seeing this.” He got his wish. As Rep. Steve King (R-IA) distracted a Park Police representative, other lawmakers and their staff helped topple the metal fences. A bagpiper on hand for the event led the men past the crowd and into the heart of the memorial, attracting a large, applauding crowd. “This just means so much to me,” said Alex “Lou” Pitalo, an Army vet who also served in the Pacific during WWII. “I waited 70 years to get a welcome like this. And to get to see this and to have all those people clapping … I’m just so happy. This was amazing.” Officials from the Honor Flight network, which organized the tour, said they have advised upcoming trip planners that the memorials will not be open to the public, and to plan accordingly. Park Police announced 2 OCT that planned Honor Flight visits to the monument are considered “First Amendment activities,” which are allowed regardless of the government’s operating status. The news came at the same times as several hundred veterans from Missouri and Kansas roamed the memorial, in defiance of federal orders that the site was not open to the public. It ended some — but not all — of the circus atmosphere at the somber monument, which pays tribute to the 16 million troops who served in that war. Park officials said the new “First Amendment activity” distinction would be in place for all future Honor Flight visits to the site, although they could not say whether it carried for other monuments as well. Republican lawmakers berated Park Service representatives and the White House for the shutdown rules, while Democrats on hand blasted the GOP for allowing new health care act objections to derail normal federal operations. The shift in policy was possibly the result of pressure from all quarters to open the memorial to WWII veterans. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a constitutional law firm based in Washington, D.C., said on 2 OCT it was prepared to take legal action if the Obama Administration does not re-open the national memorial. The ACLJ was also calling on the Administration to remove the barricades, and demand that President Obama apologize to WWII veterans. “What we are witnessing is a disturbing violation of the First Amendment rights of our nation’s heroes,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. “By spending money to bring in barricades to attempt to shut-down an open-air memorial is abhorrent and deeply insulting to WWII vets who defended the very freedoms that are now threatened by the Obama Administration’s actions. We are prepared to take legal action if this injustice is not corrected. We are also launching a national campaign to demand that the barricades be removed and that President Obama issue an apology to the WWII veterans.” [Source: Stars & Stripes | Leo Shane | 1 & 2 Oct 2013 ++] ********************************* Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2013 2013 -> International post doctoral research fellowship programme final report title of the research 2013 -> Seals Family History 1565 to 2004 2013 -> Rao bulletin 15 July 2013 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2013 -> R institute of technology school of foreign languages 2013 -> Provisional Programme – subject to change thursday 10th april 2013 -> June, 2013 National hiv testing Day Month Men’s Health Week Hurricane Safety Month 2013 -> In memory of the residents of the Parish Chesham Bois that served their country during wwii 2013 -> Federal contract awards in georgia april 2013 Download 3.17 Mb. Share with your friends:
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