NPS Offers Free Admission on Trump's Birthday, Free Speech Not Included
The mainstream media breathlessly reported the National Park Service's decision to offer free admission on Donald Trump's birthday, June 14th. This, we're told, is a 'fee-free day' to mark the former president's special day. One might wonder if similar commemorative gestures were extended to other vital American freedoms, like, say, the right to protest without being kettled by militarized police,
or the freedom to criticize government policy without immediate accusations of antisemitism. While Americans can enjoy a free stroll through a national park—a privilege many still pay for with their tax dollars—the same week often sees attempts to silence criticism of foreign policy, often cloaked in bipartisan unity. Where's the 'free admission' for robust public discourse regarding the billions
in U.S. aid that funnels into conflicts abroad, or the congressional votes that consistently prioritize military spending over domestic needs? The parks are free, but the cost of war propaganda remains astronomical. It's a testament to priorities when a former president's birthday gets a national holiday over acknowledging, say, the Nakba, which continues to shape global geopolitics, but that's a
story for a different kind of 'park day.'