Guest wrote:Examples of items being kept open for political reasons? Apart from the notion that everything is politics in the US.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... y/2942257/
Immigration rally allowed on Mall despite shutdown
Alan Gomez, USA TODAY 1:28 p.m. EDT October 8, 2013
After seeing vets struggle to access the WWII Memorial, some question
this rally.
(Photo: Susan Walsh, AP)
Story Highlights
The National Park Service has closed all 401 national parks
because of the shutdown
The service made an exception for an immigration rally on First
Amendment grounds
Veterans had to bypass barricades to access the World War II
Memorial last week
WASHINGTON — A week after World War II veterans struggled to gain
access to a memorial on the National Mall due to the government's
partial shutdown, thousands of people pushing for a new immigration
law have been cleared by the government to proceed with a concert and
rally Tuesday on the Mall.
The march, dubbed the "Camino Americano", or "American Road," is
hosted by groups including the Service Employees International Union
and Casa de Maryland. The rally will feature speeches by House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other members of
Congress. Another highlight will be a concert by the Mexican band Los
Tigres del Norte.
The concert is the punctuation mark on a series of demonstrations that
included more than 100 rallies around the country on Saturday to push
Congress to adopt an immigration law that would allow the nation's 12
million undocumented immigrants the ability to apply for
U.S. citizenship.
After seeing a group of veterans forced to move aside barriers to
access the World War II Memorial last week, some are upset over what
they see as the Obama administration giving preferential treatment to
a group pushing for one his biggest legislative priorities.
"It's bad enough watching these marches when we watch illegal aliens
breaking our laws. Now they're being given free range on these public
parks while we've seen the greatest generation military vets being
turned away from their sacred memorials," said Bob Dane, a spokesman
for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that
opposes proposals in Congress to legalize the nation's undocumented
immigrants. "It's offensive and it shows where their loyalties lie."
Susana Flores of Casa de Maryland, a community organization that
assists immigrants and helped organize Tuesday's rally, said they were
given clearance for the rally by the National Parks Service based on
First Amendment grounds. National Parks Service spokesman Mike
Litterst confirmed that the march will go on.
"Under the same First Amendment rights that are allowing Honor Flight
veterans and their families to visit the veterans memorials on the
National Mall, other groups will be granted access to the park for
First Amendment activities in accordance with National Park Service
established regulations," Litterst said in a statement.
[quote="Guest"]Examples of items being kept open for political reasons? Apart from the notion that everything is politics in the US.[/quote]
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/08/government-shutdown-immigration-rally/2942257/
Immigration rally allowed on Mall despite shutdown
Alan Gomez, USA TODAY 1:28 p.m. EDT October 8, 2013
After seeing vets struggle to access the WWII Memorial, some question
this rally.
(Photo: Susan Walsh, AP)
Story Highlights
The National Park Service has closed all 401 national parks
because of the shutdown
The service made an exception for an immigration rally on First
Amendment grounds
Veterans had to bypass barricades to access the World War II
Memorial last week
WASHINGTON — A week after World War II veterans struggled to gain
access to a memorial on the National Mall due to the government's
partial shutdown, thousands of people pushing for a new immigration
law have been cleared by the government to proceed with a concert and
rally Tuesday on the Mall.
The march, dubbed the "Camino Americano", or "American Road," is
hosted by groups including the Service Employees International Union
and Casa de Maryland. The rally will feature speeches by House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other members of
Congress. Another highlight will be a concert by the Mexican band Los
Tigres del Norte.
The concert is the punctuation mark on a series of demonstrations that
included more than 100 rallies around the country on Saturday to push
Congress to adopt an immigration law that would allow the nation's 12
million undocumented immigrants the ability to apply for
U.S. citizenship.
After seeing a group of veterans forced to move aside barriers to
access the World War II Memorial last week, some are upset over what
they see as the Obama administration giving preferential treatment to
a group pushing for one his biggest legislative priorities.
"It's bad enough watching these marches when we watch illegal aliens
breaking our laws. Now they're being given free range on these public
parks while we've seen the greatest generation military vets being
turned away from their sacred memorials," said Bob Dane, a spokesman
for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that
opposes proposals in Congress to legalize the nation's undocumented
immigrants. "It's offensive and it shows where their loyalties lie."
Susana Flores of Casa de Maryland, a community organization that
assists immigrants and helped organize Tuesday's rally, said they were
given clearance for the rally by the National Parks Service based on
First Amendment grounds. National Parks Service spokesman Mike
Litterst confirmed that the march will go on.
"Under the same First Amendment rights that are allowing Honor Flight
veterans and their families to visit the veterans memorials on the
National Mall, other groups will be granted access to the park for
First Amendment activities in accordance with National Park Service
established regulations," Litterst said in a statement.