Miami Firemen Refuse to Ride on Truck Carrying Flag

NewsMax ^ | Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2001

[Map Kernow]

Three Miami firefighters refused to ride on a fire engine carrying the American flag because they deemed Old Glory "offensive," the fire department said today.

The U.S. flag represents "oppression," the three government employees griped - and they refused to respond to emergency calls Saturday until a crew chief removed it, the Associated Press reported.

"He felt the best thing to do was for the administration to deal with this later," said Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue spokesman Lt. Louie Fernandez. "This way, citizens were never affected as far as their fire and rescue service."

On Monday, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Dave Paulison ordered all county fire engines to carry the American flag in honor of the firefighters and police officers killed in New York in last week's terrorist attacks.

One of the three returned to work today and rode on the fire engine without any protest, WPLG reported. The other two, employed at Station 26 in Opa-Locka, have been on scheduled leave since Saturday but are expected to return to work Monday.

Fernandez said that if they refuse to ride when they return, they "will be met with severe discipline."

"I've had more than 100 phone calls from firefighters around the county who are appalled at this report," he said. "We lost 400 colleagues in New York. This is our way of expressing sympathy."

[Shurnuff]

Too bad it's too late to trade them for an equal number of those fallen New York fireman who would have been honored to fly the flag. I mean it... I would be honored to make the decision to trade them.

Tell me anyone in America who really knows what oppression is?! If those men were really oppressed, they would be seriously afraid to even make those comments.

[Sungirl]

THEY ARE MUSLIMS.

A LOCAL RADIO STATION SPENT MOST OF THEIR SHOW THIS MORNING TAKING QUESTIONS ABOUT IT....UNBELIEVABLE. THESE GUYS ARE BEING PAID AND REFUSE TO WORK!!

I heard on the radio someone saying they refusing to ride the fire trucks because of their religion. Let's buy these guys one way tickets to afghanistan.

[VOA]

Miami Firemen Refuse to Ride on Truck Carrying Flag

Three more leftist morons who wet their fingers, hold them up to test the breeze,
and STILL can't figure out which way the wind (sentiment) is blowing!

Well, they can have their political speech...but I bet they forgot that their
fellow fireman will have theirs as well!
Enjoy the rest of your short careers, you three traitorous -ssholes!

[liberalism=failure]

Seems to me if America is so "oppressive" maybe they ought to go be fire fighters in some other country.

Worthless malcontents.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Here's an unanswered question. What happens if these firemen are on a call, and need to enter a structure displaying an American flag? Would they refuse to go in because of it? It's now a public safety issue.

[Coyote]

College...

Begin the offensive.

Here's another idea I posted earlier. Let the universities know that if they support instructors with this self-destructive anti-american attitude, you will not pay for your kids to go there. Urge your family and friends to do the same. Most civic groups provide scholarships as part of their work. If you belong to, or know anyone who blongs to, a civic group (kiwanis, elks, war vets, whatever), urge them to give the scholarships with a caveat: if the recipient want's to use it at one of the institutions supporting this stuff, it won't be honored. Try to get the civic group to write the respective institutions telling them why they will no longer give scholarships redeemable at their school. Pass the idea on....

[AlaskaErik]

Why are we allowing such awful people into this country, and giving them jobs to boot?

And don't forget, they get to jump to the head of the line to get hired. And when you give them a dirty look, or something, they get to have hate crime charges pressed against you...something you could never do to them. Isn't it grand to let liberals make the laws?

[BunnySlippers]

Great story but I wish we could hear this from a more reliable source than NewsMax which is no better than a tabloid.

[zip]

Great use of sarcasm.

[AlaskaErik]

Enjoy the rest of your short careers, you three traitorous -ssholes!

Let's call them what they really are...worthless, piece of shit assholes. No hyphens, no dashes, no asterisks...just the flat-out truth.

[TexanMom]

My goodness, when I thought I couldn't shed anymore tears. Thank you for sharing that link. How incredible to see all those flowers, candles, memorials... Just when you think your nation isn't appreciated...

[muawiyah]

Haitian?

It has been frequently reported in FR threads about Florida that the Haitians who become citizens tend to register and vote Republican!

It's not likely Republicans are against showing the flag.

I'd guess these are some native grown goons - then, too, we still do have some unreconstructed Confederates around, and they do pop up at the most inopportune times - Jimmy Carter's father was one - totally anti-American according to folks who knew him.

[Map Kernow]

I bet if their pay-check was printed on a check that had American flags on it they would have no problem gladly accepting it.

Old adage: "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

New adage, updated for 21st Century America: "Bite the hand that feeds you---get fed twice as much!"

Seriously, we provide incentives for people to act this way. These jerks probably learned the word "oppression" as a modern "buzzword" like "discrimination" or "hate" that makes people in the media, government, academia, and especially the courts roll over with their legs in the air, whining and whimpering like a whipped dog.

[Arthur McGowan]

I haven't seen any indication on this thread regarding whether these firemen were Southerners, objecting to the flag of the victors in the War of Northern Aggression, in which case they are heroes, or immigrants objecting to the symbol of American anti-Communist Imperialism, in which case they are scum.

[gunnut]

Would you want these guys backing you up in a fire. I would not!

[SAMWolf]

I can't help it but, ROTFL.

[sneakypete]

>>Escort them out of the country as they are no doubt recent immigrants...<<

How and why are you so sure of this? Ever heard of the female congresscritter from Tenn that refuses to honor the flag by standing? She says the same thing these firefighters are supposed to have said. What about Louis Farakhan? He's said the same thing. So have many other blacks who were born in America. So have lots of people with Spanish last names,as well as white people who are communists. ALL born in America,I might add.

[sneakypete]

>>Who would have ever dreamed the Russians care more about us, than the college students WE, the working American pay for to go to school. <<

I was surprised to see lots of "I "heart" America!" bumber stickers on Russian cars my first trip to Moscow in 1995. I was also surprised when damn near every Russian I met socially ended up telling me "God bless America,and God bless Ronald Reagan!"

[truther]

It's a nightmare. Never imagined it could happen! At the time when the military forces (the best and the bravest of the nation) are on the mission to defent America, these bastards have no respect to its people. Like in the time of war, these bastards and others like them, should be arrested, like traitors.

[Amore]

Ok, then maybe you'll believe the AP or the South Florida Sun Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-919-flagtruck.story?coll=sfla%2Dhome%2Dheadlines