Mayor Rudy has jumped the gun again. Responding to the reports that two cops and two firemen were on that float in the Broad Channel Labor Day Parade, supposedly in "blackface," hizzoner has called for the firing of any city employee that was involved.
Hold your horses, Rudy! Remember when the FDNY firemen were accused of the free-for-all at Bryant Park after their Medal Day? One "proby" was "fired" for a few days and rehired, then the whole thing went away. Based on the the news reports then, there were criminal acts committed there, and NO ONE got fired. What happened in Broad Channel? Certainly nothing rose to a criminal act. But, then again, bad taste and immature behavior may have been amended to the NYS Penal Law, but only for cops.
But let us NEVER forget the infamousDET. JOHN WRYNN CAPER! In that episode, Howard Safir literally let Wrynn walk away from serious departmental charges of identifying an NYPD undercover officer to organized crime members that the U/C was investigating. Safir let Wrynn collect a check (at Detective's pay no less) every two weeks for five years in the Property Clerk's Office, rather than "hook him up" for what he did!
Are Rudy and Howie going to sell off the cops and firemen alledgedly involved in the Broad Channel incident for the sake of political correctness? YOU BET! This incident came at a very serious time for these two guys, having been politically "hit" over the handling of the Million Youth March in Harlem this past weekend. Serving up these four as human sacrifices for the politically correct crowd is consistant with the inconsistances of the political animal.
However, Prosay sees a First Amendment issue here. Without going into the "why's" and "wherefores" of the whole thing, there is an obvious comparison to just what was said by KALLID MUHAMMAD up in Harlem. The preaching by everyone then was that, in the United States, no matter how offensive our words are, we all have a right to speak them.
Instant Update: While composing this editorial, Prosay heard Giuliani speak on the Broad Channel subject on his weekly radio program on WABC-AM in NYC. Rudy has changed his tune a bit. Apparently originally not familiar with Civil Service Law, as well as the contractual obligation of the City with the NYPD and FDNY, he has backed off of "firing" those people and called for those cops and firemen involved in this episode in Broad Channel to "apologies and resign." Save that statement for President Clinton, Mayor! The first call from a listener asking if off-duty cops that participated in the Harlem rally (where cheers went up when Jews were called "hooked-nose bagle- eaters...") would also be "fired" or asked to resign, caught Rudy way off guard and he refused to answer it! A later caller also asked a similar question. Rudy tried to throw some "P.C." spin on the whole thing, by saying that if he was to allow a cop who took part in something like the Broad Channel incident to remain a cop, and, at some later date, the cop was to "shoot someone...," there would have been an implication that Rudy should have not allowed the cop to stay on the job. What about the details of the shooting, Mayor? Wouldn't that have anything to do with it? Do you, Mr. Mayor, REALLY believe that someone that took part in such a sophmoric act would really go around shooting black people? What if that same cop shot a white person...would that be alright then?
Should we have expected anything more from a politician?
