Posted on 10/15/2013 3:44:35 PM PDT by llevrok
PORT ANGELES, WASH. — People who pulled into a ranger station at Olympic National Park over the weekend were given $125 tickets for "violation of closure" — entering the park during the government shutdown.
Three of the cars were a group of international students from Peninsula College led by host Kelly Sanders, a teacher from Port Angeles, the Peninsula Daily News reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1bU12WZ ).
They pulled off Highway 101 at Lake Crescent, got out and posed for a picture behind the Storm King Ranger Station when Ranger Jennifer Jackson pulled up and wrote all three drivers tickets. Each carries the $125 fine.
The students from Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China were puzzled, Sanders said.
"I didn't know how to explain it to them because I can't really understand why all this happened myself," Sanders said Monday.
"I know they were surprised that we would get a ticket for trying to go for a hike."
The driveway into the Storm King lot was partially blocked by orange road cones and a sandwich board with a sign stuck to it with duct tape reading, "Because of the federal government shutdown, this National Park Service facility is closed," Sanders said.
"It was a really wide opening —wide enough I could get my car through easily," said Leanne Potts of Sequim, who also received a $125 citation from Jackson.
Potts set out that morning for a hike up the Mount Storm King Trail with her friend, Laura Clemons.
"If I knew I was going to get a ticket, I probably wouldn't have gone in there," she said.
Both Potts and Sanders were confused by the wording on the sign.
"When I think of facilities, I think of buildings or bathrooms or features or something," Potts said.
"I just assumed that it meant the bathrooms were closed, not that I would be breaking the law," Sanders said.
Ranger Jackson was sympathetic and said she wasn't being paid during the shutdown.
"She said she was just doing her job," Sanders said of Jackson. "I understand that she thought that was her job. It just seemed a little excessive."
"She did say, 'Feel free to complain. We welcome your complaints,'" Potts said.
This ranger probably would not like the way I think would be the proper wayto complain. I think it would be proper to treat these rangers like armed robbers. Obamarobbers.
FMCDH(BITS)
Yah, the little brownshirts are just doing their jobs. for the diktator.
just a small change...
FMCDH(BITS)
Who is Pat ??
You havf relatives perhaps in Chimicum undt Pysht ja?
She went home thinking she had done something great.
She could have issued a warning, or just told them to go away.
I used to work for a major forest products company (hint: Starts with the letter W). It too had more than enough Birkenstoks troding the hallways of corporate to scare some of old time tin pants loggers.
“I was following orders”.
Rangers:
If thus becomes MO nationwide you will have lost our respect.,
There is nothing that mandates you must ticket, arrest or even notice anyone is there.
That’s ok, this song is socialist too.
No.... Port Angeles and Sequim.
...was the standard excuse given by Nazi "authorities", soldiers, guards, and oven attendants during the un-pleasantry of the last real war.
Present commissars would do well to think before they give that excuse...since this regime is not going to be there for much longer. A sane administration will defund these little people.
Ummm.. Yep. Sorry.
According to the socialist website, there were additional, even more socialistic lyrics taught by Woody to his son.
I almost went to the transvestite convention held in Sequim last year. Then I had another drink and thought better of it. It;s not my grandfather’s Olympic Peninsula these days.
One on right has a bad case of penis envy, me thinks.
A few decades ago my college roommate and I had an encounter with Park Rangers.
We had guns and they didn’t.
They were exceptionally polite.
So were we.
I’d get the cameras out and calmly tear up those tickets in front of the ranger while explaining that the parks belong to the American people. Rangers only keep the peace, and protect the wild life and land. Then if it went to a judge, I’d say the same thing.
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