NATIONAL AFFAIRS

California Burning

With wildfires once again ravaging the Golden State, firefighters turn to inmates and the National Guard for help.

By Charlotte Buchen | NEWSWEEK

Published Oct 14, 2008

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Discuss

Posted By: garycsan @ 10/17/2008 11:45:57 AM

Comment: Do you enjoy seeming stupid? Inmates have been an normal integral part of firefighting in California for generations. Not only that but your headlines and opening paragraph were obviously written recently but the interview was just as obviously from early in the fire season when, in June and July, there were an unusual number of fire at that point. It's not early in the fire season in October. Dan Burns comes across as what he is, an intelligent and well spoken fire professional. Your report comes across as ignorant.
Posted By: pgsmock @ 10/15/2008 1:58:25 PM

Comment: Yes, put the inmates on the fire line. Since CA is already bankrupt, we may as well use the incarcerated warm bodies who are sitting in jail, as well as spending our tax dollars, to fight the fires.
Posted By: Akmatic @ 10/15/2008 8:14:31 AM

Comment: It's good to see them get some use out of the inmates, at least we get something for all the money we waste incarcerating them on a yearly basis.
Posted By: kshortSD @ 10/14/2008 3:45:23 PM

Comment: I live in CA and I still hear earthquake jokes from people from other states. Earthquakes have nothing on these "fire storms"...it's scary...
Posted By: TheVigil @ 10/14/2008 1:51:46 PM

Comment: "We used to have a fire season. Now it is all year." - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Truer words were never spoken. Global-warming related or not, guys, it would help to look into potential scientific causes of this. It gets old to see news about a major wildfire twice or three times a year instead of once every three years or so the way it used to be. I wonder if Iowa feels the same way about its floods - and New Orleans about its hurricanes.