Republican Love the National Park Service.....Now

While I am always excited to see what the new image angle will be every time the Republicans roll out a fake crisis I can seldom predict it. And look what it is this week—The National Park Service.

Clearly our National Parks are the (new) most important places in America.

Fox News is Worried

House Republicans are Distraught

House Republicans are REALLY Distraught

Rep. Neugebauer is so distraught he is forced into being a dick

Breitbart is upset because the ocean closed down

Every conservative with access to the internet is citing this Wesley Pruden piece (Because editorials by notorious cranks are the same thing as reportage-But now it has entered the right wing pinball machine which will bounce it around as the truth until it slips through the flippers only to be shot back again later.)

And so on. Those are just a few of the links I got by running a Google search that read: "Republicans National Parks" and limited it to one week. Let's see what happened when I try everything from one week ago until 2008.

Rep. Cliff Steans want to sell off National Parks

Rep Jason Chaffetz proposed a bill to sell off public lands

Republicans -and the Washington Times-were indignant that President Obama would try to keep National Parks open

Republicans were astonished that the President would designate new national parks

House Republicans couldn't believe that the National Park Service Chief John Jarvis would highlight the fact that parks would have to be closed due to the sequester

In a double whammy Senate Republicans thwarted a bill to put veterans to work in National Parks

In 2011 House Republicans proposed cutting $51 million dollars from the NPS budget

Under the Ryan Budget many parks would have to shut down for parts of the year (But what if they have to put up signs saying they are closed??? Tyranny!)

Gov. Romney proposed privatizing parks (somehow..it was murky)

In 2011 Congress cut the NPS budget by $101 million. 

As someone whose field — historic preservation— is greatly reliant on the National Park Service I am grateful that conservatives are finally outraged that our parks are anything other than fully functional. I hope we have your support once this (fake) crisis is over. Although I am mindful of the Shirelles cautionary tale, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" I am more inclined to echo Phife Dawg's words of wisdom, "You didn't want me then, you hon don't want me now."