Respected Atlantic Monthly correspondent William Langewiesche has written a new book titled "American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center" in which he levels a formidable accusation at the revered New York City Fire Department: He claims that before the Twin Towers fell, firefighters looted the World Trade Center.
In one of the book's passages, he says that dozens of pairs of jeans from The Gap--still tagged and folded--were found stacked inside the cab of a Ladder Co. 4 fire truck that was pulled from the rubble. All of the firefighters from Ladder Co. 4 died on 9/11. He also claims that one office building near Ground Zero was "systematically rifled for valuables." Them's fightin' words. About 150 uniformed firefighters and widows of firefighters killed on September 11 demonstrated outside New York City's South Street Seaport Museum on Monday night where Langewiesche was signing books. They chanted "Liar! Liar!" and distributed a letter from Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta that accuses the author of "tarnishing the memory of our city's heroes with foolish, absurd, and unfounded accusations," reports The Associated Press.
Describing the demonstrators as "the boiling-mad Bravest," The New York Post reports that some fire officials assert the goods were blown into the truck from the extreme force of the collapse of buildings. Marian Fontana, who lost her Ladder 4 firefighter husband David on September 11, told The Post, "I think it's disgusting what [Langewiesche] is doing. He's lying."
Utilizing the belief system and work ethic (Mattributes) of THE Matt Hardy to create a better life for yourself by fulfilling your goals and dreams. Mattitude is a quality that can help anyone -- regardless of background or past -- to achieve success. You just have to make it a lifestyle, a mindset, a religion. Mattitude, is something that can not be taught or learned. Mattitude is something that burns within. In the ring, Mattitude is the intangible, the x-factor, that gives me an advantage over everyone else.
I think it's kind of indisputable that looting did take place. It's just a matter of "who dun it". Firemen and Policemen and construction workers and rescue workers are human just like everyone else and are capable of having a few rotten apples in their ranks who would take advantage of that kind of opportunity. But with their new hero status anyone who would suggest a few of them were looters gets called a liar or is accused of insulting the families of the victims. Looting did take place. It's not an issue to me who looted and the fact that some people did loot does not diminsh the heroic efforts of all those firemen, cops, and other rescue workers who rushed to the scene that morning.
Hey, if the Gap was gonna burn anyway, I wouldn't feel too bad about snagging some free clothes. What would make me angry is if someone took the time to snag some free goodies instead of saving lives. That would piss me off. Besides that, if I was retreating from a mall that was about to burn to the ground and spied some undamaged jeans, I wouldn't have a second thought about grabbing them. I doubt any of them would be in my size, or pants that I would want to wear, but then they'd just all end up at Salvation Army.
-Jag
With poison running through your veins, and death marching solemnly towards you, heroic acts become more of a necessity as you see your time dwindling.
Vanquishing your enemies, making amends to those you have wronged, and leaving words of love and kindness for those around you become second nature as your own mortality looms
However, true strength lies not in these last desperate acts, but in the actions of one who has to get out of bed the next day and face the consequences of doing that which you believe is right.
Interesting side note: I have a friend who was manager of that GAP. She's now working for the NBA store in midtown, which means every once in a while I get free Knick and (more often) Liberty tickets. New York is all about the hookup baby.
Anyway, that story has been in the local news here for a while. My view is that probably there were some shennanigans (the mob managed to cart away a ton of scrap metal from the site), as there will be in any job that big in the city. Is it really necessary to point out though? That's a different question. I mean, what good does that do anyone?
(edited by MoeGates on 20.11.02 1035) Expressing myself EVERY day - but especially on July 22, 2002!
Originally posted by JaguarHey, if the Gap was gonna burn anyway, I wouldn't feel too bad about snagging some free clothes.
So that makes it OK? If everyone grabbed a labtop from a person's desk on their way out, that's cool too? How about on the way out, you grab the money from the Gap register? Why not? Its going to burn anyway, right?
Do you think that the firefighters who took the jeans knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the building was coming down?
Don't get me wrong, I am not all for slinging mud or casting shadows on heroic people that gave their lives, but you can't say it's anyones right to take what ain't theirs.
"You know Monsoon, I am impressed, and I don't impress easy" -Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Hey, I was just trying to point out how morally ambiguous I truly am. Yes, stealing is wrong. But when the theft doesn't actually affect anyone, such as with the burning Gap, or stealing cable (just kidding Guru) I couldn't really care.
-Jag
But maybe that's just me.
With poison running through your veins, and death marching solemnly towards you, heroic acts become more of a necessity as you see your time dwindling.
Vanquishing your enemies, making amends to those you have wronged, and leaving words of love and kindness for those around you become second nature as your own mortality looms
However, true strength lies not in these last desperate acts, but in the actions of one who has to get out of bed the next day and face the consequences of doing that which you believe is right.
Trust me Bizzle Im in the Navy and Ive spent a good amount of time down in PR, and the people there are quite ready to send us and our 250 million dollars packing.