The 911 radio and phone transcripts were released by the Port Authority here in NYC last night. They are posted on Yahoo and CNN. Pretty moving stuff. Some of these people were victims. Some others were hero’s in every sense of the word.
Two men in particular are Frank DeMartini and Pablo Ortiz. They are credited with saving the lives of over 50 people. Regular guys, one an architect another a construction inspector. They cleared a path and led 50 people to safety. Then went up the stairs ,not down, to find more. This was on floor 88 and 89.
I don’t know I just think people ought to be reminded of this. I was at a bar last night in NY. When this stuff came on TV, they turned the music off, turned the TV up and we just watched and listened.
Is it true that the New York Times took the Port Authority to court to get those transcripts released…?
If it is, then every single one of those journalistic assholes need to experience a Goldberg Penile Stickjob. (see video)
I take nothing away from the heroic guys and gals that lost their lives inside, (anniversary is coming up very soon - lest we forget) but in the spirit of debate etc., what the hell was gained by going to court to get those phone calls released…?
Why revist it? It’s done, it was horrible. Nit picking people’s mistakes when there is nothing that can be done about them seems pointless .Most if not all those people had the best intentions tyo help. But any kind of blame is usless at this point.
But if we find the mistakes then the victims families can sue for damages. I’d bet money that is the next thing to happen.
Someone will find a few obvious errors made on the tape and decide that this poor 911 operator needs to loose their job because their husband/wife/friend might not have died if that error hadn’t been made. So they’ll sue the city.
Can any one give a GOOD reason these tapes were released? I mean besides the ‘now we know even more why they are all heros…’
Ok, I needed to back up my own arguements… I just read the transcripts from 8 different calls. They are heart wrenching and beyond what anyone needs to know for ‘news’. What possible gain can come from reading a paniced phone call from a worried wife to the PA, her husband was on the way up the stairs when the tower fell. Or the call from 5 people trapped on the 90th floor. Or the reports of people falling from the building. There is NO news here. Just terror and pain and worry. Does anyone know of ANY solid justification of this?
Avoids - Yes, of course it does. I’m not debating THAT. But reading and listening to these calls is a ‘bit’ over the edge of ‘the public’s right to know’
If I had been one of those people making a phone call (looking for a loved one or trying to get out) the last thing I would want is to have my terror and pain broadcast to the world.Not that I would be ashamed, but perhaps those people would like to keep SOME privacy about one of the most traumatic moments of their lives?
911 calls are on the news all of the time. Like it or not they are not private in nature. They are taped as public domain to be used in court, etc.
It’s no different than battle footage shot on the front lines. It’s ugly, it’s very poignant, but it’s the way it was. Sanitizing it does nothing to show the truth. Hiding it does nothing to reveal the nature of what happened.
We try to hide too much of what the world is like under the guise of protection of our kids, our sensibilities, or the families of the victims. After the families are notified of the death, and circumstances thereof, of their loved one they can avoid watching coverage of the incident if they so choose.
If we keep from getting our gut wrenched or avoid things that make us tear up, or rage in anger we are running from the truth. Then we are stuck in our insulated little world all warm and fuzzy in our cocoon making important decisions in what amounts to a vacuum.
The people on Flight 93 got the right idea a tad too late to save themselves. If we pretend the world is all better now we will be doomed to repeat their mistake.