The Francis Scott Key bridge collapses, and Baltimore’s heart breaks
Readers mourn the victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and look to Baltimore’s history for a vision of revival. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has left six workers missing, many of whom were immigrants from Mexico and Central American countries. The article suggests that immigrants are the foundation of America, often hard and dangerous jobs often performed by immigrants. The author hopes the National Transportation Safety Board investigation will result in improved safety standards for bridge crews. He also notes that the city's access to the water has always been a crucial part of its identity, with the destruction of the bridge cutting off access to its primal watery essence. Despite this loss, Baltimore residents recall two previous instances when the city faced worse and emerged stronger than ever.
Publicado : hace 4 semanas por Letters to the Editor en Travel
Regarding the March 28 front-page article “Mourning for six lost workers spans borders”: When news came that there were six workers missing in the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, it came as no surprise to hear they were immigrants from Mexico and other Central American countries. Repairing potholes on a bridge in the middle of the night is one of the many hard and dangerous jobs in America that immigrants often perform. Rather than “poisoning the blood of our country,” as Donald Trump claims, immigrants are what they have always been: the foundation of America. Highway crews, agricultural workers, care givers and so many other “entry jobs” filled by immigrants are essential to our economy, our infrastructure and the “American way of life” so many of us have the luxury to enjoy.
My heart breaks for Baltimore and especially for the workers whose lives were lost in the collision and subsequent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I hope the National Transportation Safety Board investigation will result in improved safety standards for bridge crews laboring to keep our infrastructure in good repair. The harbor pilot appears to have taken every possible measure in attempting to avert disaster, but ships are only getting larger, and the basic laws of momentum do not change. Operational risk management teaches us that risk can never be eliminated, but it can and should be anticipated: equipping crews with radios, auto-inflating life jackets, water-activated lights or body-worn emergency position-indicating radio beacons could save lives in the future.
Access to the water has always been a crucial part of Baltimore’s identity. It is part of the Chesapeake Bay estuary, which draws its name from the Algonquin phrase “K’che-se-piak,” which means “land at a big river.” The calamitous destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River this week has temporarily cut off Baltimore’s access to its most primal watery essence. To get past that jarring loss and the fear of economic downturn that follows in its wake, Baltimore residents should recall two times in the past when the city faced worse and emerged stronger than ever. Our big river keeps flowing.
During the War of 1812, privateers sailing Baltimore Clipper schooners, then the fastest ships afloat, brought the battle home to Britain. Captain Thomas Boyle of the clipper Chasseur infuriated the Brits by declaring a one-ship blockade of the British Isles. Stung by the success of Baltimore’s ships, the British declared the city a “nest of pirates” and, after capturing and burning Washington in 1814, headed up the Chesapeake to put Baltimore to the torch. British Gen. Robert Ross was asked whether he would return to his farmhouse headquarters for dinner after the attack, and he famously replied, “I’ll eat in Baltimore tonight — or in hell.” But shortly after his breakfast, Ross was shot out of the saddle by a pair of local teenagers. At least the general had a hot dinner. The rest of the British forces were rudely — and, thanks to Francis Scott Key, famously — repulsed.
Fast-forward to World War II, when Baltimore made an important contribution to the battle against Nazi U-boats. The Fairfield shipyard on our harbor built 384 Liberty cargo ships, the most in the nation, as well as 94 Victory ships, which were a larger, faster model. And after the war, the SS President Warfield, a ship from Baltimore’s Steam Packet Co., played a fascinating role in the establishment of the state of Israel. The Zionist organization Haganah converted the ship to run the British blockade of Palestine and renamed it the Exodus 1947. The violent confrontation between the British navy and the more than 4,500 hopeful Jewish immigrants aboard helped galvanize public support for a Jewish homeland.
Take the question of smashing a car window. The article told readers that windows made of laminated glass “are resistant to hard force,” but the majority of cars have tempered, not laminated, glass in the side windows. The article cited an assessment conducted by AAA that found that four of the six tools tested broke tempered glass in a matter of seconds. No need to memorize the kind of glass in your car: If you’re building an emergency kit for your vehicle, determine the type of glass in your side windows by reading the label, and buy the appropriate tool for emergency escape.
Manufacturers should prepare, too. Ideally, cars should be equipped with a hand crank to supplement the electric operation of the windows. It would require design adjustments, but the mechanics are simple. Electric winches on sailboats that raise and lower sails can also be operated manually. There are many scenarios other than sinking in which the ability to get out of your car could be lifesaving.
As a shareholder of U.S. Steel, I voted against the merger with Nippon Steel. Opposing the takeover is crucial for several reasons. First and foremost, it would end American ownership of a significant player in the nation’s steel industry, which has been a cornerstone of the country’s manufacturing for more than a century. Allowing a foreign entity — even a company based in a country that is, at the moment, “a closer-than-ever ally and trading partner” — to take over such a vital sector raises concerns about national security and control over critical infrastructure.
Though research highlighting these disparities has been available for years, pharmaceutical companies have been too slow to make asthma treatment accessible and affordable to vulnerable communities. And it seems more likely that political strategy, not a moral obligation to these humans in need of medicine, is only now propelling pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca to change their asthma drug pricing.
Consider the long-standing and astounding differences in inhaler costs in Europe and the United States: As The Post reported, a GlaxoSmithKline inhaler that costs $26 in Britain is priced more than 12 times higher in the United States. Earlier this year, a group of senators began an investigation into four large companies that produce these pricey asthma drugs. In response, pharma giant Boehringer Ingelheim capped out-of-pocket asthma costs, and AstraZeneca is now following suit. The price for such vital drugs shouldn’t depend on what the companies that manufacture and distribute them can get away with charging.