As you can see above, the Lincoln Memorial has been cut off from the general public and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. The National Mall will remain closed, too. Our heart goes out to those couples who had weddings booked for this month....
By Peter Urban
Stephens Washington Bureau
2:17 pm - October 01, 2013
...More than 100 World War II, Korean and Vietnam era veterans (click here) flew from Story County on Tuesday morning to visit the national war memorials erected in their honor in the nation’s capitol.
Those memorials, however, were closed along with much of the federal government after Congress failed to approve a temporary spending bill to fund discretionary programs in the new fiscal year that began today.
The first stop was the World War II Memorial but even before the group from Story County arrived there was word that the monument was closed – no bus parking, no bathrooms and no one allowed to walk inside the expansive memorial.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, arrived early Tuesday to greet the group only to be angered by the yellow police tape and posted signs announcing: “Because of the Federal Government SHUTDOWN All National Parks are CLOSED.”
“I’m furious,” Harkin said. “What sense is that to block people in wheelchairs from going through the monument. This is nonsense.”
Harkin tried to call Interior Secretary Sally Jewell with no luck....
The Iowa buses arrived about 20 minutes after the barricade had been removed and were also able to walk or wheel themselves down through the monument.
...The Republican lawmakers removed the barrier without permission but no actions were taken to stop the veterans from following them down for a close up look at the memorial.
The Iowa buses arrived about 20 minutes after the barricade had been removed and were also able to walk or wheel themselves down through the monument.
“It’s beautiful,” said Robert Olson, who served in the Air Force during the Korean War, and now lives in Nevada, Iowa.
The Republicans involved need to be given summons for their unlawfulness. The rules apply to others, not Republicans.
