10/15/13 - Republicans have turned the National World War II Memorial into the government shutdown’s poster child. But there’s one big problem with their protest: Veterans streaming into Washington to see the monument don’t really face any obstacles in their visits, and many complain that they are being used for political gain.
Black metal barricades may indeed be wrapped around the nine-year-old site on the National Mall. But the National Park Service rangers charged with protecting the monument also have been under orders since the day after the shutdown’s start to move the gates out of the way when any World War II veterans arrive.
“We’ve had no problems at all,” said Jim McLaughlin, a lead organizer for the Honor Flight Network, the nonprofit group drawn into the dispute when several GOP lawmakers accompanied its guests during their first visit to the memorial hours after the shutdown started.
While Republicans have continued to argue that the monument is closed — images and video of the lawmakers with the visiting veterans quickly became the B-roll on the shutdown’s first day — McLaughlin said in an interview that his group has been able to bring several hundred more veterans to see the site since Oct. 1. read more>>>
The reasons for barriers around any Federal Funded Memorials, Parks, etc, are Very Clear and by Law, Antideficiency Act Background. Any stop in funding, especially congressional total obstruction, and in this case having nothing to do with federal funding, blocking All Federal Funding, shutdown most of what the Government is and does, which still costs the country in many ways including the private sector!!
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