The Media and the 9/11 Memorial Statue...

[rescue10lt]

Morning everyone, it's another fine day in Spin City, apparently. I was up at 0630 this AM, halfway through a double shift, when I happened to have the TV on and turned to the Fox Network. There was a show called "Fox News Watch" with your host, Eric Burns leading a panel of distinquished mucky-mucks, namely Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist; Jim Pinkerton, Newsday; Jane Hall, American University; and a Mr. Jeff Cohen, from "Fairness and Accuracy in Media". One of the days topics was the subject of the 9/11 Memorial Statue/race issue. It seemed to me that the media feels that they alone are responsible for discovering that there was a controversy within FDNY involving the statue, and that the statement was made that FF's Williams, Johnson and Eisengrein had hired counsel to protect their images so they could produce their own line of t-shirts. It is a damn shame that once again, the facts are being twisted to fit the story one more time. I seem to remember this topic being on Firehouse forum a few months ago and the facts as presented here, have always been the same. The Fox website has this same show scheduled to be shown again at 2300 hrs, EST Sunday night. Unless I heard it wrong, and I hope I did, it seems to me that the memories and character of the individuals that died and those that came after them on 9/11 are being dragged through the dirt again, all in the name of journalism. Just my $.02.
Lt. David Walters
Say a prayer for the brave men and women who have gone before us.

[ted1]

Lt. Walters, this stuff makes us all nuts. Fox isn't the most liberal of networks, but the media always enjoys stirring up the issues to get viewers. This is one of many issues over the way a memorial will be built. I have been a part of the "Hero's Cross" project. A simple one-to-one effort to present replica pendants of the original cross that still stands at Ground Zero today, to widows and other family members of fallen FDNY brothers. Early on, NYC officials promised to save this cross made of steel beams torn from tower one and found standing upright amidst the rubble at Ground Zero just days after the attack. BUT....

That was Rudy's administration that made the promise. I am 100% certain the ACLU and all the special interest groups will take the issue of a cross on public/government land all the way to the Supreme Court. I am also 100% certain that FDNY Chaplain Fr. Mychal Judge has led each and every one of these brave men to their maker. God Blesses each of them, and we are left to deal with the nonsense the best we can. They have screwed up the statue with controversy, wait until they mess with the cross.

If there is anyone here that does not believe this is sacred ground and the Hero's Cross has given strength and support to those working at the site, all you have to do is talk to a rescue worker or even a construction crew. Better yet............ask a FDNY widow or parent what this cross means to them.