Should The NY Marathon Go On As Planned?

[ABM]

Personally, I don't care one way or the other. I was curious, though, about the arguments for and against holding the venerable event in light of the aftermath of Sandy.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

paul ryan joke blah blah michael phelps blah weed blah

 

[ABM]

Huh, just saw this...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/new-york-city-marathon-canceled-after-severe-backlash-from-public.html

Under enormous pressure from a city in distress, New York City Marathon officials decided late Friday afternoon to cancel the race less than two days before it was scheduled to begin.

The announcement came only a few hours after Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended his decision to keep the marathon scheduled for Sunday. Bloomberg called the annual event a way to show "solidarity" with the millions affected by Hurricane Sandy, many of whom still remain without power and plumbing several days after the storm devastated the region.

"The Marathon has been an integral part of New York City's life for 40 years and is an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch," Bloomberg and marathon director Mary Wittenberg said in a joint statement. "While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division. The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination. We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it.

"We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event – even one as meaningful as this – to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track."

 

[maxiep]

Fucking Bloomberg. There shouldn't have been any question that the marathon should have been cancelled or moved. In Central Park, they had two huge generators plus one on standby, each one capable of powering 400 homes, just for the press to cover the marathon. Meanwhile the outer boroughs have no power. Shameful.

 

[PapaG]

Fucking Bloomberg. There shouldn't have been any question that the marathon should have been cancelled or moved. In Central Park, they had two huge generators plus one on standby, each one capable of powering 400 homes, just for the press to cover the marathon. Meanwhile the outer boroughs have no power. Shameful.

Millions of people are still without power, and FEMA has run out of water.

What a clusterfuck.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Millions of people are still without power, and FEMA has run out of water.

What a clusterfuck.

if this were to have happened under the Rs watch...you would have heard the outrage around the world....

 

[PapaG]

if this were to have happened under the Rs watch...you would have heard the outrage around the world....

It would be 24/7 Bush sucks. Instead, virtually nothing in the major media about it. How anybody with any intelligence can deny that the major media is simply an extension of the Democratic party is baffling to me.

 

[Nate Dogg]

There goes $340 million of income that the city didn't get (since it got canceled).

 

[RR7]

should have went on as planned.

 

[maxiep]

The generators are still sitting in Central Park while people are freezing in Staten Island.

To paraphrase George W. Bush, "Heckuva job, Bloomie."