wow, this is pretty sad

mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
edited October 2010 in A Moving Train
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39516346/ns/us_news-life/

what I cannot figure out is why Obama would let it burn like that. :lol:
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
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  • nuffingmannuffingman Posts: 3,014
    :( That is appalling! So much for a caring civilised society.
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    i read the other day that there are all these counties that basically have no money and that the police only respond if they can catch someone in the act otherwise, if your house has been robbed - they log it into a database and that's it ... budgets for firefighting and the such have all been cut ... i think it was one of those sensationalized headlines on yahoo - "is america becoming a third world country" ...

    the reality is that the prosperity gap is widening and there are a lot of places that are being left behind ...
  • The topper would have been a pic of one of the firefighters lighting a smoke off of the guys house.

    The poison from the poison stream caught up to you ELEVEN years ago and you floated out of here. Sept. 14, 08

  • Wow.. thats messed up..
    "Makes much more sense to live in the present tense"

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  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    polaris_x wrote:
    i read the other day that there are all these counties that basically have no money and that the police only respond if they can catch someone in the act otherwise, if your house has been robbed - they log it into a database and that's it ... budgets for firefighting and the such have all been cut ... i think it was one of those sensationalized headlines on yahoo - "is america becoming a third world country" ...

    the reality is that the prosperity gap is widening and there are a lot of places that are being left behind ...

    This isn't so much about the county being out of money, I think it points out the lack of common sense government workers display on a daily basis. I work in it so I can certainly speak to the archaic and ridiculous rules we have to put up with. Breaking them is almost never done and it is mostly a function of not wanting to go the extra mile to help someone. I think it speaks more to the fact that the government employees stuck to their policy instead of providing service in a common sense manner. The guy could have back paid for the fee, hell he could have covered the costs of fighting the fire, but instead of using common sense the government workers just let it burn. The worst part is they went out and watered the fence line to keep it from spreading to a person who had paid.
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
    It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
    - Joe Rogan
  • RiverrunnerRiverrunner Posts: 2,419
    It really is sad, especially since the pets were inside and died. Obion County is a local county to me even though I live in So. Illinois, we are all part of the "4 state region." Anyway, the home owner was interviewed by our local station, and he said "I didn't pay, but I thought they would come out anyway." I was raised in a rural county and if your house burned the small town fire department didn't come out as far as I know. Does anyone know of fire departments that are funded by taxpayers in one entity who go out and fight fires in other jurisdictions? They don't. Other fire departments may help another fire department if asked, but don't go outside their jurisdiction on a regular basis. That would mean that one set of taxpayers are paying for another group of taxpayers fire protection. When I was young the county organized a volunteer fire department which is still in place. They get funding from grants and help from the county, and if they answer a call to your home you are charged a certain amount - not sure what it is now.

    Also, the homeowner's son attacked the fire chief after the fire and has been charged with assault. Of course, the fire chief had no discretion. He had been told by the mayor and city gov't that he couldn't answer calls outside of the city. So there are two sides to the story, but it is still so sad that the family lost their home and pets. Maybe this will motivate folks in Obion County to get a volunteer department together, or reach an agreement with the city to pay them for fire protection.
    The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals. Ghandi
  • Drowned OutDrowned Out Posts: 6,056
    polaris_x wrote:
    i read the other day that there are all these counties that basically have no money and that the police only respond if they can catch someone in the act otherwise, if your house has been robbed - they log it into a database and that's it ... budgets for firefighting and the such have all been cut ... i think it was one of those sensationalized headlines on yahoo - "is america becoming a third world country" ...

    the reality is that the prosperity gap is widening and there are a lot of places that are being left behind ...
    Add the most affluent suburb in Canada to that list….
    I've been directly involved in two 5-figure theft cases over the last 5 years which I, and my co-workers, were able to solve on our own...in one case we were told they were "too busy for a theft call" when we had the guy red-handed....the other, I had the guy's name and phone number and was were told, “these cases are too hard to prove when it involves the internet and stuff” ....(direct quote :roll: )...it didnt involve the internet at all.

    If not for all those times police have saved me from home invasions, stopped me from killing people by going 10km too fast, or arrested me for ground plant matter, I’d say they were pretty much fucking useless. Firefighters have actually helped me before tho! Glad I'm not from rural Tenessee....:o that's just fucked up. They put water on the fence line? Did I read that right? Twisted!
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    mikepegg44 wrote:
    This isn't so much about the county being out of money, I think it points out the lack of common sense government workers display on a daily basis. I work in it so I can certainly speak to the archaic and ridiculous rules we have to put up with. Breaking them is almost never done and it is mostly a function of not wanting to go the extra mile to help someone. I think it speaks more to the fact that the government employees stuck to their policy instead of providing service in a common sense manner. The guy could have back paid for the fee, hell he could have covered the costs of fighting the fire, but instead of using common sense the government workers just let it burn. The worst part is they went out and watered the fence line to keep it from spreading to a person who had paid.

    yes ... for some reason your story made me think of that other story which is only loosely connected in terms of public service ...

    the irony i think is that there is this backlash against socialism in america ... people actually think it's a bad word and yet here is buddy who could of used some socialism and he didn't get it ...

    america is all about the aspirations of the individual not the collective ... this is another great example ...
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    Add the most affluent suburb in Canada to that list….
    I've been directly involved in two 5-figure theft cases over the last 5 years which I, and my co-workers, were able to solve on our own...in one case we were told they were "too busy for a theft call" when we had the guy red-handed....the other, I had the guy's name and phone number and was were told, “these cases are too hard to prove when it involves the internet and stuff” ....(direct quote :roll: )...it didnt involve the internet at all.

    If not for all those times police have saved me from home invasions, stopped me from killing people by going 10km too fast, or arrested me for ground plant matter, I’d say they were pretty much fucking useless. Firefighters have actually helped me before tho! Glad I'm not from rural Tenessee....:o that's just fucked up. They put water on the fence line? Did I read that right? Twisted!

    fuck ... we treat the police service like they are all gods here ... you hear of the need for cuts to hiring and wage for all public service with always the exception of police ...

    having said that - living in toronto ... i do think our police service in general do a good job except for the fiasco which was the G20 ...
  • you bitch about your taxes long enough, and they're eventually going to cut something you might actually need. Karma's a bitch.
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  • No it's not. The guy didn't pay the fee Knowing the possible consequences. The kid was burning trash, who does this, it illegal where I live. Common, take responsibility for your actions. As for the pets, Shame on you for "Owning" another mammal.
  • Drowned OutDrowned Out Posts: 6,056
    shannah wrote:
    No it's not. The guy didn't pay the fee Knowing the possible consequences. The kid was burning trash, who does this, it illegal where I live. Common, take responsibility for your actions. As for the pets, Shame on you for "Owning" another mammal.
    :lol: wow.
  • BinauralJamBinauralJam Posts: 14,158
    i would have to burn down the firehouse that didn't respond, only practical response
  • everything else aside, forget about whether they paid the $75.00 or not, at the end of the day i can't imagine how you could be a firefighter, and stand there with a hose in your hand and deliberately watch something burn.

    imagine being a Dr or paramedic, standing there and not administering treatment to someone and watching them suffer because they have not paid their bill. and yeah i know a house is not a person, but still if you truly are dedicated and committed in your job how could you just stand there and do nothing.

    surely common humanity would kick in.

    i guess not in this case.
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    dont' you love capitalism, where profit is put ahead of people?





    sad story.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    whatever happend to having a"duty to act"? i guess it does not apply to firefighters...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    'No pay, no spray' firefighters say they're not demons
    Fire chief seeks solution to rural fire protection funding after home burns

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39535911/ns/us_news-life/

    A rural Tennessee fire chief says Obion County firefighters are being unduly demonized for letting a man's home burn because he hadn't paid a $75 municipal fee.

    The fee, however, is not the best way to protect rural homes, said Bob Reavis, chief of the Hornbeak Volunteer Fire Department. The situation may have been avoided if the county had a tax to cover rural fire protection.

    The firefighters' decision to follow orders and let the doublewide mobile home owned by Gene Cranick burn to the ground Sept. 29 while saving the property of a neighbor who did pay the subscription has prompted debate as the event has gained nationwide media attention.

    Reavis, whose fire department was not the one involved with the home burning, said it is not firefighters' fault the Cranick home burned.

    "The fault is the failure of Cranick family not to pay that subscription," Reavis said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by other county fire officials and mayors. "That's not necessarily the way to go," he said of the fee.

    "The same thing could have happened anywhere" among Obion County municipalities that rely on subscription fees to cover rural areas outside their cities' borders. Hornbeak does not require subscriptions.

    Hate emails and national media have "unduly condemned, criticized, and threatened" Obion County fire chiefs, Reavis said.

    Reavis said he operates his all-volunteer, unpaid fire department on $8,000 a year.

    Across the county, no cities' tax dollars fund rural fire protection, he said. That's common in many U.S. rural areas, Reavis said, although the notion is not necessarily widely known among people living in urban areas.

    A plan for a tax that would cover rural fire protection was rejected, he said, as county officials kept pushing municipalities to opt for subscription plans.

    Reavis said he wants local residents to get involved and find a solution to rural fire protection.

    "No firefighter wants to stand by and watch his neighbor's home burn," Reavis said.

    Cranick, 68, told Keith Olbermann on MSNBC on Tuesday evening, "I'm no freeloader, I've worked all my life for everything I've got. It happens to anybody, I don't care, you forget things and I did. I suffered the consequences for it."

    The fire started when the Cranicks' grandson was burning trash near the family home. As it grew out of control, the Cranicks called 911, but the fire department from the nearby city of South Fulton would not respond, because Cranick had not paid the annual fee.

    The International Association of Fire Fighters condemned the South Fulton Fire Department for their actions and also criticized the South Fulton's policy.

    "Because of South Fulton's pay-to-play policy, fire fighters were ordered to stand and watch a family lose its home."

    Radio and TV talk show host Glenn Beck defended the fire department letting Cranick's home burn down.

    "If you don't pay your $75 then that hurts the fire department," Beck said in response to the blaze. "They can't use those resources and you would be sponging off of your neighbor's $75 if they put out your neighbor's house and you didn't pay for it."

    "As soon as they put out the fire of somebody who didn't pay the $75, no one will pay the $75," he said.

    Fellow conservative commentator Daniel Foster, meanwhile, said that he had no problem in principle with the "opt-in government" philosophy behind the decision to withhold fire services to those who hadn't paid the required fee.

    Morally, however, the issue was quite different, he wrote in National Review Online:

    "But forget the politics: what moral theory allows these firefighters (admittedly acting under orders) to watch this house burn to the ground when 1) they have already responded to the scene; 2) they have the means to stop it ready at hand; 3) they have a reasonable expectation to be compensated for their trouble?"

    Cranick and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat. The fire fee policy dates back 20 or so years and is common in rural areas.

    'Hurt the fire department'
    South Fulton's mayor said that the fire department can't let homeowners pay the fee on the spot, which Cranick offered to do, because the only people who would pay would be those whose homes are on fire.

    Firefighters did eventually show up on the scene, but only to fight the fire on the neighboring property, whose owner had paid the fee.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • haffajappahaffajappa British Columbia Posts: 5,955
    Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat.

    MOTHER. FUCKERS.
    If my dog had of been in there I don't know what i'd have done.
    This is absolutely disgusting.

    I guess fighting the blaze and saving the pets would have been a little too "communist" for them. :roll:
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    haffajappa wrote:
    Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat.

    MOTHER. FUCKERS.
    If my dog had of been in there I don't know what i'd have done.
    This is absolutely disgusting.

    I guess fighting the blaze and saving the pets would have been a little too "communist" for them. :roll:
    i read that about the dogs and cat. that is absolutely terrible. i always get sad when i hear of dogs dying in a fire, especially after alerting their owners of the danger. it is like they give their lives to save ours. i know how much my dog means to me, and if these guys were at my house letting it and my dog burn i would have gone in after him. he means that much to me and it would destroy me if that happened to me. i could not imagine losing 3 dogs and a cat due to a fire crew's unwillingness to act. that whole scenario just seems so unnatural to me. it is counter to everything i was taught as a kid, the police are your friends and the firemen will help you get your cat out of a tree....man am i gullible...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • haffajappahaffajappa British Columbia Posts: 5,955
    haffajappa wrote:
    Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat.

    MOTHER. FUCKERS.
    If my dog had of been in there I don't know what i'd have done.
    This is absolutely disgusting.

    I guess fighting the blaze and saving the pets would have been a little too "communist" for them. :roll:
    i read that about the dogs and cat. that is absolutely terrible. i always get sad when i hear of dogs dying in a fire, especially after alerting their owners of the danger. it is like they give their lives to save ours. i know how much my dog means to me, and if these guys were at my house letting it and my dog burn i would have gone in after him. he means that much to me and it would destroy me if that happened to me. i could not imagine losing 3 dogs and a cat due to a fire crew's unwillingness to act. that whole scenario just seems so unnatural to me. it is counter to everything i was taught as a kid, the police are your friends and the firemen will help you get your cat out of a tree....man am i gullible...
    i clearly remember someone in one of the healthcare threads going on about how you don't have a right to healthcare like you would have a right to fire or police.
    WELL. looks like that theory got even lamer.

    I agree with you gimme, if my dog was in there I'd go back and get her. Would the fire fighters come in and rescue me? Is a life worth 75 dollars as well?
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • .

    "Because of South Fulton's pay-to-play policy, fire fighters were ordered to stand and watch a family lose its home."

    i guess that's the difference between them and me. if i was ordered to do something that i knew was morally wrong i'd ignore the order.

    no hesitation.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    .

    "Because of South Fulton's pay-to-play policy, fire fighters were ordered to stand and watch a family lose its home."

    i guess that's the difference between them and me. if i was ordered to do something that i knew was morally wrong i'd ignore the order.

    no hesitation.
    the world needs more people like you. you are a good example for these people that failed to act. and i mean that when i say it.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    haffajappa wrote:
    i clearly remember someone in one of the healthcare threads going on about how you don't have a right to healthcare like you would have a right to fire or police.
    WELL. looks like that theory got even lamer.

    I agree with you gimme, if my dog was in there I'd go back and get her. Would the fire fighters come in and rescue me? Is a life worth 75 dollars as well?
    yes, evidently there is no right to fire protection, just like health care is not a right :roll:

    while reading that article, if the man could not get out i am left to wonder if they would have gone in to save him or let him burn with the home...the image of those dogs and cat burning is very unsettling....bastards...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • .

    "Because of South Fulton's pay-to-play policy, fire fighters were ordered to stand and watch a family lose its home."

    i guess that's the difference between them and me. if i was ordered to do something that i knew was morally wrong i'd ignore the order.

    no hesitation.
    the world needs more people like you. you are a good example for these people that failed to act. and i mean that when i say it.
    thank you.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    thank you.
    no problem

    :D
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • KDH12KDH12 Posts: 2,096
    so just think

    if the tea party get their way and abolish all taxes

    then a lot more people's homes will burn down and pets die
    **CUBS GO ALL THE WAY IN......never **
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    KDH12 wrote:
    so just think

    if the tea party get their way and abolish all taxes

    then a lot more people's homes will burn down and pets die
    i am not so sure. taxes are very necessary to pay for things like this. if the tea party had its way, taxes might be cut, but there will be various fees for things like police and fire protection to make up for shortfall of public tax money...either that, or people will have to buy their own fire hoses, axes, and first aid supplies....with these fees people will be nickel and dimed to death so it will be like a tax anyway...and then we will have the same situation as in this story. help dictated by who paid their fee...like my article stated, "no pay, no spray"...which is criminal in my opinion....
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,158
    everything else aside, forget about whether they paid the $75.00 or not, at the end of the day i can't imagine how you could be a firefighter, and stand there with a hose in your hand and deliberately watch something burn.

    imagine being a Dr or paramedic, standing there and not administering treatment to someone and watching them suffer because they have not paid their bill. and yeah i know a house is not a person, but still if you truly are dedicated and committed in your job how could you just stand there and do nothing.

    surely common humanity would kick in.

    i guess not in this case.
    I totally agree. If this was a random wildfire tearing through the countryside, I'm sure they would respond to it.

    Plus, if they had the men and the equipment there, why not just spray some water? Whoever was in charge should lose their job and possible be fined for not being ethical.
    Be Excellent To Each Other
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  • i was thinking about this thread a little earlier and i realized that as horrible as this incident is, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that those firefighters who refused to help are not the norm.

    most of them do an awesome job. love this picture. an aussie firefighter giving a burnt koala a drink after a bushfire ripped through his home.

    fireman-saves-koala.jpg
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    i was thinking about this thread a little earlier and i realized that as horrible as this incident is, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that those firefighters who refused to help are not the norm.

    most of them do an awesome job. love this picture. an aussie firefighter giving a burnt koala a drink after a bushfire ripped through his home.

    fireman-saves-koala.jpg
    that picture always brings a tear to my eye. i remember seeing that a few years ago and i never ever forgot it. that is an example of the compassion that humans can be so capable of if only we choose to be....whatever happened to that koala? i remember that it's front paws were severely burned from trying to climb away from the fire and he offered them to the firefighter...:cry: i thought i read a follow up on it that it ended up dying???
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
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