Park Service ranger berated by GOP Rep. at WWII memorial gets backup

A National Park Service ranger who was berated by a Republican congressman this week for trying to keep tourists away from the World War II Memorial is getting some backup from Vice President Biden and hundreds of activists on Change.org.

Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, objected to the Park Service's role in denying tourists, including many World War II veterans, access to the memorial on the National Mall, which was closed due to the government shutdown. He decided to direct his anger at one of the rangers who was present.

"How do you look at them and...deny them access?" Neugebauer asked the ranger of the veterans who were trying to visit the memorial.

"It is difficult," responded the ranger. "I'm sorry, sir."

Neugebauer fired back, "The Park Service should be ashamed of themselves."

"I'm not ashamed," the ranger said.

"You should be," insisted Neugebauer.

The exchange, which was caught on camera Wednesday, quickly went viral, sparking outraged disbelief from many who recognize that Congress itself is responsible for the government shutdown, and that the park ranger was simply doing her job.

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Later Thursday, Vice President Biden's office announced via Twitter that Biden had called the park ranger to tell her, "I'm proud of you."

And on the heels of that public show of support, a petition on Change.org began circulating on Friday, accusing Neugebauer of "incorrectly interfering in the duties of his fellow public employee" and calling on the congressman to "correct himself and publicly apologize" to the ranger.

The petition, started by a man who identified himself as Nelson Jacobsen, says Neugebauer "rebuked a U.S. Park Service Ranger for carrying out orders and did so in a very public way that makes it look like [he] doesn't understand how public law and chain of command works."

"Rep Neugebauer needs to correct himself and publicly apologize," the petition says. "It's really that simple."

One of the petition's signers said Neugebauer "should be ashamed of himself and his party. That ranger was doing her job and he was NOT doing his."

Another signer said, "It's absolutely absurd that the very individuals who have caused this shutdown act as if they are the victims."