Attacks on National Forest and Park Staff Hit All-Time High

[The Straight Story]

Attacks on National Forest and Park Staff Hit All-Time High

National Parks and public forests are increasingly becoming dangerous places to work for federal employees. Using data obtained from the federal government, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found that attacks and threats against U.S. Forest Service employees and National Park Service rangers hit an all-time high last year.

Attacks or threats against National Park Service workers leaped from 36 in 2008 to 158 in 2009. Last year’s total also broke the previous record high of 111 set in 2004.

As for the Forest Service, it logged a 33% jump in violent incidents from 2008 to 2009, going from 322 to 427. This marks the third straight year that these occurrences have gone up.

The incidents range from threats, such as “homeless guy pointed finger at me,” to actual assaults, such as “rape and rape with a foreign object.”

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Attacks_on_National_Forest_and_Park_Staff_Hit_All_Time_High_100606

[Kolesar]

1. “Our concern is that surging anti-government rhetoric may be playing a role in this rising tide ..."

“... of violence.”

Drugs and alcohol appeared to play a role in a large number of incidents. These figures do not reflect the effects of liberalized firearm rules in national parks and refuges which went into effect earlier this year.

Wait a year for those reports. The park rangers opposed carrying of firearms in the parks, but the spineless Democrats went a long with it.

[MBS]

2. gee, and what a good idea to allow the public to bring guns

to the national parks in this kind of climate :sarcasm:
What a strange time.