The National Park Service (NPS) has had a deferrred maintenance backlog for several years, emblematic of a government constantly seeking to acquire more land while failing to fully take care of the land and properties already in federal possession.
On top of that, NPS has, in more recent years, cut back plowing efforts in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks.
Yet, in the midst of these cutbacks at Yellowstone and Glacier, don’t you find it odd that the US Forest Service could spend over a half million dollars due to the recent Rainbow Gathering near Dillon, Montana? Or, how about the fact that the National Park Service produced videos praising Islam’s contributions to women’s rights? (Not taxpayer funded apparently…but still)
The Missoulian: Rainbow Family gathering costs U.S. Forest Service $573,000
Along with an expenditure of $395,540 for law enforcement, the Forest Service spent $177,821 on the administration side of managing the event. The total cost for the U.S. Forest Service relating to the Rainbow gathering was $573,361.
The gathering near Saginaw Creek in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest about 10 miles southwest of Jackson drew about 10,000 people. It officially ran from June 21-July 7, but Rainbow members were in the area for about a month. About 20,000 Rainbow people had gathered at the same site in 2000.
MISSOULIAN EDITORIAL: Montana delegation needs to stand up for park funding
Congress has been careless with this stable – and growing – sector of the economy. In recent years, sequester and other budget cuts have whittled the national parks’ discretionary budget down by 22 percent, or almost $700 million, over the past decade. Fiscal year 2013 saw $180 million in cuts, leaving the parks limping along with fewer rangers, shorter seasons and a growing backlog of maintenance projects.
In Glacier, budget reductions mean that Going-to-the-Sun Road is plowed later in the season, which means fewer visitors, which means less revenue. In Yellowstone and Glacier both, it means visitor centers keep shorter hours and campgrounds are closed longer.
And it means parks are looking under every rock for solutions to their budget shortfalls.
INDEPENDENT JOURNAL REVIEW: National Park Service Produces Videos Praising Islam’s Contributions To Women’s Rights (h/t Fox Nation)
Another example of your hard-earned tax dollars at work! Apparently, the National Park Service has a ton of money lying around and thought that maybe producing some pro-Islam videos might further their mission to provide national parks to Americans.
Seems legit.
So they hired a media person to visit the AnNur Islamic School in Schenectady, NY and got the real truth about Islam. Which may surprise you.
VIDEO: (click link above for more videos and text from the report)
Todd Starnes has more for FoxNews.com’s opinion section:
The National Park Service tells me no federal taxpayer dollars were spent on the production of the videos. They said the funding came through a donation from the Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park.
“The videos are part of the park’s ongoing effort to share the story of the women’s rights movement and show that the fights for human and civil rights – including the freedom to worship – are struggles that continue to this day,” chief spokesman Mike Litterst said.
The National Park Service did not respond to questions about whether they’ve produced videos promoting other religions – like Christianity or Judaism.