Free Speech Win: FDNY Appears to Reverse Stance on Firefighters Who Booed Letitia James
When the commissar visits, the peasants shall show respect. No offense, no matter how small, shall go unpunished.
But the offended commissar, in a strategic act of power masquerading as generosity, may disclaim interest in punishing the offenders.
According to Fox News, the New York Fire Department has backtracked on an earlier reported statement that it would “hunt down” firefighters who booed and jeered New York State Attorney General Letitia James at a promotion ceremony last week.
“At no point has there been an investigation into members booing,” an FDNY representative said Wednesday, according to the report.
Do not believe it for one second. The commissar took offense, so the peasants needed to learn their place.
James, of course, brought the victimless and politically motivated fraud case against former President Donald Trump that resulted in a $355 million fine handed down last month by Democratic New York Judge Arthur Engoron.
That ruling — a clear violation of the Eighth Amendment — left Trump’s supporters outraged and many businessmen alarmed.
Liberals, on the other hand, cheered the Marxist tactics employed against a former president whom they so irrationally despise.
[firefly_poll]
Thus, when James appeared at the FDNY promotion ceremony on March 7, some in the audience — presumably firefighters — greeted her with a chorus of boos and chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
As one would expect from Marxist tyrants — but I repeat myself — FDNY officials threatened those who disrupted the ceremony.
In fact, Chief of Department John Hodges told them they have nothing to fear if they have nothing to hide.
“I recommend they come forward,” Hodges wrote in an email, according to the New York Post. “I have been told by the commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward and we don’t have to hunt them down.”
“The [deputy chiefs] shall direct the captain of the company to make a list of those who come forward and send it directly to [FDNY operations],” Hodges’ Soviet-style email continued. “I realize members might not come forward but they should know that there is clear video of the entire incident and they will be contacted by BITS [Bureau of Investigation and Trials] if they don’t.”
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, who never served as a firefighter before assuming her office in 2017, came in for criticism from Staten Island attorney Louis Gelormino, who has offered to assist any firefighters persecuted by the regime, Fox News reported.
“She needs to do a better job of connecting with the rank and file again. The fire department in New York City has never been questioned. They do an incredible job,” Gelormino said.
Meanwhile, James strategically retreated, allowing FDNY lackeys to do the commissar’s bidding.
“The events of last Thursday will not diminish my respect for the brave men and women of FDNY,” the attorney general said. “I will be with them now, and I will be with them tomorrow.”
While this appears to be a victory for free speech, don’t expect the leftists to be deterred.
In “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” (1947) — one of the Cold War era’s most famous documents — legendary diplomat George Kennan explained how Soviet rulers, informed by Marxist ideology, may temporarily change course without altering their tyrannical natures and purposes.
Although Marxists may appear to retreat, “we should not be misled by tactical maneuvers,” Kennan wrote.
In fact, because the Soviet government recognized “the compulsion of no timetable, it does not get panicky under the necessity for such retreat,” he said.
Thus, like all Marxists, James understands only power. She rightly perceived Trump as a threat to the establishment she serves, so she used the power of the state to go after him.
But not every situation calls for such overt, personal tyranny. If it suits the regime’s purpose, then she may retreat and give the public appearance of magnanimity.
After all, when it comes to punishing the peasants, the commissar does not need to get her hands dirty. She has FDNY officials for that purpose.
Rest assured, therefore, that Hodges’ Politburo-inspired email reflected New York officialdom’s true sentiments and intentions.
To the firefighters Hodges threatened to “hunt down”: You booed and jeered James because you understand how Marxists operate. So you know that they will hurt you if they can.
Thank you for having the courage nonetheless to further expose the commissar and her minions as Soviet-style tyrants.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
