Friday, November 2, 2012

Maybe not the best time for the marathon

From the Daily News:

Who needs electricity, when we can watch tens of thousands of runners testing their physical limits on our streets?

That’s how it will be sold to America. And of course, this is nonsense. It is almost always nonsense when we turn sports events into something more important than what they are.

The Marathon is being run, mainly, because it would be a pain in the neck to reschedule, and because it would cost organizers and local businesses a ton of money. Not because this race is of any importance to the people who are huddled in shelters right now, still waiting for some hot water, or sitting homeless after their buildings have burned to the ground.

And definitely not because it is the right thing to do.

“If you saw what I saw in South Beach, Midland Beach and New Dorp Beach this morning, you would know how idiotic it would be to take even one asset away from people in dire need,” wrote Staten Island Councilman James Oddo.

The New York Marathon is a mass event that will tax the city’s strained resources, and should not forge ahead on Sunday. It will be run nonetheless, and likely go ahead without terrible incident. But it will be draining the police presence needed elsewhere and will fill precious hospital beds with relatively wealthy people who are inflicting damage unnecessarily upon themselves. Bellevue Hospital and NYU Langone have been forced to shut down and evacuate patients after the hurricane. The last thing this city needs at the moment is a rash of self-imposed injuries and cardiac complications.


And the marathon will have power while a million people are sitting in darkness!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it good for morale or does it waste needed manpower?

BS as usual. If we hold a marathon it shows that NYC is resilient and on top of things. Yeah....right!
The Brooklyn bridge is for sale ...too!

Any buyers?

Anonymous said...

CANCEL THE MARATHON

Anonymous said...

MANY NEW YORKER DON'T HAVE ELECTRIC OR GAS BUT THE MARATHON WILL HAVE PLENTY.

MR. MAYOR HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS WILL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM OUR COMMUNITIES FOR THIS EVENT

CANCEL THE MARATHON

Jerry Rotondi said...

Think big, Mayor Bloomberg.
To hell with the marathon. Let's bring the Olympics to New York.

Anonymous said...

If I didn't have eletricity for deys and Con Ed said it might be a wwek of more until service was restored I'd organize a bunch of "have nots" sort of like OWS did and block the marathon at several locations, perhaps one or two in each borough.
This might get the asswipes at Con Ed and Bloomberg's attention.

So what if the NY Road Runners get pissed. It's not like they can move the race to Jersey.

Robespierre said...

"Let them eat cake...let the marathon go on".

Thus sayeth Marie Antoinette Bloomberg!
Where are the guillotines? The empress needs a good shave!

Anonymous said...

The limosuine liberals (implying this is makes up a great number of the people who run in the marathon) need something to do after 3 days of cabin fever.

georgetheatheist said...

The obscenity of all of this?

Ground Zero, hallowed ground, gets flooded.

Anonymous said...

Has the Mayor been watching the news or reading the papers.
How can you have a Marathon when there are areas along the route that have been affected by Sandy and are devastated.

Simply amazing Mr. Mayor that would even think of still having the marathon in NYC.

Anonymous said...

Those running in the Marathon can show their support for New Yorkers
in need by continuing to run.

With one glaring exception.

Run in the opposite direction!

Run down to south Staten Island in a show of mass protest.

Bring the world's attention, by way of the mass media, to the pain our fellow New Yorkers are enduring.

This has truly become a tale of two cities.

Runners, please help us.

Anonymous said...

Well a pol on S I thought it was a bad idea.

Any of the pols from Queens?

Or, like rats and sinking ships, did most of them run .... away from the mess until things blow over?

Anonymous said...

Anon No 7:

I don't think there are a lot of Liberals (learn how to spell "limousine," will you?) who think very much of the idea of holding the marathon. Check out this article in The Nation, which isn't exactly conservative in its politics:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/170978/love-postpone-damn-marathon#

There's a link to an online petition in there. Go ahead and sign it.

Anonymous said...

The marathon shgould have been canceled. But please don't blame the runners, blame the Mayor.

Anonymous said...

Boycott the Marathon. I hope no one lines the streets to cheer them on. This race could have been postponed. Bloomberg is so out of touch with reality. People are suffering. They are cold, hungry, depressed and are in the dark. Generators that could be used to help them sit in Central Park to be used for the race. Police officers are being utilized for the race while people are slugging in out in gas lines and criminals are looting and vandalizing flood areas.

Anonymous said...

Since this is Monty Python week at city government, read this and hum 'Look on the Bright Side'

http://news.yahoo.com/disaster-
tourism-hits-big-apple-084500203--
politics.html

Anonymous said...

There aren't many cops to go around.expect some problems......and don't drink from those cups! A$$HOLES!

Anonymous said...

We can either have the Marathon and Natl Guard or have no Marathon and no Natl Guard. Having both stretches the capability of NYPD, DOT, and Parks Dept to the limit.

Anonymous said...

Triathlon, including swim

Anonymous said...

Olympics? How much worse of a clown show than the UN can that be?

Anonymous said...

i dub doomsberg from this day on "MARATHON MIKE"

btw ,it has been five days since the Sandy hurricane devastated the tri-state area. has any Queens citizen seen a FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ADM. employees in NY/NJ/CT ?

the President photo opped with Gov.Christie and then flew to Las Vegas ,Nevada.

all talk and fake promises ?????? AGAIN.

Layla said...

Forget about lining up for gas--I'll just run wherever I need to go! Hurray for the marathon!