Short Take: The Heroes And The Other Heroes

When I thanked the people we don’t see, my use of the word “we” might have been a bit too broad. While most of us may not have “seen” some of the people risking their health for the sake of others, the commanding officer of the 66th Precinct did.

As the sun slowly begins to crack just over the elevated subway station, a crack comes over the radio signaling the beginning of “Operation Cluster Fuck”. An operation spearheaded and ran by no other than Long Island native, Deputy Inspector James King. Like the brave soldiers on Omaha Beach, members of the 66 Pct and the NYPD Traffic Enforcement Division charged the block and risked it all to wake sleeping out of state truckers.

Truckers. Not killers. Not gangbangers. Not drug dealers. Truckers. Those men and women driving big rigs across country to bring food and toilet paper to the huddled masses yearning to be isolated.

Parked along a deserted mixed-use street in the wee hours of the morning lay truckers. Over the road truckers who have been working nonstop the last few weeks in a desperate attempt to win shelf space in stores to prevent the American people from going without. Truckers sleeping in their rigs to catch a few moments of rest before pulling out to take loaded trailers to their next destination. Trailers full of water, diapers, baby formula, and the ever-elusive toilet paper.

At night, they pull their rigs over to the side of the street to grab some sleep. It’s not as if they can offload the trucks in the middle of the night anyway, and they’re tired after driving as long as the law allows. Maybe even longer, but let’s not go there because we need them now. Or do we?

Trailers that will now go undelivered and further set back the fight to keep good flowing to stores so that the citizens of the United States have what they need.

What? The NYPD is on the job, protecting streets from the unlawful parking of trucks that annoys the neighbors.

Truckers are heroes. Cops are heroes. Everybody’s a hero. Except when they’re not.

Luckily, this time, the waters would not turn red from the blood of slaughtered patriots risking their lives to save an enslaved nation halfway across the world but it would mean people not getting what they need, while sitting in quarantine during the largest global emergency since the deadly Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918.

You might go hungry. Your tushie might not be Charmin clean. But at least you can sleep well at night knowing the 66th Precinct has saved you from trucks parked on residential streets. What would we do without our heroes?

34 thoughts on “Short Take: The Heroes And The Other Heroes

  1. KP

    ..and THAT’S how seriously The State is taking covid-19.

    kinda funny when I read today that 200 cops have it in New York.. Maybe the ventilator they need is on a truck in an impound yard!

  2. Guitardave

    Fun fact. A lot of those trucks are owner-operators/independent contractors. A nice little spot where you not only have no support from the company that owns the trailer and goods inside, but you might loose your lease due to not delivering, AND your totally on your own getting your rig out of impound.
    PS: Had my own rig for a couple years in the 90’s, right around the time a lot of deregulation was going on. The level of of BS was intolerable, as both sides, the legal and the lessors, piled all responsibility’s on the truck owner…it sucked, I bailed.
    It didn’t take too long for me to not be…

  3. Hunting Guy

    Since I suck at posting YouTube videos, I’ll just say that “Convoy” by C. W. McCall is the best trucking song ever.

    1. Guitardave

      Nah. It may be the best truckin’ song for wannabe non-truckers who think it’s cool and glamorous…and stockholders in CB radio companies.
      But if your judge the best truckin’ song by truckers, and the huge number of artists who covered it, this ones right near the top. (along with Willin’)

            1. SHG Post author

              I think this put me over the edge on music vids and it’s time to pull the plug on them. It’s gotten out of control.

              It’s particularly unfortunate that, just like comments, they tend to go off the rails. Jerry Reed killed it.

            2. SHG Post author

              Let’s limit it to one a day for you and GD, and the rest (myself included) can get back to talking about the post. And comments about who did a song better get unceremoniously trashed.

            3. Guitardave

              Trains ‘go off the rails’…trucks ‘go in the ditch’.
              I know, I know, J.R. and Trans-Am’s got you triggered, but please, try to stay on topic.

  4. Raccoon Strait

    A message to Deputy Inspector James King:

    Though I know your just ‘doin’ your job ‘protecting’ and ‘serving’, which you aren’t legally bound to do. Was there a sharp drop in crime there? Did you feel an irrational need to keep your troops busy?

  5. Rojas

    Some of the parts we make are critical components in Transport Refrigeration. As such we are deemed essential suppliers under federal CISA guidance.

    When things get really bad those trailers are used for other things. Bellevue Hospital has put in place makeshift morgue with refrigerated trailers.

    I reckon there is a fair probability that Inspector James King actions and impounding much needed supplies are going to result in a surge in demand in that makeshift trailer space.

  6. norahc

    Just one more reason to never deliver to NYC. Guess I’ll deliver where they at least tolerate truck drivers.

      1. norahc

        Might look kind of strange offloading 45,000lbs of chicken nuggets at Casa de SJ. But if I see the Official SJ Mobile World Headquarters© out on the road I’ll honk and wave with all of my fingers.

        1. LocoYokel

          He’ll just park it out back and save those nuggets for the grandkids his kids keep not giving him.

      1. Pedantic Grammar Police

        If you think your comments went off the rails, you should see the comments to David’s post.

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