Republicans want probe of monument closures

[dentarthurdent]

http://politix.topix.com/homepage/82...nment-shutdown

When I saw the headline about this on Politico last night, I thought I must be reading The Onion. Nope. the GOP has launched a probe into DC monument closures. I liked this article quite a bit better than the original one I read, since that one pretty much pointed the finger at Obama and his administration (because obviously the president ordered it done and it has nothing to do with the shutdown </sarcasm>).

But...really? Really???

[s_stabeler]

Actually, I can sort of see the logic. The shutdown is unpopular because people are only now realizing just how much the federal government directly funds their lives. The Republicans are getting all the blame for the shutdown (rightly so) and so they need ammunition to take to thew negotiating table, or they will be forced into a humiliating climbdown. What they are trying to suggest is that Obama ordered a "firemen first" approach to the shutdown, i.e. shutting down things as visibly as possible, in order to create maximum impact. Because if people believe that, then pressure would come onto Obama to negotiate, rather than the Republicans.

In short, it's about the only thing they can do to get something out of this mess.

[mikoyan29]

It is my understanding that closed means closed. You can't actually pick and chose what to close. And while Issa is investigating things, maybe he could investigate how his failing business caught on fire.

[Panacea]

Actually, I can sort of see the logic. The shutdown is unpopular because people are only now realizing just how much the federal government directly funds their lives. The Republicans are getting all the blame for the shutdown (rightly so) and so they need ammunition to take to thew negotiating table, or they will be forced into a humiliating climbdown. What they are trying to suggest is that Obama ordered a "firemen first" approach to the shutdown, i.e. shutting down things as visibly as possible, in order to create maximum impact. Because if people believe that, then pressure would come onto Obama to negotiate, rather than the Republicans.

I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why House Repubs are doing this. I would point out to them that the government's plans for the shutdown and how to conduct it have been in place for a long time. The Obama administration dusted them off and has been preparing for the shutdown for weeks, if not longer. Republicans could have looked at those plans and objected then. They knew those memorials would be shut down; the media extensively reported on the impact to Federal parks and memorials PRIOR to the shutdown.

Their complaints are disingenuous.

I don't think most people are going to buy this horse shit, especially because the park service didn't keep the Hero Flights out that day.

It is my understanding that closed means closed. You can't actually pick and chose what to close. And while Issa is investigating things, maybe he could investigate how his failing business caught on fire.

Exactly. That's why the Democrats won't piecemeal reopening things like parks or funding clinical trials for cancer. It's "whole hawg or none." And that's the way it should be done.

[Greenday]

Seeing as how the Republicans are coming out as the bad guys in this whole shutdown, they are trying whatever they can to try to salvage this to make it look like the Democrats are shutting down stuff unnecessarily.

[Ree]

Maybe I'm just jaded, but I am so sick of all my FB friends from the US posting all these stories about the war vets taking back their memorials due to the government shutdown.

First of all, aside from all the political asshattery and motives, one of the reasons they are closed is because there are no staff to clean or maintain them because of the shutdown. People are fucking pigs. You just know, after a week, the garbage would be knee deep because nobody is cleaning up and everybody is leaving their garbage at their ass.

Secondly, where were all these vets the week before the shutdown? I can guarantee, the biggest reason many of them are getting all bent out of shape is because they were told they couldn't visit. Most of them didn't even think about visiting and took all those memorials for granted until they were told that barricades were going up to keep people out until the staff was back to work to maintain the sites.

Human nature being what it is, there was a "Don't tell me I can't do something. I fought for freedom" mob mentality taking over, and suddenly, it became a case of come hell or high water I am going to force you to take down the barricades.

I don't agree with all the closures, but, as I said, I have had a lot of years of dealing with human beings, and I know how quickly the garbage would have started piling up with nobody there to remove it.

While I find it sickening that memorials and other places are being closed down until things are resolved, I also would have hated to see these same memorials waist high in trash because of all the disgusting pigs who can't seem to use a garbage or recycling bin and just leave their stuff at their ass.

[Panacea]

They had a "million vet" march at the WWII memorial yesterday. Less than a million showed up, mostly tea party types.

One of the GOP reps called for "Obama to put down his Quran, get off his knees and get out" of the White House.

[Andara Bledin]

Secondly, where were all these vets the week before the shutdown? I can guarantee, the biggest reason many of them are getting all bent out of shape is because they were told they couldn't visit.

Actually, from what I understand, there is a service that sets up visits for vets and that they arrive fairly constantly. For them, the memorials being closed is actually kind of a big deal. Which, I suspect, is a lot of the reason that at least some of the guards on those posts are letting the vets in to see them, but keeping the rest of the rabble (including grandstanding Reps) outside the barriers.

[AccountingDrone]

I want to march to DC to bitch out the damned politicians who are acting like freaking 3 year olds and tell them to get their heads out of their asses and actually do their jobs.

I also want to revolt and have another continental congress to change the constitution and laws to reflect the 21st century. Back when they were writing it up the first time, they should have made a provision to go back every 75 to 100 years and change it up to reflect the changes in the world.

I propose firstly, limit of terms just like the president has. Age limits [minimum and maximum] and single retirement package. They would all have to maintain their main residence in their district - when in DC they would all have apartments and offices in the unused parts of the Pentagon, and get bussed to the Capital Building for the big speachifying and voting bits. No reason for them to get the huge $175K plus incomes just because 'I need to have 2 residences and 2 offices ... ' when we have over half the Pentagon sitting empty. Save on traffic and building leasing as well. Free up space for someone else. Lobbying would stop. Business could no longer try to bribe politicians to make the low go their way. They can get their medical done at the clinic at the pentagon as well. And the whole electoral congress needs to be killed off as well, we are now as a rule able to be well informed at the national level enough to be able to directly vote for president and vice president.

[Hyena Dandy]

Secondly, where were all these vets the week before the shutdown? I can guarantee, the biggest reason many of them are getting all bent out of shape is because they were told they couldn't visit. Most of them didn't even think about visiting and took all those memorials for granted until they were told that barricades were going up to keep people out until the staff was back to work to maintain the sites.

Actually, Honor Flight (which is what all these buses of vets come on) is a very regular thing. Most of these guys have been scheduled for months. They would be here even if it wasn't shut down. The answer to "Where were these guys?" is "There, just not in newspapers."

For them, the memorials being closed is actually kind of a big deal.

Not according to the guy who set this up.

“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.

“They’ve been very cooperative and very polite,” he said of the Park Service, which has allowed the groups to visit under the auspices that they’re conducting “First Amendment activities.”

It's been no big deal to the veterans. It's only been a big deal to the people who AREN'T allowed in, like the fuckwits who like to act like this is somehow the evil federal government. I've heard the park service described as "Jackbooted thugs of Obama's regime."

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/1...rue-98362.html

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Back when they were writing it up the first time, they should have made a provision to go back every 75 to 100 years and change it up to reflect the changes in the world.

They did.

Maybe not on a select period of time but they did put in provisions and whatnot that allow for the altering of the Government to fit the times. And even the US Constitution itself.

The problem is that no one wants to touch that @#$%er for fear of being called a commie mutant traitor (sorry...Paranoia RPG reference).

[AccountingDrone]

They did.

Maybe not on a select period of time but they did put in provisions and whatnot that allow for the altering of the Government to fit the times. And even the US Constitution itself.

The problem is that no one wants to touch that @#$%er for fear of being called a commie mutant traitor (sorry...Paranoia RPG reference).

Not an 'if you want to do it', a mandatory 'you will all get together in a big room and update the constitution to reflect the changing times'.

I have always thought that things tend to benefit from a god shaking out and bashing the dust off - people, things or concepts.

[mikoyan29]

It's been no big deal to the veterans. It's only been a big deal to the people who AREN'T allowed in, like the fuckwits who like to act like this is somehow the evil federal government. I've heard the park service described as "Jackbooted thugs of Obama's regime."

People in this country don't know what real oppression is like. Real oppression would have machine gunned the people that deposited the barricades at the White House fence and rounded up the other folks around them. We throw around terms like jackbooted thugs and what not and until those folks are coming in at midnight and harassing normal citizens...they are nothing of the sort.

[s_stabeler]

if Obama really was as oppressive as fundies like to claim, then I'm pretty sure he'd have the Army forcing the House to vote for a budget at gunpoint by now... dictators rarely tolerate these kind of shenanigans.

[Nyoibo]

No, he wouldn't be forcing them at gunpoint, he'd have had them all either shot, arrested or " re-educated"