As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I have a great deal of respect and fond memories of my interactions with Park Rangers.
Those feelings, however, are eroding. During the government shutdown, the National Park Service seems to have completely lost it’s little hive mind in various parts of the country:
- Locking veterans out of the World War II Memorial, but allowing an illegal alien rally;
- Using armed guards to detain tourists into their rooms at Yellowstone;
- Refusing to allow the same tourists to stop at public restrooms as they were bussed out of the part;
- Erecting barricades to keep people out of Mount Vernon – a privately owned and privately managed venue;
- Removing handles from drinking fountains to stop people from drinking the valuable (and free) water;
- Using many more resources to keep people OUT of parks than it takes to keep them open in the first place.
According to a widely-published quote from an Park Service Ranger, “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”