WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, you can't walk in the woods. This was posted on PowerLine's Week in Pictures, which I linked to here.

For proof you can't walk in the woods, I submit the following photos, taken at the Manassas Battlefield National Park, near where I live. Before starting, let me point out that the park is large, containing some 40 miles of riding/walking trails that are easily reachable from local public highways (some heavily traveled) and occupied (there are houses/farms within and surrounding the battlefield).

This is the visitor center, on Route 234 just off Interstate 66. It has the park headquarters, a small museum, and gift shop. As far as I know, it is the only NPS-manned facility in the park. It's closed.

Now let's go up Route 29 (a heavily traveled commuter route) a mile or so from the Park headquarters. Here's the entrance to a nice little walking trail along Bull Run (in Virginia, 'run' and 'creek' are synonymous). It's closed...

... and hopefully that car belongs to a disillusioned Obama supporter who is able to see the light. The car is parked along the edge of the road just outside the gate.

Here's another parking area further along Route 29. Also closed. The walking path winds through the meadow into the woods behind the hill. There are no buldings, carts, cannons, statues or memorabilia that can be stolen or vandalized anywhere along the route.

Now let's go off the beaten path a bit to some of the lesser visible and lesser used trails. These are all accessible from secondary and tertiary roads in the vicinity. Again, closed. But with traffic cones this time, since there is no access from a major highway.

The Unfinished Railroad trail. The parking area (closed again, natch!) is several miles from Route 29 on a gravel road that dead ends not far from the parking area.

Just down the gravel road is the entrance to the Brawner Farm trail. It's a beautiful walk, but as with most of the other trails, there are no structures, monuments or much of anything else that can be vandalized.

Now back to pavement (just barely) is the Deep Cut trail. As before, it's a nice walk, but without much else. No structures. No monuments. No facilities.

At one time or another during the past 10 years my wife and I have walked most of these trails. We have never, ever seen a Park Service employee on any of these trails. The trails are just that -- trails through the woods, with occasional wooden bridges and some directional signage. There are no gates, ticket booths, fees, facilities, or hazards (unless being startled by a deer is a hazard) anywhere.

Why are they closed? To save money? Hell, it cost more money to put up the signs, traffic cones, and barriers than the Park Service would normally spend in 2 years of maintenance. Safety? C'mon; my back yard is more hazardous.

No, this was for spite, pure and simple. This was not because of the Republican Party 'government shutdown', people; this is a 'gift' from the petty, vindictive, wannabe dictator who happens to reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.