We previously reported how the AMVETS tradition of gathering at the Pentagon for 32 years for their ‘Rolling to Remember’ Memorial Day event was stopped when their permit, which had been approved, was then revoked.
The excuse given was concern over the Wuhan coronavirus. But as we noted, this is at a time when a lot of Washington, D.C. is opening back up, including even indoor activities such as the museums at the Smithsonian. The ‘Rolling to Remember’ gathering was to be in a parking lot outdoors. Even Joe Biden’s CDC ranks the risk of transmission as low when you are outdoors. So how are they following the science here?
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) blasted the decision to revoke the permit for the veterans.
“Memorial Day traditions like Rolling to Remember have been granted permits by every administration, Democrat and Republican, for the past 30 years,” Rep. Mast (R-Fla.) told Fox News in a statement. “The Biden Administration’s decision to end this Memorial Day tradition flies in the face of the freedoms that so many have died to protect.
“We are blessed beyond words to be citizens of the greatest country on Earth and only live free thanks to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice,” continued Mast, an Army veteran who lost both his legs to an IED while serving in Afghanistan in 2010.
“Sadly right now, in Joe Biden’s America, it is easier to cross the border illegally than it is to get a permit to pay our respects to our nation’s fallen heroes.”
Mast and 30 other Republican members wrote a letter appealing to Joe Biden to override the decision to revoke the permit.
“I would have hoped that President Biden would have more respect for a Memorial Day tradition, which raises awareness to the 82,000 service members who are still missing in actions and that 22 veterans die by suicide each day,” Mast told Fox News. “That is why today, I along with 33 of my House colleagues are urging President Biden to reverse his administration’s decision and grant Rolling to Remember their permit request to use the Pentagon’s parking lot.” [….]
“Moreover, nine state, local and federal agencies have already approved AMVETS’ permit for this year … your Administration is the only remaining barrer to ensuring this Memorial Day tradition goes as planned,” Mast and the Republicans wrote in the letter. “Therefore, we urge you to overturn the decision by the Department of Defense and grant a permit to AMVETS for use of the Pentagon parking lot. Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter that is deeply personal to myself and many veterans across this country.”
Mast said, “If you look at the facts that BLM can get a riot permit in Washington, D.C., with COVID going on at the exact same time, how do you not allow veterans into the parking lot, the 70-acre parking lot of the Pentagon in this 20-year plus tradition? Total politics in my opinion.”
There it is, Mast has hit the nail on the head. It’s all about your priorities. Democrats have made it plain over this past year that BLM actions had priority, even over the virus, even when it was at its height — that people were gathering with the endorsement of the government, including in D.C. with the blessing of the mayor. Despite the fact not only of the virus, but of the violence associated with many of the BLM events. Heck, they even name streets after BLM in D.C. as we show in the photo above. Notice how Mast also said “riot permit,” not protest permit.
Black Lives Matter Plaza is a place for healing and strategizing, protest and redress.
Thank you to the artists, DPW employees, residents, and demonstrators who continue fighting for change. Together, we stand to say it loud and proud: #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/kWRk8g02S2
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 12, 2020
But veterans, those who put their lives on the line for this country, are treated as though they mean nothing. Their event can wait. The Pentagon told them well, maybe we’ll consider it for Labor Day.
The veterans are gathering anyway. They’re hoping to lock down another site by the end of this week. But they should never have been put to that trouble. And it’s on Joe Biden’s head because he doesn’t seem to give a darn to even recognize the issue.
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