The government shutdown has officially entered into Day 14 with a potential first-ever debt default on the horizon if Congress can’t hammer out a deal by Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are in talks to end the shutdown and avert an economic crisis.

Meanwhile, some on the hard right are making downright nutty claims about President Obama, the shutdown and the debt ceiling deal.

Here’s what you may have missed over the weekend:

Ted Cruz: The government is turning their backs on veterans

The Tea Party Texan, who is spearheading an initiative to defund Obamcare in exchange for a spending deal, showed up at the World War II memorial on the closed National Mall in Washington D.C. on Sunday.

“This is the people’s memorial,” Cruz exclaimed at a rally there. “Simple question: Why is the federal government spending money to keep veterans out of the memorial? Why did they spend money to keep veterans out of the memorial? Why did they spend money to keep people out of Mount Vernon, Mount Rushmore? Our veterans should be above political games.”

The shutdown, of course, is a result of House Republicans quixotically rallying around a plan to delay or defund Obamacare.

Sarah Palin: Obama’s using veterans as ‘pawns’

Cruz was joined by fellow Tea Partier Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor and failed 2008 vice presidential candidate declared “Our vets have proven that they have not been timid, so we will not be timid in calling out any who would use our military, our vets, as pawns.” She added Obama “could be here today standing up and saying ‘Yes we can tear down these barricades’.”

Palin’s appearance begs the question: Just who is using who as pawns?

Rep. Griffith compares default to the American Revolution

The Virginia Republican offered a bizarre analogy while discussing the debt ceiling deadline.

He told The Hill that the House shouldn’t pass an unfavorable agreement proposed by the Senate, even if it means default will ensue. After all, our founding fathers engaged in such brinkmanship. “I will remind you that this group of renegades that decided that they wanted to break from the crown in 1776 did great damage to the economy of the colonies. They created the greatest nation and the best form of government, but they did damage to the economy in the short run.”

Rep. Gohmert: U.S. default is an impeachable offense

Meanwhile, GOP Rep. Gohmert is arguing Obama should be impeached if the government defaults . The Texas lawmaker previously said that there is “no reason we should ever, ever default on our debts unless the president and the treasury secretary conspire to make us default.” On Friday, at the Values Voter Summit, he said “that would be an impeachable offense by the president.”

Ben Carson: Obamacare is the “worst thing” since slavery

On Friday at the Values Voter summit, neurosurgeon/conservative activist said Obamacare is the “worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery. “And it is in a way, it is slavery in a way , because it is making us all subservient to the government. And it was never about health care. It was about control.”

He called Obamacare, a sticking point over the government shutdown, “evil.”