By The TimesLedger
Imagine if NBC had stopped broadcasting for four days after a worker was discovered with the anthrax bacterium. No “Evening News.” No “Meet the Press.” Just dead air.
Or if CBS, ABC and The New York Post had stopped reporting the news after people related to those organizations were infected with the anthrax bacterium. Or The New York Times where there was a scare.
None of these organizations allowed terrorists the victory of stopping them from performing their jobs.
But not the U.S. House of Representatives. The leaders of the House decided to close up shop and leave a day early after a staffer working in the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) tested positive for anthrax.
Not the leader of the House of Representatives but the leader of the Senate. The Senate, where the anthrax was discovered, stayed in session.
Shame on them. And shame on the Queens contingent. With the notable exception of U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) and Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), they did nothing to protest the decision. Ackerman stood up and described the House’s action for what it was: “Ridiculous.”
On the other hand, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) said he supported the move because “we didn’t want to make our staffs feel uncomfortable.”
Some 6,000 people died in a terrorist attack on the city Meeks represents. Hundreds of police, firefighters and EMS workers died savings the lives of thousands of others. And Meeks is concerned about his staff feeling uncomfortable?
U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said his No. 1 concern was the “health of the staff.” U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) said he trusted the judgment of the leadership. U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Rego Park) said she believed shutting the House was a “prudent, cautionary measure.”
These people have the honor of representing a city that has won the admiration of the world for standing tough in the face of an unprecedented terrorist assault. The message sent from New York City is that we will not let the terrorists change our way of life.
Reason to be afraid? Yes. But none of the media outlets closed shop for even a day. They wanted to send a message to the cowardly terrorists behind this attack that they would not surrender. They decided to stand strong.
Even if it meant meeting in the parking lot of Wendy’s, the House should not have interrupted its business. Not even for a day. The damage in this case was symbolic. In reality, congressman spend little of their time debating and voting on the House floor.
But in a situation like this symbols are important.
There is no getting around it: the House of Representatives caved in to the terrorist threat. In this crucial test of leadership, they failed. We should not forget this when we next enter another great instrument of democracy: the voting booth.
