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76 trombones and a mess to clean up

Mayor Bloomberg will go down in history as the worst mayor that New York City ever had. Worse than Beam and Dinkins combined. That bad.

Bloomberg wants to throw a ticker tape parade for the troops when they come home.

Now, you know I support this war. I support the troops. But I just don't think a ticker-tape parade is appropriate.

A ceremony at City Hall, honoring the soldiers would be nice. Give them the key to the city. Have some smiling, beautiful children's chorus sing America the Beautiful and get some New York celebrity to say a few words. Show it on television. That would all be nice and lovely.

But a ticker tape parade? It seems sort of garish. A bit too happy happy joy joy for something that has to do with a war in which many people - including our own soldiers - died.

Not to mention the fact that the city is in danger of diving into financial disaster
and a ticker tape parade requires an incredible amount of resources from security to clean up.

Honor our troops, yes. But do it with dignity. Not everything has to be flashy and opulent.

I just don't think Mayor Bloomberg knows anything at all about class and decorum.

I'm predicting that I will get flamed for this post

Comments

Bloomberg is simply acting to his true form - a liberal Democrat wearing Republican sheepskin. What an embarassment. Now every act of stupidity he makes will leave a black mark on the Republican Party in NYC.

I agree with you completely. I much prefer meaningful instead of flashy.

Bear in mind that the best Bloomberg could come up with for the 9/11 anniversary ceremonies last September was to have someone read from the Gettysburg Address.

I wouldn't count on anything too creative or too meaningful from him.

Not to be the one to come to Nurse Bloomberg's defense, but if I recall correctly there was a similar parade for the troops following Desert Storm, which amounted to just about the most immense "do" in Heroes' Canyon in NYC's history. I don't remember much in the way of objection.

Then again, I can't help noticing I'm drawing a parallel to the Dinkins administration, which isn't exactly "coming to Bloomberg's defense."

He could actually spend his money to do it.

I think the British are planning some form of parade for their troops as they return, but as far as I'm aware, the whole ticker tape thing is American. Our parade would probaly take the form of a march past the Queen/Chiefs of the Defense Staff and the Cenotaph/Memorial to the Unknown Soldier.

That's my guess, but a good indicator would be the parade they had after the Falkands War, but more low key. I don't know what they did for that, mainly because I wasn't born then.

"But a ticker tape parade? It seems sort of garish. A bit too happy happy joy joy for something that has to do with a war in which many people - including our own soldiers - died."

Er, you've just described EVERY WAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

You know, we had a parade or three after WW2, and I think a couple guys might have died in that one too.

a parade for the troops? from the city that passed an anti-war resolution? someone needs to explain THAT one to me. better yet, someone needs to explain why the troops shouldn't give Bloomberg the finger and not show up?

Ticker tape parade for our troops? HELL YES! Enough of this PC (Politically Correct) thinking, they have put their lives on the line. They accomplished their mission, with great honor and professionalism. They should come home to a heros welcome!!!!

Ticker tape parades are an American tradition to honor our heros. Let them bask in the glory, they deserve it!!

God Bless Our Troops!

I fucking can't stand Bloomberg.

I even made a blog to bitch about him, but it's not worth my time to keep updating it.

I think everyone hates him, except himself

I think they ought to requisition a tank from one of the reserve units in the area, polish the bejeebers out of it, and use it to lead the parade. That mean green killin' machine would be just the thing to show John Q. Public exactly why we kicked so much ass. Maybe a flyover from the Spirit B-2 Bomber. Bloomberg can cough up the cost from his own pocket, though, or he doesn't get to go (thus no political capital out of it).

Would that be fair?

I am in favor of a V-E or V-J Day style triumph, when the time comes, but this is premature. A war has not been won, just a campaign in that war.

This is going to be the work of years, maybe decades. It is not very precise to call this a War on Terror, it seems to me that we would serve truth better to call it a War on One Percent of the Muslims Who Are Utterly Batshit. Terror as a tool of coercion can never be extinguished, as long as there are people who get their rocks off on attacking the helpless, and who marinate themselves in the grudges which they nurse.

But, we do still have men and women volutarily going out to catch bullets on our behalf. They ought to be honored. Maybe until we are satisfied that the Islamist death addicts are swept away, for the time being, and can have a triumph down Heroes' Canyon in NYC, we ought to hold it down to individual parades for units, in the towns where the units are based, whenever they return from the war to an overdue rest.

This war isn't over yet, people, not by a damn sight.

Bloomberg sucks. Big time. But I can't get too upset about giving them a tickertape parade, considering the parades we've had for other returning troops. Not that I'd mind if Mr. Too Rich to Live in Gracie Mansion would pay for it himself.

I only have one question: If they go through with this, will the troops be allowed to smoke during the parade?

Considering that Bloombers referred to the blizzard we got hit with as "A million dollars an inch" for the cleanup and that he threatened the Transit Union with a 5 million dollar bill for forcing the city to come up with a contigency plan against a possible strike, the fact that he is not itemizing the cost for the parade ("a million dollars for every hour of confetti tossing ...") may point to his sincerity on THIS issue.

God know everyone in NYC hates his guts (I can't smoke anywhere except in my house and god forbid I double park my car for more than a nano-second) and he wont get reelected, but this may be a good thing, especially since we were inundated by the great unwashed during the anti-war rallies.

"War on One Percent of the Muslims Who Are Utterly Batshit" That is funny!

Yes, there was a ticker tape parade for the veterans of Desert Shield/Storm. I say bring on the ticker tape for the troops and find a replacement for Bloomberg--he is so disappointing. I'm proud of our troops and it is actually a part of the pyschological healing process for troops to come home to parades and other such victory celebrations. I, for one, look forward to welcoming them home!

Michele, I am an active-duty officer in the Air Force, and even I think that a ticker-tape parade would be ridiculous.

The gratitude of the American people does NOT need to be shown by showering troops with tons of shredded paper.

The support of you & other war-bloggers is inspiration and thanks enough. I mean it. Thank you & the others who support our troops.

The moment I knew the first gulf war was lost was when Bush put together a big ticker tape parade and declared victory. This is not the world series. This is serious and it will not be finished for years and years. Bloomberg is pretty stupid. The only reason I don't dislike him more is I think of the alternatives and shudder. The real villains work in Albany, however. I have not heard a word from Washington about any parades and really doubt I will.

Ticker tape everwhere--oh sure give the earthy-crunchies another reason to bitch and moan. Think of the trees! Seriously.

And FYI, after our Desert Storm victory parade here in DC, it took years to repair the streets from all the heavy artillery that was driven over the pavement.

I'm all for honoring the troops, but couldn't all that money go to a much better cause? Like giving it to veterans' hospitals in the name of those who gave their lives in this war?

I remember, during the Bloomberg vs. Green mayoral contest, thinking of a line David Letterman got off during the Giuliani vs. Dinkins campaign: "What a pity it is that both these fine candidates... can't lose."

Still, a ticker-tape parade for the returning troops is about the least harmful thing Mayor Bloomberg has proposed. If we could hold him down to this sort of thing, New York City might survive his passing.