GOP Senator Calls Cops on 9/11 Responders

Firestorm

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Jumping point for discussion, or rather more likely united ranting, about one of the most ridiculous effects of the concentrated effort by Republicans not to get anything done. So much that one of them has forgotten they're supposed to be open to the public 24/7 and decided to call the cops on 9/11 responders instead.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/12/gop-senator-calls-cops-on-911.html
Republican senators were so worried about meeting with 9/11 responders who came to Washington today that at least one called the cops on them, the Daily News has learned.


Even before the nine responders had a chance to start visiting senators’ offices - where they intended to stay until meeting with legislators - they were greeted by Capitol Police, who had been called by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.).


Collins apparently reacted to a story in today’s News which quoted a letter to senators from 9/11 advocate John Feal warning that he and others planned to sit in offices until they got meetings - or the police made them leave.
Collins is among the senators the 9/11 community hopes will come over to their side, but her call to authorities left them wondering if they could succeed.




“I’m deeply disappointed in Sen. Collins for calling the Capitol Police, but they welcomed us with open arms,” said Feal, although he wound up with a police escort for the first stops on his visit.


“I’m more disappointed that Susan Collins is hiding behind ideology, and now the police, to stop from helping us,” Feal said. “And the people she called to stop us, are just like us. It’s a little ironic.”


Officers eventually determined he and his team were not threatening and left them alone.


Only one Republican has agreed to back the $7.4 billion James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and even he - Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois - voted against bringing it up until the Bush-era tax cuts are extended.
Collins’ office did not immediately comment on why she was worried enough about the 9/11 responders to call police.


The advocates - who all served at Ground Zero - are growing desperate with time running out in the Senate. The Zadroga Act either needs to be attached to other legislation or passed on its own before the year ends, and the calendar is crowded with other measures.


Procedural hurdles can also be thrown in the way of any bill if senators don’t want to deal with a measure.


If the bill does not pass this year it is all but dead, and the responders are so concerned they also targeted Democrats who voted for the bill, hoping to inspire leaders to take every step possible.


Their luck wasn’t much better. A group of retired cops, construction workers and firefighters heading to visit the office of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) bumped into the Rev. Jesse Jackson leaving a meeting there.
Jackson stopped and held an impromptu prayer circle with them in the hallway. But Schumer strolled on by, waited for an elevator and hopped on without saying a word.


“It was disrespectful,” said former NYPD emergency services cop Glen Klein. “It seems like he’s not concerned about our welfare. He could have at least stopped as said hello.”


A Schumer spokesman said the senator was in a rush to get to a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the responders met with Schumer’s top two staffers.


“Hopefully he was on his way to a meeting to get a vote on our bill,” said Feal.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/12/gop-senator-calls-cops-on-911.html#ixzz18Krm36Cl
For those who don't know what's going on, democrats put forth a bill that would grant $7.2 billion for health care for 9/11 responders who are still feeling the effects of what they did that day. Republicans said they would block it unless the richest Americans had the tax cuts that Bush granted extended (instead of going back to what they were during the Clinton years).

Yep.
 
I guess they are sticking to their idealogy of not increasing government spending. I am of the opinion that the cause is worthy of spending money on, but you have to at least consider why they would possibly disagree with this bill. I think it is rather unfortunate that they are so afraid to meet with these people, but I would assume it is because they know that morally what they are doing is wrong and the only reason they are doing it is because they want to keep their voters happy.
 

Firestorm

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I guess they are sticking to their idealogy of not increasing government spending. I am of the opinion that the cause is worthy of spending money on, but you have to at least consider why they would possibly disagree with this bill. I think it is rather unfortunate that they are so afraid to meet with these people, but I would assume it is because they know that morally what they are doing is wrong and the only reason they are doing it is because they want to keep their voters happy.
I don't even think their voters are happy with this. If they are, they're the weakest fucking excuses for human beings I've seen. There is one reason, and only one reason, this bill was stopped and that's because of their stance not to let anything pass until the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest of the wealthy Americans are extended. It's 100% childish politics. Especially idiotic when you consider that extending the tax cuts will cost the government much more than this bill.

I hear Jon Stewart got sufficiently indignant about this on today's Daily Show as well. I'll watch it tomorrow once it's up online and link to it. Sounds like it was a good piece.
 

DM

Ce soir, on va danser.
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Way ahead of you, Firestorm.

Two things:

1. Republicans are ruining this country slowly from the inside out. Their false idealism is a cancer in the minds of Americans.
2. Democrats cannot help but share of heaping portion of the blame for their openly uncooperative tactics during the Bush administration, as well as the Obama administration (up until the recent midterm elections whooped their collective asses).

I will not say I'm surprised at this turn of events. This is just more of the same from the brainless morons in power.
 
I'm guessing the Democrats will use this as a sort of publicity coup against the Republicans, though it won't help them come March when new Republicans are inaugurated.
 
As a very loosely associated Republican, I just want to post and say this is embarrassing. -.-

edit: although I agree 100% with this article about the current congress.
 
Republicans act like little bitches and/or insane people, Democrats give them everything they want (even while the Democrats held all three branches!), everything seems at least superficially ridiculous, everyone reacts incredulously...but nothing ever happens to change it. This has been going on for a while now...
 
Republicans act like little bitches and/or insane people, Democrats give them everything they want (even while the Democrats held all three branches!), everything seems at least superficially ridiculous, everyone reacts incredulously...but nothing ever happens to change it. This has been going on for a while now...
It's becoming very frustrating. They're getting ridiculous! This whole stupid "No Compromise" crap they keep trying to push is just stupid. It's childhish. Childish politics. Bitchy politics. They're putting their needs above the country, and they're becoming so desperate in the wake of recession to be "right," no matter what. This is exactly why this happened. They're stupid stubborn mules.
 

cim

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I'm having trouble grasping this. I want as much as the next guy to bitch out Republicans for their whole damn term for being so utterly neglectful of our nation's modern day heroes. But it's just too stupid. Why the hell are they opposing this? It's not like the entire party wants political suicide; they know not voting on it is doing them no favors. Do they want to make Obama look bad? I just don't get it.

I don't buy that they're simply evil assholes who need zero motivation to do harm. They could be, yes, but any reasonably intelligent person can look at the bill and go "Well shit, that's a good idea". I guess I feel it's so brain dead obvious that there has to be something to it.
 

Firestorm

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I was talking about yesterday's episode actually. He spent the first segment blasting the media for not giving adequate coverage (good bit) before moving onto a roundtable discussion with 5 9/11 first responders about how they felt. Eye-opening stuff about the horrors they're going through.

USA: http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-december-16-2010-mike-huckabee
Canada: http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/th...th-jon-stewart---december-16-2010/#clip388775

Very well worth a watch. Only takes about 15 minutes of your time and is entertaining as well as informative.

I'm guessing the Democrats will use this as a sort of publicity coup against the Republicans, though it won't help them come March when new Republicans are inaugurated.
Sorry, that requires competence.
 
I'm guessing the Democrats will use this as a sort of publicity coup against the Republicans, though it won't help them come March when new Republicans are inaugurated.
March?!? I think the 20th Amendment to the Constitution would have a problem with that.

I'm actually terribly upset with the media for largely dismissing this story, its a sad day when comedian Jon Stewart is the ONLY person in the media championing 9/11 first responders. I'm also upset with the democrats. If there was EVER an issue to politicize and get the people behind you (and at the end of the day pass) this would be it.

But not like it will bite republicans in the ass. I'll bet come 2012, Romney/Thune/Palin will say Obama has a "pre-9/11" mentality, and Obama won't have the balls to call out them and their republican colleagues on filibustering this bill.

EDIT: Thanks Firestorm for putting up the Daily Show link, I watched last night. Very insightful and a must watch for everyone.
 

Deck Knight

Blast Off At The Speed Of Light! That's Right!
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Yeah, the Republicans are sooo terrible.

All 42 of them in the Senate.

Look whiny Democrats, you started 2009 with a fillibuster-proof majority in the Senate, a massive majority in the house, and a President with the biggest political tailwind in history. You lost your fillibuster-proof Senate majority in January 2010 by losing a Senate race in Massachusetts of all places, and even then you still only had to sway 1 Republican (of which Collins, Snowe, Graham, McCain, hell, even Scott Brown) were usually willing to do for you if your big important progressive majority knew what governance looked like rather than authoritarian progressive rule. That's what you get for locking out the other party, and you wonder why November 2 was a Democratic deathblow that will set them back a decade in state legislatures.

Hey, maybe if Democrats had PASSED A BUDGET this wouldn't be a problem. How can you have some of the largest majorities in history and be committed to the idea that government can solve big problems and not pass a fucking budget? The Republicans were blocking all bills on the basis there was no budget and the bush tax rates were not extended, as returning to Clinton Era levels is equivalent to the largest tax hike in history, in the largest recession since the great depression. That's called economic suicide for those unfamiliar with the fallout of such a rate change, which even had liberal economists warn it would cause a double-dip recession. If even economic illiterates like Paul Krugman, a man who thinks we should have spent even more of China's money on new Stimulus debt, think it's a bad idea you know it's a bad idea.

But no, let us whine and cry about people not giving out billions in government aid when we have no money to spend. This bill could have been passed through with no problems at any time on a straight bill, but instead Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi always try to pull in emotion-addling stuff like this in huge omnibus pork bills with 3 days to go, just like Obamacare last Christmas which, need I remind you, they said they didn't need to read, got offended when you asked them, and I quote "you'll have to wait until it passes to find out what's in it. (Nancy Pelosi D-CA)"

Democrats are sick, disgusting, vile creatures, but they count on ignorant, emotional people to win. The kind of people who get upset about things like this that Democrats who have more power than they ever have could have easily passed if they actually gave two flying shits about 9/11 responders health care. They could have passed this months ago. They could have passed this as part of a budget they still haven't made. At any point in time Democrats could have used their power and they did not.

And yet still, still Democratic supporters will blame Republicans. Even when they have the tiniest minorities. Even when Democrats possess basically unchecked power. Amazing.

Arch said:
It's becoming very frustrating. They're getting ridiculous! This whole stupid "No Compromise" crap they keep trying to push is just stupid. It's childhish. Childish politics. Bitchy politics. They're putting their needs above the country, and they're becoming so desperate in the wake of recession to be "right," no matter what. This is exactly why this happened. They're stupid stubborn mules.
No, childish politics is having the most massive majorities you may ever possess for a decade and not passing a budget. Childish politics is threatening 9/11 first responders with a loss in government dough (need I remind you this is not free, and that under the logic of most posters here we should be appropriating government dollars to every just cause ever put before them) for healthcare at Christmas just so you can demagogue Republicans on the issue. Republicans cannot stop anything in the house and the only reason they are "stopping' anything in the Senate is because the party in power decided it'd be a good strategy not to create a bill to fund the government in a timely manner and then try to squeeze it out after an election in the midst of the holidays. The Republicans are NOT opposed to this bill, however they have a sense of priorities the Democrats lack. The budget runs out today, December 18th. If they do not fund the government they will be shut down. Who has the power to prioritize legislation? Why, that would be the Democrats.

You fell for their ruse. You are now blaming Republicans for being childish when you as well as anyone with a remote knowledge of politics knows they have no power to bring up bills at this point and Democrats hold basically all the cards, and have for the past two years. I'd say Democrats have a lot to answer for, but November 2 did the talking for me. I just can't believe there are so many people who don't grasp basic political reality.

I know I've editted this a bunch of times but this bears continued emphasis: The Democrats were basically all-powerful for the past two years and all they accomplished was Stimulus and Obamacare, two of the worst bills ever written because they treated you, the Democratic voter, like an ignorant rube. They are committed to big government progressivism yet it took them 11 months to write a budget for Fiscal Year 2011. They have constantly used every procedural method they could to shut out Republicans for the duration of their power. They have openly shown contempt for even their supporters by suggesting that since they now have power, you have no right to call them to account. They continue to insult your intelligence even now by trying to amp you up about a bill they could have passed months ago if only their priorities the last two years were not passing every progressive wet dream stored in the Progressive Caucus' upper right-hand drawer.

Now I don't expect you all to get all excited about the new Republican majority in the House, I have my own reservations. But getting amped up at the political party who had basically no control over any legislation simply because they wanted to prioritize those items that would prevent the shutdown of the government and avoid a massive economic collapse is ridiculous. If you do not hold your leaders to account they will treat you exactly the same through 2012. The Tea Party movement was all about bringing Republicans to task for their failures, Democrats need to do the same thing if they want their party to be anything more than a Republican bashing clubhouse for political losers.
 
Republican are the same people that think Obama is a terrorist,Think weed should be legal because they say its healthy,wont do anything in office until the rich get richer.So im not surprized about this.
 

cim

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Republican are the same people that think Obama is a terrorist,Think weed should be legal because they say its healthy,wont do anything in office until the rich get richer.So im not surprized about this.
What?

No Republican in office has gone on record to say that Obama is a terrorist, not one.

Republicans are the biggest opponents of marijuana legalization, despite health side effects being by and large less dangerous than alcohol.

Basically what you're trying to say is that the Republicans are just pure, nonsensically evil. While I certainly think they are terrible leaders, they don't do bad things for no reason whatsoever...
 

Firestorm

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For those who don't want to read Deck Knight's wall of text, let me summarize: Republicans aren't bad! Democrats used to do terrible shit too! This is just them doing the same! Because that justifies it! [ insert a bunch of bullshit irrelevant to this case talking about how bad Democrats are ]. Christmas happens on December 10th!

There's the gist of it. Yes. it's the same as his other posts in every topic.

How about let's make this about the issue rather than what party you'll blindly support? Nobody thinks the Democrats are perfect. In fact, I think they're a bunch of idiots who just happen to be better than the only alternative in your system.

Curtains, none of what you said makes any sense except for maybe the last bit.
 
to be fair to deck knight, he does make a valid argument in the first paragraph about the dem's having a fillibuster proof majority in both the senate and house to pass whatever they wanted but didn't.
 

Firestorm

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Used to do? He's talking about they've screwed up THIS YEAR.
I was referring to the "Democrats used to abuse the filibuster" there. We know the current Democrats screw up everything. Irrelevant to topic at hand.

to be fair to deck knight, he does make a valid argument in the first paragraph about the dem's having a fillibuster proof majority in both the senate and house to pass whatever they wanted but didn't.
I agree with that. I also believe it's irrelevant to the topic at hand.
 

Reverb

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I'd like to say that I agree with Deck Knight. Those tax cuts were 100% essential, but, let's remember, we aren't cutting anything, just keeping the rate the same. In fact, the bill raised taxes since the estate tax didn't exist this year. Also, the 9/11 bill was being used a bargaining chip by the Democrats to weaken the Republicans ability to force them to vote for the tax cuts. "Hey, we'll vote for this bill, but, you need to do this first," is not a particularly bad message. The tax cuts were the most important thing on the table, and let's remember, before I get bombarded with left wing talking points, according to Bloomberg, economists on both sides of the aisle predict the economy to grow by 4% next year as a result.

As for the cops thing, I don't care who it is. If your safety could be threatened, call the police.

EDIT: Curtains...what the hell...can we keep this intellectual?
 

vonFiedler

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I agree with that. I also believe it's irrelevant to the topic at hand.
But there's really not much to say about the topic on hand. One woman who I didn't vote for did something really stupid. Senators do stupid shit from time to time (or does anyone still think politicians are perfect) and I'm not one for saying no second chances but people should probably look more carefully into what else this woman has done before they reelect her.

Whereas some people will of course use this show how corrupt the Republican party is. I wouldn't except the response to be any different if she was a Democrat.
 
i don't really pay attention to american politics but i was just showing this thread to a non-smogoner who does and he has some stuff to say

<dan> http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3192034&postcount=16
<Snarl> wtf?
<dan> his signature makes it way better lol
<Snarl> true
<Snarl> heh
<dan> all of the responses to that post are like
<dan> "what o_o"
<Snarl> i'm reading the top of the thread though
<Snarl> not bad
<dan> yeah firestorm is a good poster
<dan> i mean he's canadian so it's a little unfair to compare them...
<Snarl> No Republican in office has gone on record to say that Obama is a terrorist, not one.
<Snarl> false
<Snarl> i try not to pay attention to the screeching idiots, but i'm sure between Michele Bachmann, Steve King, Virginia Foxx and Louie Gohmert they've pretty much accused obama of everything
<dan> there's also a huge deck knight post that you might enjoy
<dan> Yeah, the Republicans are sooo terrible.
<dan> All 42 of them in the Senate.
<dan> Look whiny Democrats, you started 2009 with a fillibuster-proof majority in the Senate, a massive majority in the house, and a President with the biggest political tailwind in history. You lost your fillibuster-proof Senate majority in January 2010 by losing a Senate race in Massachusetts of all places, and even then you still only had to sway 1 Republican (of which Collins, Snowe, Graham, McCain, hell, even Scott Brown) were usually willin
<dan> g to do for you if your big important progressive majority knew what governance looked like rather than authoritarian progressive rule. That's what you get for locking out the other party, and you wonder why November 2 was a Democratic deathblow that will set them back a decade in state legislatures.
<Snarl> that's not actually true either
<Snarl> i skimmed over that one
<Snarl> they barely had 60 seats
<Snarl> which theoretically is enough to break a filibuster
<Snarl> but there are too many faux-Democrats in the senate
<Snarl> and no party discipline
<Snarl> so it was never a "filibuster-proof majority"
<dan> weak 9.9
<Snarl> well
<Snarl> they could kick out the lamers
<Snarl> but that would only diminish whatever majority they had
<Snarl> the problem wasn't them anyway, it was the fucking republicans


if you want to reply in this thread i can forward it to him
 

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