The Utah State Democratic Party sent out a press release a couple of days ago about an issue that, let’s admit, a lot of Americans care VERY DEEPLY ABOUT. Care to guess what it is? It’s about the Republicans in Congress screwing you, the American citizen, by first screwing cops, firemen, federal agents, cities and towns, paramedics, and everyone else who might work in the field of “First Responder.”

I hate putting press releases in the blog. It’s not personable and they’re often not a lot of fun to read. This issue, however, is just too important to dump into the fax machine and watch it dissapear. So, here it is:

Utah State Democratic Party

455 S 300 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84111 / 801-328-1212 / 801-328-1238 fax

For Immediate Release

Sept. 14, 2006

News Release

“Do Nothing” Republicans Block Help to First Responders to Communicate in Emergencies


In the same week Americans commemorated the fifth anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, and less than two weeks after the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Congressional Republicans in Washington are again blocking Democratic efforts to fund improved communications for our nation’s first responders. The Washington Post reported today that Congressional Republicans are blocking the $3.1 billion in funding for our first responders, despite well documented accounts of how “the inability of police and firefighters to talk by radio was a critical factor” on 9/11 “according to the Sept. 11 commission.”

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 23 percent of the nation’s 60,000 police and fire departments still cannot communicate with each other over the radio, one-third cannot talk to county sheriffs, and most cannot talk to state or federal agencies. [Washington Post, 9/14/06] As the Post reports, “Governors and state homeland security advisers say the issue is their top priority.”

This stunning failure comes despite the fact that the 9/11 commission cited this as a key failure in the response to the September 11th attacks, and after the same problem contributed to the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina. But Republicans dropped the “$3.3 billion over five years in interoperable communications grants” earlier this year from a Senate bill to overhaul FEMA, and Congressional Republicans are now fighting to stop the funding and “over jurisdictional” matters.

“The “Do-Nothing” Congressional Republicans are doing the kind of nothing that gets people killed,” said Utah State Democratic Party Chair Wayne Holland, Jr. “This report shows how GOP Rubberstampers like Reps. Cannon and Bishop have made America less safe by failing to back up their poison rhetoric with honest actions. After twelve years in control of Congress, after the 9/11 commission recommendations, and after the failed response to Hurricane Katrina, Republicans shouldn’t need another national catastrophe to give our first responders the tools they need to save American lives. Democrats offer a new direction that offers real security, and real support for our first responders.”