Dallas police officer dies in Clinton motorcade, Hillary shows incredible grace.
By Pappy McFae
On a street less than three miles from my home, a Dallas police officer was killed while escorting Hillary Clinton's motorcade to a Dallas rally.
The officer, Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirado, 49, apparently lost control of his motorcycle. He hit a cement abutment. The accident happened at approximately 9:20 AM on the Houston Street viaduct near Downtown Dallas.
He was thrown about twenty feet after the impact. He was rushed to Methodist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
He was a twenty year veteran. He had been with the traffic division for five years. He had just joined the motorcycle division about two months ago.
The accident is currently under investigation. For complete details, please follow the following link.
I write this story not because of the officer's death. While it was a tragedy, the officer's death was already on national news. I write it because I was incredibly impressed with Hillary's actions after the accident.This is OpEdNews, after all.
She saw the accident happen from the SUV in which she was riding. She wanted to stop the motorcade and try to offer the officer any support she was able. It was decided that it was more important that the motorcade clear the way for emergency staff to come and render aid to the injured officer. That's not the thing that really impressed me, but it did impress me nonetheless.
Another thing that impressed me was that when Hillary heard that the officer died, she called off a rally in Fort Worth. She went to Fort Worth to make the announcement, and then she had her motorcade head to Methodist Medical Center.
What really impressed me was the fact that once she got there, she spent some time with the officer's widow and children. That was pure class as far as I am concerned. It was refreshing to see that class still exists, even in the world of politics! She's a class act!
She didn't have to do it. She could have just as easily hopped on her plane and headed to her next campaign stop. But she took time out of her schedule to personally offer her condolences.
I am really no Hillary fan, but I have to say that her actions in this situation have made me see her in a different light. While I'd still prefer her to admit that she made a mistake siding with DUBYA on the Iraq War Resolution, I don't hold that against her so much anymore.
It hasn't changed my mind about my choice for president, but it has given me a great sense of respect for her. I haven't felt respect for any politician in so long, I forgot what it felt like. Now I know.
Thank you, Hillary, for putting a little crack in my wall of political cynicism. Even if it only lasts a day, I can appreciate that perhaps there are politicians that are really human beings at the core.
Blessed be! Pappy
http://www.bear-upstairs-studio.com
Harpist, unemployed blue collar worker, and Bush basher living deep in the heart of Texas.
Especially for the comment about me being a gentleman. I'm sure that there are those here who would disagree on that point, but I've never much hung on the opinions of those who can't get below my rough exterior to read between my lines.
I think that what Hillary did was the most noble, honest, human, and altruistic thing I have seen any politician do in the past seven years. I thank her from the bottom of my heart.
And I'm sorry I beat you to the punch. :)
Blessed be! Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 863 comments)
on Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 4:17:33 PM
