After Sept.11th, are we being "selfish" ?

[091101]

www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-000097166dec07.story?coll=la%2dnews%2dcomment%2dop inions

I read this and was instantly angry. Then began to wonder whether there wasn't some merit to it. Should we be doing more to disperse all this generosity or not? Just curious what you all feel...

[TailboardJockey]

I donated my money to the families of the murdered firefighters because I would want my wife and kids to be taken care of if it were to happen to me.

If they get a million bucks each, good for them! It still won't make up for the loss of a husband/father/son/brother, but it's just what I could do to help. Why should I feel guilty for that?

[KyraE]

There were charities specifically designed to provide for emergency personnel families. If someone donated to those charities, send it to the fams. If someone donated to general charities, disperse it fairly among all the vics. I gave with intentions to give to widows and children of FFers... I don't want some board member deciding they're getting too much money. It's not as if anyone deserves the money more, it's just a matter of the donator's intentions, and in many cases, the donator wanted to support a fallen brother's family.

[ 12-13-2001: Message edited by: CaliFire ]

[rfcmitch]

I think this is incorrect. How can they be calling this wrong? That is sickening! These charities of the firemen and police will have this money for awhile I hope, and the red cross is constanly getting donations where this might be the only time to benefit for the firemen/police charities. That may sound wrong but I think this might be the only time for them to replenish themselves. Its just that they are getting so much right now that people are getting curious. Well I am sure nmbers have basically doubled. And I am glad that they have. I think eople should just leave it alone, whats happening is happening, and its not like these chairites are holding guns to anybodies head to make them donate. SO they should all just keep their mouth shut.

[quint1driver]

Personallly, I gave to the brothers fund specifically because I wanted it to go to their families. Firefighters share a bond. Ive been in NYC and spoken to brothers not only from FDNY, but others who saw my jobshirt and took a minute to see where I was from. Do you think stockbrokers share this camraderie? Janitors? Businessmen? I think not.

[Halligan84]

We wanted our donations to go to "the brothers" as well. I'm sure at some point the families and the charities will decide what the best course of action is. What we don't need is some pinhead from USC telling us we are selfish. It's amazing that people want to clean up the whole incident, disburse the funds and forget about it. The toll of this incident in human terms won't be known for years to come. I suspect that this money will do much in the future for the currently living and working FDNY and PD.

[Smokeetr4]

The question "are we being selfish" is easy to answer in this case. NO!. Everyone who donated to the Red Cross relief fund or any other fund that was intended to go to the "Hero's" families, deserves to have their money go where it was intended. The fact that an overwhelming amount of money was donated is only a true testement to the generosity and benevolence of the American people. It upsets me to hear people calling everyone that perished in the WTC disaster "HEROS". Everyone would surely agree that the loss of civilian life was horrendous and saddening but the fact of the matter is that these people were there because this was where they worked. Being at work and dying, does not, in my defiinition of the word, make one a hero. Firemen, police and EMS workers rushing into a place where they would not ordinarily be, for the purpose of saving lives-makes THEM heros. This money is theirs alone. Just my 5 cents.

[postal79]

i dont care how much money the police and fire funds have i hope they get more, the money donated to the fund was meant for those families with no limit, not "if the fund gets to much money lets spend it where we want to" all of it goes to the families ALL OF IT!!!
these brothers/sisters made the ultimate sacrifice and should be rewarded for it, and since they cant the families should

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

For years, the politically correct elitists, stockbrokers, CEO's, executives, fashion mavens, actors, actresses, musicians, athletes and anyone making megabuck $alarie$ looked at firefighters and police officers and thought of one word: schmucks.

Now they realize how important we are. If not for the actions of the Fallen Heroes of the FDNY, NYPD and PAPD, the death toll from the WTC disaster would have been a hell of a lot higher.

I made my donations of money and time to the 9-11 fund to help the families of our fallen heroes. The Red Cross tried to pull a fast one, and got caught in the act. The funds collected by the Red Cross (estimated at $550 million) can go to the families of the other victims of the WTC. I want my money used as intended!

[ 12-13-2001: Message edited by: Captain Gonzo ]

[Diane E]

You can't put a price on life and the future, so I agree, the more money in these "special" funds, the better!

[1261Truckie]

Captain Gonzo,

AMEN, BROTHER !!!!!!

Thanks for saying it so well.

Regards to all,

Jim Boyle (aka 1261Truckie)

[Engine58]

I agree with CaptGonzo..

[091101]

Good points guys. Well stated.

The "full time" charity organizations (Red Cross, Salvations Army, etc.) have perpetual funds with constant incoming donations that are distributed for disasters/emergencies as those oraganizations see fit, no? That is great. Thank God they are there.

But in the midst of this unprecedented tragedy, we in uniform have stepped up to help each other - and in a big way. That, to me, is beautiful. What other job can stand together as well? None. Think of all you have: your friends, your coworkers, the passion for the job, the love of your wives and husbands, the smile and touch of your children - all that. Then think of them without you.... Shouldn't we be able to do as we see fit by the families of our fallen? Who's to say what is "TOO MUCH" of a contribution. There is no "too much" !

Should one of us fall, would we not want anything and everything to be done for those we left behind? Of course.

How can this lady spin this as to try to make it appear unfair???!!

The public just doesn't get it. They never have.

[cilfd]

Smokeetr4 - "it upsets you?" You sound like Brenda Berkman. I was reading another topic on women in the fire service and Brenda Berkman came up. I don't know much about her so I did some searching on the web. In the aftermath of this tragedy she is complaining that the women involved in the response/rescue aren't getting enough publicity. I guess they want to make sure they get their fare share of "hero" status too. Go search for it yourself. This is a shame. That's what this is about - who gets to be called a hero? Are you ready to tell some kid who lost their father or mother, I'm sorry kid about your father, but he's no hero, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And how do you know there were no other "heros" by your defintion? Were you in the towers? What about the guy who stayed with his buddy when he could have easily left? Sorry Mrs. ____, nice guy, but no hero.
Do you know what these people did outside of work, maybe they were doing good deeds, maybe they were someone's hero.
And those towers weren't just filled with CEO's - there were plenty of ordinary working folk like ourselves. What about some of the recent immigrant workers working at the restaraunt on top of one of the towers. A guy or gal, probably not unlike my grandparents coming to US to make a better life for themselves and their families, unknown to them that they are going to be caught up in one of the most horrific mass murders of innocent civilians, masterminded by someone who is being compared to Hitler.
And that comment about businessman - who stopped the terrorists on the flight that crashed in PA? Just a few regular businessmen - at work. They and the others on that flight, gave their lives to save many, many others. But they were just regular people, just at work and happened to die -no hero's there I guess.

What do I think - To all the children and families and friends affected: your fathers and mothers, brother and sisters, friends, and neighbors who were caught in those towers - they are all heros.

[Halligan84]

I'd agree there were many, many heroes that day. Some became heroes because of circumstance, some because they did their duty. I don't take anything away from anyone who died. Most of us in the fire service chose to raise funds for our brothers and feel that decisions on the money donated rests only with the people we intended it for.. the families of the fallen firefighters. If an association of stockbrokers or anyone else raised more money I'd praise them for taking care of their own, just as we tried to do. We can't take care of everyone, we are a small portion of the population who felt we needed to help out the only victims that willingly rushed into this nightmare. People such as this writer never got it and never will. She sits in California and in perfect liberal style tries to tell us what people "really" intended to do with their donations. This isn't about us vs them, its not about who is better or deserves more. Keep the focus where it belongs.