I disagree with Mayor Bloomberg

[PCSD722]

By SARA KUGLER
Associated Press Writer


NEW YORK --
City police unions and the family of a dead police detective who worked on Sept. 11 cleanup called Tuesday for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to apologize for saying the officer is "not a hero" because his death was ruled unrelated to the toxic debris.
Speaking Monday to students at Harvard University, Bloomberg was asked about the idea of applying hard science to public policy. In his answer, he brought up Chief Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch's recent conclusion that retired police detective James Zadroga's fatal lung disease was caused not by dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center but by self-administered injections of ground-up pills.
"Nobody wanted to hear that; we wanted to have a hero, and there are plenty of heroes," Bloomberg said. "It's just, in this case, science says this was not a hero."
Zadroga's family disputes Hirsch's findings about drug use; a New Jersey medical examiner ruled separately last year that Zadroga died from inhaling the toxic dust. Zadroga put in more than 400 hours at ground zero, and his death at age 34 made him a symbol of ailing Sept. 11 workers around the country.
The family sought Hirsch's opinion as part of the city's required process to include additional names on the official list of Sept. 11 victims and a memorial wall to be built at ground zero.
"The mayor is a political person; he's acting on a political agenda. To me, he's heartless; he has no compassion whatsoever for people and their lives and their families," the detective's father, Joseph Zadroga, said Tuesday.
Detectives' Endowment Association President Michael Palladino said that the police force had lost faith in the mayor and City Hall, and that Bloomberg's comments stung the hundreds of rescue workers who say they have become sickened after working on the cleanup.
"Hirsch's findings and the mayor's comments are an insult to the families of those first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice, like Jimmy Zadroga, and all those other first responders that are still suffering with the illness of 9/11," Palladino said.
At a news conference Tuesday, Bloomberg praised the detective for his "impressive record" and said he didn't mean to upset anyone. He declined to say whether he regrets the remark about Zadroga not being a hero.
Joseph Zadroga said he would like to meet with the mayor to explain the family's view of the detective's death. The mayor's spokesman, Stu Loeser, said Bloomberg would be happy to meet with Zadroga.
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Does it matter if the cause of his death was from 9/11 cleanup? Not to me, he was there during the cleanup, probably there during the incident itself....besides that he was a police officer, with an impressive record too. A hero in my opinion.
PCSD722

[Resident Smart Ass]

This Mayor is one of the biggest POS on this planet
I can't stand this F***!!!!!!!

[MacLean]

He's a first class chunk of excrement.

He has people out committing crimes in other states for his war on guns.

*spit*

[So Fla Cop]

Bloomturd and Ray Ray will go down as the worst is history....THEY SUCK.

[Growler]

I second the sucking motion...


For him to say this about this officer and yet no track marks of any kind were found on him and still he gets this kind of treatment. Damn Bloomers prolly tried to avoid naming one more person that would have to have money paid to their family.

[Terminator]

Bloomturd and Ray Ray will go down as the worst is history....THEY SUCK.

I absolutely agree!