Should Tennessee Firemen Have Let the House Burn? By Adam Cohen FROM Time

"But in this case, the firefighters did not work for the Cranicks' county — they worked for a nearby city. Their position was that they had no more obligation to put out the fire than New Jersey firemen would have to answer a call from New York."

I wonder what people would have said if firefighters from New Jersey took the same legalistic approach to the 911 disaster. At the very least, we can say these firefighters were not heroes. Perhaps for most public employees, including firefighters, their work is just another job, not the glorious public service it is usually made out to be.