Letter to Chief McCabe
“Good understanding gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.”
~Pro. 13:15-16
Today, while scrolling through social media, I cam across this post:
When I saw this, I was…to say the least, disappointed. My first response was to lash out in anger but instead, I chose to take a more thoughtful approach. Here is my letter to Chief McCabe:
Dear Chief McCabe:
For many years, I was a firefighter/EMT here in Oregon and I was honored to wear the uniform. I carried my head with honor at the privilege of serving my community. I felt nothing but pride at being a part of such an ancient and honorable trade.
On 9-11, I watched in horror as the second plane hit WTC, knowing what it meant and that hundreds of my brothers and sisters would die trying to save every last soul in that building. My heart ached knowing that they too knew what the outcome was going to be.
My heart swelled as I watched my brothers raise our nation’s flag over the pile, in unity as a country and in defiance of the evil that attacked us on that darkest of days.
On 10SEP25, terror once again struck our country in the form of an assassin’s bullet seeking to silence free speech, not because of anything other than fear of what Charlie Kirk had to say. For good or ill, and make no mistake, Charlie was good, this was about the free exchange of ideas and freedom to debate those we disagree with. These concepts, so foundational to the existence of the United States, were abhorrent to the man who fired that shot.
Once again, this nation was faced with a choice. Stand in unity as a nation against the evil of those who oppose our constitution, our rights and our way of life; or to stand in solidarity with an assassin who found those lofty goals of our founding to be an anathema to his own viewpoint.
President Trump, whom I personally may disagree with, wisely chose to order that flags be flown at half mast in order to show unity and solidarity at a critical time when our nation seems so divided and ready to tear itself apart over ideological differences.
You, as Fire Chief, enjoy a role of leadership for the men and women under your command. Many of whom are likely Christian Conservatives with families of their own and who also followed Mr. Kirk and his work. You have a responsibility to those under your command to show that you are a leader worthy of their respect, a leader worthy of following into battle against the danger that we face every day as firefighters.
Your recent decision and that of the Mayor to defy President Trump’s order shows a degree of myopathy that is, frankly concerning. The Mayor has chosen to put politics in front of unity. To put discord above reconciliation. He chose to ally himself with the assassin who sought to silence Mr. Kirk rather than with the students of all stripes who chose instead to debate him.
Your team deserves a chief who will rise above political affray and do the right thing. To be strong in the face of a divisive order based on purely political motivations by a petty man who chooses blind political hatred over reassuring your community of a commitment to healing and unity.
You alone can change this. You can choose to take a stand for what’s right, to say, “No, Mayor, I will not fly the flags at full staff, but I will follow the President’s directive in the spirit of unity.” This isn’t about your beliefs, but about those of the whole community. Those you agree with and those you don’t.
Please reconsider your words to your command. We are watching, across the nation and we have a very loud voice. Please put healing above personal politics.
Thank You,
Cryshalsing
Formerly of a Rural Fire Dept. in Oregon
As firefighters and EMT’s, our job should be to help heal, not sew the seeds of hate and division. What Chief McCabe did, with his ill considered words, was to sew those seeds of discord and strife. It is my sincere hope that this was done out of fear of reprisal. I have known many men who were unable or unwilling to stand for what is right against their superiors. Alas, I’ve also known far too many who lack the moral compass to do the right thing.
Time will tell with Chief McCabe. I’ll let you know if he answers.