With the government shut down entering its second week there are stories circulating on the internet about National Park Service staff being told to make life difficult for visitors to attractions such as Mount Vernon, once home to George Washington. Mount Vernon is not run by the Park Service, yet the parking lots are, apparently. By closing these, the pressure stays on to end the shut down. There are stories of other vendors being directed to cease operations although they maintain private payrolls.
We didn't link to the stories here because this blog isn't usually about politics or the budget, shutdown or otherwise.
What we will say is that we have witnessed rangers being purposely difficult, at times obtuse, when it came to nudity. In one glaring example about 20 years ago the Superintendent of the Canaveral National Seashore in Florida didn't like a court ruling that said mere nudity did not necessarily equal a federal offense.
So, instead of workihg with nudists to help educate the public about the traditional nude beach near parking lot 13, or putting in advisory signage about its location, the seashore staff sulked and told visitors "we really can't stop you from going naked anywhere (or tell you where to avoid nudity if it's not your thing)."
Consequently, user conflict increased during the brief time staff pulled these tricks. Complaints were generated to support cries that there ought to be a law, Congressman Dave Weldon struck and the rest, as they say, was history.
On other park lands some staff refuse to meet with (clothed) nudist leaders, or even to take literature fom nudists. They seem to have forgotten who owns the parks. ALL of us!
People in ALL sectors of society have largely forgotten WHO they work for. From the lowest person on the corporate totem pole to the CEO, everyone's wages are paid by someone else...the customer, the client, the patient, etc., and that includes government employees as well. We see it evidenced by there being too few cashier-lines open in a busy store, employees being short or snippy...even downright rude to customers, and doctor's offices that are chronically running-late for appointments. A friend of mine recently had to wait 4 1/2 hours to see a doctor she had an appointment with. The doctor and his staff forgot who is paying the bills, and they had lost her medical records to boot.
ReplyDeleteGovernment employees are carrying on the "proud-tradition" of forgetting WHO they work for. Because government is no longer "of, for and by the people", they have elevated themselves onto some lofty pedestal, and have forgotten WHO they work for, and WHO is paying the bills.
This phenomenon reaches its apogee with government employees on "government land". They have forgotten both WHO they work for and WHO owns the land.
Canaveral National Seashore is still open to nudity, in a very limited section. Enforcement has been pretty much left to county authorities (what are they doing on federal land?). Our access is limited to a brief strip of beach, with no signage, and very limited parking. It is still "go at your own risk", if a person can even find a place to park. That certainly doesn't qualify as "naturist-friendly". It isn't worth the drive and the hassle for me, since Cypress Cove is only a few minutes from where I live. It is also actually cheaper for me to go to CC.