The Zadroga Act is back in the news again.

But first…June 12 was this blog’s 8th blogaversary.

Image Description: Brightly coloured helium balloons on strings on a bunch

Content Warning: 9/11 discussion and imagery, cancer and other serious illness, politics, personal reflections about low mood, abortion laws, budget cuts, Doug Ford

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8 years! I’ve been writing here longer than I’ve lived in most places, longer than I’ve held down any one job, longer than I’ve volunteered anymore (with one exception)…I’m very lucky in that I’ve got lots of good friendships (hell, lots of casual friendships) that pre-date this blog by even decades, but there’s no denying that blogging as The Girl With The Cane has changed my life in ways that I’d never anticipated it would. And yet I’ve been absent from here for six weeks. Not because I’ve wanted to be – I’ve tried to write several posts since my last one, just never finished any of them. I’ve just been missing the drive to get something posted and out there, even though there’s much to post about:

• The new “heartbeat” abortion laws in the US – only being embraced by some states, but a terrifying reality for the woman of those states, something all women should be concerned about, and most definitely a disability issue, even though they’re not being talked about as such.
• The implications for disabled people of budgetary cuts to healthcare, education, and social services being made by Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford
• On a purely personal level, how life looks as I go into my twentieth year of post-stroke life.

I tried to write all of these posts. But even though I’m feeling so many things lately – sad, angry, fearful for the future, tired…I haven’t been able to put it into writing.

A friend asked a group of us recently what inspires us to do the work that we do, and I realized that I couldn’t tell her. I still get glimpses of it sometimes, when I’m doing advocacy work in the community, or I get caught up in something I’m writing, but I lose sight of it quickly, and that makes me sad.

However, I remembered it clearly the other night, when I saw the footage of Jon Stewart speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the Zadroga Act and recent changes to the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund that provides New York First Responders with medical coverage to treat the deadly illnesses they contracted from working in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre after 9/11.

Jon Stewart and the Zadroga Act

Now, it’s no secret to anyone who knows me…at all…that I’m a big Jon Stewart fan, and I’ve particularly admired his activism regarding the law in question, H.R. 847, The James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act. Several incarnations of legislation designed to help survivors and workers at the Ground Zero site were proposed in the first few years after 9/11, but the first to make it to the Senate was the Zadroga Act, which “funds and establishes a health program to provide medical treatment for responders and survivors who experienced or may experience health complications related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks“, in December 2010.

The Zadroga Act had bi-partison support in the Senate, but some of the GOP were concerned about cost and about how the Democrats proposed to pay for the bill. With the end of the session fast approaching, and a letter signed by all the Senate Republicans threatening the filibuster all legislation until the Bush tax cuts were passed, the odds of the Zadroga act becoming law were slim; the House would be controlled by the GOP when it reconvened in the new year.

Jon Stewart sprang into action, devoting the entire last episode of 2010 of “The Daily Show” to the plight of sick and dying 9/11 First Responders. He had a panel of four of them on the show for an interview, as well as Senator Mike Huckabee (who, urged fellow Republicans to vote for the bill – I’m no Huckabee fan, but credit where it’s due.) You can see some of the interview with the First Responders via this Rachel Maddow clip.

He also gave the Senate such a thorough shaming in his opening monologue that he’s widely credited as the driving force behind what turned the tide in the Senate and got the revised version of the Zadroga Act that Senators Kristen Gillebrand and Chuck Schumer proposed passed at the eleventh hour before Christmas recess.

For a five year period.

In 2015 the Zadroga Act was up to be reauthorized again, and Jon Stewart went to Washington with a group pf First Responders to shame politicians in person into doing so. He was successful – this time he even got the Act extended to cover a 75 year period. We’re only hearing about it again now because in February the Victim’s Compensation Fund that pays for the medical care for 9/11 First Responders announced drastic cuts to both current claims (50%) and new claims (70%). Why is this important? Jon Stewart references the breathing problems in the video, but they were only the tip of the iceberg: Over 50 cancers have been linked to working at Ground Zero, plus a long list of non-cancerous medical conditions.

The Zadroga Act: Bottom Line

The US government promised to take care of people who are dying because they did their jobs, and then tried to back out of the promise because they’re scared of running out of money. That’s what prompted Jon Stewart to come out of what’s basically been hiding since he left “The Daily Show” three years ago to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 11th.

And before you tell me that he must have done this to promote an upcoming project, spare me. Jon Stewart left “The Daily Show” at the height of his career by choice to spend more time with his family, has barely been seen since, and would only need to start a rumour about another show to get his still very large and very devoted following doing cartwheels at the prospect at seeing him a bit more regularly than the odd guest appearance on “Colbert”. Anyone who’s seen the clip of his opening monologue the first night “The Daily Show” returned after 9/11 knows that he was deeply affected by the event, and it’s not surprising that he’s taken this on as a cause.

The Zadroga Act Has Become a Cause of My Own

It’s not just because of Jon Stewart that I blog about the Zadroga Act when I hear it come up. His advocacy drew my attention to it, yes – he’s the reason I know about it. But there are stories that show up again and again in this blog because they’ve grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go, I’ve not been able to stop following them because what’s happening just isn’t right – and this has been one of them.

I watch American news. I’ve heard American politicians invoke the memories of the men and women who ran toward the explosion as everyone else was running away from it, imploring us to “never forget”. And I’ll say what I say every other time I’ve written about the Zadroga Act – the politicians who continue to stand in the way of it are nothing but a bunch of fucking hypocrites, and shame. On. Them. When you ask people to risk their lives for the good of the public, you’d better be prepared to take care of them in whatever way they need once they’ve done their job. You don’t break a promise to fund their medical care for serious conditions contracted in the line of duty while at the same time saying, “But we’ll always look at you as a hero. We’ll never forget.”

As far as I’m concerned, there’s no other way to look at it. I’ve shared this on another blog post, but I’ll share it again, because who knew that FOX News could get to the crux of this so beautifully…I’ve got no idea why Shep Smith and Chris Wallace waste their time there. *trigger for vivid 9/11 imagery*

The good new is that the Zadroga Act was reauthorized permanently the day after Jon Stewart’s testimony. It’s just such a shame that it takes such strong-arming to get the government to do the right thing – and the US government has no monopoly on this.

Back to the Inspiration Question…

What inspires me? People like those First Responders, who run toward life-threatening danger without hesitation because they are so convinced by…whatever it is that keeps them doing that work…that it’s the right thing to do, that they can’t do anything else. I wonder if I have that courage in me. I hope it’s there, but I wonder. If I prayed…I’d pray every day that if there’s a time when that sort of courage is required of me, that I’ll have it.

What inspires me? People who speak loudly and clearly for people who need a loud, clear voice, even if it costs them something. Or everything.

My voice doesn’t feel loud or clear lately, and I don’t feel like I have much courage, but I’m trying to do whatever I can whenever I can. It just doesn’t feel like nearly enough, when there’s so much out there that needs to be screamed about, but I am trying.

Whether you’ve been reading for 8 years or whether this is your first time here…thank you for reading and being a part of this journey. I am thankful for you.

The post The Zadroga Act, Again…and 8 years… appeared first on Girl With The Cane.