Posted on 03/04/2004 8:59:42 AM PST by The South Texan
9/11 Victims' Kin Angered by Bush Ads 12 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a firefighters union said Thursday they're angry that President Bush (news - web sites)'s new campaign ads include images of the destroyed World Trade Center and firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble.
They say the ads are in poor taste and accuse Bush of exploiting the attacks. Bush's campaign defended the commercials as appropriate for an election about public policy and the war on terror, saying they were a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years. The campaign had said in the past that it would not use the attacks for political gain.
"It makes me sick," Colleen Kelly, who lost her brother Bill Kelly Jr., in the attacks and leads a victims families group called Peaceful Tomorrows, said Thursday. "Would you ever go to someone's grave site and use that as an instrument of politics? That truly is what Ground Zero represents to me."
"September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The Early Show" on CBS on Thursday. "Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that."
The first ads started running Thursday on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be critical to the election, and nationwide on select cable networks. The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), focusing instead on improving Bush's image after criticism by Democrats in recent months. Bush is expected to spend a large part of his $100 million war chest on ads.
One of the ads shows the charred wreckage of the twin towers with a flag flying amid the debris. Another ad — and a Spanish-language version of it — use that image as well alongside firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble as sirens are heard. Firefighters are shown in all the ads.
Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, on Thursday called the ads disgraceful and said they should be pulled.
"We're not going to stand for him to put his arm around one of our members on top of a pile of rubble at Ground Zero during a tragedy and then stand by and watch him cut money for first responders," Schaitberger said. He said his union is politically independent even though it endorsed Kerry and has donated money to Republicans.
Barbara Minervino, a Republican from Middletown, N.J., who lost her husband, Louis, in the attacks, questioned whether Bush was "capitalizing on the event."
David Potorti, an independent from Cary, N.C., whose brother Jim died in the north tower, called the campaign's use of the images audacious.
"It's an insult to use the place where my brother died in an ad," Potorti said. "I would be just as outraged if any politician did this."
Until Bush cooperates with the federal commission that is investigating the nation's preparedness before the attacks and its response "by testifying in public under oath ... he should not be using 9/11 as political propaganda," said Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown Township, N.J., whose husband, Ronald Breitweiser, 39, died in the World Trade Center.
"Three thousand people were murdered on President Bush's watch," Breitweiser said. "He has not cooperated with the investigation to find out why that happened."
Maybe GW should take a 2nd look at how many Minority votes he's planning on getting from these we love American Aliens.
Hmmmmm, he wouldn't have some kind of agenda, would he?:
Statement by Harold A. Schaitberger
General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters
Endorsement of Senator John Kerry for President September 24, 2003
I am proud to announce that a few moments ago the IAFF Executive Board, the senior leadership of the fire fighters union, voted unanimously to endorse Senator John Kerry for President of the United States.
Next Monday, John and I will be together at a fire station in New Hampshire to formally kickoff the “Fire Fighters for Kerry Campaign,” accompanied by hundreds of professional fire fighters and their families from the Granite State and across New England. Then, we will move on to Iowa, South Carolina, Arizona, and other early primary states to join our members there on our road to electing John Kerry as our next President.
While America’s fire fighters have many reasons for supporting Senator Kerry’s candidacy, there are several that form the basis of our endorsement today. First and foremost, John Kerry represents the values that we, as fire fighters, embody and embrace. Just as fire fighters work on the front lines, under fire every day, so has John Kerry faced hostile fire as the gunboat he commanded fought its way up the Mekong Delta. Just as fire fighters have been hailed as heroes for their courage and their sacrifice, so has John Kerry been decorated as a war hero and recognized by his peers and his nation for his guts and his bravery.
Just as fire fighters are acknowledged as America’s domestic defenders, so has John Kerry proven his commitment to homeland security, backed by his extensive experience in defense issues and foreign affairs. Just as fire fighters protect the public from every conceivable emergency and disaster, so too has John Kerry protected the public for 30 years as a United States Senator, a hard-nosed prosecutor and a wartime Naval officer. John Kerry understands the true meaning of service and duty just as fire fighters do. We trust John Kerry because he is one of us. John Kerry can win and he will win.
That’s because America’s fire fighters, the 260,000 men and women of the IAFF, who live, work, and protect 80 percent of the nation’s population in thousands of communities will be helping him across all 50 states and throughout all 435 congressional districts in this country. The latest polls show that John Kerry can defeat George Bush and help put our country back on track at a time when our nation is at a crossroads and the Bush Administration has thrust our nation into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. When we have watched a $5.6 trillion budget surplus evaporate into the highest federal deficits in history, after only two and a half years of Bush’s reign.
When 41 million Americans are without health insurance and many of them must call 911 and use our fire departments and costly hospital emergency rooms for basic medical care because they simply cannot afford a family Doctor. When the number of unemployed Americans has grown by 49 percent since Bush took office, and, when cash-starved state and local governments are being forced to layoff fire fighters and cut other essential municipal services to their citizens.
At a time like this we need someone with vision, integrity and experience to pull us out of this economic decline. And, the International Association of Fire Fighters knows that John Kerry has what it takes to do the job. He is a proven leader. He knows how to navigate Washington. He learned the hard way in Vietnam, in the courtroom, and in the halls of the U.S. Senate.
America’s fire fighters will be on the front lines of the Kerry campaign across this nation in the coming weeks and months just as we are on the front lines everyday to protect the safety of all Americans. And now John, let me give you the first “Fire Fighters for Kerry” T-shirt. I assure you that the public will be seeing a lot more of these gold and black shirts as this campaign moves forward to secure your nomination and ultimate victory on Election Day.
Wow, google makes this much too easy.
The plane that hit the Pentagon turned left at my house and followed I-95 in. We smelled the smoke for days afterwards.
It's one thing to express sympathy for the heirs and assigns. It's quite another to let them control the outcomes.
So after President G.W. Bush "cooperates" with blah blah, then its ok to use "9/11 as political propaganda"?
LOL !! I hope I am not taking what she said out of context!!
THEY WILL FAIL!
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