*** The WWII Vets thing is a Republican hoax/planned-stunt ***

[cthulu2016]

The biggest story in conservative media land (biggest by far... this is the one they are pinning their news-cycle hopes to. Splashed by Drudge like WWIII, Rand Paul calling the park service employees "goons," etc.) is that a group of WWII veterans tried to go to the WWII memorial and, finding it closed, did what any patriot would do and stormed the barricades, because they have that greatest generation spirit.

Guess what really happened?

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS) "opened the barricade" and allowed a group of 91 veterans on Tuesday to storm into the closed World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to a representative from the group.

Jen Walton, the secretary of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight, which had been scheduled to visit the memorial Tuesday, told TPM the group "went in about 30 minutes ago" and hadn't necessarily planned to enter the memorial if it was closed.

"We didn't have a definite plan, so we knew we were going to come here and just see what was going on and if we were going to be able to go in," said Walton in a phone interview.

Walton said "several congressmen" are currently on the scene and that Palazzo and another official were on hand when the veterans arrived and negotiated with Park Police. Though she was unaware of whether he received permission from the police officers at the memorial, Walton said Palazzo eventually "opened the barricade" at entrance, allowing the veterans to enter. "Pretty much Palazzo just opened the barricade and we followed him in," Walton said.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/witness-mississippi-congressman-opened-the-barricade-to-closed-wwii-memorial

The Brooks Brothers riots never stop. A congressman votes to close down the memorial, then goes to the memorial to gin up outrage against Obama for closing the memorial, then commits civil disobedience against himself.

[sibelian]

1. This needs to go out on facebook...

And everywhere else...

[lpbk2713]

2. I've been expecting Brooks Bros demonstrators to appear since yesterday.

The GOP dirty tricksters are falling down on the job.

So many cameras, so little time ... sigh.


For info: http://www.democrats.com/joel-kaplan

[dipsydoodle]

3. I saw the event here in the UK on our own tv news.

The impression I got was that the Vets had already arranged to visit the memorial prior to the shutdown , they spoke to the guards who were manning the barriers who considered the situation and decided to let them in. That is what the tv coverage conveyed.

[Safetykitten]

4. Oddly, it is working, this wierd story, and not in our favor.

It's a plaza. No crazy stuff that would impede people. Close an open air plaza.

Not a good thing for our side. Petty and mean it seems to average people asked.

[SeattleVet]

5. Their new meme is "Everything was open in 1995"

And most monuments were, indeed, open.

But that was before Homeland Security, TSA, bombs at the Boston Marathon, bombs in Times Square, etc.

Now it makes a bit of sense to keep people away from places that do not have their normal staffing available instead of allowing unfettered access. If someone *does* create an 'incident' imagine how loudly they'd be screaming that these places should not have been open without proper security.

[Erose999]

6. An open air plaza still needs some security. It'd be an open air dope market covered in grafitti if

not for velvet ropes and rent-a-cops.

[Arugula Latte]

7. Why would the Republicans want to remind people about the mess they are causing?

I don't get their motive here.

[lpbk2713]

9. Just leave em alone.

They've done a fine job of self-destructing for the past several years.

[FSogol]

8. Bonus: Palazzo voted to close the memorial along with the rest of the Federal Govt too.