When I was a young lifeguard, I saw a man struggling beyond the breakers and went into action. I ran through the surf and swam to him. He lunged at me, a common mistake by drowning victims. I blocked him with a straight arm in the center of his chess, hooked his elbow with my free hand, and turned him, so I could put him in a cross-chest carry. At that point, I asked if he had paid his annual lifeguard fee. He said he had forgotten, but offered to pay whatever it took. It told him that it was too late and that it was his fault, released him and watched him slip below the waves. Huh? Does that sound absurd? It better, because only in a world gone mad would that have happened. What really happened is that, shortly after I gained control of him, our boat arrived, and we pulled him into the boat. Sadly, we now live in a world gone mad in places where Republicans are in charge, and the wrong-wing media is defending a comparable scenario.
As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, last week South Fulton Fire Department firefighters from Obion, Tennessee, stood by and watched as the Cranick family’s home burned down — which also led to the death of the family’s three dogs and a cat — because their fire-fighting services were available by subscription only, and the family had not paid the $75 fee. Immediately, right-wing writers at the conservative movement’s bulkhead magazine, The National Review, defended the county and argued that firefighting should not be a public service available to all, regardless of ability to pay.
Now, yet another major conservative has joined the defense. On his radio show this afternoon, leading right-wing talker Glenn Beck and his producer Pat Gray openly mocked the Cranick family. After playing a news clip explaining the situation, Gray adopted a southern drawl and began to mock Gene Cranick’s explanation of how the county’s firefighters refused to help his family.
Beck then went on to complain that “those who are just on raw feeling are not going to understand” that the county’s actions in refusing to assist the Cranicks were justified. He explained that America will be having the “argument” about the case of the Cranicks and that it will go “nowhere if you go onto ‘compassion, compassion, compassion, compassion’ or well, ‘they should’ve put it out, what is the fire department for?’” Beck then went on to say that the Cranicks would be “spongeing off their neighbors” if the fire department had helped them put out their fire… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
On and off, I was a volunteer firefighter from the ages 17 through 50. I can promise you that those firefighters wanted to put out that fire. I would not want to have been in their station when they returned, because tempers gad to be flaring big time. So don’t blame the firefighters. Blame the heartless Republican playing golf half a mile away that issued the order. Blame the Republican party that instituted this plan over the objection of the fire department, so they could say they didn’t raise taxes. This insanity is the future of America if Republicans take charge, as Keith Olbermann and Robert Reich discuss.
Disgusting, isn’t it? The man I pulled from the sea is glad we have single-payer lifeguard service, as we should. Most of America has single-payer firefighter service, as we should. And perhaps the reason the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda is so dead set in supporting this travesty is they fear that Americans will get it that we are interconnected, and America needs single payer services, like lifeguards, police, firefighters, and health care! Republicans oppose this, because every penny government returns to taxpayers in services is a penny Republicans can’t give to millionaires.
VOTE!
11 Responses to “Don’t Blame The Firefighters”
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From several blogs, the Ron & Rand Paul-style libertarians are dancing in the street over this – saying it’s the “free market” and Cranick got exactly what he paid for – and deserved. Heartless bastards! 😡
But if the tables were ever turned, to paraphrase, I bet there are no libertarians in foxholes.
Over at Glenn Beck’s website, The Blaze, I took notice of some of the comments. There were a good amount blaming the homeowner for not paying his fees and then there were a good amount that attacked the fire department. Some commenters actually had some facts at their disposal and made some reasonable comments, but my favorites were the ones that blamed progressives and liberals for not putting out the fire and claimed it was their model of government that was to blame.
These idiots don’t even know what they preach (there were some free market types pointing out the hypocrisy)! I found it funny because this is exactly what the right wants – a world of no government and pay as you go fees…
Kevin –
I tried leaving a Comment at your website, but I’m not sure it made through as I had to refresh the page a couple of times – so I’ll leave it here just in case.
It was about the threatening email that Todd Palin sent to Joe Miller that was covered by Mudflats. You can actually see Todd Palin’s, Joe Miller’s – ALL – their blacked out email addresses!
Well, before Mudflats apparently took the link down, Mudflats showed the actual email as a PDF with the addresses blacked out:
http://mudflats.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/palinemail.pdf
And depending on what you use to view PDF documents, you can see the addresses just by hovering your cursor over it,
… OR select “Click to view as document”
… OR copying it as is, and then pasting it into an MS Word document.
I guess this would be FOI in action.
Sorry about my site – from what I hear it has problems with some browsers but I believe I got your message and I will be sure to check it out.
I want a subscription military and I refuse to pay for the wars the right started. I want my refund for the past 9 years. The beckster can pay for the military because he is the one who is afraid of attack.
You are exactly right TC!
Too bad you can’t fire volunteers. This is so beyond cruel, I can’t even think abou it.
I too was a lifeguard in my teens and I saved several kids, including my cousin in the ocean. Nothing scare you more when a kid goes down. I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my life.
What happened to the Cranick’s is shameful. For someone to say they got what they deserved is disgusting. I saw this vid yesterday and it broke my heart. 🙁
Great analogy, TomCat. And to the assholes who support this. Next time I hope it is your kid’s house that burns down because he forgot to pay the fee.
GREAT illustration of just how horrible a Tea Party America would be, TomCat! It also shows, for anyone who had even the slightest doubt, what a cold-hearted ideologue and horse’s ass Glenn Beck really is.
Republicans do too have “compassion compassion compassion.” When a bailed-out Wall Street CEO has his 7-figure bonus reduced; when a developer has to scale back his luxury condo project from 1,000 units to only 850 because of a wildlife preserve nearby; the Republican tears flow like a tsunami.