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Ain't Big Brother cool? What would we do without him?
'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone
Pat Vaillancourt went on a trip last week that was intended to showcase some of Americas greatest treasures.
Instead, the Salisbury resident said she and others on her tour bus witnessed an ugly spectacle that made her embarrassed, angry and heartbroken for her country.
Vaillancourt was one of thousands of people who found themselves in a national park as the federal government shutdown went into effect on Oct. 1. For many hours her tour group, which included senior citizen visitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, were locked in a Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard.
The tourists were treated harshly by armed park employees, she said, so much so that some of the foreign tourists with limited English skills thought they were under arrest.
When finally allowed to leave, the bus was not allowed to halt at all along the 2.5-hour trip out of the park, not even to stop at private bathrooms that were open along the route.
Rangers systematically sent visitors out of the park, though some groups that had hotel reservations such as Vaillancourts were allowed to stay for two days. Those two days started out on a sour note, she said.
The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldnt recreate. The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors werent recreating, just taking photos.
She responded and said, Sir, you are recreating, and her tone became very aggressive, Vaillancourt said...
Read More:
'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone » Local News » NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA
DRUDGE REPORT 2014®
'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone
Pat Vaillancourt went on a trip last week that was intended to showcase some of Americas greatest treasures.
Instead, the Salisbury resident said she and others on her tour bus witnessed an ugly spectacle that made her embarrassed, angry and heartbroken for her country.
Vaillancourt was one of thousands of people who found themselves in a national park as the federal government shutdown went into effect on Oct. 1. For many hours her tour group, which included senior citizen visitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, were locked in a Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard.
The tourists were treated harshly by armed park employees, she said, so much so that some of the foreign tourists with limited English skills thought they were under arrest.
When finally allowed to leave, the bus was not allowed to halt at all along the 2.5-hour trip out of the park, not even to stop at private bathrooms that were open along the route.
Rangers systematically sent visitors out of the park, though some groups that had hotel reservations such as Vaillancourts were allowed to stay for two days. Those two days started out on a sour note, she said.
The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldnt recreate. The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors werent recreating, just taking photos.
She responded and said, Sir, you are recreating, and her tone became very aggressive, Vaillancourt said...
Read More:
'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone » Local News » NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA
DRUDGE REPORT 2014®
