In 1972 the National Park Service took charge of upper Fort Mason and Lower Fort Mason. Some of us who comprehend the NPS understand very well the poor job NPS has done over the years. To add fuel to fire the National Park Association was created the for-profit arm of the NPS. The NPA has made a lot of money but has not done justice to the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, which comprises all the properties, managed by the National Park Service. Congress created the Advisory Council to advice the NPS but the cronies who form this body have done a poor job. Foremost among them Amy Meyer who is now on the Trust Board at the Presidio, also influences the Advisory Council as well as the NPS and the NPA. Many do not see the conflict of interest but it is blatant. Other crooks too sit on the Advisory Council and do more harm then good. At one time Congressman Philip Burton backed the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There were some that had their heart in the right place but there is no one left the likes of Mr. William Mott who can do justice to open space and what the National Park should stand for. If Congressman Philip Burton were alive today - he would see that the crooks were ousted and good women and men put in their place to represent the people - the taxpayer, the constituent. In 30 years all the Forts linked to the Presidio of San Francisco going back to 1972 and ending with East Fort Baker in 2002 were handed over to the National Park Service. Time will tell - this action was and is one of the most "disastrous action" ever taken by Congress and those who thought the NPS capable of managing " open space " and taking care of our Historic Sites in the Bay Area. If one is open minded and evaluates the job done by the Army be it on the Presidio of San Francisco, East Fort Baker, Fort Funston, Upper and Lower Fort Mason, Fort Point - the Army did a good job. Over the years the NPS has proven again and again that it cannot maintain Facilities and does a poor job managing millions of dollars set aside to repair the aging Infrastructure. The NPS is very good at wasting millions of dollars - all of it tax payers dollars - giving it to " stupid consultants" telling yet another entity that is totally " dumb" the GGNRA how to manage the properties that belong to the tax payer and the people of this Nation in the first place. At the East Fort Baker ceremony - the so-called official handing over of East Fort Baker to the NPS - there was NOT ONE military person who was associated with East Fort Baker in recent times to represent the POST. Talk about Preservation and Protection. Talk about Protocol! When asked by the Master of Ceremonies if there was anyone present who worked at East Fort Barker - only John Reynolds raised his arm. He had worked a long time ago for a brief period but worked for a longer period of time for the NPS. I could have raised my arm because I served as the last Congressional Liaison of Sixth U.S. Army and Presidio of San Francisco. East Fort Barker took their orders from Sixth U.S. Army and Presidio of San Francisco. As official ceremonies are recorded the ceremony was pathetic. Some drab Air Force unit was called in to participate and did injustice to the Department of Defense and the Army. East Fort Baker means and meant a lot to the Army - this POST played an important role from the 1800's to date. With the handing over of East Fort Baker the Presidio of San Francisco which controlled the 12 Western States and was very proud of the 91st Division and other units stationed at East Fort Barker - closed the books of history. Sixth Army and Presidio of San Francisco deactivated in 1995. Historians will remember the key role played by Sixth U.S. Army and the many UNITS it controlled during World War II. It is a shame that our Nation today does not think much about the valor, the deaths, and the victory those thousands of soldiers who served Sixth U.S. Army and Presidio of San Francisco. Soldiers from East Fort Baker - good women and men. Those who lie often write history. The history of the Native American has not been told. Nor of the African American. Both these communities were not represented. One Native American with a headgear that clearly revealed a tribe from the East Coast. No Asians or Hispanics! If there was one Fort the DOD should have kept it should have been East Fort Baker. It was small and elegant to make a statement with little expense to the Department of Defense. It is a shame that our politicians have done injustice to those who laid their lives for our Nation. That our politicians have fallen prey to GREED. The Director of the National Park was present. She does not know much and listening to her - she has much to learn. She is very good at platitudes and joins the many among the ranks of the NPS who speak from both sides on their mouth. Brian O'Neill was there praising the crook that was President Nixon praising Amy Meyer and the likes of her - commenting and running his mouth as he want to do. What a JOKER! I saw others standing in the small crowd among them Mai-Liis Bartling - watch out for this one. Some dumb Congresswoman promised to deliver 13 million to fix the infrastructure of East Fort Baker. Little does she know how fiscally incompetent the GGNRA is when it comes to spending money, which belongs to the taxpayer. East Fort Baker is slated to accommodate a Conference Center and when the original plans were drawn up without consulting the constituents from every where but more so from near by Sausalito. Sausalito has taken the NPS to court and from the likes of it - there will be some fire works at the end of the tunnel. I once attend a protest by Senior Citizens from Sausalito who was protesting and clearly stated to the NPS that they would not tolerate the exploitation of East Fort Barker. They detest the extra traffic and pollution the Conference Center will add to the area. The NPS is in the business of Preservation and Protection. Look at Upper Fort Mason, the Presidio of San Francisco, Fort Funston, the Cliff House and now East Fort Baker - the NPS when they were given charge - let the properties down. The NPS simply cannot maintain facilities - the Management is good at running their mouths and spending the tax payers money. They can talk the talk but they cannot walk the walk.

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