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Responding. (photo: Andrea Booher/ FEMA)
I cannot believe that Eric Cantor, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, thinks that slashing first-responder money nearly in half is the way to deal with disasters.
September 11 should be called “First Responders Day” as it showed America and the world the heroism and sacrifice of our police, firemen, and and medical people. It should be a national holiday when we appreciate people who risk their lives to save ours. People who run toward burning buildings, or the sound of gunshots, or contagious patients.
On 9/11 Glen Cove still had a direct ferry service to lower Manhattan. It was well publicized at the time; everyone on Long Island knew about it.
Our emergency response team set up a triage center at the ferry terminal, we had a command center at the Firehouse and a communications center and receiving facility set up at City Hall with a phone bank set up in the City Council Chamber.
I was volunteering at City Hall when all these doctors and nurses just started showing up in scrubs, carrying their black bags, some of them with gym bags full of supplies. They just got in their cars and came to Glen Cove (B/C they could not get into the city by car or train). I went over to the police station and asked them to clip the locks onto a gate to a parking lot of a vacant store.
We had the medicos park their cars there and the cops left someone to guard them. We shuttle bussed the medicos to the ferry terminal and sent them to the World Trade Center by ferry.
Some of those cars stayed in that lot for over a week. The medicos just stayed with the pile until they were sure there would be no one else found alive. At least one of them died when the second tower collapsed. I found that out when there was only one car left in the lot.
And Eric Cantor, for their reward, wants to make it nearly twice as hard for them to do their jobs?
To paraphrase the words of the late Teddy Kennedy, where does the GOP’s greed stop?
[Hat tip to Phoenix Woman who took an email of mine, cleaned up the spelling and turned it into this post.]
37 Comments
I like this idea, Cynthia.
Some folks are motivated by the desire to do good, others by the desire to personally profit from any given venture.
Good and evil will always exist, and each of us have the ongoing opportunity to decide which side of the dividing line we choose.
Little Eric C. has decided which side he chooses.
Me, I’m on the other side – every time.
Cynthia, you are right. A First Responder’s Day is a fitting tribute. What can we do to help build a movement to do just this?
Eric Cantor and those that associate with him including the Republican leadership, the tea baggers, Koch Brothers, Wall Street crooks, and more, all of them are traitors of the most egregious nature kind. Their conduct is a national disgrace and they should be ashamed.
I just got back fromt the Glen Cove 9/11 memorial service. Unlike the ground zero service, this one had clergy from every denomination and the best spots near the stage were reserved for the first responders.
They had a round robin story telling from the points of view of various civil servants and the the fire chief each of them picking up where the one before left off.
The story they told was the same one above, except with so much more detail. The kids from the HS video taped it, I will try to find out tomorrow if it’s up on the web.
It was really a lovely ceremony.
IDK, exactly, but in a time when Eric Cantor and Rick Perry are putting the lives of firefighters at risk—it is cwertainly the right TIME to do it.
Thanks for sharing this, Cindy.
Great minds think alike:
http://my.firedoglake.com/tobywollin/2011/09/11/9-11-needs-to-be-first-responders-day/
Cantor is a spoiled little punk. He needs a good beating.
It is a disgrace that the “Zadroga Act” took a decade to pass Congress.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/911-health-watch-zadroga-act-responders_n_951013.html
It is another disgrace that 9-11 First Responders get no treatment for the cancers from their exposure to the toxic carcinogenic 9-11 plume. That should be the next goal, to support total medical coverage.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/the_911_first_responders_still.html
Cantor already has Democratic opposition for next year. Locals say the guy is a more progressive as opposed to a centrist Democrat. I don’t know what that means relative to Richmond, VA.
Bullshit. It should be called blowback day.
Or maybe chickens home to roost day.
An excellent idea Cynthia. Is there a way to get the police and firefighter unions in NYC behind an effort like this?
“Patriot Day” is so insipid and opportunistic.
tweeted, recommended and facebooked cynthia. thank you
Yeah, plus, it’s already taken. April 19th has been Patriot’s Day in Mass. for many many decades, if not since the 19th century. Before it gathered any such connotations.
I like the idea of calling it First Responders Day. It points to real “working class heros,” who incidentally, mostly are union members. Better than Labor Day as it has become.
It would salvage something from the jingoistic, war-mongering turn the Bush administration immediately gave the date. And honor people who seem to get honored mostly in words. Hmm, well, it wouldn’t be enough without really giving the 9/11 responders money and medical care and admitting that they have these medical problems from their exposure there. It’s little enough.
I like your idea and Eric Cantor needs to be tasked with draining a swamp full of alligators without the OSHA and EPA protections he so despises.
I too think it’s an excellent idea !
Look at this pic – it is from the Bastrop Fire:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32202438@N06/6138196643/
there are now a couple thousand animal companions alive and either reunited or waiting for a reunion with their humans at several local shelters – all of them alive and cared for because men and women who were fighting the state’s worst fire (14 of which lost their own homes), found it in their hearts to rescue them. THIS is what they were doing when they were supposed to be resting and re-hydrating. Gaia Bless Them
Hot Dayam, Larry Wilkerson goes off…! ;-)
War at Toss of Coin: ‘US abuses power it no longer has’
Or, we can always do a poster campaign in Cantor’s district with the 3 a.m. phone call theme:
(visual: Person in a darkened bedroom, clutching phone)
“When you have an emergency at home at 3 a.m. and there is no first responders to call or to answer your call…
You have Eric Cantor to thank.”
It’s not only 1st responder but everyone this mess, How sad we can’t as a nation take care of those that have paid for the price of Amecika respond. This is the last chance we had to show the wordls citizen we cared
This is a great idea! First Responders’ Day and Labor Day in the same month! Sure brings more focus and appreciation to all workers.
I wrote my congressfolk asking for the day to be dedicated as a paid holiday, full health care benefits to all responders suffering from that attack, and increased responder budget monies.
I had to laugh at the last one because I figured they’d still be on call or go to work because that’s who they are. At least that holiday would put a little more money in their pockets and beef up their budgets. It isn’t as though we’ll ever need you all any Less.
Rude little thing, aren’t you?
Thanks for the post Cynthia.
Had many talks with daughter-of-klynn today due to a class assignment about 9-11.
I finally told her my perspectives through actual documents. I told the truth through documents.
She said to me when we were done, “Mom, you are not a cynic. You are filled with righteous anger because you are called to seek truth and justice. Thank you. I needed to learn all of this information.Wish more kids would learn and read these documents.”
One of our “talk journeys” took us here:
http://rememberbuilding7.org/10/
They’re still whoring for money tonight. Robert DeNiro pimps the new memorial and asks for $10. Are you fucking kidding me? Cost overruns into the millions, which, of course, are being blamed on union work rules, and there’s still the balls big enough to extract more shekels from the people they’re already bleeding dry.
I’m dosing myself if I’m still alive for the 20th anniversary so I don’t have to hear this USA! USA! bullshit everywhere I turn.
What about – Call Eric Cantor, with his home phone number?
Cantor. Prick.
Not watching. haven’t watched any of it really. something on MLB network about how new york reacted in october of that year during the world series. not watching that, for sure. yankees lost in 7 games.
what happened on 12/7 1951 ??
First Responders Day it is. The day the unions ran in to save the private sector.
For all the First Responders:
“Thank You” – Natalie Merchant
Tob,
THAT is effective campaigning. So much smart in this pond.
Dude,
That’s not camapigning or lobbying, that’s stalking and harassment. I don’t advocate that, and it would turn him into a martyr, which I ‘m sure is not your intention.
I refused to watch the Bloomberg event. I made that decision the minute I heard he had disinvited the first responders.
That’s why our Glen Cove event was so special. Lot’s of tears and mutual coming together.
It’s not just Cantor, HuffPo hasa a story about firefighters in Texas forced to pay for their own fuel and safety gear to fight the wildfires b/c Rick Perry has slashed their bugets so much.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/rick-perry-fire-department-cuts-texas-wild-fires_n_956307.html
Wasn’t that the tenth anniversary of Pearl Harbor?
My wife and I were talking yesterday about how much money corporations have made on this the worst day in the history of our country. Republicans, like Cantor don’t care if people suffer and
if he can make some political gain, he’ll do whatever it takes. We know he won’t feel ashamed but the corporations need to get a soul and
quit using 9/11 as a advertising tool to make money. I think renaming
9/11, FIST RESPONDERS DAY is an excellent idea!! All that gave their lives would probably agree..