That tells me all I need to know about them.
As stated above, the issue is not black and white (do you really want to be the guy who removes the tag placed in memory of a fallen soldier who lost his life fighting for the greater good ? ... assuming this is indeed the case and the offender was somewhat ignorant about the rules and ethics) but the solution is simple - tell the park rangers and they will deal with it promptly. Other than that, the discussion is becoming reminiscent of holy bolt wars - lots of emotions and little substance. If you really care about preserving the environment in the Whitney zine, I have a piece of unsolicited advice - volunteer to remove trash from the mountain. The rangers and everyone else will be grateful and the impact will be much more substantial!