9/11 First Responders NOT Invited To Ground Zero For 10th Anniversary Ceremony

[Jessep76]

In 2003, the EPA Inspector General issued a scathing report outlining how the agency recast some of its public communications at the behest of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, a branch of the Executive Office of the President. The report concluded that the White House had at least indirectly influenced the wording of some statements by removing cautionary language about air safety downtown. It also found that the EPA had gone beyond what it knew in making general statements about the air in the first weeks after the attacks. In particular, the report harshly criticized Christine Todd Whitman, the EPA administrator in 2001, for telling people in New York that the "air is safe to breathe" before she had the facts to back it up.



In several instances, the documents show, officials offered assurances about air quality before they even had test results or downplayed the degree of the contamination found.

Early on Sept. 13, a day and a half after the World Trade Center towers collapsed, Thernstrom called OSHA's New York office to say Whitman was on her way to the city to talk to reporters about the agency's air testing "since all monitoring reports have been so positive thus far," according to an OSHA email.

But according to its own records, the EPA had only tested a handful of asbestos samples before Sept. 14 and didn't get the results of tests for other contaminants until Sept. 23.
http://www.propublica.org/article/ne...o-health-risks

[vinnythestick]

I think if this happened to one of your loved ones you would find this post very offensive.

Yes you are absolutely correct. I wouldn't want anyone joking over the loss of my loved one, but I'm saying what we all know to be true. The media sensationalizes to create a profit. If it wasn't profitable it wouldn't happen. Additionally the govt. has to follow procedure, and they aren't the bad guys.

You literally say something about the "pathetic government"... the same government your victim was working for. I'm pretty sure he didn't go into work everyday complaining about his job. I bet he felt the government was an amazing system that supported the same people that turn around and spit on it.

If you want my personal opinion, I agree that every first responder should be given all the care and death benefits that American taxpayers are willing to pay for. Hell throw an extra 1% on all of us if that means situations like this don't have to happen. These were extremely brave men and women that gave their lives to save others, the most noble of causes.

I feel for the Wong family. I apologize to anybody that may have been offended by my post, but I stand by it. The government is not pathetic and a very large amount of governmental employees are well-natured citizens trying to do their best in a system ran by uninterested people.

Fox News doesn't give a s**t about the Wong family, and if I died serving my people, and my body wasn't respected properly, the last thing I'd want is some newscaster throwing it on tv like it's a friggin joke, and throwing in the cause of death fiasco when noone in the family even mentions it.

THAT IS OFFENSIVE!

Your second video by the New York Post, in which 40 seconds were dedicated to the 'controversy' and a couple seconds were given to the crying mother, that is offensive.

The sad truth is, that if the NYC government allowed it, every person would complain of illnesses and disease and would be granted large sums of money. How would NYC pay for it? They are only getting municipal taxes, not state and federal. They have to seriously scrutinize cases like these. So the news corps villainizes them to get someone like you to tune in to their channel. The more people they get to watch their channel, the more companies like Pepsi will pay big advertising dollars to them so that you stay familiar and comfortable spending your money on Pepsi Co. products.

It's a simple formula. Sex, and violence sell news. They've used it forever.

And truthfully not very many of us care either. Ask yourself, will you be thinking about the deceased Mr. Wong after you step away from your computer? Will he be on your mind when you're at the gym? Maybe so now, but was he yesterday?

In my honest self-assessment, I immediately forgot about this story yesterday when I walked away from my computer. I don't know the man. Yeah his story sucks, but I still went food shopping, I still cooked, I still sang in the shower. I wasn't saddened, at least not by him.

I was saddened by the tense atmosphere as I walked about the streets. About the lack of trust anybody had in anybody. That on a day we should all be smiling in remembrance, we are all stiff and awkward.

About as awkward as newscasters peddling us some sad 9/11 story to get more media hits just cause it's the tenth anniversary. About as awkward as pretending you care about someone when you know you dont. About as awkward as getting on the L train to go to work only to be plastered by advertisements suggesting that 9/11 ruined your life and you need to sue immediately.


FYI. I'm an advertising major. It's all fake. It's all crap. Its manufactured.

I read an article yesterday discussing the lack of moral clarity among people nowadays that resonated deep within me. I live a life that gives me access to the type of people I mentioned in my last comment.

It doesn't take very much research to realize that the people that tell you your news, the people that give you your products, and the people that claim to represent you are all working together to take your money.

Even look at this forum. There are sections dedicated to advertising product. They've slipped it into social networking.

How proud can the Wong family be of George Wong's life work now that it's been demonized at his expense?

[ax1]

You make some good legitimate points vinnythestick. you give me some things to reflect about. Thanks for taking the time for posting your thoughts.

[vinnythestick]

And of course ax1 I hope that you do not take offense by anything I post. I simply mean to think outside of the box, view things from separate angles, and enjoy some mental exercise and debate.

[ax1]

And of course ax1 I hope that you do not take offense by anything I post. I simply mean to think outside of the box, view things from separate angles, and enjoy some mental exercise and debate.

Oh, of course...I think when it comes to public servants who risk injury to help others I put much emotion to it and defending them that I may one side the story too much. I wasnt personally offended. I think you make good posts however, its not much to debate more to reflect on. The fact that you think these public servants all deserve health care show me your intent is all good in the first place.

[HondaV65]

There's really nothing you can do - short of taking that tin foil hat off your head that you're always wearling.

[ax1]

There's really nothing you can do - short of taking that tin foil hat off your head that you're always wearling.

There is much I can do and that we all can do, it starts with spreading information and education... but I can keep my tin foil hat on in the process if I want, lol

[Jessep76]

FYI. I'm an advertising major. It's all fake. It's all crap. Its manufactured.

I read an article yesterday discussing the lack of moral clarity among people nowadays that resonated deep within me. I live a life that gives me access to the type of people I mentioned in my last comment.

So you're infiltrating the advertising business so you can blow it from the inside? *my best sensationalism*

Edit: this wasn't bashing, I feel your pain having for work for a company that produces less than morally sound product.

[PowerliftNY]

makes me want to puke