The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received October 4, 2022.
I’m not usually somebody who finds myself publicly speaking or writing letters to my town newspaper. But this morning, after reading about the Haddam Rally to Support First Responders, I found my blood boiling and am consequently writing this letter. I’ve been a first responder since having been sworn in to my first volunteer position, 2 months after my 16th birthday, and have served full time since just after my 21st. I have worked through some of the worst parts of the opioid epidemic in one of the largest impacted areas of the county, seeing countless men, women, and children die needlessly from its impact. I worked, tired and scared, through the COVID-19 pandemic. I was moving here to Haddam during the first wave of the pandemic and living with my parents who are in their 60s. I was terrified of bringing it into their home for them to suffer the same fate, gasping for air, as many of my patients had been. Working through both of these major events of the last 20 years has had a profound impact on my life, and has exposed me to things I will never forget.
This morning I read that our political candidates created an entirely partisan “Rally for First Responders”’ to pander to their audience and found it completely disgusting. These same politicians supported insurrectionists who attempted to overturn our last election and staged a coup in our nation’s capital, which directly led to the death of three Capitol Police officers. One of these officers was even struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by the insurrectionists. Yet the flyer says that they are there to “Support Law and Order.” These are politicians who denied the existence of the pandemic, denied the value of masking and isolating, and shared misinformation regarding vaccines. These are politicians who, given the opportunity, would do everything in their power to stop programs for the same victims of the opioid crisis that I have dedicated the past 13 years of my life trying to help. This is a thinly veiled political rally under the guise of supporting first responders and does nothing to actually support anybody but themselves. It is the equivalent of commenting “thoughts and prayers” on Facebook as the world is burning around our actual first responders. Real support is helping recruit volunteers or volunteering yourself, fundraising, or advocating for proper funding at political meetings. Even dropping off lunch or baked goods at your local police, fire, or ambulance station would be more supportive than attending this rally.
Respectfully, a first responder who won’t be in attendance.
Dylan Kessler, Higganum
