Posted on 07/10/2004 7:24:52 AM PDT by Libloather
Undertakers To DNC: What About Dead Conventioneers?
Just When They Thought They'd Covered Everything...
POSTED: 8:43 am EDT July 10, 2004
UPDATED: 8:51 am EDT July 10, 2004
BOSTON -- The phones have been ringing off the hook at the office of state Senator Steven A. Baddour, cochairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation, with a range of complaints about the effects of the Democratic National Convention on commuters and businessmen.
One of the more unusual ones was from John Linnehan, operator of a Haverhill funeral home. His point, one apparently overlooked by federal and local authorities when they planned the shutdown of some 40 miles of roadway during the conventions: transporting the dead.
"I thought we had talked about it all," Baddour told the Boston Globe. "They raised a legitimate point: What are they supposed to do with the bodies? It's an area I'm sure no one thought of."
Baddour set up a meeting at the State House with convention security officials, who told funeral directors they would try to find ways to accommodate hearses entering the security zone to recover bodies.
Despite the assurances, some funeral directors say security restrictions, road closures, and convention-related traffic mean that funerals in downtown Boston could all but come to a halt during the week of the convention.
The problem is bigger than the inconvenience to families who may decide to delay memorial services and burials, the funeral directors say. Many nursing homes and some hospitals, most notably Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital next door to the FleetCenter, lack refrigerated facilities for storing bodies.
"And it's not exactly the coolest time of year," said David Casper of Casper Funeral Home in South Boston.
After last week's meeting, security officials promised to let hearses into high-security areas if funeral directors call in advance.
But some funeral homes plan to make trips early in the morning.
"You might have to go five miles north and turn around just to go to a place that's a mile north of you," said Dino Manca, director of Joseph A. Langone Jr. Funeral Home in Boston's North End. "I guess we'll do it after midnight if we have to."
At Spaulding, where 296 beds are often occupied by elderly patients, officials plan to work with nearby Massachusetts General Hospital to transport bodies to refrigerated facilities if need be.
"We have a relationship with Mass. General," Spaulding spokeswoman Christine McDonald said. "We will work with them, if for some reason we need to transport a body."
They need to have a plan for a dead party...
Frist thing is to make sure they vote in November.
Stuff them and caste their votes for Kerry and Edwards.
-Eric
Sounds like a Chicago "Get Out the Vote" drive.
"Bring out your dead" Ping!
The convention itself may bring on quite a bit of business. Consider the drug and alcohol abusers there, I'm betting there will be more than a few overdoses, then there is always the chance of a conventioneer succumbing to some STD, the Chinese donors left over from the Clinton administration may be spreading SARS and I suspect there are probably more Libs on powerful 'mood altering' prescriptions, guaranteed to bring on a few murder/suicides.
Geeze, are gas prices so high that a few extra miles are that big a deal? We're talking about hauling a person's remains, it's not like a fun cab ride that takes you out of your way.
How come Dasshole looks so small in that picture where he is digging up votes?
This shouldn't be in the paper. Now the terrorists know they can try to beat the security with a hearse. They might not have thought of it before.
"Many nursing homes and some hospitals, most notably Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital next door to the FleetCenter, lack refrigerated facilities for storing bodies."
The stench emanating from Boston may be of many varieties.
Heck of a story....I thought the rotting flesh was going to be on the podium at the Fleet Center!
Uh... this is the Dem convention. The terrorists will probably be invited to speak.
He didn't bring along the Yellow Pages, which usually accompany the lad.
And we are concerned about security at Boston's "American Hate-fest", why?
We can't be bothered by the dead until after our summer party is over.
-PJ
Because it will be Bush's fault. And because Hillary might survive, but Kerry might not.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.