Burning Bloomberg on the Ban on Firefighters on the Tenth Anniversary of 9-11
[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here. Or by Twitter @AaronWorthing.]
I kind-of, sort-of understood the logic of excluding the clergy from 9-11 celebration. By Bloomberg’s liberal logic, he probably thought that if he allowed any religious speakers, he had to allow for radical imams or something. I am not saying I agree, but it was sort of… expected.
But excluding firefighters and other first responders? Seriously, what the frak?
So I was gratified to see this absolutely searing editorial by Michael Burke, the brother of a fire captain who died on 9-11. Here’s a taste:
In our darkest hour, they gave us hope—the firefighters of September 11. In the chaos at the World Trade Center, the rigs pulled up, the men climbed out, retrieved their roll-up hoses and marched stalwart to the towers. Carrying nearly a hundred pounds of equipment they climbed the stairs; flight after flight after flight. A woman in the North Tower, descending from the 89th floor said, “When I saw the firemen I knew we would be all right.”
When they arrived at the base of the towers, there were jumpers by the score. Two firefighters, terribly, were struck. “There is no other way to put it,” an EMS who witnessed it said, “they exploded.”
And still they went in.
About ten years ago, now, they showed the world why they were called New York City’s Bravest. They should have been included Mayor Fussypants.
Let’s all remember this next time the media sets him up as some kind of middle of the road kind of guy.
Oh, and go read that editorial. You will thank yourself for it.
[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]
Bloomberg has always been a vile bitch whose most basic instincts were kept at bay by his desire for re-election and higher office. A know it all tyrant in a tie who knows what is best for you, and you, and you, and you ….. and you.
Now that he is in his last term and his national aspirations diminished, he manifests not giving a crap about those he governs. His is a habitual liar, he has used his vast wealth to buy loyalty of his Staff by giving them sweet consulting assignments in his octopus of an empire and has done little to solve NYC’s basic problems of infrastructure collapse, gov.t unions gone wild and businesses fleeing the city.
Simply, he is a turd of a human and politician. The day he goes is a better day for all common people. Alluh Ahkbar.
S. Carter aka J-Z (8d652e) — 9/8/2011 @ 5:32 amBloomberg might grasp the sacrifice NY firefighters made on 9/11, albeit temporarily, if they were to escort him to the highest floor of the tallest building now at ground zero and toss is sorry ass overboard.
ropelight (30c312) — 9/8/2011 @ 5:41 amI can understand that the NYC fire stations must be manned and that the physical accommodations at ground zero probably could not handle all the firemen, both local and from around the country, who would want to attend. But the “ban” is beyond egregious. At the very least each fire station in NYC should have been honored by being allowed to send one representative who could have been selected either by lottery or directly by the firefighters in that station.
But this is nothing new for Bloomberg–he truly is an ass. I think Rudy would have handled this better. Much better.
elissa (93c1a6) — 9/8/2011 @ 5:55 amI’m curious about the guest list: How many guests are 9/11 families vs. politicians, dignitaries, NYC rich & famous, and inside the beltway VIPS?
My hope is that some of the latter will read this excellent op-ed by Michael Burke and with humility and grace give their spot to one of the fireman who actually deserve the opportunity.
I can’t think of a worse PR move by Bloomberg and would like to read up on the NY everyman response to his decision. This tops about every other bad decision he’s made thus far.
Dana (4eca6e) — 9/8/2011 @ 6:05 amI haven’t been down there, so I can’t vouch for this, but Mayor Bloomberg’s claim is that there is insufficient space at the site for both the families of victims and the firefighters. If that’s true, then I think choosing the families over the firefighters is the right choice.
Dana: Mayor Bloomberg is already on his third and final term as Mayor. It seems unlikely that he cares much about the public relations aspect of anything.
aphrael (d97b3e) — 9/8/2011 @ 6:22 am(As an aside, my husband and I are moved in to our place, which suffered no hurricane damage – the neighborhood is on a steep hill, so flooding was basically impossible.) (There are a few downed trees which still haven’t been removed, though).
aphrael (d97b3e) — 9/8/2011 @ 6:23 amBloomberg is of the “liberal” “elite” who should not have to rub shoulders with the vulgar peons of his barony. This is, after all, a opportunity for the proper people to preen, not be reminded of the underclasses.
Good Lord, what next? Allow the peasants the right to self-defense and weapons?
To paraphrase Chesterton: I admire liberalism, but “liberals”, that’s another story. Their playbook is straight out of medieval feudalism.
Another example: the focus on the snow removal in Manhattan, while the “outer boroughs” [read: the worker hives] had to “wait their turn.” While Bloomberg was off in the Bahamas.
The pathology here is that he thinks he really can run for another office after all this. Perhaps he can; the subservient MSM and his money can buy a lot of votes. And that is precisely the infectious disease that has to be extirpated from the body politic.
great unknown (261470) — 9/8/2011 @ 6:25 amAphrael–it’s good that you checked in. Sounds like things are going well for you so far in the new city.
elissa (93c1a6) — 9/8/2011 @ 6:30 amIt seems to me that from our perspective as a nation, there is a somewhat unmanly and as it were inappropriate amount of time and energy spent deferring to the “families of the victims.”
The 9-11 attacks were acts of war against us as a nation. The issues surrounding those attacks are national issues, not personal ones, and to place overmuch emphasis on the personal is in a word unseemly.
While due sympathy must be shown to those who lost their lives (and I think it certinly has been, in multiples), to endlessly obsess over and honor the individual dead causes us to lose sight of the meaning and import of the incident. It wasn’t a regrettably large railroad accident, it was a militarized assault on the United States, and what that entails is an issue far larger than the claims of victimhood culture.
The urge to comfort the bereaved must not eclipse the dignity and purpose of the nation.
Oh, and plus Bloomberg is a despicable creature.
d. in c. (ac417f) — 9/8/2011 @ 7:13 amOn 9-11, we all realized how brave firefighters are. When others are running out of a burning building, they are running into it.
Now my own county is in flames. The count of homes lost this morning is 1,386. What homes are left standing are due to the bravery of our volunteer firefighters. These are our neighbors, friends and relatives that are willing to leave their families in the middle of a Thanksgiving dinner or any other enjoyable event, jump in their trucks, hit the station donning their bunker gear and rush to a fire that threatens our homes. They are the one person between a raging fire and your life, if you live in a small town or rural area, and they don’t get paid a dime to do it.
For Bloomberg to eliminate those brave men is disgusting. Whether they are full time firefighters are your neighbor who volunteers much of his/her free time to protect you, they need our appreciation, gratitude and thanks.
Today, I ask that you take time to donate to the Bastrop County Relief Fund through the Red Cross even if it’s only $5.00. We now have 5,000 fellow Americans who are homeless, with nothing to return to.
Maybe Patterico could post some photos of the devestation which is the worst wildfire in Texas history and rapidly becoming the worst fire disaster in our nation’s history.
P.S. The fire started Sunday. By Monday it was devestating. How well is Obama reponding? FEMA is still not here. Maybe Sunday we are told.
retire05 (467925) — 9/8/2011 @ 7:18 amI knew his brother, not well mind you, raised a few pints with him on several occasions though. I was friends with quite a few police and fireman in NY. He was genuinely kind and hilarious. Stood outside of his funeral.
Blackburnsghost (2ffb0c) — 9/8/2011 @ 7:23 amThere’s nothing to say about the mayor except that he should be ashamed, but he won’t be.
The nauseating, self-important attitudes of so many New Yorkers, here perfectly illustrated by Mayor Bloomberg, played a big part in why I chose to move to the Midwest 30 years ago and why I have never seriously been tempted to move back.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 9/8/2011 @ 8:46 amBurke’s piece was very moving, and informative.
He recounts one fact that I had not seen anywhere else:
We all say, briefly, the shots of people who jumped to their deaths from the towers rather than face the fire. Unknown, at least to me before reading Burke, is that several NYFD members were struck by those falling bodies, and either seriously injured, or killed before they even got to the front door.
But, to get back to the topic, Bloomie is an ass!
Another Drew - Restore the Republic / Obama Sucks! (eb769c) — 9/8/2011 @ 8:51 amIn my view, comrades at arms are the same as family. They should be included if they want to be. The silly mayor can put his latte down for five minutes and figure out a way to make it happen.
Anyway, great to hear your move went along fine, Aph.
Dustin (b2fb78) — 9/8/2011 @ 8:52 amI just don’t know what my fingers are doing anymore – must be Senior Dyslexia…
“We all saw…”
Another Drew - Restore the Republic / Obama Sucks! (eb769c) — 9/8/2011 @ 8:52 amI wonder what the event would be like if politicians and “dignitaries” were banned. What if the mayor had to sit in the audience? What if politicians had their seats in the back? What if only the people who were materially involved in the event, people who had “skin in the game” were allowed to speak?
I wonder how the character of the event would change?
Gesundheit (d7ea47) — 9/8/2011 @ 11:19 amI like the way you think.
These events have long been stages for politicians to get lots of attention. Why are they even there? Let a firefighter convene the entire event. It would be a lot more interesting and real.
Dustin (b2fb78) — 9/8/2011 @ 11:20 amPerhaps the MC for the event should be that firefighter that GWB had his arm around while holding that bullhorn, if he’s still alive?
Another Drew - Restore the Republic / Obama Sucks! (eb769c) — 9/8/2011 @ 11:22 amI digress while wondering if there is anything that Sir Winston Churchill ever said that wasn’t magnanimous towards others…..
I also thank Mr. Burke for sharing with us the story of his loss and the insane stupidity of the Mayor of New York….
reff (76c7c5) — 9/8/2011 @ 12:03 pmaphrael, so glad you survived the storm….lots of rain here in Coonass Country, but, other than the “normal” flooding, all is well in South Louisiana….
reff (76c7c5) — 9/8/2011 @ 12:05 pmAphrael they should have both been invited.
DohBiden (d54602) — 9/8/2011 @ 12:07 pmThirded. I’m reminded of the opening scene of Rob Sawyer’s novel Calculating God, in which an extraterrestrial lands in front of Toronto’s ROM, and says “take me to your palaeontologist”. Mind you, he doesn’t object to talking to our “leaders”, if they go to the trouble of flying to Toronto to meet him, but he isn’t going out of his way to meet them because he has no interest in politics.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 9/8/2011 @ 2:39 pmOn occasions like this I’m glad to say that I have voted against Bloomberg every chance I’ve been given. On 11-Sep-2001 I was on my way home from voting against Bloomberg in the R primary, when I heard the news of the first crash (and assumed that, like the plane that crashed into the Empire State Building, it was an accident). I voted against him again when they rescheduled the primary two weeks later, and again in the general election, and in 2005. In 2009 I voted for a Democrat for the first time in 25 years, because if I must have a D mayor then I’d rather he have a D after his name.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 9/8/2011 @ 2:44 pmThose leftards who believe climate change is science are the same ones who don’t practice what they preach.
Mythicknight i’m looking at you.
DohBiden (d54602) — 9/8/2011 @ 3:33 pm