3 March 2002
Oh, and just when I thought I was going to go an entire week without getting pissed off by someone, it sneaks up behind me like a big dog with a wet nose. I never heard about this - it was originally reported over two months ago. Here is the original article:
By STEPHANIE GASKELL, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - A statue based on the famous photograph of the flag-raising at the World Trade Center site is being criticized because the three white firefighters in the picture have been transformed into one white, one black and one Hispanic.
Some firefighters and their families say the 19-foot bronze is political correctness run amok and an attempt to rewrite history.
The $180,000 sculpture is expected to be erected this spring at the Fire Department's Brooklyn headquarters in tribute to the 343 firefighters killed in the attack. It is based on the Sept. 11 newspaper photo of firefighters raising the American flag on about 20 feet of rubble.
The decision to represent different races was made by the Fire Department, the makers of the statue, and the property-management company that owns the department headquarters building and commissioned the work.
``Given that those who died were of all races and all ethnicities and that the statue was to be symbolic of those sacrifices, ultimately a decision was made to honor no one in particular, but everyone who made the supreme sacrifice,'' Fire Department spokesman Frank Gribbon said.
But Tony Marden of Ladder 165 in Queens called the decision ``an insult to those three guys to put imaginary faces on that statue. It's not a racial thing. That shouldn't even be an issue.''
And Carlo Casoria, who lost his firefighter son, Thomas, said: ``They're rewriting history in order to achieve political correctness.''
The three firefighters in the photo - Dan McWilliams, George Johnson and Billy Eisengrein - declined to comment. But their lawyer, Bill Kelly, said the men are ``disappointed because it's become something that is political as opposed to historical.'' He said he has written to the management company and the department, asking them to stop production of the statue.
But Kevin James, a member of the Vulcan Society, which represents black firefighters, welcomed the design.
``The symbolism is far more important than representing the actual people,'' he said. ``I think the artistic expression of diversity would supersede any concern over factual correctness.''
Of the city's 11,500 firefighters, 2.7 percent are black and 3.2 percent Hispanic, Gribbon said. Twelve of the firefighters who died were black; the number of Hispanic victims was not immediately available.
A clay model of the statue, created by StudioEis in Brooklyn, was unveiled on Dec. 21. Gribbon and studio director Ivan Schwartz said the statue, while based on the photo taken by Tom Franklin of The Record of Bergen County, N.J., was not meant to be an exact replica.
The photo has been likened to the famous 1945 Associated Press photograph of six American fighting men raising the flag at Iwo Jima.
``We were quite shocked that the image was altered,'' said Jennifer Borg, attorney for North Jersey Media Group, which publishes The Record and holds the copyright. The Fire Department sought rights to reproduce the photo, she said, but the company did not sign any agreement.
Gribbon said the department had not received any official complaints about the statue, but John Gilleeny, a retired New York City firefighter who edits an e-mail newsletter about the department, said he has gotten hundreds of e-mails protesting the decision.
``Questions about race or ethnicity played no part in the brave deeds firefighters performed on Sept. 11, and it does a disservice to the memory of the thousands lost on that day to raise such issues,'' said Bruce Ratner, president and chief executive of Forest City Ratner Cos., the management company that is paying for the statue.
It's really a sad state of affairs when some politician decides that in the spirit of political correctness, he/she is going to change historical facts. The three firefighters who raised the flag were white. The statue is a commemoration of that single event as a representation of the heroism of those who were there, and those who died. Why the FUCK would you change two of the faces of the three men who actually did this? If it wasn't for those three WHITE men, there would be no picture taken by a photographer for The Record (Hackensack, NJ), and definitely no statue.
Maybe we can have the statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall in Manhattan re-done in this same spirit. George will now be wearing a Fubu shirt and holding a taco. Oh, even better, let's change the Statue of Liberty. Put her in Lugz instead of sandals, and the tablet she's holding? Change the inscription to "IV Julio MDCCLXXVI / V Mayo MDCCCLXII" to celebrate the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in addition to our own independence.
Political correctness is bullshit in the first place, and in this instance it is an absolute abomination. Of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives that day, a dozen were black. I couldn't find out how many were Hispanic. However, 3.5 percent of the fallen firefighters who were black are represented a full third on the statue? Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?! 5.9 percent of the FDNY is either black (2.7%) or Hispanic (3.2%). You have a better shot at finding a gay firefighter (10% of all people, according to most research) than you do of a black or Hispanic one, but I don't see one of the firefighters on that statue wearing a rainbow patch.
Kevin James, a member of the Vulcan Society, which represents black firefighters, welcomed the design. ``The symbolism is far more important than representing the actual people,'' he said. ``I think the artistic expression of diversity would supersede any concern over factual correctness.'' [From "The Hal Turner Show" website http://www.halturnershow.com/NYFDStatue.htm]
The "artistic expression of diversity"? You mean the less than THREE of every HUNDRED firefighters that are black being represented a FULL ONE-THIRD? I bet if they were three black firefighters who raised the flag and this statue had been unveiled, ol' Kevin James would be standing right next to Al Sharpton saying that "altering the beautiful black visages of the heroes who raised this flag is a crime against humanity." But they were white, so it's OK. You want a statue that represents racial diversity? Fine, go make up your own. But do not take a factual event and alter it in order to placate minorities. What you've done is used a symbol of bravery and patriotism and mutated it in order to further your political agenda and try and garner a few more votes next election, and in the process negated the very involvement of two of the three WHITE men who took it upon themselves to raise the flag in the first place. This, unlike the statue of Iwo Jima, was not a photo-op - those men didn't know the photographer was there. I'm so incredibly pissed off at this moment that I cannot think straight.
Take your political agenda and shove it up your ass. While you're at it, stick that fucking statue up there with it.
