9/11 First Responders Excluded from September Memorial Ceremony…
Disgraceful.
New York (CNN) — When debris rained from the sky in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, the first responders to the terrorist attack did not turn away. They rushed to the World Trade Center buildings while the world around them crumbled.
Yet now, after all the wreckage has been cleared and the rebuilding has begun, their path is again blocked — not by flying chunks of smoldering rubble, but by space constraints.
The first responders are not invited to this year’s September 11 memorial ceremony at ground zero, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office confirmed Monday.
It’s a painful insult for many of the approximately 3,000 men and women who risked their lives, limbs and lungs on that monumental day, puncturing another hole in a still searing wound.
In a statement, Bloomberg spokesman Andrew Brent said the commemoration ceremony is for the victims’ families.
“While we are again focused on accommodating victims’ family members, given the space constraints, we’re working to find ways to recognize and honor first responders, and other groups, at different places and times,” Brent said.
Posted by FreeThinkerNY on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, at 4:07 pm | 
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This is an unconscionable act.
Thisa is total bullshit
the hero’s…
the ones sick with disease… nightmares of images remembered..
are kept away…
Mayor Bloomberg…guess what… the responders are victims too…
…we are all victims
New York, how can you even condone this flagrant action of omission of the first responders? What a shit head you have elected?
The Won wants to have the spotlight, muzzie loving, commie bastid that he is.
YES FOR THE FAMILIES, DID THE FAMLIES SAY THEY DID NOT WANT THEM? BUT ALL THE SO CALLED POLITICIAN WILL BE THERE, FRONT ROW SEATS…YOU KNOW THE ONES THAT DID NOT PICK UP A STONE?
OBAMA WILL BE THERE, SAYING ”I FEEL YOUR PAIN”! SAME OLD SONG? OUR GOVERNMENT IS WORTH A PILE OF SH%$.
Yet the IAFF funnels dues to the demonrat crime syndicate. Disgraceful.
Our little Mayor probably has given lots of tickets to his elite friends, academics, and homosexuals.
That’s because the people who were actually there would probably yell “YOU LIE” at the dear leader. We can’t have that kind of rhetoric, can we.
@vagabond…
good point…the IAFF is silent…
wonder what the NYFD guys think of their union now…?
What makes it even worse is that Governor Cuomo and Governor Christie are potentially trying to turn it into a political rally.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903480904576512902323607750.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet
Bloomberg is sinking faster than Obama in popularity. To exclude first responders is a slap in the face. To turn this commemoration into a victim fest instead of a courage fest is hideous. Bloomberg’s true colors a a lib democrap are showing more and more. It’s bad enough that the Memorial won’t have any functioning bathrooms for tens of thousands of visitors but this is too much.
Bush should not attend if 9/11 responders are excluded.
If I had a family member or friend die in the attacks (and this is just me) I would MUCH rather have a bbq meal with the firemen than meet every politician at the “official” ceremony.
“New York, how can you even condone this flagrant action of omission of the first responders? What a shit head you have elected?”
We didn’t elect him, he stole his third term.
What’s happened to our nation in 10 years?
We have a man with a Muslim background in our Oval Office who honors Islamic holidays and conveniently “forgets” Christian holidays.
And now we disrespect our first responders.
What the hell is going on with our country???
9/11/01 was my generation’s Pearl Harbor.
This does not surprise me at all. The ceremonies at NY, VA and PA are strictly for the politicians who were not there that day to pontificate to an audience who also was not there.
Last September 11th, I got up very early to take my oldest daughter out to the Pentagon. I felt it was time to tell her what happened that day (I was in the AF Command Post). We got there at 6 AM and were promptly told by the Secret Service agents that we could only stay for five minutes because they had to sweep the place for bombs because 0bama was going to give a speech FIVE hours later. My daughter did not learn the intended lesson, but needless to say she is NOT a fan of 0bama.
I have a feeling he is going to turn it into a pro islam event which includes something about the mosque at GZ.
How many well-connected non-victim’s family members political hacks will be there taking up space for this memorial event?
Kick out the politicians and the Empty Suits and there will be plenty of room.
Show up anyway, in force, use union goon tactics that the left employs.
Anyway they can make it so PC to satisfi the one worlders and leftists scumsnakes
Correct me if I’m wrong…..But aren’t there a huge amount of First Responders who were VICTIMS TOO??? This is madness. What a sorry state of affairs..
Maybe the families would like to hug the first responders?
Bloomberg is a MAGGOT.
Oh I am sure there will be a mahometan contingency there to represent the
mahometans that Baracka Hussein Abu Omama was bending over for at the
White House iftar dinner in honor of ramadan and the brave mahomatans who
risked life and limb on 9/11.
Maybe they will take up a donation for the mahometan center two short blocks
from Ground Zero.
I have nothing but contempt for Bloomberg.
Along with some of the other posters, I’ll bet there will be a muslim contingent at the ceremony.
Disgraceful!
I’ll bet Obama turns it in to another fund raiser.
Of course they’re excluded if you aren’t on the Mayor’s elite list you won’t be invited, how often does he muck about with the working class? Wanna bet if they were Muslim first responders he’d give them front row seats? Once again those who placed their lives on the line are spat at by the political elites.
They can’t have any real heroes there showing up the small-minded jackass who is the president. Dimocrats are trying to get rid of heroes altogether in our society.
Are you f*&%ing kidding me? I don’t remember the dumbass politicians rushing in to save lives! The first responders did their JOB without hesitation! As a firefighter/medic, I WILL REMEMBER THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND WHAT THEY DID THAT DAY! 343 NOT FORGOTTEN!!!
I took EMT training as a result of 9/11. What an insult, to at least not have representatives of the First Responders there. I bet the speech making will be politically correct talk about diversity and inclusiveness. It will probably make you sick to be there.
Anymore, I think many of these ‘memorials” are really not for the victims families or the first responders – its for the politicians to get some face time.
I want the powers that be to please explain their position. The first responders saved lives, lost many of their own, and stayed till they literally dropped. The only politician that was on the side of them was Guliani. By their actions, the rest have reveiled themselves to be nothing more than just politicians and a whole lot of hot air. The hubris is thicker than ice. Please, survivors, do not let these hacks avoid honoring your heros.
I agree, show up anyway. If anyone has a right to be there it is the first responders. Do NOT stand for this.
Gloomberg must think he’s king of the world. How dare he? Don’t forget this and other insults a la Ground Zero Mosque to the victims of 9/11 when it comes time to vote. No one wants a traitor in office, politicians are bad enough.
Most of these cocksuckers are out on a related disability claim and stand to make
exorbitant pension $$ on top of that. Eff em.
I can’t believe the responders are letting this happen, it was their friends, c0-workers, families that went down in the buildings to save civilians. I wonder what Rudy thinks about this.
When will the day come someone is going to snap? How much more are Americans going to take?
But, the new NY Governor Cuomo, Jr. wants to give a political speech, which was nevver done before, at the 911 ceremony. Taking the hero responders out of the picture gives us a nice Bloomberg-style multicultural event…sure the developer of the Ground Zero Mosque will be given center stage.
Oh…….wait………
Bloomberg is going to invite the first responders to the ribbon cutting at the GROUND ZERO MOSQUE!!!!
How special is that???!!!
Keep voting Democrat Union and you get STD!
Shafted, Taxed & Deleted!
I don’t think I have ever been so pissed off about anything in my life. This is the biggest crock of shit. When everyone else was running away the police and firemen were running in saving many lives and risking their own. They are the true heros that day and for them to be shunned like this is an outrage. How is there really no room for them there? I am so dispointed with this country and the government running it. I think they should all go anyway, it is a free country and they deserve to be there more than anybody. Screw Bloomberg!!!!
Hi,
My name is Darci Jenkins and I am one of the thousands of Americans
appalled by Mayor Bloomberg’s decision to not invite first responders
to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 memorial ceremony.
I have started a petition that asks the City of New York to extend an
invitation to these men and women that risked and sacrificed their
lives on that tragic day. The link to the petition is below.
If you would be so kind as to sign the petition and perhaps sponsor it
in order to get a broader spread on the topic. We need many more
signatures and 9/11 is right around the corner. I have pasted the link
below.
http://www.change.org/petitions/allow-first-responders-to-attend-the-10th-anniversary-ceremony-of-911
Please do not hesitate to contact me with my questions.
Thank you,
Darci