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Adam Hunger / Reuters
Emergency personnel rescue residents from flood waters brought on by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, New Jersey, October 30, 2012.
Updated Nov. 8: If you want to help those hurt by the storm, you can donate to these organizations; some of them have options to donate via text message, as well as by phone or online:
AMERICAN RED CROSS
The Red Cross is providing shelter, clothes, supplies, food and blood, as needed, for the victims of Sandy. You can donate blood, but in terms of items, you'll be doing more for those in need by donating money instead of physical goods.
Text message: Text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. As in the case with other donations via mobile, the donation will show up on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your balance if you have a prepaid phone. You need to be 18 or older, or have parental permission, to donate this way. (If you change your mind, text the word STOP to 90999.)
Phone: 800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767); for Spanish speakers, 800-257-7575; for TDD, 800-220-4095.
To donate blood: Visit this Red Cross Web page.
Online: American Red Cross
SALVATION ARMY
The Salvation Army is providing meals and shelter. "At this point, in-kind donations, such as used clothing and used furniture, are not being accepted for hurricane relief. However, these items are vital to supporting the day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army," the organization said Tuesday in a press release.
Text message: Text the word STORM to 80888 to make a $10 donation. To confirm the donation, respond with the word “Yes.”
Phone: 800-SAL-ARMY (800-725-2769)
Online: Salvation Army; here's the organization's New Jersey site, and its Greater New York site.
HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
Many pet owners were able to take their pets with them, but for those who were not, the Humane Society's Animal Rescue Team is assembling staff and equipment to help rescue pets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Phone: 301-258-8276
Online: Humane Society of the United States
AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATION
The association is helping animals that may need rescue or shelter.
Text message: Text the word HUMANE to 80888 to donate $10.
Phone: 866-242-1877.
Online: The AHA's website for donating is here.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Habitat, an international organization, helps those in need rebuild their homes after disaster strikes.
Phone: If you want to make a donation, you can call Habitat's Partner Service Center at 800-HABITAT (422-4828). Press "0" when prompted and representatives will take your donation information over the phone.
Online: This is Habitat for Humanity's main website, and this is the link for donating to Sandy victims.
Superstorm Sandy made landfall Monday evening on a destructive and deadly path across the Northeast.
COMMUNITY FOODBANK OF NEW JERSEY
This group coordinates efforts with the state's Office of Emergency Management, as well as with state and local nonprofit organizations.
Phone: (908) 355- FOOD (3663), ext. 243.
Online: Community FoodBank of New Jersey
FEEDING AMERICA
The organization will deliver food, water and supplies to communities in need through its network of food banks and the agencies they serve.
Phone: 800-910-5524
Online: This is Feeding America's main website.
CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA
Catholic Charities provides emergency food, shelter, direct financial assistance, counseling, and support "regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds."
Online: More information here; main website here.
Phone: 800-919-9338
AMERICARES
This group provides emergency medicine and supplies. Donations are accepted on its accepts donations on its website.
Phone: 800-486-4357.
NEW YORK CARES
This local NYC program is "the city's largest volunteer organization, running volunteer programs for 1,300 nonprofits, city agencies and public schools." It is recruiting volunteers to help with Sandy relief efforts, and is also raising money.
Online: New York Cares; donation page here.
Phone: 212-228-5000
You can also approach the city government directly to volunteer, by emailing nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, email address and borough.
DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL
The organization provides medicine and supplies to partner health centers and clinics.
Text message: Text the word RELIEF to 27722 to give $10.
Phone: 805-964-4767.
Online: Direct Relief International is the main website; go here to donate online.
NYC MAYOR'S FUND
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City charity supports "impactful public programs serving some of the City's greatest needs."
Online: The Mayor's Fund website is here.
WORLD VISION
Describing itself as "a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families" and communities, World Vision provides flood clean-up kits, hygiene kits, blanket and food kits.
Text message: Text the word GIVEUSA to 777444 to donate $10.
Phone: 888-511-6443.
Online: For World Vision's Hurricane Sandy relief, click here.
UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF
Provides immediate relief, assistance with cleanup and rebuilding, pastoral counseling and support for children and youth who have been through trauma.
Text message: Text the word RESPONSE to 80888 to give a $10 donation.
Phone: 800-554-8583
Online: United Methodist Committee on Relief
JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA
The Jewish Federations of North America Hurricane Relief Fund will contribute to recovery and rebuilding.
Text message: Text the word RELIEF to 51818 to pledge a donation.
Online: The Jewish Federations of North America.
BREEZY POINT FUND RAISER
One of the most badly damaged communities in Sandy's wake is Breezy Point, Queens. Catholic University student Matthew Petronis created this fundraising page to help his community rebuild. "I have seen the damage and can say that the place where I grew up during my childhood is almost gone," he wrote on the page, "but that is not the case for the children that are growing up now!"
Though smaller instant charities are not always recommended for donating (for reasons discussed below), NBC News reporters have interviewed Petronis, and verified his story.
SAVE THE CHILDREN
The organization has staff in New Jersey and New York to distribute baby blankets and hygiene items, and to create a "child-friendly
environment in shelters."
Text message: Text the word HURRICANE to 20222 to make a donation.
Phone: 800-728-3843
Online: Save the Children
UNITED WAY
In addition to a Sandy Recovery Fund, United Way helps operate the 2-1-1 national network that provides "24/7 critical, non-emergency health and human services information and connects volunteers to organizations seeking assistance." United Way spokesman Wilhelm U. Meierling says, "We’ve experienced a 40 percent increase in calls during and after the storm, but we want more people to know this resource exists."
Text message: Text the word RECOVERY to 52000 to make a $10 donation.
Online: United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
Sandy, of course, hit Haiti before it got to the U.S., and the IRC distributed emergency supplies — tarps, flashlights, water containers, mosquito nets — to more than 4,200 storm victims.The IRC is also working with other emergency responders to monitor makeshift camps where cholera was a problem in the past.
Online: International Rescue Committee
AARP FOUNDATION
AARP Foundation has established a relief fund to support victims in the U.S. devastated by Sandy. AARP and its affiliates will match contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000.
Online: To donate to the relief fund, please click here.
OPERATION USA
Operation USA is sending emergency, shelter and cleaning supplies to areas hit by Sandy, and is helping "community health clinics restore services to best serve their communities."
Text message: Text the word OPUSA to 50555 to make a $10 donation.
Phone: 800-678-7255
Online: Operation USA
WHAT ELSE TO THINK ABOUT
We'll be updating this list.
Remember that while giving is good, beware of those out there who are not good and are trying to trick you by taking your money. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene last year, the Federal Trade Commission's caution still holds true: "Scammers may try to take advantage of a disaster, and so consumers should be wary of urgent appeals for charitable donations, and watch out for fraudulent home repair schemes after a storm."
You can read more about avoiding home repair rip-offs and charity fraud from the FTC.
Also, the FBI has counseled on its Facebook page "to beware of fraudulent emails and websites claiming to conduct charitable relief efforts. Disasters prompt individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization or a good cause," and suggests reading "Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes" to learn more about avoiding online fraud.
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Hey Governor Chuckles - You an insanely rich one percenter, why not bust out that check book and do the "responsible thing"?
Oh ya, that whole redistribution of wealth thing right Chuckles?
I wasn't planning to post this here, until I saw some of the negative comments already posted. So, I thought, to counter some of that I would share this.
The brief story as to why I wrote this prayer is on my column page. But I share this here, with you al,l as simply a non-denominational prayer anyone can say on behalf of our friends and neighbors dealing with Super Storm Sandy and other tough situations around the country and the world. This is not a Christian prayer. I wrote this for anyone and everyone who would like to use these words and this prayer to talk with their God, whomever He or She may be to you.
My Super Storm Sandy Prayer
October 31, 2012, by Bruce-1628250
This is one of those times God, when people wonder, "Why?"
Why do storms like this happen?
Why is there so much damage?
Why do people have to die?
Why didn't YOU stop this?
You are GOD! You can do anything. Why didn't YOU stop this from happening in the first place?
The only answer I can come up with is just this:
This is how LIFE goes on Planet Earth. Earth is not Heaven. You never said it was.
This is just the way it is. Stuff happens, and we human beings need to deal with it as best we can.
It's not a test You're giving us, and it's not some kind of punishment You're meting out to us.
It's just life. It's just the way things happen here on Earth. It's the way things have always happened on this planet, for millions of years. It's just the way it is.
It's in situations like this that we find out who we really are. This is how we learn, and how we grow.
So God, I am not going to ask you to make things better, or fix the damage, or miraculously and instantly heal the injured, of bring back to life those who were taken from us by this devastating storm.
No God, I'm not going to ask you to do any of that, because in my heart I know that's just not how You work.
What I would like to ask You for is just this.
Please give us all the courage and strength to weather this storm, especially those who were, and still are right in the very heart of it who live on the East Coast and all of their friends and relatives.
Please give us, who were not touched physically by this super storm, the compassion to help friends and neighbors even though our neighbors in this case may be thousands of miles way.
And God, while we're dealing with this tough situation in our own country, don't let us forget about all the others around the world who are dealing with problems of their own. Problems and tragedies that are just as bad, and maybe even worse than this.
Help us to remember that we really are our brother's and sister's keepers, and that it really is up to us to make things right, because there is no magical miracle fix that's just going to come from anywhere to make everything better, or take us back in time and make it like this never happened. It happened, and we can deal with it. But we can deal with it better if we have Your help.
Help us to put aside all the petty grievances and trivial differences that we argued about before all this happened, so that we can pitch-in and work together to help those who really need our help on the East Coast of the United States in Sandy's path, and in every other place around our world where people have been hurt by tragedies like this and even more devastating events such as illness, disease and war.
I guess what I'm asking for God, is just this simple thing…
Give us HOPE so we can HELP.
Amen
One way you can help, if you want to, and as mentioned in the article above, is to call 1-800-RED CROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999.
God Bless You, All my Friends and Neighbors!
I wonder why your God chose to send a hurricane in the first place?
Your God is evil.
Romney's Campaign trained poll watchers to mislead voters at the polls:
The Romney campaign held 6 - 8 training sessions across Wisconsin in the past 2 weeks. Poll workers are under orders to say they are "concerned citizens" if questioned.
Link to Romney poll watcher training schedule + Romney volunteer observer documents
/
TWO EXAMPLES of misleading information distributed by the Romney Campaign:
CLAIM: Page 8 lists 10 items as "The ONLY acceptable forms of "Proof of Residency".
FACT: The list is incomplete. There are many other documents people can use to prove residency that are not included, such as letters from public schools, student loan papers, correspondence with a Native American tribe in WI, vehicle registration, and food stamp correspondances. In addition, the list fails to mention that homeless voters may use an affidavit froma public or private social service agency as proof of residency.
CLAIM: If a handicapped voter is unable to come to the polls to vote, an assistant can deliver the ballot to the voter if the CEI verifies the elector's proof of residency.
FACT: Under Wisconsin law, the CEI (Chief Election Inspector) does not have to verify proof of residency so long as the voter is registered.
The Romney campaign knows that confusing & inaccurate information on Election Day slows down the voting process, discourages voters who wait in line, and drives down turnout. GOP voter suppression has been HUGE in this election cycle. Citizens have the legal right to vote. Election workers should be forwarding this right, not creating obstacles to voting. Forwarding disinformation is an attempt to eliminate our voices, inhibit progress and maintain the status quo.
My oldest vacation home on the Jersey shore was completed flooded. Staying with friends in NYC. Works out fine because I have been trying to sell that dump for 3 years, now the government is going to give me fair value...
I want very much to help, I just know that the money that was donated to the theater victims in CO, well they have not seen any money and it has been in the courts as to how to handle this. Also, the same type of stuff with Haiti and Katrina victims. I want to be CERTAIN that the PEOPLE that need it get it. American Red Cross, well the CEO makes wayyyyyyyy too much money for a charity so NO on the Red Cross. There is no way to make CERTAIN that the PEOPLE get the donations NOW, they need them now not later. So if anyone really knows of a TRUE AND REAL CHARITY for the victims of Sandy please post.
The Salvation Army.
We need urgently send truckloads of condoms,so we will not have to many Sandy Babies .
Because with no electricity and computers,people remember each other again and cuddle up.
Works of Life is a nonprofit organization that has assisted in disaster relief, as well as assistance for the everyday struggle, throughout the past 12 years. By donating your old vehicle, boat, furniture, collectibles, etc., you can be providing much needed assistance to many people who have been affected by Sandy.
Call us at 888-228-7320 to speak with one of our volunteers, or visit our website at www.WorksOfLife.org
I expect to see MSNBC and the Red Cross apologize to Mr. Romney.
Apparently these people need food and clothing after all.
This isn't about Democrat or Republican. We are Americans first. Please donate to Mercury one
They have already delivered last night 2 truckloads of supplies to Cony Island. Another 150 grand is on the way to the area and we have 570 Grand collected today...
100% of your donation will go to aid the hurricane victims.
Glenn pays all other cost out of his pocket.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/incredible-stories-and-pics-this-is-what-becks-mercury-one-charity-found-and-is-doing-when-it-went-to-help-hurricane-victims/
http://fundly.com/mercury-one-disaster-relief-fund
Please help your fellow Americans when they need it.
Romney and Republicans further down the food chain for the first time began
imagining another four years of Democratic rule in the White House.
First, a handful of Republicans battling for election in close Senate races
in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Nevada publicly distanced themselves from Romney’s surreptitiously videotaped comments that “47 percent”
of Americans think of themselves as victims, pay no income taxes and are
dependent on government support. ”That’s not the way I view the world,” said
Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., who is struggling to fend off a challenge by Democrat
Elizabeth Warren.
Read more at #tAvj6cz73MoZIFKU.99
Glenn Beck = Evil
Are you people seriously sitting at home watching these people who have lost everything on your televsion and telling them to SUCK IT UP? Wow. You do realize that this webpage is for people who are trying to find ways to help in the relief efforts, right? I wonder if you would say the same thing to their face if you were standing there with these people? Doubtful.
Next time you have a thought in your head like this that is this insensitive and brainless and you aren't quite sure whether you should actually say it out loud or not.....DON'T.
Let the Yankees stew in their own self made hell. Somehow their problems are so much bigger than others in the country. By comparison to Katrina and a dozen other storms this was a minor storm. Storm of the century! What a bunch of Yankee give us your money BS. The problem was the storm surge...which was about average! Only these fools didn't put in the proper precautions...like a sea wall...nor do they have the building codes like other storm prone areas...and oh yes...they don't trim their trees! They are a bunch of cry baby whiners who help noone but themselves...yet expect everyone to help them. My god, at the height of the storm a stupid news person was standing in ankle deep water and saying this was terrible...terrible...the worse diaster. I didn't see anyone waiting on the roof of their house waiting to be rescued.
Do you have ANY idea how many Yankees contribute financially and physically to other parts of the country when they have disasters? More than you can possibly imagine!! As a Yankee I AM aware of how much we help the rest of the country in their times of need. Talk like yours is going to turn people off from helping others because they don't live in the same part of the country. And I'm quite sure the people that are suffering the most in any disaster don't CARE where the help comes from and are too busy dealing with the situation to care about any of our comments.
I have heard reports that NJ rejected help from an electric crew out of Alabama because they were not union workers. THAT is stupid at best. So NJ gets to go it alone since they are more interested in who does the work than getting the work done. I will also hold off on my donations to any of the affected states until after the election then I will give to those that are like minded and want to get this country back on track.
This rumor was dispelled by Governor Christie today.
This is one of those online stories that will not die even though the Alabama electric companies have disavowed the story.
...i think things are bad in nyc, so why is bloomberg diverting supplies for staten island to the new york marathon? and i think things are bad in new jersey. so why is non-union help being turned away? i think the priorities are all screwed up!
Non Union crews ARE working in NJ. The rumor otherwise was dispelled by Governor Christie today.
Know what seems to be missing? We haven't heard of any help from OUTSIDE of the United States. Nothing. Odd, eh? Especially since Americans are usually the first to give to everyone, even enemies, and we're usually the ones who donate the most.
Exactly what I was thinking .I could not find one article except the Terrorist that wanted to help. Say's way too much about how the world views us.
I've heard that New Jersey has REFUSED all help in restoring power from companies that are sending non-union workers. I'm a strong supporter of the right to unionize, but they can sit in the dark forever for all I care!
That is a rumor that was dispelled today by the governor.
I think entirely too many people live in NYC and New Jersey. With the tremendous cost of living, I'm surprised that so many people live in that part of the country. I would think that the cost alone would cause anyone earning less than $100k per year to want to migrate out of the area to more affordable parts of the country.
Donating to an ill-prepared, ineffective organization hurts people, it's the opposite of help. Because it lulls people into thinking that the Red Cross will actually respond to the disaster, and thus other people and organizations rely on this deception and stay away from helping, thinking help is already there.
When Red Cross was faulted by Staten Island residents about their response, Red Cross responded that they had "a" food truck on the way as well as some other resources on the way. THAT WAS ON LAST NIGHT'S NEWS (THURSDAY). Where were you assclowns when everyone else was heading toward the northeast this past Sunday, before the storm ever hit?! I must have passed 50 utility trucks going north. Where was the Red Cross?!
Give your money to an effective organization that actually functions to help people in times of crisis. Red Cross exists to self-perpetuate and pay its employees salaries.
The Red Cross is Terrific and it Takes Time unfortunatly to get the supplies needed and coordinate everything!
The Hurricanine Sandy tragedy is devestating....My heart goes out to those that have been affected. I do so appreciate the listing of the various agencies to contact in order to help those that have been affected and in need.
I would also like to point out that Our Current President has 5 million dollars at his disposal via his personal contributor which would greatly help the victims of the hurricaine. You failed to place him on the list. People, media, and agencies should be trying to contact him for the aid. He only needs to gather a few documents, a little effort, and it would help a whole lot of people that desperately need the help. There is no reason that he should not want to help his people, he is our president, and he can be a big help. His heart should be breaking and should have a burning to help the victims anyway he can. Why would he turn his back on his Americans in great need when he has the ability to help them? They are in need, and he is our leader. The more help the better.......Obama use the 5 million dollars to help them, PLEASE!
I don't want to spike the football yet....but this hopefully has the makings of a perfect scenario. The first debate kept Romney in it for a while and with it, all the money from the Super PACs and the RNC. I was worrided they were going to pull money and really go heavy in the downballot races. They didn't because they thought Romney could win....in the mean time, however, the Senate became basically out of reach for the GOP...and there is even talk the Dems could take back the House.
Pure, utter rejection of everything the right has stood for since 2010. I love it!
Sharon Ru...It is not Obama's responsibility to run around when there is a disaster to collect documents only to satisfy Trump's need for attention. Trump should donate the $5 million directly to the disaster relief effort without asking Obama to jump through hoops...again. Trump needs to give it a rest, already. I'm so tired of hearing that Obama is not a citizen...no matter how much proof he coughs up it will never satisfy the anti-Obama crowd. I'm so tired of hearing Obama is a muslim terrorist...people need to get over it. He's just a man doing the best he can with the cards he was dealt. Can we move on, please?
im from Jersey.....if anyone knows anyone who lives around the devastated areas has extra space in their homes, people need a place to stay. They are getting really cold, have no running water and have kids too. I guess I would say if anyone close to the area does have extra space, call the red cross and let them know....they have no cars, no power, no water and are running out of food.....tx
Of the list, the Salvation Army is the only one I am familiar with and trust. The Red Cross is not.
Anyone in the NY/NJ area have a suggestion of who is the best for them?
I seem to remember the RED CROSS buying new phones and furniture for their offices with the money they collected for Katrina. Makes me wonder what they will buy now???
There could be a place to send PayPal donations from people! Someone must know how to arrange that?
If you are worried about "shadow" non profits and there are some you should vet agencies before a disaster and keep a list of those you trust. This article has a pretty good assortment of well known and local charities. And you can be creative and contact specific persons right in these areas.
To hell with these people. They complain about welfare and now they want it for themselves. I bet if this happened in Harlem MSNBC wouldn't be raising money for them only RACIST COPS AND FIREMEN.
The 'Black to the Future' Fiasco
That issue was front-and-center in the case that grew out of a 1998 Labor Day Parade in Broad Channel, Queens that included a float entitled "Black to the Future" that envisioned the heavily white neighborhood suddenly "going black." Among the participants were a white cop, Joseph Locurto, and two Firefighters, Robert Steiner and Jonathan Walters, who wore blackface. The incident that elevated the float from garden-variety stupidity into a full-blown disgrace occurred when Mr. Walters decided to re-enact the dragging death of a black man in Texas at the hands of three white assailants.
The three men were immediately suspended, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that they would not be returning to work. Mr. Von Essen would later write in his autobiography, "I didn't think they were evil, just stupid."
The three men filed a Federal lawsuit claiming that their free-speech rights had been violated. Mr. Von Essen testified that he shared Mr. Giuliani's concern that their behavior would discourage minorities from seeking to become Firefighters, noting that even before that, "We just had a horrible record in attracting minorities to what I think is a great job."
When Firefighter Steiner's lawyer asked him whether any firefighters had previously been fired for racism, Mr. Von Essen replied, "Unfortunately, no. I think a lot of people should've been fired for making racial remarks."
Appeals Court Upheld Firings
U.S. District Judge John Sprizzo in 2003 ruled in favor of the two Firefighters and the cop, noting that neither the NYPD nor the FDNY had fired uniformed personnel for racist remarks before that, even though some employees had made statements that were more incendiary. He ordered that they be paid damages and reinstated to their jobs. His ruling was overturned, however, in 2006 in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which concluded that the city's "interest in maintaining a relationship of trust between the police and fire departments and the communities they serve outweighed the plaintiffs' [free-speech] interests in this case...The First Amendment does not require a government employer to sit idly by while its employees insult those they are hired to serve and protect."
To hell with these RACISTS, they complain about welfare and food stamps for minorities but not them. It's funny how MSNBC does a benefit show for RACIST POLICE AND FIREMEN while N.O. still sits in rubble. Where has OBAMA been on that?
The 'Black to the Future' Fiasco
That issue was front-and-center in the case that grew out of a 1998 Labor Day Parade in Broad Channel, Queens that included a float entitled "Black to the Future" that envisioned the heavily white neighborhood suddenly "going black." Among the participants were a white cop, Joseph Locurto, and two Firefighters, Robert Steiner and Jonathan Walters, who wore blackface. The incident that elevated the float from garden-variety stupidity into a full-blown disgrace occurred when Mr. Walters decided to re-enact the dragging death of a black man in Texas at the hands of three white assailants.
The three men were immediately suspended, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that they would not be returning to work. Mr. Von Essen would later write in his autobiography, "I didn't think they were evil, just stupid."
The three men filed a Federal lawsuit claiming that their free-speech rights had been violated. Mr. Von Essen testified that he shared Mr. Giuliani's concern that their behavior would discourage minorities from seeking to become Firefighters, noting that even before that, "We just had a horrible record in attracting minorities to what I think is a great job."
When Firefighter Steiner's lawyer asked him whether any firefighters had previously been fired for racism, Mr. Von Essen replied, "Unfortunately, no. I think a lot of people should've been fired for making racial remarks."
Appeals Court Upheld Firings
U.S. District Judge John Sprizzo in 2003 ruled in favor of the two Firefighters and the cop, noting that neither the NYPD nor the FDNY had fired uniformed personnel for racist remarks before that, even though some employees had made statements that were more incendiary. He ordered that they be paid damages and reinstated to their jobs. His ruling was overturned, however, in 2006 in the U.S. Court of Appeals, which concluded that the city's "interest in maintaining a relationship of trust between the police and fire departments and the communities they serve outweighed the plaintiffs' [free-speech] interests in this case...The First Amendment does not require a government employer to sit idly by while its employees insult those they are hired to serve and protect."