They did not hesitate when the towers first were attacked and then fell. They labored long, agonizing months to rescue survivors, to find and identify the victims, to cleanse the gaping wound ripped through the heart of America's iconic city.
They worked while fire burned for months after the attack. They had inadequate haz-mat protection but they persisted.
For nine years politicians and pundits have taken their name in vain for rhetorical effect - using their contributions as a shining example of the best the American people offer - heroism, patriotism. In the meantime, the heroes themselves have been suffering from prolonged exposure to the nightmare that was ground zero. To deny them relief after so ruthlessly laying claim to their accomplishments would be to admit that rank hypocrisy and double-speak drive our public discourse.
Last week on Comedy Central's Daily Show Jon Stewart supported their cause far more eloquently than I could.
Here's what I think...
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