Sword's Tavern

You know, I have a saying that I have used for a long time that seems to get more and more appropriate as time goes by.  This saying is “If everyone did their job, there would be a lot less jobs to do.”  As if you couldn’t infer from that, I get frustrated by people that don’t do their jobs and thus make more work for or life harder on the rest of us.  However, there is another aspect to this, and that is people that don’t do their jobs because of sheer apathy, or some stupid reason like a morbid sense of satisfaction at watching someone elses suffering, or a(n) (im)moral high ground, or that ever popular “following orders” excuse, etc.

I am speaking of people who have lost touch with humility, compassion and really anything that tethers them to the human race, to still actually being able to be called a human being.  So far removed from humanity they have become, they are able to stand idly by, not doing something (like their jobs, their duty, whatever) while someone else gets the shaft, dies, or something similar.

In this example of course, I am speaking of South Fulton in Northwest Tennessee in Obion County where firefighters responded to a house on fire call, a house owned by Gene and Paulette Cranick, only to stand idly by and watch, letting it burn to the ground, killing three dogs and a cat.  Not one firefighter lifted a finger to save the Cranick home.  Why, you ask?  Because Gene Cranick is human, and forgot to mail in the $75 fee that pays for Fire Department services.  Videos of firefighters sitting in their fully equipped fire trucks indolently watching the house go up in flames as Gene Cranick pleaded that he would pay “anything they want” if they would just put out the fire can be found on the net (like here, and here to name a couple). The fire chief has the power to make on-the-spot exemptions, but he refused.  When asked by reporters, Mayor David Crocker reportedly said “If homeowners don’t pay, they’re out of luck.”  Well, no shit, way to win voter support ding-dong.  So, all that stood between Gene Cranick’s home standing tall or being reduced to a pile of charred ashes and debris? Seventy-five dollars ($75).  That’s it.

I still find it hard to believe that a firefighter could stand by and watch the home of another fellow human being burn to the ground.  Even when attempting to use the weak and over parlayed “just following orders” justification.  It didn’t work for the Nazis, it ain’t gonna work for firefighters, not in my book anyway.  I can say with certainty that I would not have been able to stand idly by and watch this family’s home, possessions and pets get destroyed like that.  I might get fired afterwards, but I am the one that has to live with myself in the end.  Besides, how often have one of us forgotten something?  How great does it feel when someone helps us out and gives us the benefit of the doubt, letting us slide that payment in a little late, or get that damage covered anyway even though they shouldn’t?  As long as we pay the bill then of course.  I am not saying the Cranick’s should get a free ride, but he admitted that he forgot to send the payment and offered to pay it right there, and more even.  He even went so far as to offer to pay “whatever they wanted”, just to get some help.  But still, the fire department, firefighters, fire chief, the town and all involved let the house burn to the ground.  Now, aside from Gene and Paulette’s pets dying, they have nothing left.  All of their possessions, memories, and belongings were destroyed in the fire, just like their home.  It’s going to cost them a lot more than $75 to recover from the selfish incompetence of the fire fighters, the fire chief and the mayor (lack of capitals on purpose).

Gee, I sure am glad all of you are perfect and I sure hope you never need help yourself some day.