Lesson I've learned from the Socal Fires

[tired_old_fireman]

I've seen lots of forest fires in my lifetime. I've seen lots of finger pointing at who is to blame for the devastation. Usually, the blame is aimed at politicians. Sometimes, the blame is spread to the homeowners. I've even seen a senile politician named Conrad Burns blame the firefighters themselves for being lazy.

I've never seen a public reaction like the one being displayed now. As I've searched the internet for information on the fires, I've been bombarded by hate speech in comments on websites that are supposed to be liberal like the San Francisco Gate and Democratic Underground.
So called liberals express a hatred for Socalers for being rich. Conservatives express a hatred for Socalers for being liberal. There are some really ignorant, hateful people out there. I know they don't represent everyone, but their hate is a presence. I know that one should not take comments on internet sights seriously, but it has even pervaded radio. Glenn Beck said " handful of people who hate America ... are losing their homes in a forest fire today" Did Beck get any reprimand or make an apology for his comments? No. Is he still on the air? Yes.

I think back to 9/11 and the way this country united around New York and DC. It was a time when politics were not a factor. Now, I'm not saying the loss of property in anyone compares to the massive loss of life on 9/11. I am saying that this country used to have compassion that when beyond geographical and political boundaries. We don't have that anymore. What happened to our country?

Ironically, I've never been one to mourn for people who lose property in a fire. Property can be rebuilt and replaced. This time, I mourn for all these people who are losing their houses while around the country, people are dancing on the ashes.

I don't even know why I'm writing and posting this. It seems self indulgent. I just want to tell anyone who is evacuated or sitting in their homes near the paths of fires and scouring the internet for information that my heart is with you. I don't care who you voted for last election or who you plan to vote for this election. I don't care if you are rich or poor. My heart is with you.

[begin_within]

1. Thanks for posting that. The rich people live at the coast. The people living in

the rural and suburban areas are generally middle-class (if there is a middle class any more). Just ordinary folks, with their modest 3 bedroom house, that happens to be surrounded by hills with dry brush or by trees that are dry from lack of rainfall. I wish people would quit thinking that everyone who owns a home in southern California is rich.

[Hekate]

43. *

self delete--just tired

[annabanana]

2. In a world where anyone could find themselves in dire straits...

with their lives and everything they've worked for on the line, I too find it hard to listen to the acrimoney you describe.

...There, but for fortune...

[femmocrat]

3. K & R

Thanks for posting. You offer a valuable perspective, IMO.

I hadn't heard about that jerk, Glenn Beck. I hope KO has him for "worst person in the world."

[NC_Nurse]

4. Thanks for this.

You are so right. I'm so sad that people are being so callous about this
situation. It's amazing. I can't believe what Beck said either. He should be fired. Period. :hi:

[burrowowl]

5. Welcome to DU tired-tired-old-fireman!

:toast:

I'm glad the evacuees are being taken care of, a contrast from New Orleans.

And thank you for your service as a fireman.

[shireen]

37. i'd like to add my thanks as well, for your service

Tired-old-fireman, you're my definition of a real hero! :)

And welcome to DU.

:yourock:

[parasim]

6. Thanks for your thoughtful post.

I totally agree. I'm so, so tired of everyone politicizing every frickin' thing that happens.

[MedleyMisty]

7. Do some googling

and see what people said about Katrina victims. Same kind of stuff, except maybe more vicious because most of them were poor and black.

Humans suck, basically. I struggle with that and go forth and back on it all the time and sometimes I excuse them for being what they are because they don't know any better and they're just trying to get through the day and other times I hate the species with the fire of a million suns.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Actually in meaning they were the same things

people find excuses not to feel empathy, whether they are white, black yellow, rich, poor, does not matter

[Cha]

8. I'm glad you wrote it..you

need to get it out. I'm sorry for all the stupid posts that have been written on our Board..just know that most of us feel only compassion and sadness for the fires that are raging in California and we're grateful there are brave firefighters all over the place.. doing their best.

[tired_old_fireman]

11. Maybe I'm feeling more upset than usual

because I'm sitting in my apartment--smelling the smoke from across the valley, watching the sanitized news footage on TV and wishing I could put on my nomex clothes one more time, grab a shovel and go hold the fire line with my friends.

[Cha]

26. You know that's a part of it... I just got off the

phone with my sister in Chula Vista and for some reason the fires aren't around where she lives but she can smell the smoke when she goes outside. She said couric was in Chula Vista today with cbs..

She also said everybody is donating so many things to Californians that the generousity is overwhelming!

[Booster]

9. It is sad, isn't it? Americans need to realize that everything from

the beautiful West Coast to the magnificent East Coast, and everything in between is ours; all of ours. As I watch my beautiful state burn and know it will be scarred for a very long period of time, I know it will bounce back as it always does and be more beautiful than before, but the "they're getting what they deserve" crowd in just beyond words. Thanks for your kind words, old fireman; they are very much appreciated.

[Mutineer]

15. Saw another thread today and a poster talked about Florida

and how people here and elsewhere bashed it during the hurricanes in '05 and wanted it all to vanish off the earth because people there "voted for Bush". So let's condemn and wipe off an entire part of our beautiful country becasue some there might, and that's a big might, be Republicans. I've seen the South bashed here. I've seen Christians bashed here. I think that the ideal DU'er is someone who is a East Coast resident, an atheist, who doesn't own a home or apartment and oh yeah, be careful not to earn too much or you can't be a "good" Democrat. There are some people here who have a lot of hate, rage, envy issues that they need to work out with a therapist. I love my country and I love my fellow Americans. There are some I don't LIKE very much but I don't want to see anyone suffer and make no mistake about it, those people in SoCal are hurting like hell right now.

[Booster]

19. Thank God, there are a lot more good people on DU than bad,

but the bad just seem to come out at times like this. I'm originally from Texas so lived most of my life listening to the "my state is better than your state" crowd til I wanted to throw up. Now, I just calmly say to them "you really do need to get out and see the rest of the U.S." Texas might be bigger, but it's nowhere near better.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. What you are seeing is something insidious

you put your finger on it...

And I hate to say it.. but what you are seeing is the end of the country, as an entity

This is just one more symptom

And as a former first responder, it breaks my heart too

[kineneb]

32. it is almost as if the BushCo attitude has give people permission to be mean

and to stop caring about their fellow citizens... I know this started under Raygun, but it has gotten so much worse in the last six/seven years...

but you are right, it is part of the disintegration of the "empire"... wonder if Rome in its later days was like this...

ed-f/ weird smiley

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. Yes, if you read any of the late chroniclers of the empire

we are more like Rome than anything else

[Selatius]

41. You're right. Our country is fracturing because Regionalism is becoming popular once again

Regionalism, basically identifying with the region from which you come above and beyond the country that region is in. In this case, the United States or simply Union.

[NorthernSpy]

13. you've "never seen a public reaction like the one being displayed now"?

Holy smoke, did you spend Hurricane Katrina in a coma?


Let me tell you something. You take every single hateful, asshole-ish word uttered about the fire victims in California and bring them to me. For every one of those words, I can easily trade you a thousand words of hate, contempt, and outright slander that were hurled at the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

It sucks to have people say they don't feel sorry for you because you're rich. It also sucks to have people say they don't feel sorry for you because you have the nerve to remain poor in the Land Of Opportunity (tm). And yes, people said shitty things like that.

It sucks even more to have people spread absurd rumors, such as that "you people" went wild and started filling a freezer with murdered children, or that "you people" decided to blow your relief money on designer luggage -- just two of the urban legends that actually made it into news accounts of the storm until they were finally debunked. I tend to suspect that the fire evacuees will generally be spared that sort of defamation, for some reason.

I think back to 9/11 and the way this country united around New York and DC. It was a time when politics were not a factor. Now, I'm not saying the loss of property in anyone compares to the massive loss of life on 9/11. I am saying that this country used to have compassion that when beyond geographical and political boundaries. We don't have that anymore. What happened to our country?

Where the were you, and where was this sentiment two years ago?

[tired_old_fireman]

17. I wasn't in a coma. I was speaking about fires.

Obviously, this is just a blip compared to Katrina. You are right about everything you say.

I just made this post about people's reaction to fires because that is what I pay attention to in my life.

[Vektor]

14. Thank you. My sentiments exactly.

How anyone can use a disaster such as this one as a catalyst to spew hate is beyond me.

Thanks for your voice of reason.

[Sukie1941]

16. I too am very sorry about the fire losses

in Southern California.

But I would caution people from rebuilding there. In 2003 over 3,500 homes were lost in So. California. Those hills will continue to grow brush (how long does it take to regrow?) and the winds will continue to blow.

So why tempt fate again? Some people who rebuilt after 2003 are barely back into their homes now and facing yet new fires.

[Riktor]

35. Uh, ok

I've lived all over the country. It doesn't matter where you build your house, there is something there that will tear it down. In New England, a Nor' Easter or flooding river could ruin your life. In the Midwest, a tornado could tear your home asunder in a heartbeat. In the South, a hurricane will do the job. In the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, you could always be killed by a volcano.

I'm sick of people telling me I should have expected this shit when I moved to California. It isn't any fucking safer anywhere else in this country.

[ClayZ]

18. Hello, tired_old_fireman.

Not everyone is like that... My rested_young_fireman son, Tyson, left home (WA) and family, this a.m. to fly down there along with the hundreds of thousands of firefighters to help out. His dept. sent 6 young men, who went to fight structure fires.

We all co-exist here. It is about time the MSM got the idea!

Loveing Kindness!

Thanks for being a firefighter!

[tired_old_fireman]

20. Thanks to your son too even though I'm jealous of him.

I miss helping people in that way.

[ClayZ]

21. It is guys like you,

that were his inspiration, and his teachers!

[Blue_Roses]

31. my thoughts exactly...

I'm so proud of all those who I see pitching in--firefighters, volunteers. A fire is not partial to anybody. My heart goes out to all who are working to put these fires out and those who are suffering through the loss and fear. We need more compassion in this world.

:hug:

[Mountainman]

22. Every time I read about the fires sadness wells up inside me. I live on the

Central Coast of CA but use to live where the fires are back in the 80's and 90's. I know those people are not rich. It takes a lot of money to live here and that money doesn't go any farther here than less money does in the Midwest.

The amount of hate speech and hateful feelings in this country are bringing about lots of bad karma on all of us I think.

Maybe we can get more people involved in loving kindness meditation.

[FloridaJudy]

25. Okay. I'll start

May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings grow in wisdom and understanding.

And may those who've lost homes in this tragedy find a new place to flourish and be joyful.

Peace.

[Mountainman]

28. That's nice, thanks

[ClayZ]

29. I will join in!

May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings grow in wisdom and understanding.

And may those who've lost homes in this tragedy find a new place to flourish and be joyful.
May all the Firefighters be safe.


Peace.

Loving Kindness!

[xiamiam]

23. i also live on the central coast..and i'll tell you, i am heartsick..and frightened ...

i cant explain the horrible knot in my stomach as i think about the loss with no end in sight...this is awful...just awful...

[neutron]

24. urban sprawl is a factor.

California needs to stop urban sprawl that is eating up
vegetation and wildlife habitat.

Clearly this is contributing to global warming.

Even the rich should start living in highrises. It is a great way to live -
they can have wrap around terraces and pools.
Plus it is less destructive on the environment.

The government should buy up all of these lots, and build the
displaced a gorgeous new highrise.

[Autumn Colors]

27. My sister has her car packed at this moment

Evacuation isn't mandatory in their neighborhood ... yet.

My sister is a liberal democrat. She and her husband are NOT rich. My sister works as a manager at Target, for crying out loud. She's been trying to explain to their adopted son why he couldn't go out and ride his bike even though there was no school. Their cat refuses to leave her side.

People saying this shit (esp. people who are supposed to be fellow liberals) make me want to scream.

[K8-EEE]

30. Agreed but there's much more understanding here at DU then anything else

The very few people who are being assholes, my advice is they belong on the ignore list -- I keep seeing threads like this that make it seem like most people here are being assholes, they are not!

I join the VAST MAJORITY of DUers in wishing all in the fires' paths peace and safety, regardless of their socio-economic situation!

I myself know two families whose houses are in danger, one working class family in Agua Dulce and one very wealthy family that has a vacation home in an area by Arrowhead with all their family souvenirs in it, because they use it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope both their houses are OK!

[NuttyFluffers]

33. you're spending too much time on the 'net, honestly.

there'll be hate enough for anything, anyone, at anytime on the internet. in that way it is a lot like porn. if there's a way to hate and mock and savor another's pain it'll be available on the internet. you gotta learn to relax and take things as they come. the world is filled with loud boors, has been since time immemorial -- except the internet gives them a larger venue and their venom stays up longer. nothing new, nothing serious.

[shireen]

34. thank you, i completely agree

I have a hard time comprehending how these people can revel in the suffering of others. It'a sickening.

I'm with you; my heart is with SoCal during this terrible ordeal.

[slackmaster]

36. Thanks TOF, I think the perceived anonymity of the Web challenges some peoples' humanity

But not everyone's.

[tomreedtoon]

38. Three words. Bitterness. Anger. Futility.

They're everything Americans are facing now. Bush, the Republicans, and the passive Democrats have brought us to this emotional state. So we will lash out at anyone or anything we perceive to be a threat.

Those people owned homes. Most of us never will. Most of us are hoping to die before the retirement that we will never have. That would make even St. Augustine sneer.

It might help if there was someone in this country who could inspire hope, caring and healing in the United States. It might reawaken the best impulses in all Americans. Unfortunately, there isn't anyone doing that, especially not among the Democrats.

[robinlynne]

39. really well said. I just ignored the haters, without stopping to think about

how absolutely insane that is, and, as you said, how our country is changing fast.

[Hekate]

42. Thank you. LA Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote about the classism & racism of many posts...

...at the LA Times website. It is atrocious.

It's also taking place at DU, and I feel like I've spent the last several days trying to stamp out flaming jerks. The so-called progressives who are envious of others' supposed good fortune and want to dance in the ashes of their homes are making me sick.

Anyhow, thanks for your post.

Hekate

[puebloknot]

44. Thank you for this post, and it's especially valuable coming from...

...a tired old fireman.

Certain people need to grow up and realize that everyone who is "rich" (and how do we define that, other than to say they are not begging in the streets by comparison to others) is not necessarily a Republican, and that people do get "rich" in honest ways. Having the talent and courage to, say, start a business, or getting a degree which leads to a job at a university, or becoming a doctor -- these are honest pursuits which generally lead to being able to live at a level above those who work at paid jobs. Both are honorable. Those who rise can fall -- owing to illness or some kind of downturn. Those at the bottom levels can make their best effort to improve through, say, attending a community college.

We're "guaranteed" (or we were) the right to the *pursuit* of happiness. If someone else's good fortune/hard work has yielded higher returns, then that's life. Those who gloat over the misery of others, no matter what their circumstances, are pretty unevolved.